Catalonia leader decrees referendum

27 September 2014 Last updated at 13:10

The president of the Spanish region of Catalonia has signed a decree calling for a referendum on independence.

Artur Mas wants Catalonia to hold a Scottish-style vote on 9 November, but does not have the backing of the central government in Madrid.

Spain quickly denounced the move, calling the plan unconstitutional.

Catalonia, which includes Barcelona, is one of Spain's richest and most highly industrialised regions, and also one of the most independent-minded.

On 19 September Catalonian lawmakers voted by a margin of 106 to 28 in favour of authorising the referendum, known locally as a "consultation".

Mr Rajoy and the Spanish government believe any vote would be illegal.

Two hours after Mr Mas signed the decree, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz made Madrid's position clear: "This referendum will not be held because it is unconstitutional," she said.

The prime minister is expected to take action at a special cabinet meeting early next week, and is likely to take the dispute to the country's Constitutional Court.

However, Mr Mas says he can use local laws to hold a vote in a matter of weeks.

The decree was signed at a short ceremony and will serve as a message of intent to Spain's central government, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid.

The question now will be on how far the Spanish government is prepared to go in order to stop a referendum, our correspondent adds.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The Spanish government has said a referendum on Catalan independence would be unconstitutional, despite protests

Mr Mas has previously insisted that the pro-independence movement would prevail, even if it faces stiff opposition.

"If they think in Madrid that by using legal frameworks they can stop the will of the Catalan people, they are wrong," he said in the wake of the Scottish "No" vote.

Until recently, few Catalans had wanted full independence, but Spain's painful economic crisis has seen a surge in support for separation, correspondents say.

There is resentment over the proportion of Catalan taxes used to support poorer regions.

The pro-independence movement in Catalonia believes that the region can go ahead with the independence vote after the decree is signed.

Earlier this month hundreds of thousands of Catalans formed a "V" for "vote" along two of Barcelona's main roads calling for their right to vote.

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chelsea Clinton gives birth to girl

27 September 2014 Last updated at 07:31

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has given birth to a baby girl.

"Marc and I are full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky," Ms Clinton tweeted.

Ms Clinton, 34, married Marc Mezvinsky in 2010, and announced her pregnancy in April 2014.

The baby arrives as Hillary Clinton considers a presidential bid in 2016.

She is seen as the leading Democratic contender for nomination to succeed President Barack Obama, and has said that she will make a decision on whether to run from around the beginning of 2015.

Bill Clinton served as the 42nd US president, from January 1993 to January 2001.

The former first daughter has often been tipped to follow her parents into politics.

Chelsea Clinton, educated at Stanford, Columbia and Oxford Universities, runs the Clinton Foundation with her parents. Her husband Marc Mezvinsky is an investment banker.

Ms Clinton stepped down from a $600,000 (£370,000) a year position as NBC special correspondent in August to concentrate on her pregnancy, motherhood and philanthropic work.

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

W Africa Ebola deaths 'pass 3,000'

26 September 2014 Last updated at 22:42

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has passed 3,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

The latest figures indicate that more than 6,500 people are believed to have been infected in the region.

Liberia is the worst affected country, having recorded around 1,830 deaths linked to the latest outbreak.

The outbreak is the world's most deadly - US President Barack Obama has called it a "threat to global security".

Some studies have warned that the numbers of infected could rise to more than 20,000 by early November.

The report said two new areas, in Guinea and Liberia, have recorded their first confirmed cases of Ebola in the last seven days.

It also highlights the risk of infection for health workers trying to stem the outbreak.

It says 375 workers are known to have been infected, and that 211 have so far died from the virus.

The deaths and sickness have made it even more difficult for the already weak healthcare systems in the affected countries to cope with the outbreak.

There is a severe shortage of hospital beds, especially in Liberia.

The US is sending some 3,000 troops to help Liberia tackle the disease, and set up emergency medical facilities.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva
• Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 70%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no proven vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

Ebola virus: Busting the myths

Sierra Leone last weekend enforced a three-day curfew in an attempt to quell the outbreak in the country.

During the curfew more than a million households were surveyed and 130 new cases discovered, the authorities say.

On Wednesday, Sierra Leone extended the quarantine area to three new districts, meaning more than a third of the country's six million people cannot move freely.

Some 600 people have died in Sierra Leone and a similar number in Guinea, where the outbreak was first confirmed in March.

Nigeria and Senegal, two other West Africa countries that have also been affected by the outbreak, have not recorded any new cases or deaths in the last few weeks, the latest WHO report says.

At the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, US President Obama called for more urgent action in the response to the outbreak.

"There is still a significant gap between where we are and where we need to be," he said.

A new BBC Ebola programme with the latest news about the outbreak is broadcast at 19.50 GMT each weekday on the BBC World Service.

Have you been affected by the Ebola outbreak? You can send us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Top India politician is convicted

27 September 2014 Last updated at 13:06

One of India's most colourful and controversial politicians, Jayaram Jayalalitha, has been jailed on corruption charges in a high-profile case which has lasted for 18 years.

The chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu was found guilty of amassing wealth of more than $10m (£6.1m) which was unaccounted for.

She has to pay a multi-million dollar fine and resign as chief minister.

A former actress, her life has been marked by a series of high and lows.

The verdict was delivered by a special court in Bangalore amid tight security.

The prosecution argued that Jayalalitha and three others committed an offence against society, the Indian Express reported.

It said that supporters of AIADMK party were forcibly dispersed by police as they tried to make their way to the court.

The BBC's Jill McGivering says that Jayalalitha is a legendary figure - a flamboyant former film star who has been central to south Indian politics for three decades.

The corruption case focused on her personal wealth and was brought by a rival political party,

Jayalalitha has always argued that it was politically motivated.

Known by her followers as Amma or Mother, she inspires intense loyalty, even adoration.

But she has been associated with a lavish lifestyle.

Her foster son's wedding almost 20 years ago broke world records for its sheer scale - including 150,000 guests.

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strikes 'target IS on Syria border'

27 September 2014 Last updated at 13:09

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Paul Wood's exclusive report from Kobane: ''The battle is far from over''

Islamic State fighters besieging the Syrian town of Kobane on the Turkish border have been targeted by air strikes, reports from the area say.

Warplanes circled through Friday night and explosions were heard in the early hours, the BBC's Paul Wood says.

Kurdish fighters have been defending the town from an advance by Islamic State militants.

There has been no word from the US-led coalition on whether it carried out air strikes in the area.

Kobane has become a flashpoint over the past week, as an estimated 140,000 civilians have fled the town and surrounding area.

Those displaced Kurds have crossed the nearby border with Turkey.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Mark Lowen joined villagers on the Turkey-Syria border watching the fight against IS on Friday

The situation has been tense, with Turkish troops trying to prevent Turkish and Syrian Kurds crossing the border to help defend the town.

Overnight, the head of the US armed forces said air strikes in Syria were damaging the jihadist group, but said air power alone was not enough to defeat the militants.

A UK-based activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said air strikes continued on Saturday in Syria, with IS targets in the central province of Homs hit for the first time.

Strikes were also reported in the town of Minbej, east of Aleppo, for the first time, as well as new strikes on the city of Raqqa, which serves as IS headquarters, the activist group said.

The targets were far away from positions held by Syrian government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, the Observatory's director told the AFP news agency.

At the scene: Paul Wood, Kobane

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Paul Wood is one of the first western journalists to gain access to Kobane

The sound of warplanes circling overhead is nearly constant. And in the early hours of the morning people heard what they said were multiple air strikes against Islamic State positions.

Not before time, say the Kurdish forces defending this place. They are in the fight of their lives, with the jihadis now just a 10-minute drive from the town, and threatening to push further.

At the last Kurdish position outside Kobane last night bullets whined overhead and shells fell either side of the main road to the town.

The Kurds are grateful for the air strikes, but the battle for Kobane is far from over.

Coalition growing

On Friday the UK became the latest nation to join the US-led coalition against IS, which controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq after rapid advances in the summer.

MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of air strikes in Iraq, but not in Syria.

Two of six RAF Tornados based in Cyprus took off on Saturday morning, heading for Iraq.

Their mission was unconfirmed but a BBC correspondent said they were loaded with laser-guided bombs and missiles and followed by an RAF refuelling tanker.

The UK also has a Rivet Joint spy plane in the region.

UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said "intensified surveillance" would identify "convoys" of IS fighters.

Speaking to BBC's Newsnight, he warned the campaign would be "long and drawn out".

French fighter jets are already taking part in strikes in Iraq with Belgium and the Netherlands each pledging six F-16s planes and Denmark deploying seven.

About 40 countries, including several from the Middle East, have joined the US-led coalition against IS.

European countries have so far only agreed to strike targets in Iraq where the government has asked for help.

But US aircraft have also attacked IS targets in eastern Syria, including oil installations.

Several US Arab allies - Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - have "participated in or supported" the strikes.

Who are Islamic State (IS)?

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

In 60 seconds: What does Islamic State want?

• Formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013, IS first captured Raqqa in eastern Syria
• It captured broad swathes of Iraq in June, including Mosul, and declared a "caliphate" in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq
• Pursuing an extreme form of Sunni Islam, IS has persecuted non-Muslims such as Yazidis and Christians, as well as Shia Muslims, whom it regards as heretics
• Known for its brutal tactics, including beheadings of soldiers, Western journalists and aid workers
• The CIA says the group could have as many as 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hosni Mubarak verdict postponed

27 September 2014 Last updated at 11:48

An Egyptian court has postponed a verdict in the retrial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on charges of corruption and killing protesters during the 2011 uprising.

Mubarak, 86, was in court alongside his sons and a former minister. The verdict has now been set for 29 November.

He was found guilty and sentenced to life in 2012, but the conviction was overturned on technical grounds.

Mubarak ruled Egypt for almost 30 years before being ousted in the uprising.

He stood down after weeks of unrest ended in the deaths of hundreds of protesters across the country.

The current retrial began in April 2013, and has been adjourned several times since.

The presiding judge said he needed more time to finish writing his verdict, after examining 160,000 pages of evidence.

Small groups of Mubarak supporters and relatives of the dead, some of whom were demanding his execution, waited outside the court.

A minor clash erupted when news emerged of the postponement.

But the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo says many Egyptians appear to have lost interest in the fate of the former leader who dominated the country for three decades.

Changing evidence

In August, Mubarak was allowed to give a court-room speech broadcast on Egyptian television.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Mr Mubarak insisted he was innocent in a court statement in August

In the speech, he defended his human rights record and said he did his best to fulfil his duties as president.

"I spent my whole life defending Egypt and its sons. I say before God, you and the people that I have spent my life fighting the enemies of the country," he said.

Commentators say that Mubarak could be acquitted, after several witnesses changed their evidence in his favour.

He is already serving a three-year prison sentence for embezzlement of public funds.

In August, a court ordered Mubarak's release from prison and transfer to a military hospital in Cairo, where he is being held.

He was found guilty in 2012 of the charge relating to killing protesters along with former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, and sentenced to life in prison.

But in January 2013 the Court of Cassation upheld an appeal by the two men against their convictions on technical grounds and ordered a retrial.

His sons Alaa and Gamal are currently serving four-year prison terms for embezzlement of state funds.

Together with their father they were also fined $3m (£1.8m) and ordered to repay the $17.6m they were accused of stealing.

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hong Kong police clear protesters

27 September 2014 Last updated at 12:00

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Juliana Liu in Hong Hong: ''Today will not be the end of the civil disobedience campaign''

Hong Kong police have cleared the main government compound of pro-democracy demonstrators who had occupied the area on Friday.

They arrested more than 60 people after a night of scuffles, with police using pepper spray to restore order. Nearly 30 people were hurt.

Reports suggest protesters remain in the area surrounding the compound.

Students and activists oppose Beijing's decision to rule out fully democratic elections in Hong Kong in 2017.

The ruling has prompted a protest movement in the autonomous territory, spearheaded by a group called Occupy Central.

In statement issued on Saturday, Occupy Central alleged that pepper spray was used without warning, and condemned the use of "unnecessary force" against "peaceful protesters".

"We strongly condemn such action which not only violates the police code of conduct but also tramples on people's freedom of expression," the group said.

Student leader held

The last of the protesters within the compound were removed on Saturday without resisting arrest, the South China Morning Post reported.

The students chanted the slogan: "No fear for civil disobedience" as they were led away, the Hong Kong-based newspaper said.

The break-in occurred just before 22:30 local time on Friday (15:30 BST), as protesters scaled security fences to get inside.

The protesters smashed barriers and scaled fences to occupy a forecourt outside government headquarters.

But police managed to restore a cordon around the building's forecourt by late on Friday night before removing the final 50 on Saturday.

Police said they had arrested 61 people on suspicion of forcible entry into government premises and unlawful assembly.

A 27-year-old man was also arrested for possession of an offensive weapon.

The South China Morning Post describes the forecourt as a popular protest spot, to which access has been restricted since July.

School and university students have joined the protests in recent days, and one prominent student activist leader, Joshua Wong, was among those arrested on Friday night.

Mr Wong, 17, was dragged away in handcuffs, a student leader from Hong Kong University said.

On Thursday, about 2,000 university students held a night-time protest at the house of the Hong Kong leader, Chief Executive CY Leung.

The students' boycott is seen as a prelude to a larger demonstration planned for 1 October, organised Occupy Central, which has vowed to block the financial district.

Hong Kong operates under a "one country, two systems" arrangement with Beijing, which means citizens are allowed the right to protest.

In August, Beijing decided that candidates for the 2017 chief executive election would first have to be approved by a nominating committee. Activists have argued that this does not amount to true democracy.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1984: Britain and China sign an agreement where Hong Kong is guaranteed "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years following the handover in 1997.
• 2004: China rules that its approval must be sought for changes to Hong Kong's election laws.
• 2008: China says it will consider allowing direct elections by 2017.
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform and a large rally. This is followed by protests by pro-Beijing activists.
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017, but voters will only be able to choose from a list of pre-approved candidates. Activists stage protests.
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes in protest.

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Japan volcano erupts trapping hikers

27 September 2014 Last updated at 12:43

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Mount Ontake erupted covering the area in a thick layer of ash

Several climbers have been injured in Japan after Mount Ontake volcano erupted, sending huge plumes of ash and stones into the sky.

Witnesses heard a "thunder-like" boom before the eruption at the 3,067m (10,120ft) peak, situated between Nagano and Gifu prefectures.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the army will help rescue some 150 climbers sheltering in lodges near the summit.

Officials have warned residents within a 4km radius of the risk of debris.

Mount Ontake last erupted in 2007.

"It was like thunder," a woman who runs a lodge near the summit told Japanese broadcaster NHK.

"I heard boom, boom, then everything went dark."

"There are 15cm (six inches) of ash on the ground," she said.

Some climbers have managed to descend.

"I escaped with my bare life," one told NHK.

"Immediately after I watched the eruption, I rushed away but I was soon covered with ash."

Two of those injured have fractured bones caused by flying rocks, NHK said.

Three people are missing, believed buried under volcanic ash, it said. A fourth was rescued but remains unconscious, the broadcaster added, citing police.

Kiso Prefectural Hospital, near the mountain, said it had dispatched a medical emergency team.

"We expect a lot of injured people so we are now getting ready for their arrival," said an official at the hospital.

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

New images from Flight MH370 hunt

26 September 2014 Last updated at 12:57 By Richard Westcott BBC Transport Correspondent

The team looking for missing flight MH370 has released detailed images of the seabed - revealing features such as extinct volcanoes and 1,400-metre depressions for the first time.

The collection of data from one of the most secret parts of the world is a by-product of the search.

Until now there were better maps of Mars than of this bit of the sea floor.

The Malaysian Airlines plane vanished without trace on 8 March with 239 people on board.

Twenty-six countries have helped look for the Boeing 777, but nothing has ever been found.

The aircraft was flying from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing.

The team at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the hunt for the plane, is using sonar to map the new "priority" search area, at the bottom of the Southern Indian Ocean.

After that they will deploy two or three deep sea vehicles to begin the painstaking, inch-by-inch seabed search for wreckage.

The "priority" area is based on the only piece of hard evidence investigators have, which is a series of brief, electronic "hellos" between the Boeing and a satellite.

It is the equivalent of your mobile phone buzzing next to a loud speaker because it is checking in with a ground station, even when you are not making a call.

But those "hellos" don't give an exact location, just a very rough idea, so the smaller, "priority" area is still 60,000 square kilometres (23,200 square miles) - an area roughly the size of Croatia.

Making sonar maps is vital to ensure the team does not crash its deep-water vehicles into ridges and volcanoes. The equipment is pulled along just above the sea floor by a 10km-long armoured cable.

Snagging that cable could damage the kit, or even cut it free, so the maps help them avoid any obstructions.

The deep sea search vehicles have sonar that can pick out odd lumps, cameras that can double check if that lump is wreckage or just a rock and an electronic nose that can smell aviation fuel in the water, even if it is heavily diluted.

The operation to find flight MH370 is the most complex search in history. They may find clues within months. Or they may never find the aircraft.

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police end Cyprus migrant stand-off

26 September 2014 Last updated at 09:44

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Refugees have disembarked the cruise ship following a stand-off

Police in Cyprus have persuaded nearly 300 migrants, thought to be Syrian refugees, to disembark from the cruise ship that had rescued them.

Police negotiators coaxed the migrants off the ship in the early hours of Friday, an official said, ending a stand-off that began on Thursday.

The migrants were rescued at sea by cruise ship Salamis Filoxenia.

Although 65 left the ship when it docked at Limassol, the rest reportedly insisted on being taken to Italy.

The Cypriot defence ministry said 52 children were on the small fishing boat that had sent a distress signal. All those rescued are said to be in good health.

Meanwhile, 300 Russian passengers who had been due to continue their cruise to Haifa, Israel, on board the Salamis Filoxenia had their journey cancelled and were put up in Limassol hotels.

Salamis Cruise Lines Managing Director Kikis Vassiliou said the company's losses as a result of the rescue had run into hundreds of thousands of euros.

Aid workers said eight of those rescued had suffered some dehydration, while some others had "minor" problems.

The fishing boat was spotted in rough seas 55 nautical miles (100km) south of the town of Paphos.

"It was quite a difficult operation," Mr Vassiliou was earlier quoted as saying by the Cyprus Mail website.

Cypriot authorities said they had picked up a radio distress signal as the boat was caught in rough seas.

This year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats - particularly people fleeing the conflict in Syria. The majority have headed for Italy and Malta.

Libya, racked by unrest and lawlessness, has become a major people-trafficking hub. However, Cyprus lies closer to Syria.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Footage showed people being helped onto the cruise ship

19.15 | 0 komentar | Read More