At least 12 people have died and a further 30 have been wounded after suicide bombers struck near two Shia mosques in Baghdad, police say.

The attacks came as worshippers left the mosques in the Zafaraniya and Jadida districts after celebrating the end of the month of Ramadan. Both districts are Shiite areas in the east of the capital.

Government officials had warned that there might be attacks at the end of the holiday.

Violence in Iraq is at a four-year low and militants no longer control large numbers of villages and cities as they did in previous years. However, the event illustrates that militants are still able to carry out bomb attacks.

LA Times correspondents Tina Susman, Said Rifai and Rania Abouzeid in Baghdad are across this event.

Teams searching for missing adventurer Steve Fossett have spotted what appears to be the wreckage of a plane in eastern California, local police say.

Teams are going into Medera County after an aerial spotter made the discovery late on Wednesday. The search began after a hiker, Preston Morrow, found items and document bearing Mr Fossett's name - including a pilot's licence - on Monday.

The 63-year old explorer vanished a year ago while on a solo flight that took off from neighbouring Nevada. He was officially declared dead in February after wide-ranging searches had failed to find any trace of him or his plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which would have issued his documentation, said it was confirming the document's authenticity.

Ken McCoy and Mike Reynolds in Los Angeles are covering this story.

Germany's finance ministry has announced a 50bn euro deal to rescue
one of the country's largest banks.

The ministry said it acted to rescue Hypo Real Estate's collapse in order to avoid "incalculably large" damage to Germany and financial service providers in Europe.

The deal reached is worth 15bn euros more than the first bailout plan, which fell apart on Saturday. Earlier, Germany also appeared to announce an unlimited guarantee for private savings, with Denmark then following suit.

This may place pressure on other European states, who may feel they have to match these guarantees.

Peter Bild in Berlin is covering this story.

US Vice-Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, is being accused
of abusing her powers as Alaskan governor.

Palin is facing claims she removed Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan from his position after he refused to dismiss her ex-brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, as a state trooper. Wooten was involved in a controversial divorce and child custody battle with her younger sister.

Critics say Palin was using her powers to settle a personal dispute. Palin insists she fired Monegan over disagreements over budget priorities.

The allegations come during the last few weeks of the Presidential race, which officials say could damage McCain's campaign.

Seven public employees have agreed to give evidence about the affair.

Washington Post correspondent Ed O'Keefe and LA Times correspondent Peter Nicholas in Washington, D.C. are available for 2-ways.

Russia says its troops have started withdrawing from a "buffer zone" around Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia.

The commander of Russian troops on the ground said the withdrawal from all six checkpoints would be completed by the end of the day.

Under the terms of a ceasefire deal, brokered by French President Nicholas Sarkozy in early August, Moscow must pull-out its troops from areas around the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Friday. Russia has had troops in the region since it ousted Georgian forces in August.

Moscow plans to leave nearly 8,000 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which it has recognised as independent states.

Giorgi Lomsadze, Matthew Collin and William Dunbar in Tbilisi are following developments in this story.

Thai protesters seeking to force the government to resign have vowed to continue their protests, a day after bloody clashes in Bangkok.

Two people died and over 400 were injured in clashes on Tuesday as demonstrators attempted to disrupt the inauguration of the new government. They barricaded the building and trapped lawmakers inside for several hours as police outside fired teargas to try and clear protesters.

The new Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat - the brother-in-law of ousted leader, Thaksin Shinawatra - was forced to climb over a fence to escape. The People's Alliance for Democracy has been occupying the grounds of government buildings for weeks, claiming the government is being run by proxies of Mr Shinawatra.

Until Tuesday their demonstration has been largely peaceful.

Tom Bell is reporting from the protests in Bangkok.

European and Asian stock markets are continuing to fall amid fears the financial crisis will cause a prolonged global downturn.

In London, the FTSE 100 index was down 7% in early trading, despite the UK government announcing details of a rescue plan for the banking system worth at least £50bn. France's Cac 40 also lost 8% and Germany's Dax fell 6%.

Elsewhere, markets in Australia, China and Taiwan also fell. The slump in Europe and Asia followed a huge sell-off on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones index close on Tuesday, more than 500 points down.

GRN has correspondents covering all sectors of the current economic crisis.

The appeals court in Thailand has thrown out insurrection charges against nine anti-government protest leaders.

The court ruled that "although the nine suspects have committed illegal acts, it's unreasonable to issue an arrest warrant on insurrection charges". However, arrest warrants remain on less serious charges, including that of illegal assembly.

According to some reports, the leaders may be willing to surrender to police. Two of them are already in custody.

The protesters have been occupying the grounds of government buildings for weeks, accusing the government of being a proxy for ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra. Violence had escalated on Tuesday, when two people were killed in clashes.

Amy Kazmin, Tom Bell, Andrew Drummond and Andrew Chant are covering this story.

The main police headquarters in Islamabad has been attacked by a suicide bomber.

The attack comes just over two weeks after 50 people were killed and some 260 injured in a suicide bombing outside a Marriot hotel, and following a second parliament session on Pakistan's internal security situation. The session was called to devise ways to handle Islamic militancy and the surge of suicide bombings.

Unconfirmed reports say several people have been wounded, and a police official told media that eight people have been killed. A senior police officer said the bomber managed to drive into the well guarded complex before blowing himself up inside an office of the anti-terrorist squad.

Graham Usher, Nadeem Sarwar and Saeed Shah in Islamabad are covering this story.

Turkish warplanes have bombed Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, Turkey's military reports.

The military said it targeted a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideout, which "included high-level members", in Iraq's mountainous Zap region. No details of casualties have been given. Turkey has staged cross-border raids into northern Iraq in recent months in pursuit of PKK rebels - who are fighting for greater autonomy in south-east Turkey.

Turkey's government accuses Iraq of not doing enough to prevent the PKK from using the mountainous areas as safe havens. On Wednesday, Turkey's parliament extended the army's mandate to carry out cross-border raids for one year.

Over 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began its armed campaign in 1984.

Kameel Ahmady in Bait Al Shabab, Ayub Nuri in Irbil, LA Times correspondent Ned Parker and Rania Abouzeid in Baghdad are across this event.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is in Harare today to try and salvage the power-sharing deal he brokered last month.

The government and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change are deadlocked over the allocating of cabinet jobs. President Robert Mugabe has given key posts to his own Zanu-PF party, while opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has threatened to pull out of the deal.

Under the existing agreement, Mr Mugabe remains president and Mr Tsvangirai becomes prime minister. This comes amid an escalating financial crisis. On Thursday, Zimbabwe's inflation rate had reached 231,000,000% - the highest in the world. The UN says it needs $140m (£82m) for food aid in Zimbabwe over the next six months.

Critics blame Mugabe for Zimbabwe's failing economy, while Mugabe blames Western sanctions, which target him and his chief supporters. This is Mr Mbeki's first intervention since he stepped down as president, just days after negotiating the Zimbabwe agreement.

Gretchen Wilson, Sebastien Berger and Bill Corcoran in Johannesburg are following developments in Zimbabwe.

According to a new report by Amnesty International, executions in Saudi Arabia are being carried out at an average rate of over two a week. The report claims the rate of executions in the country has been on the rise in recent years. In Saudi Arabia, unlike in most countries, offenders can be executed for crimes committed when they were under 18 years old. Most executions take place in Riyadh on Fridays, in a site dubbed by Westerners "Chop Chop Square" outside the grand mosque. A large crown gathers to watch the executions of the week, which are carried out by beheading, under the law of Sharia. The Kingdom refuses to provide official numbers on how many people it kills each year. However Amnesty International has recorded at least 1,695 executions between 1985 and May 2008. Raid Qusti in Riyadh is covering this story.

Two people died and 12,000 have been forced to leave their homes due to vast wildfires near Los Angeles. Some 1,000 US fire-fighters are tackling the blazes. The first major wildfires of the season threaten hundreds of houses north of the city, in the San Fernando Valley. Autumn is prone to wildfires in Southern California as the warm, dry Santa Ana winds blow in, and dry out vegetation. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in two counties, Los Angeles and Ventura. Mr Schwarzenegger said "Winds are causing fire conditions to change by the hour, which is why it is so important that residents take notice of warnings from public safety officials to evacuate". Residents were alerted as winds of more than 60 mph (97 km/h) were forecast. "It is a blowtorch we can't get in front of," said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Frank Garrido.
Ken McCoy in Los Angeles is following the battle against the wildfires.
 

Stocks markets in Europe and Asia have risen for a second day, indicating that investors are reassured that state action to strengthen the banking system will alleviate the credit crisis. London's FTSE 100 index has gone up almost 4% in early trade, while Japan's Nikkei stock index hit a record 14% gain. The US is set to reveal details of a plan to purchase stakes in banks, following steps taken by the UK and European leaders. US President George W Bush will make a statement about the bank plan shortly before US markets open later today. The FTSE 100 was up 3.93%, or 167.29 points, at 4,424.19 points. In France the Cac 40 was up 4.04%, or 142.53 points at 3,674.03. Bank shares led the gains in London. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 ended up 14.2% at 9,447.57 points - its biggest ever one-day gain.
Christopher Walker in London, Julie Walker in New York and Elizabeth Noh in Tokyo are covering the global economic turbulence.
 

Canada is holding its third general election in four years today.

The snap elections have been called by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an attempt to secure a majority in parliament. Harper, who has been leading a minority government since 2006, called the snap poll in a bid to secure a majority in parliament.

However, opinion polls suggest that although his party is favourite to win the current elections, it is not likely to gain the desired majority it seeks, mainly due to the global financial crisis.

The main challenge to the Conservative Party comes from the official opposition, the Liberals led by Stephane Dion. The first polls open at 0830 local time (1100 GMT). Voting concludes on Canada's Pacific coast at 0200 GMT on Wednesday, with results expected shortly after that.

Christopher Gully in Ottawa is covering the Canadian elections.

Four former Khmer Rouge members have been jailed in Cambodia for their part in the murder of a British mine-clearer and his interpreter. Three were jailed for 20 years and a fourth for 10 years by the Phnom Penh court. A fifth defendant was acquitted.

Christopher Howes was leading a Mines Advisory Group operation near the city of Siem Reap in north-west Cambodia when he was abducted and killed with his interpreter Houn Hourth in 1996. Mr Howes' sister Patricia Phillips said the verdicts come as an "enormous relief".

The trial is seen as an indication that former Khmer Rouge members no longer enjoy immunity. The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for four years in the late 1970s and is considered responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.

Cat Barton in Cambodia is covering this story.

A British man and woman have been sentenced to three months in jail after being found guilty of having sex on a public beach in Dubai. Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, deny charges of having unmarried sex, but admitted to consuming alcohol.

A police officer told the court he had warned the couple regarding their inappropriate behaviour, but later returned to find them having sex on a lounge chair.

The defence attorney for the couple, Hassan Matter said the two were upset by the verdict, but not surprised. Acors and Palmer will remain on bail until their appeal is heard at the court.

Phil Moore and John MacDonald in Dubai are available for 2-ways.

Thai and Cambodian army leaders have held talks after the two sides exchanged fire which killed two Cambodian soldiers.

Ten Thais were also taken captive by Cambodia and hundreds of thousands of Cambodian civilians fled the border area after a 40-minute exchange of rocket and gunfire on Wednesday.

The conflict is centred on land around a 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962. The dispute lies in the court's failure to determine ownership of the 1.8 square miles next to the Hindu temple, which both sides claim ownership of.

Tensions over this small parcel of land became highly politicised in Thailand in July when protesters trying to overthrow the Bangkok government adopted it as a cause.

Cat Barton, Guy De Launey in Phnom Penh, Andrew Chant and Tom Bell in Bangkok are covering this story.

US Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama discussed their economic plans and other issues at their third and final debate last night.

The 90-minute debate, held on Long Island, New York, brought out more direct altercations than their preceding encounters. McCain attacked Obama, linking him to Bill Ayers, once a member of a US group that violently protested the Vietnam War, while Obama accused McCain of following the same policies as current President George W Bush. Both candidates proposed economic packages and spending plans for a rising US budget deficit.

The state of the economy is now the most important issue to American voters. Various opinion polls released immediately following the debate said Obama came out the winner.

Washington Post correspondent Ed O'Keefe and LA Times correspondent Peter Nicholas in Washington, D.C. are across this event.

South African leaders are meeting today in Swaziland to try and rescue Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal, which teeters on the edge of total collapse. Monday's meeting is being hosted by Swaziland's ruler, King Mswati; along with the leaders of Angola and Mozambique, he forms the security panel of the South African Development Community.

Zimbabwe's mediator, Thabo Mbeki, who stepped down as leader of South Africa and is now acting as a private citizen, will deliver a report. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai remains hopeful that a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe can work, but said that there was a "problem of trust" between himself and the Zanu-PF leader.

Talks have reached deadlock over Mr Mugabe's insistence on appointing his supporters to key positions. Four days of negotiations ended on Friday with the two sides unable to agree on the division of government posts.

Gretchen Wilson, Bill Corcoran and Sebastian Berger in Johannesburg are following developments in Zimbabwe.

 

 More than 80 people are to go on trial today in Turkey accused of belonging to an ultra-nationalist group. The 86 suspects appearing before the prison-court in Silivri, Istanbul, are facing charges of armed insurrection, aiding a terror group and possession of explosives.
Prosecutors say they are members of the Ergenekon group that plotted a series of attacks aimed at provoking the military into carrying out a coup.

Among the suspects are retired army generals, politicians, academics and journalists. Many in Turkey believe the trial is the latest stage in an ongoing power struggle between Turkey's secular nationalist establishment and the ruling AKP party. Some say the Ergenekon group doesn't even exist.

The military denies any links to such groups. The trial could drag on for months, or even years, before there is a result.

David O'Bryne, Robert Tait and Matt Mossman in Istanbul are covering the trial.

 

Zimbabwe's main opposition party has called for new elections, after regional talks on the power-sharing deal were delayed for a week.

Movement for Democratic Change spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said that new polls are "the only way forward". Neighbouring Botswana has also called for new elections. The summit in Swaziland, aimed at rescuing the power-sharing agreement, was postponed after the MDC insisted its leader Morgan Tsvangirai be granted a passport. Zimbabwe authorities gave him an emergency travel document - which the MDC said was "an insult".

The MDC and ruling Zanu-PF agreed to share power last month, but talks have reached deadlock over the allocation of cabinet posts. The power-sharing deal was supposed to resurrect Zimbabwe's collapsing economy.

Gretchen Wilson, Bill Corcoran and Sebastien Berger in Johannesburg are following developments in Zimbabwe.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison by the Thai Supreme Court.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered in the Thai capital ahead of the ruling against the ousted prime minister. The court found that Mr Thaksin abused his power by letting his wife purchase state land. The verdict is the first in a series of cases against the former Thai leader who was ousted in 2006 by the military, claiming massive corruption and abuse of power under his rule. His wife has already been convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to three years in jail.

The verdict comes as protesters continue to demonstrate against the Thai government, headed by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat - who is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law.
Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) want the government to be disbanded, saying it is too close to Mr Thaksin.

Andrew Chant is reporting from government house in Bangkok, where opposition PAD supporters, are awaiting the verdict.

Argentina looks set to nationalise the country's 10 private pension funds giving the government control over almost $30bn of investments.

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez signed the bill giving the go ahead on Tuesday. The bill still needs the backing of Congress, but since the ruling party has a majority there, it looks likely to pass when it is debated next week. The government claims the move is aimed at protecting them from the global market turmoil, but critics accuse it of trying to get their hands on the money ahead of a tough budget year.

Shares slumped amid fears of the move's impact and the announcement also hit the value of the peso and Argentine bonds. Union leaders have welcomed the move.

Uki Goni and Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires are following this story.

An air strike by international forces has killed nine Afghan soldiers in the eastern part of the country, officials say. Four others were wounded when helicopter gunships reportedly fired on an Afghan army post in Khost province.

In a statement, the US confirmed coalition forces were involved in "multiple engagements" and that troops may have killed or injured Afghan forces in a case of "mistaken identity".

Afghanistan has seen an escalation of violence this year and a significant number of citizens have died in international air strikes.

Jerome Starkey, Jon Boone in Kabul and LA Times correspondent James Gerstanzang in Washington, D.C. are available for 2-ways.