The forces of Libya's transitional government fight their way into Sirte, meeting strong resistance from Gaddafi loyalists, as more civilians flee.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy tells an audience in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, that Russia should stop making "threats" against the country.

Mexican troops arrest eight suspects in the murder of nearly 70 people in the eastern city of Veracruz, where drugs gangs have been fighting for control.

The Dutch government announces plans to reclassify high-strength cannabis as a hard drug, meaning coffee shops will be banned from selling it.

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela relaunches a left-wing coalition, the Great Patriotic Pole, designed to help him win reelection next year.

Jurors in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray hear details of the singer's final moments, as a police recording is played in court.

John Wayne's green beret sells for a record-breaking $179,250 during an auction of Wayne memorabilia in Los Angeles.

At least 56 people are killed in a series of road collisions in China including 35 mainly young people travelling on a bus.