World News: Rescued miners begin to leave hospital after checks

A day after their epic rescue from the San Jose mine, still wearing the sunglasses that protected them from the bright light when they were hoisted from 2,000 feet underground, the men posed in hospital dressing gowns for a group photo with President Sebastian Pinera.

Three of the men were discharged from Copiapo's regional hospital early today and others were expected to follow.

The government has promised the rescued miners six months of psychological treatment.

The men's families and friends were organising welcome-home dinners, street celebrations and even weddings.

Lilianett Ramirez, whose husband Mario Gomez promised her a church wedding in the "Dear Lila" letter Mr Pinera read on TV when the men were found alive, said they have now set a date - November 7.

After hearing that miner Edison Pena jogged regularly in the tunnels below the collapsed rock, organisers of the New York City marathon invited him to participate in next month's race.

Activists call for Xiaobo release

More than 100 Chinese activists have signed an open letter calling for Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo to be released from prison.

The literary critic and activist is serving an 11-year sentence for subversion after co-authoring a call for political reform.

gunmen killed two people today in an ambush on a truck in northwest Pakistan on its way back home after delivering NATO supplies in Afghanistan.

The driver and his assistant were killed in the attack near Jamrud in the Khyber tribal region. It follows several similar ambushes.

Army accused of rape horror

Congolese government troops are raping, killing and looting civilians in the same area of eastern Congo where militias carried out mass rapes two months ago, a top U.N. envoy has claimed.

Margot Wallstrom said it was "unimaginable and unacceptable" that communities who were brutalised in July and August by Rwandan-led rebels were now suffering at the hands of the army.

She urged the government to investigate the allegations.

British aid worker abducted

A British aid worker and his Somali colleague have been abducted from a compound in western Somalia by masked gunmen, a witness said today.

Moalim Bashir said he did not know who took the two men yesterday evening from the town of Adado, near the border with Ethiopia.

Philippines braced for Typhoon Megi

Philippines: A super-typhoon heading towards the eastern coast has prompted authorities to mobilise rescuers, open up evacuation centres and put troops on alert.

Category-1 Typhoon Megi is expected to reach land this weekend.

Australia: An man has been jailed for life for murdering his three young sons. by driving them into a reservoir on Father's Day to spite their mother.

The boys, who were 10, 7 and two, died in 2005.