The Thai government has extended the state of emergency in the capital to a further 15 provinces.
Police in Greece say a bomb has exploded outside the top security prison near Athens. A telephone warning had been given. No group has said it was responsible, but similar attacks have been blamed on left-wing guerrillas. Malcolm Brabant reports from Athens.
This was a big explosion. The blast was heard in central Athens more that 8 km away. There are unconfirmed reports that a woman has been hurt. According to a police spokesman, the bomb was placed next to the wall housing women prisoners at Korydallos top security jail. A warning call was made to the Eleftherotypia newspaper, saying the device would explode in 20 minutes. The police say it went off on time.
Earlier, tourism officials said that at least 20,000 people cancelled hotel reservations in Athens, following violent protests last week against the government’s emergency economic measures.
United States Attorney-General Eric Holder has said that a series of recent arrests are a significant step in the investigations into the failed car bomb attack in Time Square in New York earlier this month. He says that he believes that those detained may have provided funds for the only person so far arrested in connection with the attempted bombing, Faisal Shehzad, an American man of Pakistani origin.
World News from the BBC.
The White House says President Obama and his Russian counterpart Demitrie Medvedev have agreed to intensify efforts towards new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The White House said that in a wide-ranging telephone call, the two leaders noted the good progress made so far and agreed to instruct their negotiators to step up efforts to reach conclusion as soon as possible.