30 August 2013 Last updated at 09:07 GMT
30 August 2013 Last updated at 08:26 GMT
US to act in its 'best interests' over Syria crisis
The US has said it will act in its "best interests" in dealing with the Syria crisis, after British MPs rejected military intervention.
Washington accuses Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons - a claim denied by Damascus.
The move by British MPs, meanwhile, ruled out London's involvement in any US-led strikes against Syria.
But French President Francois Hollande said the UK vote did not change France's resolve for firm action.
In an interview with Le Monde newspaper, Mr Hollande said all options for intervention were on the table but no decision would be taken without the conditions to justify it.
Vast 466-mile-long canyon discovered under Greenland ice sheet, say scientists
Specialist radar uncovered the 800m deep canyon
One of the world’s largest canyons has been discovered buried under ice in Greenland.
Scientists have learned that the mega-canyon is 740km (466 miles) long and up to 800m (2,624ft) deep in places.
The feature, resembling a meandering river channel, is believed to pre-date the ice sheet that has covered Greenland for millions of years.
Professor Jonathan Bamber, from the school of geographical studies at University of Bristol, said, “With Google Streetview available for many cities around the world and digital maps for everything from population density to happiness, one might assume that the landscape of the Earth has been fully explored and mapped.
Russian security’s role in school siege still unclear nine years on
The sadness of 334 deaths lingers but cover-ups still obscure the truth
Daniel McLaughlin
Basketball hoops still hang at either end of the gymnasium and lines are still marked on its scorched wooden floor. The air seems acrid and dank, as if the fire that blackened the walls was only recently put out. But it is nine years since gunmen seized School Number One in Beslan, southern Russia, on the first day of the school year. They held more than 1,100 people hostage in this small gym for more than 50 hours, before a chaotic battle with special forces and armed locals that killed 334 people, including 186 children.
As Russian schools prepare to start a new term, so Beslan is again braced for the anniversary of an atrocity that devastated this small town, and turned some of its people against the political leaders and security services they blame for the deaths of their sons and daughters. Several dozen masked militants from the restive, nearby regions of Chechnya and Ingushetia herded people into the sports hall and, over the next two days, a hellish stand-off ensued.
EGYPT
Egypt awaits Saudi funding, more arrests
Saudi Arabia says it is considering more funding sought by Egypt's military-backed interim government. Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities have arrested another senior Muslim Brotherhood politician, Mohamed al-Beltagi.
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was studying requests from Egypt's army-backed interim government for major investments in projects to repair Egypt's economy battered by two years of political turmoil.
In Cairo, Saudi ambassador Ahmed Qattan told the news agency Reuters that his country, along with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, was studying a "comprehensive" report on investment needs finalized by Egypt's cabinet on Wednesday.
DR Congo unrest: UN chief urges Rwanda 'restraint'
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to Rwanda's president for restraint amid escalating tensions with the neighbouring DR Congo.
He spoke to President Paul Kagame after Rwanda accused DR Congo of deliberately bombing its territory, killing a woman and wounding her baby.
Mr Ban's assistant, Edmond Mulet, reportedly told UN members M23 rebels had been seen firing into Rwanda.
DR Congo and the UN accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, a charge it denies.
Dark-skinned Mexicans face lingering discrimination
Mexico has strong laws barring discrimination based on skin color or ethnicity, but media still promote the perception that dark skin is unappealing.
Flip through the print publications exalting the activities of Mexico’s high society and there’s one thing you rarely find: dark-skinned people.
No matter that nearly two-thirds of Mexicans consider themselves moreno, the Spanish word for dark.
Mexico has strong laws barring discrimination based on skin color or ethnicity, but the practices of public relations firms and news media lag behind, promoting the perception that light skin is desirable and dark skin unappealing.
The issue came to the fore this month when a casting call for a television spot for Mexico’s largest airline stated flatly that it wanted “no one dark,” sparking outrage on social media and, ultimately, embarrassed apologies.
“I’d never seen anything that aggressive and that clear, all in capital letters: ‘NO ONE DARK,’” said Tamara de Anda, a magazine editor. “I decided to go with it.”
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