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Afghan head set for Qatar talks

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 31 Maret 2013 | 19.15

31 March 2013 Last updated at 00:47 ET

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in the Gulf state of Qatar on a two-day state visit for talks with the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

The possibility of the Taliban opening a political office in Qatar is expected to be discussed, officials say.

The setting up of an office in Qatar is regarded as a key step in formalising a channel for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

US-led Western troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

The Taliban itself has so far refused to talk to Mr Karzai, describing him as an American puppet, although it did hold inconclusive discussions with United States officials last year.

Last month, President Karzai issued an order banning Afghan security forces from calling in foreign air strikes in residential areas, because of heightened tensions about the extent of civilian casualties.

Mr Karzai's office said the talks in Qatar would focus on bilateral cooperation and on Afghanistan's peace process.

Last month Mr Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said that they would work towards a peace deal for Afghanistan within six months.

"The opening of the Taliban office in Qatar is not related to Karzai, it is a matter between the Taliban and the Qatar government," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"Our representatives who are already in Qatar won't see or talk to him."

As the Afghan president's visit began on Saturday, there were reports that two children and nine suspected Taliban militants had been killed in an air strike by international forces close to the south-eastern city of Ghazni.

A Nato spokesman quoted by Reuters news agency said an Afghan police patrol had come under attack and had called in a helicopter for support.


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Odinga vows peaceful Kenya struggle

31 March 2013 Last updated at 02:41 ET

Defeated Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga has said he will seek peaceful ways to end a row over poll results, which gave a narrow first round victory to rival Uhuru Kenyatta.

He was speaking after Kenya's Supreme Court upheld Mr Kenyatta's victory, rejecting Mr Odinga's challenges.

He said he accepted the court verdict because he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

But two people died and 11 were hurt as Odinga supporters clashed with police in his western stronghold of Kisumu.

There was an angry mood in the Nairobi slums of Kibera, says the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in the city, and police briefly used tear gas to chase away protesters outside the courthouse. Tensions were reported in another slum, Mathare.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Once the dust settles on this period of uncertainty, there will still be questions about how this election was conducted, and the implications of the failings of the IEBC, the electoral commission, for future polls.

Meanwhile, Uhuru Kenyatta has been receiving the customary international congratulations. In the run-up to the election, some had warned of "consequences" if Kenya elected a president indicted by the International Criminal Court.

That has now become a reality. The key test will be to what extent diplomats, and indeed Mr Kenyatta himself, can mitigate those consequences.

But our correspondent says that dire predictions of a return to the violence of five years ago has not yet come true, and any lingering questions over the conduct of the election have been subordinated to an overwhelming national imperative: peace.

The violence that followed a disputed election in 2007 left more than 1,200 people dead.

The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held on 4 March were the first since the 2007 poll.

Official results said Mr Kenyatta beat Mr Odinga - who is currently prime minister - by 50.07% to 43.28%, avoiding a run-off by just 8,100 votes.

Mr Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are expected to be sworn in as president and vice-president on 9 April.

But they are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly fuelling unrest after that election. They deny the charges.

'Wounds opened'

In a BBC interview, Mr Odinga said he wanted to avoid the kind of bloodshed that had occurred five years ago.

"I am going to tell my people to look at peaceful ways of resolving this issue," he said. "The Supreme Court is just one step, there are many other avenues.

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Uhuru Kenyatta

  • Born October 1961, son of founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
  • Heir to one of the largest fortunes in Kenya, according to Forbes magazine
  • Groomed by former President Daniel arap Moi to be his successor, but heavily lost 2002 election to Mwai Kibaki
  • Second African president to be indicted by ICC, after Sudan's Omar al-Bashir

"Wounds have not been healed, in fact they've been opened up by what's happened."

He hinted that if nothing was done there could be a return to violence.

"I fear that five years from now, there will be voter apathy. This will lead people to explore other means to resolve this issue," he said.

Some of Mr Odinga's supporters were less diplomatic.

"We cannot trust the court, democracy is dead in Kenya," one man protesting outside the courthouse told the BBC.

Earlier the court, in a unanimous decision, declared the elections free and fair and said Mr Kenyatta had been "validly elected".

Supporters of Mr Kenyatta took to the streets of central Nairobi after the verdict, tooting their horns, blowing on vuvuzelas and chanting.

The president-elect made a televised victory speech hours after the announcement, vowing to work with and serve all Kenyans "without any discrimination whatsoever".

Mr Odinga responded to the verdict with a speech expressing "dismay" at the conduct of the election but saying he fully respected the court's decision.

Petitions had been filed to the court by the prime minister and by civil society groups, who claimed irregularities had affected the election result and called for fresh elections. However, much of their evidence was dismissed by the court.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has insisted that the vote was credible, despite technical failures with an electronic voter ID system and the vote counting mechanism.

International observers said the poll was largely free, fair and credible, and that the electoral commission had conducted its business in an open and transparent manner.


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Kruger helicopter crash kills five

31 March 2013 Last updated at 03:17 ET

Five members of the South African military have died in a helicopter crash, officials said.

The aircraft was patrolling the Kruger National Park on Saturday evening looking for rhino poachers.

The patrol was routine and an investigation is under way.

The poaching of rhinos is rampant in South Africa. Their horns are sold in Asia, where some believe they have medicinal purposes, although there is no evidence to support it.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation quoted Brig Gen Xolani Mabanga as saying that the Agusta A1-0-9 light utility helicopter had come down at around 19:00 GMT on Saturday, killing all five people on board.

Gen Mabanga said the ministry of defence extended condolences to the families of the deceased, all members of the South African National Defence Force.


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Apple denied iPad Mini US trademark

31 March 2013 Last updated at 07:34 ET

Apple has been denied a trademark for the popular iPad Mini by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The trademark application for the tablet was turned down because the name was "merely descriptive" and did not create a unique meaning, it said.

But Apple still has until July to persuade the Patent Office that the smaller tablet differs sufficiently from its iconic sibling.

Apple has been involved in a series of patent disputes with rival firms.

It won a landmark case against Korea's Samsung last year but this month, a judge in the US ordered the $1bn (£660m) in damages awarded to Apple be cut by 40% and set a new trial to assess the level of damages.

The award was the biggest in a series of global legal fights between the two companies over patents.

The Patent Office issued the letter in January, although it has only just emerged.

In it, it said the "applied-for mark merely describes a feature or characteristic of applicant's goods".

The terms "mini" and "pad" and the prefix "i-" were all descriptive, it decided.

Neither as individual terms nor as a composite result - iPad Mini - did they "create a unique, incongruous, or non-descriptive meaning in relation to the goods being small handheld mobile devices comprising tablet computers capable of providing internet access".

In its last quarter to January, Apple said that it sold a record 22.9 million iPads and iPad Minis.


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France house fire kills children

31 March 2013 Last updated at 07:56 ET

Five children have died in a house fire in northern France, officials say.

The blaze in Saint-Quentin town, about 130km (80 miles) north-east of Paris was accidental, early reports say.

The children's father was also present but escaped with light burns, local officials said.

On Saturday, three people were killed and 13 injured in a fire in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. Officials suspect the fire was "of criminal origin" and an investigation has begun.

Officials said that the blaze, which began at around 22:30 local time (21:30 GMT) in Saint-Quentin was most likely accidental.

The father jumped from the first floor of the building and raised the alarm, local media reports say.

But by the time emergency services arrived, the building was not safe to enter and the children's bodies were discovered when the fire had been put out.

Four of those injured in the Aubervilliers fire were in a serious condition. Around 60 people were reported to be in the seven-storey building when the fire began.

"The fire was probably of criminal origin, it looks like it was a settling of scores," the mayor's Chief of Staff Michael Dahan told TF1 radio.

Aubervilliers' deputy mayor for housing Evelyne Yonnet told French media the building was "very badly managed, with a squatting problem".

Those who escaped from the building were being temporarily housed in a local gymnasium, reports say.


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Prosecutors question Egypt satirist

31 March 2013 Last updated at 08:06 ET

Prosecutors in Egypt are questioning the popular Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef over allegations of insulting Islam and President Mohammed Morsi.

Mr Youssef arrived at the public prosecutor's office on Sunday morning, a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He has faced several complaints over his show El Bernameg (The Programme), which satirises many public figures.

The case has highlighted worries about press freedoms in Egypt.

At one point during his arrival at the prosecutor's office Mr Youssef donned an oversized academic hat, mocking one which Mr Morsi wore recently when he received an honorary doctorate in Pakistan.

In a statement sent out on his Twitter account as he arrived, he said that lawyers and policemen at the office wanted their picture taken with him, and joked that this was perhaps the real reason for his summons.

'Super Morsi'

Bassem Youssef is a doctor who shot to fame after winning a large number of followers with his witty lampooning of public figures in amateur videos posted on the internet following the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's rule in February 2011.

He became a household name when his satirical show - likened to Jon Stewart's The Daily Show in the US - began to be broadcast three times a week on one of Egypt's independent satellite stations.

But sketches in which he portrayed Mr Morsi as a pharaoh, calling him "Super Morsi" for holding on to executive and legislative powers, and, separately, putting the president's image on a pillow and parodying his speeches angered one Islamist lawyer, whose formal complaint resulted in the investigation.

As well as insulting Mr Morsi and Islam, Mr Youssef is also accused of "spreading false news with the aim of disrupting public order".

Mr Youssef's case is also seen as the latest in a string of prosecution actions against opponents of the president and the movement that supports him, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Earlier this week, Egypt's top prosecutor ordered the arrest of five political activists, among them a leading blogger, on suspicion of inciting aggression against the Brotherhood.

Many journalists have criticised the Islamist-backed constitution which came into force earlier this year, arguing it does not offer enough guarantees for a free media.

The constitution also sparked protests from opponents who say it favours Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians.


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Prayers for ailing Nelson Mandela

31 March 2013 Last updated at 08:34 ET
Newspaper front page 'World prays for Madiba'

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People in South Africa are following Mandela's recovery closely

Churches across South Africa are holding prayers for Nelson Mandela, who has been in hospital for four days being treated for pneumonia.

Several hundred people gathered at the Regina Mundi church in Soweto - once a focal point of the struggle against apartheid.

On Saturday, South Africa's presidency said Mr Mandela, 94, was breathing without difficulty.

It said excess fluid had been drained from the lungs to ease his breathing.

There are no details yet on how long he will remain in hospital and no statement on his condition has been given for the past 24 hours.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Continue reading the main story

Nelson Mandela: Key dates

  • 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
  • 1943 Joins African National Congress
  • 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
  • 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
  • 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
  • 1990 Freed from prison
  • 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
  • 1994 Elected first black president
  • 1999 Steps down as leader
  • 2004 Retires from public life
  • 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

Pleural effusion

The statement read by presidential spokesman, Mac Maharaj, on Saturday said that Mr Mandela had been admitted to hospital "due to a recurrence of pneumonia".

It said: "Doctors advised that due to the lung infection, former President Mandela had developed a pleural effusion which was tapped. This has resulted in him now being able to breathe without difficulty.

"He continues to respond to treatment and is comfortable."

Mr Maharaj, a prisoner on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela in the 1960s and 70s, said the presidency "would like to acknowledge and thank all who have been praying for, and sending messages of support for, Madiba and his family."

Madiba is Mandela's clan name and is widely used to refer to him.

The hospital Mr Mandela is attending has not been disclosed.

Last December Mr Mandela was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990.

In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

When asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma told BBC News: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

Continue reading the main story

Pneumonia

  • Causes inflammation of one or both lungs in the chest, usually due to infection
  • Disrupts process whereby oxygen is taken into the body and carbon dioxide removed
  • Interruption of oxygen to the tissues can be fatal, but modern antibiotics are good treatment
  • Can lead to pleural effusion - excess fluid accumulating between the two pleural layers, the space that surrounds the lungs

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says South Africans have been praying for the recovery of Mr Mandela, who remains a moral beacon in the country despite withdrawing from public life almost a decade ago.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.


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Pope delivers Easter plea for peace

31 March 2013 Last updated at 09:14 ET
Pope Francis

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Pope Francis: "We ask the risen Jesus... to change hatred into love"

Pope Francis has delivered a passionate plea for peace in his first Easter Sunday message since being elected..

Francis used his "Urbi et Orbi" address to call for peace in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and across the globe.

He singled out "dear Syria", saying: "How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution is found?"

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar and pilgrims have attended church across the world.

  • In Iraq, Catholics flocked to churches amid tight security. Some 200 worshippers celebrated Mass at St Joseph Chaldean Church in Baghdad
  • In South Africa, many congregations included ailing former President Nelson Mandela in their prayers
  • In a message for Easter, UK Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "incredible role" played by Christian churches and organisations in Britain and around the globe
'Divided by greed'

Pope Francis, formerly Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected on 13 March, becoming the first non-European pope for almost 1,300 years.

He replaced Benedict XVI, who held the office for eight years and became the first pontiff in more than 700 years to resign, saying he no longer had the physical strength to continue.

In his Urbi et Orbi (To the city and the world) speech, Pope Francis began with a simple "Happy Easter!"

Continue reading the main story
  • Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent
  • Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969
  • Studied in Argentina, Chile and Germany
  • Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998
  • Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice
  • First Latin American and first Jesuit to become pope, the 266th to lead the Church

The 76-year-old Pope, who has begun his tenure by emphasising humility, went on: "Christ has risen! What a joy it is for me to announce this message... I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons."

Later in his speech, Pope Francis said: "We ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace."

The Pope then mentioned troubled regions of the world in turn.

"Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long.

"Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort."

For Africa, the Pope referred to Mali, Nigeria - "where attacks sadly continue" - the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

He added: "Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow."

Pope Francis concluded by saying: "Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st Century."

BBC Rome correspondent, Alan Johnston, says the Pope has reinforced his image as a man of simple, down-to-earth tastes, not wearing the more ostentatious of papal costumes and, for the moment, not moving into the grandiose papal apartments.

One pilgrim in Rome on Sunday, Briton Tina Hughes, said that Francis represented a "new beginning".

"I think he brings something special. He connects with people. I feel good about him," she told Reuters.

In the days before Easter, the Pope had reached out to women and Muslims.

During a Holy Thursday Mass at a youth detention centre he washed and kissed the feet of 12 people, including two girls and two Muslims, and in a Good Friday procession referred to the "friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters" in the Middle East.

But our correspondent says that, after Easter, the Pope will have to begin tackling the key issues facing the Catholic Church, such as reforming a Vatican bureaucracy riven by infighting and allegations of corruption, and tackling the issue of clerical sexual abuse.

Vatican watchers will also be keeping a keen eye on new appointments to key positions.

In his Easter homily, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, invited the Pope to visit.

The patriarch, the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, also urged the international community to take "concrete and effective decisions to find a balanced and just solution for the Palestinian cause, which lies at the heart of all the Middle East's troubles".


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Obama promotes infrastructure plan

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 30 Maret 2013 | 19.15

29 March 2013 Last updated at 15:37 ET

US President Barack Obama has appealed for increased private investment in infrastructure, saying it will create jobs and boost the US economy.

Mr Obama outlined his plans at Port Miami, which is undergoing a $2bn (£1.3bn) upgrade and tunnel project.

Among his proposals was $4bn in new infrastructure loans and grants.

He also repeated a call for a $10bn "infrastructure bank" to attract investment for projects that will have the greatest impact on the economy.

The Obama administration is proposing tax breaks for foreign pension funds that invest in US infrastructure, and bonds designed to attract investors in larger projects.

"There are few more important things we can do to create jobs right now and strengthen our economy over the long haul than rebuilding the infrastructure that powers our businesses and our economy," Mr Obama said in Miami.

'Work to be done'

The upgrades at Port Miami - including a tunnel under the bay designed to link a highway with the port - are being funded by taxpayers as well as private investors.

Mr Obama noted that the involvement of several jurisdictions, as well as private companies whose payments were tied to performance, meant "construction workers are on the job digging this tunnel, doing great jobs, getting good pay".

"What are we waiting for?" Mr Obama said, turning his attention to the wider US. "There's work to be done, there are workers who are ready to do it."

All of Mr Obama's proposals require Congressional action, including the "infrastructure bank", a proposal he introduced in his first term that was never acted upon.

But the turn toward private funding is driven in part by Republican opposition to increased government spending, analysts say.

Republicans have been reluctant to support additional projects since Mr Obama and the Democrats passed a $787bn stimulus plan in 2009 that included infrastructure funding.

And Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott has criticised Mr Obama for being "late to the party", arguing Florida taxpayers have had to pick up too much of the tab for the Miami and other port projects because the president was slow to support them.

In a conference call with reporters on Friday, a senior Obama administration official said the proposals would not add to the federal budget deficit, saying details would be spelled out in the president's budget, expected to be released on 10 April.

After touring the tunnel project at the port, Mr Obama said that such projects should draw support from both Republicans and his fellow Democrats, noting that both union groups and the pro-business US Chamber of Commerce agreed on the need for increased infrastructure spending.

"I know that members of Congress are happy to welcome projects like this in their districts," he said. "I know because I've seen them at the ribbon-cuttings.

"If you think it's good for your district, then it's probably good for other districts, too."


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Xi wraps up Africa trip in Congo

29 March 2013 Last updated at 20:29 ET

Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a string of deals and pledged to bolster bilateral ties as he ended a trip to Africa in the Republic of Congo.

The deals include a river port in Oyo, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso's hometown, and a sea port in Pointe-Noire that can export mineral ores shipments.

Congo is a major oil producer. China is already its biggest trading partner.

Before Congo, Mr Xi visited Tanzania and South Africa.

China has become one of Africa's major trading partners in recent years.

On Friday, Mr Xi said he wanted to raise ties with Congo "to a new and higher level".

"The future, the development of China will be an unprecedented opportunity for Africa, and Africa's development will be the same for my country," he told parliament in the capital, Brazzaville.

"We expect to work together with our African friends to seize upon historic opportunities and deepen cooperation ... in order to bring greater benefit to the Chinese and African peoples."

President Sassou Nguesso praised China, rejecting charges of neo-colonialism sometimes levelled against the Asian superpower.

During his week-long trip Mr Xi has sought to present China's relationship with Congo as a partnership of equals.

China and Congo have already launched projects worth several billion dollars, including a motorway between Brazzaville and the economic capital of Pointe-Noire.

Trade between China and Congo rose from $290m (£190m) in 2002 to $5bn last year, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Though Congo is one of sub-Saharan Africa's top oil producers, some 70% of the country's 4.1 million people live in poverty.


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Tanzania collapse 'leaves 17 dead'

30 March 2013 Last updated at 03:48 ET
Rescue workers remove debris at the site of a building collapse in Tanzania

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The aftermath of the building collapse- video courtesy of Muhidin Michuzi

At least 17 people have been killed after a multi-storey building collapsed in the centre of the main Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam on Friday morning, according to a local official.

Commissioner Saidi Meck Sadick said 18 people had survived.

He added that the search for other survivors was continuing.

Earlier reports said some 45 people, including construction workers, residents and children from a Koranic school, were missing.

The BBC's Hassan Mhelela says the high-rise building under construction is now a "huge pile of chaos".

Eyewitness Nishit Surelia told the BBC: "There was a huge noise and the building collapsed behind me.

"Everyone started running, thinking it was an earthquake. There was dust everywhere. We then realised what had happened."

Trapped victims are said to have been making phone calls to friends and relatives.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete visited the scene.

The collapsed building was near a mosque, as well as other residential and commercial properties in central Dar es Salaam.

It was supposed to have been at least 12 floors high when finished.

Police say they are questioning four people linked to the construction company, while work on a nearby site undertaken by the same company has been suspended.

Tanzania's growing economy has prompted a construction boom in Dar es Salaam in recent years, as in many African cities.

But correspondents say the speed of construction and lack of safety standards sometimes put at risk both the buildings and those living and working in them.


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N Korea in 'state of war' with South

30 March 2013 Last updated at 06:29 ET
North Korea rally

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The BBC's Lucy Williamson: "North Korea and America are in a kind of 'who blinks first' game"

North Korea has said it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea in the latest escalation of rhetoric against its neighbour and the US.

A statement promised "stern physical actions" against "any provocative act".

North Korea has threatened attacks almost daily since it was sanctioned for a third nuclear test in February.

However, few think the North would risk full-blown conflict. It has technically been at war with the South since 1953 as no peace treaty has been signed.

An armistice at the end of the Korean War was never turned into a full treaty.

'Taking threats seriously'

The North carried out its third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of fresh sanctions.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Over the past few weeks, there's been an ever-growing war of words between the two sides, and this latest statement in particular has made the Koreas' neighbours nervous.

Tensions have built quickly since the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea. The fact that Pyongyang's only major ally, China, backed the sanctions - and even helped to frame them - has left the North's regime feeling more isolated than ever. Some believe its current hardline rhetoric is in part to send a warning to Beijing not to antagonise it.

Most analysts believe that Pyongyang is unlikely to start a full-blown war with South Korea or its key ally, the US, but that other kinds of provocations are much more likely. And with South Korea promising a strong response to any action by the North, many fear that a minor - or even accidental - incident could quickly escalate.

The annual US-South Korean military exercises have also taken place, angering Pyongyang further.

A North Korean statement released on Saturday said: "From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly.

"The long-standing situation of the Korean peninsula being neither at peace nor at war is finally over."

In Washington, Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said the US had "seen reports of a new and unconstructive statement from North Korea".

"We take these threats seriously and remain in close contact with our South Korean allies," she said.

North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

On Thursday, North Korean state media reported leader Kim Jong-un "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists".

He was said to have condemned US B-2 bomber sorties over South Korea during military exercises as a "reckless phase" that represented an "ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost on the Korean peninsula".

US mainland and bases in Hawaii, Guam and South Korea were all named as potential targets.

State media in the North showed thousands of soldiers and students at a mass rally in Pyongyang supporting Kim Jong-un's announcement.

North Korea's most advanced missiles are thought to be able to reach Alaska, but not the rest of the US mainland.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations.

Continue reading the main story

Timeline: Korean tensions

  • 12 Dec: North Korea fires three-stage rocket, in move condemned by UN as banned test of long-range missile technology
  • 12 Feb: North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, its third after tests in 2006 and 2009
  • 7 Mar: UN approves fresh sanctions on Pyongyang; North Korea says it has the right to a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US
  • 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual joint military drills begin; North Korea says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice (the UN says the pact cannot be unilaterally scrapped)
  • 19 Mar: US flies B-2 nuclear-capable bombers over Korean peninsula, following several North Korean threats to attack US and South Korean targets
  • 20 Mar: Broadcasters and banks in South Korea hit by cyber attack, the origin of which remains unknown, days after North Korea says some of its sites were hacked
  • 27 Mar: North Korea cuts military hotline with South, the last official direct link between the two
  • 28 Mar: US flies stealth bombers over Korean peninsula; showcasing ability for precision strike "at will"
  • 30 Mar: North Korea says it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea

A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

The jointly run Kaesong industrial park, just north of the border, is still in operation. However on Saturday, Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency said it would be closed if insults to the North's "dignity" continued.

On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010, it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths.

'Maximum restraint'

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the latest rhetoric only deepened North Korea's isolation.

China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, has reiterated its call for all sides to ease tensions.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news conference that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation".

On Saturday, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Grigory Logvinov told the Interfax news agency: "We expect all sides to show maximum responsibility and restraint and that no-one will cross the line after which there will be no return."

He said: "Naturally, we cannot remain indifferent when an escalation of tensions is taking place at our eastern frontiers. We cannot but worry."

One South Korean resident, Lee Gae-hwa, told Reuters news agency she felt "very scared", adding: "I hope we can find a good solution since we're from the same nation."


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Hopes fade for Tibet buried miners

30 March 2013 Last updated at 06:30 ET

Hopes are fading for more than 80 miners buried in a landslide on Friday in Tibet.

Chinese media said the first body had been found - but only 36 hours after the landslip - and that the chances of finding survivors were slim.

The miners' camp, 70km (45 miles) east of Lhasa, was destroyed by thousands of tonnes of rock.

Rescuers have been hampered by freezing weather, altitude sickness and risks of further landslides.

Xinhua news agency said that as of 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT) no survivors had been found and later reported that the first body had been discovered at 17:35 local time.

"The miners' survival chances were slim due to the scale of the landslide," it quoted one rescue worker as saying.

The landslide took place at 06:00 local time on Friday at the mine, which lies at an altitude of 4,600m (15,000ft), burying 83 workers.

Some 2,000 police, firefighters and doctors have been sent to the disaster site, setting up temporary accommodation at a safe distance. About 200 bulldozers have been deployed to shift rock.

Xinhua said cracks on nearby mountains suggested there could be further land slips.

"Temperatures as low as -3C have affected the sniffer dogs' sense of smell," it added.

More than 300,000 cu m of debris had been removed by midday on Saturday.

Huge resources

The mine in Maizhokunggar county, which produces copper, as well as some silver and gold, is operated by a subsidiary of state-owned China National Gold Group, China's biggest gold producer.

President Xi Jinping is said to have ordered authorities to "spare no efforts" in the rescue operation.

Most of the workers were ethnic Han Chinese from Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, with two reported to be ethnic Tibetans.

Police said the area that collapsed was up to 4 sq km (1.5 sq miles).

Chinese officials believe the Tibetan plateau has huge resources, including millions of tonnes of copper, lead, zinc and iron ore.

Critics claim that Beijing's interests are driven by a desire to exploit the region's rich mineral wealth.

The government argues its investment brings modernisation and better living standards for local Tibetans.

The landslip came on the same day as a gas explosion at a coal mine in north-eastern Jilin province.

Some 28 people were killed at the Babao mine in the city of Baishan.

Another 13 miners were rescued after the explosion.


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Kenya awaits key election ruling

30 March 2013 Last updated at 07:21 ET

Kenya's Supreme Court is set to announce its decision on a challenge to Uhuru Kenyatta's election as president.

The appeal was lodged by PM Raila Odinga, Mr Kenyatta's main rival in the presidential poll this month.

Official results said Mr Kenyatta beat Mr Odinga by 50.07% to 43.28%, avoiding a run-off by just 8,100 votes.

There is tight security at the Supreme Court. Violence after a disputed election in 2007 left more than 1,200 people dead.

The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held on 4 March were the first since the 2007 poll.

Mr Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly fuelling unrest after that election. They deny the charges.

Plea for calm

On his Twitter account, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga wrote that the Supreme Court would deliver its decision "not later than 5pm" (14:00 GMT) on Saturday.

There is tight security around the Supreme Court in the capital, Nairobi, with all roads leading to the building closed.

Police chief David Kimaiyo warned on Friday that unrest would not be tolerated.

He said: "We have reports indicating that some parties have organised their supporters to converge outside the Supreme Court during delivery of the ruling, and we will not allow any such gatherings.

"There will be tight security in all parts of the country, we will not tolerate any form of violence."

The Supreme Court can either confirm Mr Kenyatta's victory in this month's vote, or overturn the result and call for a fresh election.

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Nairobi that whatever the outcome, there will be people who will be angry.

Outgoing President Mwai Kibaki has urged people to stay calm and accept the result, but much will depend on Kenyans' faith in their newly reformed judiciary, our correspondent adds.

Lawyers for Mr Odinga say their petition to the Supreme Court included allegations of vote manipulation, as well as problems with the registration of voters and an electronic vote counting mechanism.

On Friday, the Supreme Court reviewed recounts from 22 polling stations. Both sides claimed that the recounts vindicated their position.

Mr Kenyatta has called the election, which was largely conducted peacefully, a "triumph of democracy".

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has insisted that the vote was credible, despite technical failures with an electronic voter ID system and the vote counting mechanism.

International observers said the poll was largely free, fair and credible, and that the electoral commission had conducted its business in an open and transparent manner.


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Mandela breathing without difficulty

30 March 2013 Last updated at 07:51 ET

Nelson Mandela is breathing without difficulty, South Africa's presidency has said, as he spends a third day in hospital with a lung infection.

Mr Mandela, 94, was comfortable and was continuing to respond to treatment, the statement from South African President Jacob Zuma's office said.

It said fluid had been drained from Mr Mandela's lungs - a pleural effusion - to enable him to breathe more easily.

There are no details yet on how long he will remain in hospital.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

'Thoughts and prayers'

On Friday, Mr Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, told public broadcaster SABC on Friday that he was "doing well".

"He's responding very well to treatment," said Ms Madikizela-Mandela at a church service in Soweto.

Continue reading the main story
  • 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
  • 1943 Joins African National Congress
  • 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
  • 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
  • 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
  • 1990 Freed from prison
  • 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
  • 1994 Elected first black president
  • 1999 Steps down as leader
  • 2004 Retires from public life
  • 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

The hospital Mr Mandela is attending has not been disclosed.

Last December Mr Mandela was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990. In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

When asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma said: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says South Africans have been praying for the recovery of Mr Mandela, who remains a moral beacon in the country despite withdrawing from public life almost a decade ago.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: "We are very grateful - the world is on our side"

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.


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Karzai heads to Qatar for talks

30 March 2013 Last updated at 08:05 ET

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has arrived in Qatar on a two-day state visit for talks with Qatari officials.

The possibility of the Taliban opening a political office in Qatar is expected to be discussed, officials say.

The setting up of an office in Qatar is regarded as an important step in formalising a channel for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

US-led Western troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

As the Afghan president's visit began, there were reports that two children and nine suspected Taliban militants had been killed in an air strike by international forces close to the south-eastern city of Ghazni.

A Nato spokesman quoted by Reuters news agency said an Afghan police patrol had come under attack and had called in a helicopter for support.

Last month, President Karzai issued an order banning Afghan security forces from calling in foreign air strikes in residential areas, because of heightened tensions about the extent of civilian casualties.

Mr Karzai's office said the talks in Qatar would focus on bilateral cooperation and on Afghanistan's peace process.

Last month Mr Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said that they would work towards a peace deal for Afghanistan within six months.

Previous talks between the Taliban and the US have run in to difficulties, with the Taliban suspending talks in March last year.


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Spacecraft shortens trip to ISS

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 29 Maret 2013 | 19.15

29 March 2013 Last updated at 02:57 ET

A Soyuz space capsule has docked at the International Space Station (ISS) after a journey of less than six hours.

The three-man crew is the first to take the quicker route, involving just four orbits.

The journey normally takes two days for a Russian spacecraft.

The arrival of Russians Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin and Chris Cassidy of the US brings the number of crew at the ISS to six.

The crew launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

After lift-off at 20:43 GMT, the Soyuz capsule then entered orbit and, using intricate ballistics manoeuvres, succeeded in cutting out around 30 orbits and 45 hours from the flight time to the ISS.

Prior to the flight, the shortened route had been successfully tested three times by Russian Progress cargo ships, which are unmanned versions of the Soyuz that transport supplies to the ISS.

The three new arrivals are due to return to Earth in September. The other three members of the ISS crew arrived in December and will leave in May.

Over the next six months the crew will perform 137 investigations on the US operating segment of the station, and 44 on the Russian segment, according to a statement from the US space agency, Nasa.

Nasa said that the investigations will cover human research, biological and physical sciences, technology development, Earth observation, and education.


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Musharraf bail extended amid chaos

29 March 2013 Last updated at 05:41 ET
An angry lawyer threw a shoe at former President Musharraf as he entered into court

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A shoe was thrown at Mr Musharraf during chaotic scenes

A court in Pakistan has extended bail for former President Pervez Musharraf, amid chaotic scenes in which a shoe was thrown at him.

It is the first time the ex-military ruler has sat before a court to defend himself against charges of conspiracy to murder and the sacking of judges.

The shoe, which did not hit Mr Musharraf, was thrown as his supporters and opponents both chanted slogans.

Last week he returned from self-imposed exile to contest forthcoming polls.

Shortly before his return he was granted protective bail for 10 days in three cases.

Correspondents say that angry scenes were witnessed outside the courtroom in Karachi after judges extended bail for another few weeks.

Mr Musharraf faces a string of charges dating from his final months in office.

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  • Born on 11 August 1943, Delhi, India
  • Married with two children
  • Joined Pakistan Military Academy in 1961
  • Saw action in the 1965 war against India
  • Attended Royal College of Defence Studies in the UK
  • Frequently promoted, was made a general in 1998
  • Has been in self-imposed exile - mostly in the UK - since 2008
  • Since then is estimated to have earned thousands of dollars on worldwide lecture tours

He is accused of failing to provide adequate security for former PM Benazir Bhutto ahead of her assassination in 2007.

He is also wanted in connection with the murder of a Baloch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti and for sacking the entire higher judiciary in November 2007.

The former president has described the cases against him as "baseless" and politically motivated.

He led a military government which ruled Pakistan from 1999.

His supporters were defeated in parliamentary elections in February 2008, and Mr Musharraf resigned in August that year under threat of impeachment. He has lived in London and Dubai since then.

He has vowed to return several times in the past, but those previous attempts were abandoned. He finally returned last weekend despite threats against him by the Taliban and the outstanding cases against him.


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Cyprus 'will not leave the euro'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 06:00 ET

Cyprus has no intention of the leaving the European single currency, the country's president says.

President Nicos Anastasiades said: "In no way will we experiment with the future of our country."

He said the financial situation was "contained" following the 10bn euro bailout deal with the EU and IMF.

Banks opened on Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks amid severe new rules imposed as part of the bailout deal.

Queues formed of people trying to access their money, but the mood was generally calm.

By Friday, banks had returned to their normal working hours and there were no longer reports of big queues.

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  • Daily withdrawals limited to 300 euros
  • Cashing of cheques banned
  • Those travelling abroad can take no more than 1,000 euros out of the country
  • Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards permitted up to 5,000 euros per month
  • Businesses able to carry out transactions up to 5,000 euros per day
  • Special committee to review commercial transactions between 5,000 and 200,000 euros and approve all those over 200,000 euros on a case-by-case basis
  • No termination of fixed-term deposit accounts before maturity

"We have averted the risk of bankruptcy," Mr Anastasiades said on Friday. "The situation, despite the tragedy of it all, is contained."

He told a meeting of civil servants: "We have no intention of leaving the euro."

But he accused other members of the eurozone of making "unprecedented demands that forced Cyprus to become an experiment".

Cyprus needs to raise 5.8bn euros ($7.4bn; £4.9bn) to qualify for the bailout, and has become the first eurozone member country to bring in capital controls to prevent a torrent of money leaving the island and credit institutions collapsing.

As well as a daily withdrawal limit of 300 euros, Cypriots may not cash cheques and those leaving the country will only be allowed to take 1,000 euros with them.

Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards are allowed up to 5,000 euros per person per month.

Depositors with more than 100,000 euros will see some of their savings exchanged for bank shares.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Thursday that such controls could gradually be lifted over the course of the month.

But many economists predict the controls could be in place for much longer.


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Tanzania collapse 'traps dozens'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 06:17 ET

At least three people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a multi-storey building collapsed in the centre of the main Tanzanian city, Dar es Salaam, rescue workers say.

Thirteen people have been pulled out of the ruins alive, officials say.

Some 45 people, including construction workers, residents and children from a Koranic school, are missing.

The BBC's Hassan Mhelela says the 12-floor building under construction is now a "huge pile of chaos".

"I thought there was an earthquake and then I heard screaming. The whole building fell on itself," eyewitness Musa Mohamed told the AFP news agency.

Our reporter says a huge crane is pulling out a mass of iron bars to get access to the centre of the building, where some people are thought to be still alive.

Trapped victims are said to have been making phone calls to friends and relatives.

Bulldozers are also being used to move the rubble, our reporter says.

He says there are large crowds of onlookers, as well as rescue workers and armed police officers at the scene.

The collapsed building was near a mosque, as well as other residential and commercial properties in central Dar es Salaam.

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Deadly blast in north-west Pakistan

29 March 2013 Last updated at 07:33 ET

A suicide attack on a convoy carrying a senior police commander in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least 10 people, police say.

The apparent target, head of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary (FC) Abdul Majeed Marwat, reportedly escaped without serious injury.

Two women were said to be among the dead, and 27 people were wounded.

The Taliban said they carried out this attack. Militant groups frequently target Peshawar.

"It was a suicide attack, the target was the FC commander," police official Arshad Khan told the AFP news agency.

The suicide bomber approached the convoy as it was waiting at a military checkpoint, witnesses said. A security official told Dawn newspaper the attacker had been on a motorbike.

Another official told the AFP that Abdul Majeed Marwat had escaped with "only scratches" but had been taken to hospital for treatment.

"We have received six dead bodies, including two women," said Jameel Shah, a spokesman for the city's Lady Reading hospital. "Eleven people were also injured."

Four of the wounded were paramilitary personnel, reports say.

Peshawar borders Pakistan's volatile tribal areas, where many of the country's militants are based.

In the past few weeks there has been a surge of violence in Pakistani cities including Peshawar, raising concern about the possibility of further attacks as the country prepares for national elections in May.


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Bosnia jails Serb for war crimes

29 March 2013 Last updated at 07:41 ET

A court in Bosnia-Hercegovina has sentenced a former Serb paramilitary commander to 45 years in prison for war crimes during the 1992-95 conflict.

Veselin Vlahovic was found guilty on more than 60 counts, including the murder, rape and torture of Bosnian Muslim and Croat civilians in Sarajevo.

The Montenegrin - known as the "Monster of Grbavica", after a district of the city - had pleaded not guilty.

His sentence is the longest handed down so far by the Bosnian war crimes court.

The verdict took around two hours to read because of the large number of crimes involved.

'Synonym for evil'

In his closing statement, prosecutor Behaija Krnjic said Vlahovic's name was "the synonym for evil", and that he had killed 31 people, kidnapped 14 others still considered missing, and raped 13 women.

The crimes took place in three districts of Sarajevo controlled by Serb forces between May and July 1992 - Grbavica, Kovacici and Vraca.

BBC Balkans correspondent Guy De Launey says it is not the first time Vlahovic has been convicted.

He was sentenced to prison for robbery in his native Montenegro, but escaped 12 years ago.

He then lived in Spain under a Bulgarian passport until his arrest and extradition in 2010. Vlahovic was also wanted for armed robbery in Spain, and murder in Serbia.

Our correspondent says the relative speed of the trial is in contrast to proceedings at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague. Former Serb nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj has been in custody there for 10 years and his trial is still incomplete.


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Russia warns of North Korea 'spiral'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 07:52 ET

Russia has warned of tensions in North Korea slipping out of control, after Pyongyang said it was placing its missile units on stand-by.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the situation could slip "toward the spiral of a vicious circle".

Kim Jong-un made the missile order after talks responding to US stealth bomber flights over the Korean peninsula, state news agency KCNA said.

The time had come to "settle accounts" with the US, KCNA quoted him as saying.

Annual military drills and fresh UN sanctions have angered North Korea.

After a late-night meeting with the army's strategic rocket force, Kim Jong-un "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists", KCNA reported.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Charles Scanlon BBC News


Bluff has long played a fundamental role in North Korean strategy.

The regime in Pyongyang needs its much more powerful neighbours and antagonists to take its threats seriously.

By threatening potential chaos and war in the heart of the world's most dynamic economic region, it has in the past been able to transcend its own weakness and extract diplomatic concessions.

But the United States may be about to call North Korea's bluff.

The US treasury department is taking steps to squeeze North Korea financially, and the Pentagon has flown B-52 and B-2 bombers over the Korean peninsula - moves that are guaranteed to provoke a hostile reaction.

Washington's tough stance presents Kim Jong-un with a dilemma.

He wants to show his generals and the North Korean people that he can force concessions from the United States - in the same style as his father and grandfather.

He could now be tempted to take brinkmanship to a new level, to try to convince the US and the region that confrontation does not work and carries too many risks.

He was said to have condemned US B-2 bomber sorties over South Korea as a "reckless phase" that represented an "ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost on the Korean Peninsula".

US mainland and bases in Hawaii, Guam and South Korea were all named as potential targets.

The US - which flew two stealth bombers over the peninsula on Thursday as part of the ongoing annual US-South Korea military drills - has said it is ready for "any eventuality" on the peninsula.

Thousands of North Korean soldiers and students later took part in a mass rally in the centre of Pyongyang in support of Kim Jong-un's announcement, beneath large portraits of his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung.

A South Korean defence ministry spokesman described the North Korean decision as a "continuing measure", after its announcement to adopt "combat posture".

'Unacceptable'

China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, immediately reiterated its call for all sides to ease tensions.

But Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov went further, voicing concern that "we may simply let the situation slip out of our control and it will slide into a spiral of a vicious circle".

While condemning Pyongyang's actions as "unacceptable", he gave a more general warning that "unilateral steps being taken around North Korea that manifest themselves in a build-up of military activity".

Continue reading the main story

Timeline: Korean tensions

  • 12 Dec: North Korea fires three-stage rocket, in move condemned by UN as banned test of long-range missile technology
  • 12 Feb: North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, its third after tests in 2006 and 2009
  • 7 Mar: UN approves fresh sanctions on Pyongyang; North Korea says it has the right to a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US
  • 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual joint military drills begin; North Korea says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice (the UN says the pact cannot be unilaterally scrapped)
  • 19 Mar: US flies B-52 nuclear-capable bombers over Korean peninsula, following several North Korean threats to attack US and South Korean targets
  • 20 Mar: Broadcasters and banks in South Korea hit by cyber attack, the origin of which remains unknown, days after North Korea says some of its sites were hacked
  • 27 Mar: North Korea cuts military hotline with South, the last official direct link between the two
  • 28 Mar: US flies stealth bombers over Korean peninsula; showcasing ability for precision strike "at will"

He added what was needed was not a build-up of military muscle and a pretext for using military means to achieve "geopolitical objectives", in remarks seen as an implicit criticism of US bomber flights.

'Joint efforts'

In a statement, the US military said that the B-2 planes demonstrated America's ability to "provide extended deterrence" to its allies and conduct "long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will".

"The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Thursday. "We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that."

The US had already flown nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this month, in what it called a response to escalating North Korean threats.

A Yonhap news agency report citing an unidentified military official said increased activity had been noted at North Korea's missile sites, but this remains unconfirmed.

"Intelligence personnel are closely monitoring North Korea's readiness with its short, middle and long range missiles such as Scud missile, Nodong missile and Musudan missile," South Korean defence ministry official Kim Min-seok said.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation". He made similar remarks on Tuesday.

Unprecedented rhetoric

Tensions in the Korean peninsula have been high since North Korea's third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of a fresh raft of sanctions.

North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

When you look at occasions where something really did happen, such as the artillery attack on a South Korean island in 2010, you see there were very clear warnings"

End Quote Professor John Delury, Yonsei university

North Korea is not thought to have the technology to strike the US mainland with either a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile, but it is capable of targeting some US military bases in Asia with its mid-range missiles.

While North Korea has issued many threats against the US and South Korea in the past, this level of sustained rhetoric is rare, observers say.

On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010 it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang also cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations.

A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

The jointly-run Kaesong industrial park is still in operation, however, and over 160 South Korean commuters entered North Korea yesterday to work in its factories.


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Mandela making 'steady progress'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 08:01 ET
South African President Jacob Zuma

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South African President Jacob Zuma: "We want Madiba (Mr Mandela) to be with us for a long time"

Nelson Mandela is making "steady progress" after spending a second day in hospital for treatment of a lung infection, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma says.

The 94-year-old is "in good spirits" and enjoyed a full breakfast, it said.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

'Thoughts and prayers'

The statement issued by President Zuma's office on Friday said: "Former President Nelson Mandela is in good spirits and enjoyed a full breakfast this morning. The doctors report that he is making steady progress."

Mr Mandela remains under treatment in hospital.

Last December he was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990. In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

Continue reading the main story
  • 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
  • 1943 Joins African National Congress
  • 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
  • 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
  • 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
  • 1990 Freed from prison
  • 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
  • 1994 Elected first black president
  • 1999 Steps down as leader
  • 2004 Retires from public life
  • 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

On Thursday, US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned with Nelson Mandela's health", adding that "we will be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers".

Earlier, when asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma said: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

"Very few outstanding personalities in the world live to his level," he said.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.


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Brazil eyes doctor's link to deaths

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 28 Maret 2013 | 19.15

28 March 2013 Last updated at 00:20 ET

Some 300 deaths at a Brazilian hospital are being studied for possible links to a medical team charged with murder.

Dr Virginia Soares de Souza and seven assistants at an intensive care unit in the city of Curitiba are already charged with killing seven patients.

But an investigator told Brazil's Globo news channel that another 20 deaths were suspicious and a further 300 were being looked into.

Dr de Souza denies the murder charges along with her former staff.

She was arrested in February and released on bail last week.

But prosecutors have sought to have her returned to custody in light of her alleged leadership role in orchestrating the deaths.

Muscle-relaxing drugs

Dr de Souza - said to be a 56-year-old widow - worked at the Evangelical Hospital in Curitiba in the south of Brazil.

Prosecutors say she gave muscle-relaxing drugs to patients before reducing their oxygen supply, causing them to asphyxiate.

Continue reading the main story

I want to clear the intensive care unit. It's making me itch"

End Quote Comment attributed to Dr de Souza in wiretap recording released by state prosecutors

She has been charged with seven counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

Three doctors, three nurses and a physiotherapist who are suspected of carrying out her orders have been charged with murder.

But the medical records of 1,700 patients who died at the hospital in the last seven years are now being studied and more than 20 were now deemed suspicious, Dr Mario Lobato - the chief investigator assigned by Brazil's health ministry - told Globo.

"There are nearly 300 more that we are looking into," Dr Lobato said.

According to Reuters news agency, state prosecutors have released wiretaps which apparently show that her motive was to free up beds.

"I want to clear the intensive care unit. It's making me itch," she said in one recording.

"Unfortunately, our mission is to be go-betweens on the springboard to the next life," she added.

Physiotherapists, dieticians, nurses and nursing technicians are said to have reported their fears that she was hastening the deaths of critically ill patients.

But Dr de Souza claims those accusing her lack the expertise to make a correct judgement.

"We will soon prove that everything that took place in that ICU [intensive care unit] is justified by the medical literature," her lawyer Elias Mattar Assad told Globo.


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US stealth bombers in S Korea drill

28 March 2013 Last updated at 05:38 ET

The US has flown two B-2 stealth bombers over South Korea as part of a military exercise.

The US said it demonstrated its forces could conduct "long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will".

The move follows strong rhetoric from Pyongyang and comes a day after it cut a military hotline with the South.

The hotline had been used mainly to facilitate cross-border travel at a joint industrial complex, which was said to be operating normally.

More than 160 South Korean commuters went through border control on Thursday morning to start work at the Kaesong complex, after being approved for entry by North Korea, officials said.

North Korean authorities had used a civilian phone line to arrange the crossing, they added.

The joint project is a source of badly-needed hard currency for the North. Around 120 South Korean firms operate at Kaesong industrial park, employing an estimated 50,000 North Korean workers.

'Extended deterrence'
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Andrea Berger RUSI


At present, the risk is not one of large-scale war or nuclear attack, but one of miscalculation.

North Korea continues to search for new ways to issue threats - partly in an attempt by the regime to consolidate power at home, and partly in the hope that the US cancels its exercises as President Clinton did. As Pyongyang does so, the West calls their bluff and continues to carry out drills and B-52 flights over the peninsula.

This concerning pattern occurs in the absence of any regular engagement between the US and North Korea. Should it persist, the risk of miscalculation by either side will rise.

North Korea could read a future US move incorrectly and determine that an imminent and existential threat to the regime exists - then choose to pre-empt it. Or, if too many of its bluffs are called, Pyongyang may feel that its rhetoric no longer deters. It may decide that more aggressive action is needed to match its words.

Pyongyang has been angered both by annual US-South Korea military drills, and the fresh UN sanctions that followed its third nuclear test on 12 February.

The hotline it severed was the last direct official link between the two nations. A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut. An inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

North Korea has also made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

North Korea is not thought to have the technology to strike the US mainland with either a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile, but it is capable of targeting some US military bases in Asia with its mid-range missiles.

The US military said in a statement that the B-2 flight showed US "capability to defend the Republic of Korea [South Korea] and to provide extended deterrence to our allies in the Asia-Pacific region".

The two nuclear-capable planes flew from Whitman Air force Base in Missouri to South Korea as part of a "single, continuous" round trip mission during which they dropped "inert munitions on the Jik Do Range", the statement said.

The US said earlier this month that nuclear-capable B-52 bombers were taking part in the annual joint exercises with South Korea, prompting an angry response from Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, in a phone call on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-Jin that the US would provide "unwavering" support to South Korea.

He also told his South Korean counterpart that the US-South Korea alliance was "instrumental in maintaining stability on the Korean peninsula", Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.


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Boris Berezovsky 'had neck ligature'

28 March 2013 Last updated at 06:10 ET

An inquest into the death of Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has heard he was found lying on his bathroom floor with a "ligature around his neck".

Mr Berezovsky, 67, was discovered at his Berkshire home on Saturday.

A post-mortem examination found his death was consistent with hanging, but further tests are being carried out and are likely to take several weeks.

The inquest, which has been adjourned, comes after relatives of his second wife described him as "extraordinary".

Speaking at the opening of the inquest at Windsor Coroner's Court, Detective Inspector Mark Bissell, of Thames Valley Police, said Mr Berezovsky was found lying on his bathroom floor with a "ligature around his neck and a piece of similar material on the shower rail above him".

The inquest was opened and adjourned by Berkshire Coroner Peter Bedford.

Continue reading the main story

He has taught me to never stop fighting for what one believes in"

End Quote Anastasia Berezovsky Daughter

Janine Prunty, the coroner's officer, confirmed Mr Berezovsky's daughter, Elizaveta Berezovskaya, formally identified the body.

And police confirmed the ambulance crew found the Russian oligarch's body on the floor at his home in Ascot, Berkshire.

The BBC's world affairs correspondent Richard Galpin said the police search of Mr Berezovsky's house will continue for a few days more and other tests are under way.

Following her father's death, Mr Berezovsky's daughter Anastasia, 19, said: "My father was not the typical parent, nothing about him was ordinary... he has taught me many things about this world.

"He has taught me to never stop fighting for what one believes in no matter what the costs may be."

Anastasia and her brother Artem are Mr Berezovsky's children with his second wife Galina Besharova.

She added: "There aren't enough words in any language that can somehow express everything that he was and everything he will continue to be. The only word that comes close is extraordinary."

'No struggle'

Early reports suggested Mr Berezovsky's body was found by an employee, who called an ambulance at 15:18 GMT on Saturday. He had not been seen since around 22:30 GMT the previous evening.

Police have said the post-mortem examination found nothing to indicate a violent struggle.

They had earlier said there was no evidence so far that a "third party" was involved.

It will be several weeks before the results of further tests, including toxicology and histology examinations, are known.

Our correspondent says some friends of Mr Berezovsky had said he was depressed after the failure of his legal battle in London with fellow Russian oligarch and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.

But others have insisted he was not a man who would have taken his own life, our correspondent adds.

Mr Berezovsky, an outspoken critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, amassed a fortune in the 1990s following the privatisation of state assets after the collapse of Soviet communism.

He survived numerous assassination attempts, including a bomb that decapitated his chauffeur.

Mr Berezovsky had been living in the UK since 2000. He was granted political asylum in 2003 on the grounds that his life would be in danger in Russia.


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Pope to wash young offenders' feet

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:15 ET

Pope Francis will wash the feet of prisoners in a youth detention centre near Rome on Maundy Thursday.

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists are arriving in Rome to attend ceremonies during the holy week ahead of Easter.

The washing of feet on the Thursday before Easter is a Christian tradition commemorating Christ's Last Supper.

In a homily, the Pope urged priests to engage more with parishioners, saying: "It is not in soul-searching... that we encounter the Lord."

Worshippers should "leave Mass looking as if they had heard good news", he told hundreds of cardinals, priests and bishops in St Peter's Basilica.

Easter is the most important festival in the calendar of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis celebrates Mass in St Peter's Basilica, 28 March

On Easter Sunday morning, the new Pope will deliver his first "Urbi et Orbi" message to the city of Rome and to the world.

During his inaugural general audience Wednesday, Francis called for an immediate political solution to the conflict in the Central African Republic after last weekend's coup.

Volunteers

The new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics has brought a new sense of simplicity to the Vatican, reports the BBC's David Willey in Rome.

He has broken with tradition for the foot-washing ceremony, which is normally performed on lay people in one of Rome's basilicas.

This time the Pope will visit the Casal del Marmo detention centre on the outskirts of Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the centre in 2007, but not for the Holy Thursday Mass. Only for the first two years of his pontificate did he perform the feet-washing himself, after which the task was delegated to priests.

During the service, the Pope washes and kisses the feet of 12 people to replicate the Bible's account of Jesus Christ's gesture of humility towards his 12 apostles on the night before he was crucified.

Some of the young detainees volunteered to have their feet washed, while others were given an invitation to help them overcome their embarrassment, the Catholic News Agency quoted the prison chaplain as saying.

On Good Friday evening the Pope will carry a wooden cross and pray at a ceremony at Rome's ancient amphitheatre, the Colosseum, commemorating Jesus' crucifixion.

And on Saturday evening Pope Francis will celebrate the main Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica.


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Nelson Mandela back in hospital

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:46 ET
Nelson Mandela in June 2010

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The BBC's Milton Nkosi: "Last time check-up was routine. This time this hasn't been said"

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been readmitted to hospital with the recurrence of a lung infection.

A statement from the South African presidency said Mr Mandela, 94, had been admitted just before midnight.

Mr Mandela spent 18 days in hospital in December undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.

He is widely regarded as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999. However, his health has caused concern for some time.

A presidential spokesman told the BBC that Mr Mandela was conscious and was receiving the best possible medical treatment.

"I think we need to be clear that the doctors are attending to Madiba [Mr Mandela] on a continuous basis," spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

"They prefer to act on the side of caution, and the moment they felt there was a recurrence of the lung infection, they felt that it warranted immediate hospitalisation given his age and given his history."

However, the BBC's Andrew Harding in South Africa says the abrupt nature of Mr Mandela's late-night admission is likely to raise concerns.

The presidency has not identified the hospital where he is being treated.

Appeal for prayers

The government statement said President Jacob Zuma wished Mr Mandela a speedy recovery.

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  • 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
  • 1943 Joins African National Congress
  • 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
  • 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
  • 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
  • 1990 Freed from prison
  • 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
  • 1994 Elected first black president
  • 1999 Steps down as leader
  • 2004 Retires from public life
  • 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

"We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery," President Zuma said.

The former president is often fondly referred to by his clan name, Madiba.

It is the fourth time Mr Mandela has been admitted to hospital in just over two years.

He first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island where he served 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned for sabotage.

His lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The treatment he received in December 2012 was his longest spell in hospital since leaving prison in 1990.

Earlier this month he spent a night in hospital following a check-up.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.


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Cyprus banks reopen with tough curbs

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:46 ET
Man grabs correspondent Tim Willcox

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The BBC's Tim Willcox was in the city of Nicosia when the banks opened their doors to customers

Banks in Cyprus have reopened after a two-week closure sparked by discussions on an EU-IMF bailout, amid tension over possible large-scale withdrawals.

Branches were replenished with cash overnight and police were deployed amid fears of a run on the banks.

Some queues did form but customers face strict controls on daily withdrawals and the mood was generally calm.

The restrictions on the free movement of capital represent a profound breach of an EU principle, correspondents say.

However, the European Commission on Thursday justified the move, saying the "stability of financial markets and the banking system in Cyprus constitutes a matter of overriding public interest".

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Yiannis Paraskevas Ioannau Cypriot resident, Larnaca


Across the street from my office is a branch of the Bank of Cyprus. It's now one hour before it's due to open and there's a small line of people arriving to queue. I would like to withdraw my money altogether. I don't have a huge amount and I lose with the "haircut", but I don't trust the banks or the government.

Money in a bank is supposed to be safe and that's not the case here. We are at the mercy of the EU and are trapped in the euro as it's too painful to get out. Everyone is furious because we feel that we are being robbed at gunpoint by the Europeans. It all started when Cyprus agreed to switch to the euro. As a nation we cannot compete with Germany economically. Germany is much more efficient than any other country in Europe.

The Europeans are not really interested in saving Cyprus. They are simply trying to save themselves. The answer is to drop the euro and return to the pound. This will be painful but at least there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Right now I see none.

Cyprus is the first eurozone member country to bring in capital controls.

Cyprus needs to raise 5.8bn euros ($7.4bn; £4.9bn) to qualify for a 10bn-euro bailout from the European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the so-called troika.

As part of the bailout plan, depositors with more than 100,000 euros will see some of their savings exchanged for bank shares.

An earlier plan to tax small depositors was vetoed by the Cypriot parliament last week.

Loss of trust

Branches began to open at noon local time (10:00 GMT) and will close at 18:00 (16:00 GMT).

Some did not open on time, causing tension among customers. The longer queues were forming outside branches of Laiki, which is being wound up.

One customer in a queue in Nicosia told the BBC's Tim Willcox he was withdrawing the allowed daily amount of 300 euros ($383; £253) but would take out all of his money if he could.

Our correspondent says the predictions of a stampede did not materialise and in some places there were more journalists than depositors.

Another customer, jewellery shop owner, Roula Spyrou, told AFP news agency: "There's going to be queues so I'm not going to spend so many hours there to get 300 euros."

Continue reading the main story

Cyprus capital controls

  • Daily withdrawals limited to 300 euros
  • Cashing of cheques banned
  • Those travelling abroad can take no more than 1,000 euros out of the country
  • Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards permitted up to 5,000 euros per month
  • Businesses able to carry out transactions up to 5,000 euros per day
  • Special committee to review commercial transactions between 5,000 and 200,000 euros and approve all those over 200,000 euros on a case-by-case basis
  • No termination of fixed-term deposit accounts before maturity

Some armed police have been deployed in cities and hundreds of staff from the private security firm G4S are guarding bank branches and helping to transport money.

The stock exchange, shut since 16 March, remains closed on Thursday and will not reopen until after Easter.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry of finance insisted the capital control measures were temporary and were needed to "safeguard the stability of the system".

It read: "The Central Bank of Cyprus and the government of Cyprus will review them each day, with a view to progressive lifting of the measures as soon as circumstances allow. "

The severe new rules have been imposed to prevent a torrent of money leaving the island and credit institutions collapsing.

As well as the daily withdrawal limit, Cypriots may not cash cheques.

Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards are allowed up to 5,000 euros per person per month.

Transactions of 5,000-200,000 euros will be reviewed by a specially established committee, with applications for those over 200,000 euros needing individual approval.

Travellers leaving the country will only be allowed to take 1,000 euros with them.

On Wednesday night, hundreds of protesters rallied outside the presidential palace, chanting: "I'll pay nothing; I owe nothing," the Reuters news agency reported.

Many economists predict the controls could be in place for months.

The unprecedented restrictions represent a profound breach of an important principle of the European Union that capital, as well as people and trade, should able be to move freely across internal borders, says the BBC's economics correspondent Andrew Walker.

Protesters cast their shadows on a Cypriot flag during an anti-bailout rally outside the presidential palace in Nicosia

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However, the European Commission said member states could introduce capital controls "in certain circumstances and under strict conditions on grounds of public policy or public security".

But it added that "the free movement of capital should be reinstated as soon as possible".

The vice-president of the Cypriot Employers Federation, Demetria Karatoki, told the BBC he believed the country could pull through.

"Although there is going to be hardship, at the end of the day we can start rebuilding our economy on a sound basis," he said.

But British Cypriot businessman, Costa Thomas, said he had lost faith in the system.

"No-one really trusts politicians. So why should we believe them that these controls are going to last only a few weeks and we're going to get shares and get the money back?" he asked.

One employee of the Bank of Cyprus told the BBC that everybody's jobs were at risk.

"If the Bank of Cyprus collapses, all the small business, the large businesses, everything collapses. They cannot buy anything, import anything, export anything. There is nothing," she said.


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Pistorius granted freedom to travel

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:46 ET

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, charged with murdering his girlfriend, will be allowed to travel after challenging his bail terms.

A judge said the Olympic and Paralympic star would be allowed to leave South Africa to compete as long as he complies with certain conditions.

He will also be allowed to return to his home in Pretoria, where Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed.

He denies murdering the 29-year-old, saying he mistook her for an intruder.

In the hearing at Pretoria's High Court, Mr Pistorius also sought an end to supervision by a probation officer and compulsory drug and alcohol testing.

The state opposed the application. Mr Pistorius, 26, was not in court for the hearing.

Seeking income

The bail conditions were imposed by Magistrate Desmond Nair on 22 February - including the travel restrictions.

Mr Pistorius was originally ordered to hand over his two South African passports, avoid his home in Pretoria and all witnesses in the case, report to a police station twice a week and to abstain from drinking alcohol.

But they were relaxed but Judge Bert Bam, who described the decision not to grant Mr Pistorius permission to travel as "wrong".

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said the bail conditions amounted to "house arrest".

"Why would this athlete go to a country without extradition and go and hide," he asked the court.

"It is not as if the appellant is travelling for holiday in Mauritius; it's only to gain an income, there's no other reason."

Reports said the athlete had not yet resumed training and had no current plans to compete internationally.

In an unrelated case, the athlete's brother, Carl Pistorius, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with the culpable homicide of a female motorcyclist in a 2008 road crash. He pleaded not guilty and is due to appear in court again next week.


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