The leader of the far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, warned that the movement would spread across Europe after his party won 21 seats in the Greek parliament.

Addressing reporters after the vote, who were forced to stand to welcome his presence, Michaloliakos shouted,

"Greece is only the beginning."

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” [I came, I saw, I conquered]

The Chinese newspaper, The Beijing News, appeared to offer an apology for its editorial which criticised the US and the Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, after widespread outcry by the Chinese public. 

In a move seen to be in line with pro-government newspapers, The Beijing News, launched an attack on Guangecheng in its editorial on Friday, along side the US ambassador Gary Locke, with whom the activist had sought sanctuary at the US embassy for six days.

A United Nations human rights investigator has called on the US to do more to heal the wounds of Native Americans, caused by over a century of oppression.

Chinese dissidents Chen Guangcheng is expected to be allowed to leave China, according to US officials.

China earlier said in a statement released by its foreign ministry that Chen could apply to study abroad like other citizens.

"Chen Guangcheng is currently being treated in hospital," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Liu Weimin, said on Friday.

"If he wants to study abroad, he can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen."

The governments of Austria and The Netherlands announced that ministers would be boycotting the Euro 2012 football tournament, being co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, due to Ukraine's treatment of the imprisoned former prime minister, Yuliya Tymoshenko.

Austria said the decision was a "mark of solidarity" with Tymoshenko.

Welcoming the decisions, Tymoshenko urged other European states to follow.

Tymoshenko said,

Prosecutors have urged the Special Court for Sierra Leone to sentence former Liberian president Charles Taylor to 80 years imprisonment.

In the Prosecution Sentencing Brief, the prosecution team said that the "extreme magnitude" of the crimes warranted the lengthy jail term.

Sudan has pledged to end fighting with South Sudan and abide by the terms of aUN resolution passed yesterday.

In a statement, Sudan said it “welcomes the U.N. Security Council resolution which was issued on Wednesday” and would "fully commit to what has been issued in the resolution about stopping hostilities with South Sudan according to the time limits issued".

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution threatening to impose sanctions on Sudan and South Sudan.

The resolution, drafted by the US, called for the Sudans to resume talks on disputed issues within two weeks.

Recent weeks have seen clashes in the disputed border region, with Sudan carrying out indiscriminate aerial bombing and South Sudan occupying the disputed Heglig.

The resolution called for the implementation of an African Union road map, which aims to bring the neighbours back to the negotiation table.