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North Korea says it seized a South Korean fishing boat on Thursday because it "illegally intruded" deep into its territorial waters.

It said a "relevant institution was conducting a concrete investigation".

South Korea says the boat drifted 11km (7 miles) too far north because of a navigational error. It called for the quick release of the four-man crew.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between North and South Korea.

South Korean officials first reported the capture of the 29-tonne boat, the Yeonanho, in the Sea of Japan, known in Korea as the East Sea.

A South Korean defence ministry spokesman, Lee Bung-woo, said the crew, who were fishing for squid, had reported a malfunction with their satellite navigation system.

The South says it has received no response from North Korea to its request for the boat to be returned.

There are concerns that the tension between the two Koreas may hamper negotiations, following the North’s recent missile tests, and the South’s support for international sanctions.

A South Korean worker who was based at a joint industrial project has been held for almost four months by the North, accused of insulting its political system.

Two US journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were captured along North Korea’s border with China in March, are also still being held.

But similar incidents involving fishing vessels straying across the boundary have been successfully resolved in the past.

The two countries technically remain at war, as they signed a truce, not a peace treaty, at the end of their three-year conflict in 1953.

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There was a time when French beaches were full of topless women – but no longer. As cities empty, and France makes its annual migration to the coast, Paris-based journalist Regan Kramer – a member of the feminist Les Chiennes de Garde group – asks why the breast is now back in the bikini.

In the early 70s, American and British women would struggle to stay well hidden behind their towels as they changed into or out off their bathing suits.

Even undoing their suit tops as they lay on their stomachs poolside could attract a reprimand.

So it’s no wonder that the French Riviera, with its brazenly topless women, was something to fantasize about back then – both for the women who dreamt of finally feeling the sun on their hitherto hidden breasts and for all those who were happy just to look.

It all started in Saint Tropez in 1964.

Although initially banned, going topless caught on quickly and spread throughout France in under a decade.

"‘Being able’ to go topless gradually evolved into feeling obliged to do so"

It was hailed as feminist progress. Women could go topless, "just like men" – even though that was never really so, as it was always more complicated for women, who had to decide first if they would do it at all, and then only "horizontally" (i.e. while sunbathing) or "vertically" (swimming and walking on the beach) too.

Still, going topless suited the era, coming, as it did, just a year before another feminist breakthrough, the legalisation of the Pill. Like contraception, toplessness (at both the beach and municipal pools) was seen as a way for women to assert and control their own sexuality.

So what happened Why is it that you hardly see women going topless in France any more Or if you do, they’re more likely to be in their 50+year-old veterans of feminist battles who are damned if they’re going to give up any of the rights they fought for.

‘Porno-chic’

Actually, a lot happened: Aids, for one, which put its damper on the sexual revolution in general.

"Of course, since this is France, somebody had to write a serious book about it, and a small group of radical feminists had to stage a protest"

Advertising, for another, as more and more women came to feel harassed by the "porno-chic" trend that put nearly-naked women on billboards everywhere.

"Being able" to go topless gradually evolved into feeling obliged to do so, and eventually, the prevailing feminist perspective changed from revelling in a new-found freedom to refusing to give in to the endless pressure to flaunt a "perfect" body.

Even ozone depletion has played a role, as many women now say they’re worried about exposing their pale breasts to the sun’s potentially cancer-inducing rays…

Of course, since this is France, somebody had to write a serious book about it, and a small group of radical feminists had to stage a protest.

Historian Christophe Granger recently wrote a book called "Les Corps d’été" (Summer Bodies) which describes the evolution of the "love triangle" between the French, the sun and nudity evolved over the course of the 20th Century. This summer’s perfect beach book, n’est-ce pas

Snowball effect

In the meantime, far from the Riviera, Les Tumultueuses (Tumultuous Women), a group of radical feminists, has staged several topless actions at Parisian public pools.

"It seems simply to be fading away like a suntan in autumn"

At their latest outing, Natacha, one of the group members, explained: "The point of our action is to denounce the ways in which men and women are treated differently. Women’s bodies are systematically sexualized in a way that men’s bodies aren’t."

When managers threatened to call the police (who had indeed been called in to the group’s two previous actions), Natacha pointed out that, "Nobody gets upset about the topless women you see every day on newsstands, even though those images are degrading. But when it’s real women, it’s a problem, and the police are called in."

The women handed out tracts with their slogan "My body, when I want, if I want, as it is," a play on the 60s pro-choice slogan, "A baby, if I want, when I want".

Yet Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe has slapped a ban on topless sunbathing at Paris-Plage, the artificial beach installed along the Seine every summer – leading many feminists to comment that France seems to be slipping in terms of women’s right to reveal what they please. (The Islamic veil, on the other hand, is permitted.)

Interestingly, no other French beach has actually banned toplessness.

It seems simply to be fading away like a suntan in autumn, a process that is hastened by a sort of snowball effect, as it takes a critical mass of topless sun-bathers for most women to feel comfortable trying it.

As one 18-year-old Parisian put it, when asked if she went topless at the beach: "Are you kidding You don’t walk around like that in front of people!"

But when asked if she would do it if everybody else was, the reply was tempered to a more wistful: "Why not It could be fun."

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Leading figures from football have paid tribute to Sir Bobby Robson after his death at the age of 76 following a long battle with cancer.

Robson was a renowned and revered figure in football and led England to the World Cup semi-finals at Italia 90, where his side were agonisingly beaten on penalties by West Germany.

As a player, the wing-half had spells at Fulham and West Brom, while also winning 20 England caps.

He successfully moved into management, taking charge at Fulham, Ipswich, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and Newcastle in his coaching career.

Here, the football fraternity leads the tributes to Robson.

FORMER ENGLAND CAPTAIN BRYAN ROBSON

"He called me his Captain Marvel and it stuck for the rest of my playing career. It made me very proud but it was only typical of the respect he earned from myself and the rest of the dressing room.

"I have never come across anybody with such a passion for football. We had a tremendous personal relationship as manager and skipper.

"Any criticism he had of a player was kept very private and publicly he gave all of us his total backing.

"We stayed pretty close even towards the end and, along with many other friends, I enjoyed his company in Portugal playing in his Golf Classic. He will be missed by everybody who knew him."

MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice which he gave freely and unconditionally. And I’m sure I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that.

"In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson. I mourn the passing of a great friend, a wonderful individual, a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.

"His character was hewn out of the coal face, developed by the Durham mining background that he came from. His parents instilled in him the discipline and standards which forged the character of a genuinely colossal human being. He added his own qualities to that which then he passed on to his sons.

"The strength and courage he showed over the past couple of years when battling against his fifth bout of cancer was indescribable. Always a smile, always a friendly word with never a mention of his own problems.

"The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let’s hope it won’t be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of them."

SCOTLAND MANAGER GEORGE BURLEY

"It was a big decision for me and my parents to make such a long journey at that age," said Burley, who played under Robson after leaving his home in Ayrshire to join Ipswich as a 15-year-old.

"But Sir Bobby was like a father to me, taking a personal interest in me right from the start, always checking whether I was happy. His support and enthusiasm was the perfect cure for homesickness and helped my career to get off the ground and thrive.

"I’ll never forget when in 1973, the day before we played Manchester United at Old Trafford, he took me to one side and told me I would be making my first-team debut. I was 17 and the player I had to mark just happened to be George Best.

"My parents came down from Scotland to watch the game and I remember him getting off the team bus and presenting them with two directors’ box tickets. We lost 3-0 but Sir Bobby was magnificent, telling me how well I’d played. It did wonders for my confidence.

"I went on to play over 500 games for Ipswich in a side that drew inspiration from its manager. From 1972 we qualified for European competitions nine out of 10 years which was remarkable considering the size of our squad and our standing as a small-town club.

"That was all down to his man-management, tactics and judgement. No finer example of that was when, after we won the FA Cup, he sold Brian Talbot to Arsenal for £450,000 and spent less than that to bring in that fabulous Dutch pair Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen.

"I could not possibly get my head round how my career would have gone had it not been for Sir Bobby Robson. I owe him everything and I only hope I can be guided by the example he showed me."

ENGLAND MANAGER FABIO CAPELLO

"Sir Bobby was a wonderful man, a real gentleman. I remember very well the times I managed my teams against him.

"The first time being when Bobby was manager of Barcelona and I was in my first season with Real Madrid. Later, when he was Newcastle manager and I was with Roma we faced each other – as opponents, but always friends.

"Of course, I recall Bobby as a manager with Ipswich, but more so with England. To manage the national team for so long was a remarkable achievement, and we all remember how close he came to leading England to the World Cup Final in Italy.

"He went on to enjoy success with PSV Eindhoven, Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona before returning to ‘home’ with Newcastle.

"Earlier this year I spent some time with Bobby when he opened the new cancer treatment centre, for which he worked so hard to raise funds. He was a fantastic man, and loved by so many people. His spirit and courage was incredible. To fight cancer so many times really showed the strength of the man.

"All the time we spoke over a cup of coffee with his close family, his passion for football shone through.

"He loved the game and was extremely proud of his country and the North East region.

"I also recall the tribute dinner the LMA [League Managers' Association] hosted for Bobby when he wasn’t planning to say more than a few words. In the end he stayed on the stage for a very long time, telling story after story, much to everyone’s amusement.

"It’s extremely sad that Sir Bobby has lost his final fight against cancer, but he will never be forgotten. He really was a great man."

FORMER NEWCASTLE CHAIRMAN FREDDY SHEPHERD

"It’s very sad, especially on Tyneside. The whole of Tyneside will be grieving. Sir Bobby Robson was a great man and will be sorely missed.

"I worked with him for five years every day. He was certainly the best manager I ever worked with at Newcastle. He never put me under pressure and always tried to see my side.

"He wouldn’t put up with fools and didn’t take any nonsense. He came across as a very kind guy but underneath was very tough. He thought about football 24 hours a day and he would ring me at all hours of the day and never stopped thinking about football."

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT PRINCE WILLIAM

"I am deeply saddened to hear about Sir Bobby Robson’s death.

"His contribution to English football as a player, manager and superb ambassador for our national game has been immense.

"He will be sadly missed by football fans everywhere, and I am thinking about his family at this difficult time."

PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN

"I was extremely saddened to hear of the death of Sir Bobby Robson. I had the privilege of meeting Bobby on many occasions. He epitomised everything that is great about football in this country.

"His passion, patriotism, dedication and professionalism knew no equal during his time both as a player and a manager.

"His remarkable achievements as manager of Ipswich Town and then of England are among the most distinguished in English football history, and he was able to replicate that extraordinary success during his time at PSV Eindhoven, Porto and Barcelona.

"Over the past few years, he fought cancer with his characteristic tenacity and good humour.

"He will be sorely missed – not only in Newcastle and Ipswich, both of whom he served with such devotion, but by all sports fans in our country. My sincere condolences go to his wife Elsie and his family."

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The EU and international lending institutions have agreed a deal with Ukraine to help it provide stable supplies of Russian gas to Europe.

Loans worth $1.7bn (£1bn) were agreed in return for reforms to Ukraine’s gas sector, the European Commission said.

The deal is meant to include money to help Ukrainian national gas company Naftogaz pay off large debts to Russia.

In January, many countries were left without gas because of a payment dispute between Moscow and Kiev.

The new deal will allow Ukraine to replenish its reserves of Russian gas before the winter.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Ukraine had made commitments which would ensure increased transparency and the long-term viability of the industry, though he did not give details.

"The agreement should provide the stability needed to significantly reduce the risk of a further gas crisis between Ukraine and Russia and therefore provide the security of supply that member states and our consumers expect," he said.

The institutions that will provide funding include the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Lenders have called for Naftogaz to end subsidies of gas supplies within Ukraine as a condition for making loans, correspondents say.

Russia provides about a quarter of the gas consumed in the EU and 80% of that is piped through Ukraine.

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Former Philippines President Corazon Aquino has died at the age of 76, her family has said.

She had been suffering from colon cancer for more than a year and recently announced she was refusing further treatment.

Her family had said she was leaving her fate to God, prompting church services offering prayers for her health.

Mrs Aquino became president when the 1986 "people power" uprising deposed former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3.18 AM (1918 GMT Friday) of cardio-respiratory arrest," Mrs Aquino’s son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr, told the media.

She had recently been admitted to hospital suffering from a loss of appetite related to her condition.

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A baby crocodile caused panic on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Cairo when it escaped from a passenger’s luggage, Egyptian airport officials say.

Passengers screamed as the crocodile, measuring about 30cm (1ft), made its way down the cabin before eventually being captured by crew members.

All passengers on the Egypt Air flight were questioned about the reptile, but none admitted taking it on board.

The crocodile was handed to local authorities when the plane landed.

Reports said it will be donated to a local zoo.

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