World News: Chile mine escape tunnel is 'hours from being complete'

Engineers said earlier they had just 112ft left to drill to reach the miners.

But mining minister Laurence Golborne warned that the rescuers had to work carefully not to jam the drill.

He also said that it would be three to eight days before the rescue mission at the San Jose mine would begin.

The miners were trapped in a chamber when part of the mine collapsed on August 5.

The miners have now been underground longer than any other group.

"We are very close," Mr Golborne said yesterday. "We have to be very careful and do it in a controlled way".

Andre Sougarret, the engineer in charge of the drilling, said there were dangers that when "we break through the hard rock . . . someone might get injured".

"That's why we need to send a camera down the shaft to make sure they're not going to be in danger."

When the rescuers break through to the chamber where the miners are sheltering, they are expected to sound sirens and honk car horns to alert the miners' relatives.

Pacino to star as Spector in film

Al Pacino is set to star as legendary record producer Phil Spector in a TV film to be written and directed by David Mamet, TV channel HBO said.

The film will tell the story of Spector, who now, at age 70, is serving a life prison sentence for murdering actress Lana Clarkson.

France changes retirement age

The French senate has voted to raise the country's retirement age from 60 to 62, just part of the government's sweeping pension reform plans.

The package, designed to cut pension costs, has prompted union leaders to call for a national day of strikes on October 16.

Toxic sludge hits town

The Hungarian town of Kolontar is being evacuated after more damage was discovered at a burst reservoir that spilled toxic sludge on Monday.

Kolontar is one of the towns most affected by the spill from the reservoir of an alumina plant in Ajka.

The Hungarian authorities say the damage to the northern wall of the reservoir is minor, but 800 villagers are being evacuated as a precaution.

At least seven people have died as a result of the accident.

Madonna fan told to stay away

A FAN who was arrested while proclaiming his love for Madonna near her New York City apartment was told to stay at least 10 blocks away.

A judge made that a condition as he set bail at $20,000 for Robert Linhart, a 59-year-old retired firefighter.

Gunmen set fire to Nato oil tankers

Pakistan: Gunmen in the south-west have attacked and set fire to nearly 30 tankers carrying oil to Nato troops in Afghanistan, officials say.

The gunmen torched the convoy parked near a roadside restaurant, near the town of Sibi, in a pre-dawn raid.

Vietnam: Devastating floods continue to plague central Vietnam, with the death toll rising to 62 and an estimated 100,000 people now facing food shortages.