An eastern European couple who spied for the United States in the Cold War are taking the CIA to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, accusing it of failing to keep a promise to look after them for the rest of their lives. The case challenges a precedent dating back to the American Civil War, that secret agents cannot sue their government paymasters because of the danger of revealing state secrets in court.

The international operation to identify the victims of the tsunami in Thailand may take more than a year, according to a leading member of the forensic team. The world’s largest missing persons investigation has been complicated by the inadequate handling of thousands of bodies in the chaotic aftermath of the disaster.

Fresh evidence has emerged of the extent of destruction and appalling conditions in Fallujah, still deserted two months after a major United States offensive against the insurgent stronghold. Ali Fadhil, an Iraqi journalist working with The Guardian‘s film unit and one of the few reporters to travel independently to Fallujah, describes in a Channel 4 News film on Tuesday a ”city of ghosts” where dogs feed on uncollected corpses.

The newly elected Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Monday night said the Palestinians are ”ready for peace” and he is eager to resume negotiations with Israel abandoned four years ago. On his first day in office, Abbas said: ”We extend our hands to our neighbours. We are ready for peace, peace based on justice. We hope that their response will be positive.”