Turkey debates joining war on IS

2 October 2014 Last updated at 10:35

The Turkish parliament is to vote on a motion to allow its military to enter Iraq and Syria and foreign troops to use its territory for the operation.

Turkey had been unwilling to fight Islamic State (IS) militants because they were holding 46 Turkish hostages but they were released last month.

Parliament is expected to back the motion.

However, Turkey is wary of IS retaliation and fears helping the Kurds who are fighting the militants.

It has a porous and vulnerable border with Syria, more than 900km (560 miles) long.

Turkey has long been accused of permitting the flow of jihadists and resources into Syria as well as allowing IS to traffic oil from oilfields it has captured. The government in Ankara denies the allegations.

If MPs back the motion, it could mean the US using its large airbase at Incirlik in southern Turkey for air strikes.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the West to find a long-term solution to the crises in Syria and Iraq, pointing out that dropping "tonnes of bombs" on IS militants would only provide a temporary respite.

While he said "an effective struggle" against IS would be a priority for Turkey, "the immediate removal of the administration in Damascus" would also continue to be its priority.

He has repeatedly called for a buffer zone on the Turkish border inside Syria - enforced by a no-fly zone - to ensure security.

The BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul

What a difference a fortnight makes. Turkey has gone from refusing to take part in the US-led coalition to its parliament voting on a motion that could lead this country into battle in Iraq and Syria - and allow foreign troops to use its territory for that purpose.

The reason? The release of 46 Turkish citizens held hostage by Islamic State and plenty of pressure from Washington on its Nato ally.

President Obama even called his Turkish counterpart from Air Force One to twist arms.

But few expect Turkey to go in guns blazing. It shares a long, vulnerable border with both countries and fears retaliation, not least against Turkish troops protecting an Ottoman tomb in Syria, which IS militants have approached.

It is anxious not to embolden the Kurds - Turkey's long-standing enemy - in their fight against IS.

And it wants more: intervention against President Bashar al-Assad's regime and a buffer zone in northern Syria to help cope with the refugee influx, both of which seem some way off. Turkey is a vital player in this coalition - but how far it is willing to go is still unclear.

IS militants have advanced to within a few kilometres of the Kurdish town of Kobane, on the Syrian border with Turkey.

Imprisoned Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan was reported by Reuters on Thursday to have warned that peace talks between his group and the Turkish state would end if IS militants were allowed to carry out "a massacre" in Kobane.

The Islamic State advance close to the border has prompted thousands of Kurdish refugees fleeing the fighting in Syria to enter Turkey, which is already hosting more than a million Syrian refugees.

The IS campaign has also raised fears for the safety of Turkish special forces troops in Syria guarding the mausoleum of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Empire. The tomb is in a small enclave some 30km (18 miles) south of the Turkish border.

Mr Erdogan denied reports on Wednesday that the tomb had been surrounded by militants.

What is 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 parts 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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Rebel push to take Donetsk airport

2 October 2014 Last updated at 11:36

Rebel forces in eastern Ukraine are conducting an offensive to capture the government-held airport in Donetsk, officials say.

Pro-Russian rebels have tried several times in recent weeks to take the airport, which lies to the north-west of the city.

The insurgents continued an offensive - begun on Wednesday - on "a broad front", the Ukrainian military says.

An official truce in place in eastern Ukraine has often been violated.

The ceasefire was called on 5 September, but on Wednesday four people were killed by a shell which landed on a school in Donetsk, and six died when a minibus was hit.

A spokesman for what the Ukrainian government calls its anti-terrorist operation said Ukrainian forces repelled four attacks on the airport on Wednesday evening.

A T-64 tank was destroyed and seven rebels were killed, Vladyslav Seleznyov told Kanal 5 TV.

The rebels used tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, artillery and mortars, he said, resuming their attacks on Thursday morning with small-arms fire.

The airport is strategically important, lying just outside Donetsk, the largest city held by the rebels. Its capture by the separatists would help them to resupply.

Government forces have been using it to shell separatist positions inside the city.

A reporter for Associated Press in Donetsk said on Wednesday there were indications the government may already have lost control of the airport.

Rebel-leader Alexander Zakharchenko, speaking on Thursday, said it was now "95%" under separatist control.

Officials insist the airport is still under government control.

Economy shrinks

More than 3,500 people have been killed in Ukraine in the conflict between pro-Russia separatists and the Kiev government since it began in April.

In a further sign of the economic cost, the World Bank said on Thursday that Ukraine's economy was now likely to contract by 8% this year.

World Bank representative in Ukraine, Qimiao Fan, blamed reduced economic activity in the east. The bank had previously forecast a decline of 5%.

The fighting arose from deep divisions in Ukraine over whether the country should take a more pro-Western or pro-Moscow direction.

Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in March and separatists later declared independence in the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russia denies Western accusations that it is sending heavy weaponry to the rebels or Russian soldiers to back them. But the Kremlin concedes that "volunteers" have travelled to eastern Ukraine.

Newly appointed Nato Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, called on Wednesday for Russia to change its behaviour and return "to compliance with international law and its obligations."

Meanwhile, a senior official in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, Boris Litvinov, says a parliamentary commission has been established to investigate what he termed "Kiev's war crimes".

The commission was currently gathering information on "mass burials", he said, and would also look into allegations of "torture".

Human rights groups have highlighted allegations of abuses committed by both sides in the conflict.

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China throws weight behind HK leader

2 October 2014 Last updated at 11:56

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Carrie Gracie: Protesters light up the streets in the main financial district

China's state media have strongly backed Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung, praising his performance while condemning protests as "chaos".

The support in Communist Party paper People's Daily comes as student activists threaten to occupy government buildings if Mr Leung does not resign.

Police and government have again called on protesters to disperse.

The protesters are angry at China's plan to vet candidates for polls in 2017, saying they want full democracy.

On Wednesday China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi also warned against "illegal" protests and foreign interference.

'Disrespecting the law'

The People's Daily is the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper. In a front-page editorial on Thursday, it praised Mr Leung's handling of the situation so far.

"The central government is full of confidence in Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying [CY Leung], and is completely satisfied with his performance," it said.

Beijing "will thus continue to strongly support Mr Leung's leadership of Hong Kong's legal administration as well as the police's handling of illegal activities", it added.

People's Daily also carried on its website a comment piece from another newspaper which stated: "Hong Kong has for many years enjoyed peace and harmony. It now sees the emergence of this embarrassing chaos, and the root cause lies with a few people who are disrespecting the law."

"Chaos denies Hong Kong residents their prosperity, goes against their wishes, and is not what all Chinese people wish to see or what we can tolerate."

Beijing's support of Mr Leung follows repeated calls by protesters for his resignation.

Juliana Liu, BBC News, Hong Kong

The senior Chinese leadership has set out clear limits on who can run for the position of chief executive, Hong Kong's top leader, in 2017.

The rules make it virtually impossible for anyone not trusted by the Chinese government to stand for election.

As a result, the protesters accuse Beijing of reneging on decades of vows to give Hong Kong people genuine democracy.

But although there is widespread anger that Beijing may have violated the spirit of the agreements it has made, there is intense debate over whether it has violated the letter of the law.

Read more: Did China go back on its promises?

Overnight, several thousand protesters massed outside his office, where there was a significant police presence.

Large numbers of protesters came out on to the streets on Sunday, when supporters of the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement joined student demonstrations. More people joined after police used tear gas on protesters.

Since then, protesters have been occupying at least three sites in the territory, in the Central business district, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. A fourth site opened up at Canton Road on Wednesday.

Lester Shum, the vice-secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, has called on Mr Leung to resign by Thursday night.

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Ali Moore: Have Hong Kong protests hit the shopping industry?

"Otherwise, we will announce an escalation of our movement, including occupying or surrounding different government buildings," he said.

Both the Hong Kong government and the police on Thursday reiterated their call to protesters to disperse.

Police spokesman Steve Hui told reporters that if protesters surrounded and occupied Mr Leung's office building in Central, this would cause public safety problems. "The police will not stand by and watch. We will decisively uphold the law," he said.

When asked if tear gas would be used, Mr Hui said the police would monitor the situation and would use "appropriate force if necessary", reported RTHK.

The South China Morning Post is reporting confrontations between the police and protesters outside the building.

The Hong Kong government said the protesters were conducting a "siege" and if it continued, government and police operations would "be seriously affected".

"This will eventually affect social order and the provision of government services to the public and society," it said, adding that 3,000 government officials were due to return to work on Friday.

Chan Kin-man of Occupy Central has urged the students to be peaceful, but also called on Mr Leung to quit.

Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the protests were an "internal affair" for China. Hong Kong authorities had "the capability to properly handle the current situation", he said.

In other developments:

• Mainland authorities have suspended bookings for tour groups to Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported
• On Wednesday, several rallies supporting the protests took place around the world, including in Taiwan, London and Macau
• Rights groups say some mainland-based activists have been detained

Several reports, citing unidentified Hong Kong sources, suggest the authorities plan to wait, hoping the protest campaign will lose momentum.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1997: UK gives Hong Kong back to China under a 1984 agreement giving it "a high degree of autonomy" for 50 years
• 2004: China says it must approve any changes to Hong Kong's election laws
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform. Both sides hold large rallies
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017 but will pre-approve candidates
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes
• 28 September 2014: Occupy Central and student protests join forces and take over central Hong Kong
• 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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Five Ebola cases per hour in S Leone

2 October 2014 Last updated at 12:02

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Mark Buttle from Save the Children says cultural practices may be putting some people at even greater risk

A leading charity has warned that a rate of five new Ebola cases an hour in Sierra Leone means healthcare demands are far outstripping supply.

Save the Children said there were 765 new cases of Ebola reported in the West African state last week, while there are only 327 beds in the country.

Experts and politicians are set to meet in London to debate a global response to the crisis.

It is the world's worst outbreak of the virus, killing 3,338 people so far.

There have been 7,178 confirmed cases, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea suffering the most.

Save the Children says Ebola is spreading across Sierra Leone at a "terrifying rate", with the number of new cases being recorded doubling every few weeks.

It said that even as health authorities got on top of the outbreak in one area, it spread to another.

The scale of the disease is also "massively unreported" according to the charity, because "untold numbers of children are dying anonymously at home or in the streets".

Continue reading the main story

• 1,998 Liberia

• 710 Guinea

• 622 Sierra Leone

• 8 Nigeria

Getty

"We're in a race against time," said Justin Forsyth, the organisation's chief executive.

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme he said that the figure for Sierra Leone could rise to 10 people every hour before the end of the month if urgent action were not taken.

Meanwhile the head of the UN's mission to combat Ebola warned that the disease was spreading "very rapidly" and that a "massive international response" was required to deal with the crisis.

Anthony Banbury, who is in Liberia, said more needed to be done to educate remote communities about how to protect themselves from infection.

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Watch this short video explaining how the virus attacks human cells

"Cases are doubling every 20 days," he said. "The disease has now reached every county in Liberia."

Earlier this month, Britain said it would build facilities for 700 new beds in Sierra Leone but the first of these will not be ready for weeks, and the rest may take months.

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Anthony Banbury comments on the challenges in tackling Ebola

Safety trials for two experimental vaccines are under way in the UK and US, the WHO said on Wednesday, and will be expanded to 10 sites in Africa, Europe and North America in the coming weeks.

It said it expected to begin small-scale use of the experimental vaccines in West Africa early next year.

The Ebola Donors Conference in London on Thursday is being hosted by the UK and Sierra Leone governments. Its main agenda is to discuss what the global community can do to provide an effective international response.

Ministers, diplomats and health chiefs were due to arrive from about 20 different countries, including the US, France, Japan, Australia and all of the West African nations hit by the disease.

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The current outbreak is the deadliest since Ebola was discovered in 1976

The president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, cancelled his attendance at the last minute.

The UK Foreign Office said this was due to his presidential jet breaking down before take-off.

An FCO spokesman said that delegates were hoping Mr Koroma would instead participate via video link.

The event has been billed as a "pledging conference" designed to raise millions of pounds for a UN fighting fund.

It will also discuss how the global community can co-ordinate a strategy to improve training of medical staff and help educate local communities.

In other developments:

• A man who became the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US was accidentally released from hospital and allowed to return to the community for several days. Officials are now trying to track down anybody who came into contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, who flew to the US from Liberia on 19 September to visit family in Dallas, Texas

• Comic Relief is due to pledge £1m to help fight Ebola

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

Are you in the region? Are you affected by Ebola?

Get in contact by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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Karadzic takes blame for Serb crimes

1 October 2014 Last updated at 10:18

Radovan Karadzic is closing his defence saying he takes "moral responsibility" for crimes committed by Bosnian Serbs but denying he ordered killings.

The wartime Bosnian Serb leader set out his case in a written brief before telling the UN tribunal there was not a shred of evidence against him.

He is accused in The Hague of genocide and other crimes, with one charge relating to the Srebrenica massacre.

Prosecutors have called for him to be given a life sentence if convicted.

The 69-year-old political leader of the Bosnian Serbs in the 1990s was handed over to the tribunal when he was arrested in 2008 after 13 years on the run.

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Radovan Karadzic is facing 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, as Anna Holligan reports

More than 7,500 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys, some as young as 12, were killed by Bosnian Serbs in the Srebrenica enclave in July 1995. The massacre is considered Europe's worst since World War Two.

The Balkan conflict emerged from the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, resulting in a bitter inter-ethnic series of wars from 1991 to 1999.

Self-assured

In a written brief that runs to more than 800 pages, Radovan Karadzic argues that he was not aware of the Srebrenica killings but takes responsibility for "any crimes committed by citizens and forces of Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb republic)".

As he conducted his own defence on Wednesday, he seemed more like a politician outlining his policies than a war crimes suspect facing life in prison, the BBC's Anna Holligan reports.

There was no shaking or stumbling in his delivery, she says. It was the self-assured performance of man who is comfortable in the spotlight.

"It is the Serb people that stand accused," he told his judges. "I know the truth, the prosecution knows the truth, they are trying to delude the court."

UN prosecutor Alan Tieger argued this week that "the policy of ethnic cleansing" had been fully exposed as had "Dr Karadzic as its driving force".

In all, Mr Karadzic faces 11 charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

He has been given 10 hours to speak in court, and will lay out his defence over two days.

The judges are expected to deliver their verdict in a year's time.

During the 1992-1995 war, Bosniaks sought refuge in the town of Srebrenica from the surrounding area as the Bosnian Serb army sought to expel non-Serb populations.

The UN had declared Srebrenica a "safe area" for civilians in 1993 but it fell in July 1995, after more than two years under siege.

Mr Karadzic is accused of orchestrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing together with former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic.

He was arrested in 2008 in Belgrade, where he had spent years masquerading as a faith healer, heavily disguised.

Gen Mladic is being tried separately. Another key suspect, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, died in 2006 before the end of his trial.

More than 100,000 people died in the Bosnian war, in which atrocities were committed by all three warring sides.

Timeline of Srebrenica siege:

6-8 July 1995: Bosnian Serb forces start shelling Srebrenica enclave

9 July: Bosnian Serbs step up shelling; thousands of Bosnian Muslim refugees flee to Srebrenica

10 July: Dutch peacekeepers request UN air support after Bosnian Serbs shell Dutch positions. Large crowds of refugees gather around Dutch positions

11 July: More than 20,000 refugees flee to main Dutch base at Potocari. Serbs threaten to kill Dutch hostages and shell refugees after Dutch F-16 fighters bomb Serb positions. Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic enters Srebrenica and delivers ultimatum that Muslims must hand over weapons

12 July: An estimated 23,000 women and children are deported to Muslim territory; men aged 12-77 taken "for interrogation" and held in trucks and warehouses

13 July: First killings of unarmed Muslims take place near village of Kravica. Peacekeepers hand over some 5,000 Muslims sheltering at Dutch base in exchange for the release of 14 Dutch peacekeepers held by Bosnian Serbs

14 July: Reports of massacres start to emerge

Timeline: Siege of Srebrenica

The former Yugoslavia was a Socialist state created after German occupation in World War II and a bitter civil war. A federation of six republics, it brought together Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Albanians, Slovenes and others under a comparatively relaxed communist regime. Tensions between these groups were successfully suppressed under the leadership of President Tito.

After Tito's death in 1980, tensions re-emerged. Calls for more autonomy within Yugoslavia by nationalist groups led in 1991 to declarations of independence in Croatia and Slovenia. The Serb-dominated Yugoslav army lashed out, first in Slovenia and then in Croatia. Thousands were killed in the latter conflict which was paused in 1992 under a UN-monitored ceasefire.

Bosnia, with a complex mix of Serbs, Muslims and Croats, was next to try for independence. Bosnia's Serbs, backed by Serbs elsewhere in Yugoslavia, resisted. Under leader Radovan Karadzic, they threatened bloodshed if Bosnia's Muslims and Croats - who outnumbered Serbs - broke away. Despite European blessing for the move in a 1992 referendum, war came fast.

Yugoslav army units, withdrawn from Croatia and renamed the Bosnian Serb Army, carved out a huge swathe of Serb-dominated territory. Over a million Bosnian Muslims and Croats were driven from their homes in ethnic cleansing. Serbs suffered too. The capital Sarajevo was besieged and shelled. UN peacekeepers, brought in to quell the fighting, were seen as ineffective.

International peace efforts to stop the war failed, the UN was humiliated and over 100,000 died. The war ended in 1995 after NATO bombed the Bosnian Serbs and Muslim and Croat armies made gains on the ground. A US-brokered peace divided Bosnia into two self-governing entities, a Bosnian Serb republic and a Muslim-Croat federation lightly bound by a central government.

In August 1995 the Croatian army stormed areas in Croatia under Serb control prompting thousands to flee. Soon Croatia and Bosnia were fully independent. Slovenia and Macedonia had already gone. Montenegro left later. In 1999 Kosovo's ethnic Albanians fought Serbs in another brutal war to gain independence. Serbia ended the conflict beaten, battered and alone.

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Armed man shared lift with Obama

1 October 2014 Last updated at 10:30

President Barack Obama rode in a lift with an armed security contractor who had assault convictions, in another security lapse.

It happened on 16 September when Mr Obama visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The incident came to light on Tuesday, hours after the boss of the Secret Service was grilled by Congress about a security breach at the White House.

A Secret Service official confirmed the incident but declined to comment.

The incident contravened a protocol that only members of the Secret Service are allowed to carry weapons in the presence of the president.

Tuesday's revelations led to calls from one senior US congressman for a "top-to-bottom" review of the agency.

The gun was found when the man was questioned by agents after taking a video of the president in the lift.

He was immediately sacked by his supervisors, who arrived on the scene shortly after the incident, reports said.

A supervisor asked the man to hand over his gun, surprising the Secret Service team who had not known he was armed.

The Washington Post said the man had three convictions for assault and battery.

"This person was within arm's length of the president with a gun," said Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was told of the incident by a whistleblower.

It will come as another embarrassment on the day after the director of the US Secret Service, Julia Pierson, took responsibility before a hostile House oversight committee hearing for an "unacceptable" security breach at the presidential residence.

Omar Gonzalez, 42, scaled a fence at the White House, ran across the lawn, entered an unlocked door, entered the East Room and was eventually tackled inside.

That incident came after a previous security scare in 2011, when a lone gunman fired shots at the White House.

The following year three Secret Service agents were sent home from a presidential trip to Amsterdam after they were caught drinking.

On Wednesday Republican congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives committee with oversight of the agency, called for a comprehensive review.

"This latest episode adds to the growing list of failures from an agency plagued by operational challenges, cultural problems and reporting difficulties," he said.

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Defiant HK protests on National Day

1 October 2014 Last updated at 10:55

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Babita Sharma, among the protesters, says the atmosphere on Wednesday morning was "flat"

Thousands have joined pro-democracy protests in central Hong Kong, as they spread on China's 65th National Day.

The protesters want China to withdraw plans to vet candidates for the next Hong Kong leadership election in 2017.

Hong Kong's chief executive CY Leung urged them to back electoral reforms set out by Beijing. He was heckled by some protesters, who turned their backs when the national anthem was played.

China says it will "safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability".

Protesters have gathered at the main protests site in the Central business district, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.

A fourth protest site has also spread to Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, a major shopping district several roads south of Mong Kok.

Mr Leung has rejected campaigners' calls for him to stand down.

Carrie Gracie, BBC News China editor, Hong Kong

The 65th anniversary of China's communist revolution began in Hong Kong with a flag-raising ceremony made for TV audiences across China. Nothing was allowed to disrupt the choreography.

The only members of the public allowed to attend were dressed in red baseball caps and T-shirts, waving Chinese flags. One told me the democracy protesters "had ulterior motives and were marginal anyway".

Police were in attendance to protect both the flag and embattled Chief Executive CY Leung. He reminded his fellow citizens that Hong Kong's special status in China, known as "one country, two systems", means just that. It was an implied rebuke to protestors demanding Beijing overturn its restrictions on nominations for the 2017 leadership election.

The protesters are determined to be seen and heard. Some were outside the ceremony, turning their backs on the national flag.

And less than a mile away, crowds were voting with their feet, streaming into what they're now calling Democracy Square, an encampment filled with umbrellas and a sea of freedom flags. The national flag of China nowhere to be seen.

China media: HK 'social order'

Carrie Gracie: 12 hours of protests

Family atmosphere

The BBC's Juliana Liu, in Hong Kong, says many families and parents with young children are in the streets due to the holiday, but the public do not expect to see any violence or trouble on Wednesday.

It is a completely different atmosphere to that of Sunday, when police fired tear gas and pepper spray at the crowds, she adds.

Early on Wednesday, Mr Leung attended a ceremony in Hong Kong marking China's 65th National Day, which celebrates the founding of communist China in 1949.

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A drone captured the scale of the protests on Monday 29 September

The flag-raising ceremony went ahead peacefully, as student protesters looked on from behind police barricades, with some calling on him to step down. The authorities have cancelled a fireworks display that was due to take place later in the day, however.

Addressing officials, Mr Leung said that while people had different ideas about what constituted a "desirable reform package", it was better to have the right to vote than not.

"We hope that all sectors of the community will work with the government in a peaceful, lawful, rational and pragmatic manner to... make a big step forward in our constitutional development," he said.

Beijing ruled last month that it would allow Hong Kong people to elect their next leader in 2017. But the choice of candidates will be restricted to those approved by a pro-Beijing committee - meaning the Chinese government can effectively screen candidates.

A rumbling protest campaign ballooned into mass street demonstrations at the weekend.

Police responded initially with tear gas and pepper spray, but riot police later withdrew and since early on Monday the situation has remained calm.

Crowds swelled again on Tuesday night and the demonstrators - who include student groups, supporters of the Occupy Central movement and others angered by the police response - say they are confident of greater numbers on Wednesday.

China challenge

So far there are no signs of concessions from Beijing. On Tuesday Mr Xi told Communist Party leaders that his government would "steadfastly safeguard the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau".

The protests are seen as a direct challenge to Beijing's grip on the territory's politics. Analysts say leaders are worried that calls for democracy could spread to mainland cities.

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

Separately on Wednesday, rights group Amnesty International called on the Chinese authorities to "immediately and unconditionally" release some 20 people who have been detained in mainland China in recent days for supporting the protests in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile the US restated its position on the protests, saying that a genuine choice of candidates in the election would enhance the legitimacy of the chief executive.

On Tuesday, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Secretary of State John Kerry would discuss the protests with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when the pair meet on Wednesday.

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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Shell kills four at Donetsk school

1 October 2014 Last updated at 12:18

A shell has killed four people at a school in the rebel-held east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on the first day of classes, officials and witnesses say.

Another six people died when a minibus was hit elsewhere in Donetsk.

No children were apparently hurt when the school playground was shelled but a biology teacher and a parent were among the dead, witnesses told Reuters.

The school is 4km (2.5 miles) from Donetsk airport, where rebels have clashed with Ukrainian troops.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in eastern Ukraine since 5 September but the truce has frequently been violated.

Pupils had only returned to school on Wednesday after the start of the school year was postponed by a month because of the fighting.

Many children had been moved to safer areas while the fighting was at its heaviest, but although clashes have continued since the ceasefire was declared, the violence has been less widespread.

Rebel forces control of much of Donetsk and have launched several attempts to capture the airport to the north-west of the city in recent weeks.

Well over 200 people were at school number 57 in the Kievsky district when the playground was shelled, including 70 children. Although the school's windows shattered, none of the children was reported hurt.

Another shell hit a minibus at a bus stop a few streets away from the school and a Reuters reporter described seeing six bodies inside the vehicle.

Are you in the area? Email your accounts to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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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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