Man rescued from Haiti rubble two weeks after quake

A man has been pulled alive from the rubble in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince - two weeks after the earthquake that destroyed the city.

US troops rescued the man from the ruins of a building in the centre of the city, and he was taken to hospital.

He had been trapped under the rubble for 12 days, the US military said, and was severely dehydrated.

The rescue comes 14 days after the 7.0-magnitude quake, which killed as many as 200,000 people.

HAITI'S REMARKABLE SURVIVORS Emmannuel Buso, 21 - rescued after 10 days Marie Carida, 84 - saved after 10 days Mendji Bahina Sanon, 11 - trapped for eight days Lozama Hotteline, 25 - pulled out after seven days Elisabeth Joassaint, 15 days - buried for seven days, half her life Ena Zizi, 69 - rescued after seven days Haiti quake: Survivors' stories

Haiti has been rattled by at least 50 tremors since the original quake.

The survivor, a man in his 30s, was pulled from the ruins covered in dust and wearing only underpants.

"He was buried in the rubble for 12 days. The man had a broken leg and severe dehydration," a statement from the US military said.

Although he had been trapped by an aftershock rather than the initial earthquake, the man is the longest survivor so far under the rubble.

On Saturday, Haiti's government declared the search and rescue phase for survivors over.

It is estimated more than 130 people have been pulled alive by rescue teams in the Haitian capital since the quake.

However, many more have been rescued by ordinary Haitians, often with their bare hands.

Aid call

Earlier, Haitian President Rene Preval made an urgent appeal for more tents to house up to a million people left homeless by the tremor.

More than 130 people have been pulled alive from the ruins in Port-au-Prince

Mr Preval said 200,000 tents were needed before the expected start of the rainy season in May.

His call came as donor nations and organisations met in Montreal, Canada, to assess the aid effort.

Mr Preval, who lost his house in the quake, is planning to move into a tent on the lawn of the destroyed National Palace in the centre of the capital.

The Haitian government wants to relocate some 400,000 people, currently in makeshift camps across the capital, to temporary tent villages outside the city.

But aid workers warned that if the camps were too big they could pose security problems, including robberies, rapes and gang activities.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she "resented" criticism of American assistance to Haiti.

She pinpointed some media outlets which had "either misunderstood or deliberately misconstrued what was a civilian and military response".

German government warns against using MS Explorer

The German government has warned web users to find an alternative browser to Internet Explorer to protect security.

The warning from the Federal Office for Information Security comes after Microsoft admitted IE was the weak link in recent attacks on Google's systems.

Microsoft rejected the warning, saying that the risk to users was low and that the browsers' increased security setting would prevent any serious risk.

However, German authorities say that even this would not make IE fully safe.

Thomas Baumgaertner, a spokesman for Microsoft in Germany, said that while they were aware of the warning, they did not agree with it, saying that the attacks on Google were by "highly motivated people with a very specific agenda".

"These were not attacks against general users or consumers," said Mr Baumgaertner.

"There is no threat to the general user, consequently we do not support this warning," he added.

Microsoft says the security hole can be shut by setting the browser's security zone to "high", although this limits functionality and blocks many websites.

However, Graham Cluley of anti-virus firm Sophos, told BBC News that not only did the warning apply to 6, 7 and 8 of the browser, but the instructions on how to exploit the flaw had been posted on the internet.

"This is a vulnerability that was announced in the last couple of days. Microsoft have no patch yet and the implication is that this is the same one that exploited on the attacks on Google earlier this week," he said.

"The way to exploit this flaw has now appeared on the internet, so it is quite possible that everyone is now going to have a go."

Microsoft traditionally release a security update once a month - the next scheduled patch is the 9th of February. However, a spokesman for Microsoft told BBC News that developers for the firm were trying to fix the problem.

"We are working on an update on this issue and this may well involve an out of cycle security update," he said.

Fix development

However, this is no easy task. Not only have the firm got to fix the loophole, but they have to ensure it does not create another one and - equally importantly - works on all computers. This is a challenge compounded by the fact they have to fix three different versions of its browser.

Microsoft said that while all versions of Internet Explorer were affected, the risk was lower with more recent releases of its browser.

The other problem facing developers is that the possible risk might not be prevented by anti-virus software, even when recently updated.

"We've been working to analyse the malware that the Chinese are using. But new versions can always be created," said Mr Cluley.

"We've been working with Microsoft to see if the damage can be mitigated and we are hoping that they will release an emergency patch.

Clinton visits quake-hit Haitians

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has become the first senior Western official to arrive in Haiti after the earthquake that flattened the capital.

Mrs Clinton told the Haitian people that the US would be "here today, tomorrow and for the time ahead".

Tens of thousands of people were killed and survivors have grown desperate as they wait for aid to arrive.

The UN has meanwhile confirmed the head of its mission in Haiti has been found dead in the rubble of its headquarters.

Earlier, Chinese rescuers told the Xinhua news agency that the body of Hedi Annabi, a Tunisian, had been recovered from the building in Port-au-Prince at 1422 local time (2022 GMT) on Saturday.

In a statement issued shortly afterwards, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also confirmed the death of Mr Annabi's deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa of Brazil, and the acting police commissioner, Doug Coates of Canada.

"Their dearest wish, I'm sure, would be that we carry forward the noble work that they and their colleagues performed so well," said Mr Ban.

Criticism 'not fair'

Mrs Clinton, who is being accompanied by US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Rajiv Shah, arrived on a US Coast Guard C-130 carrying aid and is to leave on another with evacuees.

After discussing the relief effort with the President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive at the airport, she told a news conference that the United States was "a friend, a partner and a supporter" of Haiti.

"We are here at the invitation of your government to help you," she told Haitians. "We will be here today, tomorrow and for the time ahead."

"Speaking personally, I know of the great resilience and strength of the Haitian people. You have been severely tested, but I believe that Haiti can come back even better and stronger in the future."

Earlier, Mrs Clinton dismissed criticism that aid was not leaving the airport and being delivered to the people who needed it, saying 14 distribution centres were being established around the capital to deliver food and water to the two million people that the US and UN estimates need emergency aid.

The US military is also beginning to use a container port in Cap Haitian, in northern Haiti, which will greatly increase the volume of aid flowing into the country. Port-au-Prince's dock remains inoperable.

Reports coming out of Port-au-Prince had earlier indicated that a crowd of about 1,000 people was involved in a violent fight over goods in one of the city's central commercial streets.

A photographer for the Reuters news agency said that a group of men armed with knives, ice-picks, and hammers fought one another over clothing, toys and any other items they could find in destroyed houses and shops.

"It's anarchy there now, total chaos, the police have gone away," Chris Barria said. "They are fighting, hitting each other, throwing stones at each other."

But the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, played down the incidents of violence. He told the BBC that the security situation in Haiti was calm, minor incidents apart.

Disaster 'like no other'

Estimates of how many people died following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday have varied.

The Pan American Health Organization put the death toll at 50,000-100,000, while Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said 100,000 "would seem a minimum".

He said more than 25,000 bodies had been collected and buried. Rescue workers have been racing against time to find survivors still trapped under the rubble.

On Saturday morning, a magnitude-4.5 aftershock struck close to the capital, forcing people to once again flee buildings.

Damage to the seaport, roads and other infrastructure has prevented the speedy distribution of supplies.

US authorities have taken temporary control of the airport to help distribute aid more quickly.

US President Barack Obama met two of his predecessors in the White House - George W Bush and Bill Clinton - to seek their support.

After the talks, Mr Obama said the two men would lead the US fundraising efforts through the Bush-Clinton Haiti Fund.

"America is moving forward with one of the largest relief efforts in its history," Mr Obama said, while warning that recovery would take a long time.

President Bush urged Americans to send "cash", and President Clinton said Haitians "can escape their history and built a better future if we do our part".

A spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said aid workers were dealing with a disaster "like no other" in UN memory because the country had been "decapitated".

"Government buildings have collapsed and we do not even have the support of the local infrastructure," Elisabeth Byrs said in Geneva.

Ms Byrs said the situation was even worse than the devastation wrought by the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh province.

"It's worse than the Indonesian earthquake where at least we could get the support of some local authorities," she said.

Displaced people

The UN has launched an appeal for $562m (£346m) intended to help three million people for six months.

Satellite and close-up images of Port-au-Prince devastation

But while aid may be arriving in huge quantities but there is little of sign of a co-ordinated aid effort on the ground, correspondents say.

Many people continue to leave the city, in search of food, water and medicine.

The UN is reporting a rise in the number of people trying to cross into the neighbouring Dominican Republic, and an influx into Haiti's northern cities.

Meanwhile, details are emerging about the extent of the damage beyond Port-au-Prince.

Up to 90% of the buildings have been damaged in Leogane, a town about 19km (18 miles) to the west, the UN said.

"According to the local police, between 5,000 to 10,000 people have been killed and most bodies are still in the collapsed buildings," Ms Byrs said.

Deadly storms sweep eastern Asia Advertisement

Deadly storms sweep eastern Asia

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Waves as high as 9m have been reported on China's south-east coast

Two strong storms across the western Pacific have left scores of people dead or missing.

At least 10 people have been killed in Japan in flash floods generated by the approaching tropical storm Etau.

Meanwhile Typhoon Morakot hit mainland China on Sunday, killing at least one child and prompting almost a million people to flee from coastal areas.

It had previously hit Taiwan, killing at least 12 people and causing the worst flooding in five decades.

Taiwanese rescue teams are still searching for more than 50 people registered as missing.

Typhoons and tropical storms are frequent in the region between July and September.

Swept away

Nearly 50,000 people in western Japan have been told to leave coastal areas after warnings of rain, floods and mudslides triggered by the approaching tropical storm Etau.

Animated guide: Typhoons

Eight people have died in Hyogo prefecture, including one man whose car was swept away by a swollen river and a woman who was found dead in a gutter.

Another woman was killed in a mudslide in Okayama prefecture.

The storm may hit central Japan on Tuesday, an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Morakot dumped a record 2.5 metres (100 inches) of rain on Taiwan over the weekend, leaving at least 12 people dead, among them a group reportedly washed away from a makeshift shelter in Kaohsiung in the south.

In addition to the dead and missing, another 30 people were injured as Morakot buffeted the island with powerful winds.

In one incident, an entire hotel - empty at the time - was swept away by the waters.

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Taiwan hotel collapses after typhoon

The typhoon then went on to hit mainland China on Sunday afternoon, destroying more than 2,000 houses and causing at least one major river to burst its banks.

Chinese state media said the sky turned completely dark in Beibi, Fujian, when it made landfall.

Trees were uprooted as high winds and heavy rain lashed the coast.

Some 473,000 residents of Zhejiang province were evacuated before the storm struck, as well as 480,000 from Fujian, Xinhua news agency said.

In Zhejiang's Wenzhou City a four year-old child was killed when a house collapsed. Dozens of roads were said to be flooded and the city's airport was closed.

Rescuers used dinghies to reach the worst-hit areas; in one area only the tops of trees were said to be showing above the floodwater.

Although the storm is losing strength, violent rainstorms are expected across six eastern Chinese provinces and Taiwan over the next few hours.

Morakot has also contributed to heavy rains in the Philippines. At least 10 people were killed in flooding and landslides in the north of the country last week.

Bomb attacks in Iraq kill dozens

At least four bombs have exploded in Iraq, killing about 40 people and wounding more than 200.

Two truck bombs exploded in a Shia village near the northern city of Mosul, killing at least 23 people and injuring around 130.

Meanwhile, two bombs went off near construction sites in Baghdad, with 16 people killed and more than 80 wounded.

The attacks come a month after US troops pulled back from cities and handed over security to Iraqi soldiers.

At least 36 people were killed in a series of attacks on Shia areas on Friday.

Losing confidence

At about 0400 (0100 GMT) on Monday, truck bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in the village of Khaznah, 20km (13 miles) east of Mosul.

The blasts were so powerful that at least 30 houses in the village - home to the tiny Shia Shabak ethnic group - were completely destroyed.

Police say the death toll could still rise because many people are still buried under the rubble of their own homes.

Ethnically-mixed Mosul - Iraq's second city - is one of the last strongholds of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and still sees frequent attacks despite a decline in violence elsewhere in the country.

However, despite security gains in Baghdad, at least two bombs went off near construction sites in separate parts of the capital on Monday.

They appeared to be mainly targeting labourers who were gathering in the early morning looking for work.

One of the bombs was hidden in a pile of rubbish when it went off in the western district of Hay al-Amel, killing at least seven people and wounding 46.

Minutes later a second bomb went off in the northern area of Shurta Arbaa, killing at least nine people and wounding 35.

The Iraqi government has tried to send a positive message to Iraqis, saying they are in control and these attacks are caused by the remnants of the insurgency.

But this message is getting lost because of the violence, the BBC's Natalia Antelava in Baghdad says.

A car bomb exploded outside a mosque during a funeral service last Friday, killing 30 people.

Meanwhile in Baghdad on Friday, three bombs killed six people returning from a pilgrimage.

Congress OKs $2B refill of 'cash for clunkers'

WASHINGTON – Pedal to the metal, Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Thursday night with an additional $2 billion for "cash for clunkers," the economy-boosting rebate program that caught the fancy of car buyers and instantly increased sales for an auto industry long mired in recession.

The Senate approved the money on a 60-37 vote after administration officials said an initial $1 billion had run out in only 10 days. The House voted last week to keep alive the program, which gives consumers up to $4,500 in federal subsidies if they trade in their cars for new, more energy-efficient models.

Without action, lawmakers risked a wave of voter discontent as they left the Capitol for a monthlong vacation.

"Cash for clunkers has been a proven success," Obama said in a written statement issued shortly after the vote. "The initial transactions are generating a more than 50 percent increase in fuel economy; they are generating $700 to $1000 in annual savings for consumers in reduced gas costs alone, and they are getting the oldest, dirtiest and most air polluting trucks and SUVs off the road for good."

Senate supporters of the program hailed its effect on the auto industry — which had its best month in nearly a year in July — as well as its claimed environmental benefits.

"The reality is this is a program that has been working. Consumers believe it's working. Small business people believe it's working. People who make steel and aluminum and advertisers ... and everyone who's involved in the larger economic impact of the auto industry believe it is working," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

The legislation had its share of critics, though, most of them Republicans.

"What we're doing is creating debt. ... The bill to pay for those cars is going to come due on our children and grandchildren," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.

Officials said the program's initial $1 billion probably already has been spent, but a paperwork backlog prevented an accurate accounting. The additional $2 billion is enough to help consumers purchase a half-million more new cars, they added.

There was no suspense about the outcome in the Senate, where supporters of the legislation focused their energies on defeating all attempts at amending the measure. Passage of any changes would effectively scuttle "cash for clunkers," they said, since the House has already begun a summer vacation and is not in session to vote on revisions.

An attempt by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to limit the program to lower and middle-income consumers was jettisoned on a vote of 65-32. Gregg's call for Congress to offset the $2 billion with spending cuts elsewhere also failed, 51-46.

On the final vote, 51 Democrats, two independents and seven Republicans supported the bill, while 33 Republicans and four Democrats opposed it.

The Senate's debate capped an unusually swift response by lawmakers, who were informed scarcely a week ago that the program was quickly running short of money.

The government said Wednesday that more than $775 million of the original funds had been spent, accounting for the sale of nearly 185,000 new vehicles. Administration officials estimate the extra funding will last into Labor Day.

Under the program, passenger car owners are eligible for a voucher worth $3,500 if they trade in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for a new car getting at least 22 mpg. Vouchers of $4,500 are available for owners who trade in a passenger car getting 18 mpg or less for a model that gets at least 28 mpg.

There are similar guidelines for SUVs and pickup trucks.

Dealers are barred from reselling the trade-ins and are charged with ensuring their destruction.

Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of the auto Web site Edmunds.com, said the unintended result is that vehicle prices are climbing.

"What we've created now is a shortage for key models," he said. "Prices are going up dramatically."

Hyundai Motor Co. has added a day of production at its Montgomery, Ala., factory, while Ford Motor Co. and GM are considering following suit.

Tom Stephens, vice chairman of product development at GM, said in an interview that the company has had spot shortages of compact and midsize cars, which have been popular with consumers jettisoning their clunkers. The company also reported an increase in sales of the Chevrolet HHR small sport utility.

"Consumer confidence is really what you need here," Stephens said. "It's hard for them if they don't know if they have a job or a for-sure paycheck to go out and make a major purchase, so I think this is kind of jump-starting some things."

The longer-term impact of the program is less clear.

"Once these clunker rebates expire, it is over," predicted economist Richard Yamarone of Argus Research. "Consumers are not going to keep buying cars. It is a temporary one-time gimmick, not a long-lasting tonic for the recovery."

In the program so far, GM's share of cars sold is largest, accounting for 18.7 percent of new sales. Toyota Motor Corp. followed with 17.9 percent, while Ford had 16 percent. Detroit automakers represented 45.3 percent of the total sales, while Toyota, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., all Japanese firms, totaled 36.5 percent.

Toyota also has the best-selling new model for traders of clunkers, the Corolla. The Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Toyota Camry are also favorites. There is one SUV on the list, the Ford Escape, which also comes in a hybrid model that can get up to 32 mpg. Six of the top-10 selling vehicles are built by foreign manufacturers, but most are built in North America.

UK hostages 'likely to be dead'

The five hostages were taken in May 2007

Two more of the British hostages held in Iraq are now thought "very likely" to be dead, the BBC has learned.

Security guards Alan McMenemy, from Glasgow, and Alec Maclachlan, from south Wales, were kidnapped in 2007 along with three other Britons.

The bodies of two of the other men were found last month with gunshot wounds.

The condition of the fifth man, Peter Moore, is not known. The Foreign Office says all efforts are being made to secure the hostages' release.

Mr Moore had been working for American management consultancy Bearingpoint in Iraq, while the other men were security contractors employed to guard him.

The group were captured at Baghdad's Ministry of Finance in May 2007 by about 40 men disguised as Iraqi policemen.

They are understood to belong to an obscure militia known as Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq.

There's not much we can do - we feel so helpless Edna Moore, grandmother of hostage Peter Moore

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the Foreign Office told the families of Mr McMenemy and Mr Maclachlan last week that the men had most likely died while in captivity.

And he revealed the kidnappers told the British government a month ago they had two more bodies.

"At the time the hostage-takers handed over the bodies of the two other security guards - Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst - they let it be known that they had two more bodies," he said.

"They have made many claims and counter-claims and that couldn't be verified immediately. The Foreign Office is now pretty certain that it's true."

Government sources had told him that the focus was now on negotiating the release of IT consultant Mr Moore.

The last proof of life sent by his kidnappers was a video handed over in March, but it is not known when the film was made or if he is still alive today.

'Only hope'

His grandmother, Edna Moore, 84, of Wigston, Leicestershire, said the family could "only hope" for Mr Moore's safe return.

"God help the other families. There's not much we can do, we feel so helpless.

"It's terrible, you try to look on the bright side and that's hammering at your brain all the time."

Rev Pauline Barnett, who knows Mr MacLachlan's family, said: "This is dreadful news. If this is true then we are devastated, it's an awful conclusion.

"We've been praying for the family and hoping there would be a good ending to this story."

The bodies of Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst were found in June

The Foreign Office refused to comment on the specifics of the case, saying it did not discuss operational details.

However, a spokeswoman said: "We continue to work intensively for the release of the hostages still held in this highly complex case and are extremely concerned for their safety."

The bodies of Mr Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Mr Creswell, from Glasgow, were flown back to the UK last month.

News of their deaths came shortly after speculation that a deal to free all five men alive could be close.

Security experts understood there had been positive diplomatic moves behind the scenes, including the release of a prisoner whose freedom was being demanded by the hostage-takers.

But Mr Gardner said: "All the time [the kidnappers] were carrying on these discussions, cynically, they already knew they had dead bodies on their hands - two, possibly four."

Little is known about the captives because of a media blackout during a large period of their captivity.

The blackout originally came on the instruction of the hostage-takers who said they did not want publicity.

This has been Britain's longest running hostage crisis for nearly 20 years.

Hunt for Nigerian Islamist sect

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The aftermath of gun battles in Bauchi on Sunday and suspected militants

Nigerian troops are tracking down members of an Islamist sect who went on a killing spree in northern cities.

Soldiers are searching areas near the home of sect leader Mohammed Yusuf in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

On Tuesday the army shelled the compound, exchanging heavy gunfire with militants. At least 140 people have been killed in three days of violence.

President Umaru Yar'Adua said the army had acted to nip a potentially dangerous problem in the bud.

Nigeria's 'Taliban' enigma Eyewitness: Nigeria attacks Fear and tension after attack

Nigeria's security services have been flooding into Maiduguri, the city worst affected by the violence, the BBC's Caroline Duffield reports.

Maj Gen Saleh Maina told the Associated Press news agency that troops were hunting for sect members in homes and a mosque and near the railway station. He said the operation was being carried out "to prevent further loss of lives and property".

Residents and civilians have been told to leave the area.

Mr Yusuf's group, known as Boko Haram, is being blamed for attacks on police stations and government buildings in four states in Nigeria.

Many civilians were also shot dead or stabbed at random.

Boko Haram is against Western education. It believes Nigeria's government is being corrupted by Western ideas and wants to see Islamic law imposed across Nigeria.

State of alert

Late on Tuesday, explosions and gunshots could be heard from the Doidamgari area of Maiduguri, where Mohammed Yusuf's home is situated and the Boko Haram have their spiritual headquarters.

President Umaru Yar'Adua ordered Nigeria's national security agencies to take all necessary action to contain and repel attacks by the extremists.

"It is the government that has moved to nip a potentially dangerous problem in the bud," he said before leaving on a visit to Brazil.

"These people have been organising, penetrating our societies, procuring arms, learning how to make explosives and bombs to disturb the peace and force abuse on the rest of Nigerians.

"And I believe the operation we have launched now will be an operation that will contain them once and for all."

Outside Maiduguri, there is a heightened state of alert across the northern states:

• In the city of Kano, police arrested 53 people after an attack on a police station outside the city on Monday; police also shot and killed three suspected militants as they tried to reach Maiduguri

• In Sokoto, in the far north-west, police arrested five men said to have been caught in the act of planning an attack

• In Bauchi, scene of the first bloodshed on Sunday, 176 people remain under arrest

President Yar'Adua said 'a potentially dangerous problem' had been tackled

A BBC reporter counted about 100 bodies of residents and militants in the streets of Maiduguri on Monday.

Maiduguri police said 103 had died in the violence in the city, including 90 members of Boko Haram, eight police officers, three prison officials and two soldiers.

At least 39 people were killed in the violence in Bauchi.

Sharia law is in place across northern Nigeria, but there is no history of al-Qaeda-linked violence in the country.

The country's 150 million people are split almost equally between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.

US urges Iran reply by September

Mr Gates reaffirmed 'the strong commitment of the US to the security of Israel'

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has urged Iran to respond to US diplomatic overtures by September.

His Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak indicated that military action remained an option on Iran, following talks with Mr Gates in Jerusalem.

Senior US officials are engaged in a drive to breathe new life into faltering regional peace moves.

US envoy George Mitchell met Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, as well as Israel's president and the Palestinian leader.

He has already been in Syria, drumming up regional support for the new US initiative.

Both Mr Mitchell and Mr Gates - as well as two other senior US envoys - are meeting Israeli leaders as part of the bid to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been stalled for six months.

US-Israeli relations have become strained since US President Barack Obama demanded a halt to all Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

Iran warned

Shortly after coming to office in January, Mr Obama made an overture to Iran, saying that if it and countries like it were "willing to unclench their fists, they will find an extended hand from us".

Tim Franks, News, Jerusalem The public rhetoric is all about "discussions among friends". But the background noise has a different tone. When it comes to Iran's nuclear ambitions, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was keen to stress the American offer to bring Iran into talks - albeit an offer that was not open-ended. In contrast, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak emphasised an implied military threat to Iran. There has been unease in Israel over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments about a regional "defence umbrella", should Iran acquire a nuclear weapon. The Israeli formula is to say that such a prospect is "unthinkable". The Israelis have also been feeling American heat over the continued building of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Reports are circulating of a possible deal - which might allow as many as 2,000 apartments in the West Bank to be completed. The Palestinians have said they would accept no such compromise. And they say they have a question for the visiting American officials: if the Israelis don't budge, what exactly are you going to do about it?

But Israel says Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions remain its number-one concern and in recent weeks the US has expressed dismay about Iran's suppression of protests over disputed presidential elections.

Iran denies claims it wants to build nuclear weapons, saying it is enriching uranium for a civilian energy programme.

On Monday, Mr Gates said the US offer to Iran was "not open-ended", echoing comments by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this month.

Mr Obama was hoping for a response by the time of the UN General Assembly in September, Mr Gates added.

Mr Barak cautioned that "no option" had been removed in its handling of Iran - suggesting military force remained a possibility - though "priority should be given still to diplomacy and sanctions".

The two men struck a conciliatory tone, with Mr Gates speaking of a "good meeting" with Mr Barak and reaffirming America's "strong commitment" to Israel's security.

Mr Barak said he was "extremely thankful for US support [on defence] - financial and technological".

Mr Gates later held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader's office said in a statement that he had emphasised the need to use "all available means" to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Mr Gates then travelled to Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah, with the Palestinian issue and defence ties on the agenda.

Palestinian division

In Cairo, Middle East envoy George Mitchell met President Hosni Mubarak - a day earlier than initially scheduled, apparently at Mr Mubarak's request.

US OFFICIALS' WEEK OF DIPLOMACY Special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell (to Syria, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Bahrain) Defence Secretary Robert Gates (to Israel, Jordan) National Security Adviser James Jones (to Israel) Envoy to the Gulf states Dennis Ross (to Israel)

Their talks came ahead of Mr Mitchell's meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

The Egyptians seemingly had plenty to discuss, reports the BBC's Christian Fraser in Cairo.

They are currently brokering reconciliation talks between the deeply divided Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas.

Despite several rounds of talks, the two Palestinian factions are still at odds on the most sensitive issues, such as the shape of a future unity government, the remit of the joint security force and the system that would be implemented for any upcoming elections.

Palestinian leaders have also refused to meet their Israeli counterparts until settlement activity ceases.

All settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Israel has settled more than 450,000 Jews in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday, Mr Mitchell advised him that Israel could improve the climate by "dealing with difficult issues like settlements and outposts".

Mr Mitchell is due to meet the Israeli prime minister on Tuesday.

In Damascus on Sunday, the US envoy met Syrian President Bashar Assad for what he called "very candid and positive" discussions on restarting long-stalled peace talks between Syria and Israel.

He said Mr Obama was determined to reach a comprehensive peace between Israel and all its Arab neighbours in order to guarantee "stability, security and prosperity".

Other senior US officials - National Security Adviser James Jones and the US envoy to the Gulf states, Dennis Ross - are also due to visit the region this week.

US charges seven with terrorism

The FBI arrested the seven men in North Carolina

Seven US men have been charged with conspiring to provide support to Islamic militants and conspiring to murder and kidnap people abroad.

Officials say one of the men, Daniel Boyd, 39, trained in Afghanistan and fought there between 1989 and 1992.

When he returned to the US, he recruited others to engage in terrorism and provided weapons training, the Justice Department alleged.

The men were arrested by the FBI in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area.

There has been no reported response from the defendants.

'Military practice'

"The indictment alleges that Daniel Boyd is a veteran of terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan who, over the past three years, has conspired with others in this country to recruit and help young men travel overseas in order to kill," said David Kris, of the US Department of Justice.

According to the indictment, from late 2006 until at least July 2009, Mr Boyd and the other defendants engaged in a conspiracy to advance violent jihad abroad.

They arranged weapons training, funding and travel for others who wished to fight overseas, the indictment alleges.

It says Mr Boyd and several other defendants travelled to Israel in June 2007 in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to engage in violent jihad.

Another defendant, Ziyad Yaghi, 21, allegedly travelled to Jordan in October 2006 to commit violent acts.

The defendants allegedly practiced military tactics in North Carolina in June and July 2009.

All seven of the men face life sentences if convicted conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad.

Home vanishes in German landslide

Homes were swept into a lake Enlarge Image

Three people are missing and feared dead after a landslide swept away two homes in the central German village of Nachterstedt, south-west of Berlin.

Both homes - one of which collapsed completely - stood near a former open-cast coal mine that had been converted into a lake.

Officials said the missing included a couple and a man, all in their 50s.

There had been heavy rain in the area, but experts said mining activity had probably made the land unstable.

Local media said a stretch of land 350m (1,150 ft) long and 120m (390 ft) wide had collapsed into the lake.

Rescue efforts were hampered by the danger of further slides in the area.

Iranian vice-president 'sacked'

Some saw Mr Mashaie as a moderate mouthpiece for Mr Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed his most senior vice-president, it has been reported.

The decision, the state news agency Irna said, came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered Mr Ahmadinejad to do so.

First Vice-President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie had angered hardliners last year by saying Iranians and Israelis were friends.

An aide said Mr Mashaie did not now consider himself first vice-president.

The decision came after a week-long stand-off between Ayatollah Khamenei and Mr Ahmadinejad, who had defended Mr Mashaie.

Ayatollah Khamenei wrote to the president, telling him that appointing Mr Mashaie was "against your interest and the interests of the government".

In the letter, which was broadcast on Iranian state TV, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "It is necessary to announce the cancellation of this appointment."

Mr Ahmadinejad, who is known for his own outspoken views against Israel, had been defending Mr Mashaie, at one stage calling him modest and loyal to Iran's Islamic system.

Hardline students

During the day, hundreds of hardline students took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, in support of the demand for Mr Mashaie to stand down.

They had warned they would withdraw support from Mr Ahmadinejad unless he dismissed Mr Mashaie.

During their demonstrations they chanted that defiance of Ayatollah Khamenei's views would not be tolerated, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Ayatollah Khamenei has the final say in matters of state, and analysts say he has rarely faced defiance in the past - though that changed in recent weeks with reformists challenging his ruling that last month's disputed presidential election was fair.

Correspondents say the rift between the ayatollah and Mr Ahmadinejad comes at a precarious time for the president.

They say the president needs hardline support against the reformist opposition who continue to maintain that his re-election was fraudulent.

BBC correspondent Jon Leyne says the row shows how vulnerable Mr Ahmadinejad is to pressure from conservatives.

He says that, although this was a dispute within the conservative camp, the reformist opposition is bound to gather encouragement from seeing those in power engage in such a divisive argument among themselves.

The row over Israel broke out last year when Mr Mashaie, then minister in charge of tourism, was quoted as saying that Iranians were friends with the Israeli people, despite the conflict between their governments.

Ousted Zelaya returns to Honduras

The ousted president of Honduras has briefly crossed the country's border with Nicaragua, in a symbolic move the US has described as a "reckless".

Manuel Zelaya has been in exile for nearly a month after he was forced from his position by a coup, and had previously tried to return by plane.

The interim government has said it will arrest him if he sets foot in Honduras.

Earlier, soldiers fired tear gas at hundreds of Mr Zelaya's supporters who were waiting for him near the border.

Talks in Costa Rica aimed at resolving the political crisis collapsed two weeks ago with no agreement reached.

'Not crazy'

The best thing is to reach an understanding that respects the will of the people Manuel Zelaya

Mr Zelaya, surrounded by supporters and journalists and talking into a mobile phone, lifted the chain marking the border between Nicaragua and Honduras in the frontier town of Los Manos and walked underneath it.

The BBC's Stephen Gibbs said the military personnel retreated by about 20m (yards) as he did so, apparently unclear how to react.

Mr Zelaya, wearing his customary cowboy-style hat, walked up to a sign reading "Welcome to Honduras" but did not go any further into the country.

Less than 30 minutes later, the ousted leader crossed back into Nicaragua, saying the risk of bloodshed was too great.

"I am not afraid but I'm not crazy either," he told Venezuelan-based TV network Telesur. "There could be violence and I don't want to be the cause."

He told reporters he was prepared to return to the negotiation table with the interim government.

"The best thing is to reach an understanding that respects the will of the people," he said.

The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has described Mr Zelaya's return as "reckless" and not conducive to "the broader effort to restore democratic and constitutional order in the Honduras crisis".

"We have consistently urged all parties to avoid any provocative action that could lead to violence," said Mrs Clinton.

Curfew

At least one man was wounded in skirmishes at the border

Prior to Mr Zelaya's crossing, the army had sealed all roads to the border several kilometres (miles) from the actual crossing point, says our correspondent.

But hundreds of people had still gathered in the area and when the military announced an 18-hour curfew, they began throwing rocks at the soldiers, who responded with tear gas, he adds.

At least one man was wounded in the clashes, during which Mr Zelaya was waiting in a white jeep a few metres on the Nicaraguan side of the border.

Earlier televised footage had shown Mr Zelaya driving in a convoy including Nicaraguan police cars towards the Nicaraguan border with Honduras.

The interim government, led by Mr Zelaya's former ally, Roberto Micheletti, has imposed an 18-hour curfew along the Nicaraguan border.

People living close to the border have been ordered to stay at home between midday local time (1800GMT) and 0600 (1200GMT) to "keep the peace".

"We can't be responsible for the security of people who, by inciting generalised violence in the country, may be subject to attacks even from their own supporters who may have the sole aim of turning them into martyrs," the military said in a statement.

A night time curfew already extends to the whole of the country.

Talks bid

Mr Zelaya was exiled on 28 June after a crisis erupted over his attempts to hold a vote on changing the constitution.

He insists he remains the democratically-elected leader of Honduras and had previously attempted to return home on 5 July.

On that occasion, his plane was prevented from landing when the Honduran military blocked the runway.

The ousted leader's attempt to return follows the collapse of talks in Costa Rica, mediated by the country's President, Oscar Arias.

Mr Arias had drawn up a detailed plan to facilitate Mr Zelaya's return to lead a national reconciliation government prior to early elections in October.

The proposal also included a general amnesty for crimes committed during this crisis and the setting up of a truth commission to investigate events in the run-up to Mr Zelaya's removal.

Delegates of the interim government reiterated they would not reinstate Mr Zelaya as president but said they would present the Arias plan to Congress.

But since it was Congress that approved the ousting of Mr Zelaya, the move may prove to be of limited importance, says our correspondent.

New US home starts surge in June

There are signs confidence may be returning to the building sector

The construction of new homes in the US rose 3.6% between May and June to the highest level in seven months, official figures have shown.

This is the second month in a row that housing starts have risen following a post-war low in April.

Compared with the same month a year ago, however, June starts were down 46%, the Commerce Department said.

The number of single family homes being built jumped 14.4% in June, the biggest jump in over four years.

'Genuine surprise'

The number of new homes built totalled 582,000, many more than analysts had expected.

Figures for May were also revised upwards, from 532,000 to 562,000.

Madonna stage deaths investigated

Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation after a stage being built for a Madonna concert collapsed killing two people, a French official has said.

Eight other people were seriously injured in Thursday's accident at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille.

Assistant prosecutor Marc Cimamonti said an investigation for manslaughter and involuntary injuries in a work-related accident has been opened.

Madonna has said she is "devastated" by the news of the deaths.

'Tragic news'

Her concert, planned for Sunday, has been cancelled.

Charles Criscenzo, a 53-year-old French worker, was killed outright in the accident and Charles Prow, a 23-year-old from Headingley in Leeds, died in hospital.

Technicians had been setting up the stage at the city's Velodrome stadium when the partially-built roof fell in on Thursday, bringing down a crane.

The 60,000-seater Velodrome is France's second-biggest sports arena and home to the Olympique de Marseille football club.

The planned concert was part of Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour

About 50 people from a range of nationalities were working to set up the structure, city sports official Richard Miron said.

The roof "started shaking and collapsing" gradually, said Marseille city councillor Maurice Di Nocera.

"Since it did not collapse right away that allowed several people to get out," he said.

Madonna, who is performing on her Sticky and Sweet tour, was in Udine, Italy, when told of the incident.

"I am devastated to have just received this tragic news," she said in a statement released by Live Nation, the organisers of the concert.

"My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families, along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news."

Madonna paid tribute to the technicians at her concert in Italy on Thursday.

"I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and pay tribute to two people who lost their lives today," she told fans at the Fruili Stadium in Udine.

"It's a great tragedy to me," she continued, choking back tears. "I feel so devastated to be in any way associated with anyone's suffering.

"Let's all just take a moment to say a prayer for Charles Criscenzo and Charlie Prow. Our hearts go out to their family and loved ones."

San Diego menaced by jumbo squid

Squid have come to the California coast before, like this one in 2005

Scuba divers off the Californian city of San Diego are being menaced by large numbers of jumbo squid.

The beaked Humboldt squid, which grow up to 5ft (1.5 metres) long, arrived off the city's shores last week.

Divers have reported unnerving encounters with the creatures, which are carnivorous and can be aggressive.

One diver described how one of the rust-coloured creatures ripped the buoyancy aid and light from her chest, and grabbed her with its tentacles.

"I just kicked like crazy," diver Shanda Magill told the Associated Press news agency.

"The first thing you think of is: 'Oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to survive this.' If that squid wanted to hurt me, it would have."

Shanda Magill holds the buoyancy aid and light that the squid ripped from her

The creatures - also known as jumbo flying squid - do not affect swimmers because they remain deeper in the water.

But dozens have been washing up on beaches in the area.

"The ones that we are getting right now have a big beak on them, like a large parrot beak," San Diego's Union-Tribune quoted John Hyde of the National Marine Fisheries Service as saying earlier in the week.

"They could take a chunk of flesh off you."

'Ram you'

Diver and amateur underwater cameraman Roger Uzun said he swam with a group of squid for about 20 minutes.

They seemed curious about him, he said, and appeared to be touching him and his wetsuit with their tentacles to see if he was edible.

"As soon as we went underwater and turned on the video lights, there they were. They would ram into you, they kept hitting the back of my head," he told AP.

It is not the first time the squid, which can weigh up to 45kg (7 stone), have taken up residence off California's coast.

In January 2005 hundreds of them washed up off the coast of Orange County, to the north, and in 2002 a similar invasion was reported near San Diego.

Scientists say they do not know why the squid - which usually live in deep waters further south off Mexico and Central America - have come so close in.

But one expert, Nigella Hillgarth of the San Diego-based Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told AP it was possible that the squid had established a year-round population off California.

Haggling to make ends meet

Almost half of Indonesians live on less than two dollars a day

Jakarta's residents are slowly getting back to business and digesting what happened to their city in last week's attacks.

The deadly blasts in two luxury hotels in the commercial district of the capital, has left many here worried about the impact that this will have on Indonesia's reputation, especially amongst foreign investors.

Over the last few years, Indonesia has been seen as a relatively safe place to do business.

That's a huge change from what it was like in the early part of the decade. The country was hit by a series of deadly blasts, and investors were worried about working here.

Economic growth

But since 2005, it has been peaceful and that has helped the economy to grow on average by about 6% for the last few years.

As a result, more Indonesians have earned higher salaries, and are keen to spend that money, which is why domestic consumption is a key driver of the economy.

It is often said that the one thing Indonesians love spending their money on is food.

The Pasar Rumput outdoor market in central Jakarta is a visual treat for food-lovers.

All around there are barrows and baskets of exotic vegetables and fruits, in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes.

Old women with wrinkled brown skin and toothless grins smile at me from behind their stalls, trying to tempt me with what they have to offer.

For Jakarta's urban elite, western-style supermarkets are becoming increasingly popular.

Yet for ordinary Indonesians, large outdoor markets like Pasar Rumput are one of the few places they can haggle with shopkeepers for a better bargain.

Food prices have stabilised somewhat in Indonesia over the last year, because of a fall in the price of oil.

Even so, millions of people here still struggle to make ends meet. So trying to find the best price for their weekly food supplies is crucial.

Sensitive issue

This market is where Mrs Martosi, a small business owner, comes on a daily basis for her groceries.

Food prices have stabilised over the past year

She runs a cafe selling meat stew to the city's professionals and spends about a fifth of her monthly income on food.

"Food prices have gone up in the last two years," she tells me. "I've had to raise the prices of my meat stew to make a profit, but it's not easy. You can't raise prices too much, otherwise you'll turn customers away."

Food prices are a sensitive issue in Indonesia.

Last year, hundreds took to the streets of Jakarta to protest against the soaring cost of cooking oil and rice.

Widespread poverty

According to analysts, the soaring cost of imported food was one of the main reasons behind the former president and dictator Suharto's downfall.

In 1998, because of the massive depreciation in the Indonesian currency, the rupiah, the price of basic household goods went through the roof.

There was wide-spread looting of food at shops across the country as the impoverished struggled to feed their families.

A lot has changed in Indonesia's economy since the days of the Asian financial crisis.

But the challenges remain. The country has one of the highest poverty rates in Asia.

According to government statistics the poverty rate is about 14%, but independent reports say it is much higher.

According to the World Bank, almost half of Indonesia's 235 million population lives on less than two dollars a day.

Making sure that those at the bottom of the economic ladder in the world's fourth most populous nation have access to cheap food is crucial.

£1bn plan to electrify rail line

By Tom Symonds BBC transport correspondent

Electric trains are cheaper and require less maintenance

A £1bn plan to electrify the main rail route between London and Swansea is to be announced by the government.

A second line between Liverpool and Manchester will also be converted from diesel to electric.

Ministers say electric trains are lighter and more energy efficient, cutting the running cost and environmental impact of train services.

The work will take eight years. Overhead power lines will be installed between London, Swansea, Bristol, Bath and Oxford.

Fare rise dismissed

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told the BBC not backing an electrification programme now would have meant ordering new diesel trains with a lifespan of 30 years, making it impossible to electrify the Great Western Line for a generation.

Instead the rail industry can invest in the electric version of the new intercity train known as the Super Express, unveiled last year.

The government and rail industry agree that electrification will bring major benefits.

EUROPE'S ELECTRIC RAIL COVER Switzerland: 100% Sweden: 77% Netherlands: 73% Italy: 69% Germany: 56% Spain: 56% UK: 40% Source: UIC

Electric trains do not carry their own fuel - around six tonnes of weight for a fully fuelled intercity train. They also have lighter engines.

This makes them more than 35% cheaper to operate than diesel trains, according to the Department for Transport.

The electric engines also require less maintenance, and the trains are around 20% cheaper to buy.

There are also major environmental benefits. The production of electricity for trains creates up to 35% less carbon than burning the equivalent amount of diesel.

First Great Western's existing diesels, dating back to the mid-70s, achieve little more than eight miles to the gallon.

Commuter lines

Network Rail will carry out the work and has assured the government that lessons in the installation of overhead power lines have been learnt following a fiasco last year when work on the West Coast Main Line over-ran.

The company says it is buying specialist electrification trains capable of automating the installation job.

Ministers dismiss suggestions that the investment will lead to an increase in fares - a concern raised by the Campaign for Better Transport.

They say the electrification will lead to cost savings in the running of trains - and the £1bn Great Western investment, funded through Network Rail borrowing, will be repaid over 40 years.

Britain went through a period of electrification between the 50s and 80s in which two other main lines, East and West, were converted.

Many commuter lines into London from the home counties are also electrified - using a third rail system rather than overhead cables.

But Britain still has proportionally less electric railway than most European countries. In the league table, it is below Macedonia.

The latest announcement means electric trains come to Wales for the first time - not a single mile of the principality's railways is electrified.

Between Manchester and Liverpool a smaller project to electrify the line via Newton-le-Willows has also been given the green light.

This will have the added benefit of allowing Transpennine trains between Manchester airport and Glasgow to run on electric power. The project fills in an un-electrified gap in the network.

But the government has not committed to electrify another major diesel route, the Midland Main Line between London and Sheffield. It is still considering the proposal.

Wikipedia painting row escalates

By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News

Work by Sir Joshua Reynolds was among those uploaded to Wikipedia

The battle over Wikipedia's use of images from a British art gallery's website has intensified.

The online encyclopaedia has accused the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) of betraying its public service mission.

But the gallery has said it needs to recoup the £1m cost of its digitisation programme and claims Wikipedia has misrepresented its position.

The NPG is threatening legal action after 3,300 images from its website were uploaded to Wikipedia.

The high-resolution images were uploaded by Wikipedia volunteer Derrick Coetzee.

Now Erik Moeller, the deputy director of the Wikimedia Foundation which runs the online encyclopaedia, has laid out the organisation's stance in a blog post.

'Empire building'

He said most observers would think the two sides should be "allies not adversaries" and that museums and other cultural institutions should not pursue extra revenue at the expense of limiting public access to their material.

"It is hard to see a plausible argument that excluding public domain content from a free, non-profit encyclopaedia serves any public interest whatsoever," he wrote.

He points out that two German photographic archives donated 350,000 copyrighted images for use on Wikipedia, and other institutions in the United States and the UK have seen benefits in making material available for use.

Another Wikipedia volunteer David Gerard has blogged about the row, claiming that the National Portrait Gallery makes only £10-15,000 a year from web licensing, less than it makes "selling food in the cafe".

They honestly think the paintings belong to them rather than to us David Gerard Wikipedia volunteer

But the gallery insists that its case has been misrepresented, and has now released a statement denying many of the charges made by Wikipedia.

It denies claims that it has been "locking up and limiting access to educational materials", saying that it has been a pioneer in making its material available.

It has worked for the last five years toward the target of getting half of its collection online by 2009. "We will be able to achieve this," said the gallery's statement, "as a result of self-generated income."

The gallery says that while it only makes a limited revenue from web licensing, it earns far more from the reproduction of its images in books and magazines - £339,000 in the last year.

But it says the present situation jeopardises its ability to fund its digitisation process from its own resources.

Legal issues

The gallery has claimed that Derrick Coetzee's actions have breached English copyright laws, which protect copies of original works even when they themselves are out of copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery now says it only sent a legal letter to Derrick Coetzee after the Wikimedia Foundation failed to respond to requests to discuss the issue. But it says contact has now been made and remains hopeful that a dialogue will be possible.

A spokeswoman also said that the two German archives mentioned in Erik Moeller's blog had in fact supplied medium resolution images to Wikipedia, and insisted that the National Portrait Gallery had been willing to offer similar material to Wikipedia.

The gallery said the row could prevent it putting more of its collection online

The gallery also explained how Derrick Coetzee was able to obtain the high resolution files from its site. They were made available to visitors using a "Zoomify" feature, which works by allowing several high resolution files to be seen all together.

It claims Mr Coetzee used special software to "de-scramble" the high-resolution tiles, allowing the whole portrait to be seen in high resolution.

The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies has backed the National Portrait Gallery's stance.

"If owners of out of copyright material are not going to have the derivative works they have created protected, which will result in anyone being able to use then for free, they will cease to invest in the digitisation of works, and everyone will be the poorer," it wrote in an email to its members.

But the Wikipedia volunteer David Gerard accuses the gallery of bureaucratic empire building.

"They honestly think the paintings belong to them rather than to us," he wrote.