Secretary of State John Kerry steps up US aid to Syria's rebels and tells a Friends of Syria meeting there must be a peaceful transition in the country.

Authorities in Texas say it is safe for some evacuees to begin returning to homes after a huge blast at a fertiliser plant which killed 14 people.

An avalanche in the US state of Colorado kills five back-country snowboarders with a sixth surviving, according to officials.

The electoral commission in Venezuela says an audit of last Sunday's disputed presidential vote will not affect Nicolas Maduro's victory.

Paraguayans go to the polls in a presidential election seen as key to restoring democratic credentials after a disputed impeachment.

Rescue teams in China's Sichuan province battle to reach survivors of an earthquake that has killed more than 200 and left 11,500 injured.

Twitter accounts for news programmes by US broadcaster CBS are hacked by a group proclaiming support for the Syrian government.

US private-equity magnate Stephen Schwarzman launches a $300m scholarship fund that aims to send hundreds of students to study in China.