Thousands of Tunisians gather at a rally in the capital Tunis in support of the government, as opposition groups prepare a counter-protest.

Japan launches the world's first talking robot into space to serve as companion to astronaut Kochi Wakata who begins his ISSmission in November.

Honduras sends troops to quell a riot at a jail near the capital Tegucigalpa, after a report said the government had abandoned its jails to inmates.

The Foreign Office is "strongly urging" British nationals to leave Yemen as a two-day closure of the UK embassy in Sana'a begins following a terrorism warning.

The US and UK express concerns after Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe wins a seventh term in office amid claims of electoral fraud.

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi broadcasts an angry video message after a court upholds his prison sentence for tax fraud.

Australian PM Kevin Rudd calls an election for 7 September, pitting him against the favourite to win, conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott.

Twenty-one US embassies and consulates, mostly in the Middle East, are closed throughout Sunday amid fears that al-Qaeda may be planning an attack.