The former Sex Pistol says 'cruel and tortuous' illness left him unaware who his parents were

There are growing fears for the life of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the jailed Bahraini human rights leader who has been on hunger strike for 78 days, as his family say they have been unable to contact him since Monday.

The UAE has recalled its ambassador to Tehran for consultations after what the foreign minister said was a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who visited a Gulf island claimed by both countries since the 1970s.

Malaysia crowned its fourteenth King yesterday in an elaborate ceremony at the new National Palace in Kuala Lumpur.

My girlfriend and I turned up for a romantic break in Athens last Wednesday evening, only to discover that Dimitris Christoulas had shot himself in front of parliament hours before. The 77-year-old pharmacist couldn't cope with the austerity imposed upon him by Greece's technocratic government. His suicide note confessed he couldn't bear to look his children in the eye any more. Massive demonstrations in the central Syntagma Square over the next four nights were his fellow citizens' response.

Bahrain has rejected the Danish government's request to transfer a jailed activist who has spent two months on hunger strike to Denmark for emergency treatment, the kingdom's official news agency said.

Film censors in Thailand have stepped in to ban a film based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth, claiming it could inflame political tensions.

King George Tupou V of Tonga was widely seen as a reformer who gave up most of his powers in order to usher in a more democratic era to the small South Pacific kingdom of 176 islands with a population of just over 105,000. Seen as an eccentric by many, Tupou loved Savile Row suits and military uniforms, and had a penchant for the dress of Lord Chelmsford's army in the Anglo-Zulu campaign, with spats, pith helmet and brass. He commanded the Tongan Defence Services, which saw service in Iraq and are now in Afghanistan.

A Pakistani parliamentary commission yesterday demanded an end to drone attacks inside the country and an apology for deadly air strikes last year as part of a review of its near-severed relations with the US.

Tonga's King George Tupou V, who gave up most of his powers to bring a more democratic government to his Pacific island nation, has died at a Hong Kong hospital.

The two men came from behind as Worachet Pakeerut was parking his car. One of them punched him in the face and the pair sped off on a motorbike.

Like her most famous creation, she continues to be revived and reappraised, haunting the popular imagination, writes Holly Williams

"I recently gave a press conference in Santiago Chile, where I answered questions for over an hour.

The Spanish king's son-in-law was jeered by hundreds of protesters as he arrived at a court today to answer questions about suspected fraudulent deals.