Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, a pop star known for his bad-boy antics on stage, became earthquake-devastated Haiti's new president and urged his countrymen to set aside their divisions and raise the nation from rubble.

Haitian officials have taken former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier to court, two days after his surprise return from exile.

Three international organisations cancelled US$1.2bn (€853,278) of Haiti's debt, freeing up millions of dollars each year for the deeply impoverished Caribbean nation that is beset by humanitarian crises.