A suicide bomber killed 20 people, including three children, today in a market in central Afghanistan in the deadliest attack against Afghan civilians in more than three months.

Federal security workers in the US have started using hand-held scanners to inspect bottled carry-on liquids for explosives at some of the country's busiest airports, the government said today.

Airports in Long Beach and Orange County were shut down early today because of bomb threats, officials said.