Explosion on Gulf of Mexico rig
An explosion rips through an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the blast in April that caused a huge oil spill.

Strike 'kills Afghan civilians'
Ten election campaign workers have been killed in an air strike by Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, Afghan officials say.

US East Coast on hurricane alert
Areas along the US East Coast declare states of emergency as Hurricane Earl churns towards the region, forecast to brush land on Thursday night.

German banker 'should be fired'
The German central bank calls on the country's president to dismiss one of its board members over comments he made about immigration and Jews.

Manila in hostage coffin 'mix-up'
The Philippines vows to probe claims that coffins of three of Hong Kong's eight victims of last week's hijacking in Manila were wrongly labelled.

Red Cross asks for more Pakistan funds
ICRC increases its Pakistan floods appeal by $76m as it warns that only a fraction of humanitarian needs are being met.

Man held over Russia club blaze
Police in Spain arrest a Russian man wanted for questioning about a fire at a Russian nightclub that killed more than 150 people in 2009.

Ecuador in migrant massacre row
Honduras accuses Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa of risking the life of a Honduran migrant who survived last month's Mexico massacre.

Russia extends grain export ban
Russia will consider lifting its grain export ban only after the next year's harvest has been reaped, Vladimir Putin says.

New York dims the lights to save birds from collision
A growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings.