Japan tsunami money 'misspent'

31 October 2012 Last updated at 04:44 ET

Japan has spent funds intended for reconstruction after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on unrelated projects, a government audit has found.

Projects financed by the $150bn (£93bn) fund include roads in Okinawa, an ad campaign for Japan's tallest building and support for whaling research.

Some 325,000 people remain displaced 18 months on from the disaster.

In some areas little reconstruction work has been carried out, reports say.

Some 19,000 people were killed or remain missing following the tsunami and earthquake that struck north-east Japan in March 2011.

The government has passed a number of supplementary budgets to fund reconstruction efforts in affected areas.

But a government audit showed money had been used for unrelated projects reportedly included on the basis that they could boost national economic revival.

The findings come at a time when questions are being asked about the speed of Japan's reconstruction effort.

Takashi Kubota, deputy mayor of Rikuzentakata, a fishing port where nearly half of the houses were destroyed, told the Associated Press news agency that "not one single new building yet" had been built in the destroyed downtown area.

"In 19 months, there have basically been no major changes," he said.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda promised that problems would be addressed.

"There have been various criticisms made regarding how the budget for reconstruction has been spent," he said.

"We must listen sincerely to the voices calling for the utmost priority to be accorded to disaster area reconstruction. We will properly provide allowances for budget items that are truly needed by the disaster-affected areas and strictly narrow down other items."

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bananas could be future staple

30 October 2012 Last updated at 20:35 ET By Matt McGrath Science reporter, BBC World Service

Climate change could lead to crops from the banana family becoming a critical food source for millions of people, a new report says.

Researchers from the CGIAR agricultural partnership say the fruit might replace potatoes in some developing countries.

Cassava and the little-known cowpea plant could be much more important food crops as temperatures rise.

People will have to adapt to new and varied menus as traditional crops struggle, say the authors.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

When the farmers see the problems they are having with production, they really are willing to shift"

End Quote Bruce Campbell CCAFS

Responding to a request from the United Nations' committee on world food security, a group of experts in the field looked at the projected effects of climate change on 22 of the world's most important agricultural commodities.

Blooming bananas

They predict that the world's three biggest crops in terms of calories provided - maize, rice and wheat - will decrease in many developing countries.

They suggest that the potato, which grows best in cooler climates, could also suffer as temperatures increase and weather becomes more volatile.

The authors argue that these changes "could provide an opening for cultivating certain varieties of bananas" at higher altitudes, even in those places that currently grow potatoes.

Dr Philip Thornton is one of those behind the report. He told BBC News that while bananas and plantains also have limiting factors, they may be a good substitute for potatoes in certain locations.

"It's not necessarily a silver bullet, but there may be places where as temperatures increase, bananas might be one option that small-holders could start to look at."

The report describes wheat as the world's most important plant-derived protein and calorie source.

But according to this research, wheat will face a difficult future in the developing world, where higher prices for cotton, maize and soybeans have pushed wheat to marginal land, making it more vulnerable to stresses induced by climate change.

One substitute, especially in South Asia, could be cassava - which is known to be tolerant to a range of climate stresses.

But how easy will it be to get people to adjust to new crops and new diets?

Bruce Campbell is programme director of the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security research group (CCAFS) which co-ordinates work among leading institutions around the world. He told BBC News that the types of changes that will happen in the future have already happened in the past.

Protein under pressure

"Two decades ago there was almost no rice consumption in certain areas of Africa, now there is. People have changed because of the pricing: it's easier to get, it's easier to cook. I think those sort of shifts do occur and I think they will in future."

Continue reading the main story

About bananas

• There are hundreds of types of banana plants but not all actually produce fruit
• They grow on plants that are giant herbs and are part of the Musaceae family
• Plantains are starchy like a potato, not sweet like a regular banana
• Organised banana plantations have been traced back to China in 200 AD
• Alexander the Great brought them back from India after his conquest in 327 BC
• Over the centuries they have been called banna, ghana and funana

Source: Dole

One of the big concerns among researchers is how to tackle the need for protein in the diet. Soybeans are one of the most common sources but are very susceptible to temperature changes.

The scientists say that the cowpea, which is known in sub-Saharan Africa as the "poor man's meat" is drought-tolerant and prefers warmer weather and could be a reasonable alternative to soya. The vines of the cowpea can also be used as a feed for livestock.

In some countries, including Nigeria and Niger, farmers have already moved away from cotton production to growing cowpeas.

There are also likely to be developments animal protein sources says the report, including a shift to smaller livestock.

"This is an example of something that's happening already," said Dr Campbell. "There's been quite a shift from cattle keeping to goat keeping in southern Africa in face of droughts - when the farmers see the problems they are having with production, they really are willing to shift.

"Change is really possible. It's not just a crazy notion."

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN: Burma opium cultivation rises

31 October 2012 Last updated at 03:18 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Gary Lewis, UNODC representative in South East Asia: "There is indeed no quick fix"

Opium growing has increased in Burma for a sixth year running despite eradication efforts, a UN report says.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said land used for opium had risen by 17% this year, from nearly 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) to 51,000 hectares.

Burma is the second largest opium grower in the world after Afghanistan.

Almost all of the opium it produces is grown in Shan and Kachin states, which have seen longstanding conflict between the military and ethnic rebel groups.

'Toxic combination'

Citing figures from the Burmese government, the report said almost 24,000 hectares of poppy fields had been eradicated in 2012 - about four times the figure in 2011.

Gary Lewis, UNODC representative in South East Asia, said the situation on the ground was "very complex". In areas where opium was grown, there was ''a toxic combination of guns, money and drugs'', he said.

The army and rebel fighters often profit from allowing the trade to continue. Farmers, meanwhile, say the instability means they have little choice but to continue growing the lucrative poppy plant - which is used to make heroin.

Burma accounts for 25% of opium grown in the world, while Laos accounts for 3%, said the report, entitled the South East Asia Opium Survey 2012.

In Laos, land used to grow opium increased almost four-fold between 2007 and 2012 to 6,300 hectares.

The recent rise contrasts with the situation from 1998 to 2006, when both Burma and Laos saw big drops - with an 83% reduction in the case of Burma.

Most of Burma's opium is refined into heroin - about half goes to meet the growing market in China, with the rest being sold across South East Asia.

Part of the reason for the sustained growth in the cultivation of this crop is the demand for heroin in Asia, said the report.

But the good news, in the case of Burma, was that there was now ''momentum to find the solution'', Mr Lewis said.

There is support from President Thein Sein's government, which has embarked on a series of reforms.

Ceasefires and political opening up also meant that international organisations such as the UN now have better access to the areas.

The Golden Triangle - where Burma, Thailand and Laos meet - has been notorious for opium and drug smuggling for decades.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eastern US gets back on its feet

31 October 2012 Last updated at 07:15 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Jody Herrington, New Jersey charity worker: "There are rollercoasters in the water"

Businesses and services in the north-eastern US are expected to start re-opening on Wednesday after two days of closure forced by storm Sandy.

Some airports, government buildings, schools and the New York Stock Exchange are due to return to business.

But many homes still have no power and the New York subway will remain shut. More than 40 people are dead.

President Barack Obama, who has suspended his election campaign, is due to visit affected areas in New Jersey.

The cost of clearing up after storm Sandy has been estimated at $30-40bn (£18-24bn).

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "We have not seen damage like this in a generation."

Flight backlog

Continue reading the main story

At the Scene

Having removed himself from the election campaign to concentrate on the storm, President Obama will now see at first hand just how destructive Hurricane Sandy has been. He'll travel to Atlantic City where the Republican governor, Chris Christie - normally a fierce critic - will show him scenes of widespread destruction along the Jersey Shore. They'll meet some of those who have lost homes, as well as the emergency teams who have been working around the clock since the weekend.

Across several states, tens of thousands of people spent a second night in school gymnasiums, community centres and hotel rooms, with or without electricity. In a converted detention centre in Teterboro, across the Hudson River from upper Manhattan, I found evacuees receiving food and a bed for the night, but anxious about their flooded homes. In the nearby communities of Little Ferry and Moonachie, the streets were dark, deserted and, in some places, still under water.

The storm is still causing severe disruption after moving inland from the coast. It is forecast to weaken as it turns north into Canada, but to continue dumping heavy snow and rainfall.

At least 22 people were killed in New York City alone.

JFK and Newark Liberty - two of the New York area's three main airports - were scheduled to open for a limited service on Wednesday, but severe delays were expected after the cancellation of more than 18,000 flights across the affected area.

The New York Stock Exchange says it will also re-open after two days' closure, as will the Nasdaq exchange. The last time the stock exchange shut down for two days because of the weather was in 1888.

New York's subway system sustained the worst damage in its 108-year history, said Joseph Lhota, head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).

Subway tunnels were flooded and electrical equipment will have to be cleaned before the network can re-open.

Continue reading the main story

Impact on US, in figures

• 40+ people killed
• 8 million left without power
• 139 mph - highest gust of wind - Mt Washington, New Hampshire
• 12.55 in (31.88cm) rainfall, Easton, Maryland
• 13.88 feet (4.23m) storm surge, Lower Manhattan
• 7,000 reports of trees down in NY City
• 29 hospitals lost power in New Jersey

Sources: New York Times, AP

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was "no timeline" for when the subway would restart, but he hoped buses could begin running again on Wednesday.

Trams and ferries were resuming services, but most of New York's bridges remain closed.

Across the north-east, at least eight million homes and businesses are without power because of the storm, says the US Department of Energy.

Hospital blackout

Sandy brought a record storm surge of almost 14ft (4.2m) to central Manhattan, well above the previous record of 10ft during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.

Maryland appeared to have the worst of the rain and snow - with falls of 12.5 in (32cm) and 28 in respectively.

Continue reading the main story

The greatest storms on Earth

• A tropical storm is classified as a hurricane when wind speeds reach 74 mph (115km/h)
• A hurricane can expend as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs over its lifecycle
• The hurricane's spiral is due to the Coriolis Effect, which is generated by the Earth's rotation

President Obama was due to tour disaster areas in New Jersey on Wednesday with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Mr Christie, a Republican and staunch supporter of Mr Romney, went out of his way to praise the Democratic president for his handling of the storm.

"I spoke to the president three times yesterday," Mr Christie told CNN. "He's been incredibly supportive and helpful to our state and not once did he bring up the election... If he's not bringing it up, I'm certainly not going to bring it up."

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney resumed low-key campaigning on Tuesday, converting a rally into a storm relief event in the swing state of Ohio.

In other developments:

• US federal agencies in Washington DC will re-open on Wednesday
• Fire destroyed about 50 homes in the New York City borough of Queens
• More than 200 patients were evacuated from New York University's Tisch Hospital after power went out and a backup generator failed
• Three nuclear reactors have been closed due to electrical supply and cooling system problems; a fourth was put on alert because of rising water.

In all, storm Sandy has claimed well over 100 lives, after killing nearly 70 people as it hit the Caribbean.

Impoverished Haiti is facing severe food shortages after 70% of crops were destroyed by the storm, officials said.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Swiss bank UBS cuts 10,000 jobs

30 October 2012 Last updated at 03:18 ET

Swiss bank UBS has announced it is cutting 10,000 jobs worldwide as it slims down its investment banking activities.

The jobs will go over the next three years, and amount to 16% of its current workforce of 64,000.

UBS lost 39bn Swiss francs (£26bn; $42bn) during the financial crisis and had to be bailed out by the Swiss authorities.

The cuts are aimed at saving 3.4bn Swiss francs.

UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti said: "This decision has been a difficult one, particularly in a business such as ours that is all about its people.

"Some reductions will result from natural attrition and we will take whatever measures we can to mitigate the overall effect."

Risk averse

Zurich-based UBS will focus on its private bank and a smaller investment bank, ditching much of the riskier trading business which was responsible for the bulk of its losses.

In a joint letter to shareholders, chairman Axel Weber and chief executive Mr Ermotti said: "We will no longer operate to any significant extent in businesses where risk-adjusted returns cannot meet their cost of capital."

UBS announced its restructuring plans as it reported its results for the third quarter of the year.

The bank reported a net loss of 2.17bn Swiss francs for the July to September period, compared with a profit of 1.02bn Swiss francs a year earlier. The loss was mainly due to an impairment charge of 3.1bn Swiss francs that UBS is taking to cover the cost of the changes to its investment bank.

UBS was one of the banks hardest hit during the global financial crisis.

Then last year, it lost a further 2bn Swiss francs allegedly due to the activities of Kweku Adoboli.

This prompted the-then chief executive Oswald Gruebel to resign. Mr Adoboli is currently on trial for fraud and false accounting. He denies the charges.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Songwriters jailed in Vietnam

30 October 2012 Last updated at 05:32 ET

Vietnam has jailed two musicians for spreading anti-state propaganda, after they wrote songs critical of government policy.

Tran Vu Anh Binh and Vo Minh Tri were both convicted by a court in Ho Chi Minh City and sentenced to six and four years in prison respectively.

Detained in late 2011, the two were sentenced after a five-hour trial.

Ahead of the trial, rights group Amnesty International described their treatment as "ludicrous".

As well as social issues, their work included songs that criticised China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea and the Vietnamese government's handling of the row.

Beijing and Hanoi have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea and tensions between the two nations have been rumbling for months.

'Disturbing trend'

In a statement on Monday Amnesty International called for the songwriters' release.

"This is a ludicrous way to treat people just for writing songs,'' said Rupert Abbott, the group's researcher on Vietnam.

''These men are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression through their songs and non-violent activities, and should be freed."

The sentencing comes weeks after three bloggers accused of spreading anti-government propaganda were jailed for between four and 12 years.

''There is a very disturbing trend of repression against those who peacefully voice opinions the Vietnamese authorities do not like," said Mr Abbott.

The Communist Party is currently riven by factional splits over corruption and mismanagement of a now shaky economy, and so is very sensitive to criticism, says the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head.

Earlier this month, the party was forced to issue a public apology for the behaviour of some officials who have become very wealthy during the recent boom years.

But the jailing of songwriters shows it will not tolerate ordinary citizens drawing attention to its failings, our correspondent adds.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bahrain government bans protests

30 October 2012 Last updated at 05:56 ET

Bahrain has banned all protests and gatherings amid clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifah said "repeated abuse" of the rights to freedom of speech and expression could no longer be accepted.

Protests would be permitted only once security and stability were sufficient to maintain national unity, he added.

Demonstrations were last banned during the three-month state of emergency King Hamad declared in March 2011.

The previous month protesters had occupied a prominent landmark in Manama, the now-demolished Pearl Roundabout, demanding more democracy and an end to what they said was discrimination against the majority Shia Muslim community by the Sunni royal family.

At least 35 people, including five police officers, were killed, hundreds were injured and thousands jailed in February and March 2011.

Since then, opposition and human rights activists say another 45 people have been killed, a figure which the government disputes.

'Against human rights'

In a statement announcing the ban on rallies and public gatherings, Sheikh Rashid said the government had strived to protect freedom of expression but the privilege had been "abused repeatedly" by organisers, with participants showing a lack of commitment to the law.

The protests, which the interior minister said had called for the overthrow of the state and leading national figures, were "devoid of respect and intended to humiliate", and therefore "jeopardised civil peace and disturbed security and general order". This, he said, could not be accepted.

These events, he added, had been organised by political societies, led by the al-Wifaq National Islamic Society - the largest Shia opposition group.

Sheikh Rashid said that many members of Bahraini society were "fed up" with "such violations that risk civil peace", and that there was "a need to put an end to them".

"The interior ministry has strived to tackle those violations through co-ordination with the organisers in many occasions, but they failed to control those events despite their promises," he added.

They would remain banned until security was sufficient to preserve civil peace and protect national unity, the minister said.

He warned that any "illegal rally or gathering would be tackled through legal actions against those calling for and participating in it".

An al-Wifaq official, Hadi al-Musawi, told the Associated Press that the interior ministry's declaration went "against international human rights".

In the past two weeks, two policemen have died of injuries sustained during clashes with protesters in villages outside Manama.

Officials said the first was on patrol when a bomb exploded on 18 October; the second suffered burns after being hit by a Molotov cocktail in April. The authorities consider both incidents to be "terrorist" attacks.

In a separate development on Monday, Bahrain's prosecutor-general announced that it had appealed against the acquittals of a policewoman accused of torturing a journalist and two policemen who were charged with the manslaughter of two Shia protesters last year.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

New York declared major disaster

30 October 2012 Last updated at 07:10 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

BBC's Ben Thompson, in New York: ''All night there were sparks and flashes of light as the power systems went down''

US President Barack Obama has declared a "major disaster" in New York state after storm Sandy smashed into the US East Coast causing flooding and cutting power to millions.

A record 4m (13ft) tidal surge sent seawater cascading into large parts of New York City's subway system.

Across the city, a power sub-station suffered an explosion, a hospital was evacuated and fire destroyed 50 homes.

At least 13 people are reported dead across several states.

An estimated 50 million people could be affected by the storm, with up to one million ordered to evacuate homes.

Sandy, now downgraded from a hurricane but described as a "super-storm", is churning north heading for Canada still packing torrential rain driven by gale-force winds.

Over the past week Sandy has killed more than 80 people as it carved a path of destruction through the Caribbean.

'Devastating'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night"

End Quote New York City transport director Joseph Lhota

The storm made landfall close to Atlantic City in New Jersey at about 20:00 local time (midnight GMT), with winds of more than 80mph (129km/h).

It collided with cold weather fronts from the west and north to create what some forecasters have dubbed a "Frankenstorm".

Much of Atlantic City was under water and 30,000 residents were evacuated.

In New York City, parts of Lower Manhatten were quickly inundated as the Hudson and East rivers overflowed. Seawater poured into road tunnels and the subway system. Images showed cars being swept along streets by the torrent.

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night," city transport director Joseph Lhota said early on Tuesday.

City officials had earlier ordered some 375,000 residents out of Lower Manhattan and other areas under threat.

"Lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater," Howard Glaser, director of operations for the New York state government, was quoted as saying. "I am not exaggerating. Seawater is rushing into the Battery Tunnel."

Battery Tunnel links Manhattan with Long Island.

The city's Consolidated Edison utility provider said an explosion at a sub-station blacked out much of Lower Manhatten.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Matthew Trowbridge and Susan Burke Mangano filmed flooding in Ocean City New Jersey

The company said about 500,000 homes in Manhattan were without power.

Vice president John Miksad said the blast was caused by flooding or flying debris, and said it could take a week to restore power completely.

As dawn broke, residents emerged to see the havoc wreaked by the storm.

In other developments:

• Fire has destroyed about 50 homes in the New York City borough of Queens.
• More than 200 patients were evacuated from New York University's Tisch Hospital after its power went out and a backup generator failed.
• America's oldest nuclear power plant, Oyster Creek in New Jersey, was put on alert due to rising water, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
• The New York Stock Exchange will stay shut on Tuesday - the first time it has closed for two consecutive days due to weather since 1888.
• A crew member from a replica of HMS Bounty has died and the captain is missing after the ship sank in mountainous seas off North Carolina on Monday.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the storm surge was higher than the highest forecast, but he expected waters to start receding.

Continue reading the main story

SANDY HITS EAST COAST

• At least 13 people dead, including one in Canada
• 1m ordered to leave their homes
• 50m people estimated to be affected, with 5m left without power
• 800-mile (1,290 km) stretch of the US affected
• 10,000 flights reported grounded globally on Monday and Tuesday
• Manhattan hit by record storm surge of 13.7ft (4.15m) on Tuesday morning

Elsewhere in the city, the storm left a construction crane bent double next to a skyscraper and caused the facade off a four-storey building to collapse.

The UN headquarters in New York is also to stay closed.

At 05:00 EDT (09:00 GMT) the National Hurricane Center placed the centre of Sandy about 90 miles (145km) west of Philadelphia with maximum sustained winds of 65mph (105km/h) with higher gusts.

Officials reported at least 12 deaths in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut - several due to fallen trees. AP news agency put the death toll at 16.

In addition to the US deaths, a Canadian woman was reported killed by flying debris in Toronto.

Forecasters have said Sandy could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours.

Earlier, President Obama declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Early on Tuesday he declared a major disaster in New York and Long Island, making federal funding available to those areas.

In Washington DC, federal government offices are closed until Wednesday.

Public transport was suspended in the US capital, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.

Amtrak has suspended passenger train services across the north-east, while nearly 14,000 flights were cancelled, according to Flightaware.com.

Up to 3ft (91cm) of snow is expected to fall on the Appalachian mountains in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.

The disaster estimating firm Eqecat has forecast that Sandy could cause economic losses to the US of between $10bn and $20bn (£6.2bn-£12.4bn).

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt's Copts to vote for Pope

29 October 2012 Last updated at 00:45 ET

A council of Coptic Christians in Egypt is set to vote for a successor to Pope Shenouda III, who died in March.

Two bishops and three monks are short-listed to become the 118th head of the region's largest Christian minority.

The council will pick three, writing their names on separate pieces of paper that will be placed in a box on the altar of St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo.

A blindfolded child will be asked to draw out one of the names on 4 November, thereby picking the new Pope.

The individual chosen will become the new Coptic Pope who will be enthroned in a ceremony on 18 November.

The five candidates are:

• Fr Pachomios al-Syriani - a monk from the Paromeos Monastery in Wadi al-Natrun; currently lives in Italy; aged around 49
• Bishop Raphael - an auxiliary bishop in Cairo; a former aide to the late Pope; a member of the Church's Holy Synod, the Coptic Church's highest authority; aged around 58
• Fr Raphael Ava Mina: A monk at St Mina Monastery near Alexandria; aged around 60
• Fr Seraphim al-Syriani: A monk from the Paromeos Monastery; currently lives in the US; aged around 53
• Bishop Tawadros - an auxiliary bishop to acting head of the Coptic Church, Bishop Pachomios; member of the Holy Synod; aged around 60

The Coptic Church has about 16 million members worldwide, and Copts make up 10% of Egypt's population of 80 million.

Pope Shenouda III died at the age of 88 on 17 March, reportedly after suffering cancer.

He had urged officials to do more to address Coptic concerns after numerous attacks on churches in recent years.

He had led the Church, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, for four decades.

His successor faces the task of reassuring the Coptic community during the Islamist resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, correspondents say.

Many younger Copts will be looking for a leader who can help redefine their community's role in a rapidly changing post-Mubarak Egypt, they add.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leader's party claims Ukraine win

29 October 2012 Last updated at 06:03 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Supporters of the Party of Regions have been celebrating their anticipated win in Kiev

The party of Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych has claimed victory in the country's parliamentary election.

The Party of Regions has more than 36%, and the opposition party of Yulia Tymoshenko, who is in jail, has just over 21%, with one-third of party list votes counted.

It appears Mr Yanukovych's party is also ahead in single mandate districts, which form half of all the seats.

Western governments have condemned the jailing of Mrs Tymoshenko.

She leads a coalition of opposition groups - the United Opposition Fatherland bloc. She was given a seven-year jail sentence last year for abuse of power, and voted from her prison cell.

Her bloc says its own parallel vote count confirms that Mr Yanukovych's party is in the lead, but with a smaller percentage of votes than the party claims.

The complicated electoral system means a final result is some way off.

Intense rivalry

Thousands of observers were in Ukraine for the vote, which Mr Yanukovych hopes will boost his democratic credentials.

Continue reading the main story

David Stern BBC News, Kiev

---

The country's opposition is claiming widespread voting irregularities.

Nevertheless, it seems very likely that President Yanukovych's Party of Regions, teamed up with the Communist Party, will hold onto its parliamentary majority.

But the new parliament will also differ from its predecessors in key areas.

The emergence of the world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko as a major opposition figure changes the political calculus. As the elections show, he has succeeded in convincing voters that he is a possible third way between the government and main opposition parties.

The meteoric rise of Svoboda also introduces a new and possibly disruptive element.

Svoboda's policies in the past have been openly racist and anti-Semitic, and though they have softened their rhetoric somewhat for this campaign, they have promised to shake up the country's political status quo.

His bitter rivalry with Mrs Tymoshenko dates back to the 2004 Orange Revolution, in which Mrs Tymoshenko and her allies established a pro-Western government, overturning Mr Yanukovych's victory in an election widely condemned as rigged.

Since his dramatic political comeback Mr Yanukovych has forged closer relations with Moscow, Ukraine's former master in the Soviet era.

The regional security organisation OSCE is expected to give its verdict on Sunday's election at a news conference at 14:30 local time (12:30 GMT).

Correspondents say the signs are that the Party of Regions will get a simple majority in the 450-member parliament.

Officials said the election had passed off smoothly, with a turnout of some 45%, about average for Ukraine.

Early results indicated the Communists - traditional allies of Mr Yanukovych - were in third place with about 15%.

The new party of world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, called Udar (Punch), was on about 13%.

The ultra-nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party was also poised to surpass the 5% threshold necessary to get seats in parliament. It was polling 8%, according to the early results.

'Five key punches'

Party of Regions MP Borys Kolesnikov, a deputy prime minister, said his party was likely to dominate the single-seat constituencies.

"There are 225 single-seat constituencies and we see our candidates winning two-thirds of them," he said.

And Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said "we are expecting that the Party of Regions will take a majority in the new parliament".

After casting his vote in the capital, Kiev, Mr Klitschko said he was "going to parliament to fight".

He listed his "five key punches" as corruption, indifference of the authorities, lack of local governance, inequality and poverty.

There were 3,500 accredited foreign observers, including more than 600 from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Campaigning concerns

Earlier, Western officials expressed concerns over campaigning.

In a New York Times editorial, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton cited "worrying trends" in the interim election report from the OSCE (of which Ukraine is due to take over the rotating chair in January).

These included government resources being used to favour ruling-party candidates, media restrictions, vote-buying and lack of transparency on the electoral commissions.

Opposition supporters say Mrs Tymoshenko was prosecuted and imprisoned last year in order to prevent her running in the election.

The EU indefinitely postponed its association agreement, including a free trade pact, after the jailing.

Mr Yanukovych, who has been president for three years and faces re-election in 2015, has rejected calls to free his rival. He says she was sentenced by an independent court.

Ukraine, with a population of 46 million, has been hit by the global economic downturn and unpopular pension and tax policies.

The Party of Regions recently attempted to assuage public opinion by boosting public-sector salaries and pensions.

But the reforms exacerbated a $2bn (£1.25bn) budget deficit and called into question the likelihood of securing IMF lending, correspondents say.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Warplanes bomb Damascus suburbs

29 October 2012 Last updated at 06:54 ET

Warplanes have bombed parts of Syria's capital, Damascus, on the fourth day of a ceasefire during which hundreds of people are reported to have died.

Opposition activists said government jets attacked areas in and around the eastern suburbs of Harasta and Barzeh.

In another development, state TV says 10 people have been killed in a car bombing in Damascus.

UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who brokered the truce, said he regretted that both sides were not complying with it.

"The situation is bad and getting worse," he told reporters after talks in Moscow on the final day of the ceasefire for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.

But Mr Brahimi nevertheless insisted that he would not be discouraged by the apparent failure of the ceasefire, which he had hoped would allow a political process to develop and lead to a permanent end to hostilities.

At least 110 people - including 39 civilians, 34 rebel fighters and 35 security forces personnel - were killed on Sunday, according to the UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

'Cross-border shelling'

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says there has been no real pause in hostilities in Syria since the four-day ceasefire supposedly came into force on Friday morning.

On Monday morning, videos were posted online by activists purportedly showing government aircraft bombing Harasta. The footage also showed people being dug out of the rubble and fleeing the area.

Overnight, troops attacked rebel positions in the southern suburb of al-Hajar al-Aswad and explosions were heard in nearby Qadam, according to the Syrian Revolution General Council, an opposition activist group.

There were also clashes in the northern city of Aleppo, and the nearby towns of Hayan, Kfar Hamra and Anadan, the Syrian Observatory said.

The SOHR is one of the most prominent organisations documenting and reporting incidents and casualties in the Syrian conflict. The group says its reports are impartial, though its information cannot be verified.

In a separate development on Monday, the Turkish military fired back after a shell fired from Syria landed near the village of Besaslan in the southern province of Hatay, state media said, amid clashes between Syrian soldiers and rebels in the nearby border town of Harim.

Turkish forces have responded to every cross-border shelling since five Turks were killed on 3 October. No injuries were reported on Monday.

According to opposition and human rights activists, more than 35,000 people have been killed since protests against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011, while the UN estimates at least 20,000 have died.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sandy closes in on US East Coast

29 October 2012 Last updated at 07:07 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

US implements hurricane shutdown

Hurricane Sandy is closing in on highly populated areas of the US east coast threatening storm surges and devastating flooding.

In New York City, thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes and evacuation shelters have been set up in 76 schools.

Public transport has been halted and the New York Stock Exchange closed.

Forecasters fear Sandy will become a super-storm when it collides with cold weather fronts from the west and north.

Sandy has already killed 60 people after sweeping through the Caribbean in the past week.

Campaigning for the US presidential election has also been disrupted, eight days ahead of election day.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

This gives Barack Obama a chance to appear above politics and to look presidential - but any failure would be magnified, and problems tend to get blamed on the president"

End Quote

At 05:00 EDT (09:00 GMT), Sandy was churning about 385 miles (615km) south-east of New York City, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Worryingly, forecasters said its maximum sustained winds had increased to 85mph (140km/h) from 75mph recorded hours earlier.

The vast hurricane, about 520 miles (835km) across, is moving slowly north and could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours, bringing up to 25cm of rain, 60cm of snow, extreme storm surges and power cuts.

The eye of the storm is expected to barrel across the coast of mid-Atlantic states by Monday night, the NHC said.

As it will hit the US East Coast just before Halloween, it is being dubbed a "Frankenstorm".

With emergencies declared in several east-coast states, many workers were staying at home on Monday.

New York City's subway, bus and train services were suspended from Sunday evening, and schools are shut.

Taxi driver Peter Franklin told the BBC that the city was "shut down".

"I feel like I am living in a science fiction movie," he said.

Hundreds of thousands of people from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to leave low-lying coastal areas.

They included about 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other areas of New York City and another 30,000 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

BBC Weather: Hurricane Sandy forecast

President Barack Obama declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) in Washington on Sunday, he vowed the government would "respond big and respond fast" after Sandy had passed.

"My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape," he said.

Authorities warned that high tides triggered by a full moon could create storm surges of up 11ft (3m), sending seawater surging through parts of lower Manhattan.

The United Nations headquarters in New York also shut down.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg described it as "a serious and dangerous storm."

Addressing those who had been advised to leave, he said: "If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you."

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie echoed his words, saying: "Don't be stupid. Get out."

Amtrak has suspended passenger train services across the north-east and air travel has been badly hit, with some 6,800 flights cancelled.

The Statue of Liberty was reopened on Sunday after a year of renovation, but only a group of army cadets got a tour before it was shut again until at least Wednesday.

Some 200 National Guardsmen will patrol Manhattan and 300 more will be deployed in Long Island.

Path of Hurricane Sandy

The enhanced content on this page requires Javascript and Flash Player 9

Map Key

Fog

Light

Heavy

Frost

Light

Heavy

Rain

Light

Heavy

Extreme

Snow

Light

Heavy

Temperature tab only

Temperature (°C)

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Storm threat to key US poll week

28 October 2012 Last updated at 02:11 ET

Hurricane Sandy is swirling towards the US, forcing presidential candidates to adjust schedules and cancel events.

President Barack Obama has held a conference call with emergency chiefs to discuss preparations for the storm, which could hit as early as Monday.

Its sustained winds of 75mph (120km/h) are set to intensify as it merges with a wintry storm from the western US.

A number of states key to the election could be hit by a storm that may affect up to 60 million Americans.

At 20:00 EDT (00:00 GMT on Sunday), the eye of the storm was about 330 miles south of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Craig Fugate, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said: "This is not a coastal threat alone. This is a very large area."

Sandy has already killed 60 people in the Caribbean during the past week.

Political storm

Republican candidate Mitt Romney cancelled an event scheduled for Sunday in Virginia, a key election state, because of the weather, and was instead heading to Ohio.

President Obama will head to Florida on Sunday rather than Monday, and has cancelled a campaign stop with former President Bill Clinton in Virginia on Monday and a rally in Colorado on Tuesday to monitor the storm from the White House, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Vice-President Joe Biden also cancelled a rally in coastal Virginia to allow for disaster preparations.

Early balloting in Maryland saw lines of voters stretching for a number of blocks at some polling stations on Saturday.

But despite concerns about Sandy's impact, with some polls suggesting the contest is a virtual dead heat, both Mr Romney and Mr Obama pressed ahead with campaigning in key swing states on Saturday.

Nine states are thought to be too close to call.

In New Hampshire, Mr Obama urged his supporters to encourage people to vote early and allow him to finish the job he started.

"We've still got a lot of work to do, but New Hampshire and the country has come too far to go back to the policies that got us into this mess," he said.

"All he's offering is a big rerun of the same policies," Mr Obama said of his opponent.

In Florida, Mr Romney said he stood for "big ideas" that would get America going again, compared to what he called Mr Obama's "shrinking agenda".

"The president doesn't have a plan, he's out of ideas, he's out of excuses and this November, Florida is going to make sure we put him out of office," Mr Romney said to cheers from the conservative crowd in Pensacola.

How Mr Obama handles the weather emergency and how far Mr Romney tries to make political capital out of it could enhance or harm their chances, says the BBC's Bridget Kendall, on the election trail.

'Prepare for the worst'

While the East Coast is used to extreme weather, Sandy is concerning meteorologists who fear it could mutate into a "Frankenstorm" as it merges with a winter storm in the run-up to Halloween.

It is only moving north-east at 13mph, meaning it could hover for 36 hours over as many as 12 states, bringing up to 10in (25cm) of rain, 2ft of snow, extreme storm surges and power cuts.

States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and a coastal county in North Carolina.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect in both South and North Carolina, as well as Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.

The NHC said further strengthening was possible on Sunday, before Sandy touched down anywhere between Virginia and southern New England late on Monday.

In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie pleaded with residents not to be complacent.

"I know everyone's saying this isn't going to happen… that the weathermen always get it wrong," he said.

He urged people to stock up on essentials in case they were trapped at home for a few days.

"We have to be prepared for the worst here. I can be as cynical as any of you but when the storm comes, if it's as bad as they're predicting it will be, you're gonna wish you weren't as cynical as you might otherwise have been."

Delaware has ordered a mandatory evacuation of 50,000 people from coastal areas.

New York has not yet ordered evacuations.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: "This is a dangerous storm. But I think we're going to be OK."

Earlier in the week, Sandy caused havoc as it ploughed across the Caribbean, killing at least 44 people in Haiti, 11 in Cuba and four more in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Burma violence: 20,000 displaced

28 October 2012 Last updated at 04:12 ET

More than 22,000 people have been displaced by violence in Burma's Rakhine state, mostly from the Muslim Rohingya minority, the government says.

UN officials who joined a government tour said many of the displaced, who are in squalid camps, boats, or on islands or hilltops, needed urgent aid.

More than 4,600 houses have been burnt.

Earlier Burma acknowledged more than 80 people had been killed and whole villages destroyed in violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingyas.

The total number displaced since clashes broke out between the two groups in June is now 100,000.

There is long-standing tension between ethnic Rakhine people, who make up the majority of the state's population, and Muslims, many of whom are Rohingya and are stateless.

The Burmese authorities regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and correspondents say there is widespread public hostility to them.

'Major challenge'

A UN team was allowed to accompany government officials on a tour of the affected areas of Rakhine state on Saturday.

The UN's Burma humanitarian chief, Ashok Nigam, said government had given estimates of 22,587 people displaced in the latest wave of violence, but he added there could be "additional numbers".

Groups campaigning for the rights of Rohingyas say some of those who fled by boat have died at sea.

Getting aid to the displaced would be a major challenge, Mr Nigam said, adding that 21,700 of them were Muslims.

"The situation is certainly very grave and we are working with the government to provide urgent aid to these people," he said.

Burmese President Thein Sein on Saturday acknowledged mass destruction in the region, with whole villages and parts of towns burnt down, and announced tighter security.

Continue reading the main story

What sparked the violence in June?

The rape and murder of a young Buddhist woman in Rakhine in May set off a chain of deadly religious clashes.

Why was a state of emergency declared?

A state of emergency allows the introduction of martial law, which means the military can take over administrative control of the region.

Who are the Rohingyas?

The United Nations describes Rohingya as a persecuted religious and linguistic minority from western Burma. The Burmese government, on the other hand, says they are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent. Neighbouring Bangladesh already hosts several hundred thousand refugees from Burma and says it cannot take any more.

Satellite pictures by Human Rights Watch show hundreds of buildings destroyed in the coastal town of Kyaukpyu alone.

A local reporter who visited the site told the BBC's Burmese service the area had been completely destroyed, with some buildings still smouldering.

In one district, with a population of some 3,000, only burnt out poles from the houses and charred stubs of trees were to be seen.

The government has declared a curfew in the affected areas, but its response since the violence first broke out is being widely criticised as inadequate, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

On Friday six towns were hit by clashes and a night-time curfew is in place in several locations including Min Bya and Mrauk Oo where the latest spate of violence began.

It is unclear what prompted the latest clashes. The Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims, believed to be mainly Rohingya, blame each other for the violence.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tsunami hits Hawaii after quake

28 October 2012 Last updated at 05:58 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Pamela Young, KITV presenter: Tsunami "may be three feet above but it's very turbulant below"

A tsunami triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake thousands of miles away in Canada has hit the island chain of Hawaii, with no damage reported so far.

Emergency sirens sounded late on Saturday to alert residents, and evacuations of low-lying areas were ordered.

The first waves were reported to be up to 2.5ft (76cm) in one area.

Wave heights of three to six feet were predicted in some areas, as "urgent action" was advised to protect lives.

There were no immediate reports of damage on the Canadian coast following the earthquake.

Tsunami alerts that were issued for coastal areas of Alaska and British Columbia were swiftly downgraded.

The quake hit 125 miles (200km) south-west of the Canadian mining town of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles (18km), said the US Geological Survey.

Initially, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it did not expect a threat beyond the immediate area.

But later it issued a warning that a "tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii."

First waves hit the archipelago from around 22:30 local (08:30GMT) onwards.

"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the warning said. People living in areas considered to be at risk were urged to move to higher ground.

After the first wave struck, Hawaii's Lt Governor, Brian Schatz, tweeted that water was now receding in Hilo Harbour, on Hawaii or 'Big Island'.

But he also reminded people that the first wave was not usually the biggest, and that surges could continue for six to seven hours.

Initial local media reports from around the islands suggested that wave heights recorded so far had generally been about six inches, with 2.5ft in one place - Kahului Harbor.

A senior scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Gerard Fryer, told journalists the tsunami had arrived as predicted, but he had been "expecting it to be a little bigger."

About an hour after the tsunami surges started, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle told KITV News it was too early yet to give the all clear for people to move back.

He said further information had to be evaluated. "This is not an exact science," he said.

One eyewitness watching the beaches on Kauai island told the BBC that the waves were big and that a "strange mixture of fear and anticipation" reigned.

"A plane with a siren flew over ... and everyone left the beach and coastal buildings. All the boats have been taken out of the water. It's empty down there which is weird. People went buying gas and groceries," Mike Dexter-Smith said.

Hawaii is made up of hundreds of islands, spread over some 1,500 miles.

Wave heights of three to six feet have been predicted in some areas, with the biggest waves expected in Hilo, Kahului, Haleiwa and Hanalei, local media reported.

'Everything moving'

The quake struck the coast of western Canada at around 03:00 GMT and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements, close to the epicentre, said the initial quake lasted about three minutes.

"It was a pretty good shock," he told Associated Press. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving."

A resident of the mainland town of Prince Rupert, Grainne Barthe, told AP: "Everything was moving. It was crazy. I've felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve-wracking. I thought we should be going under a table."

Following the quake, small waves measuring 69 cm (27 inches) were reported on the north-east tip of Haida Gwai, while parts of the north-east coast of Vancouver Island saw waves up to 55cm high.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bomb attack hits Nigeria church

28 October 2012 Last updated at 06:27 ET

Several people have been killed or injured in an explosion during mass at a Catholic church in northern Nigeria, officials say.

The attack happened in Kaduna, scene of many sectarian attacks.

The blast was caused by at least one vehicle being driven towards the church loaded with explosives, witnesses said.

No group has said it carried out the bombing, but Islamist group Boko Haram has been involved in several similar attacks in the area.

The attack happened at St Rita's church in the Malali neighbourhood of the city.

National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushua Shuaib told AP news agency initial reports suggested the attack was by a suicide bomber.

The church was surrounded by soldiers and police after the blast, and ambulances were taking the injured to hospital.

There are unconfirmed reports of clashes breaking out between Christians and Muslims after the attack.

Nigeria is roughly divided between a largely Muslim north, and the south, where Christianity and traditional religions dominate. Kaduna is on the dividing line between the two areas.

Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and impose Sharia law, and has claimed responsibility for attacks on churches in the past.

In June it attacked three churches in the state of Kaduna, including one in the city.

At least 50 people were killed in the bombings and the reprisals that followed.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deadly storm batters Philippines

27 October 2012 Last updated at 02:51 ET

At least 24 people have been killed as a result of tropical storm Son-Tinh in the Philippines, the government says.

The death toll was updated after casualty reports were received from the central and southern Philippines, officials said.

About half of the victims were killed by landslides and by drowning, while others were hit by debris or electrocuted.

More than 15,000 people are sheltering in government evacuation centres.

At least six people remain missing.

The Philippines see between 15 and 20 major storms or typhoons each year, that occur mainly during the rainy season in the summer and autumn.

The storm is heading westward towards Vietnam at 22km/h (14mph) per hour and is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Burma images 'show mass burnings'

27 October 2012 Last updated at 03:40 ET

A human rights group has released satellite images of what appears to be the destruction of a coastal Burmese district riven by ethnic unrest.

Human Rights Watch says the images show that more than 800 buildings and houseboats were burned to the ground in Kyaukpyu, in western Rakhine state.

It says the victims were mostly Muslim Rohingyas, targeted by non-Muslims.

Officials say 64 people have died in recent unrest, but HRW says it fears the figure could be much higher.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The US-based group compared satellite images of the Kyaukpyu district taken on 9 and 25 October.

On 9 October, hundreds of closely packed houses can be clearly seen in rows along the peninsula - which sits at the mouth of an inlet - as well as scores of houseboats along the northern shoreline.

But in the image taken on Thursday, few boats remain and the 35-acre district is almost entirely empty of houses. HRW says there are "no indications of fire damage to the immediate west and east of this zone of destruction".

The group gave no indication of casualties from the unrest, but said many of the inhabitants are thought to have fled by boat out to sea.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the violence showed that Burma's government "urgently needs to provide security for the Rohingya" in Rakhine state, which is also known as Arakan.

"Unless the authorities also start addressing the root causes of the violence, it is only likely to get worse," said Mr Robertson.

The UN earlier warned the country's reform programme could be put at risk by continued communal violence between local groups of vigilante Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas in the western state.

At least 64 people were killed this week, officials said, in the first serious outburst of violence since June, when a state of emergency was declared in Rakhine.

At that time deadly clashes claimed dozens of lives and thousands of people were forced to flee their homes - many are yet to return.

HRW said it feared the death toll from the latest unrest could be much higher, based on witness reports and "the government's well-documented history of underestimating figures that might lead to criticism of the state".

Rohingya refugees

Non-Muslims are reporting that this time they too were fired on by government forces during the unrest, and suffered many casualties.

Continue reading the main story

What sparked the violence in June?

The rape and murder of a young Buddhist woman in Rakhine in May set off a chain of deadly religious clashes.

Why was a state of emergency declared?

A state of emergency allows the introduction of martial law, which means the military can take over administrative control of the region.

Who are the Rohingyas?

The United Nations describes Rohingya as a persecuted religious and linguistic minority from western Burma. The Burmese government, on the other hand, says they are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent. Neighbouring Bangladesh already hosts several hundred thousand refugees from Burma and says it cannot take any more.

The government has declared a curfew in the affected areas, but its response since the violence first broke out in June is being widely criticised as inadequate, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

On Friday six towns were hit by clashes and a night-time curfew is in place in several locations including Min Bya and Mrauk Oo where the latest spate of violence began.

It is unclear what prompted the latest clashes. The Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims, believed to be mainly Rohingya, blame each other for the violence.

In Bangladesh, border officials said they believed several boats with Rohingyas on board were waiting to try to cross the river from Burma. One official said 52 Rohingyas had been sent back in the last few days.

Muslims throughout Burma have abandoned plans to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha because of the violence.

There is long-standing tension between the ethnic Rakhine people, who make up the majority of the state's population, and Muslims, many of whom are Rohingya and are stateless.

The Burmese authorities regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and correspondents say there is widespread public hostility to them.

In August, Burma set up a commission to investigate the violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the west of the country. Authorities earlier rejected a UN-led inquiry.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

US 'quizzes Imran Khan on drones'

27 October 2012 Last updated at 05:29 ET

Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan says he has been stopped by US immigration officials and questioned about his views on US drone strikes in his country.

He says he was taken off his flight from Toronto to New York on Friday.

As leader of the Pakistan Movement for Justice party (PTI), he has campaigned for an end to drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan.

He says the strikes kill many civilians and foster support for militants.

"I was taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop," he wrote on Twitter.

He was said to have been questioned for about one hour, and said the delay meant he missed his flight and a party fundraising event in New York, but said "nothing will change my stance".

The US immigration authorities say they cannot divulge any information on particular cases due to privacy laws, according to the Toronto Sun.

"Our dual mission is to facilitate travel in the United States while we secure our borders, our people, and our visitors from those that would do us harm like terrorists and terrorist weapons, criminals, and contraband," one official said.

Earlier this month, Mr Khan led thousands of supporters on a march to the edge of the restive tribal areas where drone strikes target militants.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Truce' hit by more Syria clashes

27 October 2012 Last updated at 05:58 ET

The Syrian army has heavily shelled several areas of the country, say activists, despite a ceasefire marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

Shelling and shooting were reported in the capital, Damascus, in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and in rebel-held areas of northern Aleppo province.

The UN-brokered ceasefire came into force on Friday but was soon shattered by fighting and car bomb in Damascus.

Nearly 150 people died on the first day of the truce, activists say.

The daily death toll reported by activist groups has regularly exceeded 150 in recent weeks.

An activist in the Douma suburb of the capital said the army had started firing mortars in the early morning on Saturday.

"I have counted 15 explosions in one hour and we already have two civilians killed," Mohammed Doumany told Reuters news agency.

"I can't see any difference from before the truce and now," he added.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - one of the most prominent groups monitoring Syrian casualties - said eight people had been killed so far on Saturday, and that government warplanes had been seen flying over Aleppo.

'Failure for Brahimi'

The four-day ceasefire had been negotiated by UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who hoped it would lay the groundwork for a full peace process.

But both rebels and the army said they would observe the truce only if the other side held their fire.

A commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Aleppo, which holds parts of the city, said the truce was a failure for Mr Brahimi, and had been "dead before it started".

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Syrian state TV showed devastation at the Damascus blast site

"I was on several fronts yesterday and the army did not stop shelling," Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi told AFP news agency, adding that the FSA had carried out only defensive action to protect civilians.

Mr Okaidi said the Syrian people had become "guinea pigs".

"Every time there is an envoy who tries an initiative, while we know the regime will not respect it."

The Syrian army also said it had only responded in defence to attacks by rebels.

The BBC's James Reynolds, on the Turkey-Syria border, says there were many weak points in the ceasefire so no-one was expecting a sudden halt in violence.

But it now appears to be only nominal and may not continue to be practical, our correspondent adds.

Both sides still believe that force is their best option for winning the conflict, he says - the government because it has the heavier weaponry and support from Russia, and the rebels because they believe they have the backing of the public.

On Friday, a car bomb exploded near a playground in Daf al-Shouk, a residential area in southern Damascus.

State TV reported that five people were killed and more than 30 wounded. It blamed the attack on "terrorists".

Activists said the bombing appeared to target civilians in a largely Sunni area where some have supported the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Later, a car-bomb attack in the southern city of Deraa killed three soldiers, said the observatory.

According to activists, more than 35,000 people have been killed since the uprising began, while the UN estimates that at least 20,000 have died.

The UN and Arab League have tried several times to broker a ceasefire, but the truces have fallen apart shortly after coming into force.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama casts early vote in Chicago

25 October 2012 Last updated at 20:06 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

President Obama: "I can't tell you who I voted for"

President Barack Obama has cast his vote in his hometown of Chicago as his campaign seeks to boost early ballots in a neck-and-neck election race.

Mr Obama, who is on a two-day campaign marathon across eight states, is the first president to vote early.

His Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, is in Ohio, a swing state which could hold the key to the White House.

Thirteen days from the election, a new national poll says Mr Romney has 50%-47% support among likely voters.

The survey, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that when asked about which candidate they would trust more to handle the economy, 52% backed Mr Romney versus 43% for Mr Obama - the first time a candidate has held a clear lead on the issue.

Continue reading the main story

Widespread early voting, as well as postal voting changes the game"

End Quote

The president's ballot casting on Thursday was part of his campaign's wider effort to encourage early voting, with many states holding open in-person polls this week.

First Lady Michelle Obama voted by absentee ballot on 15 October.

It is estimated that 7.2 million people have already cast early ballots, and that about 35% of the electorate will have already voted by polling day.

The Obama campaign also announced on Thursday that it backs gay marriage laws in three states that are holding referendums on the issue in November.

In Maryland and Washington, ballot measures are seeking to overturn gay marriage bills that were signed into law earlier this year. Meanwhile, Maine is voting on whether to reinstate a gay marriage law that was overturned in a popular vote in 2009.

Mr Obama first voiced support for the right of same-sex couples to marry in May.

Key states

Because the US election is a state-by-state contest, a presidential candidate must win key battlegrounds like Ohio, Virginia and Florida, which do not reliably vote for either party. No Republican has ever won the White House without taking Ohio.

The Obama campaign recently won a court ruling to keep Ohio's early voting open through the weekend before the election.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Obama spoke about the Mourdock controversy on late-night TV

Former Massachusetts Governor Romney made three stops across the Mid-Western state on Thursday, while his running mate Paul Ryan spent the day in Virginia.

But they have been distracted by the fall-out from a fellow Republican candidate's remarks on Tuesday night that pregnancy from rape was part of God's plan.

The Romney campaign has said it disagreed with the comments by anti-abortion Indiana Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock, although it did not withdraw support from him.

Continue reading the main story

"We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest, but still support him," a campaign spokeswoman said.

Republicans running in tight contests elsewhere have repudiated Mr Mourdock's remarks.

Mr Obama criticised Mr Mourdock on a US late-night talk show on Wednesday.

"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas... rape is rape. It is a crime," Mr Obama told host Jay Leno, adding that politicians had no business making decisions for women about their bodies and health choices.

On Thursday, the president makes campaign stops in Florida, Virginia and Ohio. On Monday, he will appear for the first time at a campaign event this election cycle with former President Bill Clinton.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Mr Obama indicated what issues would be his priority in a second term, including a budget deal to reduce the US debt, as well as immigration.

Continue reading the main story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20085671

Mr Obama received a boost from Colin Powell, formerly Secretary of State for Republican President George W Bush, who endorsed the president on Thursday.

Mr Powell, who also backed Mr Obama in 2008, cited recent improvements in the economy and Mr Obama's guidance of the US military as reasons for his renewed support.

"I also saw the president get us out of one war, start to get us out of a second war and did not get us into any new wars." Mr Powell said, adding that under Mr Obama the US economy was "out of the dive and starting to gain altitude".

He also expressed doubts over Mr Romney's approach to foreign policy, saying the candidate's policies were a "moving target".

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

China condemns NY Times 'smear'

26 October 2012 Last updated at 05:59 ET

China has condemned as a "smear" a New York Times report saying Premier Wen Jiabao's relatives have accumulated billions of dollars.

The article said Mr Wen's family members "have controlled assets worth at least $2.7bn (£1.7bn)".

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the report had "ulterior motives".

Both the NYT's Chinese and English sites are being blocked inside China, as are references to the report on micro-blogging sites.

"Some reports smear China and have ulterior motives," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said when asked about the story in a daily press briefing. On the blocking, he said the internet was managed "in accordance with laws".

Wealth gap

In its report, the New York Times said Mr Wen's relatives' holdings included property, insurance and construction firms.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Often referred to as "Grandpa Wen" by state media, the premier is one of the few senior Chinese politicians with the popular touch, usually the first to appear at the side of victims of earthquakes or other disasters as a kind of consoler-in-chief. But there have long been rumours that his decade in the job has brought more tangible benefits to his immediate family, and now the New York Times has put a figure on it.

The more than $2.7bn in controlled assets reported by the newspaper are held not by the Chinese premier himself, but by his wife, mother, siblings, children, and their in-laws. The figure though may not come as much of a shock to Mr Wen. A WikiLeaks cable dated 2007 quoted a source as saying the premier was "disgusted" by his family's activities.

But whether he disapproves or not, the investigation shows that much of the wealth has been accumulated in areas of the economy over which he has direct authority. Mr Wen is not the only senior leader over whom that kind of suspicion lingers, but given his position, his public standing and his own championing of the anti-corruption cause, the Times report will be seen by the authorities here as highly sensitive and potentially damaging.

Bloomberg's website is still being blocked after it published, back in June, a similar expose of the family wealth of the man tipped to be China's next leader, Xi Jinping. It may be a while before readers in China get to see the New York Times online again.

"Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership," the newspaper wrote.

"In many cases, the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of partnerships and investment vehicles involving friends, work colleagues and business partners."

The family's investments reportedly spanned several sectors. The newspaper cited one holding as Ping An, an insurance company which it said had benefited from reforms enacted in 2004 by a state body over which Mr Wen had oversight.

It said that partnerships controlled by Mr Wen's relatives, along with their friends and colleagues, had bought into the firm before its IPO, or stock market flotation, in 2004, and held as much as $2.2bn in the company in 2007.

The newspaper said both the Chinese government and Mr Wen's relatives declined to comment on the investigation, which was based on corporate records from 1992-2012.

No holdings were found in Mr Wen's name, it said, nor was it possible "to determine from the documents whether he recused himself from any decisions that might have affected his relatives' holdings, or whether they received preferential treatment on investments".

China is sensitive about reports on its leaders, particularly when it comes to their wealth.

A growing wealth gap is causing public discontent, as are the frequent corruption scandals involving government officials.

When, in June 2012, a Bloomberg investigative report examined the finances of the relatives of president-in-waiting Xi Jinping, the company's website was blocked in China - even though the report said there was no indication of wrongdoing by him or his family.

Mr Wen has been the Chinese premier for almost 10 years. He is due to step down in a power transition that begins on 8 November.

Continue reading the main story

Wen Jiabao

• Became premier in March 2003, charged with overseeing the economy
• Portrayed in state media as a man who cares for the public
• Began career in provincial geology bureau but was quickly promoted
• Seen as a economic reformist critical of Bo Xilai's "Chongqing model" and "Red" policies

He is seen as a popular figure with the common touch, and is portrayed in state media as a leader with great concern for the lives of ordinary people.

A spokeswoman for New York Times said she hoped that full access to the websites would be "restored shortly" in China.

The BBC has also been affected, with the BBC World News channel blocked when a correspondent was asked about the story during a report, and the BBC News website blocked later on Friday.

On China's Twitter-like weibo platforms, keywords such as Wen Jiabao and the New York Times are blocked. Mr Wen's name, like most other Chinese leaders, has always been a screened keyword.

Some netizens did manage to post the article despite heavy and rapid censorship. A Sina Weibo user tweeted about the article from Kawagoe city in Japan, but his post was removed after 11 minutes.

"The Twist Your Waist Times says the best actor has $2.7bn of assets. I just wonder how will he spend it?" asked a Tencent Weibo user registered in the British West Indies territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

"Twist your waist" in Chinese characters sounds like New York when spoken, while "best actor" refers to Mr Wen, who critics say only pretends to be a people-first leader.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syrian truce for Muslim festival

26 October 2012 Last updated at 06:05 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Rebels say they have advanced into several central areas in Aleppo

A four-day ceasefire to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha has come into effect in Syria, but the army warns it will retaliate against rebel attacks.

Fighting appeared to have died down in many areas, but activists reported fighting mid-morning at a military base and in a suburb of Damascus.

The truce was proposed by UN and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who hopes it will lead to a peace process.

Previous attempts at ceasefires in Syria have collapsed.

Some rebel commanders said they would observe the truce, but only if the military held its fire. Others said it meant little on the ground.

Continue reading the main story

At the Scene

Damascus hasn't had a quiet morning for a long time, but so far, the ceasefire is being honoured. During the Eid holiday people visit cemeteries where their beloved are buried and put flowers on their graves. There are thousands of new graves to be visited today.

Right after early morning prayers, there were anti-Assad protests in some parts of Damascus and elsewhere in Syria. Peaceful protests have almost disappeared in most parts of the country due to government violence. But people managed to celebrate today, chanting for freedom.

There is a sense of relief in many parts of the capital. Amid scepticism and doubts that this ceasefire will hold, people are trying to resume daily rituals. Once again, I could hear the music of Fairuz, a Lebanese diva, coming from my neighbours' windows.

There has been plenty of misery and agony over the past year. This truce could give people breathing space to gather their pain, and the hope is that it may pave the way for a reduction in violence.

Syrian state TV reported that the ceasefire had begun at 06:00 (04:00 GMT), and showed footage of President Assad attending a mosque for morning prayers.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist network, reported that clashes had begun at about 10:30 local time at a military base near the town Maaret al-Numan.

In clashes in Harasta, a suburb of Damascus, activists said at least three people had been killed by tank and sniper fire.

Activists also reported anti-government protests in several cities.

The UN refugee agency said it was standing by to send emergency supplies to thousands of families in previously inaccessible areas if the ceasefire took hold.

The International Committee for the Red Cross said if the ceasefire held it would allow much needed relief to reach the Syrian people.

"Any truce would not only allow some of the humanitarian help to reach them, but it would also allow all the people who've been holed up in bunkers and at home, and also displaced in camps to rest a bit and to do normal things that they would do in a normal day," ICRC spokesman Alexis Heeb, told the BBC's Newsday programme.

'Backing the truce'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Civil wars have a trajectory: anger and energy at the beginning, mounting bloodshed and exhaustion at the end as the losses mount "

End Quote

Mr Brahimi has travelled across the Middle East over the past two weeks to promote his plan, and on Wednesday won the support of the UN Security Council. He also said most opposition groups would back the truce, though some rebels expressed scepticism about the chances of a ceasefire working.

Syria's armed forces said in a statement that "military operations" would cease from 26 to 29 October.

"Syrian armed forces will, however, reserve the right to reply to terrorists attacks, attempts of armed groups to reinforce or resupply, or attempts to infiltrate from neighbouring countries," added the statement, which was broadcast on state television.

Col Ahmad Hijazi, an officer describing himself as the chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army - the largest armed opposition group - said rebels would not agree to a ceasefire.

Continue reading the main story

Syria Ceasefire Attempts

• Arab League: Observers deployed in late December to oversee compliance with a peace plan that included an end to violence, the withdrawal of troops from the streets and the release of political prisoners. But the monitoring mission was suspended after little more than a month as fighting continued.
• Kofi Annan: Six-point plan for Syria included the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from urban areas, and an open-ended ceasefire that was meant to take effect on 12 April and lead to peace talks. But neither side fully adhered to the plan and violence continued to escalate.
• Lakhdar Brahimi: New UN-Arab League envoy toured the Middle East in October, seeking support for a ceasefire over the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which starts on 26 October. The ceasefire, backed by the UN Security Council, is designed to kick-start political reconciliation.

"The regime is used to treachery and scheming," he told the BBC. "It is not to be trusted."

Rebel spokesman Brig Methqal Husani al-Btaish al-Neemeh said fighters would only observe the ceasefire if the government freed all prisoners, ended aerial bombardments and the siege of Homs, and did not use the truce to resupply.

The US welcomed the ceasefire, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped it would lead to political negotiations.

The uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government started in March 2011.

Activists say more than 35,000 people have been killed since then, while the UN estimates that at least 20,000 have died.

On Thursday rebels advanced into central areas of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a key battleground.

Eyewitnesses and activists said government forces had moved away from military posts in the Christian district of al-Seryan and the neighbouring Kurdish area of Ashrafiyeh.

A rebel spokesman was quoted as saying opposition fighters had also taken the south-western neighbourhoods of Salah al-Din and Suleiman al-Halabi.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghan mosque blast kills dozens

26 October 2012 Last updated at 07:11 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary: ''A number of those injured are in very critical condition''

A suicide bomber targeted worshippers who had gathered at a mosque in north Afghanistan for prayers to mark Eid al-Adha, killing at least 41 people.

More than 50 people were wounded in the attack, which happened as people were leaving the Eid Gah mosque in Maymana, capital of Faryab province.

Senior provincial government and police officials attended the prayers, but appeared to escape serious injury.

The victims were mainly police officers and civilians.

Officials said that 14 civilians and six children were among the dead.

'Loud explosion'

"We had just finished Eid al-Adha prayers and we were congratulating and hugging each other," deputy provincial governor Abdul Satar Barez told the AFP news agency.

Continue reading the main story

This attack in Maymana, the provincial capital of Faryab, exposes a number of serious concerns about the security situation there.

There is a widespread perception that Faryab is a very peaceful province, but recent developments are telling. There have been a number of assassinations of tribal elders recently in Maymana. Nato forces have also conducted frequent night raids targeting the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan militant group (IMU).

The groups work in concert in Faryab and analysts believe they are behind this latest attack. The province's security elite was gathered in the mosque - they appear to have been the target of this blast.

It is an indication that the militants do not intend to back down; Faryab is an important recruiting ground for the IMU and the Taliban are willing to help them as they try to expand their influence in the north.

"Suddenly a big explosion took place and the area was full of dust and smoke and body parts of police and civilians were all over the place. It was a very powerful explosion."

One survivor told the BBC that the attacker had used potent explosives and ball bearings inside his suicide jacket to cause maximum casualties.

Mr Barez said senior police and government officials had been the target, but were inside the mosque at the time so escaped the force of the blast.

Shafi Bekoghlu, a BBC Uzbek reporter based in Maymana, said he had been due to go to the mosque but was running late so went to a different mosque for Eid prayers.

"Just as I got home, I heard a very loud explosion. I rushed to the hospital and saw lots of cars, police cars and ambulances - carrying bodies in," he said, adding that police fired warning shots into the air to prevent people entering the hospital.

"I went back to the hospital a couple of hours later and saw the bodies of policemen lined up."

Doctors told the BBC that a number of the injured were in a critical condition.

'Stop the killing'

One prominent tribal elder who survived the blast said the attacker was wearing police uniform and was not searched by members of the security forces, the BBC's Bilal Sarwary reports.

He managed to breach several layers of security, 50m from the provincial governor's office.

Intelligence reports prior to the attack had suggested insurgents wanted to target the Eid Gah mosque, in the heart of Maymana, our correspondent adds.

Attacks in northern Afghanistan are far less common than in the south and east, and Faryab province has been considered to be relatively peaceful.

However, there have been a spate of assassinations in Maymana in recent days, our correspondent says.

A senior former Taliban commander, who had defected to the government side, was killed along with his son, as well as a number of very prominent tribal elders seen to be giving crucial support to the government.

Friday's attack came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the Taliban to stop "killing their people and destroying their mosques, hospitals and schools" and join the peace process.

"They can run for any position they want... if they want to join the government they are welcome," Mr Karzai said of the insurgents in his Eid al-Adha message.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More