St Petersburg supermarket blast claimed by IS

The busy supermarket was wrecked by the explosion

The so-called Islamic State (IS) militant group says it was behind Wednesday's bombing of a supermarket in the Russian city of St Petersburg that injured at least 13 people.

IS made the claim on its Amaq news outlet but gave no evidence.

President Vladimir Putin had earlier described the blast at the Perekrestok branch as a terrorist act.

Argentina father jailed for keeping daughter as 'sex slave'

An Argentine man who fathered eight children with his daughter has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Domingo Bulacio, 57, was found guilty by a court in Argentina of raping his own daughter over a 20-year period.

The victim, who has not officially been named, said that he kept her as a sex slave from the age of 11.

Sue Grafton: Alphabet crime author dies aged 77

Sue Grafton received numerous awards for her work

US crime writer Sue Grafton, best known for creating the private eye Kinsey Malhone in her 'alphabet mystery' novels, has died aged 77.

Her daughter Jamie Clark said she died in Santa Barbara, California, following a two-year battle with cancer.

"She was surrounded by family, including her devoted and adoring husband Steve," she said.

Thai ponzi scheme fraudster sentenced to 13,275 years in prison

Some 40,000 people are believed to have been duped by the fraudulent scheme (file picture)

A Thai court has sentenced a fraudster to more than 13,000 years in prison.

Pudit Kittithradilok, 34, admitted running a Ponzi scheme whereby he promised investors artificially high financial returns.

Egypt attack: Gunman targets Coptic Christians in church and shop

Nine people have been killed in two attacks on Coptic Christians in Helwan district, south of Cairo, Egypt's interior ministry has said.

Six civilians and a policeman died when a gunman tried to storm a church but was intercepted and arrested, it said.

It said the man had previously attacked a Coptic-owned shop in the same area, killing two brothers.