Esther Addley

In the absence of a free press, Iranians are turning to social media to share political messages, writes Esther Addley.

They still pray for Madeleine McCann in the little whitewashed church in Praia da Luz, a small but faithful clutch of 15 or so locals and ex-pats who stumble down the little cobbled hill to the church every Friday evening for a "service for missing children".

The British Ministry of Defence is conducting a major study into brain injury in troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan amid fears that thousands of soldiers may have suffered damage after being exposed to high-velocity explosions. The United States army says as many as 20% of its soldiers and marines have suffered "mild traumatic brain injury" from blows to the head or shockwaves caused by explosions.

The Gautrain is South Africa’s biggest and most ambitious public transport project yet. Once it is completed, Pretoria, Johannesburg and OR Tambo airport will be linked via 80km of rail, some of it underground, and 10 new stations. The link between the airport and Sandton will be completed in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.