Here are some things to look forward to in the week ahead.

Your lunchtime headlines.

Amazon has looked at the possibility of expanding its retail footprint by acquiring some US locations from bankrupt Toys R Us.

Bryce Dessner tells Ed Power why his band are so happy to be involved in the Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival in Cork

Roger Federer booked his place in the second round of the US Open but serious doubts remain about his fitness after he needed five sets to defeat American teenager Frances Tiafoe.

Roger Federer reported himself fit for a tilt at a third grand slam title of the year at the US Open.

Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard into the main draw at the US Open.

Maria Sharapova has pulled out of next week's Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati in an effort to ensure she is able to participate at the US Open that starts at the end of this month.

A judge in Cincinnati has dismissed charges against a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black motorist, after a prosecutor declined to pursue a third murder trial.

A coroner's office in Ohio is investigating the death of a college student who died less than a week after his return to the US after nearly a year-and-a-half in North Korean detention.

Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was released by North Korea in a coma last week after more than a year in captivity, died on Monday, his family said.

An American college student who was released by North Korea in a coma has suffered a "severe neurological injury", a spokeswoman for the Ohio hospital treating him said.

People in the Ohio hometown of a college student released by North Korea said they are pleased he is back and expressed hopes for his recovery as he remained in a coma.

Nine executions in Ohio, including that of a child killer, have been delayed due to a court fight over the constitutionality of the state’s lethal injection process.

Nine people have been wounded, two critically, during a shooting in a club in Ohio.

"We’ve got one going out, pray for him and his family. And for the president going in, pray for him and his family to guide this nation."

A South Carolina judge has declared a mistrial after a jury was deadlocked in the murder trial of a white former police officer charged over the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist.

Andy Murray is the new world number one after Milos Raonic withdrew from their semi-final at the Paris Masters, handing him the final place he needed to secure the ranking.

Karolina Pliskova is through to her first grand slam semi-final after easing past Croatia’s Ana Konjuh at the US Open last night.

ENGLAND: Birmingham has been crowned the funniest city in the UK, according to a study.

Andy Murray's long winning streak has ended with defeat to Marin Cilic in the final of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Some of the stranger stories from around the world

Emergency service recordings have revealed the confusion and panic after a three-year-old boy fell into Cincinnati Zoo’s gorilla exhibit.

There is something very endearing about this video of a police officer and a young boy having a dance-off surrounded by the local community.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a four-year-old boy entering a gorilla's exhibit at Cincinnati Zoo and the animal being shot dead to protect the child.

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

A young Irish legal eagle has been selected to work on a US miscarriage of justice project which helped highlight the Steven Avery case featured in the smash Netflix series, Making a Murderer.

A special zoo response team has shot and killed a gorilla that grabbed a four-year-old boy who fell into an exhibit moat at a US zoo.

The murders of eight family members in rural Ohio were sophisticated, planned executions, authorities have said.

Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and John Kasich have suggested they may not support Donald Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee, as violence at the front-runner's rallies deepened the party's chaotic chasm.

The National’s Matt Berninger really is enjoying his sideproject with El Vy, writes Ed Power

Roger Federer looked in fine form as he powered to the second round at the US Open at Flushing Meadows last night.

Roger Federer will take on Novak Djokovic in the final of the Cincinnati Masters after he beat Andy Murray in straight sets 6-4 7-6 (8/6).

Bryce Dessner of The National has a long-held affinity with Cork. It’s part of the reason he’s organising an impressive music fest in the city, writes Ed Power

TAYLOR SWIFT’s juggernaut of an album, 1989, has continued to rack up huge sales figures - and has now been crowned the fastest-selling album in a decade. 

USA: A delicious starter may seem like the perfect way to begin a memorable restaurant meal.