The Russian plane crash in Egypt last week was not due to technical failures, French aviation officials familiar with the investigation tell the BBC.

Argentine campaign group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo say they have identified the grandson of one of the group's co-founders.

The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is to hire the country's first transgender police officer after a court cleared hurdles that faced one applicant.

Lawyers for Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit US podcast Serial, will be allowed to present new evidence in his case after a court ruling on Friday.

There are protests in Taipei as Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou leaves for talks with China's President Xi Jinping, the first ever talks between leaders of the two sides.

Mikhail Lesin, a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is found dead in a hotel room in Washington, Russian state media say.

Portugal's Socialists say they have the backing of two smaller far-left parties and can form a government after last month's inconclusive general election.

Two police officers in the US state of Louisiana are to be charged with murder after the fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy.