Celebrations erupted in Boston as the capture of the remaining marathon bombing suspect was announced in a tweet from police.

Barack Obama has defended his brand of world politics, saying he “strengthens our hand” by reaching out to enemies of the US and making sure the nation is a leader, not a lecturer, of democracy.

Hurricane Rita steamed toward refinery towns along the Texas-Louisiana coast with 120mph winds early today, creating havoc even before it arrived.

More than 90 countries have offered assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina, with Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates contributing $100m (€80.2m) each in cash donations, the State Department said in Washington today.