US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is seriously concerned about increased Chinese militarisation of the contested South China Sea.

Egypt has ordered the closure of the country's last remaining centre for treatment and documentation of alleged torture victims.

Venezuela raises petrol prices for the first time in 20 years as part of a series of measures aimed at easing the country's economic crisis.

People across Uganda begin voting in presidential elections, with incumbent Yoweri Museveni seeking to extend his 30-year rule.

Three Chinese students in the US are jailed for kidnap and assault in a case that sparked discussion in China about "parachute kids".

President Obama is to visit Cuba in the coming weeks as part of a broader trip to Latin America, reports say.

A Kenyan air strike kills the intelligence chief of Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab, an army statement says.

Scientists say a Brazilian study confirming the presence of Zika virus in amniotic fluid of pregnant women "strengthens" evidence it may be linked to microcephaly in babies.