Film workers fast for Indian leader

30 September 2014 Last updated at 10:08

The film industry in India's Tamil Nadu state is on a day-long fast to protest against the jailing of former chief minister Jayaram Jayalalitha.

Jayalalitha has been jailed for four years for corruption and is in a Bangalore prison.

She has challenged her conviction and applied for bail. The Bangalore high court will hear her plea on Monday.

In a case lasting 18 years, she was found guilty of amassing unaccounted wealth of more than $10m (£6.1m).

In its ruling on Saturday, the special court in Bangalore also ordered her to pay a 1bn rupee ($16m; £10m) fine and resign as chief minister.

A former film actress, Jayalalitha is one of India's most colourful and controversial politicians and has a huge following in Tamil Nadu.

On Tuesday, actors, directors and other members of the Tamil film industry began a day-long silent fast in the state capital, Chennai, to express "support and solidarity" for Jayalalitha.

All the cinemas are shut in the city until the evening and all film shoots have been cancelled for the day.

Her imprisonment has dismayed her supporters who have held protests and wept openly.

One report said at least 16 people were believed to have killed themselves "either by setting themselves ablaze or by hanging" since her sentencing on Saturday. The BBC has not been able to independently confirm the suicide reports.

On Monday, her successor O Paneerselvam was sworn in as chief minister - he too wept during his inauguration, with colleagues saying they were in mourning.

Jayalalitha has denied charges of amassing wealth as false and says that she acquired property through legal means.

Her life has been marked by a series of high and lows.

Known by her followers as Amma or Mother, the flamboyant former film star inspires intense loyalty, even adoration.

The case was heard in the neighbouring state of Karnataka to ensure it remained free from influence or pressure.

Jayalalitha: Mercurial personality

• Former actress who appeared in more than 100 films
• Chief minister of Tamil Nadu on four occasions - from 1991-96, briefly in 2011, 2002-06 and 2011-14
• Has alternated in power with her great rival, 90-year-old DMK leader M Karunanidhi
• Feted by various Indian prime ministers over the last 20 years trying to win her support
• Critics accuse her of establishing a personality cult, but supporters praise her poverty relief efforts
• Known for her extravagant lifestyle - police once discovered more than 10,000 saris and 750 pairs of shoes in a raid on her premises

Profile: Jayaram Jayalalitha

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Argentina 'in contempt' of US court

30 September 2014 Last updated at 10:27

A US judge has ruled that the Republic of Argentina is in contempt of court for refusing to obey an order to repay the debt it owes to two US hedge funds.

Argentina has been mired in a US court dispute with the funds, which bought the country's debt at a discount after its default in 2001.

In July, Judge Thomas Griesa ruled that Argentina must repay the funds before it can repay other bondholders.

Argentina refused, sending the country into default.

Earlier on Monday, Argentina's ambassador to the US warned in a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry that if the country was found to be in contempt of court, it would represent "unlawful interference" in Argentina's domestic affairs.

And in a strong statement, the Argentine Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires said Judge Griesa's ruling "violates international law" and "has no practical effect other than to provide new elements helpful to the slanderous political and media campaign conducted by vulture funds against Argentina".

It added: "Griesa holds the sad record of being the first judge to declare a sovereign state in contempt for paying a debt, after failing in his attempt to block the restructuring of the foreign debt of Argentina."

Judge Griesa said he would decide on a penalty at a later date.

'Vulture funds'

After Argentina defaulted on about $100bn (£61.5bn) of debt in 2001, the country negotiated a settlement with the majority of its bondholders to repay a certain portion of the amount owed.

Some bondholders accepted swaps for lesser-valued bonds but were not paid interest on those bonds.

However, two hedge funds - NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management - have demanded full repayment of the $1.5bn (£920m) they are owed, and have sued to prevent the country from paying back only its restructured bonds.

"Argentina has repeatedly and wilfully violated the orders of the court," they said in a complaint last week.

Argentina has refused, saying that they are "vulture funds", and has attempted to enact legislation to skirt Judge Griesa's ruling.

This has left two banks in New York - Bank of New York Mellon and Citigroup - with millions of dollars on hold that Argentina had planned to pay in interest to holders of its renegotiated debt.

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Hong Kong leader in protest appeal

30 September 2014 Last updated at 11:23

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Ali Moore: Protesters have water-soaked paper towels in case of tear gas

Hong Kong leader CY Leung has urged pro-democracy protesters to stop their campaign "immediately", as huge crowds continue to bring parts of the territory to a standstill.

Tens of thousands of people have been blocking streets in several areas.

The protesters want Beijing to give Hong Kong a free vote for its next leader, something Beijing has rejected.

Occupy Central has called on Mr Leung to meet protesters in person on Tuesday night.

During a news conference, the pro-democracy group also said it would open "humanitarian corridors" in protest areas to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

The streets were relatively quiet on Tuesday, with people mainly sleeping and clearing up.

But crowds are set to swell during the evening ahead of Chinese National Day on 1 October.

Wednesday is a national holiday marking the founding of Communist China.

At the weekend police used tear gas and pepper spray, but riot police have since been withdrawn and protesters remain calm.

Key parts of the city are being blocked by protesters, with some schools and banks closed.

The protesters want Mr Leung, the chief executive, to step down. But he appeared to reject their demand, saying that his removal would mean Hong Kong's next leader being chosen by a committee, as in 2012, rather than by voters.

He also called on the protesters - a mix of students, supporters of the Occupy Central group and others angered by the police response to the protests - to go home.

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Mr Leung warned that protests would not change Beijing's position

"Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop," Mr Leung said.

"I'm now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately."

At the scene: Saira Asher, BBC News, Hong Kong

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters spent the night on the street near Admiralty in Hong Kong's Central district. Some were propped up against barricades, others stretched out in the middle of a major road.

After a strong show last night, the crowds have trickled out this morning as people go to work or home to take care of household chores. But they say they will be back tonight when numbers are expected to swell. This has been the routine now for two days. The crowds diminish in the day but return in full force in the evening and stay the night.

The morning is being spent mostly removing rubbish left over from last night's huge crowd. Students are picking up cigarette butts and plastic bottles, others are distributing breakfast buns. That is why those on the street are being called "the politest protesters" by some on social media.

But they are on edge. At one point in the middle of the night, everyone suddenly stood up and started pulling on masks. It turned out to be just a changing of the guard for the handful of police scattered around here, but the sudden fear was palpable.

'Condemned by history'

Beijing ruled last month that Hong Kong people could elect their next leader in 2017.

But the choice of candidates will be restricted to two or three people who must be approved by the majority of a pro-Beijing committee - meaning Beijing can effectively screen candidates.

In Hong Kong, further consultations had been due to take place on the ruling but on Monday a senior official said these would be postponed until a "better time".

Occupy Central has accused the government of "delay tactics", saying it believed the government was "just hoping people's desire for genuine universal suffrage to fade out over time".

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The BBC's Martin Yip filmed a day in the life of some Hong Kong protesters

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BBC News explains the background to the Occupy Central row in 60 seconds

On Tuesday the group said the areas of Mong Kok, Admiralty and Causeway Bay - where protesters have been blocking roads - would become known among protesters as Democracy Square.

In other developments:

• A man was arrested after he drove his car at protesters in Mong Kok in the early hours of Tuesday
• In the US, a White House spokesman urged the Hong Kong authorities to "exercise restraint" and protesters to "express their views peacefully"
• UK PM David Cameron says he is "deeply concerned" about events in Hong Kong and hopes the standoff can be resolved

Not everyone in Hong Kong backs the protests. Some fear the ongoing demonstrations could affect Hong Kong's relationship with Beijing or hit the economy of the financial hub.

China has described the demonstrations as illegal and urged the Hong Kong government to bring them under control.

News of the protests is being heavily censored in mainland China. Media have blamed "radical opposition forces" for stirring up trouble.

Analysts say Communist Party leaders in Beijing are worried that calls for democracy could spread to cities on the mainland, putting them in a very difficult position.

Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that guarantees liberties not seen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and the right to protest.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1997: Hong Kong, a former British colony, is handed back to China under an 1984 agreement giving it "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years
• 2004: China rules that its approval must be sought for changes to Hong Kong's election laws
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform and a large rally, which is followed by protests by pro-Beijing activists
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017, but voters will only be able to choose from a list of pre-approved candidates; activists stage protests
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes in protest
• 2017: Direct elections for chief executive due to take place
• 2047: Expiry of current agreements

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

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

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.

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Thousands of Ebola orphans 'shunned'

30 September 2014 Last updated at 12:07

At least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone who have lost one or both parents to Ebola this year face being shunned, the UN has said.

Carers were urgently needed for these orphans, Unicef said.

A basic human reaction like comforting a sick child has been turned "into a potential death sentence", it added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 3,000 people have died of Ebola in West Africa - the world's most deadly outbreak of the virus.

Continue reading the main story

The fear surrounding Ebola is becoming stronger than family ties"

End Quote Manuel Fontaine Unicef

The figure on the number of Ebola orphans follows a two-week assessment mission by the UN children's agency to the three countries worst-affected by the outbreak. An earlier version of this story said that 4,900 children had lost parents but the correct figure is 3,700.

It found that children as young as three or four years old were being orphaned by the disease.

Children were discovered alone in the hospitals where their parents had died, or back in their communities where, if they were lucky, they were being fed by neighbours - but all other contact with them was being avoided.

"Thousands of children are living through the deaths of their mother, father or family members from Ebola," Unicef's Manuel Fontaine said in statement about his two-week visit to the region.

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"It is the right thing to do, to send a strong message to the Liberian people"

"These children urgently need special attention and support; yet many of them feel unwanted and even abandoned," he said.

"Orphans are usually taken in by a member of the extended family, but in some communities, the fear surrounding Ebola is becoming stronger than family ties."

The number of Ebola orphans has spiked in the past few weeks and preliminary reports suggest that it is likely to double by mid-October, Unicef said.

There was an urgent need to establish a system for identifying and caring for Ebola orphans, it said.

Unicef will be holding a meeting on the issue in Sierra Leone next month but before then it wants potential carers to come forward.

"Ebola is turning a basic human reaction like comforting a sick child into a potential death sentence," Mr Fontaine said.

"We cannot respond to a crisis of this nature and this scale in the usual ways. We need more courage, more creativity, and far far more resources."

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva
• Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 70%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no proven vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

Ebola virus: Busting the myths

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Spain seeks ban on Catalonia vote

29 September 2014 Last updated at 12:02

Spain's government has asked the country's constitutional court to declare Catalonia's planned independence referendum illegal.

PM Mariano Rajoy told reporters that the vote was not "compatible with the Spanish constitution".

The head of the north-eastern Spanish region signed a decree on Saturday calling for a vote on 9 November.

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans joined a protest in Barcelona recently, calling for their right to vote.

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IS and Iraq battle over key town

29 September 2014 Last updated at 11:54

Iraqi ground forces, backed by air strikes, appear to have halted advancing Islamic State (IS) militants in a key town near Baghdad.

The BBC's Lyse Doucet in the Iraqi capital says the air strikes followed clashes with IS militants, who have been making gains towards the capital.

Ameriyat al-Falluja, 40km (25 miles) from Baghdad, is a key strategic town.

It comes as a US-led coalition continues to carry out air strikes on IS targets in Syria and Iraq.

The area around Ameriyat al-Falluja is now said to be calm, but there is a standoff along the main road to Fallujah to the north, which is controlled by IS, our correspondent says.

In an US television interview on Sunday President Obama candidly admitted the US had "underestimated" the threat of IS.

He said a political solution - one that would arise out of an accommodation between Sunni and Shia populations - was key to defeating the jihadists.

Meanwhile the Pentagon said US airstrikes overnight targeted other IS positions in Anbar province, 80km from Baghdad.

In Syria US war planes also struck four more oil fields controlled by IS militants on Sunday, near the group's stronghold in Raqqa.

The Pentagon said the attacks were "successful", though the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which monitors the conflict in Syria, said mostly civilians were hit.

The BBC's Mark Lowen, near the Turkey-Syria border, says airstrikes in Syria appear focused on cutting off IS's revenue by targeting oil fields.

The overnight strikes hit the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa, Hassakeh and Deir al-Zour, hitting a grain silo, or storage container, as well as the country's biggest gas plant, according to SOHR.

However the strikes in the town of Manbij in Aleppo province appeared to have only killed civilians, not fighters, said Rami Abdulrahman who heads the organisation.

"These were workers at the silos. They provide food for the people," he said, adding that the number and information was impossible to verify.

Another activist group, the Aleppo Media Center, also reported the strike on the grain silo in Manbij, north-east of Aleppo city. It said the attack ignited a fire at the facility.

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Ghani sworn in as Afghan president

29 September 2014 Last updated at 12:05

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Ashraf Ghani (left) promised to defend Afghanistan's independence and territorial integrity

Ashraf Ghani has been sworn in as Afghanistan's new president, replacing Hamid Karzai in the country's first democratic transfer of power.

The Kabul ceremony followed six months of deadlock amid a bitter dispute over electoral fraud and a recount of votes.

Under a US-brokered unity deal Mr Ghani shares power with runner-up Abdullah Abdullah who becomes chief executive.

The Taliban called the deal a "US-orchestrated sham". A blast near Kabul airport killed at least seven people.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said a suicide bomber attacked a security checkpoint on the airport road leading to the US embassy.

Four members of the Afghan security forces and three civilians were killed, and a number of other people were wounded, he said.

Constitutional changes

At the swearing-in ceremony attended by up to 100 dignitaries at the presidential palace in Kabul, Mr Ghani took an oath to abide by the constitution.

He said he would work for long-term peace, promised to tackle corruption and said constitutional changes were needed.

Analysis: David Loyn, BBC News, Kabul

In his long first speech after being sworn in as the new Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani promised reform, development, an end to poverty, measures against corruption, and a clean-up of the judiciary.

But he knows that he can do nothing without security. In a year when the Taliban are conducting their biggest offensives since they fell from power in 2001, he said Afghan people were tired of war and wanted peace.

He talked about the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and said that Afghanistan was an Islamic country that understood about jihad after Islamic guerrillas defeated the Russians in the 1980s. He said the country did not need any lessons from foreign fighters.

The former World Bank economist has ambitious plans for change, but now needs to make his coalition work, with his defeated election rival Abdullah Abdullah.

Mr Ghani praised the country's "first democratic transfer of power" and also spoke warmly of his rival, and now partner in government, Dr Abdullah.

Dr Abdullah, who takes on the new chief executive role with prime-ministerial powers, said the two leaders would work together "for a better future with trust and honesty".

Earlier outgoing President Hamid Karzai, who has been leader since the US-led invasion in 2001, called for people to support the new government.

The BBC's David Loyn in Kabul says security in the capital is tight, with few people on the streets and shops closed.

Who is Ashraf Ghani?

• Previously an academic in the US, and worked for the World Bank
• Served as finance minister from 2002-2004 under President Hamid Karzai
• He fell out with President Karzai in 2004 and became Chancellor of Kabul University, where he was seen as an effective reformer
• He has been a vocal critic of the way international aid money has been wasted in Afghanistan
• He has a well-known reputation for having a quick temper

The first thing the government is expected to do is to sign a deal that will see US troops remain in Afghanistan after the end of this year - a move previously opposed by Mr Karzai. All Nato combat troops pull out this year.

In other violence on Monday, a suicide car bomb attack on a government compound in the eastern province of Paktia killed at least eight people, officials say.

The Taliban said they carried out the raid in Zurmat district in which a number of security personnel died. Officials say four attackers were also killed.

On Friday the Taliban overran a strategic district in another eastern province, Ghazni, highlighting some of the many challenges facing Mr Ghani and his security forces.

Following the election earlier this year, US Secretary of State John Kerry helped broker a comprehensive audit of all eight million votes after the results were disputed.

The audit was completed this month but the final tallies and the official result have not been made public amid fears over unrest.

Afghanistan's election commission confined itself to declaring Mr Ghani the winner in a statement earlier this month.

Both sides had accused the other of fraud following the election and months of uncertainty have damaged the economy and heightened insecurity.

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Protesters defiant amid HK stand-off

29 September 2014 Last updated at 12:09

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"Tired yet defiant": The BBC's Laura Westbrook reports on the protesters refusing to leave

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters are blocking Hong Kong's streets, shutting down its business hub and ignoring appeals to leave.

The demonstrations have spread to other areas including a shopping district and a residential area.

Riot police withdrew on Monday after overnight clashes in which they used batons and fired volleys of tear gas to try to disperse the crowds.

China has warned other countries not to support the "illegal rallies".

Its foreign ministry said it opposed any interference in China's internal affairs.

Meanwhile the British government called for the right to protest to be protected.

"It is important for Hong Kong to preserve these rights and for Hong Kong people to exercise them within the law," the UK foreign office said in a statement.

Protesters - a mix of students and supporters of the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement - are angry at Beijing's plans to vet candidates for Hong Kong's 2017 leadership elections.

They want a free choice of candidates when they cast their ballots for the chief executive - something Beijing says is out of the question.

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The BBC's Carrie Gracie reports from the heart of the protest

Sunday saw angry scenes and dozens of arrests on Hong Kong's streets as tens of thousands of protesters faced riot police in the heart of the city.

In a news conference on Monday, Cheung Tak-keung, assistant commissioner of police for operations, said police had used the "bare minimum force".

He said 41 people had been injured in the past three days, including police officers.

Some of the protesters remained camped out around the government complex overnight on Sunday, sleeping on the ground and some erecting barricades.

About 3,000 people have also blocked a major road across the bay in Mongkok, on the Kowloon peninsula, while a crowd of about 1,000 faced police in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay, east of central Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong government has urged protesters to stay calm and leave peacefully.

But schools in three districts have been closed and the city remains heavily disrupted, with several major thoroughfares blocked.

One man said protesters were growing more confident. "Police don't have enough officers to close down the districts where there are protests," Ivan Yeung, 27, told AFP news agency.

Overnight, Hong Kong's chief executive reassured the public that rumours the Chinese army might intervene were untrue.

"I hope the public will keep calm. Don't be misled by the rumours," CY Leung said.

In other developments:

• Police said they used tear gas 87 times in clashes with protesters on Sunday
• More than 200 bus routes have been cancelled or diverted; some subway exits in protest areas have been blocked
• Several banks have suspended operations in affected areas
• Police said they arrested 78 people on Sunday, after 70 arrests on Saturday.
• In the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, a group of protesters gathered outside the Hong Kong cultural office in a show of support
• President Ma Ying-jeou said Taiwan was closely watching the situation in Hong Kong
• In mainland China, reports say Instagram has been blocked, it is thought due to the protests

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Chief Executive CY Leung said the government was "resolute in opposing the unlawful occupation" by protesters

'Sorrow over chaos'

Tensions escalated on Sunday when the broader Occupy Central protest movement threw its weight behind student-led protests, bringing forward a mass civil disobedience campaign due to start on Wednesday.

In a statement on Monday, the movement called on Mr Leung to step down, saying "only this will make it possible to re-launch the political reform process and create a space in which the crisis can be defused".

China, which stations a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong, said it was confident the city's administration could handle the protests.

Celia Hatton: The view from Beijing

China's leaders must be sitting uncomfortably in Beijing.

As long as the protests continue, there is a chance they will spread to the mainland, where many are unhappy with one-party rule. The Chinese government is taking clear steps to limit information about events in Hong Kong by censoring internet search terms and forums discussions.

But if the protesters hold their ground, how far will Beijing allow events to spiral before getting directly involved?

The sight of Chinese troops confronting Hong Kong protesters, particularly students, would be a disaster for Beijing, leading to an international outcry. Beijing could revisit the dark days following its violent response to 1989's Tiananmen protests.

So, for now, Chinese leaders face an unusual set of political constraints. The Communist Party is unwilling to cede political control to the people of Hong Kong by refusing to allow direct elections in 2017. As a result, the party is putting its faith in the abilities of the Hong Kong police to deal with the fall-out from that decision.

A spokesman for China's Hong Kong and Macau affairs office said that Beijing firmly opposed "all illegal activities that could undermine rule of law and jeopardise 'social tranquillity'", Xinhua news agency reports.

Mainland newspapers have blamed "radical opposition forces" for stirring up trouble.

Analysts say Communist Party leaders in Beijing are worried that calls for democracy could spread to cities on the mainland.

Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that guarantees liberties not seen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and the right to protest.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1984: Britain and China sign an agreement where Hong Kong is guaranteed "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years following the handover in 1997.
• 2004: China rules that its approval must be sought for changes to Hong Kong's election laws.
• 2008: China says it will consider allowing direct elections by 2017.
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform and a large rally. This is followed by protests by pro-Beijing activists.
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017, but voters will only be able to choose from a list of pre-approved candidates. Activists stage protests.
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes in protest.

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

Are you in Hong Kong? Have you been affected by recent events? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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Al-Nusra threat over air strikes

28 September 2014 Last updated at 10:48

Syrian militant group al-Nusra Front has denounced US-led air strikes as "a war against Islam".

In an online statement, the al-Qaeda-linked group called on jihadists around the world to target Western and Arab countries involved.

It comes as the US and other nations widened air strikes against Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq and Syria.

A Syrian activist group said overnight strikes hit three local oilfields near the Syrian IS stronghold of Raqqa.

The group, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also said one civilian was killed in a strike on a plastics factory on the outskirts of Raqqa.

Previously, the Pentagon confirmed that jets hit Raqqa on Saturday as well as IS positions near the Turkish border.

Kurdish fighters have been defending the Kurdish town of Kobane on the Syrian side of the border since an IS advance sent about 140,000 civilians fleeing to Turkey.

The US-led coalition of about 40 countries, including Arab states, has vowed to destroy IS, which controls large parts of north-eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

The group's brutal tactics, including mass killings, beheadings, and abductions of members of religious and ethnic minorities, triggered the international intervention.

Despite sharing radical Islamist beliefs, IS and al-Nusra Front have been rivals, recently clashing with each other in Syria.

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Paul Wood's exclusive report from Kobane: ''The battle is far from over''

But on Saturday al-Nusra spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri threatened the coalition nations.

"These states have committed a horrible act that is going to put them on the list of jihadist targets throughout the world," he said.

"This is not a war against al-Nusra, but a war against Islam."

Both IS and al-Nusra form part of the complex network of rebel forces fighting in Syria. The US has not said al-Nusra is also being targeted but its planes have attacked a new group it terms Khorasan, which some analysts suspect is part of al-Nusra Front.

IS has also called on jihadists to launch attacks on coalition countries.

On Saturday, a spokesman for the moderate opposition Free Syrian Army said it supported air strikes against IS but opposed any action that caused civilian casualties.

Hussam al-Marie told the BBC that Western countries should also carry out strikes against the government in Damascus.

"(The) so-called Islamic State is our enemy as much as (President) Assad's regime is our enemy," he said.

"We want Syria free from dictatorship and from terrorism. We need the support of the free world to continue this battle against the regime and Isis (IS). We are fighting on two fronts."

Meanwhile on the ground, IS shelled Kobane on Saturday and several people were killed, the BBC's Paul Wood reports from the scene.

The US Central Command announced that an IS-occupied building and two armed vehicles were destroyed near the Kobane border crossing.

Several thousand Kurdish refugees, along with their sheep and cattle, are camped out at the railway line which marks the border with Turkey.

Other strikes hit IS targets elsewhere in Syria and in northern Iraq on Saturday.

On Friday the UK became the latest nation to join the air campaign against IS after MPs voted in favour of strikes in Iraq, but not in Syria.

Two of six RAF Tornados based in Cyprus carried out their first combat mission on Saturday but returned without carrying out any strikes.

On Saturday evening, local time, two RAF planes took part in a further flight and later returned safely.

French fighter jets are already taking part in strikes in Iraq with Belgium and the Netherlands each pledging six F-16s planes and Denmark deploying seven.

European countries have so far only agreed to strike targets in Iraq where the government has asked for help.

Who are Islamic State (IS)?

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In 60 seconds: What does Islamic State want?

• Formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013, IS first captured Raqqa in eastern Syria
• It captured broad swathes of Iraq in June, including Mosul, and declared a "caliphate" in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq
• Pursuing an extreme form of Sunni Islam, IS has persecuted non-Muslims such as Yazidis and Christians, as well as Shia Muslims, whom it regards as heretics
• Known for its brutal tactics, including beheadings of soldiers, Western journalists and aid workers
• The CIA says the group could have as many as 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria

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Kimetto breaks marathon world record

Kenya's Dennis Kimetto has broken the marathon world record in Berlin, winning the race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 57 seconds.

The 30-year-old broke away in a seven-man group that included fellow Kenyans Emmanuel Mutai and Geoffrey Kamworor.

He shook off Mutai with just under three miles remaining to become the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours and three minutes.

"I feel good because I won a very tough race," said Kimetto.

"I felt good from the start and in the last few miles I felt I could do it and break the record."

Year	Time	Athlete	Course
1947	2:25.39	Suh Yun-bok (Korea)	Boston
1958	2:15.17	Sergei Popov (Soviet Union)	Stockholm
1969	2:08.33	Derek Clayton (Australia)	Antwerp
1988	2:06.50	Belayneh Dinsamo (Ethiopia)	Rotterdam
1999	2:05.42	Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco)	Chicago
2008	2:03.59	Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia)	Berlin
2014	2:02.57	Dennis Kimetto (Kenya)	Berlin

The previous world record had been set on the same course 12 months ago by Kimetto's compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who ran 2:03:23.

Kimetto, who won marathons in Tokyo and Boston last year, had promised to attack the record in Berlin if conditions allowed.

And in weather perfect for long-distance running, with temperatures around eight degrees centigrade, Kimetto kept his promise, staying in the lead group throughout and sprinting to victory and a new world's best time.

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Tear gas and clashes at HK protest

28 September 2014 Last updated at 12:02

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Demonstrators say they are willing to endure clashes with police for their cause, as Juliana Liu reports

Hong Kong police have used tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protesters outside the main government building, after a week of escalating tensions.

Protesters trying to push through police barricades were earlier repelled by pepper spray.

Protesters want the Chinese government to scrap rules allowing it to vet Hong Kong's top leader in the 2017 poll.

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said the demonstration was "illegal" and elections would go ahead as planned.

In his first public statement since the protests began, Mr Leung also added that consultations would also continue.

He said he and his government had "been listening attentively to members of [the] public".

But, he said, "resolute" action would be taken against the "illegal demonstration".

Thousands joined a sit-in outside government headquarters this weekend, bolstering a week-old protest, which began as a strike by students calling for democratic reforms.

On Saturday night, the leader of Occupy Central, another protest movement, brought forward a planned action to merge it with the sit-in by the students outside the central government building.

A statement by the movement said Mr Leung had "failed to deliver on political reform".

The protesters had also called for further talks but it is not clear how far - if at all - Mr Leung's mention of further consultations will be seen as recognising their demands.

Faith Kwek, a 19-year-old student protester, said Mr Leung's "words are just words".

"I don't think myself or any of the protesters will give in until we see bigger progress in the form of action from him. We don't want to our country to surrender to China."

Occupy Central had originally planned to paralyse the central business district next Wednesday, but organisers advanced the protest and changed the location in an apparent bid to harness momentum from student protests outside the government complex.

Student activists had stormed into a courtyard of the complex late on Friday and scuffled with police using pepper spray.

Police said they made more than 60 arrests including prominent student activist leader Joshua Wong.

The BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong says that thousands had arrived spontaneously to support the demonstration by students.

Those outside the government buildings plan to stay until they are forcibly removed, she says.

However, some students expressed unease that their protest was apparently being taken over by Occupy Central.

"A lot of students left as soon as Occupy made the announcement they were starting their occupation," said university graduate Vito Leung, 24.

"I think they were really forcing it. This was always a separate student movement with similar goals but different directions. I don't think it should be brought together like this."

Unrest began when the Chinese government announced that candidates for the 2017 chief executive election would first have to be approved by a nominating committee.

Activists have argued that this does not amount to true democracy.

At least 34 people have been injured since the protests began, including four police officers and 11 government staff and guards, authorities said.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1984: Britain and China sign an agreement where Hong Kong is guaranteed "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years following the handover in 1997.
• 2004: China rules that its approval must be sought for changes to Hong Kong's election laws.
• 2008: China says it will consider allowing direct elections by 2017.
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform and a large rally. This is followed by protests by pro-Beijing activists.
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017, but voters will only be able to choose from a list of pre-approved candidates. Activists stage protests.
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes in protest.

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

Are you in Hong Kong? Have you been affected by the issues in this story? Have you taken part in the protests? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Japan volcano: 31 hikers feared dead

28 September 2014 Last updated at 12:03

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Survivors described volcanic rock falling "like hailstones", as Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports

At least 31 hikers have been found lifeless near the peak of Mount Ontake after Saturday's volcanic eruption.

The hikers were not breathing and their hearts had stopped, reports said, but there will be no confirmation of death until after a medical assessment.

About 250 people were trapped on the slopes of the popular beauty spot, but most have got down safely.

The volcano, about 200km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, erupted without warning on Saturday, spewing ash and rocks.

The eruption forced many of those on the mountain to make emergency descents through clouds of volcanic ash and falling rocks.

"The volcanic rocks fell like hailstones," one man said.

"We couldn't breathe so we covered our mouths with towels. We couldn't open our eyes either."

Another told reporters: "The volcanic ash was hurtling so fast I couldn't run away. I'm worried about people still on the mountain."

Almost 50 people were thought to have stayed on the mountain overnight, reports said.

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Eyewitnesses and helicopters caught dramatic images of the eruption

As the search effort intensified earlier on Sunday, officials said they were searching for 30 people feared missing or buried by ash.

Confirmation soon came that a similar number of people had been found unresponsive on the mountain.

"We have confirmed that more than 30 individuals in cardiac arrest have been found near the summit," a Nagano police spokesman told the AFP news agency.

Japan's NHK News put the figure at 31, with four said to be transported back down the mountain on Sunday.

Military helicopters plucked seven people off the mountainside earlier on Sunday, according to reports, and workers on foot were also helping others make their way down.

No warning

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active nations but there have been no fatalities from volcanic eruptions since 1991, when 43 people died at Mount Unzen in the south-west.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, in Tokyo, says it's not clear why there was no warning of Saturday's eruption.

Japan monitors its volcanoes closely and any that show signs of activity are immediately closed to hikers - but this time that did not happen.

The sudden eruption on Saturday was described as "like thunder" by one woman who runs a lodge near the summit.

Heavy, toxic volcanic ash up to 20cm (8in) thick covered much of the mountain, reports said.

"All of a sudden ash piled up so quickly that we couldn't even open the door," Shuichi Mukai, who worked in a mountain lodge just below the peak, told Reuters.

"We were really packed in here, maybe 150 people. There were some children crying, but most people were calm. We waited there in hard hats until they told us it was safe to come down."

Ordinarily Mount Ontake is a popular place to see autumn foliage.

Its peak is 3,067m (10,120ft) high and the mountain is a popular hiking route, dotted with lodges, cabins and well-marked trails.

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France crisis talks after beheading

25 September 2014 Last updated at 11:53

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Francois Hollande told the UN Herve Gourdel's killing was a "cowardly assassination"

France's defence council is to hold a crisis meeting after the beheading of tourist Herve Gourdel by Algerian militants linked to Islamic State (IS).

The meeting was called by President Francois Hollande, who condemned the killing as "cruel and cowardly".

Jund al-Khilafa group killed Mr Gourdel after giving France an ultimatum to halt its air attacks on IS in Iraq.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday France would consider targeting IS in Syria as well as Iraq.

Islamic State has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in recent months.

'Never cede to terrorism'

Ahead of Thursday's crisis meeting, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said "everything would be looked at again", including "what we want to do in Iraq and what will happen in Syria".

French warplanes have been taking part in US-led air strikes against IS in Iraq since last Friday, and on Thursday carried out new raids.

However, it has so far refrained from joining the US and several Arab states in attacking targets in Syria.

Mr Le Drian told French radio that it was "a question that is on the table". But he added: "The opportunity is not there today. We already have an important task in Iraq."

On Wednesday, President Hollande said despite the killing of Mr Gourdel, 55, French strikes in Iraq would continue.

"France is going through an ordeal through the murder of one of its citizens, but France will never give in to blackmail," Mr Hollande told the UN General Assembly.

"The fight against terrorism must continue and be stepped up."

Speaking on the sidelines of the assembly, he said that Mr Gourdel - who was seized on Sunday - had been killed because he was a representative of French people who "defend human dignity against barbarity".

"France will never give in to terrorism because it is our duty, and, more than that, because it is our honour.''

'Terrible shock'

Several French cities, including Mr Gourdel's home city in Nice, had flags flying at half mast on Thursday.

A government spokesman said flags across the country would be lowered from Friday to Sunday.

The head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith called on fellow Muslim leaders to meet on Friday to condemn militant attacks carried out in the name of Islam.

Jund al-Khilafa (Soldiers of the Caliphate) posted a video on Wednesday of Mr Gourdel's murder, entitled "Message of blood for the French government".

IS itself has beheaded three Western hostages since August: US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines. Their deaths were all filmed and posted online.

The group has also threatened to kill Britain's taxi driver Alan Henning, who was seized while on an aid mission to Syria in December.

French and Algerian newspapers react to murder

"Executed for being French," says French daily Liberation, framing his photo in black on its entire front page. "Murdered," is the headline in La Depeche du Midi.

France is now "plunged into fear", says Cecile Cornudet in Les Echos, adding: "It's the role of a political leader to stop that fear from turning into panic."

Dominique Quinio, in Catholic newspaper La Croix, says the French authorities are not to blame but "those who have decided that those who don't think or live like them…no longer have a place on Earth".

In Algeria, state-owned daily Ech-chaab calls the murder "a cowardly action and a hideous crime".

The entire front page in privately-owned daily Al-Fadjr carries the headline: "The return of brutality?!"

Born in the southern French city of Nice, Mr Gourdel worked as a mountain guide in the Mercantour national park in the Alps.

He had also been organising treks through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco for some 20 years, and had also visited Nepal and Jordan.

In the video posted by his killers, he is shown on his knees with his hands behind his back in front of four masked, armed militants.

He is allowed briefly to express his love for his family before one of the militants reads out a speech in which he denounces the actions of the "French criminal crusaders" against Muslims in Algeria, Mali and Iraq.

The beheading, the spokesman says, is to "avenge the victims in Algeria... and support the caliphate" proclaimed by IS in Iraq and Syria.

In Nice, residents expressed their horror over the killing.

"It's a terrible shock," Deputy Mayor Christian Estrosi was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

He added that Mr Gourdel's family had reacted to his death "with dignity, anger and an unspeakable pain".

Who are Jund al-Khilafa?

• Previously part of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which grew out of Algerian Islamist groups involved in 1990s civil war
• Carried out numerous attacks in Kabylie region - in April, ambushed an army convoy, leaving 11 soldiers dead
• Many residents have fled the region's forests and mountains in recent years because of insecurity
• Group said to be led by Abdelmalek Gouri, known as Khaled Abou Slimane, 37
• On 14 September, pledged allegiance to Islamic State

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Cyprus rescue mission for 300 at sea

25 September 2014 Last updated at 11:59

Cyprus has launched a rescue mission for 300 people, thought to be Syrian refugees, stranded off the island's west coast.

Most of the people on the small fishing boat are believed to be women and children.

They were spotted 55 nautical miles (100km) south of the resort town of Paphos. Helicopters are at the scene.

Cypriot authorities said they picked up a radio distress signal as the boat was caught in rough seas.

Coastguard patrol boats and a cruise ship have gone to the scene, Cypriot media report.

This year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats - particularly people fleeing the conflict in Syria. The majority have headed for Italy and Malta.

Libya, racked by unrest and lawlessness, has become a major people-trafficking hub. However, Cyprus lies closer to Syria.

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US hits IS oil targets in Syria

25 September 2014 Last updated at 12:02

The US-led coalition against Islamic States (IS) has targeted oil refineries in Syria during a third night of air strikes against the militants.

The raids - carried out by US, Saudi and UAE aircraft - killed 14 IS fighters and five civilians in eastern Syria, activists said.

The US military said the refineries generated as much as $2 million (£1.2m) per day in revenue for IS.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to dismantle the IS "network of death".

IS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in recent months and controls several oilfields. Sales of smuggled crude oil have helped finance its offensive in both countries.

The US has launched nearly 200 air strikes against the militants in Iraq since August and expanded the operation against IS to Syria on Monday.

'Successful strikes'

The US military said the latest strikes, using fighter jets and drones, hit "small-scale" refineries that were producing "between 300-500 barrels of refined petroleum per day".

"We are still assessing the outcome of the attack on the refineries, but have initial indications that the strikes were successful," the US Central Command said in a statement.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group that monitors the Syrian conflict, said the strikes killed 14 IS fighters in Deir al-Zour and five civilians in Hassakeh.

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The BBC's Mark Lowen, who is on the Turkey-Syria border, says the Syrian Kurdish refugees "don't want to be here"

Kurdish forces in northern Syria say they have pushed back an advance by IS fighters near the Kurdish town of Kobane, close to the border with Turkey.

Local media said clashes in the area were continuing on Thursday.

IS had besieged the town for several days, taking control of the surrounding villages and forcing more than 140,000 Syrian Kurds to flee into Turkey.

The BBC's Mark Lowen, who is on the Syria-Turkey border, says some of those Kurds are now trying to return to Kobane to fight with the Kurdish militia.

Turkey has been overwhelmed by an estimated 1.5 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees since the conflict in Syria between opposition forces and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began three years ago.

Rebel forces have faced several setbacks in recent months amid offensives against them by both IS fighters and Syrian government forces.

On Thursday, Syria's army said it had retaken the key strategic town of Adra, northeast of Damascus, which had been held by rebels.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a binding resolution compelling states to prevent their nationals joining jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

President Obama chaired the session and said nations must prevent the recruitment and financing of foreign fighters.

The US says more than 40 countries have offered to join the anti-IS coalition.

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Barack Obama: IS "must be degraded and then ultimately destroyed"

France said its fighter jets had carried out fresh air strikes in Iraq on Thursday, a day after the beheading of a French hostage in Algeria by an IS-linked group.

The French military has been striking targets in Iraq since last week but has not taken part in anti-IS operations in Syria.

Meanwhile, the UN said on Thursday that IS had publicly killed a rights lawyer in the IS-held Iraqi city of Mosul, after finding her guilty of apostasy in a self-styled Islamic court.

Samira Salih al-Nuaimi was seized from her home last week after allegedly posting critical messages on Facebook on the destruction of places of worship by IS, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said.

Coalition growing

On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the British military was also ready to "play its part" in the fight against IS.

The UK Parliament has been recalled to discuss plans for air strikes against IS on Friday.

The Dutch government has also said it is deploying six F-16 fighter to join the US-led air campaign.

Who are Islamic State (IS)?

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In 60 seconds: What does Islamic State want?

• Formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013, IS first captured Raqqa in eastern Syria
• It captured broad swathes of Iraq in June, including Mosul, and declared a "caliphate" in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq
• Pursuing an extreme form of Sunni Islam, IS has persecuted non-Muslims such as Yazidis and Christians, as well as Shia Muslims, whom it regards as heretics
• Known for its brutal tactics, including beheadings of soldiers, Western journalists and aid workers
• The CIA says the group could have as many as 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
• The US has been launching air strikes on IS targets in north-eastern Iraq since mid-August

Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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.

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Sierra Leone widens Ebola quarantine

25 September 2014 Last updated at 12:12

Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma has widened a quarantine to include three more districts in an attempt to curb the spread of Ebola.

Port Loko and Bombali in the north and Moyamba in the south are in effect to be sealed off immediately.

Nearly 600 people have died of the virus in Sierra Leone and two eastern districts have been isolated since the beginning of August.

The move follows a three-day nationwide lockdown that ended on Sunday night.

New figures released by the UN World Health Organization show that 2,917 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea worst affected.

During Sierra Leone's three-day curfew, more than a million households were surveyed and 130 new cases discovered, the authorities say.

President Koroma said the move had been a success but had exposed "areas of greater challenges", which was why other areas were being quarantined.

Only people delivering essential services can enter and circulate within areas under quarantine.

According to AFP news agency, the extension of the indefinite quarantine means more than a third of Sierra Leone's 6.1 million population now finds itself unable to move freely.

Skills shortage:

• Liberia with a 4.2m population: 51 doctors; 978 nurses and midwives; 269 pharmacists

• Sierra Leone with a 6m population: 136 doctors; 1,017 nurses and midwives; 114 pharmacists

Source: Afri-Dev.Info

Ebola drains weak health systems

In a televised address, the president acknowledged that the isolation would "pose great difficulties" for people.

"[But] the life of everyone and the survival of our country take precedence over these difficulties," he said.

According to WHO, the situation nationally in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate with a sharp increase in the number of newly reported cases in the capital, Freetown, and its neighbouring districts of Port Loko, Bombali, and Moyamba, which are now under quarantine.

Country	Existing bed capacity	Newly funded beds	Extra beds required
Source: WHO, 24 September 2014
Guinea	180	0	40
Liberia	315	440	1,550
Sierra Leone	323	297	532

Despite efforts of deploy more health workers and open new Ebola treatment centres in the worst-affected countries, there was still a significant lack of beds in Sierra Leone and Liberia, with more than 2,000 needed, WHO said.

The situation in Guinea appeared to be stabilising, with up to 100 new confirmed cases reported in each of the past five weeks, but it was still of grave concern, it said.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva
• Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 70%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no proven vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

Ebola virus: busting the myths

A new BBC World Service special Ebola programme with the latest news about the outbreakIt goes out at 19.50 GMT each weekday.

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India Mars mission arrives in orbit

24 September 2014 Last updated at 08:16

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Applause broke in the control room out as the probe entered Mars's orbit

India has successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars, becoming the fourth country to do so.

The Mangalyaan robotic probe, one of the cheapest interplanetary missions ever, will soon begin work studying the Red Planet's atmosphere.

A 24-minute engine burn slowed the probe down enough to allow it to be captured by Mars' gravity.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country had achieved the "near impossible".

Speaking at the mission control centre in the southern city of Bangalore he said: "The odds were stacked against us. Of 51 missions attempted in the world only 21 have succeeded. We have prevailed."

Only the US, Europe and Russia have previously sent missions to Mars, but India is the first country to succeed on its first attempt.

The latest US satellite, Maven, arrived at Mars on Monday.

US space agency Nasa congratulated its Indian counterpart, the Indian Space and Research Organization (Isro), on Wednesday's success.

"We congratulate @ISRO for its Mars arrival! @MarsOrbiter joins the missions studying the Red Planet," the agency tweeted.

At the scene: Sanjoy Majumder, Bangalore

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Archive video: A closer look at the Mars orbiter

From early in the morning, there was an atmosphere of excitement and tension at the Indian Space Agency's Mission Tracking Centre in Bangalore.

Scientists, many of them women and several of them young, were seated in front of their computer monitors tracking the progress of Mangalyaan.

Giant screens above their heads fed a steady stream of data, graphics and sequence of operations. The first whoops broke out when Mangalyaan successfully fired up its liquid engine, the first in a series of critical moves to make sure that the spacecraft was able to launch into the planet's gravitational pull.

Then there was an agonising 20 minutes, when Mangalyaan disappeared behind Mars and beyond contact.

But there was no mistaking the moment, when the scientists all rose as one, cheered, clapped, hugged each other and exchanged high fives - ­ confirmation that Mangalyaan was now on an elliptical orbit around Mars.

After PM Modi's congratulations, they poured out into the open and the bright sunlight, beaming as they took in the adulation.

"Thrilled to be a part of history," one young scientist told me. "It's like hitting a golf ball from Bangalore to London and getting it into the hole in one go," deputy operations director, BN Ramkrishna said. "It's got to be that precise."

'Better than cricket'

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PM Narendra Modi: "We have dared to reach out into the unknown"

Mr Modi congratulated the scientists and said: "Today all of India should celebrate our scientists. Schools, colleges should applaud this."

"If our cricket team wins a tournament, the nation celebrates. Our scientists' achievement is greater," he said.

The total cost of the Indian mission has been put at 4.5bn rupees ($74m; £45m), which makes it one of the cheapest interplanetary space missions ever. Nasa's recent Maven mission cost $671m.

The Mangalyaan probe will now set about taking pictures of the planet and studying its atmosphere.

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Archive: People in India told the BBC what they thought of the mission

One key goal is to try to detect methane in the Martian air, which could be an indicator of biological activity at, or more likely just below, the surface.

Nasa has put four robot rovers on Mars since 1997 - the latest and biggest of them all, the one-tonne vehicle known as Curiosity, landed on the Red Planet in August 2012. Unlike Curiosity, the Indian probe will not land on Mars.

Mangalyaan - more formally referred to as Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) - was launched from the Sriharikota spaceport on the coast of the Bay of Bengal on 5 November 2013.

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French lament 'jihadi' arrest fiasco

24 September 2014 Last updated at 11:15

A senior French minister has criticised Turkey after plans to arrest suspected jihadis returning from Syria collapsed when they were put on the wrong flight.

As security agents waited at a Paris airport, the three suspects were flown to Marseille in southern France, where they left the airport unchallenged.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said there had been a "mix-up".

Two of the suspects are linked to Islamist mass killer Mohamed Merah, who died in a police siege in 2012.

The three men are believed to belong to a jihadist recruiting network and are considered dangerous by the French security services, French media report.

Imad Djebali, a childhood friend of Merah, was jailed for four years for terrorism in 2009 while Abdelouahed Baghdali, who is married to Merah's sister Souad, is known to police for his links to an Islamist school.

The third man, Gael Maurize, is known to French intelligence for his "implication in a jihadist network", French media say.

According to Le Monde newspaper, the three left for Syria in February to join the Islamic State (IS) group but became disillusioned and surrendered to Turkish border police at the end of August, asking to be repatriated to France. They were detained for three weeks for "violations of the right to abode".

Captain's decision

On Tuesday, the captain of the plane due to fly the three men from Istanbul to Paris refused to allow them aboard because they lacked the necessary Turkish documents.

Instead, Turkish police put them on the next flight to France, bound for Marseille, without informing their colleagues in France, Le Monde reports.

Amid confusion over their whereabouts on Tuesday afternoon, some French media reported that they had actually arrived in Paris and had been arrested.

In reality, they left Marseille airport unhindered and were free to wander the city's main avenue, the Canebiere.

When the French authorities realised what had happened, arrest warrants were issued for the three men, Le Monde reports.

Mr Le Drian said on Wednesday that the Turkish police's decision to change flights was "unfortunate".

He told France Info radio that the incident has been largely due "to the lack of good collaboration with the Turkish services".

"This mix-up shows that we have to strengthen relations, methods and actions with the Turkish authorities," the minister said.

French indignation at Tuesday's events was reflected in media headlines like "The incredible non-arrest of three French jihadists" in Le Figaro.

Some 350 French citizens are now fighting in Syria while some 180 recently returned from there to France. Le Monde reports.

France joined US-led air strikes on IS targets in Iraq last week. Since then militants in Algeria have abducted a French tourist, Herve Gourdel, and are threatening to kill him if the French do halt their air campaign.

Mohamed Merah was killed in a police siege after a string of gun attacks in the Toulouse area of south-western France, which left seven people dead including an adult and three children at a Jewish school in the city.

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