Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda defends the country's use of the death penalty, days after three death-row inmates were hanged.

The Chinese authorities arrest six people and shut several websites for spreading online rumours suggesting there was a coup taking place.

Former Argentine President Carlos Menem will stand trial accused of obstructing an inquiry into the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural centre that killed 85 people.

Police in northern Mexico arrest eight people in connection with the killing of two 10-year-old boys and a woman in ritual sacrifices.

The passing of a bill in Turkey allowing parents to move their children into Islamic schools earlier prompts scuffles in parliament.

Explosions in southern Thailand have killed at least five people, officials say, in a region hit by separatist violence.

The Syrian government says it will keep troops in residential areas of cities until "peace and security" prevail, after the UN urges their withdrawal.

A fire has temporarily disabled a cruise ship carrying 1,001 people in waters south of the Philippines, the Philippine coast guard says.