Russian health officials are warning people in Moscow to stay inside and avoid physical exertion as a noxious choking fog from the worst wildfires in the country's history have smothered the city. People are struggling to deal with the haze and smoke that's spread through Moscow's streets and even seeped underground to the Metro network. The smog is so thick that the city's famous landmarks are disappearing from view. Many residents are wearing face masks.
President Obama has welcomed the latest United States employment figures despite them fueling fears among markets that the country's economic recovery may be stalling. The US Labor Department says the economy shed more than 130,000 jobs in July, although the unemployment rate remains at 9.5%. Laura Trevelyan has this report.
Unemployment in America is remaining stubbornly high. Almost 15 million people are looking for work. The US needs to be creating 200,000 posts a month for the jobless total to fall, and it isn't. The feeble rate at which the private sector is hiring has led a number of economists to ask if the US could be headed for a double-dip recession. That's when the economy slips back into recession after a weak recovery. Many of the factors that were driving economic growth are now fading. But President Obama said climbing out of the recession would take time.
Laura Trevelyan reporting.
World News from the BBC
Police in France have cleared a Roma Gypsy camp in the central city of Saint-Etienne. About 100 people have been moved on. It's the first such clearance since the French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to dismantle hundreds of unauthorized campsites in the country. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.