An air passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded a payout of $240,000 (£163,000), his lawyers say.

Two Transportation Security Authority officials and JetBlue Airways will be forced to make the payout.

Raed Jarrar, a US resident, had accused them of illegally discriminating against him based on his ethnicity and the Arabic writing on his T-shirt.

The payout is the largest of its kind since the 9/11 terror attacks.

Lawyers representing Mr Jarrar say the settlement is a victory for free speech and a blow to the practice of racial profiling.

Uncomfortable

Back in 2006, Mr Jarrar was waiting to board a flight at New York's JFK airport wearing a T-shirt that read "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabi

Five guards from US security firm Blackwater have pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of 17 Iraqis in 2007.

The charges in a US court relate to an incident in which the five, contracted to defend US diplomatic personnel, opened fire on a crowd in Baghdad.

The men are charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, as well as weapons violations and attempted manslaughter.

A sixth guard has pleaded guilty to killing at least one Iraqi and has been co-operating with prosecutors.

The killings, which took place in Nisoor Square, Baghdad, strained Iraq's relationship with the US and raised questions about the oversight of US contractors operating in war zones.

Self-defence

Donald Ball, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten and Paul Slough - all of whom are

Pressure is building on Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal backed by the UN and the US to end fighting in Gaza.

The plan, proposed by Egypt and France, calls for an immediate ceasefire to allow more aid into the Gaza Strip, and talks with Israel on border security.

It follows one of the deadliest days since the offensive began, with more than 130 people killed on Tuesday.

Israel has said it will halt its attacks on Gaza for three hours a day.

The pause, the first of which is due to start at 1100 GMT (1300) on Wednesday, will "allow residents to resupply, get aid and so on", an IDF spokesman said.

Overnight, Israeli forces launched 40 fresh air strikes in Gaza.

The Israeli army has reported no missile launches

Iraqi authorities have closed a major shrine in Baghdad's Kadhimiya area to women amid security concerns as a Shia religious ceremony reaches its climax.

Ashura is among the holiest days for Shia Muslims, but women will be barred from the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine.

At least 35 people were killed there by a male suicide bomber on Sunday. Early reports said the bomber was a woman.

Correspondents describe the ban as an extraordinary step, driven by deep concerns over security.

The security forces in Iraq lack female members, allowing women to go unsearched and thus able to penetrate security cordons, says the BBC's Jonny Dymond in Baghdad.

Karbala pilgrims

Heavy security is also in place in the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, where shrines to rel

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate end to fighting in the Gaza Strip during a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

Mr Ban criticised both Israel for its bombardment of Gaza and Hamas for firing rockets into Israel.

The UN also heard a French-Egyptian ceasefire proposal, backed by the US and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel says it has agreed to set up a humanitarian corridor to allow aid into the Gaza Strip.

Mr Ban said the Council had "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security" and urged its members to act "swiftly and decisively to put this crisis to an end".