Voting starts in Russian election (BBC)

Polling stations have opened in the Russian capital, Moscow, as the country continues to vote in general elections over 22 hours across 11 time zones.

Eleven parties are competing for places in the lower house, the Duma - though it is not clear how many will win the 7% needed to qualify for seats.

Opposition parties have accused the government of stifling their campaigns and of intimidation.

Independent monitors say their attempts to observe the poll have been hampered.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has abandoned its plans to send a big team of election observers to Russia after accusing the Russian government of imposing unacceptable restrictions and of deliberately delaying the issuing of visas. Russia has denied the claims.

Only a much smaller group of MPs from the OSCE's parliamentary assembly will be in attendance.

MAIN RIVAL PARTIES United Russia Communist Party of Russia Liberal Democratic Party of Russia A Fair Russia (Mothers/Pensioners/Life) Yabloko Union of Right Forces Q&A: Russian election

That means just 400 foreign monitors will cover 95,000 polling stations.

The British ambassador in Moscow, Tony Brenton, told the BBC he said it appeared there had been what he called imbalances and misuses of the administration in this election.

The largest party in the Duma going into the elections is United Russia, and it will be hoping to maintain its dominance against the challenge from the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Yabloko party and others.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is at the top of the United Russia party list - opening the possibility that he could keep a grip on power from parliament even after stepping down as president next year.

Within Russia the media is banned from referring to parties, politicians, policies or opinion polls for the duration of the election.

Far east start

Voting began at 0800 on Sunday (2000 GMT, Saturday) in Russia's far easterly region of Kamchatka, about 6,000km (3,700 miles) east of Moscow.

Sailors in Vladivostok were among the first to vote

Voting is not set to end until 22 hours later, when polls are due to close in the enclave of Kaliningrad, on the Baltic Sea, 11 time zones to the west.

Sailors in the far east port of Vladivostok waited at a polling station to cast their votes on Sunday morning.

"I'll vote for United Russia," Vladimir Babikov, 19, told the AFP news agency.

"They've done a good job, everything is getting better."

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Alexei Gutkin, a 42-year-old engineer, voted for the centre-right Union of Right Forces.

"United Russia is like a return to the Communist Party," he said. "I remember that time well."

'Farce'

The run-up to the vote has been marred by increasing allegations that the poll could be rigged.

In pictures: Siberia votes

Opposition rallies have been broken up, parties have complained that their headquarters have been raided, and that state media has been a mouthpiece for the government.

The former chess grandmaster and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov has dismissed the elections as a "farce". His political grouping is one of several to be barred from contesting the poll.

More than 100 million voters are eligible to cast ballots at 95,000 polling stations across the country, with about 450,000 police officers reportedly on duty to ensure order.

French strike brings travel chaos (bbc)

French commuters face the bleak prospect of limited train servicesFrance is suffering travel chaos after transport unions broadened a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reforms.
Train, subway and bus workers joined an open-ended walk-out. Hundreds of kilometres of traffic jams were reported on roads into the capital.
State-run gas and electricity sectors workers are also protesting.
The government and the unions have resumed talks but the transport stoppage could last for several days.
The BBC's Alasdair Sandford in Paris says that with students, teachers, civil servants and even magistrates threatening strike action over separate issues, the fear for the government is that this becomes a general wave of protest against economic hardship.
Contingency plans
Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand warned that Wednesday would be "a hellish day for travellers and perhaps for many days beyond that".
'SPECIAL' PENSIONS
Benefits 1.6m workers, including 1.1m retirees
Applies in 16 sectors, of which rail and utilities employees make up 360,000 people
Account for 6% of total state pension payments
Shortfall costs state 5bn euros (£3.5bn; $6.9bn) a year
Some workers can retire on full pensions aged 50
Awarded to Paris Opera House workers in 1698 by Louis XIV
That view was echoed by Prime Minister Francois Fillon who told parliament: "Millions of French people will be deprived of their fundamental freedom, the freedom of movement and even perhaps to work."
Early on Wednesday, more than 300km (190 miles) of traffic jams were reported on roads heading into Paris, twice the daily average.
Our correspondent says Parisians have been improvising in their battle to get to work - driving in earlier than usual, car sharing or taking to bikes and roller blades.
Rail employees stopped work at 2000 (1900 GMT) on Tuesday. Only 90 of the country's 700 high-speed TGV trains are said to be running. Commuter train services are also severely reduced.
The metro service in Paris is running at 20% capacity, metro operator RATP said. Bus services are also affected.
Eurostar has said the first train services from London's new St Pancras terminal will be unaffected by the industrial action.
Gas and electricity workers joined their striking rail colleagues on Wednesday threatening targeted blackouts, as their pension schemes are also facing reform.
Mandate for change
Mr Sarkozy wants to cut pensions that allow some public employees to retire on a full pension as early as 50 and says he is determined to stay the course, despite the strike threat.
STRIKE SPREADS

RAIL: Seven of eight unions at the state-owned SNCF rail company began an open-ended strike on 13 November
PARIS METRO/BUS: Five of eight unions joined an open-ended strike on 14 November
ENERGY: Seven unions at state-owned EDF and GDF utilities strike on 14 November
PARIS OPERA HOUSE: Four unions representing staff join strike on 14 November. Open-ended strike by La Comedie Francaise, the state theatre
"I will carry out these reforms right to the end. Nothing will put me off my goal," he told the European Parliament during a visit to Strasbourg, reminding everyone that he was elected on a reform mandate.
"The French people approved these reforms. I told them all about it before the elections so that I would be able to do what was necessary afterwards," AFP quoted him as saying.
But a spokesman for the CGT trade union disagreed with Mr Sarkozy's logic.
"If reforms for the French citizen means that they are going to be working more and getting less pension at the end of the deal, I'm not quite sure all the French are agreeing with this approach," Oliver Sekai told the BBC.
Analysts say that Mr Sarkozy's resolve to stand up to France's powerful unions now faces a real test and his reputation rides on his success.
And though he has promised he will stand firm against the strikes, they say, at the same time he will be anxious to avoid the kind of street protests which occurred in 1995 when the French government last tried to reform the pension system.

Top judge attacks Musharraf rule

Pakistan's sacked chief justice has called for the people to "rise up" and restore the constitution.
In a telephone address to lawyers in Islamabad, Iftikhar Chaudhry criticised President Pervez Musharraf, who imposed a state of emergency on Saturday.
He said the constitution had been "ripped to shreds" by Gen Musharraf and added it was now "time for sacrifices".
US President George W Bush has called on Gen Musharraf to end the emergency and restore democratic civilian rule.
The government crackdown against pro-democracy activists continued on Tuesday with reports of dozens more arrests.
Struggle
There have been clashes in Peshawar, and in parts of the Punjab, with several lawyers seriously injured in the city of Gujranwala.
There were reports of further arrests in the cities of Lahore, Quetta and Multan.
I am under arrest now, but soon I will also join you in your struggle
Iftikhar Chaudhry
Crisis tests US policy
West faces new dilemma
But protests did not appear to be on the same scale as those suppressed by the security forces on Monday.
The president, who is also head of the army, has said he declared the state of emergency because of a crisis caused by militant violence and an unruly judiciary.
Mr Chaudhry was sacked and replaced after he and eight other judges refused to endorse the order, declaring it unconstitutional.
Critics have said Gen Musharraf acted to pre-empt a judgment by the Supreme Court on whether his re-election last month was legal.
Mr Chaudhry told around 500 lawyers on Tuesday: "The constitution has been ripped to shreds. The lawyers should convey my message to the people to rise up and restore the constitution.
"This is a time for sacrifices. I am under arrest now, but soon I will also join you in your struggle."
Mr Chaudhry is under house arrest but his comments were broadcast on the internet by a private television channel.
There were reports that as he made the address by phone, the authorities blocked all mobile phone services in Islamabad.
EMERGENCY RESTRICTIONS
Constitutional safeguards on life and liberty curtailed
Police get wide powers of arrest
Suspects can be denied access to lawyers
Freedom of movement restricted
Private TV stations taken off air
New rules curtail media coverage of suicide bombings or militant activity
Chief justice replaced, others made to swear oath of loyalty
Supreme Court banned from rescinding emergency order
People 'anxious and angry'
Balance of power in Pakistan
Media oppose emergency
The lawyers chanted slogans such as "There will be war till the constitution is restored" and "Chaudhry we are ready to die for you".
Mr Chaudhry, who defied attempts by the president to oust him in March and was later reinstated by the Supreme Court, has become a symbol of resistance to Gen Musharraf's rule, say analysts.
The former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, echoed his calls for the constitution to be restored in a press conference at her Karachi home on Tuesday.
"We want elections to be held on schedule. The government refrain from violence... it is the duty of the government to protect the people," she said.
The Pakistani cabinet is expected to meet later to discuss the parliamentary elections, which are supposed to take place by January.
On Monday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the vote would go ahead on schedule, but his deputy information minister later told the BBC the elections could be delayed by as much as a year.
International outcry
Lawyers have called for three days of protests and strikes against the suspension of the constitution.
They have boycotted courts and refused to appear before the new judges.
Hundreds of lawyers and political opponents have been detained.
HAVE YOUR SAY
I think Musharraf has about the most difficult job on the planet
David Bradshaw, Ashford, UK
Your views on emergency
Eyewitness: Karachi protest
In pictures: Protests
Pakistan has come under heavy international pressure since Gen Musharraf imposed emergency rule.
Mr Bush urged Gen Musharraf to quit his post as head of the army and hold elections as soon as possible.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the release of all those detained since the state of emergency was declared.
The UK has also reiterated demands for a return to civilian rule in Pakistan.
The Netherlands became the first country to suspend aid, and the EU said its members were considering "possible further steps".
But Gen Musharraf said confidence in his government would soon return and insisted he still planned to give up his military post, as he had been scheduled to do this month.

The amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world's oceans has reduced, scientists have said.
University of East Anglia researchers gauged CO2 absorption through more than 90,000 measurements from merchant ships equipped with automatic instruments.
Results of their 10-year study in the North Atlantic show CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005.
Scientists believe global warming might get worse if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas.
Researchers said the findings, published in a paper for the Journal of Geophysical Research, were surprising and worrying because there were grounds for believing that, in time, the ocean might become saturated with our emissions.
'Saturated' ocean
BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin said: "The researchers don't know if the change is due to climate change or to natural variations.
"But they say it is a tremendous surprise and very worrying because there were grounds for believing that in time the ocean might become 'saturated' with our emissions - unable to soak up any more."
He said that would "leave all our emissions to warm the atmosphere".
Of all the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, only half of it stays there; the rest goes into carbon sinks.
There are two major natural carbon sinks: the oceans and the land "biosphere". They are equivalent in size, each absorbing a quarter of all CO2 emissions.

Airmen punished for nuclear error (bbc)

The US Air Force has relieved several officers of their commands after a B-52 bomber was mistakenly flown across the US loaded with nuclear-armed missiles.
Three colonels, a lieutenant colonel and 66 other personnel were punished following the incident at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, on 29 August.

Maj Gen Richard Newton said ground crews had failed to follow procedures.

The incident has been described as one of the worst known breaches of nuclear weapons procedures in decades.

Six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads were mounted on the bomber's wings before it was flown to Louisiana.

The missiles were supposed to have been taken to Barksdale Air Force Base, but the warheads should have been removed beforehand.

'Procedural errors'

Announcing the results of his six-week investigation, Gen Newton said there had been an "erosion of adherence to weapons-handing standards".

They did not follow the formal scheduling processes that would have allowed them to do the proper maintenance and handling of those weapons

Maj Gen Richard Newton
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff


US embarrassed at blunder

"In the countless times our dedicated airmen have transferred weapons in our nation's arsenal, nothing like this has ever occurred," the Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations said.

Gen Newton said the "unprecedented string of procedural errors" had begun with a failure by airmen to conduct a required inspection of the missiles before they were loaded onto the wing of the B-52 at Minot.

The crew flying the plane were unaware it was carrying nuclear warheads, he said.

Experts have said that if the B-52 had crashed, there would not have been a nuclear explosion. However, there could have been a threat from plutonium leakage from the W80-1 warheads, which have a yield of five to 150 kilotons.



"This was an unacceptable mistake and a clear deviation from our exacting standards," Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said.

"We hold ourselves accountable to the American people and want to ensure proper corrective action has been taken."

Both Mr Wynne and Gen Newton insisted the case was an isolated incident and that the current procedures for handling nuclear weapons were sound.

Flood misery hits arc of Africa (bbc)

An estimated one million people across Africa have been hit by prolonged rains which have destroyed crops, burst dams and left dozens dead, officials say.
Parts of Ghana have been declared a disaster zone, while on the other side of the continent, many thousands are now homeless in Ethiopia and Uganda.
The UN said the floods could lead to locust infestations and outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
The flooding and torrential rain have brought chaos to at least 14 countries.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said 500,000 people had been affected in West Africa and a further 500,000 in Sudan, and the numbers were rising.

See map of the worst-affected nations
Health charities have warned that many areas are in urgent need of food, shelter and medicine.
The BBC's Adam Mynott says not a single country in West, Central and East Africa has been unaffected by the torrential rain.
'Dire' situation
In Uganda, where at least nine people are reported to have died, government minister Musa Ecweru said the situation "borders a crisis".
"Several communities have been cut off and we cannot access them," he said.
Some villages and communities have now been totally wiped off the map of Ghana
George Azi AmooGhana's national disaster management co-ordinator
In Ethiopia, one of the worst-hit east African nations, deaths have been reported and a massive food aid programme has been set up after flooding hit almost 200,000 people.
In West Africa, Ghana has been hit particularly hard, with at least 20 people killed and about 400,000 people made homeless.
The floods have submerged land which produces food for the entire country.
President John Kufuor has declared the north of his country a disaster zone.

Sudan has seen some of its worst floods in living memory
Benonita Bismarck, from Ghana's Red Cross Society, said the situation was dire and cases of cholera have already been reported.
George Azi Amoo, co-ordinator of Ghana's disaster management body, said the floods had destroyed farmland, livestock and infrastructure.
"Some villages and communities have now been totally wiped off the map of Ghana," he told the BBC's Newshour.
In neighbouring Togo some 34,000 people have been displaced, at least 20 killed and the infrastructure has suffered major damage.
Officials in northern Rwanda said 15 people had died there and 500 homes had been destroyed since Wednesday.
Dozens are also reported dead in Sudan, which has been suffering some of the worst floods in living memory.
Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua told the AFP news agency: "We have activated our disaster response and the government and aid groups are providing food, shelter and medicine to those affected by the floods."
Niger, Nigeria, Liberia, Mali and Burkino Faso are among other countries affected.
The BBC's Mary Harper says there is growing concern that unless emergency assistance reaches people quickly, they will become increasingly vulnerable to waterborne diseases.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs also warned that conditions were "ripe for an infestation" of locusts.

New law allows casinos TV adverts (bbc)

Bookies, casinos and betting websites will be able to advertise their services on TV and radio in the UK for the first time from this weekend.
Under new laws which come into force on 1 September, the ads will be subject to strict rules including a 9pm watershed.
The Gambling Act aims to tighten industry regulation and ensure the young and vulnerable are not exploited.
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said councils would get "unprecedented powers" to control gambling.
The new laws will allow the creation of more regional casinos, bigger slot machine payouts and a new gambling watchdog.
Overhauling pieces of legislation dating back to 1845, the Act covers all forms of gambling from high-end casinos to arcades worth more than £9bn to the British economy.
But it will not regulate the National Lottery or spread betting.
GAMBLING ACT 2005: FAST FACTS
New codes governing TV and radio advertising in a socially responsible way
Internet gaming will be regulated for UK-based firms
Local authorities can impose sanctions on operators
The membership requirement on casinos will be lifted
Poker clubs will be limited to a stake of £10 per game
Betting firms will have to display gambling helpline information online and in shops
Betting shops will be able to open from 0700 to 2200 all year round
Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
"The government brought in the Gambling Act because most of our laws were nearly 40 years old and these developments were going unchecked and unregulated," said Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe.
"That's why 1 September is so important. The Gambling Act will give the Gambling Commission and local authorities unprecedented powers to ensure gambling is conducted fairly, children and vulnerable people are protected and crime is kept out."
All gaming operators based in Britain will be required to show they can meet strict conditions to win a license from the new regulator - the Gambling Commission - to trade.
Failure to uphold the Commission's licensing conditions, which includes the prominent display of information about responsible gambling and anti-money laundering procedures, will result in steep fines and even prosecution.
£1m prize
The law removes 6,000 fruit machines from premises such as takeaway food shops and mini cab offices, where children could play with them unsupervised.
These will be phased out by 2009.
A bingo prize of at least £1m has been announced as a result of the new laws.
This will allow casinos to become part of the mainstream leisure business
Roy Ramm, director of London Clubs International
Bingo halls will no longer have to return all stakes as prize money. They will now be able to keep some money behind to offer as rollover prizes.
Meanwhile, for the first time online gaming sites will also be governed by the regulator if they are located in Britain.
But with betting duty set at 15% for gaming websites located in Britain, doubts have been cast as to how many firms will relocate.
For most gambling emporiums, the biggest change is the lifting of the ban on TV and radio adverts, which will allow them to reach a bigger audience.
'Misconceptions'
However, they will be subject to a code of practice policed by the Advertising Standards Authority and media regulator Ofcom.
One casino operator said the changes were a chance to clear up some of the "misconceptions about the industry" that have been allowed to fester.
"This will allow casinos to become part of the mainstream leisure business and do a great deal to dispel a lot of myths about casino gambling and level the playing field," Roy Ramm, director of casino operator London Clubs International told BBC Radio Five Live.
Mr Ramm added it was not in his firm's interest to target children or those that cannot gamble responsibly.
The new act has attracted criticism from charities and the Lib Dems.
While many of the gambling reforms are welcome, the government must recognise its failure to put adequate provisions in place for the problems the act may bring
Don FosterLib Dem culture spokesman
The Salvation Army said it feared the changes would "normalise" an addictive activity.
"Gambling is not a normal leisure activity. Whilst some people enjoy a flutter or bet from time to time, gambling can become addictive and cause many problems," a spokesman said.
"The results can be devastating on the individual, their friends, family, and on society."
The Liberal Democrats said the government had failed to put in place provisions for any problems arising from the act.
The party's culture spokesman Don Foster said: "While many of the gambling reforms are welcome, the government must recognise its failure to put adequate provisions in place for the problems the act may bring.
"There has been a huge surge in online gambling but ministers have failed at every opportunity to bring internet gambling companies onshore where they would pay tax and be properly regulated."

Iraq crash kills 14 US soldiers

Fourteen US soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash overnight in northern Iraq, the US military has said.
The Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 10 soldiers and four crew members, crashed after experiencing a mechanical malfunction, a US statement said.
There were reportedly no indications of hostile fire, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Later, at least 15 people died when a suicide bomber drove a fuel tanker into a police station in Baiji, police said.
The head of the local hospital in the oil city, 180km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, said both police and civilians were among the victims. At least 40 people were wounded.
The police had only just moved into the building after a similar attack in June destroyed the old station and killed at least 10 people.
MAJOR US LOSSES IN IRAQ

2 Nov 03: Chinook helicopter downed near Falluja, killing 16
15 Nov 03: Two Black Hawk helicopters collide avoiding ground fire in Mosul, killing 17
21 Dec 04: Suicide bomb at military base in Mosul kills 19
26 Jan 05: CH-53E helicopter crashes in West Iraq, killing 31
3 Aug 05: Roadside blast near Haditha kills 14 marines
1 Dec 05: Ten marines killed by roadside bomb near Falluja
20 Jan 07: Black Hawk crashes near Tal Afar, killing 12
24 Apr 07: Suicide bombing of base near Baquba kills nine
22 Aug 07: Black Hawk helicopter crashes in northern Iraq, killing 14 soldiers
The 14 US soldiers killed on Wednesday were part of Task Force Lightning, a division responsible for a large area of northern Iraq, including the cities of Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra.
A second Black Hawk helicopter had been flying alongside at the time.
It is not clear precisely where the helicopter came down.
It was the deadliest such incident since January, when another Black Hawk went down in Diyala province.
The worst US helicopter crash in Iraq was in January 2005. Thirty marines and a sailor were killed when a Super Stallion came down in bad weather near the Jordanian border.
The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says the fairly frequent loss of helicopters over the past four years has demonstrated the dependence of US forces on them - and their vulnerability.

Rescuers in the US state of Utah have drilled through to a mine cavity where six miners are believed trapped, but have not yet detected any sound.
The rescue crew drilled a narrow hole and lowered a microphone into the collapsed Crandall Canyon coal mine.
No contact has been made with the miners, who have been trapped 1,500ft (457m) underground since Monday.
Tests carried out at the site showed the air quality was good, the mine's co-owner told reporters.
"That means if they're alive, they're going to stay alive in that atmosphere," said Bob Murray, chairman of Murray Energy Corporation.
CRANDALL CANYON MINE
Located in Manti-La Sal National Forest, 16 miles (25km) from Huntington
Uses the "retreat mining" method, which experts say is one of most dangerous
Coal pillars hold up area of mine's roof. When completely mined, pillars are pulled, causing intentional roof collapse
Mine layout and location

He said a 2.5-inch (6.4cm) drill had pierced through the cavity on Thursday night.
But asked if the miners were definitely in the chamber, Mr Murray said: "No, we can't be sure but we think so. We think that's where they are... They didn't move far, I'm sure, from that area".
Rescuers are still working on drilling a wider 9-inch (23cm) hole through which a camera could be passed to check for signs of life, and water and food could be delivered.
Mr Murray said it could take at least another four or five days to bring the men out.
Rescue teams have been drilling round-the-clock through a mountain above the mine to reach the men, who include three Mexican citizens.
The group is thought to be 3.4 miles (5.5km) from the mine entrance, 140 miles (225km) from Salt Lake City.
Cause unclear
Initially the collapse was blamed on an earthquake, but experts have since suggested the shafts might have caved in with enough force to register on seismographs.

The drilling is still continuing on a wider holeThis has led to speculation mining procedures could have triggered the incident.
It has been claimed the workers were using a risky technique known as "retreat mining", where the last standing pillars of coal are pulled down and the roof is allowed to fall in.
But Mr Murray has rejected this, saying an earthquake caused the collapse.
US federal mining inspectors have issued 325 citations for alleged safety violations at the mine since January 2004. Of those, 116 were considered "significant and substantial" and likely to cause injury.
Experts have said the number of citations is not unusual, and the mine's owners say they run a safe mine.

World shares fall on credit fears

Markets have faltered in Friday trading, a day after markets in the US and Europe suffered heavy losses amid fears of a global credit crunch.
In morning trade the London FTSE 100 was 2.42% lower, the French Cac was down 2.20%, and German Dax down 1.61%.
The European Central Bank injected cash into the money market for a second day, a move echoed by other central banks across the world.
The ECB move was to "assure orderly conditions in the euro money markets".
The bank injected 61.05 bn euros (£41.65bn; $84.2bn) into the eurozone money markets on Friday.
Japan's central bank had earlier pumped one trillion yen ($8.5bn; £4.2bn) into the financial system to boost liquidity.
At close of trade in Japan, the Nikkei share index was down 2.4%, at 16,764.1.
Sub-prime fall-out
The jitters come a day after the FTSE closed down nearly 2%, and following an overnight decline of close to 3% on the Dow Jones index in New York.
Many more financial institutions may come out in the future to say they have been making losses on the back of the sub-prime problems
Martin Arnold, CommSec
Q&A: Sub-prime lending
Global markets have been rattled by worries over financial institutions' exposure to bad credit in the US sub-prime mortgage market.
In Hong Kong the Hang Seng index ended the day down 2.88% at 21,799.96, after trade was suspended early because of a tropical cyclone warning.
South Korea's central bank said it would also intervene if necessary in financial markets to counter the international turmoil.
Central banks in several countries have been intervening in the money markets to prevent a continuing problem with US housing loans turning into a global financial crisis.
The Reserve Bank of Australia on Friday added more than twice the usual amount of money into the banking system, injecting A$4.95bn ($4.19bn; £2.08bn) in its regular morning money market operation.
Investors have bought the financial equivalent of poisoned mutton dressed as prime lamb
Read the BBC's Robert Peston on US 'toxic' sub-prime loans
Central banks in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines intervened to sell dollars to support their currencies.
On Thursday the US's main Dow Jones index fell 387.18 points, or 2.8%, to 13,270.68. The S&P 500 shed 3% and the Nasdaq lost 2.2%.
European indexes had slumped earlier after BNP Paribas froze three funds, saying the market for some of the assets they contained had disappeared.
The European Central Bank injected a record $130.6bn (£64.6bn) into Europe's money markets on Thursday to prevent a financial system seizure.

Traders are trying to work out if the current problems will continue
In the US, the Federal Reserve was reported to have taken similar action, pumping about $24bn into the US banking system.
Analysts said that the markets would remain volatile in the near future.
"The nervousness has been brought on by the perception that many more financial institutions may come out in the future to say they have been making losses on the back of the sub-prime problems," said Martin Arnold, equities economist at CommSec.
Housing market wobble
BNP Paribas announced on Thursday that it was suspending three investment funds worth 2bn euros because of problems with the US sub-prime mortgage sector.
Sub-prime lenders offer loans to consumers with a poor credit history.
You're looking at the foundation of a marketplace that has imploded somewhat
Steve Goldman, Weeden & Co
In recent months, the number of loan defaults has increased because of higher interest rates, raising concerns that the wobble in the housing market will affect other parts of the economy and then start hurting other nations.
The worry is that should banks make losses, it would hurt their earnings and their profitability, making them less willing to fund the takeovers and buyouts that have underpinned much of the stock markets' recent gains.
The recent collapse of American Home Mortgage, the 10th largest lender in the US, has intensified those concerns.
At the same time, banks have suddenly started charging significantly more for the money they lend to each other, signalling that they are looking to limit their risks, analysts said.
Analysts say that a credit crunch - when it becomes harder for banks, companies and consumers to get access to loans and cash to run their operations - is a serious occurrence that could lead to a recession.
The declines in the US markets came despite attempts by President George W Bush to calm market fears

Profile: President Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf seized power from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promising to bring "true" democracy, law and order and economic revival to Pakistan.
The early years of his rule were also dominated by questions of foreign policy, particularly tensions with India over Kashmir.
But, it was the events of 11 September 2001 that have become the defining feature of his presidency, leading to a dramatic change in Pakistan's relations with the rest of the world.
The man who had been shunned as a dictator by many in the West after his bloodless coup became, almost overnight, a pivotal player on the world stage as Washington realised it needed the cooperation of Pakistan in order to defeat the Taleban in Afghanistan.
Islamist constituency
President Musharraf was thrown into a marriage of convenience.
He argued that for strategic reasons he had little choice but to join the American "war on terror", even though it meant abandoning support for the Taleban.

Pakistan has sent troops into its unruly tribal areas
Pakistan had previously been one of only three countries to recognise the Taleban diplomatically.
The president has often been described as walking a tightrope as he has sought to balance demands from the US to crack down on extremism in Pakistan and the demands from an increasingly vocal, and anti-American, Islamist constituency.
Some suggested that this has suited the president, allowing him to minimise the expectations of both sides.
Relations with nuclear rival India worsened after an attack on the Indian parliament in Delhi in December 2001. India blamed terrorists sponsored by Pakistan - an allegation denied by Pakistan.
President Musharraf's actions against the two groups India blamed for the attacks - Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba were not enough to satisfy Delhi and by the summer of 2002 the two countries appeared again to be on the brink of war with over a million troops massed along both sides of the Line of Control that divides the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Tensions have since lowered after the two countries began peace talks in early 2004.
Some Indian officials still see the president as the cunning mastermind of the Kargil conflict in the summer of 1999 when he was the army chief.

The president likes to convey a non-military image
Pakistani regular soldiers and some militants infiltrated the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir bringing the two countries to the brink of all-out war.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif withdrew his troops, but not before India had launched an air and land campaign against the infiltrators.
Mr Sharif's subsequent attempt to dismiss General Musharraf as chief of army staff led instead to the army's dismissal of Nawaz Sharif.
General Musharraf was on an aircraft coming back from Sri Lanka when he heard news of his dismissal, yet was still organised enough to rally troops to his cause soon after landing and to seize power.
His belligerent record on Kashmir was seen at that time as a potential strength, providing him with authority to undertake peace talks with India.
Deteriorating relations
But from the outset of his presidency, he has been constrained by strong domestic support for Kashmiri militancy in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, relations with Pakistan's northern neighbour Afghanistan have deteriorated since the fall of the Taleban and coming to power of President Hamid Karzai.

There have been at least two attempts on Musharraf's life
Afghan officials have increasingly accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stem the movement of militants sympathetic to al-Qaeda and the Taleban across the border into Afghanistan.
Pakistan counters that it has sent its troops into the tribal regions of Waziristan to target al -Qaeda and Taleban fighters for the first time in the history of Pakistan.
However, recent developments suggest that the home-grown fighters now known as the Pakistani Taleban control substantial areas of the border regions of North and South Waziristan.
Humanitarian tragedy
The military is also engaged on another front against nationalists in the province of Balochistan who accuse the government of exploiting the region's natural resources but neglecting its development.
Pakistan's human rights commission has accused security forces of serious violations of human rights during the campaign, and expressed concern more generally about the growing militarisation of the country.
A humanitarian tragedy tested the leadership of Pakistan in October 2005 as a massive earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale hit Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
More than 73,000 people died and three million were made homeless as a result of the quake.
The aftermath re-emphasised the pressing development challenges in Pakistan.

The president says he has clamped down on Kashmiri militants
Beyond the logistical challenges of reaching the remote mountain villages affected by the quake, the country also faced the task of providing for the earthquake's victims.
Poverty in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas, rose during the 1990s after declining in the 1970s and 1980s. This was accompanied by tumbling economic growth.
Turning around the decline in economic growth in this period was part of President Musharraf's promise on assuming power. And he has overseen an improvement in economic growth, receiving praise from international institutions for the introduction of economic reforms. Poverty has also fallen somewhat.
He has moved ahead with plans to build the massive Kalabagh dam, despite widespread protests, because he says it will help poor farmers.
Democracy roadmap
But there are still major questions ahead, not least about how the country is governed. Another of President Musharraf's promises on assuming office was to devolve power to the grassroots and improve accountability.
Early on he announced a 'roadmap to democracy'.
Elections to the national assembly were held in 2002 following a presidential referendum, with only one choice of presidential candidate, in which voters agreed to extend his rule for five years.
Former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were banned from taking part in the polls.
And for the first time in Pakistan's history, an alliance of Islamic religious parties gained a strong showing in the assembly, and gained control of two of Pakistan's four provincial assemblies.
Local elections have also been held.
But the issue of the president's continued occupation of the top military and civil posts has not been resolved.

Musharraf: Feted by George Bush
He broke an earlier pledge to give up his military uniform by January 2005 and there is now some uncertainty about whether he will do so before 2007, when fresh elections to the national assembly and the presidency are scheduled.
The Delhi-born son of an Urdu-speaking family that migrated to Pakistan after the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 has survived numerous assassination attempts and plots - the latest in December 2003.
But he is facing an increasing number of challenges on the domestic front - especially rising prices of fuel and food - as well as continuing extremism.
Sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims also simmers on.
General Musharraf will also be only too aware of Pakistan's old complaint of being picked up and then rapidly forgotten by the US once its strategic interests shift.
Pakistan today sits in the shadow of an increasingly blossoming relationship between the US and India, its battle against militancy continues unabated and it was recently labelled in an American study as a "failed state".
President Musharraf may reflect that while he may have made progress in economic growth, the country's many problems show no signs of disappearing.

Pakistan considers emergency rule

Pakistan's government is considering imposing emergency rule, the country's information minister has said.
Tariq Azeem said the issue was being discussed, given external and internal threats to the country.
It came hours after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called off plans to attend a US-backed tribal peace conference in Afghanistan.
Emergency rule would limit the role of the courts, restrict civil liberties and curb freedom of expression.
The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says opposition and media figures believe such a drastic move would be related more to domestic politics, particularly Gen Musharraf's desire to be re-elected for another term as both president and head of the army.
This would almost certainly trigger legal challenges and a state of emergency would limit the role of the courts, she says.
'Difficult circumstances'
Gen Musharraf faces a volatile political and security situation after a siege at a radical Islamabad mosque and protests by lawyers angry at the sacking of the country's chief justice.
The possibility of an emergency cannot be ruled out
Tariq AzeemPakistan Information Minister
"The possibility of the enforcement of emergency, like other possibilities, is under discussion," Mr Azeem said, although he stressed that the measure might not be necessary.
"I cannot say that it will be tonight, tomorrow or later. We hope that it does not happen.
"But we are going through difficult circumstances so the possibility of an emergency cannot be ruled out," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.
He said US threats to launch an operation in the tribal areas and the recent targeting of Chinese nationals by Islamic militants had played a role in the issue being discussed.
"In addition, the situation on the borders and the suicide attacks are also a concern," Mr Azeem added.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reportedly spoke at length with Gen Musharraf early on Thursday, amid widespread reports of the possibility of an emergency.
A meeting of senior government officials headed by President Musharraf is expected to be held on Thursday to decide the issue.
Elections threat
Under a state of emergency, powers to detain citizens would be extended and parliament could extend its tenure by a year.
The emergency is a big step and the government should think twice before enforcing it
Benazir BhuttoOpposition leaderIt would also allow the president to postpone national elections due to be held later in 2007.
This could enable him to continue in his role as chief of Pakistan's powerful military.
Opposition political parties, like Pakistan's largest party, the PPP, want Gen Musharraf to give up the role.
"The emergency is a big step and the government should think twice before enforcing it," said former Prime Minister and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.
"I hope such a drastic step will not take place.
"It will be a retrogressive step taking the country backwards."
Gen Musharraf pulled out of the three-day Afghan council, or jirga, on combating the Taleban, citing commitments in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will attend in his place.
Up to 700 tribal elders, Islamic clerics and leaders of both countries are invited to the council, starting on Thursday, which will discuss terrorism.
The Taleban have not been included, and are calling for a boycott of the event.

Metal claw crushes man to death

A 24-year-old man has been crushed to death by a mechanical claw while in a van at a Southampton scrapyard.
Barry Collins, of Millbrook, Southampton, died after the accident at James Huntley and Sons Scrap Metal and Merchants in Sholing, on Thursday.
Hampshire Constabulary and the Health and Safety Executive have launched a joint investigation and will prepare a report for the coroner.
A criminal investigation into the death is not being carried out.
Mr Collins had taken a vehicle to the site to be scrapped.
It is believed he then returned to get something from a van after the crushing process began.
A crane with pincers designed to break vehicles picked up the van and crushed it before he could get out.
The emergency services were called to the site at 1100 BST on Thursday but Mr Collins died at the scene.
Family and friends have been leaving floral tributes at the scrapyard since the accident.
A post-mortem examination at Southampton General Hospital on Friday revealed Mr Collins died of head and shoulder injuries.

Farm infected with foot-and-mouth

Cattle at a farm in Surrey have been found to be infected with foot-and-mouth disease.
Some 60 animals on the farm near Guildford have tested positive for the disease which wreaked havoc in 2001.

A 3km protection zone has been put in place around the premises and a UK ban imposed on movement of all livestock.

Gordon Brown has cancelled his holiday in Dorset and taken part in a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee by telephone about the issue.

Even the words 'foot-and-mouth' will send a chill through the spine of every farmer in the country

Tim Bonner, Countryside Alliance

Very few human cases of foot-and-mouth disease have ever been recorded. The last human case reported in the UK occurred in 1966.

In accordance with legislation, all cattle on the Surrey premises will be culled, said a government spokesman.

The farm has been under restrictions since late on Thursday when symptoms were reported.

Debby Reynolds, UK Chief Veterinary Officer, confirmed the outbreak after samples were taken from the farm.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE
Foot-and-mouth is a highly contagious viral disease which affects animals such as cattle and sheep
Symptoms include fever, lesions in the mouth and lameness, but it is not normally fatal in adult animals
The disease can result in a huge decrease in the amount of milk produced in affected animals

She said: "We are trying to form a picture of where the infection may have come from but at the moment it's very early stages."

Gordon Brown is returning to London on Saturday and Environment Secretary Hilary Benn is to break off from his holiday in Italy.

The Cobra committee is to reconvene on Saturday morning to review latest developments.

Ms Reynolds advised farmers across the UK to examine their animals carefully and immediately report anything suspicious.

As well as the 3km protection zone, there is also a 10km surveillance zone where nearby animals are monitored.

The outbreak in 2001 led to between 6.5 million and 10 million animals being destroyed and cost as much as £8.5bn. Many farms and other rural businesses were ruined.

National Farmers' Union President Peter Kendall said of the latest incident: "This is a matter of grave concern. We have an industry still depressed from low prices.

HAVE YOUR SAY
The outbreak is not the problem. It is the reaction (and response) to it that matters.

MB, Edgware


Send us your comments

"We have to ensure this is a small isolated incident. We are working with the government to ensure the right steps are taken."

Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of microbiology at Aberdeen University, said: "Speed is of the essence here.

"We have got to really stop this virus spreading, obviously first of all to stamp it out in the locality where it has been identified and then see whether the virus has got anywhere else."

Tim Bonner, from the Countryside Alliance, said: "Even the words 'foot-and-mouth' will send a chill through the spine of every farmer in the country.

"We hope for a better response this time from the government - the last time it was chaos."

Coaching US troops on Iraqi culture

US officials say the military is transforming to meet the changing face of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. BBC Arabic's Roula Ayoubi reports on a new "cultural training" programme to improve US soldiers' skills in dealing with local people.

The US military has built two "Iraqi towns" in a California desert
"Assalamu alaykum, Ahlan wa sahlan, welcome." With these words, Iraqi sheikhs greet a group of marines in a narrow room at the beginning of a training session.
The class is part of "Mojave Viper", a new pre-deployment cultural training course established to prepare US forces for what the military calls "irregular warfare" in Iraq.
The meeting starts with a prayer suggested by the group's Iraqi interpreter, who wears a marine uniform.
"No matter where we are, in Wadi Sahara or in Khalidiya, we are working as one for the good of this city, and as long as we are one, we will get the best results, Insha'allah," says the "mayor" of Wadi Sahara, addressing the marines.
Despite what the blue-domed mosque nearby suggests, the training is not taking place in Iraq but rather in Wadi Sahara and Khalidiya, two fictional Iraqi towns built in the middle of the Mojave desert, in California, as part of a $23m project.
The Iraqi "sheikhs" are mostly Iraqis recruited as role players.
Marines' challenge
The Centre for Advanced Operational Culture Training is the new military body specialised in "improving marines' cultural skills and foreign language abilities".
Barack Salmoni, deputy director of the centre, says the focus reflects a 2006 military assessment that "developing broader linguistic capability and cultural understanding is critical to prevail in the long war and to meet 21st century challenges".
During the six- to eight-week course, the marines learn about 200 basic words in Arabic - enough to allow them to deal with local people on the ground in Iraq.
Choosing his words carefully, the marine commander in the training session tries to explain the difficulties US forces face in building trust.
We noticed that we had the military tactics but lacked the knowledge of Iraqi laws and traditions so we needed to learn about them all
Barack SalmoniCentre for Advanced Operational Culture Training
"While my marines are dedicated in working with the Iraqi army and police to eliminate the threat from insurgents, we know that the enemy insurgents hide among the people and that the people are not our enemy," he says.
And, of course, the problem goes both ways.
"The local population is becoming intimidated because they don't know who to trust," reserve army commander Lieutenant General Jack Stultz says.
In 2003, on the eve of the Iraq war, the administration of US President George W Bush excluded "nation building" in Iraq and Afghanistan from its plans.
But, Mr Salmoni says, the US military became aware of the need to give the troops' mission in Iraq "civil and cultural dimensions" when the Bush administration decided to establish a new Iraqi government.

The US military is trying to teach troops how to build trust with Iraqis
"We noticed that we had the military tactics but lacked the knowledge of Iraqi laws and traditions so we needed to learn about them all. I am afraid we didn't anticipate all these bifurcations."
Since January, newly established PRTs (Provincial Reconstruction Teams) have increased their operations in Iraqi cities.
The military is becoming more involved in "civil affairs", which entails helping to build local infrastructure.
And this, says Lt Gen Stultz, means "the Reserve Army, like the army, is in transformation".
He believes that the civil affairs teams "can do more to build the trust" with the population.
The reservists are the main force in the civil affairs teams in Iraq. And according to the Pentagon, only 260 soldiers out of some 200,000 in the Army Reserve speak Arabic.
Nonetheless, says Lt Gen Stultz, "if a person has a specific language skill that's a plus for us, but I'm not focused on recruiting Arabic speakers".
'Not only warriors'
Marines start their career in a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. There, I met Frank Mease, now a major in the marines.
He did the culture training before deploying to Iraq last year. He says that it "was preparing us to be able to execute our duties professionally and work with the Iraqis and with the local population.
"Our mission overall is to provide a secure situation to the Iraqi security forces to take over and to the Iraqi government to stabilise itself."

Marines must take the cultural training course before going to Iraq
Mr Salmoni acknowledges that the perspective on the military's role has changed.
There was a "misunderstanding when the Americans first arrived in Iraq," he says. The assumption was that their mission was "purely military".
But after the soldiers started this kind of training "the relationship with Iraqis got better," he says.
"There is a fundamental shift in what it means to be a marine. We are not only warriors any more, we are teachers, we are builders, we are doctors and engineers."
Cultural sensibilities
As the insurgency in Iraq has grown, raids on houses and mosques have become a daily event for the US military in Iraq.
These operations are performed mainly by the marines, who are required to undertake the cultural training programme if they are to be deployed to Iraq.

Soldiers are coached on dealing with questions on women and Islam
Joe Harris, the training centre's Arabic teacher, describes the main topics covered on the course as "religion, the importance of mosques to Muslims, the importance of family values, and how to treat men in front of their families and tribes, and how to conduct searches in houses and mosques".
Mr Harris, an American of Moroccan origin, is a former marine himself.
He considers Islam and the treatment of women to be particularly delicate subjects in Iraq - and has coached soldiers on how to deal with them sensitively.
When one marine major was asked in a cultural training session by one of the "tribesmen" if his battalion had any Muslims, he respectfully answered that eight of his soldiers were Muslim and that he was ready to introduce them to the tribesmen.
The second sensitive question he received was from another tribesman asking how many wives he had.
He cautiously answered: "I have only one... only one wife and we have five beautiful children together, but what I admire about Arab men is that they are able to marry four women and satisfy them all... I consider one wife a full-time job!"

Third of Iraqis 'need urgent aid'

Nearly a third of the population of Iraq is in need of immediate emergency aid, according to a new report from Oxfam and a coalition of Iraqi NGOs.
The report said the Iraqi government was failing to provide basic essentials such as water, sanitation, food, and shelter for up to eight million people.
It warned the continuing violence was masking a humanitarian crisis that had grown worse since the invasion in 2003.
It also found that four million Iraqis had been uprooted by the violence.
More than two million people have been displaced inside the country, while a further two million have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the report.
On Thursday, an international conference in Jordan pledged to help the refugees with their difficulties.
'Dire poverty'
The BBC's Nicholas Witchell in Baghdad says the report by the UK-based charity and the NGO Co-ordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI) makes alarming reading.
OXFAM/NCCI REPORT IN FULL
Rising to the humanitarian challenge in Iraq (324KB)
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The survey recognises that armed conflict is the greatest problem facing Iraqis, but finds a population "increasingly threatened by disease and malnutrition".
It suggests that 70% of Iraq's 26.5m population are without adequate water supplies, compared to 50% percent prior to the invasion. Only 20% have access to effective sanitation.
Nearly 30% of children are malnourished, a sharp increase on the situation four years ago. Some 15% of Iraqis regularly cannot afford to eat.
The report also said 92% of Iraq's children suffered from learning problems.

Millions of Iraqis have been forced to flee the violence, either to another part of Iraq or abroad - many of those are living in dire poverty
Jeremy HobbsDirector of Oxfam International
Alarming humanitarian crisis
"Basic services, ruined by years of war and sanctions, cannot meet the needs of the Iraqi people," the director of Oxfam International, Jeremy Hobbs, said.
"Millions of Iraqis have been forced to flee the violence, either to another part of Iraq or abroad. Many of those are living in dire poverty."
Mr Hobbs said that despite the violence, the Iraqi government and the international community could do more to meet people's needs.
"The Iraqi government must commit to helping Iraq's poorest citizens, including the internally displaced, by extending food parcel distribution and cash payments to the vulnerable," he said.
"Western donors must work through Iraqi and international aid organisations and develop more flexible systems to ensure these organisations operate effectively and efficiently."
Oxfam has not operated in Iraq since 2003 for security

Reporter Thembi Mutch spent seven weeks in Thailand and Cambodia, finding out what life is like for children trafficked into the region's thriving sex industry.

Many trafficked children have horrific stories to tellI arrived in Thailand on Friday morning, and by the evening my researcher and I were already scouring the bars of Bangkok, attempting to work out our game plan.
We were in the region to find children who had been trafficked into sex work - those who are hidden away, often by armed pimps and traffickers in suburban bars and houses.
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand, although women and men are allowed to do bar work over the age of 18.
But in both Thailand and Cambodia, sex work is so lucrative for everyone involved that it is more blatant than almost anywhere else in the world.
It is not just tolerated, but unofficially, according to many non-governmental organisations (NGOs), it is actively encouraged by both the police and the government.
Posing as tourists
A recent memorandum of understanding between the countries in the Mekong region - including Thailand and Cambodia - has done much to stem child prostitution.
So too has more 10 years of aid work and advocacy by NGOs such as Save the Children and World Vision.
But despite this, resorts like the Thai beach town of Pattaya seem to be more like industrialised brothels than functioning towns.
The sex industry has also expanded to Cambodia, with many children employed as domestic workers, bricklayers, in fish processing plants, while at the same time dipping in and out of the best paid option, sex work.
Most of these children are not there voluntarily - they are trafficked.
Trafficking is helped along by the economic boom in South East Asia. The frantic rate of construction springing up in the region has brought more staff with a desire for young sex workers.
It is not an easy task to pose as "interested tourists" in these areas. We hung out on the streets at night, and got information of where children were working from local sex workers.
We recorded in blacked-out vehicles, changed hotels regularly, and I could never let the recording equipment be seen, or check my recordings, until I was safely inside the hotel.
Once, in Cambodia, we recorded traffickers making deals of children over coffee in a cafe in broad daylight.
The atmosphere was hostile, and the men were clearly on hard drugs, and drinking.
"Who are these people," I muttered to Ang, the ex-prostitute who was my fixer.
"They're Vietnamese and Cambodian government officials," she replied, and my heart sank.
We left immediately, aware that it costs $50 (£25) to hire a hit man in Cambodia.
We were followed almost continuously that day, and also on several others. Men on mopeds and motorbikes would pull up beside us as we raced through the capital Phnom Penh - me clutching Ang's waist, sitting pillion on her moped.
They would take a good, thorough look at my face, and then fall back behind us.
Tales of trafficking
As for the trafficked children, their stories defy words.
A 15-year-old girl in Cambodia said her parents had sold her to a man for her virginity. The man had drugged and raped her whilst she was unconscious.

Girls can unwittingly find themselves put to work on the streetsAfter a week in the hotel room with this man, she was sold onto a brothel. There, she was gang-raped by 10 men posing as clients.
She escaped, by hiding in a rubbish bin, but was then tricked into prostitution again, staying for three years. Eventually she escaped, and knocked on the door of some strangers, who cared for her.
She then made a two-day bus journey to Phnom Penh, where she arrived three months ago.
I also met a chatty, bright and wide-eyed nine-year-old, who, under a mango tree in the countryside, described how she had been kidnapped from the streets of the capital, locked in a house for a month, and made to watch pornography and drink water with human faeces in it.
The traffickers know what they are doing. She and the other girls were beaten regularly and never allowed out - all part of a systematic campaign to break down the children so they were too confused to do anything about it.
These children did not even know what sex or trafficking is, and whether they will ever "recover" from their ordeal is an ongoing debate.

Space computer 'sabotage' probed (bbc)

Nasa is investigating the apparent sabotage of a computer due to be flown to the International Space Station on the Endeavour space shuttle next month.
The US space agency said the damage to wiring in a network box was intentional and obvious, but said it could be repaired before take-off on 7 August.
Nasa stressed that the lives of its astronauts had not been put at risk.
The discovery came as an independent health panel found astronauts had been allowed to fly after drinking alcohol.
The panel found that on two occasions Nasa astronauts had been allowed to fly despite warnings from flight surgeons and other astronauts that they were so drunk they posed a safety risk.
The panel was set up by Nasa to study health issues following the arrest on kidnapping and assault charges of the astronaut, Lisa Nowak.
Ms Nowak is accused of attacking her love rival, the girlfriend of a fellow astronaut.
The findings of the panel, which do not deal with Ms Nowak directly or mention any other astronaut by name, were reported by the trade journal, Aviation Week and Space Technology.
The official review into astronauts' medical and behavioural health is expected to be released by Nasa on Friday.
The agency has so far refused to comment on the allegations.
'Sub-contractor'
Nasa's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, William Gerstenmaier, said the apparent sabotage of a non-essential computer had been discovered earlier this month.
The damage is very obvious, easy to detect
William GerstenmaierNasa Associate Administrator for Space Operations
In graphics: Space station
"The damage is very obvious, easy to detect," he told reporters. "It's not a mystery to us."
Mr Gerstenmaier said wires had been found cut inside the unit before it had been loaded onto the shuttle.
The computer is designed to collect and relay data from sensors which detect vibrations and forces on the space station's external trusses.
"It's currently being investigated by the [Nasa] inspector general's office," he added.
The equipment had been supplied by a sub-contractor, he added.
Mr Gerstenmaier said engineers would try to repair the hardware before take-off in two weeks' time, but that the mission would not be delayed.
The damage is believed to be the first act of sabotage of flight equipment Nasa has discovered. (BBC)

Weapons delays hinder Iraqi army

The US-led coalition in Iraq has failed to deliver more than two-thirds of the equipment it

promised to Iraq's army, the US Defence Department has said.
The Pentagon said only 14.5m of the nearly 40m items of equipment ordered by the Iraqi army had been provided.
The US military commander in charge of training in Iraq has asked for help in speeding up the transfer of equipment.
On Wednesday, Iraq's ambassador to the US said the delays were hindering the fighting capacity of its armed forces.
Samir Sumaidaie said Iraqi troops were often "cannon fodder" for militants.
"There is general frustration in the Iraqi government at the rate at which Iraqi armed forces are being equipped and armed," he said.
"This is a collaborative effort between the Iraqi government and the government of the United States, and the process is not moving quickly enough to improve the fighting capacity of Iraqi armed forces."
"A way must be found to improve this process."
'Challenge'
The Pentagon said it was doing all it could to send out the items, with priority given to equipment that can be used for counter-insurgency.
It's a challenge - you can't do it overnight
Bryan WhitmanPentagon spokesman
It said some deliveries had been delayed by the export licensing process, while others had been affected by changes in orders.
"We share a common goal with the Iraqis that their forces should be equipped with the type of things that they need to include force protection equipment, mobility equipment, communications equipment," Bryan Whitman, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said.
"But it's a challenge. You can't do it overnight," he added.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Peter Pace, has promised to work on delivering the equipment to the Iraqi forces more quickly in the future.
Last week, Gen Pace was asked by Lt Gen James Dubik, who oversees the training of Iraqi forces, for help in improving the system.
Meanwhile, the latest weekly BBC survey of casualties in Iraq has shown that 416 people were killed in the period ending on Wednesday.
The figure is down considerably on the previous week.
A US military commander in Iraq, Lt-Gen Ray Odierno expressed cautious optimism at a slowing in US casualties, but said attacks on the heavily-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad seemed to be getting more accurate.
The survey is intended to assess the effects of the surge of American troops in Iraq. It is based on figures provided by the US and Iraqi authorities.

Bush bars torture of CIA detainees but what's allowed stays secret

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush breathed new life into the CIA's terror interrogation program Friday in an executive order that would allow harsh questioning of suspects, limited in public only by a vaguely worded ban on cruel and inhuman treatment.

President Bush's executive order bars the humiliation and cruel treatment of terrorism suspects.

The order bars some practices such as sexual abuse, part of an effort to quell international criticism of some of the CIA's most sensitive and debated work. It does not say what practices would be allowed.
The executive order is the White House's first public effort to reach into the CIA's five-year-old terror detention program, which has been in limbo since a Supreme Court decision last year called its legal foundation into question.
"Last September, the president explained how the CIA's program had disrupted attacks and saved lives, and that it must continue on a sound legal footing," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "The president has insisted on clear legal standards so that CIA officers involved in this essential work are not placed in jeopardy for doing their job -- and keeping America safe from attacks."
Bush saved for the classified files the rules laying out exactly what agency operatives can do to extract information from suspects.
Administration officials cited the need to keep terror groups off-guard. But even some members of Congress seemed confused.
Three Republican senators who were instrumental in drafting legislation on detainee rights -- Sens. John McCain of Arizona, John Warner of Virginia and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- said they had been briefed, but still had questions. "We are awaiting a response," they said in a statement.
In the past, the CIA's methods are believed to have included sleep deprivation and disorientation, exposing prisoners to uncomfortable cold or heat for long periods, stress positions and -- most controversially -- the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding.
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Read the executive order
The Bush administration has portrayed the interrogation operation as one of its most successful tools in the war on terror, while opponents have said the agency's techniques have left a black mark on the United States' reputation around the world.
Bush's order requires that CIA detainees "receive the basic necessities of life, including adequate food and water, shelter from the elements, necessary clothing, protection from extremes of heat and cold, and essential medical care."
A senior intelligence official would not comment directly when asked if waterboarding would be allowed under the new order and under related -- but classified -- legal documents drafted by the Justice Department.
However, the official said, "It would be wrong to assume the program of the past transfers to the future."
A second senior administration official acknowledged sleep is not among the basic necessities outlined in the order.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order more freely.
Skeptical human rights groups did not embrace Bush's effort.
Tom Malinowski, Washington director for Human Rights Watch, said the broad outlines in the public order don't matter. The key is in the still-classified guidance distributed to CIA officers.
As a result, the executive order requires the public to trust the president to provide adequate protection to detainees, Malinowski said. "Given the experience of the last few years, they have to be naive if they think that is going to reassure too many people," he said.
Leonard Rubenstein, director of Physicians for Human Rights, said the executive order was inadequate.
"What is needed now is repudiation of brutal and cruel interrogation methods. General statements like this are inadequate, particularly after years of evidence that torture was authorized at the highest levels and utilized by U.S. forces," he said.
The five-page order reiterated many protections already granted under U.S. and international law. It said that any conditions of confinement and interrogation cannot include:
• Torture or other acts of violence serious enough to be considered comparable to murder, torture, mutilation or cruel or inhuman treatment.
• Willful or outrageous acts of personal abuse done to humiliate or degrade someone in a way so serious that any reasonable person would "deem the acts to be beyond the bounds of human decency." That includes sexually indecent acts.
• Acts intended to denigrate the religion of an individual.
The order does not permit detainees to contact family members or have access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In a decision last year aimed at the military's tribunal system, the Supreme Court required the U.S. government to apply Geneva Convention protections to the conflict with al Qaeda, shaking the legal footing of the CIA's program.
Last fall, Congress instructed the White House to draft an executive order as part of the Military Commissions Act, which outlined the rules for trying terrorism suspects. The bill barred torture, rape and other war crimes that clearly would have violated the Geneva Conventions, but allowed Bush to determine -- through executive order -- whether less harsh interrogation methods can be used.
The administration and the CIA have maintained that the agency's program has been lawful all along.
In a message to CIA employees on Friday, Director Michael Hayden tried to stress the importance and narrow scope of the program. He noted that fewer than 50 detainees have experienced the agency's "enhanced interrogation measures."
"Simply put, the information developed by our program has been irreplaceable," he said. "If the CIA, with all its expertise in counterterrorism, had not stepped forward to hold and interrogate people like (senior al Qaeda operatives) Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the American people would be right to ask why

frog

The remarkable adhesive abilities of geckos and mussels have been combined to create a super-sticky material.

Unlike other adhesives inspired by the nimble reptiles, "geckel" can attach to both wet and dry surfaces, the team that developed the material says.

Its staying power comes from coating fibrous silicone, similar in structure to a gecko's foot, with a polymer that mimics the "glue" used by mussels.

Writing in Nature, the researchers say it could have medical applications.

"I envision that adhesive tapes made out of geckel could be used to replace sutures for wound closure, and may also be useful as a water-resistant adhesive for bandages and drug-delivery patches," said Professor Phillip Messersmith from Northwestern University in Chicago.

"Such a bandage would remain firmly attached to the skin during bathing but would permit easy removal upon healing."

Other research teams claim they have already produced a gecko-inspired material that works underwater.

Tiny forces

Geckos have an incredible ability to stick to surfaces. Some studies suggest the over-engineered reptiles can hold hundreds of times their own body weight.

Geckos can support hundreds of times their own body weight

In 2000, a University of California team showed that the adhesion was due to very weak intermolecular forces produced by the billions of hair-like structures, known as setae, on each gecko foot.

These "van der Waals" forces arise when unbalanced electrical charges around molecules attract one another.

The cumulative attractive force of billions of setae allows geckos to scurry up walls and even hang upside down on polished glass.

The reptile's grip is only released when it peels its foot off the surface.

The new geckel material exploits this ability but also combines it with the sticking power of mussels.

It consists of a base of densely packed silicone setae coated with a polymer that mimics amino acids found in the "glues" of mussels.

"I was reading a research paper about the drop of adhesion in geckos when [they go] under water, and it hit me: maybe we could apply what we know about mussels to make gecko adhesion work under water," said Professor Messersmith

Tests showed that the material could be stuck and unstuck more than 1,000 times, even when used under water. The researchers said that other materials had only demonstrated "a few contact cycles".

Removing the polymer coating drastically reduced its efficiency.

Sticky tape

Creating a cheap, mass produced adhesive that mimics the sticking power of the cold-blooded gecko has long been a goal of scientists.

In 2003, a team from the University of Manchester produced small quantities of a sticky gecko tape.

Setae allow geckos to scurry up walls and hang upside down

It was produced using electron-beam lithography, where a beam of electrons etches patterns in a surface.

The same technique is used to make geckel but is expensive and difficult to scale-up for mass production.

For example, the pieces of geckel used in the latest experiments were just 60 nanometres (billionths of a metre) in diameter.

"We have demonstrated a proof of concept," said Professor Messersmith.

"The challenge will be to scale up the technology and still have the geckel material exhibit adhesive behaviour."

But last year, researchers at aerospace and defence firm BAE Systems raised hopes of mass production when they showed off centimetre length strips of a plastic, known as Synthetic Gecko.

Sticking plaster

Using a technique known as photo-lithography, common in the silicon industry, they have since been able to scale up production.

"We've now got large pieces," said Dr Sajad Haq, a research scientist at the company's Advanced Technology Centre in Bristol.

Synthetic Gecko is composed of millions of mushroom-shaped hairs

He was unable to reveal the exact size of the sheets as the company has applied for patents on the material.

He also said that they have optimised the design of the nylon-like material, which is covered with millions of tiny mushroom-like hairs.

"We've now got the material working on rough surfaces and wet surfaces, so it does work underwater for example" he said.

Crucially, he said, his team has not had to tweak the design too much to make it work when wet.

"The material we use is still a simple system," he said. "We haven't had to do anything complex to ensure it works underwater."

He also said that, like geckel, Synthetic Gecko could be re-used over and over again.

Once patented, the firm plans to use the material for a range of applications from repair patches for tanks, aircraft and submarines to crawler robots.

"It's becoming more and more practical," he said. "It's getting very close to a high maturity level."

As the Synthetic Gecko research is commercially sensitive, specific details have not yet been published.

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Last Updated: Thursday, 19 July 2007, 03:19 GMT 04:19 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Explosion rocks central New York

The blast left a crater in the middle of Lexington Avenue One person has been killed and at least 20 others injured after a steam pipe exploded underneath a street in central New York during the evening rush hour. The explosion in midtown Manhattan sent clouds of steam, mud and rocks into the air and forced the evacuation of nearby streets and Grand Central Station. The New York Police Department said the incident was not terrorism-related. Millions of pounds of steam are pumped beneath the streets of New York to help heat and cool thousands of buildings. In 1989, three people were killed when a steam pipe ruptured in the city. 'Like a volcano' The 83-year-old pipe exploded just before 1800 (2200 GMT) spreading chaos and fear on the streets of Manhattan, with people running from the scene as steam billowed up from the ground. The blast left a crater in the middle of Lexington Avenue and sent clouds of steam, mud and rocks into the air. As I was running I got pelted in the head by rocks and concrete Reggie Evans Two of the injured are reportedly in critical condition. It is still unclear exactly what caused the accident, but it may have been due to cold water entering the pipe or a break somewhere else in the system. It is the largest commercial steam system operated by utility company Consolidated Edison. Firefighters and emergency crews rushed to the area, closing off part of the street between Grand Central and the Chrysler building. Thousands of commuters were evacuated from the rail hub after workers yelled for them to get out. A witness, investment banker Heiko Thieme, said the explosion was like a volcano erupting. "Everybody was a bit confused, everybody obviously thought of 9/11," he told the Associated Press. Reggie Evans also likened the effect to the attacks on the World Trade Center. "I saw rocks and pebbles coming down. As I was running I got pelted in the head by rocks and concrete," he told the Reuters news agency. "Steam came up and then the ground started breaking up." New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg later ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack. "There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure," he told a press conference. "The big fear that we have is whether there may or may not have been asbestos released." Environmental officials have told local residents and workers to stay out of the area or remain indoors while they undertake tests for the construction fibre that has been used to insulate such pipes in the past.