Around the world: Jailed American freed from N Korea after Carter's visit

An American who was jailed for illegally crossing the border into North Korea was released after a visit to the Communist country by former US President Jimmy Carter.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il granted amnesty for Aijalon Gomes at former President Carter's request, a spokeswoman for Mr Carter said.

Mr Carter will return to the US with Mr Gomes, who is expected to be in Boston by this afternoon, Deanna Congileo said.

Mr Gomes was sentenced in April to eight years of hard labour in a North Korean prison for entering the country illegally from China.

Mr Gomes may have been emulating fellow Christian Robert Park, who was detained after he crossed into North Korea a month earlier to highlight its human rights record, said Jo Sung-rae, a South Korean human rights advocate who met with Mr Gomes. Mr Park was expelled a few weeks later.

Mr Gomes had been teaching English in South Korea when he was detained in January for entering North Korea from China, US officials said.

This week, former Mr Carter travelled to the isolated nation to try to win Mr Gomes' release.

MORE than 4000 people were left homeless following a fire that gutted hundreds of properties, many on stilts, in the coastal township of Navotas in the Philippines.

Trail set over DiCaprio 'attack'

A US judge ordered a woman to stand trial on a charge of slashing the face of Leonardo DiCaprio, left, with glass during a 2005 party. The charge includes an allegation Aretha Wilson caused great injury. The judge said "this would not be an injury that would be called trivial".

Media given gallows tour

Japan allowed local media a rare tour of Tokyo's main gallows in a bid to create more public awareness about capital punishment, which is carried out extremely secretly in the country. Foreign press, however, were barred from the visit despite repeated requests for access.

Greens 'won't demand seat'

The Greens party said it would not demand a Cabinet seat in exchange for helping either of Australia's main parties form a government following elections that failed to deliver a clear winner.

Senator Bob Brown, leader of the environment-focused minor party, said he would prefer to see the centre-left ruling Labour Party in power, calling his meeting with prime minister Julia Gillard "very constructive".

Soldier ordered to be hanged

A US judge in Jamaica ordered that a soldier be hanged after he was found guilty of killing four men in a nightclub.

Lawyers for 35-year-old Leslie Moodie argued that he was drunk and accidentally shot the men in October 2008.

He will appeal his sentence.Refugee faces prison over plane hijack

• New Zealand: A Somali woman refugee was sentenced to nine years in prison after she pleaded guilty to trying to hijack a small domestic airliner.

Asha Ali Abdille initially stabbed both pilots and a passenger on a domestic flight in February 2008 and demanded to be flown to Australia.

• United States: A car driven by the US ambassador to Malta crashed in Southern California, killing a nun and injuring a 94-year-old pastor.