Libyan army clashes with Islamists

25 November 2013 Last updated at 07:05 ET

Nine people have been killed in clashes between the Libyan army and an Islamist militia in the restive city of Benghazi, officials say.

Gunfire could be heard from the early hours of the morning and smoke was seen rising in part of the city.

Casualties were reported among both the army and Ansar al-Sharia, an armed Islamist group suspected of killing US ambassador Christopher Stevens in 2012.

The government has struggled to contain militias in control of parts of Libya.

The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the latest fighting is seen as one of the most serious and direct confrontations between official forces and this militia.

Ten days ago, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan called on all militias to leave the capital, Tripoli, after fatal clashes between militiamen and protesters.

The militias took part in the uprising that led to the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but have been told by the interim government to disband or join the army by the end of the year.

Reports from Libya's second city early on Monday spoke of explosions and gunfire in the Ras Obeida area.

The fighting erupted after a civilian was stopped at a checkpoint manned by Ansar al-Sharia because he was carrying a weapon, a military source told the BBC. The man was allegedly beaten, prompting a special forces unit to move in.

Acting Interior Minister Sidiq Abdel-Karim told Libyan TV that nine people had been killed and another 49 wounded in the clashes.

The injured were taken to Jala hospital and several civilians were said to be among those hurt.

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• Group's name translates as Partisans of Islamic law (Sharia)
• One of several extremist Islamist groups believed to be active in Libya
• Emerged in Libya amid the uprising which overthrew Col Muammar Gaddafi
• Attempted to set up an Islamist state in eastern Libya in 2011, but failed
• Thought to have connections to foreign Islamist networks

"The latest events show the urgent need to implement law 53 to disband all [illegally] armed groups. The army and all its forces are carrying out its legal duties," Mr Abdel-Karim said.

He warned the army was a "red line" not to be crossed.

Heavy but intermittent clashes began at about 02:00 local time (midnight GMT) and continued until late morning in various areas of the city. "This is the end of Ansar al-Sharia," a military source told the BBC.

The army has been driving around Benghazi urging residents to stay at home. An urgent appeal has been broadcast for blood donors in the city, reports say.

"People are going about their business but schools are closed and the university has suspended classes until things settle down," Benghazi resident Adam Jhani-Stephens told the BBC.

Local TV said officials had begun a meeting in an attempt to bring the violence to an end.

Benghazi, one of Libya's most volatile areas, was where the uprising of Col Gaddafi began. It was also where the US ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack on the US consulate on 11 September 2012.

Ansar al-Sharia, which is believed to have ties with foreign Islamist groups, has been linked to a series of attacks in eastern Libya.

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John Kerry, speaking on Sunday: "This is a moment of opportunity"

Several Islamist groups have formed from the anti-Gaddafi rebels and they have been blamed for recent murders in nearby Derna. A judge, two traffic police and a tribal chief have died in the port city east of Benghazi in just over a week.

Last month, Prime Minister Zeidan was abducted and held for several hours by militiamen in a Tripoli hotel.

After talks in London on Sunday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and UK Foreign Minister William Hague, Mr Zeidan said Libya had done a great deal "to get rid of the militias".

Mr Kerry told reporters that Libya had gone through great turmoil, particularly in recent weeks, but spoke of a moment of opportunity.

"The prime minister informed us of a transformation that he believes is beginning to take place and could take place because the people of Libya have spoken out and pushed back against the militias," he said.

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Abe: China defence zone 'dangerous'

25 November 2013 Last updated at 05:06 ET

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has described China's move to create a new "air defence identification zone" over disputed waters as "dangerous".

China's action had "no validity whatsoever on Japan", Mr Abe added.

China has voiced anger at Japanese and US objections to the new air zone, and lodged complaints with their embassies.

The zone covers disputed islands that are claimed and controlled by Japan. China says aircraft entering the zone must obey its rules.

Mr Abe told parliament on Monday that the zone "can invite an unexpected occurrence and it is a very dangerous thing as well".

"We demand China revoke any measures that could infringe upon the freedom of flight in international airspace,'' he added.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has called the move a "destabilising attempt to alter the status quo in the region".

"This unilateral action increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations," Mr Hagel said in a statement.

"This announcement by the People's Republic of China will not in any way change how the United States conducts military operations in the region," he added.

Japan described China's move as an "escalation" on Saturday, after China announced the new zone.

On Sunday, Yang Yujun, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defence, said Japan's reaction was "absolutely groundless and unacceptable".

"We strongly require the Japanese side to stop all moves that undermine China's territorial sovereignty as well as irresponsible remarks that misguide international opinions and create regional tensions," Mr Yang said.

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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

He also demanded that the US "earnestly respect China's national security [and] stop making irresponsible remarks for China's setup of the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone".

South Korea said it found it "regretful" that China's new zone partly overlapped with its own military air zone, and covered Ieodo, a submerged rock claimed by Seoul.

"I'd like to say once again that we have unchanging territorial control over Ieodo," Kim Min-seok, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman, said on Monday.

Taiwan also claims the Japan-controlled disputed islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Taiwan said that it would "defend its sovereignty over the archipelago."

China said the air defence zone came into effect from 10:00 local time (02:00GMT) on Saturday.

Aircraft in the zone must report a flight plan, "maintain two-way radio communications" and "respond in a timely and accurate manner" to identification inquiries, China's Defence Ministry said.

Aircraft that did not follow such rules would be subject to "defensive emergency measures", the ministry added.

'Act of war'

The disputed islands in the East China Sea have been a source of tension between China and Japan for decades.

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Disputed islands

• The archipelago consists of five 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

In 2012, the Japanese government bought three of the islands from their private Japanese owner, sparking mass protests in Chinese cities.

Since then, Chinese ships have repeatedly sailed in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters.

In January, Japan said a Chinese frigate put a radar lock on a Japanese navy ship near the islands. China insists its ship was only using ordinary surveillance radar.

In September, Japan said it would shoot down unmanned aircraft in Japanese airspace after an unmanned Chinese drone flew close to the disputed islands.

China said that any attempt by Japan to shoot down Chinese aircraft would constitute "an act of war".

Since China's President Xi Jinping took power a year ago, Beijing has become more assertive in its territorial claims in the region, leading to rising tensions with many of its neighbours, the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing reports.

The US has warned that a small incident or miscalculation in the East China Sea could escalate rapidly into a far wider and more serious crisis.

China is also engaged in territorial disputes with several South East Asian countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines. The disputes centre around ocean areas and two island chains in the South China Sea.

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Jeddah consulate attacker sentenced

25 November 2013 Last updated at 05:28 ET

A Saudi court has sentenced one man to death and 19 others to up to 25 years in prison in connection with an attack on the US consulate in Jeddah in 2004.

The Saudi Press Agency said the man facing execution was one of the five militants who stormed the building.

One Saudi security guard stationed outside the consulate and four locally hired staff working inside were killed, along with four of the assailants.

Another 35 defendants in the case are due to be sentenced later this week.

Two groups linked to al-Qaeda said they were behind the attack, one of a series that left dozens of foreigners and Saudi citizens dead in 2004.

In the Jeddah raid, the five militants threw explosive devices at the gate of the heavily guarded compound, forced their way into the consulate building, and then held hostages at gunpoint.

Three of the assailants were killed at the site by Saudi security forces, and one died later of his injuries. The fifth was taken into custody.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the authorities would publicly display his body after the execution- the most severe form of punishment allowed under the kingdom's Islamic legal system.

The other men sentenced on Sunday and the 35 facing hearings this week are accused of belonging to the same militant cell as the attackers, and of supporting the Jeddah attack and another at the Rabigh petrol refinery the same year, according to Reuters news agency.

The Saudi authorities stepped up their crackdown on al-Qaeda-linked groups in the wake of the consulate attack, capturing or killing many senior militants, and forcing others to flee to Yemen.

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Kampala mayor voted out of office

25 November 2013 Last updated at 06:12 ET

The mayor of the Ugandan capital Kampala has been voted out of office by councillors after a tribunal found him guilty of incompetence and abuse of office.

Erias Lukwago lost the ballot by 29 votes to three.

Police fired tear gas to break up a protest against Mr Lukwago's dismissal, state-owned media reports.

His supporters believe the government plotted against him to wrest control of the mayor's post from the opposition.

Mr Lukwago is a member of the opposition Democratic Party (DP).

He was elected mayor in a popular vote in January 2011.

Two weeks ago, a government-appointed tribunal ruled that he had failed to convene meetings, had disobeyed administrative directives and had incited the public to withhold taxes.

Mr Lukwago described the tribunal, headed by a judge, as a kangaroo court and said President Yoweri Museveni was behind the move to oust him in order to open the way for his allies to take control of the city following their defeat in the 2011 election.

Business came to a standstill and public transport was paralysed in parts of Kampala after Mr Lukwago's supporters protested against his dismissal, the state-owned New Vision newspaper reports.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters and warned the public not to engage in criminal activity, it added.

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Thai capital rocked by protests

25 November 2013 Last updated at 04:23 ET

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Jonathan Head explains what sparked the protests

Anti-government protesters forced their way into the finance ministry, as tens of thousands marched on a second day of demonstrations in Bangkok.

The protesters, who began their action over the weekend, want the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down.

After a huge rally on Sunday, crowds marched on Monday to several different locations in the city.

The protests have been triggered by a controversial political amnesty bill.

The legislation, which the opposition say would have allowed ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra - the current prime minister's brother - to return to Thailand without serving a jail sentence for corruption, failed to pass in the Senate earlier this month.

But the proposed legislation led to an fresh outbreak of street protests, reigniting simmering political divisions and raising the spectre of renewed political turmoil in the South East Asian nation.

'Calls the shots'

On Monday the anti-government protesters, who are led by a former opposition Democratic Party lawmaker, marched to state offices, military headquarters and television stations.

Campaign leader Suthep Thaugsuban had said the protest would be peaceful, with crowds "blowing whistles and handing out flowers".

But at the finance ministry, hundreds of people swarmed into the compound.

"Tomorrow [Tuesday] we will seize all ministries to show to the Thaksin system that they have no legitimacy to run the country," AFP news agency quoted Mr Suthep as saying.

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• 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 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

Sunday's demonstration drew an estimated 100,000 people, who called on the government to step down.

"We have stood by silently while her [PM Yingluck Shinawatra's] brother calls the shots and she runs the country into the ground with loss-making policies," Reuters news agency quoted protester Suwang Ruangchai, 54, as saying.

About 40,000 government supporters held a separate rally in another part of the capital on Sunday.

Thailand has been bitterly divided since Mr Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Groups opposed to him occupied Bangkok's main airport in 2008, shutting it down. Then in 2010, those who backed him and his allies held two months of street protests that paralysed Bangkok.

Those demonstrations ended in a military crackdown. More than 90 people - mostly civilian protesters - died over the course of the two-month sit-in.

A government led by Mr Thaksin's sister was subsequently elected and since then Thailand has remained relatively politically stable.

But the opposition accuse Mr Thaksin of running the government from self-imposed exile overseas, and the now-shelved amnesty bill has served as a spark for renewed protests.

The bill applied to offences committed during the upheaval after Mr Thaksin was removed from office. Ms Yingluck's government had argued that the legislation was a necessary step towards reconciliation.

But critics said it would allow human rights abuses - such as the killing of civilian protesters - to go unpunished.

And the opposition viewed it as a way of overturning the jail sentence given to Mr Thaksin, paving the way for his return.

Thaksin Shinawatra is a deeply polarising figure in Thai politics.

He drew huge support from Thailand's rural poor but strong opposition from other sectors in society, and the divisions dating from the 2006 coup continue to dominate the political landscape.

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Fresh clashes in Ukrainian capital

25 November 2013 Last updated at 05:51 ET

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Protesters and riot police clash during a rally in Kiev

Ukrainian police have used tear gas in fresh clashes with pro-EU activists in the heart of Ukraine's capital Kiev.

Reports say some protesters tried to enter the government building but were pushed back by police.

Thousands of protesters gathered on European Square again after a huge rally on Sunday - the biggest since the 2004 Orange Revolution.

They are angry at the government's decision not to sign a major trade and association deal with the EU.

In recent weeks the government has come under Russian pressure not to sign the pact, but to join a Russian-led customs union with former Soviet states instead.

Opposition leaders, including world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, called the government's decision "shameful" and vowed to keep up mass protests in central Kiev indefinitely.

The activists included supporters of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who urged the government to release her - a plea that has also been made by EU politicians.

Ms Tymoshenko wants to get treatment in Germany for chronic back pain and the EU has made her release a key condition for signing the pact with Kiev. But last week Ukraine's parliament rejected legislation that would have enabled her to go.

More than 100,000 people rallied in Kiev on Sunday, the opposition said. Police estimated the crowd at about 50,000.

Hundreds of protesters stayed in tents on the square overnight, despite an order from the authorities not to do so.

Tents were a big feature of the pro-Western Orange Revolution, which challenged Russia's traditional influence in Ukrainian politics.

Viktor Yanukovych is president now, having been elected in 2010, but back in 2004 he was toppled by the Orange Revolution after an election widely condemned as fraudulent.

The authorities have launched criminal proceedings against some activists who clashed with police on Sunday.

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David Stern BBC News, Kiev

---

The crowds have diminished considerably after yesterday's gigantic and historic demonstration in central Kiev. But tensions have not lessened.

More confrontations between protesters and police early Monday morning in front of Ukraine's government building indicate that the situation remains very volatile.

A few thousand people turned out on Monday, and around 200 spent the night on two main squares, where rallies continue today.

In an echo of the Orange Revolution nine years ago, protesters set up a tent camp in front of the main demonstration's stage.

Ukrainian opposition leaders say political actions will continue through the week until the Vilnius summit, where Ukrainian officials were supposed to sign the free trade agreement with the EU.

Many demonstrators say that they believe President Viktor Yanukovych will succumb to the pressure of the rallies and complete another about-turn - and sign the agreement. This of course depends on whether the protesters can maintain their own momentum over the coming days.

The Interfax-Ukraine new agency said several hundred protesters gathered outside the government building on Monday and various objects "started flying in the direction of the police", prompting the police to don gas masks and form a human chain.

Some activists told a BBC reporter at the scene that there were athletic-looking young people in the crowd whom they suspected of being agents provocateurs.

In addition to Vitali Klitschko, opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleh Tyahnybok addressed the crowd. They urged President Yanukovych to sack Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and to sign the association agreement with the EU.

The signing had been set for 29 November in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where several other ex-Soviet states will forge closer ties with the EU.

Economic pressure

Russia has threatened unspecified economic measures if Ukraine signs the deal with the EU. In the past Moscow has suspended gas supplies, in disputes over prices, and this year it blocked imports of Ukrainian chocolates.

Russia has also boycotted wine and mineral water from Georgia and Moldova - two other ex-Soviet states seeking favourable trade terms with the EU.

In television interviews on Sunday Mr Azarov accused the EU and International Monetary Fund of failing to offer Ukraine enough financial support.

He told Russian TV a letter from the IMF had been "the last straw" because the fund had linked the granting of a credit to "conditions that were absolutely unacceptable to Ukraine, such as raising the tariffs for housing and utilities, freezing wages and pensions".

On the EU, he said :"We are being told: you carry on working and carry on moving forward but don't expect any money.

"So far we have only been given a verbal promise that in the next seven years Ukraine can expect 1bn euros [£835m; $1.3bn]. And what is 1bn euros? It is nothing," he said.

Ukraine depends on imports of Russian gas, but recently the supplier, Gazprom, complained that Ukraine had fallen behind in payments. Pipelines transiting through Ukraine pump Russian gas to many EU member states.

Mr Azarov told Ukrainian TV that Russia had promised to review the terms of its gas sales. However, Gazprom later denied that there was any such promise.

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Iran curbs 'may be eased next month'

25 November 2013 Last updated at 06:50 ET

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An adoring crowd gathers to meet the Iranian negotiators as Emily Thomas reports

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says some EU sanctions on Iran could be lifted as early as next month, as part of a nuclear deal with world powers.

He was speaking after crowds in Tehran cheered negotiators who had agreed to curb some of Iran's nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.

The six-month interim deal agreed in Geneva prompted a fall in oil prices on markets on Monday.

But Israel's prime minister has warned the agreement is a "historic mistake".

US President Barack Obama phoned Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the deal on Sunday. He told the Israeli leader he understood Israel "has good reason to be sceptical about Iran's intentions" and promised to consult its ally closely, the White House said.

Mr Fabius told French radio on Monday that "Iran is committed to giving up the prospect of nuclear weapons. It's perfectly clear".

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John Kerry on ABC's 'This Week': "Israel will be safer, the region will be safer"

However, he insisted that the temporary deal could be reversed if its terms were not adhered to, saying: "As long as some things remained to be settled, nothing is settled."

European Union foreign ministers would meet "in a few weeks" to put forward a proposal partially to lift some sanctions on Iran, which the 28-member bloc would then have to approve. The limited lifting of sanctions would take place "in December", he added.

France, the UK and Germany, the US, Russia and China took part in the talks with Iran, hosted by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Under the deal which will last six months, Iran would receive some $7bn (£4.3bn) in "limited, temporary, targeted, and reversible [sanctions] relief" while a permanent agreement is sought.

In return, Tehran has agreed to a series of measures surrounding its nuclear programme.

Key points of the deal include:

• Iran will stop enriching uranium beyond 5%, and "neutralise" its stockpile of uranium enriched beyond this point
• Iran will give greater access to inspectors including daily access at Natanz and Fordo- two of Iran's key nuclear sites
• There will be no further development of the Arak plant which it is believed could produce plutonium
• In return, there will be no new nuclear-related sanctions for six months if Iran sticks by the accord
• Iran will also receive sanctions relief worth about $7bn (£4.3bn) on sectors including precious metals

Arriving at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, Iran's negotiators were welcomed by hundreds of cheering supporters carrying flowers and flags.

The crowd hailed Iran's foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, as an "ambassador of peace" and chanted, "No to war, sanctions, surrender and insult".

Speaking to Iranian state television at the airport, Mr Zarif said Iran was prepared to take the necessary steps to keep the deal on track.

World powers suspect Iran's nuclear programme is secretly aiming at developing a nuclear bomb - a charge Iran has consistently denied.

A raft of sanctions has been imposed on Iran in recent years, by the UN, US and the European Union, in an attempt by the international community to press Tehran to stop enriching uranium.

Sceptical about Iran

President Obama welcomed the deal, saying it would "help prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon".

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Benjamin Netanyahu: "It's a historic mistake"

But Mr Netanyahu said Israel would not be bound by the agreement, saying he had a "duty to speak out".

"We cannot and will not allow a regime that calls for the destruction of Israel to obtain the means to achieve this goal."

His comments came as it was revealed that the US and Iran had held a series of face-to-face talks in recent months that paved the way for the agreement but were kept secret even from their allies.

The interim agreement with Iran - the world's fourth-largest oil producer - prompted a fall in oil prices in early Asian trading on Monday, with Brent crude falling by more than 2%.

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"Start Quote

Congress is very sceptical about the deal. Many are suggesting that they should push for fresh sanctions even though the White House has claimed this could shatter the agreement"

End Quote

Although Iran will not be allowed to increase its oil sales for six months, analysts say the deal is perceived by the markets as reducing risk in the Middle East.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry told ABC's This Week programme that the deal was a first step in making sure Iran could not have nuclear weapons.

"Israel will actually gain a larger breathing space in terms of the breakout capacity [to make a nuclear weapon] of Iran," he said.

He added that he hoped Congress would not pass new sanctions but Republican senators - as well as some from President Obama's Democratic party - have expressed concerns about the deal and say more sanctions are possible

In a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, President Rouhani repeated that his country would never seek a nuclear weapon.

"No matter what interpretations are given, Iran's right to enrichment has been recognised," he said.

Tehran insists it must be allowed to enrich uranium to use in power stations.

The deal comes just over three months since Mr Rouhani - regarded as a relative moderate - took office in August, replacing the hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It has also been backed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in nuclear matters.

Key sanctions against Iran since 2006
Year	United Nations	USA	European Union
Source: UN, US Treasury, AFP, United States Institute of Peace
2006	Resolution 1737 bans supply, sale or transfer of materials that could be used for nuclear or ballistic weapons. Entities and individuals' assets frozen.	Trade between the two countries has been restricted since 1979.
2007	Resolution 1747 bans Iran's arms exports, freezes assets and restricts travel of more individuals engaged in nuclear activities.
2008	Resolution 1803 urges vigilance when dealing with Iranian banks. Introduces further asset freezes and travel bans.	US banks are further prevented from processing so-called "U-turn transfers" of money involving Iran.
2009	No additional resolutions
2010	Resolution 1929 imposes further restrictions on arms supply, including tanks and helicopters. More individuals and firms added to sanctions list.	Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment. Targets supply of fuel to Iran by non-US firms.	Bans technical assistance in oil sector. Restricts banks and adds names to UN travel ban list.
2011		US tightens restrictions against foreign firms and financial institutions trading in the fuel sector.	Assets of 243 Iranian entities and about 40 individuals are frozen. More visa bans imposed.
2012		Further sanctions against the oil sector and on banks accused of doing business with Tehran.	Bans Iran oil imports and freezes assets of the Iranian Central Bank. Further asset freezes and travel bans follow.
2013		New sanctions on Iran's Rial currency and the automotive sector.

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India couple guilty of double murder

25 November 2013 Last updated at 06:53 ET

An Indian couple have been convicted of murdering their daughter Aarushi Talwar and their domestic servant, Hemraj.

The 14-year-old only daughter of dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar was found dead at home in May 2008 with her throat slit and a fatal head injury.

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

They denied murder, destroying evidence and misleading investigators in a sensational case that gripped India.

The couple burst into tears when judge Shyam Lal read out the verdict in a crowded court room in the city of Ghaziabad, just outside the capital, Delhi.

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At the scene

After five and a half years of dramatic twists and turns, allegations of bungling and false starts a verdict was finally delivered.

There was tight security at the Ghaziabad court. Journalists were not allowed inside the courtroom, and information trickled out through lawyers. Some camera operators were perched on the tops of trees and the courtroom boundary wall to get the best shot.

Passers-by asked journalists about the verdict. And there was pandemonium as soon as the lawyer announced they had been convicted: "The Talwars broke into tears," he said.

Family and friends of the Talwars at the court were in shock, saying they found themselves up against the might of the CBI. They will challenge the order in a higher court. This story is not over yet.

They issued a statement expressing their anguish at the verdict. Sentencing is to take place on Tuesday and the couple could face a life sentence or even the death penalty. Their lawyers say they will appeal.

"We are deeply disappointed, hurt and anguished for being convicted for a crime that we have not committed. We refuse to feel defeated and will continue to fight for justice," the Talwars said in a written statement given to reporters.

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

The police investigation was the subject of intense scrutiny, with the Talwars and some legal experts saying that local detectives and then federal investigators from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) mishandled the case.

'Compromising situation?'

Aarushi's body was found in her own bedroom, just 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.

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.

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CASE TIMELINE

• 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

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. In 2011 one man, with no connection to the case, attacked Rajesh Talwar with a meat cleaver as he went to court, leaving his face scarred.

But police in Noida - which lies in Uttar Pradesh state - who initially investigated the case were also severely criticised for their "shoddy" investigation.

Within hours of the crime, dozens of people, including television camera crews and reporters, had been in and out of the house compromising the scene of the crime.

Suspicion fell on several other suspects before investigators finally closed in on the parents and their trial began in June last year.

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Mali votes again amid high security

24 November 2013 Last updated at 00:39 ET

Mali is voting amid high security in parliamentary elections, the second nationwide poll since a French military intervention against Islamist militants in the north earlier this year.

Mali held a peaceful presidential election in August, but since then there has been a surge in violence.

On Thursday, the northern city of Gao came under rocket attack.

Extra French troops have been deployed to Kidal, where two French journalists were killed earlier this month.

A total of 6.5 million people are registered to take part in the first round of elections to choose a parliament.

Voting began at 08:00 GMT in the West African nation.

'Too dangerous'

The United Nations force, Minusma, has delivered election materials.

Regional and international election observers say everything is in place for a credible parliamentary election and that they expect to have access to 90% of Mali's polling stations.

But in the far northern towns of Kidal and Tessalit, only the party of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita features on ballot papers, says the BBC's Alex Duval Smith in the capital, Bamako.

Opposition candidates say it has been too dangerous to campaign there.

Three weeks ago two French journalists, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, were killed in Kidal, in an attack claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

The resurgence in violence since the presidential election in August suggests Islamists and Tuareg secessionists still have the upper hand in pockets of the country, says Alex Duval Smith.

France still has more than 3,000 troops in Mali, where there is also a force of United Nations peacekeepers.

Mali's crisis began early in 2012 when secessionist Tuareg rebels, acting in alliance with Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda, swept across the north of the country, forcing 500,000 people to flee their homes.

In March 2012, President Amadou Toumani Toure was ousted in a coup, ostensibly staged by junior officers in protest at the army's lack of resources to fight the rebels.

The rebels then intensified their campaign and controlled two thirds of Mali by January 2013 when France sent 4,500 troops to oust them.

The government of Mali and separatist rebels signed a peace agreement in June, paving the way for presidential and parliamentary elections.

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Several killed in 'Boko Haram' raid

23 November 2013 Last updated at 18:01 ET

Suspected Boko Haram Islamists have killed 12 people in a raid on a village in north-east Nigeria, police say.

Police said about 30 gunmen also burnt houses and stole cars in the village of Sandiya, in Borno state.

One resident, quoted by the AFP news agency, said Boko Haram accused villagers of collaborating with the security forces to track them down.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in parts of north-east Nigeria in May.

A resident of Sandiya, Modu Judum, told the Reuters news agency that about 30 armed men, travelling in a convoy of pick-up trucks and motorcycles "stormed the Sandiya village and started chanting 'Allahu Akbar' [God is great], before opening fire on the helpless".

'Revenge'

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• Founded in 2002
• Official Arabic name, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad"
• Nicknamed Boko Haram, a phrase in the local Hausa language meaning, "Western education is forbidden"
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create an Islamic state, killing thousands
• Founding leader Mohammed Yusuf killed in the same year in police custody
• Succeeded by Abubakar Shekau
• Blacklisted by the US as a terrorist group

"Hoodlums invaded the community and killed 12 people," said Borno state police commissioner Lawal Tanko in a statement.

He said the gunmen burnt scores of houses and stole several vehicles in Thursday's raid on the village, which is about 85km (53 miles) from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

The Nigerian government imposed a state of emergency in Borno and two other areas of northeast Nigeria in May, to try to combat Boko Haram.

In recent months, the Islamist group has carried out a series of raids in remote north-eastern areas of Nigeria, killing hundreds of civilians.

"The gunmen were on a revenge mission," Sandiya resident Sabitu Ali told AFP.

"They are accusing us of collaborating with security men in tracking them."

Boko Haram, which was declared a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States earlier this month, is fighting to create an Islamic state in the north of Nigeria, where Muslims are in the majority.

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