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The African Union announced on Friday it was suspending Guinea-Bissau "with immediate effect", shortly after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) froze Guinea-Bissau out of "all decision-making bodies".

The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics also issued a strong rebuke of faith as a justification for violence.

But the vote will be blocked from rebel-held enclaves and monitors are dismissing it as a ploy to disguise continuing military rule.

The blaze was Hong Kong's deadliest since 1948, when an explosion followed by a fire killed at least 135 people.

The visit comes almost 30 years after former president Roman Herzog became in 1997 the first German leader to officially recognise the country's "involvement" in the massacre and apologised to the Spanish people.