Fires rage on as Moscow suffers ‘hottest day ever’

The Russian capital Moscow has suffered its hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching 39C (102F).

A month-long record-breaking heatwave has sparked nearly 50 fires in the Moscow region and the capital is sweltering under a thick layer of smog.

Health experts say pollution levels in parts of the city are 10 times higher than normal safety limits and advise locals to stay indoors or wear masks.

A state of emergency has been declared in more than 20 drought-hit regions.

It is estimated a fifth of the country’s wheat crop has now died due to the lack of rain in what is thought to be the country’s worst drought for more than a century.

Scores have died in the heatwave, some drowning having taken a swim after drinking too much vodka.
Fully-clothed bathers

Emergency aircraft have already dropped several hundred tonnes of water to extinguish the blazes.
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FBI to help investigate leak of documents on Afghan war

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has called in the FBI to help with the inquiry into the leaking of more than 90,000 classified military records.

The documents, published online on Sunday, give details of the Afghan war.

Mr Gates said they were potentially dangerous for US troops and allies, and an “aggressive investigation” would determine how the leaks occurred.

The Wikileaks website, which posted the documents, said they had been compiled by a variety of US units in 2004-09.

“The battlefield consequences of the release of these documents are potentially severe and dangerous for our troops, our allies and Afghan partners, and may well damage our relationships and reputation in that key part of the world,” Mr Gates told reporters on Thursday.

He said intelligence sources and methods, as well as military tactics could “become known to our adversaries”.

Mr Gates added that he had called FBI director Robert Muller on Wednesday and “asked for the FBI’s assistance in our investigation as a partner”.
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People sue Apple over ‘overheating’ iPads

(ArsTechnica) — Three iPad users claim that because the iPad will shut itself off after remaining in direct sunlight for long enough, it fails to meet the promises Apple made about using the device as an e-book reader.

The group has filed a federal class-action lawsuit in the Northern California district to “redress and end this pattern of unlawful conduct.”

When the iPad’s operating temperature reaches a critical level, it will force itself to shut down and display a message warning the user to let the device cool down before trying use it again. This warning is the same that iPhones and iPod Touches give before shutting down when they overheat, often after being left in direct sunlight.

The lawsuit alleges that the iPad “does not live up to reasonable consumer’s expectations created by Apple insofar as the iPad overheats so quickly under common weather conditions.” Apple lists the iPad’s operating temperature as 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C), so it’s not hard to see that using it out in the hot sun can quickly heat up the device over the maximum temperature.

The plaintiffs seem to take particular issue with Apple claiming that “reading on the iPad is just like reading a book.” This claim is patently false, according to the lawsuit, because a real book can be used in “the sunlight or other normal environmental conditions” without shutting off.
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European Athletics: Lemaitre beats Chambers in 100m

Dwain Chambers missed out on a medal as Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre won the European Championships 100m, with Mark Lewis-Francis taking silver.

Chambers was joint-favourite for gold but after making a fast start he tied up towards the end and finished fifth.

Lemaitre, 20, crossed the line in 10.11 seconds, 0.07s ahead of Lewis-Francis and Frenchman Martial Mbandjock.

Portugal’s defending champion Francis Obikwelu – in fourth – and Chambers were also given the time of 10.18.

Lewis-Francis said: “I was told I wouldn’t make the final. I’m so happy.”

It was Britain’s third medal of the championships and came only after a photo-finish confirmed Lewis-Francis had finished ahead of Mbandjock by 1/1000th of a second.

“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but I’m happy for Mark, he has had to fight hard to get here,” Chambers told BBC Sport.

“I had to rely on my experience, which kept me relaxed, but it wasn’t enough to win. I’ve just got to keep ploughing on at it until my opportunity prevails.”
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BP to emerge ‘smaller and wiser’

BP will emerge from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis a smaller and wiser company, according to the man who is due to take over the reins.

Bob Dudley, currently in charge of BP’s clean-up operation, will replace Tony Hayward as chief executive in October.

Mr Dudley described the oil spill as a terrible tragedy from which the company and the industry would learn a lot.

Earlier, BP reported a record $17bn (£11bn) loss, having set aside $32bn to cover the costs of the spill.

The loss for the three months to June was the largest quarterly loss recorded by a British company.

“[BP] will be smaller and financially, it will grow,” Mr Dudley told ABC’s Good Morning America programme.

“We are going to share our learnings from this, it’s no doubt going to change the oil and gas industry all around the globe as a result of it.”
‘Not negligent’

Mr Hayward, who is leaving by mutual consent, is likely to retain a role within the company. BP plans to nominate him as a non-executive director of its Russian joint venture, TNK-BP.
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Diego Maradona’s tenure as Argentina coach ends

Diego Maradona’s reign as Argentina coach has ended, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed.

Maradona admitted he wanted to stay in the job ahead of a meeting with AFA president Julio Grondona on Monday.

But, after Maradona rejected demands to change his backroom team, the AFA voted not to renew his deal and made under-20 coach Sergio Batista caretaker boss.

Argentina crashed out of the 2010 World Cup finals at the quarter-final stage, where they lost 4-0 to Germany.

A statement on the AFA website read: “Mr Julio Grondona made the members of the executive committee aware of the conversation with Mr Diego Maradona, setting out the points which had come out from the meeting.

“The executive committee unanimously resolved not to renew the contract with Mr Diego Maradona as coach of the Argentina national football team.”

AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo added: “Maradona’s requirements were very far from the FA’s possibilities.”
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Lorenzo stretches MotoGP lead after Pedrosa crashes out

(CNN) — Jorge Lorenzo stretched his MotoGP championship lead after Dani Pedrosa’s spectacular crash handed him victory at Laguna Seca.

Pedrosa stormed past his fellow Spaniard into turn one at the U.S. Grand Prix in California but faltered on lap 11, allowing Lorenzo to extend his lead at the top to 72 points.

Casey Stoner, from Australia, came in second while World champion Valentino Rossi claimed third place on his second race back after a speedy recovery from a broken leg.

Lorenzo made a slow start as Pedrosa set a fierce early pace, keen to secure back-to-back victories after he edged the Fiat Yahama rider into second place during the previous round in Germany.

Pedrosa charged clear of the pack but Lorenzo ate into his lead before the decisive moment of the race on lap 11, as the race leader crashed on turn five.

Lorenzo took full advantage of Pedrosa’s slip, cruising to his sixth win of the 2010 season and his first on the Laguna Seca circuit.
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BP boss Hayward to get immediate £600,000 pension

BP chief executive Tony Hayward will get an immediate annual pension worth about £600,000 ($930,000) when he leaves in October, the BBC has learned.

Mr Hayward is to stand down after sustained criticism of his handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak.

However, a BP source said he would be nominated for a non-executive position at the firm’s Russian joint venture.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said that the pension entitlement was “bound to be hugely controversial”.
‘Honour contract’
BP pension scheme rules say that those who joined before April 2006 can take the pension at any point from age 50. Mr Hayward is 53.

He will also receive a year’s salary plus benefits worth more than £1m.

Mr Hayward’s pension pot is valued at about £11m and he will keep his rights to shares under a long-term performance scheme which could – depending on BP’s stock market recovery – eventually be worth several million pounds.
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Venezuela leader Hugo Chavez severs ties with Colombia

Venezuela has broken off diplomatic relations with Colombia.

In the latest turn for the worse in the strained relations between the two countries, the Venezuelan government ordered Colombian diplomats to leave by Sunday.

President Hugo Chavez said he had “no choice” after Colombia accused Venezuela of being a haven for guerrillas – a charge he denies.

He said that he was acting “out of dignity” in severing ties.

He also ordered the military to be on maximum alert on Venezuela’s border with Colombia.

President Chavez made his announcement shortly after a meeting of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington, at which Colombia presented videos, maps and photos to show that Marxist Farc and ELN rebels have bases in Venezuela.

The Colombian Ambassador to the OAS, Luis Alfonso Hoyos, said the material was clear evidence that some 1,500 Colombian rebels were sheltering at numerous camps inside Venezuela.
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U.N., North Korea to discuss sinking of South Korean ship

(CNN) — North Korea has agreed to hold talks Friday with the U.S.-led U.N. Command on the peninsula over the sinking of a South Korean warship.

It will be the second meeting between the two parties since the March attack on the Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors. An international investigation blamed North Korea for the sinking.

Officers from both sides will meet in Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. The talks are designed to set the stage for higher-level discussions on the contentious naval incident.

The demilitarized zone was created as part of the armistice signed between North and South Korea in 1953 that halted fighting in the Korean War, but the war has never officially ended.

The United Nations and North Korea began occasional meetings between generals — “general officer talks” — at Panmunjom in 1998 in an effort to lessen tensions. There have been 17 such meetings so far.

Earlier this month, the United Nations formally condemned the sinking of the Cheonan but did not specifically name North Korea.
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