Explosions and heavy gunfire are heard in Tripoli, as Libyan rebels consolidate their hold on two key cities near the capital.

A 737 charter jet crashes in the Canadian Arctic, killing 12 people and injuring three others.

A new intelligence-sharing deal between Colombia and Honduras leads to the seizure of a plane laden with cocaine, officials from the two countries say.

Thousands of Egyptians rally outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo for a second day over the deaths of five Egyptian policemen earlier this week.

US Vice-President Joe Biden, on a visit to China, seeks to allay concerns over US debt, saying America has never defaulted on and never will.

There have been further explosions in Libya's capital, Tripoli, hours after Col Muammar Gaddafi said attackers had been "eliminated" and as rebels advance on three fronts towards their ultimate target.

Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating the closing Mass of the World Youth Day festival in Spain.

A first division football match in Mexico is abandoned after a gun battle erupts just outside the stadium.