Japan awaits a general election on Sunday widely expected to usher in a new government, with nuclear policy, the economy and China key issues.

A piano that features in the classic 1940s film Casablanca is sold for more than $600,000 (£370,000) at an auction in New York.

Humanitarian agencies warn of a sharp rise in refugees in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as a result of recent fighting.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is recovering well, but gradually, from cancer surgery in Cuba, his communications minister says.

Egyptians are set to vote in a referendum on a draft constitution that has divided the country and sparked deadly unrest.

US President Barack Obama appeals for "meaningful action" in the wake of a shooting that left 20 young children dead at a Connecticut school.

The children of the nurse found hanged days after answering a hoax call about the Duchess of Cambridge describe the "unfillable void" she has left.

Fredrik Saker's driving licence does not look exceptional but the likeness is a painting, not a photograph.