A ban on slaughtering animals anywhere except at a central abattoir comes into force in the Somali capital as part of moves to improve hygiene.

Two US sailors kidnapped in October from an oil supply ship off Nigeria's coast have been released, the state department says.

Bill Clinton says President Barack Obama should honour his pledge to let people keep their medical coverage, even if it means changing the health law.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu orders his housing minister to reconsider construction plans for more than 20,000 homes in the West Bank.

Syria's largest Kurdish party announces plans to form an transitional administration to run Kurdish-majority areas in the northeast.

Hawaii is set to become the latest US state to allow gay marriage after it passed a bill legalising same-sex unions.

Fifa will use an accredited laboratory in Switzerland to analyse player blood and urine samples for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

A Francis Bacon painting is sold for $142m (£89m) in New York, becoming the most expensive artwork ever auctioned.