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By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Pathologists examining the body of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned with a rare radioactive isotope nine years ago in London, carried out the world's most dangerous-ever autopsy on his body, an inquiry into his killing heard on Wednesday. British police say Kremlin critic Litvinenko died three weeks after drinking tea poisoned with polonium-210 at the plush Millennium hotel, which they believe was administered by two Russians Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun. At its opening at London's High Court on Tuesday, the inquiry was told Litvinenko had told police Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally ordered his death. Litvinenko's health deteriorated rapidly after his meeting with Lugovoy and Kovtun on Nov. 1, 2006 and he died later that month having suffered multiple organ failure.

By Scott Malone MARSHFIELD, Mass. (Reuters) - Ocean Street in the waterfront Massachusetts town of Marshfield was littered with lobster traps, downed wires and chunks of houses on Wednesday, the day after a massive blizzard hammered New England. Notably absent was much of the 2 feet (30 cm) of snow that blanketed much of the Boston area, since for much of the storm, Ocean Street was under water because of flooding from a breached sea wall. "This area sees flooding regularly, but we haven't seen damage like this since the blizzard of '78," town planner Greg Guimond said as he surveyed the wreckage.

BOSTON (AP) — Trudging through knee-high snow, New Englanders began digging out from a blizzard Wednesday with grudging respect for the forecasters, who missed the mark in New York but were right on the money in the Boston area.