How the US military's gear changed to meet Iraq war threat

Seven US Marines are killed and eight injured after a mortar shell exploded unexpectedly during a training accident in the US state of Nevada.

A man accused of dismembering his Chinese lover and posting his body parts to Canadian politicians collapses in a court hearing.

US lawmakers will dump a plan to ban assault weapons, all but killing off a key part of a gun control campaign galvanised by a recent school massacre.

Transocean, owner of the Gulf of Mexico oil rig that exploded in 2010, could have done more to detect problems, says the company's chief executive.

The most daring prison breakouts

A US presidential commission paves the way for testing an anthrax vaccine on children, prompting criticism that participants would be "guinea pigs".

A US teenager smiles and jeers at relatives of his victims as he is sentenced to life in prison for shooting dead three in a school cafeteria.

Vancouver-based retailer Lululemon removes a range of its popular stretch yoga pants from sale because they reveal a little too much.

A US 'hacktivist' who broke into AT&T's network and stole contact details for 120,000 iPad owners has been given a 41 month jail sentence.

An American man has been found guilty of the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong in a Tokyo hotel room last May.

The actress is given 90 days in rehab and 30 days community service for charges relating to a car crash last June in Los Angeles.

A man reconnects with hundreds of Facebook friends - in person

The US Senate nears passage of a bill to fund the government through October, in a step toward averting a government shutdown this month.

Former world number one golfer Tiger Woods and US Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn announce they are dating.

Wall Street investment bank Citigroup agrees to pay $730m (£484m) to settle a class-action suit by bondholders brought over the financial crisis.

Democratic Republic of Congo war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda hands himself over to the US embassy in Kigali, the state department says.

A university student in the US state of Florida may have been planning to massacre fellow students before he killed himself instead, authorities say.

Prosecutors in Texas say they will not charge a couple whose adopted Russian son's death was ruled an accident, sparking outrage in Russia.

President Obama offers Iran a "practical solution" if it seeks peaceful nuclear capabilities rather than an alleged weapons programme.