A military jury begins deliberations in the case of a former US Army psychiatrist who killed 13 soldiers in a 2009 attack at Fort Hood base in Texas.

More than 300,000 people in Sudan have been hit by floods that have already killed nearly 50 people in August, the World Health Organization says.

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is formally indicted on murder and weapons charges in the death of a semi-professional player.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges the Syrian government to allow a UN team to swiftly investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Paraguay's congress gives new President Horacio Cartes powers to deploy the military to tackle unrest in the country, after a series of rebel attacks.

Workers at Chile's Alma telescope, the world's largest radio telescope, go on strike to demand better pay and working conditions.

A second day of hearings is under way in the trial of Bo Xilai, the former top Chinese politician charged with bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

The heir to New York society doyenne Brooke Astor is freed, two months after he was jailed for stealing millions from his ailing mother.