A member of Jamaica’s athletics team for the Beijing Games has tested positive for a banned substance, the island’s Olympic boss has confirmed.

Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) chief Mike Fennell said the test occurred at the national trials on 27-29 June. Fennell has refused to identify the athlete but insisted that it was “not a big name”. “That said, it is still a major blow for us and we take this very… Read the full story

Australian swimming great Grant Hackett says American Michael Phelps can eclipse Mark Spitz’s record by winning eight golds at Beijing.

Outright condemnation or tight-lipped silence. India’s film fraternity Monday united behind its Muslim actors — including the four Khans Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif — who have been threatened by the little known Indian Mujahideen outfit that has also claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad blasts. The group has purportedly written an email stating that Muslim actors must stop working in films immediately or face death. Read the full story

Three Pakistani security officials have been killed by militants in the north-western district of Swat.

The vehicle carrying them was ambushed in the Matta area late on Monday. Witnesses says several suspects were later arrested in a search operation. A spokesman for militants said the officials had been killed because they had tortured two militants in custody. Matta is the hub of militants led by a local cleric and has been the focus of a military operation since last year. Read the full story

Negotiations aimed at rescuing a deal to liberalise world trade are going into a ninth day after delegates failed to resolve deep differences.

A spokesman for the World Trade Organization said the talks in Geneva had reached a “very tense” stage. The US accused China and India of insisting on too much protection for their farmers and industries. Sources close to the negotiations say that if progress is not made soon the talks could collapse. Read the full story

The new Batman film has broken another box office record in North America as it spends a second week at number one.

The Dark Knight passed the $300m (£151m) mark quicker than any other movie, doing so 10 days after release. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest held the previous record, which was set in 16 days in 2006. Read the full story

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn is appealing to road users to exercise due care and attention while using the roads and to observe the weight restrictions for roads and bridges especially in communities. Read the full story

The US still considers Pakistan a key ally in its “war on terror”, President George W Bush has told visiting Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani.

After talks, Mr Bush said Mr Gilani had made a strong commitment to securing Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. The issue has caused strain in recent months, with the US urging Pakistan to move against Islamic militants. The talks came as a top al-Qaeda figure was reported to have been killed in a missile strike in the border area. Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, a leading chemical weapons expert who the US says trained militants in Afghanistan, was reportedly killed along with six others in South Waziristan in a strike on Monday. It was suspected to be a strike by US forces, but this has not been confirmed.

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, has ramped up the mindgames ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston by accusing England of seeking a “quick fix” in their hasty recall of Steve Harmison. Harmison was dropped after a lacklustre showing in England’s first-Test defeat against New Zealand at Hamilton in March, and has been missing from their last seven Tests, of which England have won four and lost one, against South Africa at Headingley last week. However, his season haul of 41 first-class scalps, coupled with a concern about England’s lack of firepower in the current series, has prompted a selectorial U-turn. Read the full story

Tonga’s king, George Tupou V, is to give up much of the near-absolute power his family has held for generations.

He is to surrender his role in day-to-day governmental affairs and be guided by the PM, his spokesman has said. The monarch - who took over from his father, Tupou IV, in September 2006 - is being formally enthroned on Friday. The palace had long pledged democratic reforms, but progress has been slow and public dissatisfaction was growing, correspondents say. Read the full story