Brazil says it is investigating corruption and price-fixing allegations against 18 companies, including Siemens of Germany and Alstom of France.

Twitter users in Turkey report that the social media site has been blocked in the country after PM Erdogan vowed to "wipe out" the website.

EU leaders sign an accord on closer ties with Ukraine just as Russia's parliament rubber stamps Crimea's entry into the Russian Federation.

At least two people have been killed in northern Lebanon bringing to 16 the death toll since clashes linked to the conflict in Syria began a week ago.

Thousands of people rally in Taiwan in support of students who have been occupying parliament for three days to protest against a trade agreement.

The first UK prosecutions over female genital mutilation are announced by the Crown Prosecution Service.

An international search of the southern Indian Ocean resumes for a second day as authorities try to locate a missing Malaysian airliner.

Bankrupt Japanese firm MtGox says it has found 200,000 lost bitcoins worth millions of dollars in a digital wallet from 2011 that it no longer uses.