A leading candidate in Cologne's mayoral race is stabbed in what officials are saying is a politically motivated attack.

At least five people are killed during an attack on a Shia gathering hall in eastern Saudi Arabia, media in the kingdom have reported.

Hungary closes its border with Croatia in an effort to stem the flow of migrants moving through the country en route to western Europe.

The US announces new curbs on oil and gas exploration off Alaska's northern coast, after Shell stopped its Arctic operation there.

The Philippines is preparing for a typhoon that is forecast to dump heavy rain and cause severe flooding when it arrives at the weekend.

Ex-NBA player Lamar Odom has regained consciousness three days after being found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel, a family member says.

Fugitive Mexican drugs lord Joaquin Guzman suffered face and leg injuries as he narrowly evaded a police operation to recapture him, officials say.

A possible gas cylinder blast has killed at least eight people, most of them students, in a restaurant in the Indian city of Mumbai, police say.