Author and columnist Howard Jacobson has won the Man Booker Prize for his comic novel The Finkler Question.

Jacobson, who beat contenders including double winner Peter Carey, received the £50,000 prize at London's Guildhall.

Chair of judges, Sir Andrew Motion, described the 68-year-old author's book as "very funny, of course, but also very clever, very sad and very subtle".

It explores Jewishness through the lives of three friends - two of them Jewish and one who wishes he was.

Twenty of the 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months in northern Chile have been rescued amid scenes of jubilation.

In a continuing operation, a specially-made capsule has been winching the men one by one to the surface.

The Chilean president and first lady, and the miners' loved ones, have been at the top of the shaft to greet them.

The process has gone smoothly, with the entire operation expected to be completed within 30 hours.

The Chinese Basketball Association has apologised for a fight which broke out during a friendly match against a visiting team from Brazil.

The game on Tuesday degenerated into a brawl as players from both sides exchanged kicks and punches - forcing an end to play.

The Chinese association said training for the Asian Games had been put on hold while it investigated.

It said players found to be at fault would be dealt with severely.

An actor's positive HIV test has caused two of the US adult film industry's largest studios to postpone filming.

Wicked Pictures and Vivid Entertainment told The Los Angeles Times that production had stopped as a precaution.

The unnamed actor was a member of the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation.

Clinic spokeswoman Jennifer Miller said efforts were being made to notify other performers who may have had sexual contact with the actor.

A tribunal has ordered Robert Tyler to cease using the web address because it earned him money through commercial links to third party websites.

Mr Tyler established the site in February 2007 to publish "horror stories" about Ryanair, which he describes at the beginning of each of his articles as "the world's most hated airline".