Prayers for ailing Nelson Mandela

31 March 2013 Last updated at 04:25 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

People in South Africa are following Mandela's recovery closely

Churches across South Africa are to hold prayers for Nelson Mandela, who has been in hospital for four days being treated for pneumonia.

Several hundred people are expected to gather at the Regina Mundi church in Soweto - once a focal point of the struggle against apartheid.

On Saturday, South Africa's presidency said Mr Mandela, 94, was breathing without difficulty.

It said excess fluid had been drained from the lungs to ease his breathing.

There are no details yet on how long he will remain in hospital.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Continue reading the main story

Nelson Mandela: Key dates

• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1943 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader
• 2004 Retires from public life
• 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

Pleural effusion

The statement read by presidential spokesman, Mac Maharaj, on Saturday said that Mr Mandela had been admitted to hospital "due to a recurrence of pneumonia".

It said: "Doctors advised that due to the lung infection, former President Mandela had developed a pleural effusion which was tapped. This has resulted in him now being able to breathe without difficulty.

"He continues to respond to treatment and is comfortable."

The statement said the presidency "would like to acknowledge and thank all who have been praying for, and sending messages of support for, Madiba and his family."

Madiba is Mandela's clan name and is widely used to refer to him.

The hospital Mr Mandela is attending has not been disclosed.

Last December Mr Mandela was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990.

In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

When asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma told BBC News: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

Continue reading the main story

Pneumonia

• Causes inflammation of one or both lungs in the chest, usually due to infection
• Disrupts process whereby oxygen is taken into the body and carbon dioxide removed
• Interruption of oxygen to the tissues can be fatal, but modern antibiotics are good treatment
• Can lead to pleural effusion - excess fluid accumulating between the two pleural layers, the space that surrounds the lungs

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says South Africans have been praying for the recovery of Mr Mandela, who remains a moral beacon in the country despite withdrawing from public life almost a decade ago.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope's Easter speech pleas for peace

31 March 2013 Last updated at 07:41 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Pope Francis: "We ask the risen Jesus... to change hatred into love"

Pope Francis has delivered a passionate plea for peace in his first Easter Sunday message since being elected.

Francis used his "Urbi et Orbi" address to call for peace in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and across the globe.

He singled out "dear Syria", saying: "How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution is found?"

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar and pilgrims have attended church across the world.

• In Iraq, Catholics flocked to churches amid tight security. Some 200 worshippers celebrated Mass at St Joseph Chaldean Church in Baghdad
• There were special security arrangements, too, in Pakistan, as worshippers attended churches
• In a message for Easter, UK Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "incredible role" played by Christian churches and organisations in Britain and around the globe

'Divided by greed'

Pope Francis, formerly Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected on 13 March, becoming the first non-European pope for almost 1,300 years.

He replaced Benedict XVI, who held the office for eight years and became the first pontiff in more than 700 years to resign, saying he no longer had the physical strength to continue.

In his Urbi et Orbi (To the city and the world) speech, Pope Francis began with a simple "Happy Easter!"

Continue reading the main story

• Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent
• Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969
• Studied in Argentina, Chile and Germany
• Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998
• Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice
• First Latin American and first Jesuit to become pope, the 266th to lead the Church

The Pope, who has begun his tenure by emphasising humility, went on: "Christ has risen! What a joy it is for me to announce this message... I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons."

Later in his speech, Pope Francis said: "We ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace."

The Pope then mentioned troubled regions of the world in turn.

"Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long.

"Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort."

For Africa, the Pope referred to Mali, Nigeria - "where attacks sadly continue" - the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

He added: "Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow."

Pope Francis concluded by saying: "Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st Century."

The BBC's David Willey reports from Rome that the 76-year-old Pope Francis has already set a new style at the Vatican, reaching out easily to ordinary people and expressing his thoughts in a conversational way that is easy to understand.

He has surprised many of the clerics who work at the Vatican, eating in a communal dining room with other priests and clearly finding much traditional Vatican ceremonial tedious, our correspondent says.

Rather than moving into grand papal apartments, Pope Francis has remained in a Vatican guesthouse, where he has been inviting ordinary people to morning Mass.

One pilgrim in Rome on Sunday, Briton Tina Hughes, said that Francis represented a "new beginning".

"I think he brings something special. He connects with people. I feel good about him," she told Reuters.

In the days before Easter, the Pope had reached out to women and Muslims.

During a Holy Thursday Mass at a youth detention centre he washed and kissed the feet of 12 people, including two girls and two Muslims, and in a Good Friday procession referred to the "friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters" in the Middle East.

After Easter, the Pope will have to begin tackling the key issues facing the Catholic Church, such as the Vatican bureaucracy, the future of the Vatican bank and the clerical sexual abuse scandal.

Vatican watchers will be keeping a keen eye on new appointments to key positions.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

France house fire kills children

31 March 2013 Last updated at 07:56 ET

Five children have died in a house fire in northern France, officials say.

The blaze in Saint-Quentin town, about 130km (80 miles) north-east of Paris was accidental, early reports say.

The children's father was also present but escaped with light burns, local officials said.

On Saturday, three people were killed and 13 injured in a fire in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. Officials suspect the fire was "of criminal origin" and an investigation has begun.

Officials said that the blaze, which began at around 22:30 local time (21:30 GMT) in Saint-Quentin was most likely accidental.

The father jumped from the first floor of the building and raised the alarm, local media reports say.

But by the time emergency services arrived, the building was not safe to enter and the children's bodies were discovered when the fire had been put out.

Four of those injured in the Aubervilliers fire were in a serious condition. Around 60 people were reported to be in the seven-storey building when the fire began.

"The fire was probably of criminal origin, it looks like it was a settling of scores," the mayor's Chief of Staff Michael Dahan told TF1 radio.

Aubervilliers' deputy mayor for housing Evelyne Yonnet told French media the building was "very badly managed, with a squatting problem".

Those who escaped from the building were being temporarily housed in a local gymnasium, reports say.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prosecutors question Egypt satirist

31 March 2013 Last updated at 08:06 ET

Prosecutors in Egypt are questioning the popular Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef over allegations of insulting Islam and President Mohammed Morsi.

Mr Youssef arrived at the public prosecutor's office on Sunday morning, a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He has faced several complaints over his show El Bernameg (The Programme), which satirises many public figures.

The case has highlighted worries about press freedoms in Egypt.

At one point during his arrival at the prosecutor's office Mr Youssef donned an oversized academic hat, mocking one which Mr Morsi wore recently when he received an honorary doctorate in Pakistan.

In a statement sent out on his Twitter account as he arrived, he said that lawyers and policemen at the office wanted their picture taken with him, and joked that this was perhaps the real reason for his summons.

'Super Morsi'

Bassem Youssef is a doctor who shot to fame after winning a large number of followers with his witty lampooning of public figures in amateur videos posted on the internet following the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's rule in February 2011.

He became a household name when his satirical show - likened to Jon Stewart's The Daily Show in the US - began to be broadcast three times a week on one of Egypt's independent satellite stations.

But sketches in which he portrayed Mr Morsi as a pharaoh, calling him "Super Morsi" for holding on to executive and legislative powers, and, separately, putting the president's image on a pillow and parodying his speeches angered one Islamist lawyer, whose formal complaint resulted in the investigation.

As well as insulting Mr Morsi and Islam, Mr Youssef is also accused of "spreading false news with the aim of disrupting public order".

Mr Youssef's case is also seen as the latest in a string of prosecution actions against opponents of the president and the movement that supports him, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Earlier this week, Egypt's top prosecutor ordered the arrest of five political activists, among them a leading blogger, on suspicion of inciting aggression against the Brotherhood.

Many journalists have criticised the Islamist-backed constitution which came into force earlier this year, arguing it does not offer enough guarantees for a free media.

The constitution also sparked protests from opponents who say it favours Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kenya awaits key election ruling

30 March 2013 Last updated at 04:51 ET

Kenya's Supreme Court is set to announce its decision on a challenge to Uhuru Kenyatta's election as president.

The appeal was lodged by PM Raila Odinga, Mr Kenyatta's main rival in the presidential poll this month.

Official results said Mr Kenyatta beat Mr Odinga by 50.07% to 43.28%, avoiding a run-off by just 8,100 votes.

There is tight security at the Supreme Court. Violence after a disputed election in 2007 left more than 1,200 people dead.

The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held on 4 March were the first since the 2007 poll.

Mr Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly fuelling unrest after that election. They deny the charges.

Electronic system failures

On his Twitter account, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga wrote that the Supreme Court would deliver its decision "not later than 5pm" (14:00 GMT) on Saturday.

There is tight security around the Supreme Court in the capital, Nairobi, with all roads leading to the building closed.

Police chief David Kimaiyo warned on Friday that unrest would not be tolerated.

He said: "We have reports indicating that some parties have organised their supporters to converge outside the Supreme Court during delivery of the ruling, and we will not allow any such gatherings.

"There will be tight security in all parts of the country, we will not tolerate any form of violence."

The Supreme Court can either confirm Mr Kenyatta's victory in this month's vote, or overturn the result and call for a fresh election.

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Nairobi that whatever the outcome, there will be people who will be angry.

Outgoing President Mwai Kibaki has urged people to stay calm and accept the result, but much will depend on Kenyans' faith in their newly reformed judiciary, our correspondent adds.

Lawyers for Mr Odinga say their petition to the Supreme Court included allegations of vote manipulation, as well as problems with the registration of voters and an electronic vote counting mechanism.

On Friday, the Supreme Court reviewed recounts from 22 polling stations. Both sides claimed that the recounts vindicated their position.

Mr Kenyatta has called the election, which was largely conducted peacefully, a "triumph of democracy".

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has insisted that the vote was credible, despite technical failures with an electronic voter ID system and the vote counting mechanism.

International observers said the poll was largely free, fair and credible, and that the electoral commission had conducted its business in an open and transparent manner.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

N Korea in 'state of war' with South

30 March 2013 Last updated at 06:29 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson: "North Korea and America are in a kind of 'who blinks first' game"

North Korea has said it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea in the latest escalation of rhetoric against its neighbour and the US.

A statement promised "stern physical actions" against "any provocative act".

North Korea has threatened attacks almost daily since it was sanctioned for a third nuclear test in February.

However, few think the North would risk full-blown conflict. It has technically been at war with the South since 1953 as no peace treaty has been signed.

An armistice at the end of the Korean War was never turned into a full treaty.

'Taking threats seriously'

The North carried out its third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of fresh sanctions.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Over the past few weeks, there's been an ever-growing war of words between the two sides, and this latest statement in particular has made the Koreas' neighbours nervous.

Tensions have built quickly since the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea. The fact that Pyongyang's only major ally, China, backed the sanctions - and even helped to frame them - has left the North's regime feeling more isolated than ever. Some believe its current hardline rhetoric is in part to send a warning to Beijing not to antagonise it.

Most analysts believe that Pyongyang is unlikely to start a full-blown war with South Korea or its key ally, the US, but that other kinds of provocations are much more likely. And with South Korea promising a strong response to any action by the North, many fear that a minor - or even accidental - incident could quickly escalate.

The annual US-South Korean military exercises have also taken place, angering Pyongyang further.

A North Korean statement released on Saturday said: "From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly.

"The long-standing situation of the Korean peninsula being neither at peace nor at war is finally over."

In Washington, Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said the US had "seen reports of a new and unconstructive statement from North Korea".

"We take these threats seriously and remain in close contact with our South Korean allies," she said.

North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

On Thursday, North Korean state media reported leader Kim Jong-un "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists".

He was said to have condemned US B-2 bomber sorties over South Korea during military exercises as a "reckless phase" that represented an "ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost on the Korean peninsula".

US mainland and bases in Hawaii, Guam and South Korea were all named as potential targets.

State media in the North showed thousands of soldiers and students at a mass rally in Pyongyang supporting Kim Jong-un's announcement.

North Korea's most advanced missiles are thought to be able to reach Alaska, but not the rest of the US mainland.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations.

Continue reading the main story

Timeline: Korean tensions

• 12 Dec: North Korea fires three-stage rocket, in move condemned by UN as banned test of long-range missile technology
• 12 Feb: North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, its third after tests in 2006 and 2009
• 7 Mar: UN approves fresh sanctions on Pyongyang; North Korea says it has the right to a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US
• 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual joint military drills begin; North Korea says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice (the UN says the pact cannot be unilaterally scrapped)
• 19 Mar: US flies B-2 nuclear-capable bombers over Korean peninsula, following several North Korean threats to attack US and South Korean targets
• 20 Mar: Broadcasters and banks in South Korea hit by cyber attack, the origin of which remains unknown, days after North Korea says some of its sites were hacked
• 27 Mar: North Korea cuts military hotline with South, the last official direct link between the two
• 28 Mar: US flies stealth bombers over Korean peninsula; showcasing ability for precision strike "at will"
• 30 Mar: North Korea says it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea

A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

The jointly run Kaesong industrial park, just north of the border, is still in operation. However on Saturday, Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency said it would be closed if insults to the North's "dignity" continued.

On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010, it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths.

'Maximum restraint'

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the latest rhetoric only deepened North Korea's isolation.

China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, has reiterated its call for all sides to ease tensions.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news conference that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation".

On Saturday, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Grigory Logvinov told the Interfax news agency: "We expect all sides to show maximum responsibility and restraint and that no-one will cross the line after which there will be no return."

He said: "Naturally, we cannot remain indifferent when an escalation of tensions is taking place at our eastern frontiers. We cannot but worry."

One South Korean resident, Lee Gae-hwa, told Reuters news agency she felt "very scared", adding: "I hope we can find a good solution since we're from the same nation."

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hopes fade for Tibet buried miners

30 March 2013 Last updated at 06:30 ET

Hopes are fading for more than 80 miners buried in a landslide on Friday in Tibet.

Chinese media said the first body had been found - but only 36 hours after the landslip - and that the chances of finding survivors were slim.

The miners' camp, 70km (45 miles) east of Lhasa, was destroyed by thousands of tonnes of rock.

Rescuers have been hampered by freezing weather, altitude sickness and risks of further landslides.

Xinhua news agency said that as of 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT) no survivors had been found and later reported that the first body had been discovered at 17:35 local time.

"The miners' survival chances were slim due to the scale of the landslide," it quoted one rescue worker as saying.

The landslide took place at 06:00 local time on Friday at the mine, which lies at an altitude of 4,600m (15,000ft), burying 83 workers.

Some 2,000 police, firefighters and doctors have been sent to the disaster site, setting up temporary accommodation at a safe distance. About 200 bulldozers have been deployed to shift rock.

Xinhua said cracks on nearby mountains suggested there could be further land slips.

"Temperatures as low as -3C have affected the sniffer dogs' sense of smell," it added.

More than 300,000 cu m of debris had been removed by midday on Saturday.

Huge resources

The mine in Maizhokunggar county, which produces copper, as well as some silver and gold, is operated by a subsidiary of state-owned China National Gold Group, China's biggest gold producer.

President Xi Jinping is said to have ordered authorities to "spare no efforts" in the rescue operation.

Most of the workers were ethnic Han Chinese from Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, with two reported to be ethnic Tibetans.

Police said the area that collapsed was up to 4 sq km (1.5 sq miles).

Chinese officials believe the Tibetan plateau has huge resources, including millions of tonnes of copper, lead, zinc and iron ore.

Critics claim that Beijing's interests are driven by a desire to exploit the region's rich mineral wealth.

The government argues its investment brings modernisation and better living standards for local Tibetans.

The landslip came on the same day as a gas explosion at a coal mine in north-eastern Jilin province.

Some 28 people were killed at the Babao mine in the city of Baishan.

Another 13 miners were rescued after the explosion.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Karzai heads to Qatar for talks

30 March 2013 Last updated at 06:45 ET

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has arrived in Qatar on a two-day state visit for talks with Qatari officials.

The possibility of the Taliban opening a political office in Qatar is expected to be discussed, officials say.

The setting up of an office in Qatar is regarded as an important step in formalising a channel for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

US-led Western troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Mr Karzai's office said the talks would focus on bilateral cooperation and on Afghanistan's peace process.

Last month Mr Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said that they would work towards a peace deal for Afghanistan within six months.

Previous talks between the Taliban and the US have run in to difficulties, with the Taliban suspending talks in March last year.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mandela has second day in hospital

29 March 2013 Last updated at 05:36 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

South African President Jacob Zuma: "We want Madiba (Mr Mandela) to be with us for a long time"

Nelson Mandela is spending his second full day in hospital where he is said to be responding to treatment for a recurrent lung infection.

The 94-year-old, who spent 18 days in hospital in December, was admitted to hospital before midnight on Wednesday.

President Zuma told the BBC the former leader was doing "very well" so far and people "must not panic".

A spokesman for the South African president said on Friday that there was no official update on his condition.

Mac Maharaj had said on Thursday that the former president was "responding positively" to treatment.

US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned with Nelson Mandela's health", adding that "we will be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers".

'Madiba'

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

He first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island where he served 18 of his 27 years in prison for sabotage.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while worked in a prison quarry.

This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Last December he was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990. In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

Continue reading the main story

• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1943 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader
• 2004 Retires from public life
• 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

The presidency has not identified the hospital in which Mr Mandela is being treated.

Speaking to the BBC's Lerato Mbele, President Zuma said people should "slow down the anxiety".

"Of course I have been saying to people, you should bear in mind Madiba is no longer that young and if he goes for check-ups every now and again, I don't think people must be alarmed about it. I would like to really say the country must not panic," Mr Zuma said.

The former president is often fondly referred to by his clan name, Madiba.

When asked if people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma said: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

"Very few outstanding personalities in the world live to his level," he said.

Mr Zuma said he was in touch with doctors about visiting Mr Mandela in hospital as soon as possible.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyprus 'will not leave the euro'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 06:00 ET

Cyprus has no intention of the leaving the European single currency, the country's president says.

President Nicos Anastasiades said: "In no way will we experiment with the future of our country."

He said the financial situation was "contained" following the 10bn euro bailout deal with the EU and IMF.

Banks opened on Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks amid severe new rules imposed as part of the bailout deal.

Queues formed of people trying to access their money, but the mood was generally calm.

By Friday, banks had returned to their normal working hours and there were no longer reports of big queues.

Continue reading the main story

• Daily withdrawals limited to 300 euros
• Cashing of cheques banned
• Those travelling abroad can take no more than 1,000 euros out of the country
• Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards permitted up to 5,000 euros per month
• Businesses able to carry out transactions up to 5,000 euros per day
• Special committee to review commercial transactions between 5,000 and 200,000 euros and approve all those over 200,000 euros on a case-by-case basis
• No termination of fixed-term deposit accounts before maturity

"We have averted the risk of bankruptcy," Mr Anastasiades said on Friday. "The situation, despite the tragedy of it all, is contained."

He told a meeting of civil servants: "We have no intention of leaving the euro."

But he accused other members of the eurozone of making "unprecedented demands that forced Cyprus to become an experiment".

Cyprus needs to raise 5.8bn euros ($7.4bn; £4.9bn) to qualify for the bailout, and has become the first eurozone member country to bring in capital controls to prevent a torrent of money leaving the island and credit institutions collapsing.

As well as a daily withdrawal limit of 300 euros, Cypriots may not cash cheques and those leaving the country will only be allowed to take 1,000 euros with them.

Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards are allowed up to 5,000 euros per person per month.

Depositors with more than 100,000 euros will see some of their savings exchanged for bank shares.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Thursday that such controls could gradually be lifted over the course of the month.

But many economists predict the controls could be in place for much longer.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

N Korea 'readies rocket force'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 06:08 ET

North Korea says it has put missile units on stand-by to attack US targets in response to US stealth bomber flights over the Korean peninsula.

State news agency KCNA said leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a late-night meeting of top generals.

The time had come to "settle accounts" with the US, KCNA quoted him as saying, with the B-2 flights an "ultimatum".

Pyongyang has been angered by fresh UN sanctions and annual US-South Korea military drills.

Russia said it was concerned by "unilateral action being taken around North Korea" and warned against the situation slipping out of control.

China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, has called on all sides to ease tensions.

Kim Jong-un "finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA, ordering them to be stand-by for fire so that they may strike any time", the KCNA report said.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Andrea Berger RUSI

---

At present, the risk is not one of large-scale war or nuclear attack, but one of miscalculation.

North Korea continues to search for new ways to issue threats - partly in an attempt by the regime to consolidate power at home, and partly in the hope that the US cancels its exercises as President Clinton did. As Pyongyang does so, the West calls their bluff and continues to carry out drills and B-52 flights over the peninsula.

This concerning pattern occurs in the absence of any regular engagement between the US and North Korea. Should it persist, the risk of miscalculation by either side will rise.

"If they make a reckless provocation with huge strategic forces, the Korean People's Army (KPA) should mercilessly strike the US mainland, their stronghold, their military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea," the agency quoted him as saying.

Thousands of North Koreans later took part in a march in Pyongyang in support of Kim Jong-un's announcement, the Associated Press news agency reported.

A Yonhap news agency report citing an unidentified military official said increased activity had been noted at North Korea's missile sites, but this remains unconfirmed.

The US - which flew two stealth bombers over the peninsula on Thursday as part of the ongoing military drills - has said it is ready for "any eventuality" on the peninsula.

In a statement, it said that the B-2 planes demonstrated America's ability to "provide extended deterrence" to its allies and conduct "long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will".

"The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Thursday. "We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that."

The US flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this month, in what it called a response to escalating North Korean threats.

Continue reading the main story

Timeline: Korean tensions

• 12 Dec: North Korea fires three-stage rocket, in move condemned by UN as banned test of long-range missile technology
• 12 Feb: North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, its third after tests in 2006 and 2009
• 7 Mar: UN approves fresh sanctions on Pyongyang; North Korea says it has the right to a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US
• 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual joint military drills begin; North Korea says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice (the UN says the pact cannot be unilaterally scrapped)
• 19 Mar: US flies B-52 nuclear-capable bombers over Korean peninsula, following several North Korean threats to attack US and South Korean targets
• 20 Mar: Broadcasters and banks in South Korea hit by cyber attack, the origin of which remains unknown, days after North Korea says some of its sites were hacked
• 27 Mar: North Korea cuts military hotline with South, the last official direct link between the two
• 28 Mar: US flies stealth bombers over Korean peninsula; showcasing ability for precision strike "at will"

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reiterated a call for calm on all sides.

He told a daily news briefing that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation". He made similar remarks on Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned Pyongyang's actions as "unacceptable", Interfax news agency said.

He later told reporters that Moscow was concerned that "alongside an adequate reaction from the [UN] Security Council... there are unilateral steps being taken around North Korea".

"We may simply let the situation slip out of our control and it will slide into a vicious spiral."

Unprecedented rhetoric

Tensions in the Korean peninsula are high following North Korea's third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of a fresh raft of sanctions.

North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

North Korea is not thought to have the technology to strike the US mainland with either a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile, but it is capable of targeting some US military bases in Asia with its mid-range missiles.

While North Korea has issued many threats against the US and South Korea in the past, this level of sustained rhetoric is rare, observers say.

On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010 it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

When you look at occasions where something really did happen, such as the artillery attack on a South Korean island in 2010, you see there were very clear warnings"

End Quote Professor John Delury, Yonsei university

On Wednesday, Pyongyang also cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations.

A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

The jointly-run Kaesong industrial park is still in operation, however, and over 160 South Korean commuters entered North Korea yesterday to work in its factories.

The complex employs an estimated 50,000 North Korean workers and is a source of badly-needed hard currency for the North.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tanzania collapse 'traps dozens'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 06:17 ET

At least three people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a multi-storey building collapsed in the centre of the main Tanzanian city, Dar es Salaam, rescue workers say.

Thirteen people have been pulled out of the ruins alive, officials say.

Some 45 people, including construction workers, residents and children from a Koranic school, are missing.

The BBC's Hassan Mhelela says the 12-floor building under construction is now a "huge pile of chaos".

"I thought there was an earthquake and then I heard screaming. The whole building fell on itself," eyewitness Musa Mohamed told the AFP news agency.

Our reporter says a huge crane is pulling out a mass of iron bars to get access to the centre of the building, where some people are thought to be still alive.

Trapped victims are said to have been making phone calls to friends and relatives.

Bulldozers are also being used to move the rubble, our reporter says.

He says there are large crowds of onlookers, as well as rescue workers and armed police officers at the scene.

The collapsed building was near a mosque, as well as other residential and commercial properties in central Dar es Salaam.

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

Nelson Mandela back in hospital

28 March 2013 Last updated at 05:47 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Milton Nkosi: "South Africans across racial lines love Nelson Mandela"

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been re-admitted to hospital with the recurrence of a lung infection.

A statement from the South African presidency said Mr Mandela, 94, had been admitted just before midnight.

Mr Mandela spent 18 days in hospital in December undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.

He is widely regarded as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999. However, his health has caused concern for some time.

A presidential spokesman told the BBC that Mr Mandela was conscious and was receiving the best possible medical treatment.

"I think we need to be clear that the doctors are attending to Madiba [Mr Mandela] on a continuous basis," spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

"They prefer to act on the side of caution, and the moment they felt there was a recurrence of the lung infection, they felt that it warranted immediate hospitalisation given his age and given his history."

However, the BBC's Andrew Harding in South Africa says the abrupt nature of Mr Mandela's late-night admission is likely to raise concerns.

Appeal for prayers

The government statement said President Jacob Zuma wished Mr Mandela a speedy recovery.

Continue reading the main story

• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1943 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader
• 2004 Retires from public life
• 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

"We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery," President Zuma said.

The former president is often fondly referred to by his clan name, Madiba.

It is the fourth time Mr Mandela has been admitted to hospital in just over two years.

He first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on the windswept Robben Island where he served 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned for sabotage.

His lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The treatment he received in December 2012 was his longest spell in hospital since leaving prison in 1990.

Earlier this month he spent a night in hospital following a check-up.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.

He lives in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius granted freedom to travel

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:03 ET

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend, will be allowed to travel after successfully challenging the terms of his bail.

His lawyers argued that the Olympic and Paralympics star should be allowed to return to his home and to travel.

Mr Pistorius also sought an end to supervision by a probation officer and compulsory drug and alcohol testing.

He denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria last month.

He says he shot her when he mistook her for an intruder.

The state opposed the application, which was heard at the High Court in Pretoria.

Mr Pistorius's lawyer, Kenny Oldwage, said his client did not need to be in court for this hearing.

The bail conditions were imposed by Magistrate Desmond Nair on 22 February - including restrictions on him travelling abroad.

Mr Pistorius, 26, was ordered to hand over his two South African passports, avoid his home in Pretoria and all witnesses in the case, report to a police station twice a week and to abstain from drinking alcohol.

In the papers before the court on Thursday his lawyers argued that he should be allowed to travel if he is granted permission by the case investigation officer.

In an unrelated case, the athlete's brother, Carl Pistorius, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with the culpable homicide of a female motorcyclist in a 2008 road crash. He pleaded not guilty and is due to appear in court again next week.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyprus banks reopen with tough curbs

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Tim Willcox was in the city of Nicosia when the banks opened their doors to customers

Banks in Cyprus have reopened after a two-week closure sparked by discussions on an EU-IMF bailout, amid tension over possible large-scale withdrawals.

Branches were replenished with cash overnight and police were deployed amid fears of a run on the banks.

Some queues did form but customers face strict controls on the amount they can withdraw each day.

The restrictions on the free movement of capital represent a profound breach of an EU principle, correspondents say.

However, the European Commission on Thursday justified the move, saying the "stability of financial markets and the banking system in Cyprus constitutes a matter of overriding public interest".

Cyprus is the first eurozone member country to bring in capital controls.

Continue reading the main story

Cyprus capital controls

• Daily withdrawals limited to 300 euros
• Cashing of cheques banned
• Those travelling abroad can take no more than 1,000 euros out of the country
• Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards permitted up to 5,000 euros per month
• Businesses able to carry out transactions up to 5,000 euros per day
• Special committee to review commercial transactions between 5,000 and 200,000 euros and approve all those over 200,000 euros on a case-by-case basis
• No termination of fixed-term deposit accounts before maturity

Cyprus needs to raise 5.8bn euros ($7.4bn; £4.9bn) to qualify for a 10bn-euro bailout from the European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the so-called troika.

As part of the bailout plan, depositors with more than 100,000 euros will see some of their savings exchanged for bank shares.

An earlier plan to tax small depositors was vetoed by the Cypriot parliament last week.

Loss of trust

Branches began to open at noon local time (10:00 GMT) and will close at 18:00 (16:00 GMT).

Some did not open on time, causing tension among customers. The longer queues were forming outside branches of Laiki, which is being wound up.

One customer in a queue in Nicosia told the BBC's Tim Willcox he was withdrawing the allowed daily amount of 300 euros ($383; £253) but would take out all of his money if he could.

Another, jewellery shop owner, Roula Spyrou, told AFP news agency: "There's going to be queues so I'm not going to spend so many hours there to get 300 euros."

Some armed police have been deployed in cities and hundreds of staff from the private security firm G4S are guarding bank branches and helping to transport money.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Yiannis Paraskevas Ioannau Cypriot resident, Larnaca

---

Across the street from my office is a branch of the Bank of Cyprus. It's now one hour before it's due to open and there's a small line of people arriving to queue. I would like to withdraw my money altogether. I don't have a huge amount and I lose with the "haircut", but I don't trust the banks or the government.

Money in a bank is supposed to be safe and that's not the case here. We are at the mercy of the EU and are trapped in the euro as it's too painful to get out. Everyone is furious because we feel that we are being robbed at gunpoint by the Europeans. It all started when Cyprus agreed to switch to the euro. As a nation we cannot compete with Germany economically. Germany is much more efficient than any other country in Europe.

The Europeans are not really interested in saving Cyprus. They are simply trying to save themselves. The answer is to drop the euro and return to the pound. This will be painful but at least there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Right now I see none.

The stock exchange, shut since 16 March, remains closed on Thursday and will not reopen until after Easter.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry of finance insisted the capital control measures were temporary and were needed to "safeguard the stability of the system".

It read: "The Central Bank of Cyprus and the government of Cyprus will review them each day, with a view to progressive lifting of the measures as soon as circumstances allow. "

The severe new rules have been imposed to prevent a torrent of money leaving the island and credit institutions collapsing.

As well as the daily withdrawal limit, Cypriots may not cash cheques.

Payments and/or transfers outside Cyprus via debit and or credit cards are allowed up to 5,000 euros per person per month.

Transactions of 5,000-200,000 euros will be reviewed by a specially established committee, with applications for those over 200,000 euros needing individual approval.

Travellers leaving the country will only be allowed to take 1,000 euros with them.

On Wednesday night, hundreds of protesters rallied outside the presidential palace, chanting: "I'll pay nothing; I owe nothing," the Reuters news agency reported.

Many economists predict the controls could be in place for months.

The unprecedented restrictions represent a profound breach of an important principle of the European Union that capital, as well as people and trade, should able be to move freely across internal borders, says the BBC's economics correspondent Andrew Walker.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

However, the European Commission said member states could introduce capital controls "in certain circumstances and under strict conditions on grounds of public policy or public security".

But it added that "the free movement of capital should be reinstated as soon as possible".

The vice-president of the Cypriot Employers Federation, Demetria Karatoki, told the BBC he believed the country could pull through.

"Although there is going to be hardship, at the end of the day we can start rebuilding our economy on a sound basis," he said.

But British Cypriot businessman, Costa Thomas, said he had lost faith in the system.

"No-one really trusts politicians. So why should we believe them that these controls are going to last only a few weeks and we're going to get shares and get the money back?" he asked.

One employee of the Bank of Cyprus told the BBC that everybody's jobs were at risk.

"If the Bank of Cyprus collapses, all the small business, the large businesses, everything collapses. They cannot buy anything, import anything, export anything. There is nothing," she said.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope to wash young offenders' feet

28 March 2013 Last updated at 07:15 ET

Pope Francis will wash the feet of prisoners in a youth detention centre near Rome on Maundy Thursday.

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists are arriving in Rome to attend ceremonies during the holy week ahead of Easter.

The washing of feet on the Thursday before Easter is a Christian tradition commemorating Christ's Last Supper.

In a homily, the Pope urged priests to engage more with parishioners, saying: "It is not in soul-searching... that we encounter the Lord."

Worshippers should "leave Mass looking as if they had heard good news", he told hundreds of cardinals, priests and bishops in St Peter's Basilica.

Easter is the most important festival in the calendar of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis celebrates Mass in St Peter's Basilica, 28 March

On Easter Sunday morning, the new Pope will deliver his first "Urbi et Orbi" message to the city of Rome and to the world.

During his inaugural general audience Wednesday, Francis called for an immediate political solution to the conflict in the Central African Republic after last weekend's coup.

Volunteers

The new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics has brought a new sense of simplicity to the Vatican, reports the BBC's David Willey in Rome.

He has broken with tradition for the foot-washing ceremony, which is normally performed on lay people in one of Rome's basilicas.

This time the Pope will visit the Casal del Marmo detention centre on the outskirts of Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the centre in 2007, but not for the Holy Thursday Mass. Only for the first two years of his pontificate did he perform the feet-washing himself, after which the task was delegated to priests.

During the service, the Pope washes and kisses the feet of 12 people to replicate the Bible's account of Jesus Christ's gesture of humility towards his 12 apostles on the night before he was crucified.

Some of the young detainees volunteered to have their feet washed, while others were given an invitation to help them overcome their embarrassment, the Catholic News Agency quoted the prison chaplain as saying.

On Good Friday evening the Pope will carry a wooden cross and pray at a ceremony at Rome's ancient amphitheatre, the Colosseum, commemorating Jesus' crucifixion.

And on Saturday evening Pope Francis will celebrate the main Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rio 2016 stadium indefinitely closed

26 March 2013 Last updated at 22:19 ET

A stadium in Brazil that was due to host athletics at the 2016 Olympics has been closed indefinitely because of structural problems with its roof.

The Joao Havelange stadium in Rio de Janeiro was built only six years ago.

It was also being used as the main football venue in Rio, while the city's Maracana stadium is being renovated for next year's World Cup.

It is an embarrassment for Brazil as it prepares for its two huge sporting events, say correspondents.

The authorities have also acknowledged delays in work on the Maracana and a funding problem at another stadium, which is set to host the opening match at the World Cup.

'Not acceptable'

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes told a news conference on Tuesday that he had been told about the structural problems at the stadium - locally referred to as the Engenhao - earlier the same day.

"I asked if this represented a risk for spectators and they told me it did, depending on the wind speed and temperature.

"On that basis, I immediately decided to close the stadium until we had more details."

He said the situation was "simply not acceptable" for a stadium which opened such a short time ago, and warned that those responsible would be held to account.

The stadium opened late and over budget in 2007.

It has since been leased to local football club Botafogo.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

NGO fears as Russian raids multiply

27 March 2013 Last updated at 06:08 ET

Senior EU officials have voiced concern as checks by Russian tax inspectors on foreign-funded non-governmental organisations multiply.

On Wednesday searches took place at the Moscow offices of Human Rights Watch and Transparency International.

Two German political NGOs were searched earlier in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle summoned the number two diplomat at the Russian embassy in Berlin to relay his "concern over the concerted action".

Other NGOs in Russia have also been searched by prosecutors and tax inspectors in recent weeks, with reports that hundreds may have been affected across the country.

A Russian law passed in July obliges foreign-funded NGOs involved in political activity to register as "foreign agents". Failure to comply is punishable by heavy fines and even a two-year prison sentence.

The Kremlin says the controversial law is needed to protect Russia from outside attempts to influence internal politics, but critics argue it is a mechanism to crush dissent after the mass protests against the ruling United Russia party early last year.

'Totally unacceptable'

Confirming that a search was under way, Human Rights Watch official Rachel Denber told Russia's Interfax news agency: "This wave of checks is pressure on civil society in Russia."

Both the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in St Petersburg and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) in Moscow were investigated earlier.

The KAS think tank is linked to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, while the FES is close to Germany's main opposition Social Democrats.

"Hampering the activity of German foundations could inflict lasting damage on bilateral relations," a German diplomat told Spiegel Online.

"We have made this clear to the Russian side."

The Christian Democrats said the Russian authorities had seized computers from the KAS office in a "totally unacceptable" action.

"The political foundations from Germany are making an important contribution to the development of democratic structures, the building of a state based on law and the encouragement of civil society," CDU general secretary Hermann Groehe said in a statement.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Tuesday she was "concerned with the ongoing actions of the authorities against the NGO community" in Russia.

Among the NGOs targeted was the human rights organisation Memorial, which was visited by Russian officials three times inside a week. Amnesty International was also targeted.

A number of NGOs have challenged the authorities to justify the searches.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

N Korea cuts South military hotline

27 March 2013 Last updated at 06:16 ET

North Korea says it is cutting a military hotline with South Korea, amid high tension on the peninsula.

The hotline is used to facilitate the travel of South Korean workers to a joint industrial complex in Kaesong.

Pyongyang has been angered by fresh UN sanctions following its 12 February nuclear test and US-South Korea military drills.

In recent weeks its habitually fiery rhetoric has escalated, with multiple warnings issued.

On Tuesday, it said it had ordered artillery and rocket units into "combat posture" to prepare to target US bases in Hawaii, Guam and the US mainland.

It has also threatened a "pre-emptive" nuclear strike against the US in recent days and told the South it has scrapped the Korean War armistice agreement.

While the situation is currently unpredictable, some analysts believe Pyongyang may be trying to force the US and others into negotiations, with all-out war unlikely, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

US Pentagon spokesman George Little said on Tuesday that North Korea's threats "followed a pattern designed to raise tensions" and that North Korea would "achieve nothing by these threats".

'No need'

North Korea has already cut both a Red Cross hotline and another used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone that divides the two Koreas.

The military hotline is used by the two sides to communicate over travel to the Kaesong joint industrial zone, inside North Korea.

"Under the situation where a war may break out any moment, there is no need to keep up North-South military communications," a senior North Korean military official was quoted by KCNA news agency as telling the South before the line was severed.

Until now, operations at the joint complex have been normal despite the rise in tensions.

South Korea's Ministry of Unification confirmed that the North was no longer answering calls to the hotline, reports Yonhap news agency.

When the North also previously cut the military hotline in 2009, operations at the joint complex continued because other channels of communication were used, Yonhap adds.

An inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists between the two sides, according to reports.

'Build trust'

The move came as South Korean President Park Geun-hye set out policies towards the North "designed to establish peace and a foundation for reunification by building and restoring trust".

"Without rushing and in the same way that we would lay one brick after another, based on trust, (we) will have to develop South-North relations step by step and create sustainable peace," Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying.

She has spoken in the past of a desire for more dialogue with North Korea but current tensions are obstructing movements to improve ties.

In a statement on Wednesday carried by KCNA, North Korea told Ms Park that a "wrong word" from her could entail "horrible disaster at a time when the North-South relations are being pushed to the lowest ebb".

Late on Tuesday, North Korean state-run media also reported that its top political bureau would soon hold a rare meeting to discuss "an important issue for victoriously advancing the Korean revolution". It did not specify the issue, or the date of the meeting.

Overnight, meanwhile, South Korea briefly placed a border military unit on its highest alert, in an indication of the heightened tensions.

The alert happened early on Wednesday after a South Korean soldier discovered a "strange object" at the border, military officials said. The alert prepares troops for a possible incursion from North Korea.

The soldier, who was at a military post in Hwacheon, in South Korea's north-eastern Gangwon province, threw a grenade at the object at around 02:30 local time (17:30 GMT), officials said. The alert was lifted at 09:20 local time.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bank of Cyprus head Kypri 'sacked'

27 March 2013 Last updated at 06:36 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Paul Mason: "Every figure in this document has the word 'euro' and two x's"

The chief executive of the biggest bank in Cyprus has been ousted by the central bank, state media has said.

Yiannis Kypri, head of Bank of Cyprus, was forced out by central bank governor Panicos Demetriades, who has himself come under fire for his handling of the country's banking crisis.

Mr Kypri's removal came on the orders of Cyprus' bailout lenders, the Cyprus News Agency reported.

The authorities are planning to reopen the country's banks on Thursday.

Bank of Cyprus is to be restructured and merged with parts of the failed number two lender, Laiki Bank.

The reasons for Mr Kypri's sudden removal were not immediately clear.

The bank's chairman Andreas Artemis handed in his resignation on Tuesday, but local reports suggested that the troubled bank's board had rejected his resignation.

Mr Demetriades, the central bank governor, was widely criticised on Tuesday for suggesting that Bank of Cyprus was going to be wound up in the same way as is planned for Laiki Bank. The apparently erroneous statement led to demonstrations and calls for his resignation from Bank of Cyprus staff.

Capital controls

On Tuesday, Mr Demetriades said that "superhuman" efforts were being made to ready the banks for reopening.

They have been shut for more than a week as a controversial bailout was negotiated, which will see many depositors take losses.

"We have to restore the public's trust in banks," Panicos Demetriades said.

Cyprus is planning to impose a weekly limit on cash withdrawals, among other restrictions on money transfers, following the banks' reopening.

The country's draft capital controls will include export limits on euros and a ban on cashing cheques, said Newsnight economics editor Paul Mason.

In addition, fixed-term deposits will have to be held until maturity.

The restrictions are expected to be tighter for accounts at Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank.

Mr Demetriades has confirmed that "temporary" capital controls will be imposed on the island, without giving details.

Banks have not been open since 15 March. Their reopening had been expected after Cyprus agreed a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) that releases 10bn euros in support.

The Cypriot authorities had previously said all that but the biggest two banks would open on Tuesday, but they have remained shut while the finer details of capital controls are handled by the Cypriot central bank.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

CAR rebels 'suspend constitution'

25 March 2013 Last updated at 20:11 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Sylvain Groulx from Medecins Sans Frontieres says the main hospital in Bangui appears to have been abandoned by staff

The leader of rebels who have seized the capital of the Central African Republic says he is suspending the constitution and dissolving parliament.

Michel Djotodia said there would be a transition period until "credible and transparent" elections, during which he would "legislate by decree".

He added he would uphold a peace deal that promises elections in three years.

Ousted CAR leader Francois Bozize has fled to neighbouring Cameroon, officials there have announced.

Following the takeover, the African Union has suspended CAR and imposed sanctions on rebel leaders.

About 5,000 Seleka fighters swept into the capital Bangui on Sunday after the collapse of a power-sharing deal - the Libreville Accord.

Continue reading the main story

• Civil servant in the government of Ange-Felix Patasse, overthrown by Francois Bozize in 2003.
• Appointed by Mr Bozize to a diplomatic post in Sudan
• Falls out with Mr Bozize and launches a rebellion in 2005
• Arrested a year later in Benin, where he was exiled
• Released after promising to make peace with Mr Bozize, but re-launches rebellion
• Appointed defence minister in January 2013 under peace deal
• Quits government in March and seizes power

The deal collapsed when Seleka withdrew its members from the government.

"I consider it necessary to suspend the November 27, 2004 constitution, to dissolve parliament as well as the government," Mr Djotodia said in a statement to reporters.

The statement could not be broadcast due to power cuts, Reuters reported. and instead was recorded and issued to journalists.

"During this transition period which will lead us to free, credible and transparent elections, I will legislate by decree."

He added: "We will lead the people of Central African Republic during a three-year transition period, in accordance with the Libreville Accord."

Earlier, South African President Jacob Zuma said at least 13 South African soldiers were killed in the battle against the rebels on Sunday.

The troops had been stationed in Bangui to support government forces.

It is the heaviest loss of life for South Africa in a single battle since it became a democracy in 1994.

Looters and armed gangs are reported to be still roaming the streets of Bangui.

The UN says tens of thousands of people have fled CAR into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

CAR has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960 and is one of the least-developed countries in the world.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Opposition takes Syria summit seat

26 March 2013 Last updated at 06:16 ET

Syria's opposition National Coalition has taken the country's official seat at the Arab League summit in Qatar.

The delegation led by Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, who has said he will resign as head of the coalition, were applauded as they formally assumed the seat.

Mr Khatib called it "part of the restoration of legitimacy" that Syrians had "long been robbed of".

The move has enraged Damascus who accused the League of handing the seat to "bandits and thugs".

The government of Bashar al-Assad was suspended by the Arab League in November 2011 in response to its crackdown on the opposition.

Emotional speech

Syria's National Coalition was formally invited to assume the seat by summit president, the Emir of Qatar, as the two-day meeting opened in Doha.

Mr Khatib was joined by the opposition's recently-elected interim Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto and two other prominent opposition figures George Sabra and Suheir Atassi.

The Syrian flag was replaced at the country's official seat with the flag being used by the opposition.

In an emotional speech, Mr Khatib said the Syrian people were paying the price of liberty with their own blood.

He said he had asked the US to play a bigger role in resolving the conflict, and urged them to provide Patriot surface-to-air missiles to help protect rebel-held areas in the north of Syria.

Their seat at the Arab League comes at a time of disarray within the top ranks of the opposition National Council.

Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib announced his resignation on Sunday - so far rejected by the coalition.

He has accused world powers of failing to adequately protect the Syrian people.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Italy reopens Kercher murder case

26 March 2013 Last updated at 07:12 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says there could still be "years to go" in the case

Amanda Knox and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito have had their acquittals for killing Briton Meredith Kercher in 2007 overturned and face a re-run of their appeal, Italy's top court has ruled.

The pair spent four years in jail but were freed on appeal in 2011 largely on the grounds DNA evidence was flawed.

Miss Knox said the news was "painful" but Miss Kercher's sister said she was happy with the decision.

Italian law cannot compel Miss Knox to return for the review of her appeal.

She lives in Seattle but, if convicted, Italy could seek her extradition.

In a statement, Miss Knox said: "It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution's theory of my involvement in Meredith's murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair."

Continue reading the main story

• 1 November 2007: Kercher is killed at her apartment in Perugia. Police find her a day later.
• 6 November 2007: Kercher's US housemate Knox is arrested, along with Sollecito and Congolese national Patrick Diya Lumumba.
• 20 November 2007: Rudy Guede detained in Germany and extradited to Italy. Mr Lumumba released without charge
• 28 October 2008: Guede sentenced to 16 years. A judge rules Sollecito and Knox will face a murder trial
• 4 December 2009: Knox and Sollecito found guilty of murder and sexual violence, and jailed for 26 and 25 years
• 3 October 2011: Knox and Sollecito acquitted
• 26 March 2013: Re-run of appeals ordered. Acquittals overturned

She added: "No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity."

A lawyer for Mr Sollecito, Giulia Buongiorno, said: "We are hopeful. We know Raffaele Sollecito is absolutely innocent."

Freelance journalist Andrea Vogt told the BBC she had spoken to a lawyer for the Kercher family, who said the decision was a victory for the family and a victory for the Italian judicial system.

Miss Kercher's older sister, Stephanie, welcomed the decision as a step forward.

Miss Knox, now 25, and Mr Sollecito, 29, were originally sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison for killing and sexually assaulting Meredith Kercher.

Rudy Guede was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to 16 years. The Ivory Coast national was found guilty of sexually assaulting and stabbing Ms Kercher. He admitted to being at the house on the night of the killing, but denies murder.

'Illogical'

Meredith Kercher, 21 and from Coulsdon in south London, had been on a year abroad from Leeds University when she was found semi-naked in her bedroom and with her throat cut in the cottage she shared with Miss Knox in November 2007.

Prosecutors believed she was killed in a brutal sex game that went wrong.

Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito were acquitted in October 2011 by an appeals court that criticised the prosecution case and noted that the murder weapon had never been found, that DNA tests were faulty and that no murder motive was provided.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Archive: Amanda Knox broke down in tears as she was acquitted in October 2011

Prosecutors appealed against that ruling and argued at the Court of Cassation on Monday that the acquittals were "contradictory and illogical".

Addressing the court, prosecutors urged the judges to "make sure the final curtain does not drop on this shocking and dire crime".

The court examined whether there had been procedural irregularities, rather than looking at the details of the case, and it will announce the reasons for its ruling within 90 days.

Lawyers for Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito looked grim-faced on Tuesday as they tried to get the details of the ruling from the court.

Knox lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said the decision was "shocking" and wanted to know the "motivations" for the ruling.

The new hearing is expected to take place in Florence.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyprus: Big depositors face 40% cut

26 March 2013 Last updated at 07:13 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

President Anastasiades: "We leave behind uncertainty and look with optimism into the future"

Cyprus's finance minister has confirmed that Cypriot depositors with less than 100,000 euros in their accounts "will not be hit".

But people with more than this could see about 40% of their deposits converted into bank shares, Michalis Sarris told the BBC.

"The exact percentage is not... yet decided but it is going to be significant," he said.

Bank of Cyprus chairman Andreas Artemis later handed in his resignation.

Media reports said his letter would be examined by the bank's board of directors when they convened in the afternoon.

Capital controls

The final size of the loss faced by investors will depend on how the government decides to protect pensions, Mr Sarris said.

He confirmed that all Cypriot banks will remain closed until Thursday and that capital controls will be placed on the size and the amount of money people will be allowed to withdraw once the banks have reopened.

These restrictions would "probably be a bit stricter" on the country's two largest banks, Bank of Cyprus and Laiki, and would remain in place until the banking system "stabilises", he said.

The exact details of this "two tier system" would be hammered out with the banks later on Tuesday, he said.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Mr Sarris is expecting "some bleeding, some outflow" of funds once the banks reopen, but believes that once EU bailout funds begin flowing "in a matter of weeks", confidence will return.

Although the economy would be badly hit by the economic crisis, Mr Sarris admitted, he maintained that it could benefit from "an energy boom", referring to the exploratory Aphrodite gas fields off the southern coast of the island.

"Yes, there will be a problem but we will overcome it in a relatively short period of time", he said. He also said his government had renegotiated more favourable loans terms with Russia.

The Cypriot authorities had said all but the biggest two banks would open on Tuesday.

Banks have not been open since 15 March. Their reopening had been expected after Cyprus agreed a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) that releases 10bn euros in support.

It was conditional on Cyprus itself raising 5.8bn euros, most of which looks likely to come from depositors with more than 100,000 euros (£85,000) in Bank of Cyprus and Laiki or Popular Bank.

'Unique case'

Continue reading the main story

• Aged 46, member of Dutch Labour party
• Became Netherlands finance minister four months ago and took over as chair of Eurogroup in January
• Criticised by predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker and MEPs over initial terms of Cyprus bailout
• No previous experience in finance but studied agricultural economics and business
• Favours reform of the financial sector and a Europe where 'every country brings its budget in order'

Members of the European Central Bank (ECB) have been emphasising their view that Cyprus is an isolated case within the eurozone, and that the proposed rescue plan would not be applicable to other eurozone countries.

Speaking to reporters at a conference in Prague, Ewald Nowotny, member of the ECB's governing council, said: "Cyprus is a special case. It is no model for other instances" - a view earlier expressed by Benoit Coeure, ECB executive board member.

On Monday, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, head of the eurozone's finance ministers, had spooked the markets when he suggested Cyprus's bailout could serve as template for crises elsewhere - comments he later retracted.

Many analysts had been concerned that the Cyprus crisis would spread to the wider eurozone had the country been forced to give up the single currency.

There were fears that the country's possible exit from the euro would trigger a loss of confidence across the single currency bloc, and prompt investors to withdraw from other troubled economies, such as Greece.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

HK court denies maids residency

25 March 2013 Last updated at 03:39 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Jennifer Pak in Hong Kong: "They say there is no room left"

Hong Kong's top court has ruled that domestic workers are not eligible to apply for permanent residency, ending a two-year battle that has split opinion.

The case had centred on Evangeline Banao Vallejos, a maid from the Philippines who has worked in Hong Kong for more than 17 years.

Domestic workers had argued that denying them permanent residency was unconstitutional.

The ruling has implications for Hong Kong's 300,000 domestic workers.

These workers come mainly from the Philippines and Indonesia, often spending years in the territory.

"The FDH [foreign domestic helper] is obliged to return to the country of origin at the end of the contract and is told from the outset that admission is not for the purposes of settlement and that dependants cannot be brought to reside in Hong Kong," the Court of Final Appeal said in a written judgement.

Ms Vallejos was "speechless but calmly resigned", her lawyer, Mark Daly said.

"While we respect the judgment we disagree with it,'' he said. "[The ruling is] not a good reflection of the values we should be teaching youngsters and people in our society.''

Ms Vallejos had filed the appeal jointly with Daniel Domingo, another Filipino domestic helper, who had lived in Hong Kong for 28 years.

The issue of right of abode is a sensitive subject in Hong Kong, with campaigners arguing that not allowing foreign domestic workers to settle in Hong Kong amounts to discrimination.

Eman Villanueva, spokesman for the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, said that the ruling "gave its judicial seal to unfair treatment and the social exclusion of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong".

Government appeal

An initial ruling from the High Court in 2011 said that domestic workers should not be excluded from a rule that allows foreigners to settle in the city after seven years of uninterrupted residency.

Foreigners in other jobs can apply for permanent residency after seven years, which enables them to work and vote in Hong Kong without a visa.

The 2011 ruling led to protests in Hong Kong, with some anxious that allowing the maids to apply for residency would lead to an influx of domestic workers and place a strain on public services.

In March 2012, the government won an appeal against the High Court ruling.

The government had estimated that 125,000 helpers would be eligible to apply for abode, and if each had a spouse and two children, that number of potential new residents could reach 500,000 - although campaigners said that only a fraction of those eligible were likely to apply.

Monday's judgement by Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal puts an end to the two year legal battle.

Hong Kong's domestic workers receive a guaranteed minimum wage, statutory holidays and annual paid leave.

But their lack of residency rights means that if they leave an employer, they have only two weeks to find a new job before being required to leave the country.

In Monday's ruling, the top court also rejected a request from the Hong Kong government to seek advice from the Chinese government on the matter. It said that the court was able to reach the ruling through reading Hong Kong's Basic Law alone.

Seeking a legal interpretation from Beijing could potentially have sparked public criticism that the Hong Kong government was undermining its judicial independence.

Hong Kong is governed under the principle of "one country, two systems", under which China has agreed to give the region a high degree of autonomy and to preserve its economic and social systems for 50 years from the date of the handover.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deal reached in Cyprus bailout talks

25 March 2013 Last updated at 06:39 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde: "We believe that this will form a durable and fully financed solution"

Eurozone finance ministers have agreed a 10bn-euro bailout deal for Cyprus to prevent its banking system collapsing and keep the country in the eurozone.

Laiki (Popular) Bank - the country's second-biggest - will be wound down and deposit-holders with more than 100,000 euros ($130,000; £85,000) will face big losses.

However, all deposits under 100,000 euros will be "fully guaranteed".

Officials warn the island faces a deep recession with many businesses to shut.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Bondholders and those with deposits of more than 100,000 euros face significant losses; perhaps 40% or more"

End Quote

The European Central Bank had set a deadline of Monday for the deal, which came a week after the Cypriot parliament rejected a proposed bank levy on small and large deposits.

The new deal will not be put to a vote in the Cyprus parliament.

IMF head Christine Lagarde said the bailout deal agreed was "a comprehensive and credible plan" to help restore trust in the banking system.

Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said he believed the possibility of bankruptcy had been averted.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

There may be some relief that smaller savings no longer face a 6.7% levy, but Cypriot citizens may over time end up feeling more than 6.7% poorer as a result of this so-called bailout"

End Quote

"It's not that we won a battle, but we really have avoided a disastrous exit from the eurozone," he said.

There will be relief in Cyprus that small depositors have been protected, but the deal comes at a heavy price, BBC correspondents say.

The chairman of the Cypriot parliament's finance committee, Nicholas Papadopolous, said the agreement made "no economic sense".

"We are heading for a deep recession, high unemployment. They wanted to send a message that the Cypriot economy ought to be destroyed, and they've succeeded in a large part - they've destroyed our banking sector," he told the BBC.

EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Olli Rehn conceded that the "depth of the financial crisis in Cyprus means that the near future will be difficult for the country and its people".

Financial markets in Asia and Europe rose in early trading on news of the agreement.

Cash cap

The deal came after hours of tense negotiations between Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and the "troika" of EU, European Central Bank and IMF leaders.

Under the agreement all deposits of less than 100,000 euros will be secured.

Laiki will be split into "good" and "bad" banks, with its good assets eventually merged into Bank of Cyprus.

The percentage to be levied on large deposits in the Bank of Cyprus - the island's biggest lender - will be resolved in the coming weeks, the president of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, told a press conference overnight in Brussels.

Banks in Cyprus have been closed since last Monday and many businesses are only taking payment in cash.

On Sunday, Bank of Cyprus further limited cash machine withdrawals to 120 euros a day.

With queues growing outside cash machines across the island, Laiki also lowered its daily limit to 100 euros, Cyprus News Agency reported.

The bank's previous limit had been 260 euros per day.

The details of the reopening of Cyprus' banks are to be discussed on Monday.

German pressure

A week ago, the Cypriot parliament rejected a planned bank levy that would have taken 6.75% from small savers and 9.9% from larger investors. The proposal caused widespread anger among ordinary savers.

In response, the European Central Bank (ECB) had said it would cut off funds to Cyprus's banks by Monday unless a new deal was reached.

There is concern on the Mediterranean island that a levy on large-scale foreign investors, many of whom are Russian, will damage its financial sector.

Correspondents say Germany has pushed hard for a levy on investors who have benefited from high interest rates in recent years, rejecting a Cypriot plan to use money from pension funds.

A Cypriot attempt to secure Russian help was unsuccessful.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

South African soldiers killed in CAR

25 March 2013 Last updated at 06:41 ET

Thirteen South African soldiers were killed in the Central African Republic as rebels seized the capital over the weekend, President Jacob Zuma has said.

Mr Zuma said the South Africans had died in a nine-hour "high-tempo battle" against the "bandits" in Bangui.

South Africa had about 200 troops stationed in the city to block Seleka rebels from seizing power.

Rebel leader Michel Djotodia said he would uphold a peace accord that promised elections in three years.

Continue reading the main story

The actions of these bandits will not deter from us our responsibility of working for peace and stability in Africa"

End Quote Jacob Zuma South Africa's president

He also said the existing power-sharing government would remain in place.

"We are not here to carry out a witch-hunt," Mr Djotodia told Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Rebel 'surrender'

Looters and armed gangs roamed the streets of Bangui after Mr Djotodia's forces captured the presidential palace on Sunday.

Ousted President Francois Bozize has fled the capital.

He is believed to be in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo - although this has been denied by the Congolese government.

Mr Zuma said just over 200 South African troops had battled more than 1,000 "bandits".

"They fought a high-tempo battle for nine hours defending the South African military base, until the bandits raised a white flag and asked for a ceasefire," he said.

"Our soldiers inflicted heavy casualties among the attacking bandit forces."

Thirteen South African troops were killed, 27 wounded and one was unaccounted for, Mr Zuma said.

"Our soldiers paid the ultimate price in the service of their country and Africa," Mr Zuma said.

"The actions of these bandits will not deter us from our responsibility of working for peace and stability in Africa and of supporting the prevention of the military overthrow of constitutionally elected governments and thus subverting democracy."

Mr Djotodia told RFI that Seleka would respect the peace deal signed with Mr Bozize in January, AFP reports.

Opposition figure Nicolas Tiangaye, who was appointed prime minister of a unity government formed as part of that deal, would remain in the post, he said.

"I met Mr Tiangaye. We have spoken with him," Mr Djotodia is quoted as saying.

Seleka would also hold free and fair elections within three years, as set out in the deal, he added.

18.19 | 0 komentar | Read More