The festival was called off after the accident

One person has died after a giant tent collapsed on a crowd of concert goers at Slovakia’s biggest music festival, reports say.

Another 40 were injured - 15 seriously - when a gust of wind lifted and then brought down the tent during a rain storm in the western town of Trencin.

Organisers cancelled the Pohoda festival, which was attended by more than 30,000 music fans.

One report said the accident victim was a young boy.

Mario Gesvantner, a spokesman for the organisers, said weather forecasts had not warned of severe storms.

Kings Of Leon tried to move their slot to the next day

US band Kings Of Leon were forced to cancel their headline performance at the Benicassim festival in Spain because of bad weather.

In a statement the group’s publicist said that due to “high winds and the subsequent unsafe conditions” they made the decision to pull their Friday slot.

Maximo Park also pulled out, but sang on Saturday night instead and Lily Allen cancelled because of illness.

Friday ticket holders were allowed to exchange their tickets for another day.

‘Logistically impossible’

Organisers attempted to reschedule the Kings Of Leon performance, but the band had to travel to Switzerland for the Gurten festival.

“They tried unsuccessfully with the Benicassim organisers to work out a way to make a performance work yesterday, exploring every possible avenue available to them,” the band’s publicist said.

“But unfortunately it proved logistically impossible. This is a very big disappointment to the band who were looking forward to performing in Spain at Benicassim as one of the big highlights of their summer of live activity.”

Many festival-goers had their tents destroyed in the winds

A statement posted on Allen’s MySpace page said: “Lily has been diagnosed today as having gastroenteritis by her doctor and has been told she is not fit to fly to Spain.

“She is very sorry to let fans down and hopes to be back to full strength as soon as possible.”

Gastroenteritis is also referred to as gastric flu or a stomach bug.

A fire also broke out next to the festival site, but no injuries were reported and the blaze did not spread.

In recent years the Spanish festival has grown more popular with UK music fans as weather is normally hot and dry, unlike Glastonbury and other events which are usually hit by rain.

Yorke will be back with Radiohead at Reading and Leeds festival

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has played a rare acoustic set to kick off the last day of the Latitude Festival in Suffolk.

Crowds began to gather at the main stage with their breakfast rolls during the singer’s soundcheck at 10am BST.

By the time Yorke got on stage at noon, the audience equalled that of Saturday night’s headliner, Grace Jones.

Seated behind a grand piano, the 41-year-old opened with the title track from his 2006 album The Eraser.

Good spirits

But the shaggy-haired star defied expectations by playing Radiohead material, too.

Set highlights included Weird Fishes, a track from the band’s 2007 album In Rainbows, and elegiac version of Everything In Its Right Place, from Kid A.

A stripped-back version of Harrowdown Hill, in which the musician looped a bass line and layered keyboard and guitar over the top, also proved popular with the crowd.

In good spirits throughout the early morning set, Yorke’s first words to the crowd were: “Shhh… There’s people sleeping”.

Radiohead are an amazing band, but to see him on his own, approaching the songs in a different way, was really exciting Ian Hannent, Thom Yorke fan

Later, in response to a cry of “I love you Thom”, he replied drily; “Yes dear, I’ll be home later.”

Switching between piano, keyboard and guitars, he played several rare and new songs, including Follow Me Around, a track which had been “sitting on the shelf and never really come off the shelf”.

“Anyway, you can get it on Youtube now,” the star joked.

Radiohead’s long-time producer Nigel Godrich was seen singing along at the side of the stage.

Called back on to the stage for an encore, he rounded off the hour-long set with Radiohead tracks There, There and True Love Waits - from the band’s live EP I Might Be Wrong.

Fan Ian Hannent from London was bowled over by the show.

“It’s a great opportunity to see somebody that good, so close up,” he told the BBC News website.

“Radiohead are an amazing band, but to see him on his own, approaching the songs in a different way, was really exciting.”

Elliot Hulland-Camp from Canterbury agreed the set had been “astonishing”.

“I wasn’t sure the time of day would suit this type of gig but it was the right mix of Radiohead songs and solo stuff.

“Because he’s the only act on at the moment, as well, everyone came for this one event. It was pretty special.”

Yorke himself said he had had a “lovely time:

The star will be back at his day job when Radiohead headline the Reading and Leeds festival on August Bank Holiday weekend.

Thom Yorke’s full set can be heard on Tom Robinson’s 6Music show from 2000 BST on Sunday.

The Labrador retrievers are genetically identical

South Korea’s customs service says it has deployed the “world’s first cloned sniffer dogs” to check for drugs at its main airport and border crossings.

Six puppies cloned from a Canadian-born sniffer dog in late 2007 have reported for duty after completing a 16-month training programme.

The clones are all called Toppy, a combination of “tomorrow” and “puppy”.

The customs agency says clones help to lower crime-fighting costs as it is difficult to find good sniffer dogs.

Only about 30% of naturally-born sniffer dogs make the grade, but South Korean scientists say that could rise to 90% using the cloning method.

‘Better performance’

They showed better performance than naturally-born sniffer dogs Park Jeong-Heon Customs spokesman

The new recruits are part of a litter of seven puppies who were cloned from a “superb” drug-sniffing Canadian Labrador retriever called Chase in 2007, officials said.

One dropped out of the training due to an injury.

“They are the world’s first cloned sniffer dogs deployed at work,” Park Jeong-Heon, a customs spokesman at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, told AFP news agency.

“They showed better performances in detecting illegal drugs during the training than other naturally-born sniffer dogs that we have.”

The cloning work was conducted by a team of scientists at Seoul National University, who created the world’s first cloned dog - an Afghan Hound named Snuppy.

The state-funded project cost about 300m won ($239,000; £146,000).

Local authority staff will impose fines on those breaking the ban

Turkey has extended an existing ban on smoking in public places to all bars, cafes and restaurants.

The ban has come into force despite opposition from some bar and cafe owners who fear losing business.

It comes after the government banned smoking from most enclosed public spaces in May last year in an effort to improve the nation’s health.

Turkey has more than 20 million smokers but polls suggest 95% of people support the ban.

“We are working to protect our future, to save our youth,” said Health Minister Recep Akdag.

Anyone caught lighting up in a designated smoke-free area faces a fine of 69 liras ($45:£28) while bar owners who fail to enforce the ban could be fined from 560 liras for a first offence up to 5,600 liras.

Local authorities have hired thousands of extra staff to track down smokers and impose the fines.

Many people in Istanbul said they thought the ban was a good move.

“We were being destroyed in the places where you were allowed to smoke inside,” said Istanbul cafe patron Hanife Demirm.

“I was choosing the non-smoking places automatically, but after the ban is extended I will not need to be selective. I’ll be very comfortable in every place that I go,” he told the AP news agency.

‘Unnecessary stress’

Turkey is one of the world’s heaviest smoking countries

But the BBC’s David O’Byrne in Istanbul says many Turkish people see the ban as an erosion of their democratic rights and have called for bars to be able to apply for a smoking licence.

Some cafe owners have also said they were concerned the ban would drive away customers.

“They will simply leave and never come back, or we would get in trouble for letting them smoke,” said Istanbul cafe owner Selahattin Nar.

“Then both we and they would be filled with unnecessary stresses. In the end they will not be able to relax and we will have to shut down.”

But Mr Akdag said there was no reason for cafe and bar owners to be worried about a drop in trade.

“The public supports a smoke-free environment and the only ones to suffer will be the cigarette producers and sellers,” he said.

A no smoking rule has been in place for the past 15 months in government offices, workplaces, shopping malls, schools and hospitals.

All forms of public transport, including trains, taxis and ferries, are also affected but there are exemptions for special zones in psychiatric hospitals and prisons.

A small group of protesters gathered ahead of the sailing

The controversial first scheduled Sunday ferry sailing from Stornoway on Lewis to mainland Scotland has gone ahead as planned.

There has been strong opposition on the island, where the Sabbath day has traditionally been strictly observed.

A small group of protesters prayed and sang a psalm as cars boarded the boat, but several hundred people clapped.

Supporters said it would boost the economy of the Hebridean island and offer local people freedom to travel.

A small group of about a dozen protesters gathered in Stornoway ahead of the sailing to Ullapool, which left at 1430 BST.

Equality laws

As cars lined up in the ferry terminal car park, protesters gathered in silence behind a banner.

It read: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”.

They sang Psalm 46 - God is our refuge and our strength - and prayed for the nation to “turn its back from sin and wickedness”.

A number of women wiped away tears as they prayed for a return to the Lord’s commandments.

The crossing was undertaken by the route’s usual ferry, the MV Isle of Lewis, after a fault in the exhaust on Friday was repaired sooner than expected.

A spokesman for ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne said: “We’re pleased to get under way after the difficulties over the last couple of days.

“It’s all gone as planned.”

The MV Isle of Arran was drafted in after the Isle of Lewis broke down.

The former boat ran a number of emergency crossings to clear the backlog of passengers.

CalMac said it could be breaking equality laws if it did not run ferries seven days a week.

It said religion or beliefs were not valid reasons to refuse to run the ferry.

Campaigners for the service said it would be good for tourism and offer those who want to use it more flexibility about when they travel.

As the ferry left Stornoway a crowd of several hundred gathered to applaud, and wave to those on board.

A leaflet handed out by a group of local churches said that the peace and tranquillity of the islands was enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

It said: “By and large we like it like this.

“We are not oppressed by a quiet Sunday.”

It wished tourists who came to Lewis by ferry a “happy and blessed trip to the islands”.

The recession means Mr Zuma has little room for manoeuvre

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has named former deputy governor Gill Marcus as the new governor of the country’s central bank.

She replaces Tito Mboweni, who has been praised for efforts to fight inflation, and will take over in November.

Mr Zuma said he had initially appointed Mr Mboweni for a third, five-year term, but he had asked to leave early.

Ms Marcus served as deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank between 1999 and 2004.

She is currently chairwoman of banking group Absa.

‘Highly respected’

“I have reappointed Mr Mboweni as Reserve Bank Governor. However, he has indicated his wish to leave in November 2009 to pursue other interests,” said Mr Zuma.

“I have therefore decided to designate Ms Gill Marcus.”

The appointment has been closely watched. With the country in recession, the president has come under pressure from unions to loosen monetary policy, and focus more on job creation.

But, for now, Mr Zuma seems to be resisting such calls.

“She’s not new… let nobody wonder what’s going to happen. She was there when the policy was made, so there’s nothing really new,” he said.

Analysts said Mr Mboweni had been expected to stay on in the post, but that financial markets were likely to welcome the appointment of Ms Marcus as a sign of continuity.

“She’s a person of fiercely independent views, and is entirely appropriate, since she was previously deputy governor. I would by no means consider this to be a ‘win’ - so to speak - for labour or the left,” Michael Spicer, chief executive of Business Leadership South Africa, told the BBC.

Colen Garrow at investment group Brait said: “She is highly respected in the market place. I think the appointment won’t move financial markets - it’s a good appointment.”

The PM says Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem “is unquestionable”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a reported US request that a building project in Jerusalem be halted.

The project involves building 20 apartments in the mainly Arab East Jerusalem area, which was captured by Israel in 1967.

Last week US officials told the Israeli ambassador that the project should be suspended, Israeli media said.

But Mr Netanyahu rejected this in comments at his weekly Cabinet meeting.

“We cannot accept the idea that Jews will not have the right to live and buy (homes) anywhere in Jerusalem,” he said.

“Unified Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Our sovereignty over it is unquestionable.”

Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967. It has annexed the city and declared its east and west Israel’s eternal capital.

This undermines the efforts being exerted to revive the peace process Saeb Erekat, Palestinian negotiator Demolitions build Jerusalem tension Obstacles to peace: Jerusalem

This is not recognised by the international community, with the east of the city considered occupied territory.

Palestinians hope to establish their capital in East Jerusalem, as part of a two-state peace deal with the Israelis.

They say Israel uses settlement and demolition orders to try to force them from the area.

‘No credibility’

The project in question concerns a block of 20 apartments in the Sheikh Jarrah district of the city.

Israeli officials said the US State Department summoned Ambassador Michael Oren last week and told him that the construction should not go ahead.

There was no immediate comment from the US.

But Israel has come under pressure from the Obama administration to freeze settlement activity on land that Palestinians want for a future state.

Palestinians say peace talks cannot proceed until settlement activity halts.

A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Mr Netanyahu’s comments had further undermined efforts to re-start the peace process.

The decision to pursue this project, he said, reflected Israel’s defiance of international calls for a halt to settlement activity.

“This undermines the efforts being exerted to revive the peace process and this undermines the credibility of those involved in making the peace process continue,” he said.

About 268,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, alongside 200,000 Israeli Jews.

The Taliban have released a 28-minute video showing a US soldier captured in Afghanistan last month.

In the video, the soldier, in grey clothes and with shaved head, says being a prisoner is “unnerving”.

He says the US public has the power to bring troops home to be “back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives”.

The US military identified him as the missing soldier and named him as Pte Bowe Bergdahl, 23, from Ketchum, Idaho.

The spokesman condemned the Taliban for issuing “propaganda” footage.

‘Against international law’

Pte Bergdahl, who went missing on 30 June in Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan, says in the video the date is 14 July and that he was captured as he lagged behind while on a patrol.

Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power Quote from video Afghan rebels capture US soldier Q&A: Isaf troops in Afghanistan

It is not possible to verify the time and date the video was made.

Pte Bergdahl, interviewed in English, says he has “a very, very good family” in America.

“I miss them and I’m afraid that I might never see them again, and that I’ll never be able to tell them that I love them again, and I’ll never be able to hug them,” he says.

When asked about his condition he replies: “Well I’m scared, scared I won’t be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.”

A voice off camera asks if he has a message for his “people”.

“To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it’s like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home,” he says.

“Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country.

“Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power.”

US military spokesman in Kabul, Capt Jon Stock, condemned the use of the video.

He told Reuters news agency: “The use of the soldier for propaganda purposes we view as against international law.

“We are continuing to do whatever possible to recover the soldier safe and unharmed.”

Leaflets have been distributed and a reward offered for his safe return.

The US military said the soldier disappeared after walking off base with three Afghan colleagues.

He is believed to be the first soldier seized in either Iraq or Afghanistan for at least two years.

Russian media say the aircraft was an Mi-8 similar to this

A civilian helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 16 civilians and injuring five, Nato officials have confirmed.

The helicopter crashed at Kandahar airfield apparently as it was trying to take off, though Nato has ruled out the involvement of insurgents.

Reports from Moscow say the helicopter was a Russian-built Mi-8.

The crash is the second in a week. Six passengers died when a helicopter came down in Helmand province on Tuesday.

‘Not shot down’

Russia’s Interfax agency quoted a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Air Transportation Agency (Fata) as saying the aircraft was a Russian-built Mi-8 transport helicopter.

Fata said it was owned by the Russian air company Vertical-T.

The nationalities of the dead are not yet known.

A statement from Nato’s International Security Assistance Force said: “A civilian contracted helicopter crashed during take-off from Kandahar airfield.

“Emergency personnel are on the scene. There was no indication of the cause of the accident but insurgent action has been ruled out.”

Kandahar airfield is Nato’s largest air base in southern Afghanistan but the BBC’s Martin Patience in Kabul says a lot of civilian aircraft fly in and out so there is no surprise this was a civilian crash.

A Nato spokeswoman, Lt Cmdr Sam Truelove, told the AFP news agency it had been confirmed that all the dead were civilians and no military personnel were involved.

RECENT HELICOPTER CRASHES 14 Jul 2008: Six Ukrainian civilians and Afghan girl die in crash in Helmand. Suspected enemy fire 6 Jul 2008: One UK and two Canadian soldiers die in crash in Zabul province. Enemy fire not suspected 15 Jan 2008: Afghan general and 12 other soldiers die in crash in Herat province. Bad weather blamed 30 May 2007: Seven killed as Nato Chinook crashes in Helmand. Cause unclear

The condition of the injured was not known, she said.

Vertical-T was founded in 1992 and started to work abroad in 1998 in Italy. It has worked in countries including Germany, East Timor, Cyprus, Yemen and Greece, according to the company’s website.

The company’s helicopters are currently carrying out operations in the interests of the UN in Afghanistan and a number of other countries including Congo, Sudan and Pakistan.

The dead in Tuesday’s crash in Helmand were all civilians.

That helicopter crashed near the Sangin military base, with local people saying it had been shot down by insurgents.

Six Ukrainian crew members of the Mi-26 helicopter died, along with an Afghan girl on the ground.