The trial has begun in Belarus of two journalists, Pavel Sheremet and Dmitry Zavadsky, charged with violating border regulations.

It was soon postponed after the defence complained that the text of the charges was illegible.

The two journalists are both Belarussian citizens working for Russian Public Television.

Their arrest in July, together with other journalists, sparked a public row between Minsk and Moscow.

The two men were detained for nearly three months following the incident in which they are alleged to have crossed the border between Belarus and Lithunia illegally.

In another development, President Yeltsin reversed an earlier decision and invited the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to visit Russia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service