Abdul-Rahman Kassig, held by IS militants and threatened with murder, says "the stress and fear are incredible" in a letter to his parents in Indiana.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made first public appearance since 3 September, the country's official news agency reports.

The Catalan regional government has called off plans to push ahead with a contested independence referendum, Spanish media says.

A radio DJ, who took part in a hoax call after which a nurse killed herself, tells Newsnight how she received death threats and bullets in the post.

Shia militias in Iraq have kidnapped and killed scores of Sunni civilians in recent months in apparent revenge for IS attacks, Amnesty International says.

The attorney general of the US state of Oklahoma is seeking to delay three executions, claiming more time is needed to obtain necessary drugs.

Iranian, US and EU negotiators are to hold talks in Vienna as the November deadline approaches for a final deal on Iran's nuclear programme.

Nearly 50 people are held after crowds descend on the police station in the Missouri town where the shooting of an unarmed black teenager two months ago sparked riots.