At least 18 sailors are feared to be trapped on board an Indian submarine that caught fire after an explosion in Mumbai port, officials say.
It is unclear what caused the explosion on the INS Sindhurakshak.
According to India media reports many sailors jumped to safety and some of the injured were taken to hospital. Firefighters and rescue workers are at the scene.
Smoke from the blaze could be seen in many parts of the city, reports said.
"There are some people who are trapped on board, we are in the process of trying to rescue them, we suspect it to be in the range of 18," Navy spokesman PVS Satish was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.
"We will not give up until we get to them," he added.
The 16-year-old Russian-made vessel had recently returned from Russia after undergoing an upgrade, the AP news agency reports.
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| Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greeted the released prisoners, as Yolande Knell reports |
Israel has released 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal that will see peace talks resume on Wednesday.
Buses carrying the inmates drove them from a prison in central Israel to the Beitunia checkpoint in the West Bank and the Erez crossing with Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greeted the 11 sent to the West Bank, while crowds met the other 15 in Gaza.
Israeli and Palestinian representatives will begin direct talks in Jerusalem after a three-year hiatus.
'Just the first'
The BBC's Yolande Knell says there was a festive atmosphere in the West Bank village of Beitunia when the freed prisoners passed through the nearby checkpoint on Tuesday evening.
The men were then driven to the Muqataa presidential compound in Ramallah, where they were kissed and embraced by President Abbas.
They then prayed at the tomb of the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, before joining the president on a podium to cheers from hundreds of people waiting to see them.
In a speech, Mr Abbas said he would not rest "until we free all the prisoners from Israeli jails".
"We congratulate ourselves and our families for our brothers who left the darkness of the prisons for the light of the sun of freedom. We say to them and to you that the remainder are on their way, these are just the first," he added.
Israel has agreed to free a further 78 long-serving prisoners as part of a deal to revive the peace process. The releases will take place in four tranches over a period of nine months, depending on progress in the talks.
Later, the former prisoners were mobbed by relatives, friends and well-wishers. Several of them were hoisted onto shoulders and paraded through the crowd.
In the northern Gaza Strip, hundreds of people gathered at the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing to greet the prisoners. Fireworks lit the night sky, as supporters of the rival Hamas and Fatah factions, including several masked gunmen, made victory signs and waved flags.
Earlier in the evening, two buses carrying the 26 Palestinians, many of whom were convicted of grisly killings, left Ayalon prison near Tel Aviv. Relatives of their victims, many with their hands painted red, jeered and briefly tried to block the road.
Kevin Connolly speaks to the brother of a murdered Israeli, and a former Palestinian prisoner
One bus headed off to the Erez crossing, while the other went to Ofer prison, near Ramallah, where they were handed over to Palestinian officials before being taken to Ramallah.
The released prisoners were named by the Israeli Prison Service shortly after midnight on Sunday, giving Israelis 48 hours to submit legal challenges to the Supreme Court. The court rejected an appeal by a victims' rights group that objected to all the releases on Tuesday.
The prisoners are seen as heroes of the Palestinian cause, but on the Israeli side they are simply seen as terrorists, our correspondent says.
"I want to see this 'hero' coming back home, saying that he killed a 34-year-old pregnant woman and a five-year old kid," said Avi Moses, who lost his wife and son in a bomb attack in 1987. "They should be ashamed of themselves. They are cowards."
Settlement move 'expected'
Despite the positive Palestinian reaction to the prisoner releases, many fear Wednesday's talks will be overshadowed by the Israeli housing ministry's decision on Sunday to issue tenders for the building of 793 housing units in East Jerusalem and 394 elsewhere in the West Bank.
Palestinian representatives accused Israel of trying to sabotage the negotiations.
About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
On Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged the Palestinians "not to react adversely".
He said the announcement was "to some degree expected", but that he did not expect it would derail the negotiations.
Mr Kerry stated that the US "views all of the settlements as illegitimate" and had "communicated that policy very clearly to Israel".
"I think that what this underscores, actually, is the importance of getting to the table and getting to the table quickly," he added.
On Tuesday, it emerged that the municipality of Jerusalem had approved a further 900 homes close to the Jewish settlement of Gilo in East Jerusalem. A city councillor said construction would not begin for years.
Our correspondent says that when Israeli and Palestinian negotiators return to the negotiating table on Wednesday it will be in a charged atmosphere of renewed mistrust.
Are you in Israel or the Palestinian territories? What are your thoughts on the peace talks due to resume? You can send us your comments using the form below.
Apple shares have fallen 30% since hitting a peak last year
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn says he has built up a "large" stake in Apple.
Mr Icahn says Apple shares are "extremely undervalued" and wants Apple to carry out a bigger share buyback.
In April, Apple said it would return $100bn (£65bn) to shareholders by the end of 2015, by raising its dividend and buying back shares.
Mr Icahn said he had a "nice" conversation with Apple's chief executive Tim Cook and plans to speak to him again shortly.
In response Apple said in a statement: "We appreciate the interest and investment of all our shareholders.
"Tim had a very positive conversation with Mr Icahn today."
A US media report said that Mr Icahn's stake is worth well over $1bn, making it one of his biggest shareholdings.
Since hitting a record of $702 in September 2012, Apple shares have fallen 30%.
The announcement helped to boost those shares, and they closed up 4.75% at $489.57.
In an interview with Reuters Mr Icahn said the shares could reach $700 again, if Apple carries out a $150bn share buyback.
Activist investor
Mr Icahn is known for his aggressive investment style, which involves taking large stakes in firms and pushing managers to change direction.
He is currently involved in a high profile battle to prevent Michael Dell buying back the company he founded.
Mr Icahn claims his plan offers better value for Dell shareholders.
Not all of Mr Icahn's investments become confrontational.
He owns a 10% stake in the internet video service, Netflix and has been happy with the company's performance.
BP's Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded in April 2010
BP is suing the US government for barring the company from obtaining new federal contracts.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned BP last November blaming the firm's "lack of business integrity" after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
The blast in 2010 killed 11 workers and released an estimated four million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
BP says the ban unfairly includes 21 of its subsidiaries that were not connected to the spill.
"We believe that the EPA's action here is inappropriate and unjustified as a matter of law and policy, and we are pursuing our right to seek relief in federal court," said Geoff Morrell, BP's head of US communications.
"At the same time, we remain open to a reasonable settlement with the EPA."
BP is one of the biggest suppliers of fuel to the US government.
The ban has not affected existing contracts but has prevented BP from taking new leases in the Gulf where it drills for oil.
Compensation battle
BP is also in a battle over its compensation scheme for businesses affected by the 2010 oil spill.
It says there is a risk that hundreds of millions of dollars in claims payments could be fraudulent.
But last month a US judge rejected BP's request to suspend all payments related to the Gulf Coast oil spill.
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| The $11bn (£7bn) deal between US Airways and American Airlines would form the world's largest airline |
The US justice department has filed an anti-trust case to block the merger of American Airlines and US Airways.
The $11bn (£7bn) deal, which would form the world's largest airline, was backed by a federal judge in March and has been approved by the European Union.
The complaint says customers would see a price rise as the merger would "substantially lessen competition" in the domestic market.
US Airways boss Doug Parker said the company would fight the injunction.
"We are extremely disappointed in this action and believe the DOJ [Department of Justice] is wrong in its assessment," Mr Parker said in a letter to employees.
The District of Columbia and six US states and have joined the legal action: Texas, where American Airlines is headquartered, Arizona, where US Airways is based, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.
'Higher air fares'
American Airlines and US Airways said that in light of the justice department's action they no longer expected the merger to close by the end of 2013, but that they remained "hopeful" litigation would be over by year's end.
Shares in both companies fell, along with the stock prices of other airlines, as news of the anti-trust case hit the markets on Tuesday.
"By challenging this merger, the Department of Justice is saying that the American people deserve better," US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
"This transaction would result in consumers paying the price - in higher air fares, higher fees and fewer choices."
The lawsuit also cites direct competition between the airlines on nonstop routes worth about $2bn in annual revenues.
In one example, the complaint says the newly merged company would take up 69% percent of flights out of Washington's Reagan National Airport and 63% of nonstop routes out of the airport.
The airlines had previously conceded take-off and landing slots at airports in Philadelphia and London in order to win EU approval last week.
When the deal was announced in February, US Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller also expressed concern that consumers would lose.
American Airlines has been in bankruptcy protection since November 2011, but US Airways has been profitable in recent years.
'Stake in the heart'
The two combined airlines would have 6,700 daily flights and annual revenue of roughly $40bn.
The justice department complaint argues the two companies do not need to merge to continue to be competitive, and that American Airlines is likely to exit bankruptcy as a "vigorous competitor".
The department also cited American Airlines' purchase two years ago of 460 new planes, said to be the largest such order in industry history.
If the merger continues, there will be only three major US airlines, which the justice department alleges "increasingly prefer tacit coordination over full-throated competition".
Some industry analysts suggest that American Airlines and US Airways' ability to compete without a merger is not as strong as the department argues.
"I'm not sure if long term either of these airlines can be a viable competitor by itself," Ray Neidl, an airline analyst at Nexa Capital, told the BBC.
"It probably will cause prices to go down in the short term as they compete, but I think long term US Airways and American are going to have a hard time competing."
But one opponent of the two firms' consolidation, Charlie Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance, told Reuters news agency: "This is a stake in the heart of the merger. I don't see this moving forward."
There are concerns that limited freedoms won for Afghan women are starting to unravel
The Taliban have kidnapped a female Afghan MP as she and her children were travelling in a rural area south of the capital Kabul, the authorities say.
Police said Fariba Ahmadi Kakar was abducted by armed men while travelling in the central province of Ghazni with her three daughters.
It is the first time a female MP has been snatched by insurgents.
Police said the kidnappers had demanded the release of four Taliban prisoners in exchange for Mrs Kakar.
Ms Kakar's children were later released in an operation involving Nato forces and Afghan intelligence - but she is said to be being held in a separate location.
The abduction marks a sinister milestone in violent attacks against prominent women in Afghanistan, says the BBC's Karen Allen in Kabul.
As Nato troops prepare to leave the country at the end of next year, there are very real concerns that limited freedoms won for Afghan women are starting to unravel, our correspondent adds.
Just last month, the most senior policewoman in southern Helmand province was shot dead on her way to work.
And last week, Afghan senator Rooh Gul and her husband survived an attack in Ghazni in which their daughter was killed.
The Arena da Amazonia, in Manaus, is one of the major concerns, with nearly two-thirds of the work still to be done
Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo has said he is worried about delays at five stadiums still being built for next year's football World Cup.
Mr Rebelo said the pace of construction must be accelerated if the venues are to be ready by this December.
Brazil has seen two months of protests against corruption and overspending in the preparation for the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Only one of the six stadiums under construction is on schedule.
The opening match venue in Sao Paulo is 84% built and is expected to be ready by the end of the year, as demanded by the World Cup organisers, Fifa.
'No budget increase'
There are bigger concerns over the pace of work at the arenas being built in Manaus, Curitiba, Cuiaba, Porto Alegre and Natal, which are from 71% to 79% ready.
"This must be seen as a warning. We cannot keep on the same rhythm, or we will not deliver them on time," said Mr Rebelo.
"It is possible to intensify. We are able to meet the deadlines, but it should be noted that it will require us to speed up the construction."
He warned that no extra government funds would be given to construction companies to have the work finished on time.
Brazil and Barcelona star Neymar is the country's biggest hope of success in 2014
"There will be no budget increase, because, for example, instead of paying 10 workers during two months, you can pay 20 to work for 30 days," Mr Rebelo explained.
The World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums across the country.
The opening match is due to take place at a brand-new venue being built in the outskirts of Sao Paulo on 12 June.
The final is scheduled for the 13 July in country's most famous football stadium, the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Six of the World Cup venues were put to test in June during the Confederations Cup, won by Brazil with a 3-0 victory over world champions Spain in the final.
Fifa has previously said that the World Cup will go ahead in Brazil as planned.
"The first game will happen in Sao Paulo, the final will be in Rio. There is no plan B," said Fifa general-secretary Jeremy Valcke during the Confederations Cup.
There are differing accounts of what sparked the violence
Two men have been sentenced to death and three more jailed over a clash in China's far-west Xinjiang region that left 21 people dead.
The incident happened on 23 April in a town in Kashgar prefecture. Fifteen officials or security personnel were among those killed.
China said it was a planned attack by a "violent terrorist group".
But other accounts dispute this, attributing the confrontation to ethnic tensions in the restive region.
Xinjiang is home to the Muslim Uighur minority, who make up about 45% of the region's population but say an influx of Han Chinese residents has marginalised their traditional culture.
The authorities often blame violent incidents in Xinjiang on Uighur extremists seeking autonomy for the region.
Uighur activists, meanwhile, accuse Beijing of over-exaggerating the threat to justify heavy-handed rule.
Verifying reports from Xinjiang is difficult.
While foreign journalists are allowed to travel to the region, they frequently face intimidation and harassment when attempting to verify news of ethnic rioting or organised violence against government authorities.
The BBC team that visited the site of the incident to try to clarify details were taken by police to a government compound and subsequently ordered to leave.
'Religious extremism'
The two men sentenced to death by Kashgar's Intermediate People's Court on murder and terrorism charges were named in state media as Musa Hesen, the co-founder of the "terrorist group", and Rehman Hupur.
Three other men were jailed for terms ranging from nine years to life.
The group had been "carrying out illegal religious activities (and) promoting religious extremism", Xinhua news agency reported, citing a court statement. They had also "made 10 explosive devices and carried out explosive tests", it said.
The violence was sparked when three officials saw suspicious behaviour at a house, Chinese reports say.
Residents seized the officials and several more police who came to the scene, many of whom burned to death when the house was set on fire. Security personnel shot six suspects, Chinese reports say.
But a group of local people in Selibuya town, where the clashes happened, told the BBC that the violence involved a local family who had a long-standing dispute with officials who wanted the men to shave their beards and the women to stop wearing full veils.
A spokesperson for the World Uighur Congress, an umbrella organisation of Uighur groups, also disputed the government's version, saying the clashes were a result of a government clean-up campaign.
The incident comes amid rumbling ethnic tensions between the Muslim Uighur and Han Chinese communities.
In 2009 almost 200 people - mostly Han Chinese - were killed in deadly rioting in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi.
There have been sporadic eruptions of violence since then - in June 2013, 35 people were killed in rioting in the township of Lukqun, about 200km (120 miles) south-east of Urumqi.
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| As Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports, the boat will be scrapped after residents said it brought back painful memories |
A Japanese town has decided to scrap a marooned fishing boat which has become a symbol of the devastating 2011 tsunami, officials say.
Residents of Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture voted to scrap the Kyotoku Maru No 18 - swept inland by a giant wave triggered by a strong earthquake.
There had been plans to preserve the boat as a monument.
The tsunami and earthquake on 11 March 2011 left more than 18,000 people dead or missing in Japan.
The magnitude 9.0 quake, Japan's most powerful since records began, also triggered a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The earthquake struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. The tsunami it triggered hit the north-eastern coast of the main island of Honshu, sweeping away cars, ships and buildings, and crushing coastal communities.
Kesennuma, with an estimated population of 70,000, was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami.
After the disaster, people started visiting the marooned 60-metre (200-foot) boat to pray, take photographs and leave flowers.
Continue reading the main story
The Kyotoku Maru No 18 is said to be 60 metres (200 feet) in length
But last week, it was announced that the majority of the city residents had voted to have the ship broken up for scrap.
"Our city has decided to demolish the vessel since nearly 70% of residents did not want to preserve it," a local official was quoted by Agence-France Presse news agency as saying.
"It's just a constant reminder of the terrible disaster," resident Yoshimi Abe told the Associated Press news agency. "When I walk by it every morning, my heart aches."
City Mayor Shigeru Sugawara expressed disappointment that the boat, which he said was a "visible symbol of what happened here", would be destroyed, but he said the decision had been made.
The vessel may be taken apart in a few weeks, reports say.
Kyodo news agency reports that a non-profit ship recycler has been contacted to dismantle the vessel, which is owned by fishing company Gisuke Gyogo in Fukushima prefecture.
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| Fire gutted a large section of the airport complex |
International flights have resumed at the main airport in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, following Wednesday's fire that gutted parts of the airport.
A plane from London was the first to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 06:30 local time (03:30 GMT), Kenyan airport authorities said.
Other planes from Bangkok and Kilimanjaro also landed on Thursday.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Kenyan authorities say no serious injuries were reported.
The Nairobi airport is a regional hub serving more than 16,000 passengers daily and its closure caused widespread disruption.
International flights into the city had been diverted to other airports in Eldoret and the coastal city of Mombasa.
On Wednesday the interior ministry announced the resumption of domestic and cargo services.
The fire took about four hours to bring under control, by which time the arrivals hall had been gutted.
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| Experts say it will be years before problems at the plant can be fully contained |
On Wednesday, a government official said up to 300 tonnes of highly radioactive water may be flowing into the sea every day.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government would take "firm measures" to contain the leak.
One proposal being considered is to freeze the ground around the plant.
The plant was badly damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. It has been hit by a spate of water leaks and power failures in recent months.
"Rather than relying on [plant operator] Tokyo Electric, the government will take measures," Mr Abe told reporters on Wednesday.
"This is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed."
Penn Bowers, a research analyst at CLSA Asia Pacific in Tokyo, told the BBC that the government appeared to be set to take a bigger role in the Tepco clean-up.
"[The government has] invested capital in the company to date but not taken any direct operational steps at the facility until now," he said.
'Frozen wall'
Contaminated water may have been leaking from the plant into the sea ever since the 2011 nuclear disaster, an official at Japan's energy ministry said.
The government believed that up to 300 tonnes of radioactive water could be leaking into the sea on a daily basis, the official added.
However, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) told the BBC that the figure was only a guess, and that it was not clear how much water flowing into the sea was contaminated with radiation.
The contaminated water is thought to have come from the 400 tonnes of groundwater pumped into the plant every day to cool the reactors, after cooling systems were knocked out by the tsunami.
The government is discussing proposals to build a wall of frozen ground around the reactor buildings to prevent further leaks. Reports suggest this could cost up to 40bn yen ($400m; £260m).
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| Chinese trade data is often seen as unreliable |
Growth in Chinese exports and imports rose more than expected in July, a sharp recovery from the previous month.
Chinese exports rose 5.1% compared with a year earlier while imports gained 10.9%.
The rises were wild swings from June's data, which showed exports had fallen 3.1% and imports had dropped 0.7%.
Last month, the government reiterated its 7.5% economic growth target for this year, after expansion slowed in the second quarter.
The July data meant the trade surplus narrowed to $17.8bn (£11.5bn), down from June's $27.1bn.
'Stabilisation'
Analysts said the results were surprisingly good, but warned against being too optimistic.
"July seems to reflect a return to a 'normal', relatively uninspiring trend after a weak June, rather than the beginning of an acceleration in growth," said Alaistair Chan from Moody's Analytics in a report. "While the worst seems to be over, the upturn will be relatively flat."
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“Start Quote
Wei YaoSociete GeneraleThe fundamentals in the economy did not support such a strong rebound”
China has seen its manufacturing and exports sector slow in the wake of the global financial crisis that has sapped demand for its products. These sectors were the main drivers of the economy for China through its years of blistering growth.
In June, China saw export growth decline for the first time in 17 months.
Analysts said the rise in exports was a stabilisation.
"The higher-than-expected export growth is easier to understand and this kind of growth rate still reflects that external demand just picked up very slowly," said Wei Yao from Societe Generale in Hong Kong. "It is more of a stabilisation rather than a sharp rebound."
Mixed messages
However, she said the sharp rebound in imports was harder to explain.
"Even though the government had announced some supportive measures, they should not show effects so soon. The fundamentals in the economy did not support such a strong rebound," she said.
Chinese data in general, and especially trade data, is often seen as being unreliable, with some suggesting that false invoicing and other factors could skew the numbers.
The data comes after mixed data from the Chinese economy last week, with official and private surveys of the country's manufacturing sector showing differing results.
The Chinese economy posted growth of 7.8% in 2012, its slowest pace since 1999.
Data showed it had since slowed further, with growth in the April-June period faltering to 7.5% compared to the previous year, from 7.7% in the first quarter.
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| Spectators watched as the house where Ariel Castro held Amanda Berry, Gina De Jesus and Michelle Knight captive, was demolished |
The house in Cleveland, Ohio, where Ariel Castro held three women in brutal captivity for years has been torn down.
At about 07:30 local time (11:30 GMT), a wrecking machine smashed through the house to begin the demolition.
Castro, 53, a former school bus driver, was sentenced to life in prison last week after pleading guilty to dozens of rape, kidnapping and other charges.
He abducted Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, from Cleveland streets between 2002-04.
Authorities say he kept the women chained for long periods in the house, beating and starving them and forcing one of them to miscarry several pregnancies.
Cheering onlookers
The women were freed in May after one of them escaped while Castro was out of the house and summoned help.
He was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years on 1 August.
Continue reading the main story
Michelle Knight, centre, visited the house where she was held captive for 11 years
On Wednesday morning, Ms Knight spent several minutes in front of the house where she was held for 11 years as Castro's captive, a period she had described at his sentencing as "hell".
Then a crew of workers wearing high-visibility jackets tore the house down using heavy demolition kit, as neighbours and television crews looked on. Onlookers cheered.
Within minutes, the house was reduced to a pile of rubble.
Castro's neighbours in the working-class district of Cleveland had vowed to see the house demolished at the conclusion of the trial.
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| A plume of smoke were visible kilometres away, as Naomi Grimley reports |
Air travellers across Africa are facing long delays after a huge fire ripped through the main airport in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, forcing its closure.
Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded outside Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
It has reopened for cargo and domestic services, though many flights have been diverted to other regional airports.
The Kenyan authorities say no casualties have been reported and that the blaze has been contained.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Security officials say they are waiting to inspect the damage before drawing any conclusions.
James Ole Lenku: "We will make sure that we establish the true cause of the fire. As of now we don't know what's happened"
However, correspondents say the airport is old and overcrowded.
'Slow response'
The fire started in the airport's international arrivals and immigration area at around 05:00 (02:00 GMT) and spread quickly. Dark smoke was seen billowing into the sky above Nairobi as the blaze took hold.
Passengers arriving on international flights - some still in their seats - reported hearing explosions from the terminal building.
"When I arrived there were one or two fire engines parked outside the international arrivals. It spread very fast,'' British passenger, Martyn Collbeck, told the Associated Press. "I would have expected more fire engines to respond faster."
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Emmanuel IgunzaBBC News, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
At the scene
Emmanuel IgunzaBBC News, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
The plumes of smoke bellowing from the arrival area of the airport could be seen from as far as 4km (2.5 miles) away. Outside the arrival area I saw passengers sitting on the pavement with their luggage - stranded in the early morning cold.
Those who had witnessed the fire start described scenes of chaos as people ran in the wrong direction, before rushing back out to safety. Some said they heard small explosions as the fire intensified. Hundreds of airport staff were also evacuated from the arrival area.
It was all hands on deck as firefighters from Nairobi County, the army and private firms battled the fire. I saw dozens of army officers with buckets rushing to the scene.
Some passengers complained that they had been left stranded with no information regarding their connecting flights, and no food or water.
Fire engines battled through Nairobi's infamous traffic jams to reach the airport. Witnesses said some did not arrive until one or two hours after the fire began. Many engines also quickly ran out of water.
It took about four hours to bring the fire under control, by which time the arrivals hall had been gutted. There were no immediate reports of any deaths of serious injuries, although two people were treated for smoke inhalation.
International flights carrying business travellers and tourists were initially diverted to the southern coastal city of Mombasa.
Later, flights were also diverted to Eldoret in the north-west and Kisumu in the west, as well as Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and Entebbe in Uganda. Passengers faced bus journeys of hundreds of miles to reach Nairobi.
Passengers outside the airport said they had been stranded with no information, reports the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza at the airport.
"This is too much. It was very nice here but this is just a mess," said Medr Gudru, a German tourist who had hoped to fly home on Wednesday.
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The fire is believed to have started in the immigration zone at about 05:00 (02:00 GMT)
"The airlines are working to assist stranded passengers and advise them on the measures being put in place to resume services at JKIA,'' said Stephen Gichuki, director of the Kenyan Airports Authority (KAA).
On Wednesday afternoon, almost 12 hours after the fire began, government officials said the airport had reopened for domestic and cargo flights.
Eyewitness: "I could see there was really no plan of action - people were just running from left to right"
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Kamau told reporters that the authorities would begin preparing the small domestic terminal for handling international departures and arrivals.
"We started pitching tents on the airside for handling departing passengers," he added.
President Uhuru Kenyatta - whose father the airport is named after - has toured the remains of the international arrivals hall to see the damage. The building was gutted by the fire and the roof has partially collapsed. The floor is covered in debris and water.
'Disastrous'
The airport is a regional hub and a vital part of Kenya's tourism industry, reports BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding in Johannesburg.
Continue reading the main story
Jomo Kenyatta Airport
- Busiest airport in east and central Africa, and seventh busiest in Africa
- Handles six million passengers a year
- Hub for neighbouring countries as well as cities as far away as Lagos, Johannesburg and Cairo - as well as gateway to continent for Europe and Asia
- Serves 49 destinations in 23 countries, across five continents
- Key export point for Kenya's flower industry, one of the country's top foreign exchange earners - Kenyan flowers account for 35% of flowers imported into the EU
"President Kenyatta wishes to reassure the entire aviation industry, investors, local and international travellers that everything is being done to resume normal operations," presidential spokesman Manoah Esipisu said.
A third of Europe's flower imports, and many fresh vegetables, also come from Kenya.
"This is disastrous," Jane Ngige, chief executive officer of the exporters association, Kenya Flower Council, told the Reuters news agency.
Shares in Kenya Airways, which uses the airport as its main hub, fell 2% after the fire.
Foreign airlines which use the terminal include British Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, KLM, Turkish Airways, South African Airways and Ethiopian Airways.
Kenya Airways said flights from London and Bangkok would land as scheduled in Nairobi on Thursday morning, according to the Reuters news agency.
British Airways said it was in contact with the authorities to provide customers due to travel with as much information and notice as possible.
