The UN's observer mission in Syria formally comes to an end, days after it was decided to cancel it in response to mounting violence.

Two months after three policemen were killed by rogue colleagues, all officers working at Mexico City's international are replaced.

Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas, says he will forgo his bonus and pay rise after a sharp plunge in the airline's profits.

South American foreign ministers give "solidarity and backing" to Ecuador for granting asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Thousands of South African miners face a Monday deadline to go back to work or face the sack, days after 34 of their colleagues were killed by police.

Libyan forces arrest 32 members of a "pro-Gaddafi cell" over the twin car bombings that killed two people in Tripoli on Sunday, officials say.

Somali MPs are preparing to vote for a new president, marking the end of eight years of rule by a UN-backed transitional government.

Hollywood film-maker Tony Scott, famous for movies including Top Gun, dies after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles, authorities say.