French President Nicolas Sarkozy rejects claims by Dominique Strauss-Kahn that his party was behind the ex-IMF chief's downfall, as he continues to trail in the polls.

The Eritrean government denies persistent rumours that President Isaias Afewerki is dead, telling the BBC he is in 'robust health'.

Troops in Guinea-Bissau free former PM Carlos Gomes Junior and interim President Raimundo Pereira, seized in a coup earlier this month.

The authorities in Colombia say left-wing Farc rebels have killed eight people including a baby in two separate attacks in the south of the country.

US pop star Lady Gaga kicks off her Born This Way Ball tour with a concert in Seoul that fans under the age of 18 had been forbidden to attend.

Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki goes on national TV to dispel persistent rumours that he is dead or ailing.

Two actors in a film about escaping Cuba emerge a week after disappearing on the way to a New York film festival, saying they will seek asylum in the US.