Aung San Suu Kyi says she will take the Burmese parliamentary oath despite disputing the wording of it, as the UN's Ban Ki-moon urges political engagement.

US President Barack Obama refuses to comment on the Chinese dissident who fled house arrest and is now reported to be at the US embassy in Beijing.

The wife of John Edwards' former aide weeps in court as she testifies of her role in efforts to hide the former presidential candidate's affair.

US President Obama and Japanese PM Noda warn North Korea its "old pattern of provocation" - including a recent failed rocket launch - is over.

Members of Mali's presidential guard exchange fire with soldiers who took part in a coup in March, officials and witnesses in Bamako say.

Mexican lawmakers pass a bill recognising and protecting the rights of crime victims, following a passionate campaign by victims' groups.

A parliamentary committee in Turkey is due to start work on the country's first fully civilian constitution, which is expected to curb the army's influence.

The number of US babies born with symptoms of opiate withdrawal increased threefold between 2000 and 2009, new research shows.