US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making "excellent progress" after a blood clot was found between her brain and skull, doctors say.

Venezuelan cabinet ministers gather at the presidential palace to pray for the health of President Hugo Chavez, who is being treated for cancer.

The UN Security Council imposes sanctions against leaders of the M23 rebel movement in DR Congo.

A 74-year-old US landlord shoots dead two teenage tenants after an argument about snow-shovelling, police say.

The UK has begun its year-long presidency of the G8 group of nations, which will include hosting a summit in Northern Ireland.

India rolls out an ambitious plan for a cash payout of subsidies to the poor in 20 districts, officials say.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un delivers the state's first New Year's message for 19 years, calling for an improved economy and a reunified Korea.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appoints the former president of East Timor, Nobel Peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, as his special representative to Guinea-Bissau.