Mali's army accused of abuses

23 January 2013 Last updated at 19:07 ET

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The BBC's Mark Doyle speaks to a human rights group in central Mali

Mali's army has carried out a "series of summary executions" as it fights to recapture the Islamist-controlled north, a rights group has said.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said some people were killed simply because they did not have identity documents.

A Malian army officer was quoted as denying the allegations.

Meanwhile, the UN says 7,100 civilians have fled to neighbouring states since 10 January to escape fighting.

Reports suggesting that the mainly black African Malian army, drawn largely from the south, has targeted Arabs and ethnic Tuaregs from the north expose a racial aspect to the war here which has been hidden by the emphasis on western troops fighting a war against Islamist insurgents, the BBC's Mark Doyle in Mali says.

France intervened militarily on 11 January to halt a militant advance.

It said al-Qaeda linked Islamists - some of whom were foreigners - threatened to turn Mali into a "terrorist state".

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"Start Quote

Other allegations of summary executions continue to come from all areas of the west and centre of the country"

End Quote IFHR statement

It has bombed suspected rebel positions and deployed about 2,000 troops to help the weak Malian army recapture territory.

'Completely false'

FIDH said there needed to be an independent investigation into alleged abuses committed by Malian soldiers and those responsible should be punished.

In the garrison town of Sevare, at least seven people were executed at a military camp, near a bus station and a hospital, it said.

There was "credible information" pointing to 20 other executions in Sevare, with bodies "buried hastily, notably in wells", FIDH said.

Summary killings also took place in the towns of Mopti and Niono, the group added.

"Other allegations of summary executions continue to come from all areas of the west and centre of the country," it said.

It added that some of the victims were accused of possessing weapons, and of being "infiltrators" and "accomplices" of the militants.

Others were killed because they did not have identity documents or simply because of their ethnicity, FIDH said.

Dozens of ethnic Tuaregs in Mali's capital, Bamako, have also had their homes raided by troops, the group added.

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Coming face-to-face with Islamist rebels

The Malian army's Capt Modibo Traore said the allegations were "completely false" but declined to comment further, AP news agency reports.

United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) regional coordinator Valentin Tapsoba said 7,100 people had fled to neighbouring countries in the last two weeks to escape fighting.

Most of them - some 4,000 - had fled to Mauritania, Mali's western neighbour, Mr Tapsoba told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

He said a further 3,100 people had crossed into Burkina Faso and Chad, to the east of Mali.

Nearly 10,000 have also also moved into camps inside Mali since 10 January, he said.

The latest conflict erupted after the militants advanced southwards, attacking the central towns of Konna, Diabaly and Douentza.

French officials say their forces have helped Malian troops to recapture all three towns.

France hopes to hand command of the operation to a West African force, which currently has some 1,000 soldiers on the ground.

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Female smoking risk 'has soared'

23 January 2013 Last updated at 22:22 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Women smoking nowadays are far more likely to die as a result of their habit than they were in the 1960s, according to a new study.

Changing habits such as starting earlier and smoking more cigarettes have been blamed on dramatically increased risks of lung cancer.

The trends, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, show death rates in women have caught up with men.

The study looked at data from more than two million women in the US.

The first generation of women smokers started during the 1950s and 60s. In those early years, women who smoked were nearly three times more likely to die from lung cancer as people who had never smoked.

Looking at medical records from women between 2000-2010 showed they were 25 times more likely to die from lung cancer than their non-smoking friends.

It follows a similar pattern in men, who reached a similar level in the 1980s.

Lead researcher Dr Michael Thun said: "The steep increase in risk among female smokers has continued for decades after the serious health risks from smoking were well established, and despite the fact that women predominantly smoked cigarette brands marketed as lower in 'tar' and nicotine.

"So not only did the use of cigarette brands marketed as 'Light' and 'Mild' fail to prevent a large increase in risk in women, it also may have exacerbated the increase in deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease in male smokers, since the diluted smoke from these cigarettes is inhaled more deeply into the lungs of smokers to maintain the accustomed absorption of nicotine."

Research published last year suggested that lifelong female smokers died a decade earlier than those who never started.

However, those who gave up by the age of 30 almost completely avoided the risks of dying early from tobacco-related diseases with those stopping by 40 died a year younger.

Speaking after that study, Prof Sir Richard Peto, at Oxford University, said "If women smoke like men, they die like men."

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North Korea 'plans nuclear test'

24 January 2013 Last updated at 03:44 ET

North Korea says it is proceeding with plans for a third nuclear test.

In a statement carried by KCNA news agency, the country's top military body said the "high-level nuclear test" and more long-range rocket launches were aimed at its "arch-enemy", the US.

The statement gave no time-frame for the test. North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009.

The move comes two days after a UN Security Council resolution condemned Pyongyang's recent rocket launch.

The Security Council also expanded sanctions against the isolated communist country following its December launch, which was seen by the US and North Korea's neighbours as a banned test of long-range missile technology.

North Korea said the rocket was solely aimed at putting a satellite into space for peaceful purposes.

'Ready'

The statement, which came from North Korea's National Defence Commission, hit out at the resolution as "illegal", before pledging a response.

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Analysis

North Korea's announcement that it was planning to carry out a third nuclear test did not come as a surprise to many in the region.

For several months now, analysts have spotted tunnelling and earth-moving operations inside North Korea which they say seem similar to preparations ahead of the country's previous tests.

The confirmation today, though, contained an added detail: North Korea's Defence Commission described the upcoming test as "high-level" - a possible indication that the country is planning to test its new, uranium-based nuclear programme for the first time.

It's a pointed response to the announcement on Tuesday of expanded UN sanctions against North Korea.

The US North Korea envoy, Glyn Davies, has just arrived in the region for visits to North Korea's neighbouring capitals. He'll be talking about how to manage relations with the secretive communist state in the coming year.

But there are few options for responding to this latest development. So far, it seems, sanctions haven't worked as a deterrent. And even pressure from Pyongyang's main backer, China, seems to have carried little weight over the past few months.

"We do not hide that the various satellites and long-range rockets we will continue to launch, as well as the high-level nuclear test we will proceed with, are aimed at our arch-enemy, the United States," KCNA quoted it as saying.

"Settling accounts with the US needs to be done with force, not with words," it added.

Recent reports from South Korean and US bodies which monitor North Korea's nuclear test sites had said North Korea could be preparing for a third test.

Earlier on Thursday, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said it appeared that North Korea was "ready to conduct a nuclear test at anytime if its leadership decides to go ahead".

Regional neighbours and the US have urged it not to proceed.

"We hope they don't do it, we call on them not to do it. It will be a mistake and a missed opportunity if they were to do it," said Glyn Davies, the US special envoy on North Korea policy who is currently visiting Seoul.

"This is not a moment to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula."

A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said Seoul deeply regretted the North Korean statement and "strongly" urged it not to go ahead.

China's foreign ministry, meanwhile, called on all relevant parties to "refrain from action that might escalate the situation in the region".

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North Korean nuclear tests

• Two underground nuclear tests have been carried out by North Korea, in 2006 and 2009
• They were believed to have used plutonium, but experts believe the planned test could use highly-enriched uranium as the fissile material
• Analysts say a new test tunnel has been prepared in Punggye-ri, the site of the previous tests
• North Korea is thought to have enough nuclear material for a small number of bombs, but not the technology to make a nuclear warhead
• Multiple rounds of multi-national talks have failed to categorically convince Pyongyang to commit to giving up its nuclear ambitions

Beijing - North Korea's closest ally and biggest trading partner - backed Tuesday's Security Council resolution, something which correspondents say will have angered its northern neighbour.

'High-level'

Both North Korea's previous nuclear tests followed long-range rocket launches.

If it were to go ahead, this would be the first nuclear test under Kim Jong-un, who took over the leadership after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011.

There was no explanation in the statement of what "high-level" test might mean.

Experts believe the two previous tests used plutonium as fissile material, but North Korea is also believed to have been working on a programme to produce highly-enriched uranium.

It is thought that North Korea is not yet able to make a nuclear device small enough to mount on a long-range missile, although the US believes that is Pyongyang's ultimate goal.

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US to end ban on women in combat

24 January 2013 Last updated at 05:00 ET

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Kayla Williams, former US soldier: "This is just formalising the ground reality"

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has decided to lift the military's ban on women serving in combat, a senior Pentagon official has said.

The move could open hundreds of thousands of frontline positions and elite commando jobs to women.

It overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to small ground-combat units.

But the military would have until 2016 to argue for any specific posts they think should remained closed to women.

The decision is expected to be formally announced on Thursday.

'21st-Century reality'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Thirty years of studies, reports and actual experience... have shown that in the infantry women do not have an equal opportunity to survive or to help fellow soldiers to survive"

End Quote Elaine Donnelly US Centre for Military Readiness

The senior defence official told the BBC: "This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defence upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Military chiefs will be asked to report back to Mr Panetta by 15 May on their initial plans to implement the new policy.

Some jobs are expected to be opened to women this year, while others - including for special forces such as the Navy Seals and the Delta Force - could take longer.

This decision could open more than 230,000 combat roles to women, many in infantry units.

Senate armed services committee chairman Carl Levin welcomed the decision.

"I support it," he said. "It reflects the reality of 21st-Century military operations."

That was echoed by Major Mary Jennings Hegar, who served on three tours of Afghanistan with the US Air Force.

"It's not about whether or not we're allowing women into combat - women are in combat - it's about recognising their service," she told the BBC's Newsday programme.

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Women in combat

• Women have played a role in war throughout history, often in support or medical roles, but have typically been excluded from combat roles
• From the 1970s, most Western armies began to admit women to serve active duty
• A few nations allow women to fill active combat roles, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Germany, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden - and Japan and Switzerland, which theoretically allow women in combat positions but have not engaged in combat in recent history
• But even these countries usually keep some roles off-limits for women

"I understand that stereotypically there are some physical differences but... there are a lot of men doing these jobs who are not built like Goliath. It's unfortunate that we have to hold women to a higher standard.

"If you're able to meet the standards, then your gender should not hold you back. It's simple black and white discrimination."

'Enormous complications'

But Elaine Donnelly from the US Centre for Military Readiness told Newsday that the move was "most unfortunate".

"It's certainly not going to be helpful to our women in the military, or our men. It will cause enormous complications in the infantry battalions - the small tip-of-the-spear units, the ones that fight the enemy with deliberate offensive action under fire. These units are all-male for very good reasons.

"The UK looked at this same issue some years ago and decided this was not a good idea, in 2002 and 2008.

"Thirty years of studies, reports and actual experience... have shown that in direct ground combat units - the infantry - women do not have an equal opportunity to survive or to help fellow soldiers to survive. The physical aspects of it are only part of the reason."

Restrictions were first eased a year ago, when the Pentagon opened up 14,500 roles, closer to the front line, which had previously been off limits to female personnel.

In November, a group of four women in the military sued the defence department over the ban, arguing that it was unconstitutional.

One of the plaintiffs, Marine Corps Capt Zoe Bedell, said existing rules had blocked her advancement in the Marines.

During the Iraq and Afghan wars, US female military personnel have worked as medics, military police and intelligence officers, sometimes attached but not formally assigned to front-line units.

As of 2012, more than 800 women were wounded in those wars, and at least 130 have died.

Women comprise 14% of America's 1.4 million active military personnel.

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Top US general cleared over emails

22 January 2013 Last updated at 21:06 ET

The top US general in Afghanistan, General John Allen has been cleared of misconduct by the Pentagon for emails sent to Florida socialite Jill Kelley.

His nomination to head Nato commander in Europe had been put on hold amid reports the emails were inappropriate.

Gen Allen is due to relinquish command of his Afghanistan post in February.

Harassment complaints by Mrs Kelley led the FBI to unmask an affair between CIA chief David Petraeus and his biographer. He later resigned.

Defence officials told the Associated Press that the White House had not decided whether to go forward with Gen Allen's nomination to Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said the defence department "was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated", adding that defence secretary Leon Panetta had "complete confidence in the continued leadership" of Gen Allen.

Ethics review

The emails first came to light as part of a wider investigation into email harassment against Mrs Kelley, who knew both Gen Allen and Mr Petraeus, a former general, through social contacts on the Florida army base where US Central Command is headquartered.

When the FBI investigated, it traced the emails to Petraeus biographer Paula Broadwell, bringing to light her affair with the CIA chief.

Earlier reports suggested Gen Allen and exchanged thousands of emails, some described as inappropriate and flirtatious, with Mrs Kelley.

The Afghanistan commander had also written a letter to a judge in support of Mrs Kelley's twin sister in a messy custody dispute.

After being contacted by the FBI, Mr Panetta announced the inquiry into Gen Allen and put the commander's nomination on hold.

Defence officials told the Washington Post that the full investigation had shown that there were in fact only several hundred emails exchanged between the two, mostly notes on current news topics, social invites or compliments on Gen Allen's television interviews.

"Some of the messages are not the sort of things you would print in a family newspaper," the official said. "But that doesn't mean he violated military regulations by sending and receiving them."

In addition to the inquiry into Gen Allen, Mr Panetta asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review ethics training after a series of misconduct cases.

Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, has not released the results of his review but has said he found that ethics training for senior leaders should begin earlier in an officer's career and be reinforced more frequently.

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N Korea nuclear vow after UN acts

22 January 2013 Last updated at 22:22 ET

North Korea has reacted angrily to a UN resolution condemning its recent rocket launch, pledging to strengthen military and nuclear capabilities.

The Security Council unanimously passed the resolution, which also expanded existing sanctions, on Tuesday.

North Korea, in a statement early on Wednesday, pledged to bolster its "nuclear deterrent" and ruled out denuclearisation talks.

The resolution followed Pyongyang's successful December launch.

North Korea said the three-stage rocket put a communications satellite into space.

But its neighbours and the US said the move constituted a test of long-range missile technology banned under UN resolutions passed after Pyongyang's nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

'Extremely unfair'

The Security Council resolution was proposed by the US and backed by China, North Korea's closest ally and biggest trading partner.

It represented a compromise between the two nations, with the US pushing for new sanctions and China for a statement, rather than a resolution. Chinese support was a blow for Pyongyang, observers say.

Under the resolution - which pledged "significant action" if North Korea carried out a third nuclear test - North Korea's space agency, a bank and a number of trading companies and individuals were added to existing sanctions lists.

"This resolution demonstrates to North Korea that there are unanimous and significant consequences for its flagrant violation" of previous resolutions, said US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice.

Both South Korea and Japan welcomed the resolution, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling it a "resolute action".

Chinese envoy to the UN Li Baodong, meanwhile, said Beijing believed "that action taken by the council should be prudent, measured, proportionate and conducive to stability".

North Korea responded swiftly, with a statement from its foreign minister carried by state news agency KCNA condemning the "extremely unfair" resolution as a violation of sovereign rights.

"We will take physical actions aimed at expanding and strengthening our self-defensive military forces, including nuclear deterrence," it said.

It also stated that there would be "no dialogue to discuss denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", in an apparent reference to long-stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

In recent weeks reports from both the US and South Korea have described activity at North Korea's nuclear test sites, sparking concerns North Korea could be preparing for a third test.

Pyongyang has conducted two nuclear tests, the first in 2006 and the second in 2009.

The US and North Korea's neighbours fear Pyongyang's ultimate goal is to put a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile that could target the west coast of the US, but it is not believed to have mastered the technology yet.

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PM pledges in/out referendum on EU

23 January 2013 Last updated at 05:45 ET

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PM David Cameron: "We will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice"

David Cameron has said the British people must "have their say" on Europe as he pledged an in/out referendum if the Conservatives win the election.

The prime minister said he wanted to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU, before asking people to vote.

The British people would face a "very simple choice", he stated, either to accept the result of the talks or to leave the EU altogether.

Labour said Mr Cameron was "weak" and being driven by "party interest".

And Mr Cameron's coalition partner, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, said "years of uncertainty" caused by a future referendum would hit jobs and growth and "was not in the national interest".

In a long-awaited speech, welcomed by many Conservative MPs, Mr Cameron pledged to hold a referendum during the early part of the next parliament - by the end of 2017 at the latest - if the Conservatives win the next general election.

He said it would be a decision on the UK's "destiny" and, if he secured a new relationship he was happy with, he would campaign "heart and soul" to stay within the EU.

"It is time for the British people to have their say," he said. "It is time to settle this European question in British politics. I say to the British people: this will be your decision."

However, Mr Cameron did not spell out what powers he would like to see the UK take back as part of a new settlement or what would happen if the negotiations did not go his way.

'Very simple choice'

The Conservative leader has been under pressure from many of his MPs to give a binding commitment to a vote on Europe.

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Analysis

It has taken quite some time for the prime minister to go from promising a major speech on Europe to delivering it.

But today marks the beginning of a process, not the end.

The many Eurosceptics in his party will be pleased that he is offering an in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU - although some will regard the timescale as tardy.

But there are important hurdles. He has to win the next election with an overall majority. His European partners will have to be willing to renegotiate Britain's relationship.

And while the promise of a referendum will unite many in his party this side of an election, the process of renegotiation might re-open divisions. What the PM didn't say today is what would he do if the negotiations deliver less than he would like.

Would he still proceed with an in/out referendum? Would he still argue for a yes vote? Would others in his party who would be prepared to stay on the EU on the right terms defect to the No camp if they don't like the deal the PM strikes with Brussels?

Labour and the Lib Dems say David Cameron is creating damaging uncertainty for business, but he has thrown down the gauntlet to them.

Can they allow him to be the only major party leader to offer voters a say on EU membership after the next election?

Mr Cameron said "disillusionment" with the EU was "at an all time high" and "simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice" was likely to accelerate calls for the UK to leave.

"That is why I am in favour of a referendum," he said. "I believe in confronting this issue - shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away."

Setting out the conditions for a future poll, he said he would seek a "mandate" for a renegotiation and a referendum in the next Conservative election manifesto.

"And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in-or-out choice to stay in the EU on these new terms; or come out altogether. It will be an in/out referendum."

But he said holding such a referendum now would be a "false choice" because Europe was set to change following the eurozone crisis and it would be "wrong to ask people whether to stay or go before we have had a chance to put the relationship right".

Mr Cameron said he "understood the appeal" of Britain going it alone and he was sure the UK would survive outside the EU. But, he said, the UK must think "very carefully" about the implications of withdrawal for its prosperity and role on the international stage.

"If we left the European Union, it would be a one-way ticket, not a return," he added.

The prime minister rejected suggestions that a new relationship was "impossible to achieve", adding that he would prefer all other EU countries to agree a new treaty but would be prepared to seek negotiations on a unilateral basis.

However French foreign minister Laurent Fabius warned "you can't do Europe a la carte... to take an example which our British friends will understand - imagine Europe is a football club and you join, once you're in it you can't say 'let's play rugby'".

Conservative MPs who want a looser relationship with the EU said it was a "watershed" moment.

Douglas Carswell told the BBC it was the speech he had "been waiting to hear from a Conservative prime minister all his adult life" while Mark Pritchard said it was "a major triumph" and would unite his party.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said the British people had not been consulted on Europe since 1975, and it is "high time" they were.

'Threatening to leave'

But the former European commissioner and Labour cabinet minister Lord Mandelson told the BBC that Mr Cameron was putting forward a "completely bogus and rather phoney set of demands and circumstances" designed to appease critics in his party.

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"Start Quote

We understand the need for change but I don't honestly believe the best way to get change in a club of 27 is to stand at the exit door demanding change or threatening to leave"

End Quote Douglas Alexander Shadow foreign secretary

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander added: "We understand the need for change but I don't honestly believe the best way to get change in a club of 27 is to stand at the exit door demanding change or threatening to leave."

The Lib Dems say pursuing a wholesale renegotiation of the UK's membership will cause uncertainty.

"Efforts to reconcile his own position with that of his eurosceptic backbenchers leads logically to the position that if he could not get what he wanted out of Europe, he would be willing for the UK to leave," said its former leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

"This will hardly commend his approach to those in the EU whose co-operation he requires."

The UK Independence Party said the "genie was out of the bottle" about a possible exit from the EU.

"Winning this referendum, if and when it comes, is not going to be an easy thing but I feel that Ukip's real job starts today," the party's leader Nigel Farage said.

John Cridland, director general of employers group, the CBI, said "closer union of the eurozone is not for us" but Mr Cameron "rightly recognises the benefits of retaining membership of what must be a reformed EU".

The BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin said opinion was hardening in Germany and France, with many politicians believing that those opposed to further European integration would be better off "leaving gracefully".

The speech, which has been in the planning for six months, had been scheduled for last Friday in the Netherlands, but was postponed because of the Algerian hostage crisis.

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Israel coalition talks to begin

23 January 2013 Last updated at 06:00 ET

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Analysts are predicting weeks of political horse-trading to form a new cabinet

Coalition talks are set to begin in Israel after general election results predicted right-wing and centre-left blocs tied on 60 seats each.

President Shimon Peres is expected to ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attempt to form a new government.

His Likud-Beitenu alliance lost a quarter of its seats in parliament, but remains the largest grouping with 31.

He has offered to work with the newly-formed Yesh Atid party, which shocked observers by coming second with 19.

However, its leader, popular former TV presenter Yair Lapid, has demanded reform of a law under which ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students can defer their military service. Religious parties in the current governing coalition are strongly opposed to any changes.

Mr Lapid has also said he would only join a government that was committed to revive the peace process with the Palestinians, which has stalled since Mr Netanyahu took office.

"Whoever wants Yesh Atid in the coalition will need to bring these things," Ofer Shelah, a senior member of the party, told Israeli Army Radio.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Any champagne that Mr Netanyahu may be tempted to open will be feeling a little flat"

End Quote

Privileges

On Wednesday morning, Israeli media reported that with 99.8% of votes counted, the joint electoral list of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu (Israel is our Home) party of his former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had won 31 seats.

That would be 11 seats fewer than the two parties' combined total from the last election and below the forecasts of recent polls.

The ultra-nationalist Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home), which rejects the notion of an independent Palestinian state, won 11 seats, as did the ultra-Orthodox religious Shas party.

The smaller ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party won seven, bringing the right-wing bloc's total to 60 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

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Knesset election results

• Likud-Beitenu: 31 seats
• Yesh Atid: 19
• Labour: 15
• Shas: 11
• Habayit Hayehudi: 11
• United Torah Judaism: 7
• Hatnua: 6
• Meretz: 6
• United Arab List-Taal: 5
• Hadash: 4
• Balad: 3
• Kadima: 2

Based on 99.8% of votes counted

Yesh Atid (There is a Future), a secular centrist party which was only set up by Mr Lapid last year, had been expected by pollsters to win about 12 seats, but is set to get 19, just ahead of the Labour party with 15.

The centrist Hatnua (The Movement) grouping of former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won six seats, as did the left-wing Meretz party. Kadima, which was the largest party in the last parliament, got just two.

The remaining 12 of the left-wing bloc's 60 seats went to Arab Israeli parties, but they are traditionally neither are asked nor seek to join governing coalitions.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Tel Aviv says coalition building in these circumstances will not be easy for Mr Netanyahu.

The prime minister will need the support of Mr Lapid, who wants to cut the privileges enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox Jews - about 10% of Israel's population - but also the parties which have traditionally defended those privileges, our correspondent adds.

'Heavy responsibility'

Addressing Likud supporters after preliminary results gave the right-wing bloc a one-seat parliamentary majority, Mr Netanyahu promised to form as "as broad a government as possible".

"It is an opportunity to make changes that the citizens of Israel wish upon themselves and that will serve all the citizens of Israel," he said.

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Yair Lapid

• Former TV news anchor whose journalist father headed now defunct Shinui Party
• Founded Yesh Atid in 2012
• Secular centrist who says Orthodox Jews should share the social burden
• Backs two-state solution through negotiations and retention of main Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank; opposes division of Jerusalem

Mr Netanyahu added: "The new government will be based on five principles: The first is security. We will meet the security threats Israel faces, first and foremost is stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

"The second principle is fiscal responsibility... The third is political responsibility - we will strive to achieve true peace. The fourth is ensuring the equal distribution of burden in society; and the fifth is cutting the cost of living and housing prices."

The third and fourth commitments appeared to be an appeal to Mr Lapid, who the prime minister also telephoned overnight. Mr Netanyahu was quoted by Likud as telling him: "We have the opportunity to do great things together."

Mr Lapid meanwhile told his supporters that Israel needed a government that would "bring about real change". He acknowledged that a "heavy responsibility has been placed upon our shoulders."

Labour party leader Shelly Yachimovich meanwhile said she had also initiated contacts aimed at forming a centre-left governing coalition.

"We have an opportunity here that we cannot miss to liberate the citizens of Israel from the abuse of the Netanyahu government. Since the fate of Israeli society is hanging in the balance, we must act quickly, discreetly and seriously," she added.

The leader of the largest party is usually asked by the president to form a government once the election commission submits the official results, which is expected to happen next Wednesday. They will be given 28 days to do so, although this can be extended by a further 14 days.

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Netanyahu faces Israeli voters

22 January 2013 Last updated at 06:13 ET

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Jon Donnison reports from Jerusalem's main market, where he says there is "little election fever"

Israelis are voting in a general election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to be returned to office with a reduced majority.

Polls suggest Mr Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu alliance has lost ground to a new right-wing rival, Habayit Hayehudi.

However, the ultra-nationalist party is still likely to join a coalition led by Mr Netanyahu.

First results are expected overnight, although the process of forming a government may take several weeks.

Unlike in previous elections, the parties' campaigns have focused largely on social and economic issues, rather than the prospects for a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians.

There have been unprecedented protests against the rising cost of living and a recent report said nearly one in four Israelis lived in poverty.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Soon after dawn at the Kol Israel Havarim High School in West Jerusalem, a trickle of Israeli voters were up early to cast their ballots. Party workers fuelled by strong coffee put up last-minute banners outside to try to sway opinion. But barring something dramatic Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is expected to keep his job.

For some the lack of suspense has been a little boring. "This is the sleepiest election we can remember," Gil Hoffman of the Jerusalem Post told me. "Everyone knows who's going to win." One voter said this week: "Bibi is strong. No Bibi, no nothing."

Security, never far from the minds of Israelis, is seen by many as Mr Netanyahu's strong point. The economy has also been a big issue. One issue conspicuous in its absence, though, has been Middle East peace, prospects for which are currently remote.

"The non-issues are the things people care about in England," Mr Hoffman said. "Palestinians, settlements and peace - people don't care about that." And that does not bode well for those hoping for an end to the Israel- Palestinian conflict.

'Something new'

More than 5.65 million people are eligible to vote on Tuesday, with the 10,131 polling stations scheduled to stay open until 22:00 (20:00 GMT).

Preliminary results are expected about two hours after voting ends, while the final outcome should be known by Wednesday morning. For the first time the public will be able to follow the counting of ballots in real time on a government website.

Thirty-four parties are competing under a system of proportional representation for the 120-member Knesset. Parties must win at least 2% of the total national votes to secure seats.

The Central Elections Committee said 26.7% of Israelis had voted as of 12:00, a three percentage point rise in turnout compared with 2009 vote.

According to final opinion polls, the joint electoral list of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party of his former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman will win about 32 seats.

That would be 10 fewer than the two parties' combined total from the last general election in 2009 but still enough to form a coalition with other right-wing and religious groups that would have a majority of about 63.

After voting early on Tuesday at a polling station in Jerusalem alongside his wife and two sons, the prime minister told reporters: "We want Israel to succeed, we vote Likud-Beitenu... The bigger it is the more Israel will succeed."

Likud-Beitenu's right-wing dominance has been challenged by Habayit Hayehudi, led by millionaire businessman Naftali Bennett - Mr Netanyahu's former chief-of-staff.

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Israeli elections

• Polls opened at 05:00 GMT; close 20:00 GMT
• 5,656,705 eligible voters
• 34 parties standing
• 120 seats contested
• parties elected by proportional representation

He has advocated annexing large parts of the occupied West Bank and rejected the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Mr Bennett said he was confident a strong result at a polling station on Tuesday, adding: "Something new is starting for the people of Israel."

Habayit Hayehudi is forecast to take up to 14 seats and become the third-largest party in the Knesset.

The second-largest party is expected to be Labour, which currently has eight seats but is predicted to make a comeback with about 17, due in large part to growing anger over the rising cost of living.

Labour's leader, Shelly Yachimovich, has ruled out joining a coalition led by Mr Netanyahu.

After casting her vote in Tel Aviv, Ms Yachimovich urged Israelis to reject Likud-Beitenu.

"This is not a dream, this can be done," she told reporters. "A few more mandates and Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) will not be prime minister."

The new secular centrist party, Yesh Atid (There is a Future), led by TV personality Yair Lapid, and centrist Hatnua (The Movement), led by former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, are also set to do moderately well. Both leaders have said they would consider joining a Netanyahu-led coalition.

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Manila 'taking sea row to court'

22 January 2013 Last updated at 05:48 ET

The Philippines says it will challenge Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea at a UN tribunal.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the decision came after Manila had exhausted "almost all political and diplomatic avenues" to resolve the maritime dispute with Beijing.

He said he hoped arbitration would help bring a "durable solution" to the row.

Tensions between the two have been high since a stand-off at the Scarborough Shoal - which both claim - last year.

China claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea; its claims overlap those of several South East Asian nations.

In recent months Beijing has taken a more assertive posture on the issue, leaving ties with both the Philippines and Vietnam severely strained.

'Nine-dash line'

In a statement, Mr del Rosario said his office had summoned the Chinese ambassador in Manila to inform her of the move.

He said Manila would take Beijing to an arbitration tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which both had signed.

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• Came into force in 1994 and has 164 signatories
• Aims to create stability, promote better management of ocean resources and address territorial disputes
• Sets territorial maritime limits to 12 nautical miles (22km/14 miles) and gives states exclusive exploitation rights over all natural resources within 200 nautical miles of shore
• Obliges all states to protect and preserve the marine environment
• States are obliged to accept outcome of arbitration rulings except where issues of sovereignty are at stake

He said in its submission, the Philippines had asserted that China's "nine-dash line" setting out its claims in the region was unlawful under UNCLOS.

China had "interfered with the lawful exercise by the Philippines of its rights within its legitimate maritime zones", it went on.

It said the Philippines wants the tribunal to declare China's nine-dash line invalid.

"We strongly believe that this action is the appropriate response to put our diplomatic relations in its proper context," Mr del Rosario said.

The Philippines said it expected legal proceedings to take between three and four years, based on previous cases.

Signatories to UNCLOS are obliged to go through an arbitration process in the event of a dispute with another party and to accept the resulting settlement, UNCLOS says on its website.

However, an exception is made where issues of national sovereignty are at stake.

Asean move

The Philippines is taking a risk with this move, says the BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila. It knows China will not like it and it is increasingly dependent on China economically.

But it also wants to safeguard its claim to what could be lucrative oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea, our correspondent says.

The row between Manila and Beijing has been rumbling since April 2012, when government vessels from both nations faced off for several weeks at the Scarborough Shoal.

Since then both the Philippines and Vietnam - which is in dispute with China over the Paracel islands - have sought to raise the issue through the Asean regional bloc, but claim Chinese pressure has forced the topic off the agenda.

China has in the past preferred to handle disputes on a bilateral level, rather than through regional groupings or international organisations.

China's claim includes almost the entire South China Sea, well into what UNCLOS recognises as the 200-mile-from-shore Exclusive Economic Zones of other claimants.

As well as the Philippines and Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

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