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The Canadian Space Agency announces astronaut Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station in 2013.

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An explosion has torn through an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the blast in April that caused a huge oil spill.

The blast, which threw 13 people into the water, was reported by a helicopter company at 0930 local time (1330 GMT).

The platform, which caught fire, was not producing oil or gas, the Department of Homeland Security said.

The blast occurred around 130km (80 miles) south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.

All 13 workers who fell into the Gulf are accounted for and have been transported to another platform by an oil support vessel, the Coast Guard said. One person is reportedly injured.

Before being rescued by the support boats, all 13 workers were given special immersion suits to protect them from the water, said Coast Guard chief petty officer John Edwards.

The federal government was prepared to respond to the situation if there had been reports of pollution, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Mr Gibbs added that President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting, and he was unaware if the president was informed of the blast.

The platform is owned by Mariner Energy and is located in shallow water, approximately 340ft (105m) from the floor of the Gulf.

"Right now we're focused on search and rescue and then, ultimately, as this thing progresses we're going to be looking into the cause," Mr Edwards said.

Mariner Energy Spokesman Patrick Cassidy told the CNN TV network the blast occurred "quite a ways away" from any wells.

Mr Cassidy confirmed the platform was not in production at the time of the explosion.

The structure had been undergoing maintenance activities prior to the blast, said Melissa Schwartz, spokeswoman for Bureau of Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement.

Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two planes, and three boats were sent to the site of the explosion from the states of Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama.

Coast Guard helicopters did not spot any oil floating around the burning platform, said Coast Guard fireman Katherine McNamara.

The latest explosion comes more than four months after an blast ripped through a Deepwater Horizon rig run by BP, causing about hundreds of million gallons of oil to be released into the Gulf of Mexico.

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A tanker carrying 9m litres (2.4m gallons) of diesel fuel has run aground off the coast of northern Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard has said.

The vessel, owned by Woodward's Oil, hit a sandbar in the Northwest Passage, south-west of the community of Gjoa Haven in the Nunavut federal territory.

The Canadian authorities are reportedly working with Woodward's Oil to get the tanker floating again, they added.

The Coast Guard told CBC that it was too early to tell when the ship, which was supplying remote communities in the region, would be able to move.

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The three Pakistan cricketers accused of corruption - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - have been charged, and provisionally suspended, by the International Cricket Council.

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Ten election campaign workers have been killed in an air strike by Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, officials say.

The governor of the northern province of Takhar, Abduljabar Taqwa, told the BBC that two people were also wounded in the attack in the Rostaq district.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the incident, saying that "pro-democracy people should be distinguished from those who fight against democracy".

The target was a senior member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) who regularly co-ordinated and conducted attacks with IMU and Taliban insurgents, the International Security Assistance Force said.

"Intelligence tracked the insurgents travelling in a sedan on a series of remote roads in Rostaq district. After careful planning to ensure no civilians were present, coalition aircraft conducted a precision air strike on one sedan and later followed with direct fire from an aerial platform."

"The vehicle was travelling as part of a six-car convoy, but no other vehicles were hit in the strike."

The Isaf statement said "initial reflections" indicated that eight to 12 insurgents were killed or wounded, including a Taliban commander.

"Multiple passengers of the vehicle were positively identified carrying weapons," it added.

Mr Taqwa told BBC Pashto that the Rostaq district was peaceful and that there was "not a single anti-government member in the area" when the air strike took place.

"Without any co-ordination, without informing provisional authorities, they attacked, on their own, civilian people who were in a campaign convoy."

The governor said Abdulawahid Khorasani, a parliamentary candidate on his way to campaign in Rostaq with about 100 of his supporters and several armed guards, was among those hurt.

The district governor of Rostaq, Malim Hussian, told the BBC: "Around 0900 this morning, a convoy of around 100 cars belonging to Mr Khorasani left Khwaja Bahawideen for a village called Kay Wan.

"[A fighter] jet first dropped a bomb. After that there were two helicopters, which fired heavy machine-guns. As a result 10 people were killed, including a local commander called Aminullah," a former member of the Mujahideen who was not a member of the Taliban, he said.

"I want the international forces to use proper channels for intelligence. A Taliban commander or a member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan does not travel in a 100-vehicle convoy.''

"Air bombardments in the villages of Afghanistan will only end up killing civilians and will not be effective in the fight against terrorism," it said.

The BBC's Mark Dummett in Kabul says the air strike happened at an awkward time - hours before the arrival in the capital of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

Our correspondent says he is due to hold talks with Mr Karzai, and the issue of civilian casualties is sure to be discussed - it is a major source of tension between the two countries.

Last September, a US air strike called in by German troops in neighbouring Kunduz province left at least 30 civilians dead.

US Marine Corps Maj Gen David Garza said: "We're aware of the allegations that this strike caused civilian casualties and we'll do our best to get to the bottom of the accusations."

He added: "We're confident this strike hit only the targeted vehicle after days of tracking the occupants' activity."

Rostaq is one of Takhar's most impoverished and remote districts. Last week, local officials expressed concerns about growing insecurity in the province, saying the Taliban and al-Qaeda were trying to destabilise it.

No foreign troops are stationed in Takhar. There are, however, currently about 150,000 deployed throughout the rest of the country fighting the Taliban.

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The Israeli novelist David Grossman on how the Middle East conflict tore his family apart.

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The first direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in nearly two years have begun with a pledge of "full and active support" from the US.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had the "opportunity to end this conflict".

Mr Abbas called on Israel to end all settlement construction and lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The talks at the US State Department are the first such negotiations in 20 months.

He has said the goal is a permanent settlement that ends the Israeli occupation of territory captured in 1967, and an independent, democratic Palestinian state existing peacefully beside Israel.

Opening the negotiations, Mrs Clinton said the US had "pledged its full support to these talks and we will be an active and sustained partner" but said Washington would not impose a solution.

Analysis

Almost exactly 17 years ago at the White House, an earlier generation of leaders signed a document that was supposed to start the process of ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

It didn't. Thousands have been killed since then.

If these talks fail - which is quite possible - it will be even harder next time around.

This is no longer just a conflict between rival nationalists over the possession of land.

Steadily, a religious war is being grafted on to it as well.

Making deals between nationalists has so far been impossible.

Compromise between those on both sides back in Israel and the Palestinian territories who believe they are doing God's will would be much more complicated.

"Mr Prime Minister, Mr President, you have the opportunity to end this conflict and the decades of enmity between your peoples once and for all," she said.

"The core issues at the centre of these negotiations - territory, security, Jerusalem, refugees, settlements and others - will get no easier if we wait, nor will they resolve themselves."

Speaking after Mrs Clinton, both Mr Netanyahu and Mr Abbas acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead.

"This will not be easy," Mr Netanyahu said. "True peace, a lasting peace, will be achieved only with mutual and painful concessions from both sides."

Mr Abbas said: "We do know how hard are the hurdles and obstacles we face during these negotiations - negotiations that within a year should result in an agreement that will bring peace."

The leaders also raised two of the issues that are central to the talks: security for the Israelis, and Jewish settlement construction on Palestinian territories.

"We call on the Israeli government to move forward with its commitment to end all settlement activities and completely lift the embargo over the Gaza Strip," Mr Abbas said.

Key issues

The Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev, seen behind the controversial West Bank barrier, on the outskirts of Jerusalem (4 August 2010)

Jerusalem Borders and settlements Refugees Water

Mr Netanyahu said "a genuine peace must take into account the security needs of Israel". He also repeated the demand that the Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state.

After their statements, Mrs Clinton, Mr Abbas, Mr Netanyahu and the US envoy to the Middle East talks, George Mitchell, broke off for talks away from the media.

Mr Mitchell emerged to say that Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu were talking alone. He said relations between the two men were "cordial" and there was a "constructive and positive mood".

He said the two leaders had agreed to hold further talks on 14-15 September, then about every two weeks after that.

It had already been agreed, Mr Mitchell said, that the two sides would work to reach a framework agreement on all the issues dividing them that would be followed by a comprehensive treaty.

On Tuesday, four Israeli settlers were shot dead in an ambush near the West Bank town of Hebron. Another two Israelis were wounded by gunshots on the West Bank on Wednesday.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, said it carried out both attacks.

Hamas, excluded from the talks because its authority is not recognised by Israel, the US or the European Union, has promised to continue to target Israelis.

The BBC's Jon Donnison in the Gaza Strip says that as the peace talks get under way, Hamas seems to be sending out a message that it is not to be ignored.

It is hard to see how there can be peace between Israelis and Palestinians, unless Fatah and Hamas sort out their differences first, our correspondent adds.

The talks are also being attended by Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Another meeting between Mr Obama, Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu could be held during the UN General Assembly at the end of the month.

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Samsung has become the latest challenger to enter the tablet computer battle, unveiling its Galaxy Tab at the IFA conference in Berlin.

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This is where Pakistan's brightest cricketing star for years was born and brought up.

A bumpy piece of land, overgrown in some patches and bare in others, is where he learned to bowl with his friends.

Beside it, we find Wahid Ahmed, one of Amir's former teachers at the village school.

"He was such a good student," he says. "He was very poor, but wanted to do well and was always honest and respectful.

"There was one incredible catch he took in a school cricket match that will always stick in my mind," he says.

Everyone here is shocked by the allegations that Amir deliberately bowled no-balls at pre-arranged times in a recent game against England in return for money.

And nowhere is that sense of bewilderment greatest than in the simple home of Amir's family.

"We couldn't believe what we were hearing," says Naveed, one of Amir's five brothers.

"I spoke to Amir and he's so upset by what's going on but he kept telling me: 'Believe me I haven't done anything wrong, this will all go away.'

Amir's only sister, Riffat, tells us her brother had always been a humble person whose personality had been unchanged by fame.

When I put to her the evidence produced by the News of the World, she says it is not valid proof.

She said she was angry that people in Pakistan and abroad had jumped to conclusions and were already talking about what should happen to Amir.

"But we are confident that our brother would not have done this. He would give his life for his country, but he would never sell his integrity."

There are many Pakistani fans who feel the young cricketer may have been led astray by bad company within and surrounding the team.

But the people of Changa Bangyal told us they did not think it possible, even if the amount Amir was allegedly offered to bowl a single no-ball constituted many times that of the average annual salary in the village.

If his friends and family are wrong, and the claims proven, it could well curtail the career of one of the most promising cricketers on the world stage.

A few hours' drive south from Amir's village, we reach a very different Pakistan - one without the same sense of simplicity and innocence, and one where the possibility of a young man being drawn into corruption suddenly seems more realistic.

It does not take long to stumble across an impromptu game of cricket amid the chaos.

Betting is illegal in Pakistan, but in apartments and shops across this part of the city are scores of gamblers and bookmakers, many of whom are also involved in other forms of organised crime.

We go with him and the car soon dives into the alleyways, darting around rickshaws and food vendors, and even livestock.

A doorway halfway down it takes us into a small, smoke-filled room, and to two of the most notorious bookies in Lahore.

Of course, they do not want us to identify them, but they talk freely of their activities and tell us betting scams involving cricket matches are widespread.

"All the big bookies have links with one cricketer or another," says one of them.

"You can tell which ones have the best contacts when huge sums of money are involved. A lot of the cash comes from Dubai and India," he says.

They tell us this is not a new phenomenon, but that match-fixing and links with professional sportsmen went back to the 1980s.

They laugh at the statements of Pakistani politicians who claim they will stamp out corruption in the game.

"You can't stop it," one says. "Match-fixing and spot-fixing are like drugs for us now. It's like one huge, tax-free industry here."

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A growing number of New York sky-scrapers are switching off their lights to help reduce the number of birds hitting the high-rise buildings.

The "lights out" project - organised by NYC Audubon - runs until 1 November, when migratory birds are expected to have completed their autumn migrations.

An estimated 90,000 birds each year are killed in the city as a result of striking glass-fronted buildings.

Organisers of the annual initiative, now in its fifth year, say the bright lights disorientate the migrating birds and override their natural navigational cues.

NYC Audubon - a group that works to protect wild birds and their habitats within the city - is calling on owners and tenants in high-rise buildings to turn off lights on unoccupied floors or unused space between midnight and dawn.

It is also asking late workers to drawn blinds or use desk lamps rather than using ceiling-mounted lighting.

A similar project in Toronto, Canada, suggests that "across North America, more birds die from collisions each year than succumbed to the Exxon Valdez oil spill", which claimed the lives of in excess of 250,000 birds.

NYC Audubon also quotes the findings of a study at Chicago's Field Museum, which showed the number of birds killed by striking the building at night fell by 83% when the lights were switched off at night.

During the migration season, about 30 volunteers will be patrolling a number of buildings at night.

"The monitoring and research improves our understanding of the causes behind urban bird [strikes], and studies ways to prevent future [strikes] from occurring," explained Susan Elbin, director of conservation for NYC Audubon.

Among the species that appear to be particularly affected are white-throated sparrows, common yellow throats and ovenbirds, figures suggest.

Although there is no direct evidence, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that at night - especially in foggy or rainy weather - birds fly at lower altitudes, leaving them more vulnerable to flying into well-lit, glass-fronted high buildings.

"We don't know the true scope of the problem," said Glen Phillips, NYC Audubon's executive director.

"Birds fall on to high floors, their bodies never reach the ground. Plus, predators, wind currents, traffic, all make it hard for us to collect and monitor deaths."

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Russia will consider lifting its grain export ban only after the next year's harvest has been reaped, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said.

Mr Putin did not say when exactly the ban, originally introduced from 15 August to 31 December, would be lifted.

Global wheat prices have risen by 1.4% on Thursday, after gaining more than 3% during the previous session.

Russia, one of the world's biggest producers of wheat, barley and rye, was hit hard by a drought this summer.

The heatwave destroyed crops in many parts of the country, pushing food prices up.

Mr Putin said that the ban was extended to "provide stability and predictable conditions for all market participants".

Andrei Sizov, managing director at SovEcon agriculture consultancy, said: "What happened is what everyone expected."

Commerzbank said in a note: "The shortage of wheat in some traditional exporting countries - Russia will probably also be dependent on wheat imports - should lead to a further reduction in high US wheat stocks and therefore support prices."

In 2009, Russia exported a quarter of its annual grain output of 97 million tonnes.

This year's crop could be as low as 60 million tonnes, but Russia needs almost 80 million just to cover domestic consumption.

Other key grain producers have also reported shortages, which has led to rising wholesale prices and heightened fears about the impact on consumers.

There has been speculation that Ukraine, the world's largest exporter of barley and the sixth-biggest of wheat, may also cut back exports. But its government said last month there were no grounds to limit them.

Although world wheat stocks still remain above crisis levels seen in 2007-08, when a shortage sparked civil unrest in several countries, the problem is becoming more acute.

Mozambique on Thursday saw a second day of riots caused by soaring bread prices.

According to the Reuters news agency, on Wednesday seven people died when police opened fire on protesters in the capital Maputo.

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Posters promoting Egypt's intelligence chief as a possible future president have appeared on the streets of Cairo.

Gen Omar Suleiman has long been seen as a possible successor to President Hosni Mubarak, but this is the first time his supporters have gone public.

It is not known who is behind this campaign for next year's election, which follows a similar one promoting the president's son, Gamal Mubarak.

Speculation over who should succeed Mr Mubarak - Egypt's ruler of nearly 30 years - gained pace after he had surgery earlier this year, raising concerns over his health.

In recent days, scores of posters showing Gen Suleiman have surfaced in several Cairo neighbourhoods, calling the career army officer the "real alternative".

Gen Suleiman, 74, has been Egypt's intelligence chief for nearly two decades. He is a close aide to Mr Mubarak, in charge of Egypt's pressing foreign policy issues.

Last month, posters of Gamal Mubarak alongside his father sprang up in Cairo's poor neighbourhoods, along with several online campaigns to gather signatures calling on him to stand in the presidential election, due towards the end of 2011.

The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), of which Gamal is a senior officer, has denied any part in the campaign, calling it a grassroots movement.

Another popular campaign supporting the candidacy of former UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei is also under way.

But Mr ElBaradei has said he would only run in 2011 if constitutional restrictions on independent candidates entering the race were lifted.

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Burger King is being sold to private equity firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $3.26bn (£2.1bn), it has been announced.

The fast food chain, with 12,100 outlets worldwide, had been the subject of takeover rumours for days.

Burger King floated on Wall Street in 2006, four years after being bought by a group of private equity firms.

The group - TPG Capital, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Funds - still own 31% of Burger King shares.

The deal, worth $24 a share, comes after Burger King's stock price surged more than 15% on Wednesday and opened on Thursday up 23% at $23.25.

In a statement, the companies said that the deal represented a 46% premium to Burger King's share price before news of a possible takeover surfaced.

Burger King, the second largest hamburger chain behind McDonald's, has struggled during the recession and last week forecast weak demand for the rest of the year.

Miami-based Burger King's core customers are traditionally young men between 18 and 34, a bracket badly hit by unemployment.

And the company's once-unique flame-grilled hamburgers now have competition from several smaller rivals, including Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger.

Nor has Burger King, founded in 1954, managed to catch up with the dominant and far larger McDonalds.

However, it is unclear what plans 3G has for Burger King, and there was no mention of strategy in its takeover announcement.

3G owns controlling or partial stakes in beermaker Anheuser-Busch InBev, Lojas Americanas, a non-food and online retailer in Latin America, and America Latina Logistica, the largest railroad and logistics company in Latin America.

Under the terms of the deal with 3G, Burger King's chairman and chief executive John Chidsey will become co-chairman of the board. Alex Behring, managing partner of US-based 3G, will be the other co-chairman.

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The German central bank has called on the country's president to dismiss one of its board members over comments he made about immigration and Jews.

Earlier, President Christian Wulff said he was concerned Germany's image could be damaged by Thilo Sarrazin's remarks.

Mr Sarrazin has criticised German Muslims, suggested the existence of a Jewish gene, and warned of ethnic Germans being outnumbered by migrants.

The call for his dismissal was an unprecedented move by the Bundesbank - a proudly independent institution - and was taken under unprecedented pressure, says the BBC's European affairs correspondent Oana Lungescu in Berlin.

In his book, Germany Abolishes Itself, Mr Sarrazin states Muslim immigrants refuse to integrate.

In a newspaper interview about the book, he said that "all Jews share a particular gene".

On Monday, the Bundesbank, which does not have the right to dismiss Mr Sarrazin itself, distanced itself from his comments, saying his remarks were "discriminatory".

On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Mr Sarrazin's remarks were "completely unacceptable" and urged the Bundesbank to act.

The banker faces exclusion from the centre-left Social Democratic Party, but the rank-and-file have sent messages of support, our correspondent adds.

Necla Kelek, a social scientist of Turkish descent who came to Germany at the age of 11, was at Mr Sarrazin's book launch in Berlin on Monday, and welcomes the debate his comments have stirred up.

"We have a real need to talk about these issues in Germany. They can get rid of Sarrazin, but not the debate," she told the BBC World Service's Europe Today programme.

"I am myself a European mongrel," he said in a newspaper interview, with a family that descends from the Huguenots, Calvinists who fled religious persecution in France in the 17th Century, and a surname that derives from Saracen, the name given to Arab pirates in the Middle Ages.

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South Africa is to start expelling Zimbabweans again, from 31 December, the government has announced, ending their special status.

The deportations were halted in April 2009 following an influx of those fleeing political instability and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe.

Their presence is one reason cited for outbreaks of xenophobic attacks in recent years.

Sixty-two people were killed in such attacks in 2008 and there were fears of renewed violence after the end of the football World Cup in July.

Human rights groups have condemned the South African government's decision, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Zimbabwe exile groups fear that anyone forced to return could still face persecution.

Annah Moyo, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer living in South Africa, told AP that violence could resume ahead of elections due in 2011.

Zimbabwe's power-sharing government has stabilised the situation to some extent, however, the vast majority of people continue to live in extreme poverty.

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More than 10,000 vehicles are stuck in a 120km (75-mile) traffic jam on China's Beijing to Tibet motorway.

A state television reporter said the gridlocked section of the road, in the north-eastern region of Inner Mongolia, resembled a "big car park".

The majority of the vehicles stuck in the jam, which began on Tuesday, are coal trucks heading to the capital.

A 100km traffic jam that had lasted nine days on the same motorway was cleared just over a week ago.

The motorway is among China's busiest, as Beijing's population of more than 20 million requires massive quantities of goods.

For instance, a huge number of coal lorries have to travel daily from Inner Mongolia in order to ensure a constant supply for the country's coal-burning power plants, which provide more than half of its electricity.

The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says that in recent years, there has been a boom in road building across China, with the country spending billions of dollars on improving its infrastructure.

But critics say that China is still struggling to keep up with the demands of its growing economy, and that huge traffic jams could be here to stay.

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Dell has pulled out of bidding for 3Par after rival Hewlett-Packard raised its offer for the data storage company to $33 a share, or $2.1bn (£1.34bn).

"We took a measured approach throughout the process and have decided to end these discussions," said Dave Johnson, a Dell senior vice president.

Dell, whose $32-a-share bid had been agreed by 3Par's board, said it was entitled to a $72m break-fee from 3Par.

Although 3Par had backed Dell as preferred bidder, a statement issued on Thursday said HP's most recent offer was superior.

3Par had earlier given Dell three business days to come back with yet another higher bid.

Both PC makers - the second and third biggest in the world - were looking at 3Par as a way to build up their cloud computing businesses, delivering software, data storage and other services to customers via the internet.

3Par shares jumped 4.9% to $33.65 in morning trading. This means the company's price has more than tripled in the last two weeks.

The two companies' battle for 3Par reflects the growing interest in the industry in "cloud computing".

This is a technology that allows users to access files or services remotely over the internet, rather than just from their own local servers.

3Par says its storage systems can cut storage administration costs by up to 90% and infrastructure costs by up to 75%.

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England and Durham pace bowler Graham Onions to miss the Ashes series against Australia this winter because of a back operation.

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British singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf, dubbed "Islam's biggest rock star", is donating profits from his latest single to help flood victims in Pakistan.

Born in Iran, but raised in the UK, the singer is urging fans to recognise the ongoing plight of those affected by the floods.

Profits from Hear Your Call will go to Save the Children, which is working in the four provinces hit by the disaster.

He said: "This is an enormous disaster and I personally feel we all, as fellow humans, have a responsibility to help the victims in any way we can.

"The floods have completely changed many people's lives and through our actions, we can offer hope.

"In such times we have to align ourselves with the right organisations to reach out to the affected areas as effectively and urgently as possible."

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Some of musician Bob Dylan's artwork, that has never been shown to the public, is to be displayed at Denmark's National Gallery.

Curator Kasper Monrad said that the 40 acrylic paintings were specifically made for the Danish exhibition, which opens on Friday.

The Brazil Series includes figurative scenes from Brazilian slums, farms and beaches.

The 69-year-old singer sketched the scenes during visits to the South American country and then painted them on canvas in a studio.

"I chose Brazil as a subject, because I have been there many times and I like the atmosphere," Dylan said in a statement.

Monrad said there were connections between Dylan's music and his art: "This is a different kind of imagery. The paintings and the music are two different worlds."

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Evacuations have begun in areas of the US east coast likely to be hit by Hurricane Earl.

The storm has dropped to category three but is still generating sustained winds of 201km/h (135mph).

President Barack Obama said officials needed to be ready for a "worst case" scenario in a call to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).

One island in North Carolina's Outer Banks is being evacuated and visitors are being asked to leave another.

“The most important thing for people living in Earl's potential tract to do is to listen to and follow the instructions of their local officials”

Craig FugateFema administratorIn pictures: Hurricane Earl batters Caribbean

The narrow islands are served by a single main road and officials worry that waves washing over it will cause danger to travellers.

Fema has warned people along much of the the eastern seaboard of the US to be vigilant and follow official bulletins.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said they expected the hurricane to turn north and then run parallel to the east coast.

"The most important thing for people living in Earl's potential tract to do is to listen to and follow the instructions of their local officials," Fema administrator Craig Fugate said.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the east coast of the US from Bogue Inlet North Carolina north-eastward to the North Carolina/Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.

The hurricane watch has been adjusted northward and now extends from the North Carolina/Virginia border northward to Cape Henlopen, Delaware.

A warning means hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the affected area, with the first tropical storm-force winds within 36 hours. A watch expects the same within 48 hours.

The local authorities in the Outer Banks expect the storm to pass 80 miles (130km) away from the islands, which are popular with tourists, meaning high winds and waves are likely.

Hatteras Island is being evacuated of visitors, while both visitors and residents have been told to leave Ocracoke Island just to the south.

The hurricane is currently east of the central Bahamas and is moving north-west.

"Large swells from Earl should affect the Bahamas and the south-eastern coast of the United States today [Wednesday]. These swells will likely cause dangerous surf conditions and rip currents," the NHC said.

The Labor Day weekend marks the end of a holiday season and many Americans use it to head for the beach.

On Monday the hurricane battered north-eastern Caribbean islands and Puerto Rico, causing power cuts and flooding.

Earl is being closely followed by Tropical Storm Fiona, currently east of the Leeward Isles with winds of up to 65km/h.

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The UN has postponed the release of a draft report that accuses the Rwandan army of possible genocide in DR Congo.

It follows angry protests from Rwanda about details in the leaked draft, with Rwanda threatening to pull its troops out of UN peacekeeping missions.

The UN high commissioner for human rights says when the report is finally published on 1 October, it will have comments from concerned countries.

The document, which was due to be published this week, accuses Rwanda's Tutsi-led army of killing Hutus in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s - acts it says may amount to genocide.

"Following requests, we have decided to give concerned states a further month to comment on the draft and I have offered to publish any comments alongside the report itself on 1 October, if they so wish," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement.

Troublesome neighbours

April-June 1994: Genocide of Tutsis in RwandaJune 1994: Tutsi rebels take power in Rwanda, Hutus flee into Zaire (now DR Congo)Rwanda's army enters eastern Zaire to pursue Hutu fighters1997: Laurent Kabila's AFDL, backed by Rwanda, takes power in KinshasaAnalysis: Defining genocide Q&A: DR Congo conflict Profile: Rwanda President Kagame UN urges action over Congo rapes

The UN draft report, which was leaked last week, says in the years following the genocide, the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan army went into neighbouring Zaire (now DR Congo) and killed tens of thousands of ethnic Hutus - including women, children and the elderly.

Rwanda contributes thousands of peacekeepers to the joint UN-African Union mission in the Sudanese region of Darfur, and the commander of the force is a Rwandan.

Analysts say the possible withdrawal of these troops would be a massive blow, especially as it comes at a time of increased violence in Darfur.

Rwandan officials have always said their forces entered the former Zaire to pursue the Hutu militias responsible for carrying out mass killings of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994.

The UN report covers the wider conflict in DR Congo, which dragged in several neighbouring countries in what has been called "Africa's world war".

The document lists alleged rights violations by security forces from all the countries involved.

It accuses Congolese troops of involvement in the slaughter of ethnic Hutus - both Rwandan refugees and Congolese Hutus.

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Robin Soderling is in action on day four at the US Open after victories for Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki, while Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic are in action later.

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Three people die as Seoul is hit by its strongest typhoon in 15 years, while storms continue to cause heavy rain and landslides in China.

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The international Red Cross has appealed for an extra $76m (£49m) for Pakistan, warning that only a fraction of needs are being met.

The head of ICRC in South Asia, Jacques de Maio, said the recent floods in Pakistan had created a catastrophe of staggering proportions.

The ICRC is providing aid to 350,000 people, but more than 1.4m people in the worst-affected regions need help.

Speaking in Geneva, Mr de Maio said the ICRC hoped to expand its operations, but that security was posing a problem, with two of aid convoys being looted in the last week.

"When you organise an assistance for 30,000 people and you get into an area where you find an additional 100,000 people with the very same needs... then you can imagine that the frustration, the despair can lead to a collapse of the normal smooth operation," he said.

Over the last week the organisation has had to abandon food distribution twice due to unrest, losing 60 tonnes of supplies to angry crowds.

Aid workers fear that this means that the most vulnerable - children and mothers - will not receive anything.

Mr de Maio said he was worried that, if this trend continued, it would put further pressure on the organisation's ability to help people.

"The choice is the usual dilemma. Are we ready to have our friends from the Pakistani Red Crescent, and our own staff, being killed or looted?" he said.

The ICRC has also warned of what it calls a lethal spike in water-borne diseases, if clean water is not delivered more quickly.

More than 1,600 people have died in the floods, which have affected about 17 million people.

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A florist beat his wife and daughter to death before hanging himself after 95% of his income "disappeared in a moment", a coroner ruled.

Hugh McFall, 48, of Oswestry, Shropshire, who was found hanged on 5 February, took his own life, a coroner at Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court ruled.

The inquest had been told a contract with a supermarket, which was about 95% of Mr McFall's business, was suspended.

Mr McFall was found hanged four hours after the bodies of his wife and daughter were discovered at the family home.

The self-employed flower salesman was facing accusations of invoice discrepancies from his main customer - which had suspended his contract - and feared a police investigation into his accounts.

Coroner John Ellery, coroner for mid and north Shropshire, said: "His financial world had collapsed, his source of business income or at least 90-95% of it, had disappeared in a moment.

Det Supt Niall Parker told Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court the handwritten note read: "My world, Frankie and Susan, just ended, I love them so much, nobody can understand.

"Part of me wants to stay alive just so I can keep thinking about them. The pain is too much."

Referring to Mrs McFall's children from a previous marriage, the note continued: "What I have to done Dan and Nick is beyond belief.

Business associates told the hearing that Mr McFall had considered himself "finished" after a meeting about alleged invoice discrepancies the day before his death.

The owners of Stans Superstore in Oswestry had summoned him to their premises to confront him over their suspicions he may have been overpaid by more than £500,000 over seven years.

West Mercia Police said the case would probably not have ended up in court but an investigation would have been launched if the owners of Stans Superstore had taken their concerns to police.

The inquest heard on Wednesday that Mrs McFall and her daughter were found on a bed in the master bedroom of the Hampton Road bungalow covered in a "considerable amount of blood".

Dr Alexander Kolar, a Home Office pathologist, told the court the women had injuries consistent with having been struck by a rubber mallet which was recovered from the scene.

The coroner said he concluded that Mrs McFall had died first, from one blow to the head as she lay in her bed. He said Francesca sustained at least five impacts to her head while in her bedroom.

The coroner said Mr McFall's fears about his sexual health may have been "going through his mind" when he killed his family, as well as his business worries and concerns over his "social standing".

The inquest heard Mr and Mrs McFall and Francesca tested negative for HIV after blood samples were taken following their deaths.

A recording of a 30-second 999 call was played to the court in which Mr McFall was heard saying: "Please get to my house at 40 Hampton Road in Oswestry. I've just killed my wife and daughter. I love them so much."

A statement on behalf of the family, read by West Mercia police liaison officer Lyn Downes, said: "We are so deeply, deeply sad over what happened to a happy, loving family and we continue to struggle to understand the circumstances."

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Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz is suspended for six months after it is ruled that he disrupted an anti-doping test ahead of the World Cup.

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Police in Spain have arrested a Russian man wanted for questioning about a fire at a Russian nightclub that killed more than 150 people last year.

He is said to have arranged fireworks which caused the fire at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, some 1,200km (700 miles) east of Moscow.

The police said Mr Mrykhin was the club's commercial director who fled the country after the fire.

"He left Russia to try to avoid the possible sentence of 10 years in prison, and was found by Spanish police in Barcelona," the police said in a statement on Thursday.

Several other people, including the club's co-owner, have been charged over the fire in December 2009 and are in police custody.

The club's founder Alexander Titlyanov died of his injuries shortly after the tragedy.

Several regional fire safety officials have been suspended, and the Perm regional administration has resigned.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has demanded that those found responsible be punished with the full force of the law.

Russia's emergencies ministry has called for spot checks on all Russia's nightclubs to be completed before the end of the year.

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David Cameron supports William Hague "100%" following speculation about the foreign secretary's private life, the PM's spokeswoman has said.

Mr Hague issued a statement saying rumours of an "improper relationship" with a male aide were "utterly false" and his 13-year marriage was "strong".

On Thursday, Mr Hague said he had not been distracted by the furore and did not want to comment further.

The PM's spokeswoman said most people would feel sympathy for Mr Hague, whose special adviser Christopher Myers resigned on Wednesday following what Mr Hague described as "untrue and malicious" allegations.

She said Mr Cameron, who is on paternity leave, was not making any new statement on the issue but had given the foreign secretary his full backing throughout.

"We have always given William our 100% support. That was the case yesterday and it is the case today.

"The prime minister totally understands why William made the statement he did and he backs him 100%."

At a joint news conference with the German foreign minister on Thursday, Mr Hague said he was getting on with "some pretty important global issues" as foreign secretary - and said his work at the Foreign Office had not "missed a beat".

"I'm not going to expand on that today, my wife and I felt we'd really had enough of the circulation of untrue allegations, particularly on the internet," he said.

BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said the news conference had been an uncomfortable experience for Mr Hague - who later attended a cabinet committee in Downing Street.

She said both he and No 10 were clearly hoping that his public comments would draw a line under the matter.

In Wednesday's statement, Mr Hague said he had felt compelled to comment following 10 days of "press and internet speculation".

He said he accepted "in hindsight" he should have realised there might be speculation about the fact he and Mr Myers occasionally shared a twin hotel room during the election campaign.

"Neither of us would have done so if we had thought that it in any way meant or implied something else," he said.

Mr Myers had been "easily qualified" to be his special adviser, he said, rejecting any suggestions that his appointment was due to an improper relationship between the two as "utterly false".

He also disclosed that his wife had suffered a number of miscarriages in the past including one as recently as this summer, describing this as "immensely painful and traumatic" for the couple.

Conservative peer and former cabinet minister Lord Tebbit told the BBC Mr Hague had been "naive at best, foolish at worst".

And veteran Conservative MP John Redwood said the statement was "unusual" and suggested it had "invited people to comment" on the couple's private life.

"Let us hope this is now an end to the matter," he wrote on his blog. "Mr Hague himself now seems to understand that it was poor judgement to share a hotel room with an assistant."

However, the chairman of Mr Hague's constituency party said it had been a "brave statement". Christopher Bourne-Arton told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "The unfortunate thing was that some story or some rumour has been created by somebody who makes a living out of blogging, has nothing better to do, and so he had to nail it once and for all.

"The tragedy is that it was made necessary by this media feeding frenzy, and I rather wish they'd all go back into the slime pool from which they arose."

Labour leadership contender Ed Balls said he felt "sorry" for Mr Hague and his wife but doubted whether a public statement was the "wisest" course of action for him to have taken.

"I think it probably gives more credibility to some of these websites and to allegations which are not true," he said.

Public relations expert Max Clifford said Mr Hague had made a mistake by drawing attention to what were unfounded rumours and whoever was advising the foreign secretary had got it "totally wrong".

"The vast majority of the British public would have been totally unaware of this. Now everyone in the country is aware of it," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It is damaging. It has taken a small problem and turned it into a huge problem for him. That's not good public relations."

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The European Commission has criticised France over its expulsions of Roma (Gypsies) and has requested more information about the crackdown.

An interim report by the commission - the EU's executive arm - says the French policy does not put enough emphasis on the individual circumstances of Roma facing expulsion.

France has expelled nearly 1,000 Roma to Romania and Bulgaria from illegal camps since July.

Freedom of movement and non-discrimination are enshrined in EU rules, so France's interpretation of EU law is under scrutiny.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says that under EU rules, the state can expel people who have been in the country for at least three months without a job or are a social burden.

But they can be expelled within three months of their arrival if they are deemed to be a threat to public security.

Last week, French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche told the BBC that expulsions were checked on a case-by-case basis.

The interim report, signed by three EU commissioners, says the commission wants France to explain "whether and to what extent the safeguards required... have been applied" as far as the Roma are concerned.

The commission says that before expulsion a person's age, health and time spent in France all need to be considered.

The French government said it was "scrupulously respecting European law" and helping deported Roma reintegrate. It also said most of the repatriations were voluntary.

France pays those who agree to leave 300 euros (£249), plus 100 euros for each of their children, Reuters news agency reports.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said 300 illegal Roma camps are to be removed.

On 25 August EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding voiced concern about the French expulsions.

"It is clear that those who break the law need to face the consequences. It is equally clear that nobody should face expulsion just for being Roma," she said.

"There is a broad consensus in Europe that what is needed now are concrete and forward-looking measures to improve the social integration of Roma.

"We need, in particular, to tackle the root causes leading Roma to abandon their homes and move across borders."

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The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised its forecast for eurozone growth for this year and next year.

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said the upgrade reflected the "stronger-than-expected rebound" in the zone's economy.

He forecast GDP growth of between 1.4% and 1.8% for this year, and between 0.5% and 2.3% next year.

Earlier, the ECB kept eurozone interest rates on hold at 1%, as had been expected.

It is the 16th month running that rates have stayed at this record low, as the ECB continues to seek to help economies recover from the global downturn.

Mr Trichet said the eurozone recovery has been supported by global growth and reflected "temporary domestic factors".

"One the one hand, global trade may continue to perform more strongly than expected, thereby supporting euro area exports," he said.

"On the other hand, concerns remain relating to the emergence of renewed tensions in financial markets and to some uncertainty about growth prospects in other advanced economies."

The ECB also raised its forecast for inflation, to between 1.5% and 1.7% for this year, and between 1.2% and 2.2% in 2011. This, Mr Trichet said, reflected higher commodity prices.

Mr Trichet also said the ECB would continue to provide special short-term funding for European banks.

As part of this programme, the bank will offer three-month loans in October, November and December.

Figures also released on Thursday confirmed that the eurozone economy grew by 1% between April and June, driven in part by strong growth of 2.2% in Germany.

The figures confirmed that the eurozone is growing faster than the US, which grew by 0.4% during the quarter.

Mr Trichet said he expected eurozone growth to "moderate" during the rest of the year.

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A doctor in Egypt is being taken to court for carrying out an illegal operation to circumcise young girls following the death of a 13-year-old.

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As the BBC Burmese service broadcast a programme marking its 70th anniversary, Sandhobasa, a monk, called in to say that he had been listening for more than two decades.

The broadcasts enriched his knowledge, he said, and he had become attached to them. He could, he said, name the day when every presenter joined or left the BBC.

Founded in 1940, the service has covered independence, uprisings and long years of military rule.

Small teams based in Bangkok and London's Bush House broadcast to an estimated 22.9% of Burma's adult population, and in times of national crisis these figures soar.

"The BBC plays a massive role in bringing accurate, impartial information to the people of Burma," says Soe Win Than, one of the editors at the service.

Last year Burma was voted 5th worst in the world in terms of media freedom by Reporters Without Borders; local media is heavily censored.

Soe Win Than says this is particularly true in times of crisis, such as during the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, or the 2007 protests led by monks.

"During the uprising the government slowed down the internet connections and blocked access," he says.

"People tuned in to the BBC to find out what was happening - and our listenership skyrocketed."

This also happened in August 1988, when hundreds of thousands of people took part in pro-democracy protests across the country.

Former student leader Aung Myo Tun said that during that time he listened to the BBC every day.

But it is not only in times of crisis that the BBC is essential listening in Burma.

Sit Maw, a 19 year-old student living in Burma's commercial capital Rangoon, is one of an estimated 8.3 million weekly listeners in Burma.

"The information in my country is not good," he says. "Most news is controlled by the government."

"We need free information about what is happening inside and outside the country and in the world today. That's why I listen to the BBC. "

"Independent surveys also show that BBC Burmese has established itself as the most trusted, reliable source of information in Burma, says the BBC's Director of Global News, Peter Horrocks.

"It's not an exaggeration to say that its broadcasts have helped to keep the Burmese people informed - and empowered."

In their weekly Have Your Say programme, listeners from inside Burma as well as countries like Bangladesh, Thailand and Japan call in to to take part in discussion.

"The people of Burma are deprived of the privilege of free information," says Soe Win Than.

"The government in Burma is so paranoid that they censor publications with dark covers, as they believe they imply that Burma is still in the dark ages."

"Our Have Your Say programme gives the Burmese people a forum, a chance to talk about a range of topics, including politics."

BBC Burmese do not only broadcast radio. They also have a Burmese language website, and receive many emails a day.

They have just launched a newsletter aimed at Burmese migrants on the Thai-Burma border.

"Every journalist in Burma wants to work for the BBC" says producer Moe Myint, one of the younger members of the team. "Nobody can compete in terms of audience or reputation."

But for those who work for the BBC, there is a personal cost. Moe Myint says that whenever he returns to Burma he is followed by the authorities "everywhere I go".

Several BBC Burmese journalists have experienced difficult circumstances due to the political situation in Burma.

Nita May spent three years in the notorious Insein prison, where she gave birth to a son.

Another member of staff took part in the student uprising in 1988 and had to escape through the jungles on the Thai-Burma border.

Now as journalists in London and Bangkok, they provide an essential link to the outside world for a country starved of independent news.

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There has long been money - once big money - in the potent excrement of anchovy-gorged seabirds such as the Guanay Cormorant and the Peruvian Booby and Pelican.

Peru is far and away the world's main producer of this natural and totally organic fertiliser, used to boost the yields and improve the fields of nearly 1m small organic farmers across its mega-diverse territory.

There are 24 guano distribution points in Peru from the arid coast, to the degraded agricultural land in the Andes and jungle areas, where the soil has lost its nutrients through years of coca cultivation for the illegal cocaine trade.

Organic production is expanding in Peru, with its chocolate winning accolades in France and a coffee called Tunki being named Coffee of the Year by the Speciality Coffee Association of America.

Climbing up the stone path which winds its way up Guanape Sur island, just pecking distance from nesting Peruvian Boobies, you arrive at a ridge.

Above that, on a plateau which workers call the 'pampa', stand tens of thousands of honking Guanay cormorants.

These birds earn their name from the high quality and quantity of their excrement. It's particularly rich in nitrogen and is metres deep in places.

"The truth is this is a lovely job", says Juan Mendez who has spent the last 13 years guarding some of Peru's 21 guano islands along its 3,000km coast.

He remains on the island even when the eight-month collection period is over, guarding against poachers who kill the birds by the hundred and sell their meat in cheap coastal markets.

He also looks out for industrial fishing fleets which enter Peruvian waters in search of its rich anchovy stocks.

"Not everyone can live alone on an island like this. You miss your family but fortunately here there's a mobile phone signal," he says.

Fractious history of guano in Peru1845 - 1879: Guano was the backbone of the Peruvian economy and it was exported to Europe and the US, but it also sparked diplomatic disputes and even wars.1852: The US sent ships to invade the Lobos islands when Peru hiked the price of guano1865, the Spanish captured the Chincha islands, beginning a war which included Peru's neighbours, Chile and Bolivia.1879-1884: The War of the Pacific was also indirectly caused by this unusual commodity. During this period exports of guano accounted for most of Peru's national budget. Thousands of indentured Chinese labourers, convicts and army deserters died extracting guano during this period.

This is the birds' domain, all 550,000 of them. The noise is an incessant chorus of honks, squawks and drumming wing flaps.

The boobies squabble for crowded cliff space with their razor sharp blue beaks and manic, penetrating gazes.

Rooftops make prime nesting spots and everything is speckled with bird poo. The deposits fall like rain and walking anywhere you get a good sprinkling on your head and clothes.

"This is a renewable resource which you won't find anywhere else in the world," says Rodolfo Beltran, director of Agrorural, Peru's rural development agency.

"The seabirds are the guano factories, so we do all we can to make sure their ecosystem is protected and undisturbed."

That means the collection process has changed little in centuries. It is all done by hand as noisy machinery could scare away the birds.

"The human being is the most adaptable machine ever created," says Martin Pizarro, a 44 year old from the northern coastal city of Chiclayo.

He's one of the few labourers who does not come from the glacial Andean highlands of Peru's Ancash region.

Generations of hardy farmers from rural towns like Caraz and Yungay have done this back-breaking seasonal work for decades.

Earning up to two or three times what they can at home, they sow the profits back into their farmland, planting crops with their earnings.

Workers take home a monthly average of 1,200 Peruvian Soles ($428; £278) which is more than double Peru's minimum wage.

Rising at 4.30am for a couple of mugs of hot quinua porridge, before sunrise they've scaled the steep pathways to where the guano is extracted.

Wearing standard-issue plimsolls and navy 'Agrorural' tracksuits, they sprint down a slippery track carrying 50kg sacks of guano on their backs.

Faces etched with exhaustion, they deposit the sack next to a wooden frame and a chute before jogging back up the hill to the area where other workers bag the guano and stitch the sacks.

Each runner, young or old and some little bigger than the sack on their back, carries around 120 bags each in a morning's work.

Perhaps the big difference from past centuries is that now after an intense morning of work the workers are ready to knock off for the day by 11am. They wash and change and line up for a hearty lunch of rice, meat and potatoes.

As much as 100 tons of guano a day is loaded into waiting boats. Agrorural aims to collect more than 23,000 tons this year from two islands. Officials say the industry is expanding by up 40% a year.

The difference now from centuries past is that the Peruvian authorities are trying to sustainably manage the guano industry which implicitly means protecting the marine ecosystem in which the seabirds thrive.

While the over-exploitation of the past may be gone, scientists warn that the seabird population faces a much greater threat from over-fishing of anchovy stocks, particularly for the fishmeal industry.

The bountiful supplies of fish also depend on the Humboldt current which pushes cold water from the Antarctica up to the Equator.

When this strays away from Peru's coastal waters during the seasonal El Nino weather phenomenon, the impact on this marine ecosystem can be devastating.

The seabird population has recovered from 3.2m to 5m in the last four years, but that barely compares with the 60m birds at the peak of the guano boom.

Facing an array of threats, the long-term survival of the guano industry will depend on close control and ecological management.

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The governor of Afghanistan's central bank has told the BBC he will not allow the country's largest commercial bank to collapse.

His comments follow the resignation of the top two executives of Kabul Bank, amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

Their departure has prompted crowds of account-holders to converge on the bank to withdraw their money.

The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Kabul Bank's losses could exceed $300m (£194m) - and that the figure is more than the bank's assets.

Hundreds of thousands of savers would be affected, including many government employees.

So far, a run on the bank has been averted, though the scale of its debts remains unclear.

The governor of the Central Bank, Abdul Qadir Fitrat, said at a news conference that Sherkhan Farnood, the former chairman of Kabul Bank, and Khalilullah Ferozi, the former chief executive officer, voluntarily resigned because, under new reforms, only banking professionals can hold the top operating positions at banks.

Mr Fitrat admitted that at some branches, there had been a rush of customers seeking to withdraw their money, and that the bank had had trouble paying them.

But Mr Fitrat told the BBC's Kabul correspondent, Mark Dummett, that the central bank was putting more money in, so there should be nothing to worry about.

"We have supplied as much cash to branches of Kabul Banks as possible," he said. "The Kabul Bank collapse is not an option."

The central bank governor went on to say that the Afghan government would continue to pay its employees through Kabul Bank as usual.

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Honduras has called Ecuador President Rafael Correa "irresponsible" for revealing that a second person survived a massacre in Mexico last month.

Honduran Foreign Minister Mario Canahuati said Mr Correa had risked the life of the survivor, a Honduran.

The person has been under witness protection since the massacre, in which 72 migrants were killed near Mexico's US border, allegedly by a drugs gang.

Until Tuesday, just one survivor of the massacre was known to the public - Freddy Lala Pomavilla, a teenage Ecuadorean who alerted the authorities to the atrocity.

But Mr Correa revealed on Tuesday that Mr Lala had told the authorities that another person had survived.

Ricardo Najera, from the Mexican Attorney General's office, later confirmed Mr Correa's statement, adding that the second survivor was unhurt and had offered "important information" on the attack.

Mr Lala has already told officials how the notorious Zetas drug cartel had captured them in Tamaulipas state.

The authorities suspect that the Zetas killed the migrants after they refused to smuggle drugs into the US.

Mr Canahuati said the Honduran witness was in an "extremely delicate" situation.

"We regret the president of Ecuador gave out this information irresponsibly, and didn't take into account the risk to the Honduran's life."

The Ecuadorean government responded angrily to the criticism, stressing in a statement that the Mexican authorities had confirmed what Mr Correa had said.

The statement went on to say that Tegucigalpa had criticised Ecuador not out of concern for the witness, but because Quito had refused to recognise Honduras's government.

Many Latin American countries refuse to deal with Honduras, to protest against the removal of its previous president last year.

The massacre, which was discovered on 24 August, provoked outrage across the continent, with Latin American countries demanding better protection for migrants who travel thousands of miles in the hope of escaping poverty and working in the US.

The Mexican foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the bodies of 16 Hondurans killed in the massacre had now been returned to their home country.

Other victims so far identified include 13 people from El Salvador, five Guatemalans and a Brazilian.

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The Philippines says it will investigate claims that coffins of three of Hong Kong's eight victims of a bus hijacking were wrongly labelled.

The pledge comes after Hong Kong's officials said the mix-up was discovered at a morgue after the coffins had been flown from Manila.

On Sunday, a rally was held in Hong Kong to protest against Manila's handling of the hijacking last week.

Their coach was hijacked by a disgraced ex-policeman, Rolando Mendoza. He was killed as police attempted to rescue the hostages on 23 August.

Mendoza, 55, seized the bus with an assault rifle in an attempt to get back the job he lost in 2009 for extortion and threat-making.

The pledge by the Philippine government comes after Hong Kong's Security Bureau revealed on Thursday that the bodies of three of the eight victims had been mislabelled.

It said that the mistake was discovered when the families of the victims opened the coffins at the morgue in Hong Kong eight days ago.

The bureau added that it was possible that the blunder was made at a Manila funeral parlour because the victims' families had identified the bodies before the coffins were flown to Hong Kong.

"If there was a mix-up of those names, we apologise," Philippine Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"It was really the desire to facilitate and bring the bodies to Hong Kong as quickly as possible, because that will ease the pain of the families," she added.

In all, 22 Hong Kong tourists were taken hostage along with three Filipinos - a driver, a guide and a photographer.

Nine people were released in early negotiations, but 15 were kept aboard the curtained bus for hours as the hostage drama was played out before live television cameras and broadcast around the world.

"Everyone saw how the Philippine government mishandled the situation before TV cameras and the chaos in the country," Andy Wong, 49, said at Sunday's protest in Hong Kong.

"As a Chinese person, I need to demand justice," he told the Associated Press news agency.

Police in the Philippines said on Sunday that the hostages were killed by Mendoza's gun and not police weapons during their rescue operation.

As the talks failed and Mendoza became increasingly agitated, police made several unsuccessful attempts to board the coach. Shots could be heard fired from inside the curtained bus and no-one knew how many hostages were still alive.

Survivors and experts have criticised the Manila police for being indecisive and slow in their handling of the crisis.

Anger in Hong Kong has been further fuelled by the news that highly-trained army and police teams who specialised in hostage takings were standing by but not used, says our correspondent.

The anger has also spread to mainland China as thousands of tourists there have cancelled their flight and hotel bookings in the Philippines, damaging the country's tourist industry.

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Spanish clothing retailer Zara is opening its new online store on Thursday in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the UK.

The group already sells a home range online, but its revamped website will offer fashion lines which have only been available in its stores until now.

The push into cyberspace is seen as a defensive move that comes amid fears of a decline in High Street spending.

At rival Next, for instance, first-half sales in stores fell 1.5%, while its home shopping business saw sales rise 7.8%.

Further strength in internet trading has been reported by Asos, the online market leader, which said sales rose 54% during the January-to-March quarter when compared with the same period a year earlier.

Online retail sales have boomed as more people get high-speed internet connections and time-pressed shoppers take advantage of shopping from home or work, according to industry observers.

Shopping on the net is expected to see sales grow to £94bn ($144 bn) in Western Europe by 2014, from £56bn in 2009, according to consultants Forrester.

But online sales still only make up a small proportion of total sales. In the UK, only 8% of total sales in July were made online, according to the Office for National Statistics.

"Shops that don't have an online presence have noticed rival stores enjoying a dramatic increase in online sales, while their sales in shops have been pretty flat," according to Jeremy Baker, professor of marketing at the ESCP business school.

Zara's online shop will soon be followed by H&M's online shop, which will go live on 16 September.

Gap and Banana Republic are already there, having opened their online operations on 26 August.

Online stores add to rather than cannibalise physical stores, hence they tend to bring in additional sales, according to industry observers.

"There is clearly demand for Zara product online," said Simon Chinn, retail consultant at Verdict Research.

"It will comfortably complement its extensive store estate, adding an extra level of service for its customers."

Zara is "liked" by more than 4.5 million "fans" on Facebook. The key now is to convert those fans into customers.

Inditex, Zara's parent company, has overtaken Gap as the world's biggest clothing retailer by sales. Inditex chief executive, Pablo Isla, said: "Customers should expect the launching of online selling for the group's other brands in coming years."

The success of retailers such as the dedicated online fashion site Asos hints at how rapid the migration of sales from traditional stores to the internet is, especially among the 18-34 age group.

Zara made a small profit in the year to the end of January 2010, after recording a sharp loss during the previous year. It is hoping to see a 10% rise in revenue linked to its online store.

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The southern Brazilian city of Dourados has been left with a power vacuum by the arrests of all local top officials, police say.

Mayor Ari Artuzi, his wife, deputy, and 25 other people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud and corruption.

Prosecutors accuse the mayor of heading a complex corruption racket. Mr Artuzi's allies reject the charges.

A judge has been appointed to run the city of 200,000 people in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Prosecutors say Mr Artuzi and his collaborators took a 10% cut of all public works contracts and used the money for election campaigns and to bribe other local politicians.

Among those arrested are the city's councillors for finance and administration and a hospital director.

A spokesman for the council said Dourados had been left in limbo by the arrests.

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Catherine Zeta Jones has revealed she is "furious" that doctors failed to detect husband Michael Douglas' throat cancer earlier.

In an interview with People magazine, she said: "He sought every option and nothing was found. I knew something was up. He knew something was up."

Douglas, who was diagnosed three weeks ago, has completed his first week of two months' radiation and chemotherapy.

But Zeta Jones said that her husband's chance of survival would have been improved had he been treated sooner.

The couple have two young children together and Douglas decided to tell them both himself about his illness, Zeta Jones said.

Earlier this week, Douglas told US talk show host David Letterman that a biopsy had revealed he had "stage four cancer", which means the cancer has spread.

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President Nicolas Sarkozy's summer law and order offensive is placing the French government under severe internal strain.

Several ministers have openly voiced their unease about the expulsions of Roma (Gypsies) and other tough new measures.

Announced after two disturbing outbreaks of anti-police violence in July, the security blitz has led to the closure of more than 100 illegal Roma encampments, with around 1,000 people sent back by plane to Romania and Bulgaria.

At the same time, the government is preparing a law that could see recent immigrants to France stripped of their citizenship if they commit serious crimes such as shooting a policeman.

From the political left, human rights groups, the Catholic Church and the United Nations have come varying expressions of concern and denunciation.

Now it is clear that the clampdown has also created tensions within Mr Sarkozy's own administration, exposing deep differences between security hawks and doves.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner - a former Socialist who made his name at the international charity Medecins Sans Frontieres - admitted this week that he was "shocked" by the focus on people of foreign origin.

He said he had thought about resigning over the Roma expulsions, but in the end decided against it.

As for the citizenship-stripping measure, he hoped it would be reserved only for the most exceptional circumstances.

Further criticism came from the Defence Minister Herve Morin, head of the small New Centre party, who in a speech attacked "the policy of hate, of fear, of the scapegoat" and said any programme based purely on police repression was doomed to fail.

And on Tuesday, the Towns Minister Fadela Amara - herself of Algerian origin and an avowed left-winger - said she could "never agree" to a policy that placed foreign-born French citizens in a special judicial category.

Coupled with doubts expressed by heavyweights inside the ruling UMP party, such as former prime ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Alain Juppe, the comments reveal a government that is far from unanimous over the course that the president has taken.

They also suggest that many senior figures privately share the opposition's view that Nicolas Sarkozy has exploited the law-and-order problem in order to get through a particularly rough time in his presidency.

The president's enemies evidently hope that the episode is doing him severe damage.

Indeed, at the Socialists' end-of-summer congress last week, the security controversy gave the party a welcome (and rare) opportunity to put up a united front.

They note that in opinion polls a majority of the public supports Roma expulsions and the closure of unauthorised camps.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux and Immigration Minister Eric Besson make the point that complaints about Roma have come as much from left-wing municipalities as right-wing ones.

And they also say that the government's actions are merely the application of regulations agreed across the EU, which impose temporary restrictions on the rights of Romanians and Bulgarians to settle in other countries.

President Sarkozy's belief that he knows more about what the man or woman in the street thinks than does the Paris intellectual left is probably correct.

People are more concerned about law and order than the opposition claims, and some of the left's wilder accusations - comparing the moves to those of the wartime collaborationist Vichy regime - actually serve Mr Sarkozy's purpose, because they are so overblown.

To that extent, the security crackdown may indeed provide something of a political breathing-space for the president - for all the chorus of disapproval relayed in the media.

However, as the doubters in government instinctively recognise, the president also needs to step carefully.

Just because his tactic may prove to be effective that does not mean it cannot also be seen as highly cynical.

Many people who do not necessarily disagree with tough policing also suspect Mr Sarkozy of pressing the law-and-order button as a last resort, when all else seems to be going wrong.

There are scores of other concerns in France at the moment: the economy, jobs, pensions, the future of farming, the Bettencourt financial scandal.

With only 18 months now before the 2012 elections, it is not just on law and order that the voters will be passing judgment.

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One of four key independent lawmakers has pledged support for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, leaving her just two seats short of the majority needed to form the next Australian government.

Andrew Wilkie, who represents Denison in Tasmania, said Ms Gillard's Labor party was most likely to deliver stable government.

Almost two weeks after the 21 August elections, neither the ruling Labor party or the Liberal-led coalition have managed to form a government.

After Mr Wilkie's decision Labor can now count on support from 74 of the 76 seats needed, with the coalition narrowly behind on 73.

"I have judged that it is the Australian Labor Party that best meets my criteria that the next government must be stable, must be competent and must be ethical," Mr Wilkie told journalists.

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Typhoon Kompasu has struck the South Korean capital, downing power lines and causing transport chaos.

At least three people were killed and dozens more injured in the storm - the strongest to hit Seoul in 15 years.

More than 120 flights were cancelled and power cuts hit major parts of the subway network.

Further south, Tropical Storm Lionrock made landfall in the Chinese province of Fujian, bringing strong winds and torrential rain.

Forecasters warned that the storm could trigger landslides, Xinhua news agency said.

Typhoon Kompasu made landfall in South Korea early on Thursday at Ganghwa Island, before passing to the north-east of Seoul.

One man was killed after being hit by a flying roof tile and another died after a tree branch fell and hit him.

A man in his 70s was electrocuted, the National Emergency Management Agency said.

Utility poles and trees were knocked down in the capital and hospitals were full of people injured after being hit by flying glass, Yonhap news agency said.

On Wednesday state media there broadcast a typhoon warning, telling people to prepare for heavy rain.

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A three-day period of mourning has begun in Pakistan after bomb attacks on a Shia Muslim procession in Lahore city killed 31 people on Wednesday.

At least 170 people were injured when three bombs exploded targeting the procession. At least two of the attacks were suicide bombings, police said.

The Pakistani Taliban said it carried out the attacks in revenge for the killing of a Sunni leader last year.

However, there had been a lull in such attacks in the past month, as floods devastated Pakistan.

On Thursday morning, Lahore residents crowded the street outside the Shia mosque, Karbala Gamay Shah imambarah, the scene of the blast.

"This is the holy month. No-one can dare think of carrying out such things," news agency Reuters quoted Lahore resident Mohammad Ammar as saying.

"We strongly condemn it. At least one should think that it kills innocent people, innocent children. It should never happen."

Policeman recovers his motorbike after police station is attacked in Lahore (1 September 2010)

In pictures: Blasts hit Shia procession

"This is not the work of Muslims. I can't understand who carry out such things. It does not matter whose procession it was but such things should never happen," the agency quoted another resident, Arshad, as saying.

Meanwhile, in a press release, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] said it took the "responsibility of the three suicide attacks (Fidaee Hamla)".

"It is the revenge of Mulana Ali Shair Haidree who was martyred by Shia extremists," the release said and warned the Shia community of further "harsh attacks on them everywhere".

Mr Haidree was a firebrand anti-Shia leader of the proscribed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) group, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says.

Officials at the time said he was killed due to personal enmity, but Sunni hardline groups have been blaming Shia activists for the murder, our correspondent says.

The first explosion came shortly before nightfall on Wednesday, at the end of a procession by some 35,000 Shias to mark the death in the 7th Century of the first Shia imam, Ali bin Abi Talib.

Minutes later, as hundreds of people fled, a suicide bomber blew himself up near an area where food was being prepared for the marchers to break the Ramadan fast.

A second suicide bomber then detonated his explosive belt at an intersection near the end of the procession.

It is not known whether the first blast was a suicide bomb attack, but one local government official said that investigators had collected the bodies of three bombers.

Following the bombings, members of the public turned on police, attacking officers, their vehicles and nearby facilities.

At least one police station and one police truck had been set on fire. Other vehicles in the city were also set alight.

Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani described the bombings as "cowardly acts of terrorism", and said that the perpetrators would be punished.

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An island off Peru is making money from selling bird poo to use as organic fertiliser.

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Chilean miners trapped underground after a rock collapse have received their first hot meal in 26 days.

Meatballs, chicken and rice were piped through a tube to the 33 miners, who are stuck 700m (2,300ft) below the surface.

Previously the miners have been only been nourished with glucose tablets and high-protein milk.

A team from the US space agency Nasa have arrived at the mine to offer their advice on keeping the miners healthy.

The team of four experts were requested by the Chilean government to share their experience of coping in confined spaces.

Engineers have drilled through 20m of rock so far at the San Jose mine, in Copiapo, after beginning their work on Monday. The rescue attempt is expected to take three to four months.

The Nasa team, who will be there until Friday, praised the work of rescue workers to keep miners healthy.

"We've been very impressed with the organisation of the team and the quality of the medical care that's been provided," Nasa's team leader, Michael Duncan, said at a news conference.

"And we've been very impressed also with the courage and the organisation that the miners have provided themselves in this very difficult circumstance," he added.

A video released on Wednesday showed the miners to be in better spirits than earlier images, wearing clean red T-shirts. Some of them had shaved off the beards they had grown.

Officials have said that rescue attempts will also involve a "Plan B", in which a team will drill a separate shaft from a different part of the mountainside.

Dr Duncan has told Chilean officials to be frank with the miners about how long their rescue will take.

The miners have been told it could take a long time to get them out of the mine, but have not been given dates.

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People who do puzzles and crosswords may stave off dementia longer but experience a more rapid decline once the disease sets in, a study suggests.

While there has long been speculation that "exercising" your brain could protect against Alzheimer's, there has been little evidence to back this up.

Now US researchers who followed more than 1,000 people suggest the more mentally active may delay the disease.

The team from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recruited 1,157 people aged over 65 in the early 1990s.

They were given a maximum of five points based on how often they engaged in a variety of activities which involved processing information, including listening to the radio or watching TV, reading a book, carrying out a crossword puzzle or jigsaw, or going to a museum.

They were then followed for an average of 12 years, with assessments every three years.

For each additional point those without a diagnosed cognitive impairment saw a 50% slower decline in their brain function, which was examined through a variety of tests.

But the 148 people who had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's saw a 42% faster decline for each point they had accumulated for mental activity.

“That the brain is allowed to deteriorate to a larger degree before symptoms like memory loss become apparent could explain why the condition seems to progress more quickly after diagnosis”

Alzheimer's Society

Writing in the journal Neurology, the authors suggest that cognitive activity enhances the brain's ability to maintain normal function as disease develops, allowing the mind to tolerate significant pathological changes without compromising its performance.

But when Alzheimer's is finally diagnosed, the disease appears to be at a more advanced stage.

"In effect, these results suggest that the benefit of delaying the initial appearance of cognitive impairment comes at the cost of more rapid dementia progression," says study author Dr Robert Wilson.

It does however, he added "reduce the overall amount of time that a person may suffer from dementia".

The Alzheimer's Society said this was a "robust study" which added considerable weight to the argument that, at least in later life, activities like puzzles could keep the brain ticking over for longer.

"However although the symptoms are delayed, there is no evidence changes in the brain associated with dementia have been reduced," a spokesperson said.

"That the brain is allowed to deteriorate to a larger degree before symptoms like memory loss become apparent could explain why the condition seems to progress more quickly after diagnosis.

"More research is now needed to establish why this happens and what role mental stimulation may have in keeping people functioning for longer.'"

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What do Mohammad Amir's family and home-village make of his alleged involvement in a cricket betting scam?

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President Barack Obama has hailed the end of US combat operations in Iraq, saying his country has paid a "a huge price" to "put Iraq's future in its people's hands".

In a rare Oval Office address, he said he had been "awed" by the sacrifice of the US military.

The US has marked the change in a ceremony in Baghdad, attended by Vice-President Joe Biden.

The outgoing US military commander, Gen Raymond Odierno, handed over to Gen Lloyd Austin, who will be in charge of the 50,000 troops remaining in the country to "advise and assist" Iraqi forces.

"American engagement with Iraq will continue with the mission that begins today - Operation New Dawn," Mr Biden said.

"As the name suggests, this ceremony not only marks the change of a command, but the start of a different chapter in the relationship with Iraq."

The vice-president later told CBS News that he believed Iraqi politicians were "close" to agreeing on forming a new coalition government, nearly six months after March's election produced no conclusive winner.

"I've met with every one of the groups that won portions of the vote in the elections and I'm absolutely convinced that they are nearing the ability of forming a government, that will be a government representing the outcome of the election which was very much divided," he added.

In his televised address to the nation on Tuesday, President Obama said the US would continue to support Iraq's government and people.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," Mr Obama said.

The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington says he may want to concentrate on the issues that really matter to his electorate - those that will influence voters in critical midterm elections in two months' time.

But the president knows he is going to be a war-time president for some time to come, our correspondent adds.

In his speech, Mr Obama said: "The US has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people.

"We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home... Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the US and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page."

“Rhetorical flourishes might have been out of place in any case. This was unadorned with soaring words though not lacking in strategy”

Read Mark's thoughts in full

Mr Obama said he had spoken earlier in the day to former President George W Bush, who led the US into war and was accused of mishandling the subsequent occupation.

"It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset," Mr Obama said.

"Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq's future."

Mr Obama said the drawdown in Iraq allowed the US military to divert resources to the fight in Afghanistan, where he said the US remained committed to defeating al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

But he reiterated the mission in that country would last "a limited time" before Afghan security forces would have to take over.

Iraq War Timeline2003 - Saddam Hussein captured; No WMDs found; Insurgency builds2004 - Attacks on Shia shrines inflame sectarian tensions; Abu Ghraib abuse scandal; Transition government formed2005 - Elections favour Shia and Kurds; Sunnis refuse to back constitution; Violence rages2006 - Samarra attack inflames sectarian violence; Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed; Sadr City bombs kill 200; Saddam hanged2007 - President Bush's troop "surge"; Blackwater shootings; UK hands Basra to Iraqi forces2008 - Sunni bloc rejoins government; Iraqis battle Sadr militia in Basra; US hands over Anbar; pact for US troops to leave by end of 20112009 - Provincial elections held; US forces leave towns and cities; Hundreds killed in Baghdad attacks2010 - Political vacuum after parliamentary election; US combat troops withdraw; 50,000 remain in Iraq

"As was the case in Iraq," he said, "we cannot do for Afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves."

The withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq came despite continuing violence and instability there.

Speaking earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki lauded the US withdrawal, saying Iraq was now "sovereign and independent".

"Our security forces will take the lead in ensuring security and safeguarding the country and removing all threats that the country has to weather, internally or externally," he said.

Violence in Iraq is down from the peak seen during the sectarian conflict in 2006-2007, although the number of civilian deaths rose sharply in July.

While many Iraqis have welcomed the withdrawal, others say they believe it is happening too soon and that the country is not ready to manage its own security.

The last US combat brigade left Iraq nearly two weeks ago, well ahead of the 31 August target set by President Obama to cut the number of US troops in Iraq below 50,000.

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US Vice-President Joe Biden has spoken at a ceremony marking the end of US combat operations in Iraq.

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Actress and UNHCR goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie has issued an appeal for increased public support in providing help and relief for the millions of people who have been affected by the floods in Pakistan.

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In the bad old days, homecoming spies could expectheroes' welcomes in Moscow, their faces on commemorative postage stamps and lifelong adulation.

But that, of course, was when they were fighting evil empires, rather than living the suburban American dream.

Today's returning spies seem to have done little hard work - or at least little work for the Russian state.

The glamorous Anna Chapman, for example, appears to have spent more time flogging private planes to Russian oligarchs.

But they have all been offered a Moscow flat and a $2,000 (£1,327) state pension - the sort of riches plenty of Muscovites can still only dream of.

The Russian press are treating the entire episode with a mixture of humour and disdain.

One commenter observed: "It reminds me of Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana where the spy convinces his Centre that a diagram of a vacuum cleaner is the blueprint for a new secret weapon."

The radio station Ekho Moskvy has announced a cartoon contest on the topic of the returning spies.

But there are plenty of Russians who say the spies "just weren't up to the job".

With the exception of the redheaded Anna Chapman, who will doubtless soon be offered a talk show and a column on a British tabloid, they do look like a dull lot compared to their Soviet forerunners - who were very good indeed at their jobs.

EAST-WEST PRISONER SWAPS 1962: KGB Colonel Rudolf Abel freed by US in exchange for Gary Powers, pilot of a U-2 spy plane shot down over the USSR in 19601964: Gordon Lonsdale, real name Konon Molody, member of the Portland spy ring, is returned to the USSR1969: UK frees Soviet agents Peter and Helen Kroger for Gerald Brooke,jailed for spying in USSR1981: Guenter Guillaume, agent for East Germany's Stasi, exchanged for Western agents1986: Soviet dissident Anatoly Sharansky and three Western agents swapped for KGB husband-and-wife spies Karl and Hana Koecher and two other agentsUS and Russia in airport spy swap Who is on the 'spy-swap' list?

The old Soviet-era spies tended to be a cheerful lot, full of joie de vivre - it is perhaps their capacity for jollity that made them successful.

Mikhail Lyubimov, who spied in London in the 1980s, once told me that former spies should form an international association aimed at promoting international understanding.

"With our experience, we are by far the best equipped to work towards bettering understandings between nations," he said, only semi-seriously.

A former colleague, who was kicked out of Japan for spying, went on to have a successful career writing books that opened Japanese culture to Russian readers.

Russia has changed a lot in the last 10 years: the rouble rate is confusing, cars are different, the metro works in a different way, attitudes have changed.

And let us not forget that these spies have, between them, eight children who were born in the US.

Since their parents were pretending not to be Russian, they probably do not even speak a word of the language.

Even in Soviet days, some found it difficult to cope with life after a spy swap.

The Koechers, who returned to Czechoslovakia following a swap in the 1980s, never properly re-integrated, nor did the Russian spies the Krogers/Cohens, who were flown to Moscow in 1969.

Despite being awarded a dacha and numerous state honours, they never recovered emotionally and lived isolated lives, refusing even to learn Russian.

Gordon Lonsdale/Konon Molody, swapped during the Cold War, suffered from depression after his return to the Soviet Union and died mysteriously during a mushroom-picking expedition.

The manner of this latest swap had all the fun of the Cold War - you could almost hear the opening strains of the Third Man, watching the aeroplane ballet on the Vienna tarmac.

Alexander Anichkin, a Russian journalist and blogger, is a former correspondent for Izvestia newspaper and the Tass news agency

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