Members of a Muslim sect in Russia's Tatarstan region are charged with cruelty to children after allegedly keeping them in catacombs for years at a time.

Usain Bolt runs in the 200m semi-finals, Shara Proctor targets a long jump medal and GB's women hockey players face Argentina for a final spot.

The Curiosity Mars rover uses its navigation cameras for the first time, capturing images of its shadow on the ground and views of the horizon.

July 2012 has broken the old record set in 1936 during the Dust Bowl era to become the hottest month ever in the US, scientists say.

The man who shot dead six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin died of a self-inflicted gun shot to the head, after police shot him, says the FBI.

Egypt carries out air strikes against suspected Islamist militants in the Sinai peninsula near the border with Israel and Gaza.

A South African man pleads guilty to murdering Swedish woman Anni Dewani during her honeymoon, and also accuses her British husband.

The chief executive of scandal-hit Standard Chartered says it "fundamentally rejects" accusations that it laundered as much as $250bn (£161bn) for Iran.

Hurricane Ernesto drenches parts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as it moves over land heading towards the Gulf of Mexico.

The son of sacked Chinese politician Bo Xilai says the "facts will speak for themselves" when his mother Gu Kailai goes on trial for murder.

The Bank of England cuts its growth forecast to near zero from about 0.8% predicted in May, as the double-dip recession intensifies.