Nazi-themed Wagner opera cancelled

9 May 2013 Last updated at 05:03 ET

A controversial production of a Wagner opera at one of the major German opera houses has been cancelled because of harrowing scenes involving Nazis.

The Rheinoper, based in Dusseldorf, said some of the audience had to seek medical help following early performances of Tannhauser.

But the producer "refused" to tone down the staging, set in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

The production has now been cancelled with only concert performances planned.

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Wagner was a rabid anti-Semite and one of the biggest fans of his music was Hitler - so productions of his operas in Germany often cause a row.

Last year, the Russian baritone, Evgeny Nikitin, was forced to withdraw from the title role in the Flying Dutchman when it was learnt that, as a youth in a heavy-metal band, he had had a very large swastika tattooed on his chest.

The current production of Tristan and Isolde, at the Deutscheoper in Berlin, features naked 'junkies' walking across the stage.

When the Welsh National Opera recently did Die Meistersinger in Cardiff (with Bryn Terfel) some German visitors congratulated the company on doing a traditional production celebrating German culture. It would not, they thought, be easy to do in their own country.

The 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth is about to be celebrated and every German opera house seems to be planning new productions. Expect more rows.

"After considering all the arguments, we have come to the conclusion that we cannot justify such an extreme impact of our artistic work," said a statement from Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

"With paramount concern, we note that some scenes (especially the shooting scene) were depicted very realistically," the statement continued, causing "psychological and physical stress" to some audience members.

Despite "intensive conversation" with German theatre director and actor Burkhard C Kosminski about possible changes to the production, "he refused to do this for artistic reasons", according to the statement.

"Of course, we have to respect - and also for legal reasons - the artistic freedom of the director," the opera house said.

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Management at the Rheinoper said they were aware of that the "concept and implementation" of the Kosminski's production would be "controversial"

The production, which opened last weekend, provoked "violent protests" on its opening night, according to local newspaper reports.

Head of Dusseldorf's Jewish community, Michael Szentei-Heise told the Associated Press, "Members of the audience booed and banged the doors when they left the opera house in protest".

He called the adaptation "tasteless and not legitimate."

The original Tannhauser, set in Germany in the Middle Ages, was first performed in Dresden in 1845.

It was based on a traditional ballad about the bard Tannhauser and features a singing contest at the Wartburg Castle.

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Cleveland 'kidnapper' due in court

9 May 2013 Last updated at 06:36 ET

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Footage shows Ariel Castro being led away by police, as Paul Adams reports

The man suspected of imprisoning three women for several years in the US city of Cleveland is due to make his first court appearance.

Ariel Castro, 52, has been charged with kidnap and rape.

The women were abducted at different times and held in a house in a suburban street for about a decade. One woman escaped on Monday and raised the alarm.

The police detained two of Mr Castro's brothers, but later said they appeared to have no involvement in the crime.

Ariel Castro owned the house from which Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, were rescued.

Police said the women could only remember being outside twice during their time in captivity, and were then only allowed into the garage.

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• Commenting on the media coverage of the case, the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes: "If there is a bigger story here that can lead to systematic improvements in how the Cleveland police handle cases of missing teens and young adults, that deserves coverage as well."
• Slate questions the testimony of Ariel Castro's neighbours: "One possible explanation is that the neighbours are simply caught up in the excitement over a national story unfolding in their backyard, and they're misremembering their pasts because of it."
• Referring to the Facebook account of Ariel Castro, the New York Times' Lede blog says: "None of the posts or photos on his profile hint at the horrifying secret he kept since 2002 in his dilapidated Cleveland home. Nor do they reveal a disturbed mind."

Deputy police chief Ed Tomba said the women were not held in one room "but they did know each other and they did know each other was there".

Emotional homecoming

Ms Berry escaped on Monday along with her six-year-old daughter Jocelyn, who was born in captivity.

A source told the BBC that one of the women was forced to help Ms Berry deliver her daughter, and was threatened with death if the child did not survive.

In a news conference late on Wednesday, authorities said Mr Castro would be charged with four counts of kidnapping.

The charges covered the three initial abduction victims and Jocelyn.

Mr Castro was also charged with three counts of rape, one against each woman.

Police said more than 200 pieces of evidence had been taken from the home where the three women were held captive.

They said interviews with the women had yielded enough information to charge Ariel Castro, and that further charges could be added.

Police say Mr Castro has been co-operating with them, waiving his right to silence and agreeing to a test to establish Jocelyn's paternity.

Ms Knight remains in hospital, while the other two women have been released to their families.

On Wednesday hundreds of people gathered around the DeJesus family home, cheering as Gina DeJesus was brought from hospital.

Ms DeJesus, wearing a bright yellow hooded shirt, was escorted into her home by a woman with her arm around her, giving the well-wishers a brief wave.

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Listen to the moment an officer radioed "we found them, we found them" from the house in Cleveland

Ms Berry and her daughter arrived at her sister's home shortly before midday on Wednesday.

She disappeared in 2003 aged 16, but escaped on Monday with the help of a neighbour who heard her screaming and kicking a door while her alleged captor was out of the house.

When police arrived, they also found Ms DeJesus and Ms Knight in the house.

Ms DeJesus had gone missing aged 14 in 2004, while Ms Knight had disappeared in 2002, aged 20.

Ariel Castro reportedly fled the neighbourhood and was arrested at a nearby McDonald's restaurant, according to local media.

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Court condemns Bangladesh Islamist

9 May 2013 Last updated at 06:45 ET

The deputy head of Bangladesh's opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party has been sentenced to death by the country's war crimes tribunal.

Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was found guilty on five out of seven counts of torture and mass murder committed during the 1971 war of independence.

The tribunal was set up in 2010 to try people accused of collaboration.

Kamaruzzaman, who denied the charges and said his trial was politically motivated, is set to appeal.

Jamaat says the government is using the trials to curb opposition activities ahead of elections due next year.

International rights groups, meanwhile, say the tribunal falls short of international standards.

Street battles

In a packed Dhaka court room, Kamaruzzaman was convicted of mass killings, rape, torture and kidnapping, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

Continue reading the main story

• Civil war erupts in Pakistan, pitting the West Pakistan army against East Pakistanis demanding autonomy and later independence
• Fighting forces an estimated 10 million East Pakistani civilians to flee to India
• In December, India invades East Pakistan in support of the East Pakistani people
• Pakistani army surrenders at Dhaka and its army of more than 90,000 become Indian prisoners of war
• East Pakistan becomes the independent country of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971
• Exact number of people killed is unclear - Bangladesh says it is three million but independent researchers say it is up to 500,000 fatalities

He was found guilty of masterminding what the prosecution described as one of the bloodiest single episodes in the independence war - the killing of at least 120 unarmed farmers in the remote northern village of Sohagpur which subsequently became known as the "Village of the Widows".

Three women widowed as a result of the killings testified against Kamaruzzaman during his trial. They described how he led Pakistani troops to the village and helped them to line up and execute the farmers.

Thursday's announcement of the verdict and death sentence prompted cheers of celebration from crowds gathered outside, says the BBC's Masud Khan in Dhaka.

Kamaruzzaman, who would have been about 18 during Bangladesh's secession war, was charged in August 2010, a month after being arrested in a separate criminal case.

He was accused of being a key organiser of the al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani army which killed Bangladeshi intellectuals during the 1971 conflict.

His conviction comes at a testing time for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has made prosecution of 1971 war crimes one of her government's key goals.

Analysts say the death sentence will only exacerbate an already febrile situation in a country where police and Islamist protesters have this week been fighting deadly battles on the streets of the capital Dhaka.

The umbrella organisation behind the protests - of which Jamaat is a part - is calling for the introduction of more Islamic laws, and has shown it can easily mobilise vast numbers onto the streets.

Allegations denied

Nine senior figures from Jamaat have been among 12 people charged with war crimes by the tribunal.

Jamaat, the country's largest Islamist party, was opposed to Bangladeshi independence but denies any role in war crimes committed by pro-Pakistan militias.

All those accused of war crimes have denied the charges against them. The convictions of three leading Islamists - including Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, who was sentenced to death in February - sparked protests in which dozens of people were killed.

The tribunal was established by the government in 2010 to try Bangladeshis accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop the former East Pakistan from gaining independence.

The exact number of people killed during the nine-month war of secession is unclear: official Bangladeshi figures suggest as many as three million people died, but independent researchers suggest the death-toll was around 500,000.

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Gunmen abduct Pakistan ex-PM's son

9 May 2013 Last updated at 07:05 ET

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says his son has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen during an election rally.

Mr Gilani told the BBC his son Ali Haider - a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) - was seized in the central city of Multan.

He accused his political opponents of being behind the attack, which came ahead of Saturday's elections.

One person was reportedly killed when the attackers opened fire at the rally.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack.

Taliban threats

Eyewitnesses say the gunmen arrived at the gathering in a black Honda car and a motorbike.

"A couple of them started shooting," a teenager at the rally told Pakistan's Geo TV.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We want our brother back tonight. If we don't get him, we will not allow elections to be held in our area"

End Quote Ali Musa Ali Haider's brother

"A man standing in front of Gilani was hit and fell down. Then they grabbed Gilani, put him in the car and sped away."

Reports say the person who died in the shooting could have been Ali Haider Gilani's bodyguard or secretary.

Eyewitnesses say a bullet also hit Ali Haider and he was bleeding when the kidnappers put him in the car, Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper reports.

Ali Haider - the youngest son of the ex-prime minister - is contesting a seat in the Punjab provincial assembly.

"We want our brother back tonight. If we don't get him, we will not allow elections to be held in our area," his elder brother Ali Musa - who was in tears - later told reporters.

Police have now sealed off all entry and exit point in Multan, and a massive search operation is under way, local media report.

Yousuf Raza Gilani served as prime minister until June 2012, when he was forced out of office by the Supreme Court over his refusal to pursue a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Sharif's pledge

The run-up to the 11 May elections has been marred by a series of attacks across the country in which more than 100 people have been killed.

The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to prevent the PPP, the Awami National Party (ANP) as well the MQM party, from conducting their election campaigns because they are considered by the militants to be too secular.

The military has pledged to deploy tens of thousands of troops to polling stations on Saturday to prevent further attacks.

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Pakistan elections 11 May 2013

• Polling stations open from 8am to 5pm local time. There are 86,189,802 registered voters - 48,592,387 men and 37,597,415 women
• Five thousand candidates will be standing for 342-seat National Assembly, 272 of which are directly elected. There are 11,692 Provincial Assembly candidates
• Fifty-one candidates are vying for the NA-48 constituency seat in Islamabad, the highest number in the country.
• More than 600,000 security personnel including 50,000 troops will be deployed to guard against militant attacks
• There are more than 73,000 polling stations - 20,000 of which have been earmarked as a security risk
• Five security personnel will be stationed at each polling station, with up to double that number at those facing the gravest security threats
• Polls will mark the first time that a civilian government has completed a full five-year term and handed over to an elected successor

In a separate development, Nawaz Sharif - the man tipped to be Pakistan's next prime minister - promised to end the country's involvement in the US-led war on terror if elected.

Mr Sharif - who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) - told the BBC the move was necessary for there to be peace in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world.

Pakistan has been part of the US-led fight against Islamist militancy in the region since the 11 September attacks in the US in 2001.

Mr Sharif's remarks may cause concern among Western leaders, the BBC's Orla Guerin reports from Islamabad.

However, Mr Sharif - who served as prime minister twice in the 1990s - declined to say whether he would stop military operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan - another leading Pakistani politician - is continuing to recover in hospital after falling off a makeshift lift at an election rally earlier this week.

Doctors say that the former cricketer who leads the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party - received stitches in the head and treatment for injuries to his spine.

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Police to quiz Cleveland suspects

8 May 2013 Last updated at 05:22 ET

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Neighbours of Ariel Castro speak to the BBC

Police investigating the abduction of three women for about a decade in Cleveland, Ohio, are due to carry out in-depth interviews of three male suspects.

A judge granted them an extra 12 hours to file charges, and they now have until Wednesday evening local time.

Correspondents say police have been put on the defensive by questions over their handling of the case.

All three women are said to be in good health and have left hospital.

Amanda Berry, who disappeared in 2003 aged 16, escaped with a neighbour's help on Monday while her alleged captor was away.

Gina DeJesus, who went missing aged 14 a year later, and Michelle Knight, who vanished in 2002 aged about 19, were also rescued from the property.

A school bus driver, Ariel Castro, and his two brothers - Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50 - have been arrested.

Ariel Castro reportedly fled the neighbourhood after neighbours kicked in the door of his house to help the women escape.

He was arrested at a nearby McDonald's restaurant, according to local media.

It is unclear when Castro's brothers were arrested.

The reappearance of the women astounded residents of the neighbourhood in which they had been held, but some have claimed police failed to act on their tip-offs.

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It is difficult to believe that Seymour Avenue could be home to such a crime: a quiet tree lined street with houses knocked about and sometimes boarded up, a red-brick church and traffic humming back and forth at either end.

But it is the residents and neighbours who are most surprised. Aurora Marti, 75, has lived across from 2207 Seymour Avenue for 27 years. Ariel Castro used to come and sit on her porch and chat with her. He took her granddaughter out for bike rides at a nearby park.

When the nearby area was being dug up in the search for Amanda Berry's remains, he talked to her about it. All the while he is alleged to have held Amanda and two other women just across the road.

Police have confirmed a six-year-old girl, Jocelyn, who was discovered along with the women is Amanda Berry's daughter.

Properties searched

Police say they are planning to conduct in-depth interviews with the suspects on Wednesday, and charges are expected to be filed by Wednesday evening - 48 hours after the men were arrested.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. This investigation will take a very long time," Cleveland police spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia told CNN.

Police are carrying out an inch-by-inch inspection of the house at 2207 Seymour Ave and say they are also searching other properties.

Monday's rescue unfolded with a frenzied call to the emergency services by Ms Berry, now 27, who escaped with the help of a neighbour who heard her screaming while her alleged captor was out of the house.

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911 call: "Help me I'm Amanda Berry... I've been missing for 10 years"

Rescuer Charles Ramsey said he had helped kick in a metal door so that Ms Berry could climb outside, with her daughter, and phone police.

In a recording of Monday's emergency call, she says: "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here. I'm free now."

She begged for police to come soon, "before he gets back".

Police then arrived to find the two other abductees.

The women were taken to hospital and reunited with their families.

Medical officials said they appeared to be in good health and were discharged from hospital shortly

Jocelyn was smiling and eating ice lollies, police said, adding that she had been surreptitiously home-schooled by her mother in the house.

FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony said: "The nightmare is over. These three young ladies have provided us with the ultimate definition of survival and perseverance. The healing can now begin."

Jaycee Dugard, who was 11 years old when she was kidnapped and held captive for 18 years before being rescued in 2009, released a statement saying: "As simple as it sounds, these women need the opportunity to have the privacy to heal and reconnect.

Continue reading the main story

• Elisabeth Fritzl: Held by her father for 24 years in Amstetten, Austria; freed after her daughter was taken to hospital and doctors noticed irregularities in her medical record
• Natascha Kampusch: Escaped from a windowless basement in Vienna after being held for eight years; captor killed himself shortly afterwards
• Jaycee Dugard: Held for 18 years in Antioch, California; freed after suspicions were raised about the erratic behaviour of captor Phillip Garrido

"I know individuals are strong in spirit and can be resilient in crisis. I wish them the best in their journey."

Startling details about the close connections between the alleged abductors and the families of the abducted have emerged.

Tito DeJesus, an uncle of Georgina (or Gina) DeJesus, played in bands with Ariel Castro and had even visited the house while the women were being held there.

Ariel Castro's son - also called Ariel, although he goes by his middle name Anthony - wrote an article about the disappearance of Gina DeJesus for his local newspaper in 2004.

He has been quoted as saying that it was "unspeakable" to discover the suspected perpetrators were in the family.

'Only two calls'

Neighbours told news organisations they had made multiple calls to police regarding suspicious activity at the house, including sightings of women crying for help and of Ariel Castro allegedly taking a small girl for early-morning walks.

Another neighbour claimed to have alerted police to the sound of pounding on the doors.

In a statement, Cleveland police insisted they had not been alerted to reports also emerging from neighbours concerning sightings of "naked women and women in chains" at the property.

"Upon researching our call intake system extensively, only two calls for service from police are shown at that address.

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Elsie Cintron told the BBC her granddaughter saw a "naked lady crawling in the backyard"

"One call was from the resident, Ariel Castro, reporting a fight in the street. The second call was in relation to an incident regarding Ariel Castro and his duties as a bus driver. Police investigated the possibility that Castro had left a child unattended on a school bus.

"The investigation included an interview with Castro; however, officers did not enter the home. No charges were filed in that incident."

But one resident, Lupe Collins, described as close to relatives of the women said the police had failed the women.

"Everyone in the neighbourhood did what they had to do. The police didn't do their job."

Cleveland police were heavily criticised in 2009 after officers discovered a home in a poor district in which Anthony Sowell had killed 11 women.

Victims' families allege police did not take neighbours' reported suspicions seriously enough.

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Arrests over $50m diamond heist

8 May 2013 Last updated at 06:37 ET

Police in Belgium, Switzerland and France have arrested 31 people in connection with one of the world's largest robberies of diamonds.

Belgian prosecutors say they have recovered large sums of money and some of the diamonds that were taken in a raid at Brussels airport in February.

A gang cut through the airport's perimeter fence and broke into the cargo hold of a Swiss aeroplane as it waited for take off.

They took $50m (£32m) of diamonds.

The diamonds were "rough stones" being transported from Antwerp to Zurich.

Prosecutors described the thieves as "professionals".

They had dressed as police, wore masks and were well armed.

They forced their way through security barriers and drove towards the Helvetic Airways plane, forcing open the cargo hold to reach gems that had already been loaded.

They snatched 120 packages before escaping through the same hole in the fence.

Prosecutors said the whole operation took only about five minutes, no shots were fired and no-one was hurt.

One suspect was arrested in France and six in Switzerland on Tuesday, Belgian prosecutors said.

The other 24 were rounded up near Brussels early on Wednesday.

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PKK rebels 'begin leaving Turkey'

8 May 2013 Last updated at 07:03 ET

Kurdish rebel fighters have begun leaving south-eastern Turkey for their safe havens in Iraq under a ceasefire, Kurdish sources say.

"We know that they have started moving," Selahattin Demirtas, a pro-Kurdish politician involved in the peace process, told AFP news agency.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced last month a phased withdrawal to start early in May.

More than 40,000 people have died in their 30-year fight against Turkey.

Gultan Kisinak, who co-chairs the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) along with Mr Demirtas, told the Associated Press news agency that a first group of fighters had started to move toward the border with northern Iraq.

The PKK is believed to have up to 2,000 fighters inside Turkey and their full withdrawal may take up to four months.

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They are expected to cross the border on foot, heading for their bases in the Qandil Mountains of Iraq.

Abdullah Ocalan, the veteran PKK leader in prison in Turkey, ordered the withdrawal in March as part of peace negotiations with Ankara.

Withdrawal nerves

A PKK spokesman, Bakhtiyar Dogan, told the Kurdish newspaper Hawlati that between 200 and 500 fighters would withdraw on Wednesday.

They would, he said, leave from the Semdinli and Sirnak areas of Turkey "on three fronts".

According to AFP, PKK fighters complained on the eve of the withdrawal that the Turkish state had increased its forces in the border area and was carrying out surveillance flights.

Such actions, they said, were "delaying the peace process" and paving the way for "provocations and clashes".

The Turkish army did not confirm any extra measures but said their "fight against any terrorism" continued.

The PKK's acting leader, Murat Karayilan, warned in April that the fighters would strike back and the withdrawal would halt "immediately" if they were attacked.

"We have no doubt about the state but fear provocation from dark forces," Mr Demirtas said.

During a 1999 withdrawal, the Turkish military attacked the rebels, killing some 500.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly pledged the army will not attack any PKK fighters who withdrew.

On Tuesday, he said that "laying down weapons" should be the group's top priority in order for the peace process to succeed.

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Deaths as ship rams Genoa tower

8 May 2013 Last updated at 07:17 ET Continue reading the main story

At least six people have died and four are missing after a container ship crashed into a control tower in the Italian port of Genoa, officials say.

The Jolly Nero smashed into the concrete and glass tower late at night, reducing it to rubble.

Three of those who died are believed to have been trapped inside a lift as the tower collapsed.

Rescue workers have been searching in the rubble for survivors while divers scoured the water around the dock.

The accident occurred at about 23:00 on Tuesday night (21:00 GMT), when a shift change was taking place in the control tower and about 13 people were thought to be inside.

The ship was manoeuvring out of the port with the help of tugboats in calm conditions, on its way to Naples, reports said.

'Utterly shocked'

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Genoa's Il Secolo XIX newspaper quoted the Jolly Nero's captain as saying that two engines appeared to have failed and "we lost control of the ship".

The head of the Genoa Port Authority, Luigi Merlo, told the newspaper: "It's very difficult to explain how this could have happened because the ship should not have been where it was."

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Footage from the scene shows the aftermath of the crash, which killed at least three people

The ship's owner, Stefano Messina, who arrived at the port soon after the crash, had tears in his eyes as he told journalists: "We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before, we are desperate."

"It's a terrible tragedy. We're in turmoil, speechless," Port Authority President Luigi Merlo told local TV.

All that was left of the control tower after the crash was a buckled metal exterior staircase.

"It was an incredible sight: the control tower was leaning perilously," the port's nightwatchman told La Repubblica newspaper.

Three of the victims were coast guard or port workers in their early 30s, while the other bodies had yet to be identified.

Four people were being treated for injuries, two of whom were in critical condition, Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Genoa's prosecutor is investigating the incident, Corriere Della Sera newspaper says. The ship has been impounded and the captain is being questioned.

The Jolly Nero is almost 240 metres (787 feet) long and has a gross tonnage of nearly 40,600 tonnes. It is owned by the Italian firm Ignazio Messina & Co.

The crash revived memories of the crash involving the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Italian island of Giglio in January 2012, which left 32 people dead.

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DR Congo 'worst place for mothers'

7 May 2013 Last updated at 05:17 ET

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world's toughest place to raise children, Save the Children reports.

Finland was named the best place to be a mother, with Sweden and Norway following in second and third places.

The charity compared factors such as maternal health, child mortality, education and income in 176 countries.

In India, over 300,000 babies die within 24 hours of being born, accounting for 29% of all newborn deaths worldwide, the report says.

The 10 bottom-ranked countries were all from sub-Saharan Africa, with one woman in 30 dying from pregnancy-related causes on average and one child in seven dying before his or her fifth birthday.

In DR Congo, war and poverty have left mothers malnourished and unsupported at the most vulnerable time of their lives.

The next worst countries listed were Somalia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Nigeria, Chad and Ivory Coast.

Continue reading the main story

• Save the Children's Mother's Index ranked 176 countries
• Indicators include maternal health, under-five mortality, and women's education, income and political status
• Sub-Saharan Africa takes the bottom ten spots, with DR Congo deemed the "worst"
• Nordic countries take the top spots, with Finland, Sweden and Norway first, second, and third respectively
• In DR Congo, one in 30 women die from pregnancy-related causes, whereas in Finland it is one in 12,200
• South Asia, which accounts for 24% of the world's population, recorded 40% of the world's newborn deaths

The charity says that lack of nutrition is key to high mother and infant mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa, with 10-20% of mothers underweight.

In contrast, the results show that Finland is the best place to be a mother, with the risk of death through pregnancy one in 12,200 and Finnish children getting almost 17 years of formal education.

Sweden, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands were also in the top 10, with the US trailing at 30.

Surprisingly, the report found that the US has the highest death rate in newborns in the industrialised world, with 11,300 babies dying on the day they are born each year.

The charity says this is due in part to the US's large population, as well as the high number of babies born too early. The US has one of the highest preterm birth rates in the world at a rate of one in eight.

The report also found that mothers and babies die in greater numbers in South Asia than in any other region with an estimated 423,000 babies dying on the day they are born each year.

India also has more maternal deaths than in any other country with 56,000 per year.

"In India... economic growth has been impressive but the benefits have been shared unequally," the report says.

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Missing US women found after decade

7 May 2013 Last updated at 05:52 ET

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A neighbour, Charles Ramsey, tells reporters: "We had to kick open the bottom of the door"

Three young women who vanished in separate incidents about a decade ago in the US state of Ohio have been found alive in a house in Cleveland.

Amanda Berry disappeared aged 16 in 2003, Gina DeJesus went missing aged 14 a year later, and Michele Knight disappeared in 2002 aged around 19.

Their discovery followed a dramatic bid for freedom by Amanda Berry on Monday, helped by a neighbour.

Three brothers have been arrested in connection with the case.

Cleveland police said the suspects are Hispanic, aged 50, 52 and 54, and one of them had lived at the house on Seymour Avenue.

One was named as Ariel Castro, who has worked as a school bus driver.

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Police have said a six-year-old was also found at the home. They have not revealed any further details, although a relative of Amanda Berry said she told him she had a daughter.

The girls' family reacted with shock and delight at news of their discovery, and many people gathered outside the home where they had allegedly been imprisoned.

"In all this time, 10 years, nobody never figured nothing about where she was at and this has come to an end and it's right here on Seymour," said Gina DeJesus' uncle.

A doctor said the three women were in a fair condition and were being kept in hospital for observation.

"This isn't the ending we usually hear to these stories," said Dr Gerald Maloney in a brief news conference outside Metro Health hospital in Cleveland. "We're very happy."

Speaking amid cheers from spectators, he added the women were able to speak to hospital staff but he declined to give further details.

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Gina DeJesus' aunt Sandra Ruiz: "She knew we were looking for her"

The disappearances of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus had been big news in Cleveland, and many had assumed them to be dead.

Little was made of the disappearance of Michelle Knight, who was older than the other two girls.

Her grandmother, Deborah Knight, was quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper on Monday as saying that the authorities concluded she had run away.

'Here a long time'

The dramatic events unfolded after Amanda Berry attempted to flee the house when her alleged captor went out.

Neighbour Charles Ramsey said he heard screaming.

"I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside," he told reporters.

He said he suggested the woman open the door and exit, but she told him it was locked.

"We had to kick open the bottom," he said. "Lucky on that door it was aluminium. It was cheap. She climbed out with her daughter."

Both Mr Ramsey and Ms Berry called 911.

In her frantic call, released to the news media, Ms Berry told the operator: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped. I've been missing for 10 years. I'm free. I'm here now."

She identified her kidnapper as Ariel Castro and said other women were in the house.

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Mr Ramsey said he was stunned by the developments. He said he had shared barbeques with Mr Castro and never suspected a thing. "There was nothing exciting about him... well, until today," he said.

An uncle, Julio Castro, who has a shop nearby, confirmed his nephew had been arrested, and said Ariel Castro had worked as a school bus driver. The Cleveland school district confirmed he worked for them, but did not give specifics.

"I am thankful that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight have been found alive," Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said.

"We have many unanswered questions regarding this case and the investigation will be ongoing."

High-profile cases

Ms Berry was last heard from when she called her sister on 21 April 2003 to say she would get a lift home from work at a Burger King restaurant.

In 2004, Ms DeJesus was said to be on her way home from school when she went missing.

Their cases were re-opened last year when a prison inmate tipped off authorities that Ms Berry may have been buried in Cleveland. He received a four-and-a-half-year sentence in prison for the false information.

Amanda Berry's mother, Louwana, died in March 2006, three years after her daughter's disappearance.

Although much is still not yet known about this case, it recalled a series of recent high-profile child abduction cases.

Jaycee Lee Dugard was 11 years old when she was dragged into a car as she walked to a bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, California in 1991.

She was discovered in August 2009, having spent 18 years held captive in the backyard of Phillip and Nancy Garrido in Antioch, some 170 miles from South Lake Tahoe. She had two children.

In Austria, Natascha Kampusch was abducted on her way to school at the age of 10. She was held for eight years by Wolfgang Priklopil in the windowless basement of a house in a quiet suburb of Vienna.

She managed to escape in 2006 while Priklopil was making a phone call. He committed suicide hours after she had fled.

Elizabeth Smart was 14 when she was taken from the bedroom of her Utah home in June 2002 and repeatedly raped during nine months of captivity.

She was rescued in March 2003 less than 20 miles from her home. Her abductor, Brian David Mitchell, was jailed for life in 2011.

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US accuses China of cyber-spying

7 May 2013 Last updated at 06:04 ET

China's government and military have targeted US government computers as part of a cyber espionage campaign, a US report on China says.

Intrusions were focused on collecting intelligence on US diplomatic, economic and defence sectors which could benefit China's own defence programme, it says.

This is the first time the Pentagon's annual report has directly linked such attacks to the Beijing government.

China called the report "groundless", saying it represented "US distrust".

A report from state news agency Xinhua cited Sr Col Wang Xinjun, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) researcher, describing the report as "irresponsible and harmful to the mutual trust between the two countries".

Both China and the US were victims of cybercrimes and should work together to tackle the problems, the agency quoted him as saying.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

This is the most explicit US statement so far charging that it is the Chinese government and military that are behind at least some of the many intrusions into US government computer systems.

It marks a general toughening of the US position over the course of this year. President Barack Obama raised the cyber-security threat in a telephone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping in March. The issue figured prominently when US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew visited Beijing a few days later.

There have long been fears about China's ability to steal technical and industrial secrets But this latest Pentagon report warns that China's activities go well beyond this "building a picture of US defence networks, logistics and related military capabilities that could be exploited during a crisis."

US experts believe that China's "area denial" strategy - its effort to push US naval forces well away from its shores - could have a significant cyber dimension.

Of course the United States is also rapidly developing capabilities to counter-cyber attacks and to go on the offensive itself. Indeed this is a field where the boundaries between offence and defence are blurred. US Cyber Command is expanding rapidly. The US and others are thought to be behind a number of computer virus attacks against elements of Iran's nuclear programme; a small glimpse of what the future of warfare may look like.

The Pentagon report also criticises a "lack of transparency" in China's military modernisation programme and defence spending.

'Exfiltrating information'

"In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the US government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military," the report from the US Department of Defense said.

The attacks were focused on "exfiltrating information" that "could potentially be used to benefit China's defence industry, high technology industries... and military planners," it said.

It added that this was particularly concerning because the "skills required for these intrusions are similar to those necessary to conduct computer network attacks".

While China has long been suspected of a role in cyber attacks, the US has generally avoided publicly attributing attacks to the Chinese government, or confirming that US government computers have been targeted.

But the issue has come under increased scrutiny in recent months.

In February, US cyber security firm Mandiant said that it had linked hundreds of data breaches since 2004 to a Chinese hacking team traced to the site of a military unit in Shanghai.

China called the Mandiant report flawed, and said it was opposed to cyber-crime.

'Increased assertiveness'

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What is Unit 61398?

• A unit of China's People's Liberation Army, to whose Shanghai address US cyber security firm Mandiant says it traced a prolific hacking team
• The team was said to have hacked into 141 computers across 20 industries, stealing hundreds of terabytes of data
• Mandiant says the team would have been staffed by hundreds, possibly thousands of proficient English speakers
• China said Mandiant's report was flawed and lacked proof

The report also analyses China's progress in modernising its military and says that a "lack of transparency" about its military capabilities has heightened regional tensions.

China announced in March that its annual defence budget was $114bn (£73bn), an increase of 10.4%.

However, the Pentagon estimated that China's total military expenditure in 2012 was higher, between $135bn (£83bn) and $215bn (£138bn).

China launched its first aircraft carrier in 2012, and is also investing in ballistic missiles, counter-space weapons and military cyberspace systems, the report said.

Defense Department official David Helvey said that while none of the individual weapons systems were an issue, the "integration and overlapping nature" of the systems left the department "concerned".

They could boost China's ability to restrict access to, and military operations in, the Western Pacific, he said.

Mr Helvey said the report also found that China had "increased assertiveness with respect to its maritime territorial claims" over the past year.

China has territorial disputes with many of its neighbours, including in both the South China Sea and East China Sea.

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Libyan minister quits over siege

7 May 2013 Last updated at 07:07 ET

Libya's Defence Minister Mohammed al-Barghathi has resigned in protest over a siege by gunmen on the ministries of justice and foreign affairs.

The militiamen had been demanding the introduction of a law banning Gaddafi-era officials from holding office.

A week after they began their siege, parliament passed the law.

"I will never be able to accept that politics [can] be practised by the power of weapons," Reuters news agency quotes the defence minister as saying.

The gunmen had said they would not leave the ministries before the passage of the bill banning those who had held positions under former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi from holding office.

"This is an assault against the democracy I have sworn to protect," said Mr Barghathi, who was the commander of the Benghazi air force before he retired on a government pension in 1994.

The BBC's Rana Jawad reports from the capital, Tripoli, that the Political Isolation Law would apply to Mr Barghathi when it comes into effect.

It appears he resigned before his expected dismissal, she says.

The law could affect other senior members of the government, including Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.

Gaddafi was toppled and killed in an uprising in 2011, after ruling Libya for more than 40 years.

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Evidence Syria rebels 'used sarin'

6 May 2013 Last updated at 05:03 ET

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Carla del Ponte: "I was a little bit stupefied by the first indication of the use of nerve gas by the opposition"

Testimony from victims of the Syrian conflict suggests rebels have used the nerve agent sarin, according to a leading United Nations investigator.

Carla del Ponte told Swiss TV there were "strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof".

However, she said her panel had not yet seen evidence of government forces using chemical weapons.

Syria has recently come under growing Western pressure over the alleged use of such weapons.

Ms del Ponte, who serves on the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said in an interview with Swiss-Italian TV: "Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals.

"According to their report of last week, which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated."

Ms del Ponte, a former Swiss attorney-general and prosecutor with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, did not rule out the possibility that government troops might also have used chemical weapons, but said further investigation was needed.

She gave no details of when or where sarin may have been used.

Her commission was established in August 2011 to examine alleged violations of human rights in the Syrian conflict since March 2011.

It is due to issue its latest report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June.

Mutual accusations

A separate United Nations team was established to look specifically into the issue of chemical weapons.

It is ready to go to Syria but wants unconditional access with the right to inquire into all credible allegations.

Both the Syrian government and the rebels have in the past accused each other using chemical weapons.

Continue reading the main story

• One of a group of nerve gas agents invented by German scientists as part of Hitler's preparations for World War II
• Huge secret stockpiles built up by superpowers during Cold War
• 20 times more deadly than cyanide: A drop the size of a pin-head can kill a person
• Called "the poor man's atomic bomb" due to large number of people that can be killed by a small amount
• Kills by crippling the nervous system through blocking the action of an enzyme that removes acetylcholine - a chemical that transmits signals down the nervous system
• Can only be manufactured in a laboratory, but does not require very sophisticated equipment
• Very dangerous to manufacture. Contains four main ingredients, including phosphorus trichloride

The United States and the UK have said there is emerging evidence of Syrian government forces having used sarin, with the US saying it had "varying degrees of confidence" that chemical weapons had been deployed.

US President Barack Obama called in April for a "vigorous investigation", saying the use of such weapons would be a "game changer" if verified.

President Bashar al-Assad's government says the claims do not have any credibility, denouncing them as "lies".

Sarin, a colourless, odourless gas which can cause respiratory arrest and death, is classed as a weapon of mass destruction and is banned under international law.

Israeli raids

Ms del Ponte's allegations concerning the use of sarin by rebels came after Israel carried out a series of air attacks on Syrian military targets early on Sunday.

Israeli officials said its military struck consignments of advanced Iranian missiles for delivery to the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

Hours later, the Syrian government said the Jamraya research centre north-west of Damascus was hit.

A more recent official statement has given more details, saying military positions in the Jamraya area were struck along with other facilities at Maysaloun near the Lebanese border and a military airport at Dimass.

The statement said there was massive damage at those locations and nearby civilian areas with many people killed or injured. It also denied that the targets included missiles on their way to Hezbollah.

The New York Times quotes an unnamed senior Syrian official as saying dozens of elite troops stationed near the presidential palace were killed, while AFP news agency quoted the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying 15 soldiers died.

Images on state TV showed large areas of rubble with many buildings destroyed or badly damaged.

The Arab League has condemned the raids and the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has expressed concern.

He said all sides should "exercise maximum calm and restraint" and "act with a sense of responsibility to prevent an escalation of what is already a devastating and highly dangerous conflict".

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Malaysia PM urges unity after win

6 May 2013 Last updated at 05:30 ET

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The election commission confirmed the result hours after polls closed

Malaysia's governing coalition has called for national reconciliation after it was re-elected in the most hard-fought poll since independence.

Prime Minister Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional (BN; National Front) coalition won 133 of the 222 seats - its worst-ever poll result.

Mr Najib said there had been a worrying polarisation in voting, as many ethnic Chinese backed the opposition.

Anwar Ibrahim, whose opposition bloc won 89 seats, has alleged fraud.

He told the BBC he was demanding an investigation into alleged abuses, saying that the result did not reflect the will of the people.

He called on supporters to stage a protest on Wednesday.

Mr Najib, 59, meanwhile, was sworn in as prime minister by Malaysia's king in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday afternoon.

'Tsunami'

The polls saw an 80% voter turn-out, amid strong campaigning from both sides.

The BN, which has been in power for 56 years, secured a simple majority but failed to regain the two-thirds parliamentary majority it lost for the first time in 2008.

As the result was confirmed, Mr Najib urged all Malaysians to accept his coalition's victory but acknowledged there was work ahead.

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Anwar said irregularities cost him seats

"One of the programmes we will undertake is national reconciliation... I think we realise that there are a lot of things we have to do as a party."

He noted that ethnic Chinese voters had turned to the opposition, which has pledged to reform the government's affirmative action policies that benefit ethnic Malays, in what he called "a Chinese tsunami".

"The results show a trend of polarisation which worries the government. If it is not addressed, it can create tension or division in the country," Mr Najib said.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that the coalition did not receive a majority of the popular vote.

Tallies by independent online media gave the BN coalition 49%, which would make Mr Najib the first leader to win with a minority of the popular vote, AFP news agency reported.

Mr Anwar, meanwhile, who led a three-party alliance into the polls, accused the authorities of electoral abuses which he said had distorted the result.

Continue reading the main story

• Election was considered Malaysia's most keenly contested poll since independence
• PM Najib Razak leads the long-dominant coalition Barisan Nasional (National Front)
• Anwar Ibrahim leads the three-party opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat
• Key poll issues included corruption, race-based policies that favour ethnic Malays, and the economy
• Turnout was estimated at a record 80%, election officials said
• In 2008, of the 222 seats in parliament the BN won 140 and the opposition won 82

"It is an election that we consider fraudulent and the Electoral Commission has failed," he told a news conference after midnight on Monday.

"We see these irregularities have cost us many seats, particularly those with narrow margins," he said.

Shares up

Allegations of election fraud had surfaced before the election. Some of those who voted in advance said that indelible ink on their hands - supposed to last for days and show they had already voted - had easily washed off.

The opposition accused the government of funding flights for supporters to key states, which the government denied.

Independent pollster Merdeka Center also cited unconfirmed reports of foreign nationals being given ID documents and being allowed to vote.

Ahead of the polls Malaysia's Election Commission said it had done all it could to keep the polls clean.

This result is a bitter blow to the opposition coalition, after a spirited campaign that tapped into a hunger for change among many younger Malaysians, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Kuala Lumpur reports.

They had believed a surge of support, especially in urban areas, would be enough to unseat a ruling coalition that has been in government for more than half a century, our correspondent adds.

Thousands of opposition supporters swapped their Facebook profile photos for black boxes to show their dismay when they learned that the ruling coalition had retained power, AP news agency reported.

But Malaysian shares reacted positively to news that the BN had won.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index jumped as much as 9.5% to a lifetime high of 1,826.22 in early trade on Monday, before ending the day higher by 3%.

The local currency, the ringgit, hit a 10-month high.

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Neo-Nazi trial opens in Germany

6 May 2013 Last updated at 06:02 ET

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The BBC's Stephen Evans: "The authorities have admitted that things went wrong"

An alleged member of a German neo-Nazi cell has gone on trial in Munich in connection with a series of racially motivated murders.

Beate Zschaepe, 38, is accused of being part of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which killed 10 people, mostly of Turkish background.

She denies the murder charges. After entering court, she stood with folded arms and turned her back on the camera.

The case sparked controversy as police wrongly blamed the Turkish mafia.

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence service was eventually forced to resign over the scandal. It also emerged that intelligence files on far-right extremists were destroyed after the cell's activities came to light.

Four male defendants are also on trial with Ms Zschaepe, facing lesser charges of having helped the NSU.

She faces life in prison if convicted.

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This police video shows alleged Neo-Nazi Beate Zschaepe in an identity parade.

Critics have accused authorities of turning a blind eye to the crimes of right-wing extremists, the BBC'S Steve Evans reports from Munich.

Officials deny this, saying mistakes occurred because the murders were spread across different regions, each with different police and security agencies.

The killings took place over a seven-year period, and none of the victims or locations was high-profile.

Execution-style killings

Ethnic Turkish community groups and anti-racism campaigners demonstrated outside the courthouse on Monday demanding justice. Some suspect the police of institutional racism, which may have helped the neo-Nazis to act with impunity, our correspondent says.

Before the trial got under way a large crowd of journalists had gathered outside, along with dozens of people hoping to get seats in the court. About 500 police officers were deployed and nearby streets were cordoned off.

Ms Zschaepe is charged with complicity in the murders of eight ethnic Turks, a Greek immigrant and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007, as a founding member of the NSU.

She is also accused of involvement in 15 armed robberies, of arson, and of attempted murder via two bomb attacks.

Prosecutors say the aim of the execution-style killings was to spread fear among immigrants and prompt them to leave Germany.

Her lawyers say she is refusing to speak in court. Only the trial opening was broadcast, in line with German legal restrictions.

The four male defendants are:

• Ralf Wohlleben, 38, and Carsten Schultze, 33, accused of being accessories to murder in the killing of the nine men - they allegedly supplied weapons and silencers
• Andre Eminger, 33, accused of being an accessory in two of the bank robberies, in the 2004 nail-bombing in Cologne's old town that injured 22 people, and two counts of supporting a terrorist organisation
• Holger Gerlach, 39, faces three counts of supporting a terrorist organisation.

The NSU cell remained undetected until Ms Zschaepe gave herself up in November 2011, after police discovered the bodies of two of her alleged accomplices.

Uwe Mundlos, 38, and Uwe Boenhardt, 34, appeared to have shot themselves after a botched bank robbery.

After their deaths, the gun used in the murders of the 10 people was discovered.

Ms Zschaepe shared a flat in Zwickau, in the old East Germany, with the two men who were found shot dead.

The arson charge against her relates to a fire which she is alleged to have started in the flat before giving herself up. She told police she was the one they were looking for.

In addition, a video emerged showing pictures of the corpses of the victims and identifying the "organisation" behind the murders as the NSU. The video had a cartoon Pink Panther totting up the number of dead.

Only then did the authorities conclude that the killings were the work of neo-Nazis.

They had previously treated some of the families of the victims as suspects in their murders.

As a result, the trial has taken on a meaning beyond the charges in court, as it is also puts the spotlight on attitudes towards the murder of members of ethnic minority groups, our correspondent says.

An earlier start date had been set for the trial, but it was delayed for weeks amid a dispute about the seat allocations, as Turkish media were not guaranteed places.

Turkish media have now been given four seats, but several leading German newspapers missed out in the lottery, AFP news agency reports.

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Bangladesh protest clashes 'kill 15'

6 May 2013 Last updated at 07:12 ET

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Police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators

At least 15 people are reported to have been killed and more than 60 hurt after police and Islamist protesters clashed in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse a Sunday protest organised by the group Hefazat-e Islam.

But there were later running battles throughout Sunday and into Monday in areas across the city.

Tens of thousands of Islamists had gathered in the city to call for stronger Islamic policies.

Rioters went on to set fire to shops and vehicles.

'Very aggressive'

Central Dhaka was reported to be calm following a day and night of violence.

Police said a ban had been imposed on all rallies and protests in the city until midnight on Monday to prevent a repeat of the clashes.

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• A tightly-knit coalition of a dozen or so Islamist groups, pushing to change Bangladesh's secular culture via imposition of what it sees as proper Islamic ways
• Rose to prominence in Feb 2013, rallying against a campaign that demanded the death penalty for an Islamist leader convicted of war crimes
• Support drawn from religious schools across Bangladesh
• Has 13-point charter of demands including exemplary punishment to those who "insult Islam".

Thousands of Islamist activists were seen fleeing the Motijheel area of Dhaka on Sunday as police moved in to take control of the area.

Having secured the business district by the early hours of Monday, the police said officers were searching for protesters hiding in nearby buildings.

The area around the city centre's largest mosque had turned into a battleground as police reacted to stone-throwing rioters with tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and truncheons.

Clashes also broke out in Kanchpur on the south-eastern outskirts of Dhaka.

There were varying reports of the number of dead and injured, but police have confirmed that two officers and a member of the security forces were among the dead in Kanchpur.

One witness who watched events unfold from a rooftop in central Dhaka said the demonstrators "were very aggressive, some people were throwing stones and the situation quickly become violent... the police had no option but to respond".

"Rioters vandalized markets and set fire to bookshops where the Holy Koran is sold. Thousands of Koran and religious books burned. They also attacked the ruling party's political office and national mosque," he told the BBC.

The bank employee, who asked not to named, said many people in Dhaka were angry about the violence, particularly as the city is still mourning the recent loss of more than 600 workers in a building collapse.

"I am Muslim and 90% of the population is Muslim too but the protesters do not represent our views," he said.

'Hang atheists'

On Sunday, crowds of protesters blocked main roads, isolating Dhaka from other parts of the country.

Dhaka's Daily Star newspaper reported that the group hired at least 3,000 vehicles, including buses, lorries and minibuses to bring demonstrators into the capital, while others travelled there by train.

Chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is greatest!") and "One point! One demand! Atheists must be hanged", the activists marched down at least six main roads as they headed for Motijheel, AFP news agency reported.

Continue reading the main story

Hefazat-e Islam - a coalition of around a dozen Islamist organisations - is seeking to impose a stricter form of Islam on Bangladeshi society.

The movement, which draws its strength from the country's madrassas, or religious schools, has issued a 13-point charter of demands, including greater segregation of men and women.

Its opposition to a national development policy for women has angered women's groups.

The government, which describes Bangladesh as a secular democracy, has rejected Hefazat-e Islam's demand for a new law on blasphemy.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said current legislation was adequate.

Muslims make up nearly 90% of the country's population, with the rest mostly Hindus.

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Deadly blast hits Mogadishu convoy

5 May 2013 Last updated at 04:58 ET

A car bomb has exploded near a government convoy in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing at least seven people, officials say.

A police spokesman told AFP news agency a suicide attacker had driven a car laden with explosives at an armoured government vehicle.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC a government vehicle carrying foreign aid workers had been targeted.

The attack comes days before a conference in London on Somalia.

No group said immediately it had carried out Sunday's attack.

The country's main Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, has been forced out of the main cities in the south and centre but still controls smaller towns and many rural areas.

Motionless

Ten people were also injured by the explosion, BBC reporter Mohamed Ibrahim reports from the city.

Government forces had only re-opened the main roads in Mogadishu on Saturday after a four-day ban on vehicle traffic, he adds.

The ban had been aimed at preventing attacks by al-Shabab.

A Reuters news agency photographer said he could see three people lying motionless near the wreckage of four burning cars.

The London conference will discuss how best the international community can support Somalia's progress.

More than 50 countries and organisations are due to take part when it opens on Tuesday, co-hosted by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

The UK recently re-opened its embassy in Mogadishu.

The security situation in city was thought to have been improving after two decades of conflict, despite occasional attacks.

Masked gunmen shot dead the deputy chief prosecutor, Ahmad Shaykh Nur Maalin, last month in the city centre.

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Dhaka riot police battle Islamists

5 May 2013 Last updated at 06:43 ET

Police in Bangladesh have used tear gas and rubber bullets in a clash with conservative Islamist protesters in the capital Dhaka.

Thousands of activists from Hefajat-e-Islam blocked highways, isolating Dhaka from other parts of the country.

Demands included the death penalty for those who insult Islam and greater segregation of men and women.

Their opposition to a national development policy for women angered women's groups.

The movement draws its strength from the country's madrassahs or religious schools.

But the government, which describes Bangladesh as a secular democracy, has rejected its demands.

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Polls close in tight Malaysian vote

5 May 2013 Last updated at 07:05 ET

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Jonathan Head reports from a polling station queue in Kuala Lumpur, where he says there was an ''unprecedented turnout''

Voting has ended in Malaysia in what is widely expected to be the most closely contested general election in the country's history.

PM Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition is up against Pakatan Rakyat, a three-party alliance headed by Anwar Ibrahim.

Voters were faced with returning the ruling party, in power for 56 years, or choosing an untested opposition.

Ahead of the polls, allegations of various forms of fraud emerged.

It will be several hours before the first results are known, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports from the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We hope for a change of government"

End Quote Karunamoorthy Malaysian voter

At polling stations in the city, there was a palpable sense of excitement among the many voters there who support the opposition coalition, he adds. Some said this was the first time they felt their votes had mattered.

But Barisan Nasional has been campaigning very hard to shore up its base among poorer ethnic Malay neighbourhoods and in rural areas, and opinion polls suggest a very close race.

'People do change'

Election officials said they expected voter turnout to be up to 80%.

Barisan Nasional, while credited with bringing economic development and political stability, has also been tainted by allegations of corruption.

But it remains to be seen whether Mr Anwar's coalition, comprising parties of different ethnicities and religions, can persuade voters to choose an alternative government.

Mr Najib, 59, said he was confident that Malaysians would retain his coalition and even return the two-thirds parliamentary majority Barisan Nasional lost in the 2008 polls.

During the last four years, he said during a campaign rally on Thursday, the coalition had proved it could "protect and benefit all Malaysians".

"The task of transformation is not over yet," he told supporters in his home state of Pahang on Saturday.

Mohamed Rafiq Idris, a car business owner waiting to vote in the central state of Selangor, told the Associated Press news agency the ruling coalition had made "some mistakes" but he believed it would do its best to take care of the people's welfare.

But first-time voter Bernie Lim, a banker, said: "I grew up recognising that my parents voted for the present coalition at almost every general election. This time, they voted for the opposition. People do change."

Ethnic Indian voter Karunamoorthy told BBC News in the capital: "We hope for a change of government. There needs to be a change because of abuse of power."

Mr Anwar, 65, has said people's clamour for change means that Pakatan Rakyat will emerge victorious.

Continue reading the main story

Malaysia 2013 polls

• Election is expected to be Malaysia's most keenly contested poll since independence
• PM Najib Razak leads the long-dominant coalition Barisan Nasional (National Front)
• Anwar Ibrahim leads the three-party opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat
• Key issues include corruption, race-based policies that favour Malays and the economy

"People have enough of this semi-authoritarian rule, of complete [government] control of the media, of strong arrogance, of power and endemic corruption," he told AP in an interview.

He advised supporters "to remain calm, not to be provoked, not to take the law into their own hands, support the process".

"Unless there's a major massive fraud tomorrow - that is our nightmare - we will win," he told AFP news agency.

Online drive

Allegations of election fraud surfaced before the election. Some of those who voted in advance told BBC News that indelible ink - supposed to last for days - easily washed off.

"The indelible ink can be washed off easily, with just water, in a few seconds," one voter, Lo, told BBC News from Skudai.

Another voter wrote: "Marked with "indelible ink" and voted at 10:00. Have already cleaned off the ink by 12:00. If I was also registered under a different name and ID number at a neighbouring constituency, I would be able to vote again before 17:00!"

The opposition has also accused the government of funding flights for supporters to key states, which the government denies.

Independent pollster Merdeka Center has received unconfirmed reports of foreign nationals being given IDs and allowed to vote.

The international organisation Human Rights Watch said there had been well-planned attacks against the country's independent media ahead of the polls.

Both sides actively engaged the electorate online, especially the country's 2.6 million new voters, the BBC's Jennifer Pak reports from Kuala Lumpur.

Visiting the social media unit for PKR, one of the opposition parties, she found activists posting messages to encourage people to vote despite heavy rain in some regions.

Most traditional media in Malaysia are linked to the governing parties so opposition parties rely almost exclusively on the internet to get their message out, she says.

"This is our only way to get our message out but, even then, we do struggle," said activist Praba Ganesan. "Our Facebook account this morning was attacked, we had to remove content, we had to fix it. There are fears that things are being compromised."

Officially, just 18 foreign electoral observers are in Malaysia. They are joined by 1,200 local observers from 17 non-governmental organisations.

The electoral commission said on Saturday that the foreign observers comprised six each from Indonesia and Thailand, and two each from Burma, Cambodia and the Asean secretariat.

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Damascus 'hit by Israeli strikes'

5 May 2013 Last updated at 07:16 ET

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Syrian journalist Alaa Ebrahim describes the attack as like 'a mild earthquake'

Syria has accused Israel of launching rocket attacks on Damascus, after a night of huge explosions near the city.

Syrian state media said the rockets hit the Jamraya research centre, which Western officials have suggested is involved in chemical weapons research.

Israeli radio quoted a senior security official confirming an attack, and sources said it targeted weapons bound for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

It is the second suspected Israeli strike in Syria in two days.

On Friday Israeli aircraft hit a shipment of missiles near the Lebanon border, according to unnamed US and Israeli officials.

The BBC's Yolande Knell in Jerusalem says the latest developments are a significant escalation in Israel's involvement in the conflict.

She says Israel has already responded to fears of retaliation by locating two batteries of its Iron Dome missile defence system near Haifa, close to the Lebanese border.

'Mild earthquake'

Damascus was shaken by repeated explosions coming from the north-western suburbs.

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Analysis

Two air strikes in 48 hours does indeed start to look perilously like the involvement in Syria's internal crisis the Israelis have always said they want to avoid, especially when they are visibly taking out military targets on the very edge of Damascus.

Politically such attacks strengthen the Syrian regime in regional and domestic terms, and embarrass the rebels, who are cast as actors in a Western-directed plot to undermine resistance to Israel.

Israel has said that its only concern is to prevent advanced weapons being handed over to Hezbollah. Objectively it would be hard to see Israel's interest in helping trigger an uncontrolled collapse of the regime, leaving the field open to rebel groups among which Islamist radicals currently make the running.

But if the Friday and Sunday attacks herald a pattern of mounting Israeli involvement, it may be increasingly hard to keep the two strands separate.

Amateur video footage and eye witness testimony suggested rocket attacks had hit weapons dumps, triggering dramatic orange-flamed blasts.

The area houses numerous military facilities, including the Jamraya research centre, designated by Syria as a scientific research centre "in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence".

A state TV bulletin said: "The new Israeli attack is an attempt to raise the morale of the terrorist groups, which have been reeling from strikes by our noble army."

Damascus-based journalist Alaa Ebrahim told the BBC it was "the biggest explosion" the city had seen since the conflict began two years ago.

He said residents living near Jamraya reported feeling a "mild earthquake" just before the blast, indicating that the rockets may have hit an underground facility.

He added that the Syrian army was likely to have suffered major casualties in the attack.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted eyewitnesses in the area as saying they saw jets in the sky at the time of the explosions.

The Jamraya facility was also apparently hit in an Israeli air strike in January.

Israeli officials confirmed the January strike, but insisted it had targeted trucks carrying missiles to Hezbollah.

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Media reaction

• According to Syria's Sana state news agency: "The new Israeli aggression shows the direct involvement of the Zionist entity in the conspiracy against Syria and the relationship that links the armed terrorist groups with the Israeli hostile schemes backed by the Western, regional and some Gulf states."
• Iran's Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi is quoted by Fars news agency reacting to Friday's attack: "The inhuman acts and adventurism of the Zionist regime will strengthen the waves of anti-Zionism in the region and will shorten the life of this fake regime."
• A writer with Israel's Walla website notes that "common sense would seem to mandate" the attack on Syrian targets. However, he notes that admission of the attack from Syrian state media and the Lebanese militant group must raise fear about retaliation.

After the latest attack, unnamed Western intelligence sources have again said the target was a weapons cache heading for Lebanon.

Israel has repeatedly said it would act if it felt advanced weapons were being transferred to militant groups in the region, especially Hezbollah.

'Horrific reports'

Analysts say the air strikes are unlikely to have a major effect on the civil war in Syria.

The latest reports from coastal regions around the town of Baniyas suggest dozens of Sunnis have been massacred in a campaign of sectarian cleansing.

The government said it had pushed back "terrorist groups" and restored security to the area.

The US said it was "appalled by the horrific reports" but that it did not foresee sending US troops to Syria.

However, the US is no longer ruling out supplying weapons to the rebels.

More than 70,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the conflict erupted in March 2011.

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Major wildfires spread in California

3 May 2013 Last updated at 22:01 ET

More than 3,000 firefighters are battling six major wildfires in California, the state fire agency says.

One of the fiercest blazes has shut the famous Pacific Coast Highway for the second time in as many days, with a 30-mile (50-km) stretch off-limits.

The so-called Springs fire has reached the coast north-west of Los Angeles, threatening thousands of homes.

Fire crews have tackled more than 680 wildfires so far this year, some 200 more than average for the period.

The Springs fire has tripled in size since Friday morning, burning 43 sq miles (69 sq km), a day after it broke out near Camarillo.

The blaze has damaged more than a dozen homes, with another 4,000 at risk. No injuries have been reported.

'Very strange weather'

On Friday, a change in wind direction fanned it through coastal wilderness to the beach, then sent it tearing back inland through canyons to neighbourhoods.

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We're seeing fires burning like we usually see in late summer"

End Quote Tom Kruschke Ventura County fire spokesman

Ventura County fire spokesman Bill Nash called it the "worst-case weather scenario".

"In the perfect scenario we'd just hope for the wind to go away, but what happened is the wind just turned around,'' he said.

More than 900 firefighters are combating that blaze, which is about 20% contained.

Firefighters dropped water and retardant on the flames from the air. The fire was fanned by the dry Santa Ana winds, which are occurring unseasonably late this year.

"This is a very, very strange weather pattern for this time of year," said another Ventura County fire spokesman, Tom Kruschke.

"We're seeing fires burning like we usually see in late summer, at the height of the fire season, and it's only May."

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Peter Bowes in Los Angeles: "A vast area of land is being turned into a charred wilderness"

On Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service predicted lighter onshore winds of 10-15 mph.

Calmer ocean air could raise humidity levels, helping fight the blaze and eventually bringing rain over the weekend, it is hoped.

The California State University at Channel Islands remained closed for a second day on Friday.

A US Naval air station on the coast has also advised all non-essential personnel to stay home for a second day as the fire edged towards a firing range at the western edge of the base.

Point Mugu spokeswoman Kimberly Gearhart said no ammunition was stored at the range.

North of the fire zone, evacuations of two neighbourhoods were lifted on Friday, but residents were required to show identification to return to their homes, police officials said.

About 200 homes remain under an evacuation order.

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Maduro alleges assassination plot

4 May 2013 Last updated at 00:52 ET

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused former Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him.

Mr Maduro said he had evidence that right-wing Venezuelan poluticians had been involved in the plot.

He has alleged conspiracies against him since taking over from the late President Hugo Chavez and winning disputed elections last month.

Mr Uribe - a fierce critic of President Chavez - dismissed Mr Maduro's accusation as "immature".

On Friday, Mr Maduro said: "Uribe is behind a plot to kill me. Uribe is a killer.

"I have enough evidence of who is conspiring, and there are sectors of the Venezuelan right involved," Mr Maduro added.

Hours later, Mr Uribe responded by saying: "To the immature accusation by the dictatorship... just one response: repeat the elections."

Mr Maduro won the 14 April poll by a narrow margin of 1.49%, according to the official results.

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles is challenging the result, alleging irregularities.

During his term in office Alvaro Uribe clashed with Hugo Chavez on a number of issues.

Mr Uribe, a conservative, stepped down in 2010.

Ties between the two neighbouring countries have been steadily improving since then.

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Burial wrangle for Boston suspect

4 May 2013 Last updated at 04:44 ET

The search is on for a cemetery to bury Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev as protesters picket the funeral home holding his body.

The director of the funeral home in Worcester, Massachusetts, likened the task to burying notorious mass murderers from recent US history.

Peter Stefan revealed Tsarnaev's death certificate, showing gunshots and blunt trauma as the causes of death.

Tsarnaev's surviving brother Dzhokhar is under arrest for the bombing.

The brothers are accused of planting two bombs near the finishing-line of the Boston Marathon on 15 April. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in an attack which shocked America.

They are also suspected of later shooting dead one policeman and injuring another.

Dzhokhar, 19, was shot and injured during the police manhunt and remains in a prison hospital. He faces a possible death sentence if convicted.

Three of his college friends have been arrested on suspicion of obstructing police inquiries after the bomb attack.

'Bundy, McVeigh'

Relatives of ex-boxer Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, have been making arrangements to bury his body.

Mr Stefan received the body after it was released by the Massachusetts state medical examiner on Thursday.

Protesters had picketed a North Attleborough funeral home to which it was brought initially, after which Mr Stefan's business received it, in the face of a new demonstration.

"Everyone deserves a burial," Mr Stefan told Reuters news agency by telephone.

"It doesn't matter who it is. I can't pick and choose."

Speaking to AP news agency, Mr Stefan said: "My problem here is trying to find a gravesite. A lot of people don't want to do it. They don't want to be involved with this."

Arguing that everyone deserved a dignified burial, he added: "I keep bringing up the point of Lee Harvey Oswald, Timothy McVeigh or Ted Bundy. Somebody had to do those, too."

Wife declines

According to the death certificate, Tamerlan Tsarnaev died at 01:35 on 19 April from "gunshot wounds of torso and extremities" as well as blunt trauma to the head and torso.

After being hit in a shoot-out with police, he was reportedly run over on the ground by his younger brother as he escaped from the scene in a car.

No motive has yet been established for the bombing.

The family are ethnic Chechen Muslims from Russia who had been living in the US for about a decade, and Tamerlan was drawn to radical Islam.

His wife, Katherine Russell, declined to pick up his body from the medical examiner's office, allowing his relatives to claim the remains instead and arrange for a funeral.

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Syrians flee coastal 'massacres'

4 May 2013 Last updated at 06:55 ET

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Jim Muir in Lebanon reports: "Activist groups gave the names of 50 people who they said were butchered in al-Bayda"

Hundreds of Syrians have fled coastal areas where activists accuse government forces of carrying out massacres in a campaign of sectarian cleansing.

Gruesome videos show mutilated and burnt bodies of women and children, allegedly from the town of Baniyas.

On Thursday activists said at least 50 died in the nearby village of al-Bayda.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials say warplanes have carried out an air strike on Syria targeting weapons heading to Lebanon's Hezbollah.

It is the second time this year that the Israelis have carried out such strikes.

Militia involvement

Activists have reported two massacres in two days in the coastal area of central Syria.

They say the first was at the Sunni village of al-Bayda, which was overrun by regime forces on Thursday.

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• Apr 2011: More than 70 protesters killed as security forces fire on crowds in Deraa and Damascus
• Dec 2011: Activists say more than 100 army defectors killed over two days in Idlib province
• May 2012: Some 108 killed in Houla, near Homs - UN later blames Syrian troops and militia
• Aug 2012: Witnesses and activists say at least 300 killed as government forces storm Darayya, a Damascus suburb
• Jan 2013: At least 100 people killed and burned in their homes in Haswiya, near Homs

Activists groups have named up to 50 people they say were massacred in al-Bayda, some of them women and children.

Now they are reporting similar scenes at the Ras al-Nabaa quarter of the nearby coastal town of Baniyas, and have posted gruesome video clips to back up their claims.

Some activist groups say 200 were killed in Baniyas.

A video posted online said 20 had been killed, though it was unclear whether 20 was an overall figure, or referred only to that particular location.

Foreign news organisations are severely restricted in Syria, so accounts and videos from activists are difficult to verify.

The BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon says the clips show the bloodied and tangled bodies of women and children, some of them mutilated or partly incinerated.

Hundreds of families are reported to have fled Baniyas southwards towards the city of Tartus, but activists say they have been blocked from taking shelter there.

The pro-government militia known as the shabbiha are widely reported to be involved in the operation.

Our correspondent says there is clearly a strong sectarian dimension to the reported actions.

Local activist and opposition groups have accused the government of launching a campaign of sectarian cleansing in preparation for setting up some kind of Alawite entity, he adds.

International efforts to tackle the violence have recently focused on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the regime.

US President Barack Obama has described such actions as a "red line", but he said on Friday that he does not envisage a situation where US troops would be sent to Syria.

The US has floated the idea in recent weeks of arming the rebel forces.

Analysts say the US and its allies are also discussing action including air strikes to enforce a no-fly zone, but Syria's ally Russia is strongly opposed to such measures.

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