Red Cross condemns Donetsk shelling

3 October 2014 Last updated at 09:46

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A fragile four-week old ceasefire between the two sides may soon completely break down

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has condemned indiscriminate shelling in east Ukraine after a Red Cross employee was killed.

Swiss citizen Laurent DuPasquier, 38, was killed when a shell landed near ICRC offices in the rebel-held city of Donetsk on Thursday.

He was one of several casualties in the city, ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart said in a statement.

The rebels and the government blamed each other for the shelling.

A rebel push began this week to eject troops holed up at the city's heavily damaged airport.

The two sides have accused each other of violations since a ceasefire was called in the region on 5 September.

More than 3,500 people have been killed in the east Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since the conflict erupted between pro-Russian separatists and the new Kiev government in April.

Mortar shells landed in central Donetsk early on Friday, the BBC's Dina Newman reports from a hotel in the city centre.

'Deeply distressed'

Mr DuPasquier, who worked as an administrator at the ICRC offices, had been in Ukraine six weeks when he was killed.

Other ICRC staff, including about 20 Ukrainian and international employees based in Donetsk, were "in safety" following the attack, Mr Stillhart said in the statement on Thursday.

"Indiscriminate shelling of residential areas is unacceptable and violates international humanitarian law," he said.

The office is located in a three-storey building less than 1km from the state security headquarters, which has been occupied by the separatists along with other strategic points in the city since April.

It appears Mr DuPasquier was killed by the blast in the street.

ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson told Reuters news agency: "We're deeply distressed by this loss."

According to AFP news agency, rockets also slammed into a 14-storey central shopping centre shortly before 18:00 (15:00 GMT) on Thursday.

The city was long under siege by government troops but recent rebel successes loosened their encirclement.

On Wednesday, four people were killed by a shell which landed on a school in Donetsk, and six died when a minibus was hit.

A Ukrainian general, Volodymyr Ruban, is in central Donetsk. He told the BBC that he is part of the monitoring group checking on violations of the ceasefire.

Gen Ruban has been negotiating directly with rebel commanders and was involved in arranging prisoner exchanges.

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IS steps up attack on key Syria town

3 October 2014 Last updated at 12:29

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Paul Adams witnessed some of the shelling near Kobane

Heavy fighting is being reported between Kurdish militiamen and Islamic State (IS) militants advancing on the northern Syrian town of Kobane.

A BBC correspondent across the border in Turkey saw explosions and smoke rising from buildings hit by shells.

IS has moved to within a few kilometres of the town despite US-led air strikes seeking to halt its two-week offensive.

On Thursday, Turkey's prime minister promised it would do whatever it could to prevent the fall of Kobane.

Ahmet Davutoglu spoke only hours after the Turkish parliament authorised military operations against militants in Iraq and Syria who threaten Turkey's security, and for foreign troops to use Turkish bases.

More than 160,000 Syrians, mainly Kurds, have fled across the border since IS launched an offensive to capture Kobane on 15 September.

'World remains silent'

Shells fired by IS fighters hit several buildings inside Kobane and Kurdish militia positions on a strategically important hill overlooking the town on Friday morning.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, reported intense fighting to the east and south-east. Kurdish fighters had destroyed two vehicles belonging to jihadists, it said.

On Friday afternoon, there were unconfirmed reports that IS had reached the outskirts of Kobane. Alan Minbic, a member of the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG), told CNN that the jihadists had taken control of the Tal Shair area, in the south-west corner of the town.

Paul Adams, BBC News, Syrian-Turkish border near Kobane

Turkey's prime minister seemed to give a categorical assurance. The Turkish government, Mr Davutoglu said, did not want Kobane to fall and would do whatever it could to prevent this from happening.

But here on the border, Kobane is still under attack, with shelling by Islamic State militants once again hitting the eastern edge of town, and a strategic hill just above. A few hundred metres away, a squadron of Turkish tanks sits idle. There are no signs of any imminent Turkish move to stop the town falling.

Despite Thursday's parliamentary decision, Turkey is still wary of getting involved. It seems likely the government will once again press members of the US-led coalition to create a no-fly zone before sending troops anywhere across the border.

Capturing the town, also known as Ayn al-Arab, would give IS unbroken control of a long stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border.

Late on Thursday, Mr Davutoglu said: "We wouldn't want Kobane to fall. We'll do whatever we can to prevent this from happening.

"No other country has the capacity to affect the developments in Syria and Iraq. No other country will be affected like us either."

However, Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz subsequently said any immediate move was unlikely.

Turkish Kurds have expressed anger and disappointment at their government's perceived inaction over IS in recent months, as well as its refusal to allow them to cross into Syria to fight.

"There is a massacre being committed before the eyes of the world. The world remains silent when Kurds are being massacred," Burhan Atmaca, who travelled to the Mursitpinar border crossing to show solidarity with the Kurdish fighters, told the AFP news agency on Friday.

In a separate development on Friday, Australia's cabinet gave its approval for its aircraft to begin flying combat missions in Iraq.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said IS was a "death cult" that had "declared war on the world" and had to be stopped.

What is Islamic State (IS)?

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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 parts 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

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Texas abortion restrictions upheld

3 October 2014 Last updated at 03:58

A US appeals court has ruled Texas can enforce restrictions on abortion clinics under a contested state law.

The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans found Texas can require clinics to meet the same surgical standards as hospitals.

This may require all but seven of the state's abortion clinics to close.

In August, a lower court ruled such a requirement was unconstitutional, placing an undue burden on women seeking the medical procedure.

Republicans and other conservatives in Texas say the law will protect women's health.

But critics argue the law is a backdoor way to outlaw abortions, which have been a constitutional right in the United States since a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1973

"This is a devastating day for Texas women," Jennifer Dalven, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, told US media following the ruling on Thursday.

"The court's decision ignores the medical experts, who have recognised that these laws hurt women, not help them."

The appeals court ruled Texas could enforce restrictions on abortion clinics while the constitutionality of the state law - signed by Republican Governor Rick Perry in 2013 - is weighed.

Many of the state's abortion clinics have already closed in the wake of the law, which requires doctors performing abortions to have hospital admitting privileges.

If the law stands up to further appeals, clinics would be forced to make expensive upgrades to meet new legal standards.

In August, US District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled the law was less about public safety and instead about limiting access to abortion services.

Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott - tipped to win the Texas governorship in November - has championed the controversial law in court.

"This decision is a vindication of the careful deliberation by the Texas legislature to craft a law to protect the health and safety of Texas women," Lauren Bean, a spokesman for Mr Abbott, said following the ruling.

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JP Morgan customer accounts hacked

3 October 2014 Last updated at 01:00

JP Morgan has revealed it suffered a massive cyber attack on 76 million private and seven million business customers in the US.

The raid gathered account holders names and addresses but the bank said it did not involve critical information such as account and social security numbers.

It said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it had not seen any "unusual customer fraud related to this incident".

JP Morgan is the US's biggest bank.

Earlier this year there were reports that Russia had hacked into its systems.

In August the bank said it was co-operating with law enforcement officials over this suspected incident.

Passwords

The bank said that "customers [whose accounts had been hacked] are not liable for unauthorized transactions on their account that they promptly alert the firm to".

JP Morgan says it is unlikely customers will need to take any action, such as changing their passwords or account information.

Its company spokeswoman, Patricia Wexler, said that the bank is not offering credit monitoring to customers either because it does not believe any financial information, account data or personally identifiable information was taken.

Other major US firms, including Home Depot and Target have been the subject of similar widescale attacks.

The Home Depot breach affected 56 million customer payment cards, while Target saw credit card data for 40 million customers stolen, as well as personal and identification information for 70 million other customers.

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US cameraman in Liberia has Ebola

3 October 2014 Last updated at 04:34

A cameraman working in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola and is to be flown home to the US for treatment.

The 33-year-old freelancer has been working in the country for three years for a number of media outlets, most recently NBC News.

More than 3,330 people have died in four West African countries in what has become the world's worst outbreak.

President Barack Obama has pledged federal support to contain the spread in the US, after the first case there.

A Liberian man diagnosed in Texas on Tuesday remains in a serious condition.

The unnamed cameraman is the fourth American known to test positive for Ebola, all diagnosed in Liberia.

Three American aid workers were separately flown back to the US for treatment and they are all recovering.

The man was only hired by NBC News on Tuesday, the US broadcaster said, and he came down with symptoms - including fever and aches - the following day.

After seeking medical advice, he tested positive for the virus.

NBC News President Deborah Turness informed staff of the news in a statement.

"We are doing everything we can to get him the best care possible. He will be flown back to the United States for treatment at a medical center that is equipped to handle Ebola patients."

The rest of the NBC crew including the network's chief medical editor, Dr Nancy Snyderman, are being flown back to the US on a private charter flight and will be placed under quarantine for 21 days, Ms Turness added.

Meanwhile, as many as 100 people in Texas are being checked for exposure to Ebola, after Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national, was diagnosed with the virus in Dallas.

He flew to the US two weeks ago to visit relatives.

A number of them have been ordered to stay home while they are watched for signs of the disease.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings was called by Mr Obama on Thursday who promised to help with whatever was needed from federal resources to stop it spreading.

Mr Duncan was the first person diagnosed on US soil and on Thursday, Liberian officials said they would prosecute him for lying on an Ebola questionnaire form prior to leaving the country.

Deputy Information Minister Isaac Jackson said Mr Duncan had "lied under oath about his Ebola status".

He is alleged to have taken a sick relative to a clinic.

In West Africa. the outbreak has prompted dire warnings of economic collapse if infection rates continue.

There have been 7,178 confirmed cases in total, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea suffering the most.

Leading charity Save the Children has warned that Ebola was spreading at a "terrifying rate" in West Africa, with the number of new recorded cases doubling every few weeks.

It said that a rate of five new Ebola cases an hour in Sierra Leone meant healthcare demands were far outstripping supply.

At a conference in London co-hosted with Sierra Leone, the UK called for urgent decisive action from the international community.

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

Are you in the region? Are you affected by Ebola?

Get in contact by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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Australia inquiry into Nauru 'abuse'

3 October 2014 Last updated at 10:22

Australia has ordered an inquiry into claims that asylum seekers have been abused at its Nauru detention camp.

The allegations include claims of staff sexually abusing women and children, and incidents of self-harm.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the independent inquiry would also look into reports aid workers were inventing such incidents or encouraging asylum seekers to self harm.

Australia has attracted intense criticism for its immigration policies.

Asylum seekers it intercepts as they are trying to reach its shores are sent to centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Anyone deemed to be a refugee will be ultimately resettled in those countries or Cambodia, not Australia.

Earlier this week, opposition Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young alleged that female asylum seekers were regularly required to strip and exchange sexual favours with guards so they could shower.

She had also brought up allegations that children were being forced to perform sexual acts in front of guards, and that young people were attempting self-harm and suicide.

The Greens and Labour called for an investigation, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Australia and asylum

• Asylum seekers - mainly from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq and Iran - travel to Australia's Christmas Island by boat from Indonesia
• The number of boats rose sharply in 2012 and early 2013. Scores of people have died making the journey
• To stop the influx, the government has adopted hard-line measures intended as a deterrent
• Everyone who arrives is detained. Under a new policy, they are processed in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Those found to be refugees will be resettled in PNG, Nauru or Cambodia
• Tony Abbot's government has also adopted a policy of tow-backs, or turning boats around
• Rights groups and the UN have voiced serious concerns about the policies and accuse Australia of shirking international obligations

Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?

Mr Morrison said the reports of sexual misconduct were "abhorrent and I would be horrified to think that things of that nature have taken place".

But he said he had also seen reports indicating that staff from one of the service providers on Nauru had been engaging in a "broader campaign with external advocates to seek to cast doubt on the government's border protection policies".

He did not name the service providers.

The allegations are that aid workers doctored reports and encouraged camp residents to harm themselves so they could leave the island.

"If people want to be political activists that's their choice but they don't get to do it on the taxpayers dollar and working in a sensitive place like Nauru," said Mr Morrison.

He also said he had ordered 10 members of the charity Save the Children off Nauru, adding that these removals had nothing to do with suspected misconduct.

Save the Children has strongly denied that their staff fabricated stories of abuse or encouraged self-harm.

The charity's head in Australia, Paul Ronalds, said incidents of children self-harming on Nauru were "a reality and have been well documented".

The inquiry comes after a series of protests on Nauru by asylum seekers and resettled refugees over a range of issues, including their living conditions and the recent agreement with Cambodia to resettle refugees in the South East Asian country.

Rights groups say that since last week some asylum seekers have drunk detergent, cut their own throats, and sewn their lips together in protest.

The Australian government has been heavily criticised for its hard line on immigration and for the allegedly deteriorating conditions in asylum seeker processing centres.

Earlier this year Australia's top human rights official Gillian Triggs claimed that children had been self-harming in the centre on Christmas Island, while the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce accuses the government of not doing enough to protect child detainees.

The government has rejected such claims saying that it provides adequate healthcare, and has argued that the number of children in detention has declined.

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Australia PM urges burka ban rethink

3 October 2014 Last updated at 10:33

Australian PM Tony Abbott has urged the Speaker of parliament to reverse plans to ban women who cover their faces from sitting in the main public galleries.

"Common sense should prevail" when it comes to deciding on public access to parliament, he told Australian media.

Officials in parliament announced the measures, aimed at improving security, on Thursday.

The new rules would have required women wearing coverings to sit in a glassed-off area of the public galleries.

The proposed measure has been widely criticised as a potential breach of Australian anti-discrimination laws. One critic labelled it as "religious apartheid".

The plans would have affected Muslim women wearing niqabs, full-length garments where only the eyes are visible, and burkas, where no part of the face can be seen.

Critics argue that the measures would have been of dubious benefit to the security of parliament.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Mr Abbott's reservations about the face-covering ban mean that it is now "effectively dead".

"In a democracy such as ours, in a free and pluralist democracy, it's not the business of government to tell people what they should and shouldn't wear," the prime minister said.

Earlier in the week he described the burka as "confronting" - an item of clothing that he wished people would not wear.

Correspondents say the controversy comes as the government strives to assure Australia's Muslim minority that tough new counter-terrorism laws - coupled with recent police raids on terror suspects' homes - were carried out to fight crime rather than target a particular religion.

ABC News reports that Mr Abbott will argue for proper screening on the way into parliament, which could involve those wearing face-covering garments to show their faces to security.

While Mr Abbott regards parliament as a "people's house", he also recognises that private areas of the building - such as the ministerial wing - require a tougher level of security, ABC News reports.

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HK protesters threaten talks boycott

3 October 2014 Last updated at 13:08

Leaders of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have threatened to call off talks with the government after demonstrators were involved in scuffles with pro-Beijing supporters.

The government must prevent "organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement", they said.

The protesters, angry at China's plan to vet election candidates, have been occupying parts of the city.

They had earlier accepted an offer of talks from Hong Kong's chief executive.

In the commercial district of Mong Kok, on the Kowloon peninsula, opponents of the demonstrators dismantled tents.

Many local residents have been angered by the disruption caused by the protests.

Police linked arms to try to separate the opposing groups.

Similar scuffles took place in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, where residents tried to remove barricades put up by pro-democracy protesters.

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China throws weight behind HK leader

2 October 2014 Last updated at 11:56

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Carrie Gracie: Protesters light up the streets in the main financial district

China's state media have strongly backed Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung, praising his performance while condemning protests as "chaos".

The support in Communist Party paper People's Daily comes as student activists threaten to occupy government buildings if Mr Leung does not resign.

Police and government have again called on protesters to disperse.

The protesters are angry at China's plan to vet candidates for polls in 2017, saying they want full democracy.

On Wednesday China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi also warned against "illegal" protests and foreign interference.

'Disrespecting the law'

The People's Daily is the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper. In a front-page editorial on Thursday, it praised Mr Leung's handling of the situation so far.

"The central government is full of confidence in Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying [CY Leung], and is completely satisfied with his performance," it said.

Beijing "will thus continue to strongly support Mr Leung's leadership of Hong Kong's legal administration as well as the police's handling of illegal activities", it added.

People's Daily also carried on its website a comment piece from another newspaper which stated: "Hong Kong has for many years enjoyed peace and harmony. It now sees the emergence of this embarrassing chaos, and the root cause lies with a few people who are disrespecting the law."

"Chaos denies Hong Kong residents their prosperity, goes against their wishes, and is not what all Chinese people wish to see or what we can tolerate."

Beijing's support of Mr Leung follows repeated calls by protesters for his resignation.

Juliana Liu, BBC News, Hong Kong

The senior Chinese leadership has set out clear limits on who can run for the position of chief executive, Hong Kong's top leader, in 2017.

The rules make it virtually impossible for anyone not trusted by the Chinese government to stand for election.

As a result, the protesters accuse Beijing of reneging on decades of vows to give Hong Kong people genuine democracy.

But although there is widespread anger that Beijing may have violated the spirit of the agreements it has made, there is intense debate over whether it has violated the letter of the law.

Read more: Did China go back on its promises?

Overnight, several thousand protesters massed outside his office, where there was a significant police presence.

Large numbers of protesters came out on to the streets on Sunday, when supporters of the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement joined student demonstrations. More people joined after police used tear gas on protesters.

Since then, protesters have been occupying at least three sites in the territory, in the Central business district, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. A fourth site opened up at Canton Road on Wednesday.

Lester Shum, the vice-secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, has called on Mr Leung to resign by Thursday night.

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Ali Moore: Have Hong Kong protests hit the shopping industry?

"Otherwise, we will announce an escalation of our movement, including occupying or surrounding different government buildings," he said.

Both the Hong Kong government and the police on Thursday reiterated their call to protesters to disperse.

Police spokesman Steve Hui told reporters that if protesters surrounded and occupied Mr Leung's office building in Central, this would cause public safety problems. "The police will not stand by and watch. We will decisively uphold the law," he said.

When asked if tear gas would be used, Mr Hui said the police would monitor the situation and would use "appropriate force if necessary", reported RTHK.

The South China Morning Post is reporting confrontations between the police and protesters outside the building.

The Hong Kong government said the protesters were conducting a "siege" and if it continued, government and police operations would "be seriously affected".

"This will eventually affect social order and the provision of government services to the public and society," it said, adding that 3,000 government officials were due to return to work on Friday.

Chan Kin-man of Occupy Central has urged the students to be peaceful, but also called on Mr Leung to quit.

Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the protests were an "internal affair" for China. Hong Kong authorities had "the capability to properly handle the current situation", he said.

In other developments:

• Mainland authorities have suspended bookings for tour groups to Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported
• On Wednesday, several rallies supporting the protests took place around the world, including in Taiwan, London and Macau
• Rights groups say some mainland-based activists have been detained

Several reports, citing unidentified Hong Kong sources, suggest the authorities plan to wait, hoping the protest campaign will lose momentum.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1997: UK gives Hong Kong back to China under a 1984 agreement giving it "a high degree of autonomy" for 50 years
• 2004: China says it must approve any changes to Hong Kong's election laws
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform. Both sides hold large rallies
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017 but will pre-approve candidates
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes
• 28 September 2014: Occupy Central and student protests join forces and take over central Hong Kong
• 2017: Direct elections for chief executive due to take place
• 2047: Expiry of current agreements

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

Are you affected by the protests? Get in contact by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Japan in $617bn 'fat finger' error

2 October 2014 Last updated at 04:48

Japan's stock markets were rattled after a trading error caused more than $600bn (£370bn) worth of orders to be made and then cancelled.

An anonymous broker entered an over-the-counter trade for 42 stocks before swiftly cancelling it on Wednesday.

The transaction affected huge volumes of shares in blue-chip stocks such as Toyota Motors, Honda and Nomura.

Japan's Securities Dealers Association (JSDA) confirmed the mistake.

"A member company traded 42 issues at the off-exchange transaction at 09:25 on 1 Oct, 2014," JSDA said in an emailed statement. "This was, however, their error."

"After all of these reports were cancelled at 09:43, the revised correct report was made at 13:44".

The so-called "fat finger" mistake, which refers to a human error made by mis-typing a trade, was for an order worth more than the size of Sweden's economy.

The biggest order was for 1.96 billion shares of Toyota Motors for 12.68 trillion yen.

Some previous incidents of computer errors have resulted in severe consequences.

In 2012, US market-maker Knight Capital Group almost went bankrupt after it lost more than $450m when its computers made erroneous orders that couldn't be undone. The firm was later sold.

Japan is the world's second-biggest equities market and has seen an exponential increase in the amount of trading done electronically.

A lot of electronic trading takes place off its exchanges, or over-the-counter, and orders to buy or sell stocks are submitted and withdrawn regularly.

Brokers are required to file a report within five minutes if there is an error. However, the size of Tuesday's cancellation was unusual and took traders by surprise.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell by 0.6% on Tuesday, but its decline has been attributed to poor economic data.

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