EU rejects Russia 'veto' on Ukraine

29 November 2013 Last updated at 07:07 ET

The EU will not accept a "veto" by Russia on the bloc's ties with former Soviet republics, European Commission chief Manuel Barroso has said.

Speaking at a EU meeting in Vilnius, Mr Barroso said the era of "limited sovereignty was over in Europe".

The summit failed to revive an association agreement with Ukraine that was due to be its centrepiece.

Ukraine's president said he could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia - which opposes the deal - for EU ties.

President Viktor Yanukovych froze plans to sign Ukraine's trade deal last week. In Vilnius, he defended his refusal to sign, saying the EU was not offering adequate financial aid.

After the two-day summit, Mr Barroso said: "We will not give in to external pressure, not the least from Russia.

"What we cannot accept is a condition on a bilateral agreement to have a kind of a possible veto of a third country. This is contrary to all principles of international law."

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Eurozone unemployment rate falls

29 November 2013 Last updated at 05:31 ET

The eurozone's unemployment rate has fallen for the first time since early 2011, according to official data.

The jobless rate across the 17 countries using the euro currency fell to 12.1% in October, the first fall since February 2011, the European Union's statistics office Eurostat said.

About 19 million people are out of work across the region.

Meanwhile, the annual rate of consumer inflation rose from 0.7% to 0.9%.

The European Central Bank (ECB) aims to keep inflation just below 2%. - the level it deems right for growth.

The data indicates that the fragile eurozone economy is gradually improving, although there are big disparities between individual countries.

Unemployment in Spain and Greece is at 27%, for example, while Austria's is at 5%.

In a surprise move earlier this month, the ECB cut its benchmark interest rate from 0.5% to a record low of 0.25%.

ECB president Mario Draghi said the decision reflected its view that low inflation and weak economic growth would be the dominant story in the region.

When inflation amongst the 17 countries using the euro currency fell to 0.7% in October - its lowest level since January 2010 - there were fears eurozone growth could be stalling and that some countries could even be moving into deflation.

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Warning over Syria war's child cost

29 November 2013 Last updated at 00:06 ET

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Paul Wood reports on Syria's 'lost generation' of children

The war in Syria is creating a generation of damaged children, a UN report warns.

School-age refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries are increasingly cut off from education and forced to work to survive, the study found.

As many as 300,000 living in Lebanon and Jordan could be without schooling by the end of 2013, the UNHCR says.

Many of those not at school go out to work for long hours and for low pay from as young as seven years old.

More than half of 2.2 million Syrian refugees are children, the UN says, with many facing grave dangers even outside the war zone.

Those perils include threats to their physical and psychological well-being, according to the report's authors.

Launching the report, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said: "If we do not act quickly, a generation of innocents will become lasting casualties of an appalling war."

The study is the latest to attempt to illustrate the heavy toll of Syria's three-year-old civil conflict on children both inside and outside its borders.

It comes shortly after an estimate from a London-based think-tank put the number of children killed during Syria's civil war at more than 11,000.

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Abdullah does not attend school in Zaatari, but works collecting dry bread instead. (Video courtesy UNHCR)

Born 'stateless'

The UNHCR carried out a series of interviews with Syrian children and families living in Jordan and Lebanon between July and October 2013.

Researchers interviewed 81 refugee children and held group discussions with 121 others in Jordan and Lebanon, and consulted UN and NGO staff working with those communities.

They found high levels of child recruitment, labour and loneliness among children living in displaced families.

More than 70,000 Syrian refugee families now live without fathers, the UNHCR estimates, with some 3,700 refugee children living unaccompanied or without both parents.

Of the 1.1 million young Syrian refugees, 385,007 now live in Lebanon, 294,304 in Turkey and 291,238 in Jordan, figures show, with sizeable numbers also in Iraq and Egypt.

Those figures are in danger of overwhelming the ability of host nations to cope, the report says.

In Lebanon, the authors note, some 80% of Syrian children are not in school, with the number of Syrian school-age children on course to exceed the numbers enrolled in Lebanese school by the end of 2013.

And there was also evidence of high numbers of children being born "stateless", with host countries failing to register the majority of babies born in refugee camps.

Some 77% of 781 refugee infants sampled in Lebanon had no official birth certificate, the report says. Just 68 birth certificates were issued to babies in Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp between January and mid-October 2013.

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Thai PM rules out early election

29 November 2013 Last updated at 06:06 ET

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The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Bangkok: "Army officers looked on with some bemusement"

Thai Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ruled out an early election, following six days of protests aimed at removing her from office.

She told the BBC the situation in Thailand was not calm enough for polls.

She also said she would not authorise the use of force against protesters occupying government ministries.

She was speaking after demonstrators forced their way into the army headquarters in Bangkok and held a demonstration there.

Ms Yingluck has been prime minister since 2011, when her Pheu Thai party won a general election.

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PM Yingluck Shinawatra: "We need to protect democracy"

In an interview with the BBC's Jonathan Head on Friday, she said that if she called a new election, she was not sure the protesters would be satisfied.

"I love this country. I devote myself to this country. I need only one thing for the country: we need to protect democracy," she said.

She said the situation in Thailand was "very sensitive" and repeated her call for negotiations to resolve the crisis.

On Thursday, Ms Yingluck called for an end to the demonstrations after surviving a no-confidence vote.

However protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has rejected her appeal.

"We will not let them work anymore," the former senior opposition lawmaker said in a speech late on Thursday.

On Friday at least 1,000 protesters forced their way into the army headquarters compound, but did not enter any buildings.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher, who was at the scene, said protesters were massed on a lawn listening to speeches from leaders on a stage they had erected.

They urged the army to come out in support of the demonstrators. "We want to know which side the army stands on," Reuters news agency quoted one protester as saying.

Our correspondent described the atmosphere as good natured and said the authorities appeared keen to avoid confrontation. The protesters later left peacefully.

Special powers

Continue reading the main story

• Sept 2006: Army overthrows government of Thaksin Shinawatra, rewrites constitution
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin People Power Party wins most votes in election
• Aug 2008: Mr Thaksin flees into self-imposed exile before end of corruption trial
• Dec 2008: Mass yellow-shirt protests paralyse Bangkok; Constitutional Court bans People Power Party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Thousands of pro-Thaksin red shirts occupy parts of Bangkok; eventually cleared by army; dozens killed
• July 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra leads Pheu Thai party to general election win
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protesters begin street demonstrations

Demonstrators have been surrounding and occupying official buildings this week in an attempt to disrupt the government.

During the demonstrations, which have been largely peaceful so far, participants have previously cut the electricity supply to the national police headquarters and forced the evacuation of Thailand's top crime-fighting agency.

The protesters say Ms Yingluck's government is controlled by her brother, exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Thaksin, one of the most polarising characters in Thai politics, was ousted in a coup following protests in 2006. He now lives in self-imposed exile overseas, but remains popular with many rural voters.

The protesters tend to be urban and middle class voters.

Ms Yingluck has invoked special powers allowing curfews and road closures, and police have also ordered the arrest of Mr Suthep - but so far no move has been made to detain him.

An estimated 100,000 opposition supporters protested in Bangkok on Sunday, although the numbers appear to have dropped significantly during the week.

The country is facing its largest protests since 2010, when thousands of "red-shirt" Thaksin supporters occupied key parts of the capital. More than 90 people, mostly civilian protesters, died over the course of the two-month sit-in.

The proposed passage of a controversial political amnesty bill, which critics said would have facilitated the return of Thaksin without having to serve jail, reignited simmering political tensions.

The Senate rejected the bill, which sought to cover offences committed during the upheaval after Thaksin was removed from office.

Ms Yingluck said she accepted the vote and would not resubmit the legislation.

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German policeman 'eats lover'

29 November 2013 Last updated at 06:25 ET

Police in Dresden say they have arrested a 55-year-old police officer on suspicion of murder after the body of another man was found in the Erz mountains in eastern Germany.

They say there are indications that parts of the victim may have been eaten.

The dead man lived in Hanover and had been reported missing.

Police believe that the two men met via an internet site for those interested in sex with torture.

They say that the victim was tortured, killed and dismembered, and that his body parts were buried on a piece of land in the mountainous region which belonged to the alleged killer.

The arrested man works for Saxony's State Office of Criminal Investigation in the forensics department.

Germany's Bild tabloid reports that he is an expert in handwriting analysis.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says that it is not clear whether the killing was deliberate or whether it was the playing out of fantasy which went wrong.

Police say that body parts of the victim were missing, and they presume that cannibalism took place.

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Egyptian blogger held over protest

29 November 2013 Last updated at 06:38 ET

Police in Egypt have arrested a prominent activist accused of calling for protests in defiance of a new law restricting demonstrations.

The blogger Alaa Abdul Fattah took part in a rally outside the upper house of parliament on Tuesday.

Protesters were calling for the repeal of a new law that bans unauthorised demonstrations.

Mr Abdul Fattah played a leading role in the 2011 revolt against Hosni Mubarak.

The pro-democracy campaigner was previously detained under Mr Mubarak's government and questioned over demonstrations against the Muslim Brotherhood earlier this year.

Wife 'beaten'

His family said he was arrested on Thursday night at his home in Cairo.

Continue reading the main story

After months of being the primary target for Egypt's military government, the Muslim Brotherhood now feels it has company.

Dozens of secular activists were arrested in recent days, joining the massed ranks of the Brotherhood who are already behind bars (an estimated 2,500 leaders and supporters).

The liberals were detained after demonstrating against a draconian new law which effectively bans public protests.

The heavy-handed crackdown feels like an echo of the past.

Some women activists say they were beaten, harassed and left stranded in the desert after their arrest - a favourite tactic of the Mubarak era.

The harsh verdict against 21 women and girls who protested in Alexandria has heightened concerns about a growing authoritarianism. The military installed government here maintains it is safeguarding public order in a turbulent time, and moving towards democracy. But leading activists from the revolution of 2011 say it is repeating the mistakes of the past.

His father, prominent lawyer Ahmed Seif al-Islam, told the Associated Press news agency that his son's wife was beaten during the raid and that laptop computers were removed from the house.

Egypt's new legislation, signed by the interim President Adly Mansour, bans protests that do not have prior police notification.

Activists say the new law appears stricter than those in place during the rule of Mr Mubarak, who was forced to step down in 2011 after mass protests.

Prosecutors announced on Wednesday that arrest warrants had been issued for Mr Abdul Fattah along with Ahmed Maher, head of the 6 April youth movement.

They said investigations showed the pair had "incited" people to "violate the protest law" by demonstrating outside the Shura Council building.

Mr Abdul Fattah said he did not deny the charge.

"It's an honour to hold responsibility for people's rallies in defiance to legalising the return of the rule of Hosni Mubarak, the long-time president ousted in Egypt's 2011 revolution," he said.

Another 24 activists detained at the protest were remanded in custody for four days on suspicion of various charges.

On Wednesday, 21 female Islamist protesters, some of them young teenagers, were jailed for 11 years after being arrested last month at a demonstration in support of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

The sentences have been condemned by human rights groups.

The harsh verdict has heightened concerns about a growing authoritarianism, says the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo.

Activists say the authorities are making a heavy-handed attempt to turn back the clock, our correspondent says.

Jail terms

Critics say the new law effectively replaces the recently expired state of emergency that was declared in mid-August, after hundreds of people were killed when security forces cleared two sit-ins in Cairo by supporters of Mr Morsi.

The legislation requires organisers of any public gathering, demonstration or meeting of more than 10 people to inform the interior ministry three days in advance, and gives it the right to prohibit any deemed a threat to security and public order, "disrupt citizens' interests" or "obstruct justice".

Police are allowed to forcibly disperse unruly demonstrators, and heavy prison sentences are imposed for those who violate the law - including seven years for the use of violence at a protest, one year for covering the face during a protest, and one year for protesting outside a place of worship.

Anyone attending an unauthorised protest can be fined $1,500 (£925).

Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi has defended the move, saying: "It is not a law that limits the right to demonstrate, but it aims to protect the right of protesters."

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Pilots face parrot smuggling probe

29 November 2013 Last updated at 06:42 ET

Two Indonesian air force pilots are being investigated for allegedly trying to smuggle at least seven valuable Australian parrots into Indonesia, military officials say.

The parrots were found on board a Hercules transport aircraft being handed over by Australia to Indonesia.

Indonesian military authorities told the BBC that the pair were now being questioned over the incident.

Parrots can be sold in Indonesia for thousands of dollars, experts say.

The two crewmen were in a group of Indonesians being trained by the Royal Australian Air Force to fly Hercules transport aircraft, Australian media reports said.

Nine of the aircraft are being handed over to Indonesia despite diplomatic tensions earlier this month over reports that Australia's Jakarta embassy was used as part of a US-led spying network in Asia.

Reports say that the two pilots were caught red-handed loading the parrots, including five galahs, onto the plane. They were reportedly hidden in bags.

Galahs are a type of pink-breasted cockatoo found in Australia.

Another two parrots were allegedly found on board when the plane stopped in Darwin to refuel while travelling to Jakarta.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service issued a statement saying that it "has very strong laws to protect our wildlife against illegal activity and [we] take any attempt to breach those laws seriously".

Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison was later quoted by local media as saying that the pair were let off by Australia with a warning after consultations with federal prosecutors.

However, Indonesian authorities told the BBC that the two pilots were being extensively questioned about the incident now they had returned home.

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Eighteen abducted Iraqis found dead

29 November 2013 Last updated at 06:51 ET

The bodies of 18 people have been found near a town to the north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, hours after they were abducted from their homes, police say.

The corpses - with gunshots to the head - were found near the town of Tarmiya. At least one army officer was among those killed.

Execution-style killings have been on the rise in Iraq, correspondents say, alongside a wave of bomb attacks.

Sectarian violence has surged across the country in recent months.

At least one tribal chief and a police officer were also among those killed on Friday.

The abductors were wearing police uniforms, according to eyewitnesses.

The latest killings come days after police in different parts of Baghdad found the bodies of at least 13 people who had been shot dead.

The UN says 979 people - including 158 police and 127 military personnel - were killed in violent attacks in October. More than 6,500 civilians have died since January, the highest annual toll since 2008.

The United Nations has called on Iraq's political leaders to co-operate to end the bloodshed, which has escalated since an army raid on a Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp in April 2013.

The protesters had called for the resignation of Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who they accused of targeting the minority Sunni community.

Iraq has also seen a spill-over of violence from the conflict in Syria, where jihadist rebels linked to the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group that includes al-Qaeda, have risen to prominence.

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Sri Lanka to begin war dead census

27 November 2013 Last updated at 20:05 ET

Sri Lanka is set to start a survey to determine the number of people killed during the country's 26-year civil war, the government says.

The census will collect information on deaths, missing people and damage to property from 1983 to 2009, it said.

It comes amid international pressure over allegations of mass civilian deaths at the end of the conflict.

A Commonwealth summit held in Sri Lanka this month was overshadowed by claims of war crimes.

Spotlight

Sri Lanka's army defeated separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009.

Allegations of atrocities during the closing stages of that war have dogged the government ever since. The rebels were also accused of abuses.

Continue reading the main story

• 1948 - As Ceylon, the island gains independence from Britain.
• 1972 - The government changes its name to Sri Lanka and gives Buddhism primary place as country's religion, antagonising largely Hindu Tamil minority.
• 1983 - As ethnic tensions grow, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launches a violent uprising, seeking autonomy for the Tamil-dominated north and east.
• 2005 - After years of war, and failed peace talks, Mahinda Rajapaksa is elected president.
• May 2009 - Tamil Tigers defeated after army over-runs last patch of rebel-held territory in the north-east. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran killed.
• Apr 2011 - UN says both sides committed atrocities against civilians and calls for an international investigation into possible war crimes. Sri Lanka says the report is biased.
• Nov 2012 - Another UN report says 70,000 civilians were "unaccounted for" at the end of the war.
• Nov 2013 - Colombo prepares to host Chogm

The government has strenuously denied such allegations and insist it is on the path of reconciliation.

Officials "will conduct an island-wide census to assess the human and property damages occurred during nearly three-decade long conflict," a government statement said on Wednesday.

"This census, which has to be completed within six months will be launched on Thursday 28 November."

Some 16,000 officials will be visiting the homes of families affected to collect information, according to the state-run Daily News.

The announcement comes after Sri Lanka hosted a Commonwealth summit dominated by protests over treatment of the Tamils. The leaders of India, Mauritius and Canada boycotted the event.

The spotlight has fallen on the final phase of that war when civilians were hemmed into a thin strip of land on the north-eastern coast - both sides are accused of atrocities here.

The UN says as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed.

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected calls at November's summit for an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes, and said the country needed more time to heal the wounds of civil war.

State media say the government's latest move to count the country's war dead comes as part of its internal report, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), published in November 2011.

Human rights groups say that the LLRC is deeply flawed and has provided no accountability for atrocities the government is alleged to have committed during the war. The government insists the commission will provide justice.

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New delay for US health law website

27 November 2013 Last updated at 17:41 ET

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Obamacare explained in 75 seconds

The Obama administration has announced another delay to its healthcare law, this time to online medical insurance for small businesses.

The marketplace website allowing employers to buy health coverage for their workers will be put off by one year until November 2014.

Ongoing problems with Healthcare.gov, beset by glitches since its 1 October launch, were blamed for the delay.

It is the latest setback for the law commonly known as Obamacare.

Enrolment for small businesses was originally meant to start in October, until the administration delayed it by a month. On Wednesday it pushed that deadline back again, by a full year.

Administration officials told reporters in a conference call that employers who want to buy healthcare plans for their workers would need to go through an insurance company or agent, rather than through a government website.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We have a lot of work left to do in the next few days"

End Quote Julie Bataille Administration spokeswoman

Officials said this would allow employers to buy coverage while avoiding slowing down technical repairs on the federal website, which has been plagued by errors.

The White House has promised the website will be fixed by the end of November.

Government health spokeswoman Julie Bataille said on Wednesday the portal was now handling 25,000 users at the same time.

She said it was on track to meet its goal of handling double that number by Saturday.

Continue reading the main story

Obamacare setbacks

• Nov 27: Year's delay in online insurance enrolment for small businesses
• Nov 26: Spanish-language sign-up tool is postponed until December
• Nov 22: Enrolment deadline for individuals is pushed back a week in December
• Nov 14: Obama announces insurers can keep customers on existing plans for another year
• Oct 23: Deadline for individuals to avoid penalties is pushed back six weeks to March 2014
• July: Businesses with over 50 workers given until 2015 to provide insurance or pay a penalty

"We have a lot of work left to do in the next few days," she added.

But she cautioned that some malfunctions may persist on the website beyond the end of this week.

"There will be times after November 30th when Healthcare.gov does not function properly," said Ms Bataille.

Republicans, who have launched countless legal and political challenges to the law since its passage in 2010, seized on the latest postponement.

"With each passing day, it's clear how much worse ObamaCare is than a website full of glitches," Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus said in a statement.

The online portal was established under the health law to enable consumers who do not get medical cover through their employers or via government benefits to shop for coverage.

But technical problems - including slow page loads and outages - have resulted in much lower-than-anticipated initial enrolment rates.

Considered the largest overhaul of the US healthcare system since the 1960s, it aims to extend health insurance coverage to the estimated 15% of the US population who lack it.

Support for Obamacare, whose official name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has recently wobbled even within the president's own party.

Some congressional Democrats are said to be worried that the mounting negative headlines could hurt their 2014 re-election chances.

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Comet Ison set to graze the Sun

27 November 2013 Last updated at 21:44 ET By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service

Astronomers are anxiously waiting to see if a comet survives its encounter with the Sun.

Comet Ison will reach its closest approach to our star at approximately 18:35 GMT on Thursday.

It has been billed as a potential "comet of the century", but the Sun's heat and gravitational tug could destroy it before it has a chance to light up the skies.

Some scientists believe it is already starting to buckle under the onslaught.

Prof Tim O'Brien, associate director of the UK's Jodrell Bank Observatory, said: "It's like throwing a snowball into fire. It's going to be tough for it to survive.

"But luckily, it's a big object and it moves fast, so it won't spend too much time close to the Sun. There is a lot of uncertainty."

Comet Ison came from the Oort Cloud, a mysterious, icy region at the furthest reaches of our Solar System.

It has been hurtling towards the Earth, travelling at more than a million kilometres an hour.

Continue reading the main story

• Discovered on 21 September 2012 by Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok
• A so-called "sungrazer", it approaches our star at a distance of just 1.2 million km from the surface
• Ison brushes past the Sun on 28 November; the heat at "perihelion" is expected to exceed 2,000C
• The encounter could cause Ison to break up completely, but if it survives, the comet could put on a bright display in the sky during December

Now it is entering the most perilous stage of its epic journey.

It will pass the Sun at a distance of just 1.2 million km, effectively grazing its surface.

Prof Mark Bailey, from Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland, said: "It's going to be exposed to the worst that the Sun can throw at it.

"It will be getting exposed to more and more intense solar heat, and that will start to sublimate the ices (turning them into gas) at an increasing rate."

The Sun's intense gravitational field produces tidal forces that will also have a major effect on the comet.

Scientists fear it could follow the path of Comet Lovejoy, which broke apart after it passed near the Sun in 2011. Or it could run out of fuel and fizzle out. It is hoped Ison's large size could protect it.

Astronomers estimate that its nucleus could be several kilometres in diameter, helping it to withstand the solar assault.

If it does remain largely intact, the heat from the Sun will excite the dust and gas in its core, allowing it to blaze a trail across the night skies. But whether it really will be a "comet of the century" is unclear.

"If it survives, the best chance of seeing it will be in early December," explained Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society.

"I very much doubt Ison is going to be the sort of object where you go out in the morning, just before sunrise, and see this amazingly spectacular thing across the night sky.

"It's much more likely, at the optimistic end, that it's visible with the naked eye, and with binoculars - you could see the comet's head and a nice long tail coming from that."

There has been some debate already about whether Ison is starting to break up, and telescopes such as the Esa/Nasa Soho Sun-observing satellite will be trained on the star during the approach.

"There is a lot of uncertainty, but it's going to be exciting to watch," added Prof O'Brien.

Continue reading the main story

Northern Hemisphere, Looking East-South-east

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Arizona couple 'held girls captive'

28 November 2013 Last updated at 00:31 ET

Police in Arizona say three sisters were held captive in filthy conditions for up to two years by their mother and stepfather in the city of Tucson.

Investigators say two of the girls, aged 12 and 13, escaped and alerted a neighbour after their stepfather tried to attack them with a knife.

Officers then found a 17-year-old locked in her bedroom.

The girls were malnourished and dirty and told the police they had not taken a bath in up to six months.

"They were kept in filthy living conditions separately and told patrol officers that they had not seen each other in almost two years," Tucson police captain Mike Gilooly told reporters.

Loud music

Stepfather Fernando Richter, 34 , and mother Sophia Richter, 32, have been charged with emotional and physical abuse and three counts of kidnapping. The stepfather was also charged with sex abuse.

The girls were allegedly held under 24-hour surveillance, with an elaborate alarm system and soundproofing of rooms.

"Their movements were controlled - when, where and how they went to the bathroom, when they were fed," said Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor.

Loud music was continuously played in the girls' bedrooms and towels had been stuffed into ducts and under the doors in an apparent attempt to muffle sound, Police Chief Villasenor told a news conference.

The girls have been removed from the house and are under the care of child protection services.

The two younger girls escaped through a window on Tuesday after their stepfather tried to break down a door while brandishing a knife, police said.

Investigators are examining a diary kept by the older sister during her alleged captivity.

They are also trying to establish if and where the girls went to school.

During a brief court appearances on Wednesday, neither parent entered a plea.

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Thai PM urges protest end after vote

28 November 2013 Last updated at 04:29 ET

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Protesters have been rallying outside the national police headquarters in Bangkok, as Jonathan Head reports

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has urged anti-government demonstrators to end street protests, after surviving a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Speaking on television, Ms Yingluck said the rallies could hurt the economy and talks were needed.

Her government is facing the biggest demonstrations to hit Thailand since the violence of 2010.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern over the tensions and called for all sides to exercise restraint.

Protests began in Bangkok on Sunday. Since then, demonstrators calling on the government to step down have marched on ministries and government bodies in an attempt to shut them down.

Continue reading the main story

• Sept 2006: Army overthrows government of Thaksin Shinawatra, rewrites constitution
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin People Power Party wins most votes in election
• Aug 2008: Mr Thaksin flees into self-imposed exile before end of corruption trial
• Dec 2008: Mass yellow-shirt protests paralyse Bangkok; Constitutional Court bans People Power Party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Thousands of pro-Thaksin red shirts occupy parts of Bangkok; eventually cleared by army; dozens killed
• July 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra leads Pheu Thai party to general election win
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protesters begin street demonstrations

In the latest disruption, the protesters cut the electricity supply to the national police headquarters.

The demonstrators, who are led by a former opposition party lawmaker, say Ms Yingluck's government is controlled by her brother - the ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

Ms Yingluck has invoked special powers allowing curfews and road closures, and police have also ordered the arrest of the protest leader - but so far no move has been made to detain him.

The protests have been largely peaceful and correspondents have described the mood of the rallies as friendly.

On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters surrounded Thailand's top crime-fighting agency, forcing its evacuation.

The UN leader Ban Ki-moon has urged all sides to "refrain from the use of violence and to show full respect for the rule of law and human rights".

'Show independence'

The no-confidence motion was brought by the opposition Democrat Party, but Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai party dominate the chamber and voted it down by 297 votes to 134 votes.

Speaking on television shortly afterwards, Ms Yingluck said the two sides should negotiate.

"The government doesn't want to enter into any political games because we believe it will cause the economy to deteriorate," she said.

It is not clear what the protesters will do next, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok reports.

So far they have succeeded only in disrupting the business of government for a few days, and the authorities have been careful not to risk violence by confronting them, our correspondent adds.

Earlier, Thai Education Minister Chaturon Chaiseng told our correspondent that the Pheu Thai party would have to find a balance and demonstrate it was not controlled by Mr Thaksin.

"They will need to make it clear that whoever is going to be prime minister can show that they have independence and can make a decision on their own," he said.

"The fact that some people do not believe in the government or the coalition parties anymore doesn't mean they can either overthrow the government or change the system," he added.

Mr Chaturon said that he did not believe a coup was imminent, although he added that "in my experience a coup can take place any time".

Mr Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 that left the country bitterly divided.

In 2010, thousands of "red-shirt" Thaksin supporters occupied key parts of the capital. More than 90 people, mostly civilian protesters, died over the course of the two-month sit-in.

Ms Yingluck and the Pheu Thai Party were subsequently voted into office, and Thailand's political landscape has remained largely stable since then.

But a now-shelved political amnesty bill that critics said would have facilitated the return of Mr Thaksin without having to serve a jail term reignited simmering political tensions.

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Syria opposition head to go to talks

28 November 2013 Last updated at 05:42 ET

The head of Syria's main opposition group has said he will attend planned peace talks in Geneva in January aimed at ending the civil war.

Ahmad Jarba said the Syrian National Coalition saw talks as a step towards "leadership transition", meaning President Bashar al-Assad's removal.

The Syrian government has also said it would attend but would not negotiate a handover of power.

Rebel groups involved in the fighting have said they will not take part.

Heavy clashes were reported on Thursday in eastern Damascus and Golan in the south-west. Activists reported six dead after a surface-to-surface missile fell on the jihadist-controlled northern city of Raqa overnight.

More than 100,000 people have died in the violence since peaceful protests against Mr Assad began in March 2011.

Almost nine million others have been driven from their homes, around two-fifths of Syria's pre-war population.

'Democratic transformation'

The Syrian National Coalition has previously set conditions for attending peace talks - including the setting up of humanitarian corridors and release of political prisoners.

Mr Jarba said on Wednesday night that he would go to the conference, but reiterated that National Coalition rejected any future role for President Assad.

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On the road with Syrian aid group

"Our position on Geneva is clear - in our last meeting of the National Coalition we presented a comprehensive and clear vision towards attending Geneva 2. This vision was agreed upon by the majority in the coalition," he said.

He said that "genuine democratic transformation" was needed, but that Mr Assad could not be part of it.

"There is no way that the individual responsible for the destruction of the country [meaning Mr Assad] can be responsible for building the country," he added.

Earlier the Syrian government confirmed it would attend the talks, but dismissed the opposition demand that Mr Assad should play no role in any transition.

The foreign ministry said its delegation to the talks would pursue "the Syrian people's demands, first and foremost eliminating terrorism". Officials routinely refer to all opposition in these terms.

The UN, US and Russia have been trying for months to get both sides to agree a political solution to the conflict.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said he expected both sides to come "with a clear understanding" that the goal of the talks was the full implementation of the Geneva Communique, issued after a meeting of the UN-backed Action Group for Syria in the Swiss city in June 2012.

He reiterated that the peace talks would seek to establish a transitional government with full executive powers - as envisaged in the Geneva Communique.

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More nations defy China air zone

28 November 2013 Last updated at 06:38 ET

Japan and South Korea have both flown planes unannounced through China's newly-declared air defence zone, officials from both nations say.

Japanese aircraft had conducted routine "surveillance activity" over the East China Sea zone, the top government spokesman said.

South Korea had also conducted a flight, its defence ministry said.

China says planes transiting the zone, which covers areas claimed by Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei, must file plans.

The zone includes islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China which are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan.

Japan controls the islands, which have been the focus of a bitter and long-running dispute between Japan and China.

The zone also covers a submerged rock that South Korea says forms part of its territory.

China, which established the air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, says aircraft must report a flight plan, communicate and identify themselves. Those who do not could face "defensive emergency measures".

China's move has been condemned by the US and Japan.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Japanese restraint in the face of Chinese efforts to modify the status quo is currently keeping the peace, potentially to the detriment of Japan's claim to the islands and its ability to use the surrounding sea area"

End Quote James Manicom Expert, China-Japan security issues

America, which called the move a "destabilising attempt to alter the status quo in the region", flew two unarmed B-52 bombers through the zone unannounced on Tuesday.

'Not going to change'

Japanese officials did not specify when the flights happened, but confirmed the surveillance activity.

"Even since China has created this airspace defence zone, we have continued our surveillance activities as before in the East China Sea, including in the zone," said Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga.

"We are not going to change this [activity] out of consideration to China," he added.

Continue reading the main story

Air defence identification zones

• Zones do not necessarily overlap with airspace, sovereign territory or territorial claims
• States define zones, and stipulate rules that aircraft must obey; legal basis is unclear
• During WW2, US established an air perimeter and now maintains four separate zones - Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, and a contiguous mainland zone
• UK, Norway, Japan and Canada also maintain zones

Source: aviationdevelopment.org

For their part, South Korea's military said one of their planes entered the zone on Tuesday.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said on Wednesday that the air zone issue had made "already tricky regional situations even more difficult to deal with".

"We've witnessed competition and conflicts among players of the region getting fiercer," he told Yonhap news agency.

On Thursday South Korea and China held talks on the zone, but failed to reach any agreement.

China defended its establishment of an air zone on Thursday, with a Defence Ministry spokesman telling state media it was "completely justified and legitimate".

US Vice-President Joe Biden is expected to express America's concerns to China when he makes a scheduled visit next week.

Mr Biden would "convey our concerns directly and... seek clarity regarding the Chinese intentions in making this move at this time", a senior US official administration said.

Continue reading the main story

China-Japan disputed islands

• The archipelago consists of five uninhabited islands and three reefs
• Japan, China and Taiwan claim them; they are controlled by Japan and form part of Okinawa prefecture
• Japanese businessman Kunioki Kurihara owned three of the islands but sold them to the Japanese state in September 2012
• The islands were also the focus of a major diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2010

Mr Biden will also make stops in Japan and South Korea during his trip to Asia.

Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said China's air zone move in the East China Sea may have implications for territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

His comments come as China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and its warship escorts headed to the South China Sea for what has been described as a training mission.

"There's this threat that China will control the air space [in the South China Sea]," Mr Del Rosario told local media.

"It transforms an entire air zone into China's domestic air space. And that is an infringement, and compromises the safety of civil aviation," he said, adding it "also compromises the national security of affected states".

Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea.

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New East African railway launched

28 November 2013 Last updated at 06:44 ET

Kenya has formally launched a new, Chinese-financed railway which should extend across East Africa to reach South Sudan, DR Congo and Burundi.

The first section will link the Kenyan port of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi, reducing the journey time from 15 hours to about four.

The cost of the railway will be $5.2bn (£3.2bn) - mostly funded by China.

Some Kenyans have complained that the contract was given to a Chinese firm without going to tender.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed the deal in August in Beijing.

It is also hoped that the railway will reduce congestion in Mombasa, one of Africa's busiest ports.

After the Nairobi section is finished, with completion due in 2017, it will be extended through Uganda, with branch lines west to Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo, south through Rwanda to Burundi and north to South Sudan.

Passenger trains will travel at a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), while freight trains will have a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

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Spain 'promises no more bag opening'

27 November 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

The Foreign Office says it has received an assurance from Spain there will be no repeat of the bag-opening incident at the centre of a diplomatic row.

UK official baggage was opened by the Spanish Guardia Civil at the Gibraltar border on Friday, prompting a formal protest by the British government.

Spain had said no diplomatic bag was involved.

But UK Europe Minister David Lidington said the FO had now received an explanation from Spanish officials.

The incident is due to be raised in Parliament later.

"In our protests we requested an urgent explanation of this incident from the Spanish government and sought assurances that there will be no further interference with the UK's official correspondence," Mr Lidington said in a Commons statement.

"We have now received that explanation from the Spanish and have been assured that we will see no repeat of these actions."

'Take action'

Spain's foreign minister Jose Garcia-Margallo had said: "There is no incident. If it is not a diplomatic bag, there is no diplomatic incident.

"A bag was opened, which was not a diplomatic bag."

Spanish officials have been quoted as saying that a bag has to come from an embassy or a ministry to be protected under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Spanish newspaper ABC said it understood the incident concerned a package from the governor of Gibraltar which was being carried by a message company with other bags.

It said the Spanish Guardia Civil opened the bags, possibly without noticing that one of them had a seal that identified it.

The Foreign Office now says two UK government bags were opened. It would not say what was in them, but in the minister's statement said they contained "official correspondence and communications [and were] clearly marked as such".

It said protocol surrounding official correspondence and diplomatic bags was governed by the Vienna Convention.

Series of disagreements

According to the international convention, packages carrying official documents and other material deemed necessary for use by a diplomatic mission - provided that they are clearly marked as such - cannot be opened or detained.

Mr Lidington said the convention embodied "important international principles that protect official correspondence and communication between a state and its representatives.

"The UK strictly adheres to these principles and we expect other states to do the same."

This row comes days after Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds told MPs Britain was to review its naval policy around the British territory following an illegal incursion into its territorial waters by a Spanish state vessel.

The RV Ramon Margalef was challenged by the Royal Navy after it refused to leave Gibraltar waters after 22 hours despite repeated requests.

It is the latest in a series of disagreements between Spain and Gibraltar.

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Berlusconi faces expulsion vote

26 November 2013 Last updated at 23:25 ET

The Italian Senate will vote later on whether to expel former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from parliament over his conviction for tax fraud.

Analysts say a large majority of senators is expected to back his expulsion.

The former PM has called for supporters to protest in Rome against what he says is a political vendetta.

The vote comes a day after Berlusconi withdrew his Forza Italia party from the coalition government.

Biased

The ex-premier, who has dominated politics for nearly two decades in Italy, had asked senators to delay the vote on his expulsion because he claims to have new evidence proving he did not commit tax fraud.

However, the vote is expected to go ahead on Wednesday evening.

He threatened to topple the coalition government over the issue earlier this year but backed down during a confidence vote.

The 77-year old has dismissed the Senate, which is dominated by his political opponents, as biased against him.

Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud in October 2012 over deals his firm Mediaset made to purchase TV rights to US films. The verdict was upheld in August.

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• Convicted of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and of abuse of power for asking police to release her when she was arrested for theft; under appeal
• Convicted of tax fraud in case focusing on the purchase of the TV rights to US films by his company, Mediaset
• Acquitted in several other cases; also convicted in several, only to be cleared on appeal; others expired under statute of limitations

Expulsion from parliament may lead to Berlusconi's arrest over other criminal cases, as he would lose his immunity from prosecution.

He will have to serve a one-year sentence for his tax conviction, probably under house arrest or by doing community service because of his age.

He has also been convicted of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and of a breach of confidentiality over a police wiretap. He is appealing against both convictions.

Both Prime Minister Enrico Letta's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and former comedian Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement have said they will vote against Berlusconi.

Mr Letta's government survived a confidence vote on the 2014 budget on Tuesday with the help of a group of dissidents who broke away from Berlusconi's party earlier this month.

Berlusconi had said earlier that his party would vote against the budget, and the Forza Italia leader in the lower house soon declared that the party was moving into opposition.

The latest developments cast a further shadow over Italy's struggling economy, the eurozone's third-largest.

It is feared the political tensions could further hamper efforts to bring in badly-needed reforms to tackle Italy's economic problems, including debt, recession and high youth unemployment.

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Blast near India nuclear plant

27 November 2013 Last updated at 04:41 ET

Six people have been killed in an explosion near a nuclear power plant in India's Tamil Nadu state, police say.

Three others were injured when a home-made bomb accidently exploded near the controversial Kudankulam nuclear plant, which began operations in October.

The plant begun producing electricity in October after years of protest.

Opponents of the plant, which is on the coastline hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami, fear a disaster similar to the one at Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

But the government says the joint Indo-Russian project, which is seen as critical to India's energy needs, is "necessary for the welfare and economic growth of India" and is "completely safe".

Police said it was investigating whether the blast in a coastal village on Tuesday night was linked to protests over the plant.

"The bomb exploded accidently inside a house. Six people died and three more are seriously injured," local police chief Vijayendra Bidari told Associated Press news agency.

He claimed the house was being used as a bomb-making factory.

TV footage showed at least three homes collapsed near the blast site in Idinthakarai village, from where most of the protests against the plant have originated.

Senior officials of India's Atomic Energy Commission told the Press Trust of India news agency that the plant was safe and functioning normally.

The plant is one of many that India hopes to build as part of its aim of generating 63,000 MW of nuclear power by 2032 - an almost 14-fold increase on current levels.

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China 'monitored' path of US bombers

27 November 2013 Last updated at 05:03 ET

China monitored the flight of two US bombers that flew across its newly-declared "air defence identification zone", its defence ministry said.

The B-52 planes flew over disputed islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday without announcing themselves, defying new Chinese air defence rules.

Japan and the US are strongly opposed to the air zone declared by China.

They have accused China of unilaterally attempting to alter the status quo and escalate regional tensions.

The new air zone, announced by China on Saturday, overlaps with an air zone set out by Japan and covers disputed islands that are controlled by Japan.

The islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have been a source of severe tension between the two nations for months.

Japan says China's new zone is "invalid" and has asked its airlines not to provide flight information to the Chinese.

Both the ANA and JAL airlines had initially complied with the Chinese request for their flight plans but said late on Tuesday they would stop doing so.

They had not encountered problems passing through the zone, they said.

'Manage and control'

Continue reading the main story

No-one should be surprised that the US has acted as it has. Washington's first reaction to China's unilateral extension of its airspace was robust.

The idea that Washington was going to start filing flight plans with China before flying over the East China Sea was a non-starter.

But this is more than just a squabble over flight rules.

Washington is watching China's military build-up, its arguments with neighbours, and its "blue-water" ambitions with alarm.

For seven decades the US has been the dominant military power in the region. China has given Washington notice that change is afoot.

Peaceful management of that change is one of the great strategic challenges of the 21st Century.

The unarmed US aircraft took off from Guam on a flight that was part of a regular exercise in the area, US officials said.

A Pentagon official said the US had followed "normal procedures" during the bombers' flight and had not filed flight plans with China.

China says aircraft passing through the zone must obey its rules, including identifying themselves, or face "emergency defensive measures".

However, Wednesday's defence ministry statement after the US flight made no reference to any emergency measures.

"China's air force monitored the entire course [of the US bombers], identified them in a timely way, and ascertained the type of US aircraft," the statement said.

"China will identify all aircraft activity in East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone", it added. "China has the ability to effectively manage and control the relevant air zone."

The US flight is being seen as a clear signal that the US will not recognise Chinese control over its newly-declared zone, correspondents say.

The flight will also reassure America's allies in the region - Japan in particular - that Washington will stand by its security commitments, reports the BBC's Martin Patience from Beijing.

But, says our correspondent, the big fear is that a misstep on the part of one of the parties could trigger a crisis.

New US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, in her first speech since assuming her post, criticised China's move.

"Unilateral actions like those taken by China... undermine security and constitute an attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea," she said in Tokyo.

'Provocation'

The tensions came amid other military developments in the region.

On Wednesday, Japan's parliament enacted a bill to establish a national security council, giving the prime minister greater control over defence issues.

Meanwhile, the Chinese navy's Liaoning aircraft carrier set out for a mission in the South China Sea - where China is engaged in territorial disputes with other nations - in what China described as part of the carrier's "scheduled training".

The flight of the US bombers triggered anger among Chinese social media users, with widespread calls for a stronger response from Beijing.

Sina Weibo user Han Qingzi wrote: "The US bomber aircraft provocatively barged into China's air defence zone and flew over China's territorial sea - why did the Chinese side not send fighter jets to intercept or accompany the planes? Has there been a dereliction of duty?"

Microblog user Seeking Treasure in Fire said that China should have sent up fighter planes when it was challenged by the US.

"Whether as a warning, or to coerce the US, at least China needs to display some attitude, otherwise, the air defence zone exists in name only, and becomes the world's laughing stock," they said.

However, one Sina Weibo user appeared to point to domestic politics as a motive. "The air defence zone was issued for our own compatriots in China. Our comrades from outside of China need not be so nervous," they said.

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'Armed Islamists' arrested in Moscow

27 November 2013 Last updated at 05:22 ET

A group of radical Islamists has been arrested in Moscow with bombs, hand grenades and guns seized, Russian police say.

They claim the 15 arrested are members of At-Takfir Wal-Hijra, an Islamist group originally founded in Egypt.

Police say the arrests were made during early-morning raids at flats in the east of the Russian capital.

Officials said three homemade bombs, detonators and fuses for making more devices were also found.

At-Takfir Wal-Hijra was banned by Russia's Supreme Court in 2010 for "inciting interethnic and interreligious enmity", Russia's Interfax news agency reports.

With just over two months to go before Russia hosts the Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, these arrests will attract more international attention than usual, says the BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow.

In recent years targets the conflict between Russian forces and separatists in Chechnya has fuelled attacks by Islamists.

The violence has spread across the North Caucasus, including to mainly-Muslim Ingushetia and Dagestan, killing hundreds of people, including members of the government and security services.

The number of militant attacks in Moscow itself has dropped since the end of Russia's second war in Chechnya, our correspondent reports.

However, the attacks that have taken place have been very serious, such as the suicide bombing at Domodedovo international airport, which killed 37 people in January 2011, he adds.

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Thai protesters close crime agency

27 November 2013 Last updated at 05:53 ET

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The BBC's Jonathan Head: "Their goal is to force the government from office"

Anti-government protesters have forced the evacuation of Thailand's top crime-fighting agency, on the fourth day of street demonstrations.

The marchers, who want the government to step down, targeted a complex of government offices outside the city.

The protest leader said they wanted to shut down government ministries in a bid to cause disruption.

They accuse the government of being controlled by the prime minister's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Bangkok says the mood of the protesters is very friendly, as they and the government side shadow-box around each other.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Thailand seems stuck on a merry-go-round of political conflict, replaying chaotic episodes that were scarcely believable the first time round. Why?

Ask the protesters and the answer is simple. One name. Thaksin Shinawatra.

They are a mix of middle-class city-dwellers and provincial folk from the south, the stronghold of the opposition Democrat party, and they all repeat the same mantras we heard during the last round of "yellow" protests in 2008.

That the former prime minister elevated corruption, always a pernicious problem here, to new heights; that he tried to control everything, and is still doing so from self-imposed exile, through his sister Yingluck, the current prime minister.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's secretary general, Suranand Vejjajiva, told the BBC that there were no plans to use the army.

"We are reassured that the police can handle the situation as the protesters are peaceful and do not create any violence," he said.

'Seize city hall'

The protests are being led by former opposition Democrat Party lawmaker Suthep Thaugsuban, for whom police have issued an arrest warrant.

They began on Sunday and so far have targeted the finance, foreign and interior ministries, among others.

"Let the people go to every ministry that remains to make civil servants stop serving the Thaksin regime,'' the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.

"Once you take over, civil servants can no longer serve the Thaksin regime. Brothers and sisters, go seize the city hall."

Despite the arrest warrant, police made no attempt to detain him as he led protesters to government offices.

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Suranand Vejjajiva, secretary general to Thai PM: "The protesters... should come to the table"

On Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters surrounded the Department of Special Investigations (DSI), which is Thailand's equivalent of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The DSI is a particular target for the demonstrators - they accuse its chief of conducting partisan investigations against opponents of the government, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

The DSI chief ordered his staff to leave as protesters surrounded the building, Reuters news agency said.

However, Mr Suranand said that the government house itself was secure and the government still functioning.

Government supporters were organising their own demonstrations around the country, he added.

Ms Yingluck - who on Monday invoked special powers allowing officials to impose curfews - said that the government would not use force against protesters.

"This is not the 'Thaksin regime', this is a democratically elected government," she told media outside parliament.

'People's Council'

The demonstrations are the biggest to hit Thailand since the violence in early 2010, when supporters of Mr Thaksin paralysed key parts of Bangkok.

Continue reading the main story

Thailand's troubles

• Sept 2006: Army overthrows government of Thaksin Shinawatra, rewrites constitution
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin People Power Party wins most votes in election
• Aug 2008: Mr Thaksin flees into self-imposed exile before end of corruption trial
• Dec 2008: Mass yellow-shirt protests paralyse Bangkok; Constitutional Court bans People Power Party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Thousands of pro-Thaksin red shirts occupy parts of Bangkok; eventually cleared by army; dozens killed
• July 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra leads Pheu Thai party to general election win
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protesters begin street demonstrations

More than 90 people, mostly civilian protesters, died over the course of the two-month action.

In the wake of those events, a government led by Ms Yingluck and the Pheu Thai party was elected, mostly by rural voters who benefited from Mr Thaksin's policies.

But many urban and middle class voters are bitterly opposed to him.

They say he controls the current government from self-imposed overseas exile.

They have been angered by now-shelved political amnesty legislation that they say could have allowed his return without serving a jail sentence for corruption.

Until now, the government and the police have chosen not to confront the protesters, in the hope that the movement will run out of steam, our correspondent adds.

That is not happening yet, and protest leaders insist they will not stop until the government is forced from office and replaced by what they call a People's Council.

But a more likely scenario would be a fresh general election - and the governing party, which has won the last five, would probably win again, our correspondent adds.

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Pakistan names new army commander

27 November 2013 Last updated at 06:19 ET

Pakistan has appointed Lt Gen Raheel Sharif as its new army head after weeks of speculation, a move correspondents say could define PM Nawaz Sharif's third term in office.

Lt Gen Sharif replaces Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, who retires on Thursday.

The government has also named Lt Gen Rashid Mahmood as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The appointments are seen as vital in fighting the Taliban and in determining the army's role in politics.

Correspondents say Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will have carefully considered his crucial appointment of Lt Gen Sharif - who is not related to him - because the prime minister has twice had run-ins with the military during previous terms in office.

In 1999 Mr Sharif was forced from office in a military take-over led by Gen Pervez Musharraf.

In 1993 army chief Abdul Waheed Kakar led a push to get Mr Sharif to resign and hold elections following a long-running political stand-off between the prime minister and President Ghulam Ishaq.

Overt interference

Little is so far known about Gen Sharif, correspondents say, apart from the fact that his brother was one of the army's most decorated soldiers and was killed in the 1971 war with India.

The new army chief, a career infantry soldier, is expected to continue Gen Kayani's policies and to avoid overt interference in politics.

Lt Gen Sharif is thought to have been third on the army's seniority list.

He is not known as an ambitious general, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Islamabad says.

Before his promotion, he headed the army's training and evaluation department and has previously served in senior roles as a corps commander and head of the country's premier training institution, the Military Academy in Abbottabad.

The change of command comes as Pakistan faces a daunting array of challenges - including a home-grown Taliban insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, strained relations with India over the Kashmir dispute and the winding-down in 2014 of the 12-year Nato mission in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan has experienced three military coups since independence in 1947 and has been run by the army for half of its 66-year history.

Gen Kayani's stance of not overtly interfering in politics allowed the country to experience its first successful transition between democratically elected governments earlier this year.

However the army has continued to play a powerful background role in politics, especially in relation to Afghan policy and in dealings with India.

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German parties reach coalition deal

27 November 2013 Last updated at 06:59 ET

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have agreed terms for a coalition with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The late-night deal follows talks by SPD leaders with Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and allied CSU.

She hailed the deal as "very much in the theme of mutual trust", while SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel said it was fair.

Mrs Merkel could be sworn in for a new term in office next month if SPD members ratify the deal.

The CDU/CSU fell short of a majority in September polls, and traditional coalition partner the FDP won no seats.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Under the deal, the SPD gets a minimum wage and a lower retirement age and Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats get agreement that taxes will not rise.

The broad thrust of German policy is unlikely to change. The new government will balance its spending against incomes.

One intriguing policy is an agreement to introduce higher road tolls on foreign drivers. It is not clear how that would work or whether it would fall within European law.

The agreement has to be ratified by the membership of the SPD but the leadership will sell it as a real improvement in the lives of Germany's increasingly numerous low-paid workers.

It may also strengthen Chancellor Merkel's position on Europe. In the past, she has had to get agreement within the Bundestag for German participation in bail-outs via a debate and a vote on the floor of the Bundestag. In future, she will have the overwhelming majority a cross-party grand coalition brings.

Minimum wage

The breakthrough came after 17 hours of tense negotiations.

The final coalition deal will now go to a ballot of SPD members to be signed off, with the result expected in mid-December. Cabinet posts are not expected to be announced until after the vote.

Mrs Merkel presented the agreement alongside CSU leader Horst Seehofer and the SPD's Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday.

She said the coalition would stand for "solid finances, secure prosperity and social security" and oppose a "debt union" in Europe.

Parties reached settlements on issues including a lower retirement age and changes to dual citizenship rules.

The SPD won a key demand for a nationwide minimum wage. An hourly minimum of 8.50 euros ($11.55, £7.11) will come into force in the country for the first time in 2015.

The parties also agreed that there would be no tax increases, a key demand of the CDU/CSU.

"The work is done. It has been very intense and sometimes very hard work today but I think we have a result that is good for our country which is the main measure, but we can also say the result has a strong Conservative imprint," said Hermann Groehe, CDU secretary general.

"No new taxes and no new debts."

Continue reading the main story

Key points of the deal

• National minimum wage of 8.50 euros, from January 2015
• Opposition to mutualisation of eurozone countries' debt
• No more new debt at federal level from 2015
• Children born in Germany to foreign parents after 1990 allowed dual citizenship
• Electricity to be 40-45% from renewable sources by 2025, but subsidies cut
• Levy for foreign motorists using German motorways
• Workers who contributed to pensions for 45 years able to retire at 63

Senior SPD MP Karl Lauterbach, quoted by the Associated Press news agency, said his party had "succeeded on the most important points" but would have to overcome "many reservations" among members.

"The Social Democratic signature on this coalition agreement is everywhere," he added.

The SPD previously formed a grand coalition with the CDU/CSU in 2005-2009.

This time around, the partnership faces the twin tasks of rebalancing the eurozone's biggest economy and winning the support of the German public to tackle the eurozone's debt and banking problems.

At the election on 22 September, the CDU took about 41.5% of the vote, the SPD won 26%, the Greens 8.4%, and the former communist Left Party 8.6%.

The CDU's previous coalition partner, the centrist Free Democrats (FDP), narrowly failed to cross the 5% threshold for entering parliament.

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Immunisation begins in the Philippines

25 November 2013 Last updated at 09:59 ET By Tulip Mazumdar Global health reporter

Around 33,000 children are to be immunised against measles and polio in typhoon-hit Tacloban city.

The World Health Organization, which is supporting the government campaign, fears possible outbreaks of disease.

More than 5,000 people were killed when typhoon Haiyan battered the central Philippines.

Huge numbers - including many children - were left homeless, and many are surviving in cramped, unhygienic conditions in damaged buildings.

These "displacement centres", which include dilapidated schools or community buildings, were sturdier than people's homes, and more able to withstand the battering from the typhoon.

But, over-run by homeless people, they have created the perfect environment for the spread of disease.

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Organization's emergency relief team said: "Measles is a viral infection that spreads very very fast.

"When you have an over crowded setting, there is a risk of infection.

"It is enough to have one case and then we would probably see very fast transmission.

"Therefore, it is very important we prevent this before it happens."

The aim is to immunise all under-fives in Tacloban City. The children will be given polio drops and measles injections.

More than a hundred medics are expected to be involved in the first day of vaccinations. Around 40 will be from the Philippines, the rest will be from mostly European countries including Spain and Germany.

The children will also be checked for malnutrition and given vitamin A drops to help boost their immune systems.

The cold chain

Unicef is helping to provide the Philippines Government with the vaccines, but other supplies, like syringes, are also being flown in from around the world. These also include 16 solar-powered fridges from the UK.

A major challenge is keeping the vaccines cold. They need to stay below 8C during transportation to the immunisation site, and between 2-8C after medical team mix the vaccines with a diluting agent.

With no electricity and temperatures of around 30C and high humidity, that is a huge challenge.

Dr Heather Papowitz, senior health advisor from Unicef, said: "In this environment it's extremely difficult. Getting the vaccines from the plane to the cold room at the department of health is a real challenge in this circumstances.

"The vaccines need to go through quite a process to get here. They arrive by plane or boat, when they arrive they need to be picked up in cold boxes and taken by road to the cold room."

The cold room is a 9 sq m refrigerated room that is constantly kept between 2-8C. It is kept powered by a generator.

"Then we distribute them to the vaccination teams in these cool boxes," said Dr Papowitz.

"Then when people have to go out into the community, they take them in really small cool boxes to make sure they stay at the right low temperature the whole time."

The programme will start at the main displacement centres where the big centres in Tacloban city before medical staff head to more remote areas next week.

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India jails murder couple for life

26 November 2013 Last updated at 06:15 ET

An Indian couple have been sentenced to life in prison for murdering their daughter, Aarushi Talwar, and their Nepalese servant, Hemraj Banjade.

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were found guilty on Monday of murder, destroying evidence and misleading investigators.

Their 14-year-old daughter was found murdered at their home in May 2008.

Suspicion initially fell on Hemraj until his bludgeoned body was found on the Talwars' roof just one day later.

Continue reading the main story

• 16 May 2008: Schoolgirl Aarushi Talwar's body found at home with throat slit and a fatal head wound
• 17 May 2008: Body of domestic help Hemraj found on the roof of the house
• 23 May 2008: Father Dr Rajesh Talwar arrested
• 29 May 2008: Case handed over to federal detective agency CBI
• 11 July 2008: Dr Rajesh Talwar bailed
• 29 December 2010: CBI wants to close the case due to a "lack of evidence"
• 25 January 2011: Dr Rajesh Talwar attacked by a man with meat cleaver
• April 2011: CBI says "only parents could have killed Aarushi"
• 8 June 2012: Trial begins

The murders generated huge interest in India, with every twist and turn in the case receiving wall-to-wall coverage.

Prosecutors sought the death sentence arguing that this was "the rarest of rare cases" but the defence team argued that the couple were widely respected professionals.

The Talwars' lawyers have said they will appeal against the verdict.

Judge Shyam Lal based Monday's verdict on circumstantial evidence as key forensic evidence had been lost during two flawed investigations.

"Parents are the best protectors of their own children. That is the order of human nature but there have been freaks in the history of mankind where the father and mother become the killer of their own progeny," Mr Lal said in his judgement.

Aarushi was found with her throat slit and a fatal head injury in her own bedroom, next door to her parents' room at their home in the affluent Delhi suburb of Noida.

Prosecutors alleged that the Talwars killed their daughter in a rage when they found her in a compromising situation with Hemraj.

They also argued that Aarushi's throat was slit in a manner indicating someone with medical skills, and that the two victims were hit by a golf club that was initially hidden by the Talwars.

The prosecutors said the crime scene had also been dressed to mislead investigators.

In the early days of the police investigation, Aarushi was described as a girl of "loose moral character" who chatted with boys and went for "sleepovers" at friends' homes.

Such statements prompted an outcry from women's and child rights groups.

Some experts say the case highlighted a "clash of cultures" within India, pitting police and conservative sectors of society against what they saw as the "excesses of the upper middle class".

Nevertheless, the case enthralled India, receiving almost unprecedented levels of media scrutiny.

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Karzai stands by US deal delay

25 November 2013 Last updated at 17:38 ET

The Afghan president has refused to back down on his decision not to sign a key security deal in a meeting with the US national security adviser.

The pact allows thousands of US troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014.

US envoy Susan Rice told President Hamid Karzai his proposal to delay the signing until after next year's elections was "not viable".

Their meeting came a day after elders at a grand assembly in Kabul called for the deal to be signed this year.

Further assurances

"President Karzai outlined new conditions for signing the agreement and indicated he is not prepared to sign the bilateral security agreement (BSA) promptly," the White House said in statement.

Mr Karzai's office said he used the meeting with the US envoy to ask for further assurances from the US that its forces will not raid Afghan homes, and that it will help start stalled peace talks with the Taliban.

Continue reading the main story

• Jurisdiction: US forces remaining after 2014 reportedly to receive immunity from Afghan courts
• Sovereignty: In October 2013 President Karzai appeared to have secured US agreement not to carry out attacks on Afghan soil without first consulting the Afghan authorities
• Security: The US in October 2013 said that it would not protect Afghanistan from external attack because it could get mired in a war with Pakistan

He repeated his demand that the US commits to holding free and transparent elections on 5 April.

Also among the terms of his conditions was the return of Afghan citizens held in Guantanamo Bay, according to reports.

Washington insists the deal - which has taken months to negotiate - must be signed before the end of this year in order to secure plans for how many US troops will remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Ms Rice said in Monday's meeting that waiting to sign the deal "would not provide the United States and Nato allies the clarity necessary to plan for a potential post-2014 military presence".

Nor would it give Afghans certainty, she said.

The deal under discussion may see 15,000 foreign troops remain after 2014, although the US says it has not yet taken a decision on any presence.

The soldiers who stay beyond 2014, when most foreign combat forces leave, would primarily train and mentor Afghan forces. Some special forces would stay to conduct "counter-terror operations".

Member of Afghanistan's grand assembly of elders, or Loya Jirga, approved the deal on Sunday.

"The Loya Jirga requests the president to sign the agreement before the end of 2013," a declaration reached at the end of the meeting said.

Opening the assembly on Thursday, Mr Karzai urged delegates to support the pact, but said he would not sign it until after the election scheduled for April 2014.

The BSA also has to be approved by the Afghan parliament.

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