Ukraine state of emergency warning

27 January 2014 Last updated at 04:47 ET

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The BBC's Matthew Price reports from inside the occupied Ukrainian justice ministry in Kiev

Ukraine's justice minister has warned anti-government protesters occupying her ministry she will call for a state of emergency if they do not leave.

Olena Lukash told local media she would ask the National Security and Defence Council to introduce the measures.

Protesters seized the building in Kiev late on Sunday and set up barricades outside with bags of snow.

Unrest is spreading across Ukraine, with activists taking over municipal buildings in up to 10 cities.

Buildings have come under attack even in eastern areas which have traditionally had closer ties with Russia and where President Viktor Yanukovych has enjoyed strong support.

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At the scene

Protesters say there weren't any guards at the justice ministry, they simply smashed their way through the window - now barricaded by furniture - and went in.

They are busy making another barricade out of compressed snow shovelled into bags, and hosing the nearby pavement on the inclined street with water. There is no sight of police of any kind.

The one policeman I found was about to lock the entrance to a nearby Metro station. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and said: "Nothing surprises us anymore."

When I asked what the activists intended to do with the ministry and how they were going to run it, a masked man said: "We don't need this justice for sale anymore."

The crisis was sparked by the president's decision not to sign an EU deal, and has escalated with the deaths of four activists in recent days.

Correspondents say protesters entered the justice ministry building in the capital without resistance.

"The seizure of the Ministry of Justice is a symbolic act of the people of the uprising. Now, these authorities are stripped of justice," one protester told reporters.

One of the organisers of the occupation, who gave his name as Oleg, said the building was being used to shelter those enduring freezing conditions in street protests nearby.

He told the Associated Press news agency: "We are not going to do any hooliganism, or have anyone hurt. We are peaceful people, we are for justice."

But Ms Lukash told Inter TV channel: "If the protesters do not leave the justice ministry building... I will ask the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine to impose the state of emergency."

She said water had been sprayed inside the building, "turning it into a veritable ice rink".

The minister is involved in the ongoing negotiations between the government and protest leaders, but said she would be "forced to turn to the Ukrainian president with a request to stop the negotiations unless the justice ministry building is vacated without delay and the negotiators are given a chance to find a peaceful solution to the conflict".

Last week, the parliament of the Crimean Autonomous Republic - seen as a staunch supporter of Mr Yanukovych - also urged the president to declare a state of emergency.

The parliament is due to meet for an extraordinary session on Tuesday, but the speaker has previously said a state of emergency will not be under discussion.

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Key dates

21 Nov 2013: Ukraine announces it will not sign a deal aimed at strengthening ties with the EU

30 Nov: Riot police detain dozens of anti-government protesters in a violent crackdown in Kiev

17 Dec: Russia agrees to buy $15bn (£9.2bn, 11bn euros) of Ukrainian government bonds and slash the price of gas it sells to the country

22 Jan 2014: Two protesters die from bullet wounds during clashes with police in Kiev; protests spread across many cities

25 Jan: President Yanukovych offers senior jobs to the opposition, including that of prime minister, but these are rejected

Election call

Street protests began in Kiev in November, after President Yanukovych announced he would not sign the long-awaited EU free trade agreement.

The protesters were further angered by the introduction of new laws last week aimed at cracking down on unrest by banning tents being put up in public places and the wearing of helmets and masks.

The opposition is demanding that the EU deal be signed, political prisoners - including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - freed and the new laws repealed.

The fresh unrest comes after opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk rejected President Yanukovych's offer to appoint him prime minister, saying the key demands must be met.

Although the protest movement - the EuroMaidan - is largely peaceful, a hardcore of radicals have been fighting battles with police away from the main protest camp in Maidan, or Independence Square.

Reports now suggest unrest is spreading further into the country's east, which is seen as Mr Yanukovych's support base.

In north-eastern Sumy, protesters occupied the city's council building, Ukraine's Unian news agency reports, while police used tear gas as several thousand people tried to storm the state regional administration building.

Unrest was also reported across the country, with protests and attempts - some successful - to seize government buildings.

Towns and cities affected include: Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk in the south-east, Cherkasy, south of Kiev: the main western city of Lviv: Chernihiv in the north and Odessa on the Black Sea coast.

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Daft Punk get lucky at Grammy Awards

27 January 2014 Last updated at 00:56 ET

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Alastair Leithead looks at who won what at this year's awards

French dance duo Daft Punk have taken top honours at the Grammy Awards, winning five prizes including album and record of the year.

Hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took four awards - best new artist plus best rap album, song and performance.

Justin Timberlake won three, while New Zealand teenager Lorde picked up two including song of the year for Royals.

Sir Paul McCartney was among the other double winners and also reunited with his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr.

The pair teamed up for Sir Paul's song Queenie Eye during the ceremony, which is known for its heavyweight on-stage collaborations.

The show was opened by Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce, while Madonna joined Macklemore and Lewis during their anti-homophobia anthem Same Love, as 33 same-sex and heterosexual couples got married on stage.

Other collaborations included Metallica performing with pianist Lang Lang and Daft Punk, Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams being joined by Stevie Wonder to perform Get Lucky.

Get Lucky, which featured producer and singer Pharrell and disco guitarist and producer Rodgers, was one of the biggest hits of 2013.

As well as scooping album and record of the year, Daft Punk won best pop duo/group performance for Get Lucky and best dance/electronica album for Random Access Memories.

The album was also named best engineered album, non-classical, which was credited to its engineers.

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• Album of the year - Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
• Record of the year - Get Lucky, Daft Punk feat Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers
• Song of the year - Royals, Lorde (above)
• Best country album - Same Trailer Different Park, Kacey Musgraves
• Best pop vocal album - Unorthodox Jukebox, Bruno Mars
• Best rap/sung collaboration - Holy Grail, Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake
• Best rock song - Cut Me Some Slack, Sir Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear
• Best pop duo/group performance - Get Lucky, Daft Punk feat Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers
• Best new artist - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• Best rock album - Celebration Day, Led Zeppelin
• Best alternative album - Modern Vampires Of The City, Vampire Weekend
• Best music film - Live Kisses, Sir Paul McCartney
• Best music video - Suit and Tie, Justin Timberlake
• Best R&B album - Girl On Fire, Alicia Keys
• Best R&B song - Pusher Love Girl, Justin Timberlake
• Best rap album - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis,The Heist
• Best rap song - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Thrift Shop
• Best rap performance - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Thrift Shop
• Best dance/electronica album - Daft Punk, Random Access Memories

More selected Grammy winners and nominees

The dance pioneers, real names Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, never appear in public without their trademark robot helmets.

So they left the acceptance speeches to their collaborators. "Well, I suppose the robots would like to thank..." joked Pharrell, who also won non-classical producer of the year.

"You know honestly, I bet France is really proud of these guys right now."

As well as performing, Sir Paul McCartney picked up the trophies for best music film and best rock song for Cut Me Some Slack, a collaboration with the surviving members of Nirvana.

It beat The Rolling Stones' Doom And Gloom, from their 50th anniversary album GRRR!, as well as tracks by veteran metal band Black Sabbath, stadium rockers Muse and US singer-guitarist Gary Clark Jr.

Black Sabbath did scoop best metal performance, while Led Zeppelin won best rock album for their live recording Celebration Day.

Other British nominees included Ed Sheeran and James Blake, who were both up for best new artist, but lost out to Macklemore and Lewis.

Rapper Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis, who found fame after self-releasing their album The Heist, won four awards from seven nominations.

"We made this album without a record label, we made it independently and we appreciate all the support," Macklemore told the audience.

Seventeen-year-old Lorde's debut single Royals earned song of the year and best pop solo performance after catapulting her to the top of the charts around the world last year.

Jay-Z started the night with the most nominations, up for nine awards. He won best rap/sung collaboration for Holy Grail, featuring Justin Timberlake.

Timberlake, Pharrell and rapper Kendrick Lamar were among the acts who went into the ceremony with seven nominations.

Other winners included Adele for her James Bond theme Skyfall, which won the prize for best song written for visual media, and Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, who won best classical instrumental solo.

British hitmaker Calvin Harris was up for best dance/electronica album for 18 Months and best dance recording for Sweet Nothing with Florence and the Machine's Florence Welch, but lost out on both.

UK acts Duke Dumont and Disclosure were also unsuccessful nominees in the dance categories.

David Bowie had been nominated for best rock album and best rock performance for his 2013 comeback, but missed out in both categories.

The awards can be seen on Monday 27 January at 9pm on 4Music.

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China's moon rover hits trouble

27 January 2014 Last updated at 02:26 ET

China's Jade Rabbit Moon rover is in trouble after experiencing a "mechanical control abnormality", state media report.

The moon exploration vehicle ran into problems due to the moon's "complicated lunar surface environment", Xinhua news agency said, citing science officials.

The rover landed in December as part of China's Chang'e-3 mission - the first "soft" landing on the Moon since 1976.

It was expected to operate for around three months.

Earlier this month, the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre said that Jade Rabbit, also known as Yutu, had successfully explored the surface of the moon with its mechanical arm.

Lunar night

The malfunction emerged before the rover entered its scheduled dormancy period on Saturday, Xinhua reported, citing the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND).

Scientists were organising repairs, the news agency added, without providing further details.

The rover was due to become dormant for 14 days during the lunar night, when there would be no sunlight to power the rover's solar panel, reports said.

The malfunctioning rover presents the first public mishap China's ambitious space programme has experienced in years, following several successful manned space flights, the BBC's Celia Hatton in Beijing reports.

Xinhua said the news of the rover's troubles had generated extensive discussion on Chinese social media.

"People not only hailed the authority's openness to the accident, but also expressed concern," it said.

On Sina Weibo, China's largest microblog provider, users began tagging their posts with the hash tag "#hang in there Jade Rabbit".

Users also circulated comic strips depicting a rabbit on the moon, and rabbit-themed pictures, while expressing their support for the rover.

User Jessica_S_AC_USK wrote: "I want to cry. Go Jade Rabbit, even if we fail this time, we still have next time - our Chinese Jade Rabbit's goal is the sea of stars! We will not give up easily."

Referring to a Chinese folktale about a rabbit on the moon, another microblog user wrote: "Whatever happens, we must thank Jade Rabbit. When our generation tells stories to our children, we can confidently say: 'There really is a Jade Rabbit on the moon!'"

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Power transfer on Syria talks agenda

27 January 2014 Last updated at 04:55 ET

The Syrian peace talks in Geneva are due to move on to wider political questions such as the divisive issue of transfer of power in the country.

But discussions are also expected to continue on aid convoys reaching besieged areas in the city of Homs.

On Sunday, the Syrian government delegation said women and children may leave the city - but demanded a list of names of men who want to leave.

Some opposition delegates expressed reservations over the conditions.

"The regime keeps asking for lists," Obeida Nahas of the Syrian National Council told the BBC.

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'There is no food'

Activist in Homs:

"There are people trapped inside Homs. No-one can get out or enter this besieged area. We have at least 3,000 to 4,000 innocent civilians inside besieged areas. Most of them [need to be] immediately evacuated from inside this area.

"It's so bad, after 600 days in a row under siege. There is no food. The last week we lost two innocent people, they died because of the lack of food. And we have many casualties, many people who are [ill] because of the lack of food inside the field hospital.

"Also, we have children, we have infants, they need milk, they need basic materials. We have elderly too, they need specific medicines. It's so hard, so difficult inside Homs."

"We feel that these are lists that they will use in detaining people and maybe torturing them.

'Many casualties'

Officially the negotiations are due to tackle the potentially explosive question of transferring power in Syria on Monday, reports the BBC's Bridget Kendall in Geneva.

Those discussions may still happen - but there is likely to be new pressure on President Bashar al-Assad's government over whether it will comply with a UN plan to send humanitarian aid to Homs, our correspondent says.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said women and children were free to leave the city. He alleged armed groups were preventing them from doing so.

UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said the opposition had agreed to give the government lists of detainees held by armed groups.

He said he hoped a humanitarian convoy from the UN and the Red Cross would be able to go to Homs on Monday.

Hundreds of people are reportedly trapped in the Old City of Homs, which has been under siege since June 2012.

One activist inside Homs told the BBC that there were many casualties and that people in the besieged area, including children and the elderly, lacked basic materials such as milk and medicine.

Mr Brahimi admitted the Geneva talks were proceeding slowly but said that on Monday he "expected the two parties to make some general statement about the way forward".

He said it was "too early" to assess the prospects of a comprehensive deal.

'Respect and exchange'

The opposition and government are fundamentally divided over the aims of the conference.

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Geneva Communique

A UN-backed meeting in 2012 issued the document and urged Syria to:

• Form transitional governing body
• Start national dialogue
• Review constitution and legal system
• Hold free and fair elections

The government delegation has said the main issue of the talks is finding a solution to foreign-backed "terrorism".

The opposition, however, had insisted that the regime commit in writing to the Geneva I communique, which called for a transition process.

It urged Syria to form a transitional governing authority that "could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups".

The opposition has also been asking for the release of thousands of prisoners in government detention.

Mr Brahimi said he expected the talks on Monday to follow Sunday's format; he would hold a joint session with the government and opposition in the morning before meeting the sides separately in the afternoon.

The UN envoy said he had been encouraged by the atmosphere at the talks on Sunday, saying they had been characterised by "respect and exchange".

No direct words had been exchanged between the delegations but the two sides were talking to each other through him.

Syria's civil conflict has claimed well over 100,000 lives since it began in 2011.

The violence has also driven 9.5 million people from their homes, creating a major humanitarian crisis within Syria and for its neighbours.

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Deadly suicide bombing hits Kabul

25 January 2014 Last updated at 23:38 ET

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The bus was carrying soldiers when the attacker struck

A suicide bomber has blown himself up close to a bus carrying soldiers in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least four people, official say.

The Taliban said they carried out the attack in the south-east of the city.

They have stepped up their campaign ahead of the departure of Nato-led combat troops at the end of 2014.

The latest attack is the third by the insurgents in Kabul in just over a week. On 17 January, 21 people died in a gun and bomb attack on a restaurant.

In Sunday's attack, two soldiers on the bus and two civilians on the road died when the suicide bomber detonated his vest, a spokesman for the ministry of defence said.

The BBC's David Loyn in Kabul says government buses carrying security forces and workers to ministries in the capital are a common sight - and an easy target.

Earlier this month, a spokesman told the BBC the militants are "confident of victory" over Nato-led forces and already control large areas of the country.

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China court jails lawyer Xu Zhiyong

25 January 2014 Last updated at 23:54 ET

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BBC's Celia Hatton: "Some say that dozens have been arrested in connection with Mr Xu Zhiyong's movement"

A Chinese court has sentenced prominent human rights activist Xu Zhiyong to four years in prison.

Xu, who campaigned for children's rights and against corruption, was convicted of "gathering crowds to disrupt public order".

Several other activists from a transparency movement are facing similar charges.

Rights groups have criticised President Xi Jinping - who pledged to fight corruption - over their cases.

Xu was arrested in July 2013 and the trial began on Wednesday.

Reacting to the verdict, Xu's lawyer Zhang Qingfang said his client had told the court that "the last shred of dignity of China's rule of law" had been destroyed.

Xu, who was also previously under house arrest, is a leading member of a group calling for officials to reveal their wealth.

He has also campaigned in behalf of inmates on death row and families affected by tainted baby milk formula, among other causes.

Many across China believe Xu was targeted by the government because of his rising popularity and his growing presence on Chinese social media platforms, says the BBC's Celia Hatton in Beijing.

In 2009 he was arrested on tax evasion charges that were eventually dropped after public outcry.

Seven members of his informal grassroots group, New Citizens Movement, also are also facing separate trials on similar charges.

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Ukraine opposition rejects offers

26 January 2014 Last updated at 04:25 ET

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Protesters stormed a building housing police, as Ben Brown reports

Ukrainian opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk says protests will continue after he rejected President Viktor Yanukovych's offer to appoint him as prime minister of the country.

Mr Yatsenyuk said the opposition was generally ready to accept leadership, but several key demands must be met, including new elections.

Clashes continued overnight. Activists stormed a Kiev building housing police.

The president's proposal came amid new efforts to end the deadly unrest.

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Analysis

Ukraine's opposition leaders have apparently interpreted President Viktor Yanukovych's latest offers of significant concessions, including top positions in the government, as a sign of weakness and are forging ahead with their campaign to unseat him.

Their plan may indeed work. But if it doesn't, it could spell disaster for them, their supporters and the country as a whole. Both sides are playing a game of attrition. Mr Yanukovych seems to be hoping that the longer the negotiations, parliament votes and other political manoeuvrings drag on - and this includes the political jockeying that would follow Arseniy Yatseniuk's becoming prime minister - the more air will escape the protest movement.

But the opposition, at least at the moment, does appear to have the upper hand. Their activists have taken their battle beyond Kiev to government offices in half of the country. And camps in central Kiev could only be dislodged after a brutal and bloody struggle.

It is also possible that Mr Yanukovych's recent proposals are not sincere. But if they are, it now looks as if he is prepared to forfeit everything - short of his actual presidency. The question is whether he could eventually give this up, or ultimately, with his back against the wall, he would fight back.

He offered the post of prime minister to Mr Yatsenyuk and the position of deputy PM to former boxer Vitali Klitschko following talks on Saturday.

But the BBC's David Stern, in Kiev, says the opposition - confident in its position - appears to have taken these offers as a sign of weakness on Mr Yanukovych's part, and is forging ahead with the campaign to unseat him.

'Not afraid'

Speaking to large crowds in central of Kiev late on Saturday, the opposition leaders repeated their demands.

"Viktor Yanukovych announced that the government wasn't ready to take the responsibility for the country and offered to the opposition to lead the government," said Mr Yatsenyuk.

"What is our response to this? We are not afraid of the responsibility for the destiny of Ukraine."

Later, in a tweet Mr Yatsenyuk said: "No deal @ua_yanukovych, we're finishing what we started. The people decide our leaders, not you."

Mr Yatsenyuk says that Tuesday, when a special session of parliament has been called, will be "judgement day".

The opposition is demanding that a free trade agreement with the European Union be signed and political prisoners be freed, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

They are also demanding early presidential elections. A vote is not due until 2015.

Mr Klitschko told the crowd that they would press ahead with their demands and that talks would continue.

"We are not turning back and we will keep discussing and trying to find a direction," he said.

Petrol bombs

The demonstrations began in November after Ukraine decided not to sign an accord on more co-operation with the EU. Instead, the government opted to deepen ties with neighbouring Russia.

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Key dates

21 Nov 2013: Ukraine announces it will not sign a deal aimed at strengthening ties with the EU

30 Nov: Riot police detain dozens of anti-government protesters in a violent crackdown in Kiev

17 Dec: Russia agrees to buy $15bn (£9.2bn, 11bn euros) of Ukrainian government bonds and slash the price of gas it sells to the country

22 Jan 2014: Two protesters die from bullet wounds during clashes with police in Kiev; protests spread across many cities

25 Jan: President Yanukovych offers senior jobs to the opposition, including that of prime minister, but these are rejected

Late on Saturday, hundred of protesters surrounded Ukrainian House, a cultural centre in Kiev defended by riot police. Petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown inside.

But the officers were able to leave the building early on Sunday. Mr Klitscho had negotiated their safe passage, local media reported.

Mr Yatsenyuk is the parliamentary leader of the country's second biggest party, Fatherland, and an ally of Ms Tymoshenko. Mr Klitschko is the leader of the Udar (Punch) party.

The crisis in Ukraine escalated this week when two activists were killed, and another was found dead with torture marks in a forest near the capital.

A fourth, 45-year-old protester is said to have died in a Kiev hospital on Saturday from injuries sustained in earlier violence.

Although the protest movement - the EuroMaidan - is largely peaceful, a hardcore of radicals have been fighting pitched battles with police away from the main protest camp in Maidan, or Independence Square.

On Friday protesters seized a number of government buildings in Ukrainian cities outside Kiev, particularly in the west, which has traditionally favoured closer ties with Europe, including in the cities of Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk and Lviv.

On Saturday the protests spread to cities further east, including Vinnytsya, just west of Kiev.

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Thai protesters block early voting

26 January 2014 Last updated at 06:02 ET

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The BBC's Jonathan Head: "The protesters are showing that they can sabotage an election"

Protesters in Thailand have surrounded polling stations, blocking early voting ahead of next week's general election, officials say.

One of their leaders has been shot dead during a clash with government supporters in eastern Bangkok.

Advance voting has been cancelled in dozens of venues in the capital and several southern provinces.

Anti-government activists want PM Yingluck Shinawatra to step down and the political system to be reformed.

Suthin Taratin was speaking on top of a truck, which was part of a rally at a polling station where advanced voting was supposed to take place, when he was struck by gunfire, reports the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

He died later in hospital.

Crowds of flag-waving demonstrators chained the doors of polling stations shut, despite promises by protest leaders not to obstruct the polls.

The protesters surrounded polling stations in Bangkok and southern Thailand in an attempt to stop people voting.

Voting was either blocked completely or halted at 49 out of 50 polling stations in Bangkok. Early voting was also disrupted in 10 of Thailand's 76 provinces, reports said.

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• Sep 2006: Army ousts Thaksin Shinawatra
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin party wins election
• Aug 2008: Thaksin flees Thailand
• Dec 2008: Huge anti-Thaksin protests; court bans ruling party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Huge pro-Thaksin protests; dozens killed in army crackdown
• Jul 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of Thaksin, elected PM
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protests
• Dec 2013: Ms Yingluck calls election
• Jan 2014: Ms Yingluck declares state of emergency

The country's election commission has called for the general vote scheduled for 2 February to be postponed because of possible disruption and violence.

But the government has so far insisted that the election must go ahead on schedule.

The latest disturbances comes despite a pledge from protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who said on Saturday that his supporters would not obstruct advance voting - although they would demonstrate outside polling stations.

The protest movement says it is not obstructing the poll, but that "supporters are simply protesting the advance polls held today by surrounding/standing in front of election units", in a statement on its Facebook page.

Advance voting is for those unable to take part in the February election.

A state of emergency is in place as the authorities struggle to cope with the unrest.

Protesters, who started their campaign in November, want to install an unelected "people's council" to run the country until the political system is changed.

They say Ms Yingluck's government is being influenced by her brother, exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

At least nine people have died since the wave of protests started last year.

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Deadly blasts hit Egypt's capital

24 January 2014 Last updated at 05:34 ET

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Orla Guerin at the scene of one of the attacks: ''A huge crater was left after the blast''

Five people have been killed and nearly 70 wounded after three blasts in the Egyptian capital that appeared to target the police force.

The attacks began with a powerful car bomb that exploded outside the police headquarters in central Cairo, killing four people and wounding 51.

Within hours, two other blasts occurred elsewhere in the city, killing one person and injuring 15.

The attacks come on the eve of the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising.

The revolution brought about the removal of the country's decades-long ruler Hosni Mubarak.

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Analysis

Sally Nabil BBC Arabic, Cairo

---

The multiple blasts which hit different parts of Cairo appear to be a systematic plan. The attackers managed to hit hard at the heart of the Egyptian capital, close to the police headquarters and the museum of Islamic art.

While the police HQ was the most significant target, another blast near a metro station struck one of the most crowded means of transportation in the city.

Friday is a day off in Egypt, otherwise the scene of this second explosion would have been much worse. A third bomb went off near the Pyramids with no damage or casualties reported.

It is not just about the size of all these blasts but rather about the timing, coming on the eve of the third anniversary of the revolution which toppled Hosni Mubarak.

The minister of interior has repeatedly emphasised that his forces are quite ready to deal with any trouble during this anniversary, but what happened today raises a lot of questions about what the authorities can actually do.

An al-Qaeda-inspired militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Champions of Jerusalem) has admitted carrying out the attack on the police headquarters.

The group previously claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on a security building in the northern city of Mansoura in December that killed 16 people and injured more than 100 others.

The authorities blamed Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood for that attack - something the group strongly denied - and declared it a terrorist group shortly afterwards.

Egyptian Interior Minister Muhammad Ibrahim said security is being stepped up around the squares where people are expected to gather to mark Saturday's anniversary.

"We have a plan to secure all of this for the anniversary of the 25 January revolution," he said. "I am telling the people not to be afraid and go down."

Tense time

The Muslim Brotherhood condemned the attack that hit police headquarters at around 06:30 local time (04:30 GMT).

The group called for an investigation and added they were part of a "peaceful revolution".

The powerful blast was felt across the city and black smoke could be seen rising over the scene.

The interior minister said it appeared to be the work of a suicide bomber.

"A pick-up truck had two passengers inside, stopped outside the security cordon, and the suicide bomber blew himself up," Mr Ibrahim said.

Gunfire was reportedly heard soon after the blast, and more than 30 ambulances raced to the scene.

There was extensive damage to the large concrete building with debris strewn across the street.

Continue reading the main story

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis

• Al-Qaeda-inspired Salafist jihadist group based in Sinai
• Name means Champions of Jerusalem
• Has claimed responsibility for recent deadly attacks around Egypt, and rocket attacks on Israel
• Group said it was behind bombing of police station in Mansoura in Dec 2013 which killed 16 people

Around six police officers sat on the pavement outside and wept, an Associated Press photographer said.

The nearby 19th century Islamic art museum was also damaged. "The building has been destroyed form the outside, but with regards to the antiquities we'll have to wait and see until we can carry out a thorough inspection," said antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim.

The BBC's Orla Guerin, reporting from Cairo, says the security directorate is a very significant target and should have been one of the best protected buildings in the city.

As people in Cairo were taking in news of the blast, a second explosion occurred in the Dokki district of the capital.

One person was killed and 15 were wounded in a blast that, according to one report, targeted police vehicles near the metro station.

A short while later, officials said a third device had been set off beside a police station near the famous Giza pyramids. No-one was hurt.

The attacks come at a tense time, with security forces already on heightened alert ahead of the anniversary of the start of the uprising against Mubarak, our correspondent says.

The banned Muslim Brotherhood and its partners are planning demonstrations after Friday prayers across the country.

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They are the latest in a series of regular demonstrations against the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July - a year after he became Egypt's first democratically-elected leader.

Brotherhood supporters are also angry about recent moves to introduce a new constitution.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi, speaking in a BBC interview before the attacks, set out conditions for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held within the next six months.

He said any supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood could take part if "he accepts the new constitution... refuses the use of force and he accepts the idea of a secular government, democratic one, open, no discrimination, no mixing of religion and politics, and accepting human rights".

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Court orders probe into tribal rape

24 January 2014 Last updated at 01:56 ET

India's Supreme Court has ordered a judge to investigate the gang rape of a tribal woman, allegedly on orders of village elders who objected to her relationship with a man.

Describing the case as "disturbing", the court ordered the district judge of Birbhum in West Bengal state to visit the village and submit a report.

Thirteen men, including the village headman, have been arrested.

The 20-year-old woman is in hospital. Her condition is reported to be stable.

Unofficial courts in India's villages often sanction killings of couples deemed to have violated local codes.

Scrutiny of sexual violence in India has grown since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus.

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• July 2012: Asara village in Uttar Pradesh state bans love marriages and bars women under 40 from shopping alone, using mobile phones outside, and orders them to cover their heads when outdoors
• May 2011: Eight people arrested in Uttar Pradesh for stoning to death a young couple who had a love affair
• September 2010: A Dalit (formerly "untouchable") woman in Madhya Pradesh is ordered to pay 15,000 rupees ($330) compensation to the high-caste owners of a dog for feeding their pet. The owners say the dog became "untouchable"
• August 2010: Village elders in West Bengal order a woman to walk naked in front of large crowds for having "an illicit love affair with a man from a different community"
• June 2009: A Muslim woman and her Hindu husband kill themselves after the local village council orders them to annul their marriage or face death

The government tightened laws on sexual violence last year after widespread protests following the attack.

But violence and discrimination against women remain deeply entrenched.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam and comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and MY Eqbal, expressed shock over the incident on Friday.

The judges have set 31 January as the date for hearing the case.

On Thursday, West Bengal police said the woman belonging to the Santhal tribal group was gang-raped on Monday night for her relationship with a non-tribal man from a nearby village in Birbhum district.

The couple, who were in a relationship for almost five years, were caught on Monday when the man visited the woman's home with the proposal of marriage.

During the 'proceedings' of the kangaroo court, the couple were made to sit with hands tied. The man and the woman were each fined 25,000 rupees ($400; £240) for "the crime of falling in love".

The man paid up, but the woman's family were unable to pay, after which the headman, a distant relative of the woman, allegedly ordered the rape.

The suspects were produced in court on Thursday and remanded in custody. They have not yet made any public comment.

Clan-based village councils made up of local elders wield great influence over life in large swathes of rural India and often mete out punishments for offences deemed to contravene local traditions and mores.

The incident has led to outrage in India with some describing it as "inhuman and completely outrageous" and many calling for a quick trial and punishment for the rapists.

On Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the removal of the district police chief.

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