Tropical storm to hit Mexico shortly

A tropical storm, codenamed Rosa, which has been brewing off Mexico's southern Pacific coast for several days, is forecast to hit the mainland shortly.

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected.

Although tropical storm Rosa is reported to be weakening, the Mexican authorities have issued a storm warning along a five-hundred kilometre stretch of coastline.

Correspondents say the unpredictability of the storm over the past few days has made forecasting particularly difficult - early on Tuesday meteorologists warned the storm might hit the coast southeast of Acapulco, but late yesterday they changed their warning as Rosa moved further south towards the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service