Thousands march for sacked Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro

Supporters of Mr Petro say an unelected prosecutor should not have the powers to dismiss an elected mayor

 

Tens of thousands of people in Colombia have been taking part in a demonstration in support of the sacked mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro.

Colombia's Inspector General, Alejandro Ordonez, announced on Monday that Mr Petro would have to leave office over the alleged mismanagement of the capital's rubbish collection service.

Mr Petro was also banned from holding public office for 15 years.

He says he will fight to reverse the decision. He is allowed to appeal.

Bolivar square in central Bogota was packed, in the biggest demonstration in support of the mayor so far.

Mr Petro, a former left-wing rebel, said he had been the victim of a "right-wing coup" by the Inspector General's Office.

Supporters of Mr Petro say an unelected prosecutor should not have the powers to dismiss an elected mayor

"Here we will define whether peace is possible or not, whether democracy is possible or not," Mr

Petro told supporters on the square.

He was a member of the M-19 rebel group, which signed a peace agreement with the government and gave up its armed struggle in 1990.
 
'Blow to peace'

The inspector general said the mayor had violated the principles of the free market and endangered people's health with a series of changes to the rubbish collection system.

In 2012, rubbish was left uncollected in Bogota for several days due to failures in the system.

The Colombian constitution gives the Inspector General's Office the power to oversee the performances of those holding public office.

Mr Petro's term started in 2012 and was supposed to end in 2016. He was a potential candidate for presidential elections in 2018.

The decision to remove him from office may have a negative impact on the peace talks the

Colombian government is holding with the country's largest rebel group, the Farc, says the BBC's

Arturo Wallace.

In a statement, the Farc called the decision "a serious blow" to the government's credibility.

The peace talks are aimed at ending five decades of conflict, with the rebels agreeing to join the legal political process.

 

Gunman dead after Centennial, Colorado, school shooting

Arapahoe County sheriff Grayson Robinson: "The suspect... has deceased as a result of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound"

 

A student at a Colorado school shot and wounded two students, one seriously, before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say.

The gunman brought a shotgun to the school and was looking for a specific teacher when confronted by a classmate, the Arapahoe County sheriff said.

The teacher left the school after learning he was a target.

The attack took place a day before the anniversary of a US primary school shooting which left 20 children dead.

Six adults were also murdered when Adam Lanza attacked Sandy Hook elementary school in

Newtown Connecticut. Small ceremonies are due to take place in the town on Saturday.
 

'Active shooter'

The suspect entered Arapahoe High School in Centennial at 12:33 local time (19:33 GMT), according to officials.

The BBC's Jonny Dymond: "The school is just eight miles from Columbine"

The school and others in the area were placed on lockdown.

Upon the initial reports of a shooting, heavily armed police trained in "active shooter" scenarios stormed the building, ordering students outside with their hands over their heads.

The 15-year-old female student who confronted and was shot by the suspect was in serious condition and undergoing surgery in hospital, the sheriff said.
Inside, they found another student who had apparently suffered a minor gunshot wound.

Authorities also found the student believed to be the gunman, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said.

"That individual is currently deceased and he apparently killed himself," he added.

Police have not yet released the name of the suspect but believe that he acted alone. Sheriff Robinson said they knew his identity.

He added that the shooting appeared to be an attempt at revenge following a disagreement between the suspect and the teacher he was looking for.

Two petrol bombs were also found inside the school.

The school has more than 2,200 students and 70 classrooms.

One student told a local CBS affiliate she heard three shots and hid in a locked room as teachers attempted to comfort those inside.

A school caretaker told local media he saw a student dressed in military-type clothing running through the school and took the threatened teacher outside.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper praised authorities' quick response to the incident on Friday.

Our "prayers are with the entire... community," he said.

The school is just eight miles (13km) east of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the site of a mass school shooting in April 1999 which left 14 students dead.

A report last month found that Adam Lanza, who carried out last year's Sandy Hook murders, had an obsession with mass killings, particularly the Columbine shootings.

 

China ready to land robot rover on Moon

The Jade Rabbit, seen in this artist's impression, will be the first wheeled vehicle on the Moon since the 1970s

 

China is set to land a robotic rover on the surface of the Moon, a major step in the Asian superpower's ambitious programme of space exploration.

On Saturday afternoon (GMT), a landing module will undergo a powered descent, using thrusters to perform the first soft landing on the Moon in 37 years.

Several hours later, the lander will deploy a robotic rover called Yutu, which translates as "Jade Rabbit".

The touchdown will take place on a flat plain called the Bay of Rainbows.

The Chang'e-3 mission launched on a Chinese-developed Long March 3B rocket on 1 December from Xichang in the country's south.

"On the evening of December 14, Chang'e-3 will carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface," said a post on the mission's official blog on Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

The task was described as the mission's "most difficult" in the post, written by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on behalf of the space authorities.

It is the third robotic rover mission to land on the lunar surface, but the Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload, including ground-penetrating radar which will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust.

The 120kg (260lb) Jade Rabbit rover can reportedly climb slopes of up to 30 degrees and travel at 200m (660ft) per hour.

Its name - chosen in an online poll of 3.4 million voters - derives from an ancient Chinese myth about a rabbit living on the moon as the pet of the lunar goddess Chang'e.


According to translated documents, the landing module will begin actively reducing its speed at about 15km from the Moon's surface.

When it reaches a distance of 100m from the surface, the craft will fire thrusters to slow its descent.

At a distance of 4m, the lander switches off the thrusters and free-falls to the lunar surface.

The Jade Rabbit is expected to be deployed on Saturday evening, driving down a ramp lowered by the Chang'e-3 landing module.

Reports suggest the lander and rover will photograph each other at some point on Sunday.

According to Chinese space scientists, the mission is designed to test new technologies, gather scientific data and build intellectual expertise.

Dean Cheng, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank in Washington DC, said China's space programme was a good fit with China's concept of "comprehensive national power". This might be described as a measure of a state's all-round capabilities.

Space exploration was, he told BBC News, "a reflection of your economic power, because you need spare resources to have a space programme. It clearly has military implications because so much space technology is dual use".

He added: "It reflects your scientific and technological capabilities, it supports your diplomacy by making you appear strong.

"China is saying: 'We are doing something that only two other countries have done before - the US and the Soviet Union."

Mr Cheng explained that the mission would provide an opportunity to test China's deep-space tracking and communications capability.

"The rover will reportedly be under Earth control at various points of its manoeuvres on the lunar surface," Mr Cheng wrote in a blog post.

"Such a space observation and tracking system has implications not only for space exploration but for national security, as it can be used to maintain space surveillance, keeping watch over Chinese and other nations' space assets."

The European Space Agency said it would provide communications support on the mission. Erik Sorenson, head of ground facilities at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, said Esa's tracking facilities would be able to reconstruct the craft's trajectory during descent and determine its precise location on the Moon.

China has been methodically and patiently building up the key elements needed for an advanced space programme - from launchers to manned missions in Earth orbit to unmanned planetary craft - and it is investing heavily.

The lander's target is Sinus Iridum (Latin for Bay of Rainbows) a flat volcanic plain thought to be relatively clear of large rocks. It is part of a larger feature known as Mare Imbrium that forms the right eye of the "Man in the Moon".

After this, a mission to bring samples of lunar soil back to Earth is planned for 2017. And this may set the stage for further robotic missions, and - perhaps - a crewed lunar mission in the 2020s.
"[Chang'e-3] is probably laying some of the groundwork for a manned mission," said Mr Cheng.

 

Japan and Asean nations seek 'freedom of overflight'

China's unilateral declaration of an air defence zone over the East China Sea - which includes disputed islands - has made its neighbours' hackles rise

 

Japan and SE Asian leaders have pledged to work together to ensure "freedom of overflight" in the region, in a move seen as a mild rebuke to China.

The announcement came at a summit in Tokyo, weeks after China's declaration of a new air defence zone overlapping areas claimed by Japan and South Korea.

Japan has been rallying support from 10 Asean nations, some of whom also have territorial disputes with China.

Earlier, PM Shinzo Abe unveiled a $20bn (£12bn) package of aid and loans.

It is part of Japan's apparent efforts to court its southern neighbours against a backdrop of Chinese expansion in the region.

The Tokyo summit marks 40 years of Japan's ties with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

Indonesia said good China-Japan ties were "critical" for the region.
'Unimpeded commerce'
Japanese and Asean leaders "agreed to enhance co-operation in ensuring freedom of overflight and civil aviation safety", said a passage in their statement quoted by AFP news agency.

The statement does not single out any particular country but is thought to be an allusion to the air defence zone above the East China Sea - the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) - unilaterally declared by China last month.

China had said that aircraft flying through the ADIZ - which covers an area containing disputed islands not controlled by China - must follow its rules, including filing flight plans and identifying themselves.

But it insists the ADIZ is not a no-flight zone.

The statement also refers "to the importance of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region and promoting maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce, exercise of self-restraint and resolution of disputes by peaceful means".

Commentators say Japan is trying to court its southern neighbours in an apparent bid to counter China's growing economic and military might

Mr Abe's financial package will be spread over five years, and will mostly take the form of concessional loans.

It will focus on development in the Mekong river region, which stretches from China in the north down through south-east Asia, and fund transport projects.

He said he wanted to build a future of Asia "where laws, rather than power, rule".

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said good relations between China and Japan were "critical to the future" of the region.

"Indonesia is deeply concerned at the prospect of the disputes erupting into open conflicts, which will have adverse impacts on all countries in the region," he said.

The Philippines, which is involved in an ongoing row with China over islands in the South China Sea, said it was committed to freedom of flight in international airspace without specifically mentioning China.

Zone defied

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked about the summit on Thursday, said the relevant countries should work to maintain regional stability.

The countries "in developing their relations, should not target third parties or hurt third-party interests", he said.

Military aircraft from the US, Japan and South Korea have defied the ADIZ, flying unannounced through the area.

Washington has called China's declaration of an ADIZ a bid to unilaterally change the status quo in the region. There are fears a similar zone will be declared above the resource-rich South China Sea, which China largely claims as its own.

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

 

Mandela goodbye for ANC members ahead of state funeral

Members of the African National Congress have been paying final tributes to Nelson Mandela at a ceremony ahead of Sunday's funeral.

President Jacob Zuma and other ANC leaders attended the ceremony at a Pretoria airbase.
Mr Mandela's coffin, draped with the ANC flag, was taken there from a mortuary in the city.

After the farewell ceremony, the coffin will be taken to Mr Mandela's ancestral home in Qunu, in the
Eastern Cape

More than 1,000 ANC members attended the memorial

At least 100,000 people saw the former South African president's body lying in state in Pretoria over the last three days, but some had to be turned away.

The 95-year-old former leader died on 5 December.

'Human chain'

More than 1,000 members of the ANC, which Mr Mandela once led, attended the ceremony at the Waterkloof air base.

US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and Ireland's Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams were among the foreign guests invited.

US Congress cross-party budget deal reached

Senator Patty Murray (right) and Congressman Paul Ryan (left) were picked to head a cross-party budget committee in the wake of an October government shutdown

A cross-party Congressional budget committee convened after an October government shutdown has reached an agreement to fund federal services.

The proposed deal finances the government for two years and reduces the federal deficit by $23bn (£14bn).

It also avoids another government shutdown on 15 January when government funding is scheduled to run out.

The new deal "cuts spending in a smarter way," Republican Congressman Paul Ryan said on Tuesday.

'Gridlock'

The budget deal also offsets $63bn in previously enacted automatic military and domestic spending cuts triggered in January when Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a budget compromise.

Mr Ryan and Democratic Senator Patty Murray, the respective chairs of the House and Senate budget committees, were called on to reach a cross-party budget deal in the wake of October's partial government shutdown over federal spending.

"We have broken through the partisanship and gridlock," Ms Murray said of the new deal.

Mr Ryan said he was optimistic the new budget agreement could pass both sides of the highly politically divided Congress.

The measure is expected to come to a vote before the House recesses for several weeks beginning on Friday.

According to the Congressional budget chairs, the new deal does not raise taxes but requires newly hired federal workers to make larger contributions to their pensions.

A federal airport security fee adding $5 to the cost of a typical return flight is also included.

Nature of compromise.

House Speaker John Boehner has publicly backed the cross-party budget deal (file photo)

Following the announcement on Tuesday, Republican House Speaker John Boehner called the "modest" cross-party deal a "positive step forward".

US President Barack Obama issued a written statement labelling the agreement "balanced" and "designed in a way that doesn't hurt our economy".

"This agreement doesn't include everything I'd like - and I know many Republicans feel the same way. That's the nature of compromise," he said.

But, "because it's the first budget that leaders of both parties have agreed to in a few years, the American people should not have to endure the pain of another government shutdown for the next two years," he added.

Government officials say the deal, totalling an estimated $85bn over the next decade, aims to carve $20bn out of the nation's $17 trillion debt.

Political rancour

The deal is expected to pass both houses of Congress, despite attempts by Conservative groups to persuade Republicans to oppose it.

Democratic lawmakers have also expressed frustration over a failed bid to extend benefits for people unemployed longer than 26 weeks.

That program will expire on 28 December, cutting off benefits to more than one million individuals.

But many have praised the cross-party deal as a crucial step forward after political rancour led to a 16-day government shutdown in October which halted many federal services across the country.

The manoeuvre is said to have cost the US economy $24bn, as projected by financial services company Standard & Poor's.

Under a temporary deal reached to end that political standoff, the newly-formed budget conference committee was given until 13 December to come up with a new deal or face triggering further automatic spending cuts.

Those cuts, estimated at $20bn, would come largely from the Pentagon, according to media reports.

 

 

Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade

The Senators debated the bill for nearly 12 hours before granting it final approval

 

Uruguay has become the first country in the world to make it legal to grow, sell and consume marijuana.

After nearly 12 hours of debate, senators gave the government-sponsored bill their historic final approval.

The law allowing registered Uruguayans over 18 to buy up to 40g (1,4oz) of the drug a month is not expected to come into force before April.

The government hopes it will help tackle drug cartels, but critics say it will expose more people to drugs.

Dozens of supporters of the bill proposed by the left-wing President Jose Mujica gathered outside the Congress in Montevideo to follow the vote.

Presenting the bill to fellow Senators, Roberto Conde said it was an unavoidable response to reality, given that the "war" against drugs had failed.

"We have the duty as the state to give a specific answer to an open territory, small and non-producing," Mr Conde said, adding that Uruguay's borders are used by cartels to smuggle drugs into neighbouring countries.

'Experiment on people'

But many senators also spoke out against the bill, before it was passed by 16 votes to 13 on Tuesday.
The opposition member Alfredo Solari said Uruguay should not "experiment" on its people.

"This project envisages a social engineering experiment and respects none of the ethic safeguards of experimentation on human beings, and these are important in the case of a substance like marijuana, which causes damage to human beings," Senator Solari told Reuters news agency.

The project had already been approved by Uruguay's lower house in July.

It had also drawn international criticism. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warned the law would "be in complete contravention to the provisions of the international drug treaties to which Uruguay is party".

Uruguayan marijuana users will have to register to buy the drug

The INCB is an independent body of experts established by the United Nations to monitor countries' compliance with international drug treaties.

The historic approval comes amid growing debate over drug legalisation in Latin America.

A group of former presidents and influential social figures, including Brazil's Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Mexico's Ernesto Zedillo and Colombian ex-leader Cesar Gaviria, have called for marijuana to be legalised and regulated.

But President Mujica recently asked during an interview why the former leaders only spoke out about the legalisation of marijuana after they had left office.

In July, without naming Uruguay directly, Pope Francis criticised drug legalisation plans during a visit to Brazil.

Nelson Mandela's body lying in state in Pretoria

WATCH: Family of Nelson Mandela and key officials see his body lying in state

 

The body of Nelson Mandela has arrived at the main government building in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, where it will lie in state for three days.

His remains were taken in procession from a hospital mortuary to the Union Buildings.

Members of the public lined the route to form a "guard of honour".

The public, invited heads of state and international guests will be able to view the body of the former president who died last Thursday, aged 95.

He will be buried in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of South Africans joined scores of world leaders for a national memorial service on Tuesday as part of a series of commemorations.

The body of Nelson Mandela arrived at Pretoria's Union Buildings early on Wednesday

Small crowds had gathered as Mr Mandela's body was driven through Pretoria

The mood was celebratory rather than sombre

His coffin was draped in the South African flag

Quick convoy

The procession left the city's 1 Military Hospital shortly after 07:00 (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday. The coffin could be seen inside a black hearse, draped in a South African flag.

It travelled along Kgosi Mampuru Street and Madiba Street on the way to the Union Buildings.

The hearse was in a long convoy with military outriders and military ambulances.

The convoy sped quickly through the streets, with some people running alongside the military guard, the BBC's Joseph Winter in Pretoria says.

Clashes as police try to dislodge Kiev protesters

Protesters faced off with police in Independence Square through the night and into the morning

Clashes have erupted outside city hall in the Ukrainian capital Kiev as police try to oust occupying protesters.

The clashes follow a night of scuffles and a stand-off after police moved in on a large protest camp in IndependenceSquare.

But more demonstrators have joined the protest in response to an opposition call for solidarity.

The government's decision to withdraw from a free-trade deal with the EU last month sparked huge street rallies.

Human walls

Police stormed city hall as they tried to dislodge protesters from the building.

Reports said protesters used hoses to fire icy water back at the police.

Protesters gathered around the police, chanting slogans against their action, said 5 Kanal TV station in scenes carried on a live feed from the protests.

Police had moved in on the protest at about 02:00 (24:00 GMT), saying they wanted to free up a passage through the square for traffic.

Protesters in hard hats locked arms to form human walls to try to resist the police push. At least nine people were detained.

There were calls for restraint from priests intoning prayers and pop singer Ruslana - urging "Do not hurt us!" - on a stage in the square. More people flooded into the square in response to pleas for solidarity.

The latest police action comes after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton held talks with President Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday.

Baroness Ashton, who was cheered by crowds when she visited Kiev's main protest site, said she was saddened that police had later used force to try to remove protesters.

"I was among you on Maidan [Independence Square] in the evening and was impressed by determination of Ukrainians demonstrating for European perspective of the country," she said in a statement posted on Facebook.

"Some hours later I observe with sadness that police uses force to remove peaceful people from the centre of Kiev. The authorities didn't need to act under the coverage of night to engage with the society by using police."

As morning rose in central Kiev, protesters continued their stand-off with riot police

Huge numbers of police approach the barricades of the protest camp overnight

A priest speaks to riot police as they block pro-European Union activists in Independence Square

Riot police and interior ministry officers dismantled some barriers and tents but met resistance from opposition supporters.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also condemned the action late on Tuesday.

"The United States expresses its disgust with the decision of Ukrainian authorities to meet the peaceful protest in Kiev's Maidan Square with riot police, bulldozers, and batons, rather than with respect for democratic rights and human dignity," he said.

"This response is neither acceptable nor does it befit a democracy."

President Yanukovych said on Monday that government officials could visit Brussels this week to resume talks on the EU association agreement.

His statement came after hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out in Kiev on Sunday, demanding the resignation of the government within 48 hours.

Several people were hurt on Monday night as riot police advanced on protesters, dismantling a number of barricades in the centre of the capital.
Government buildings are blockaded with cars, barricades and tents.

India top court reinstates gay sex ban

A 153-year-old colonial law describes a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence"

 

 

India's top court has upheld a law which criminalises gay sex, in a ruling seen as a major blow to gay rights.

 The Supreme Court ruling reverses a landmark 2009 Delhi High Court order which had decriminalised homosexual acts.

The court said it was up to parliament to legislate on the issue.
According to Section 377, a 153-year-old colonial law, a same-sex relationship is an "unnatural offence" and punishable by a 10-year jail term.

Several political, social and religious groups had petitioned the Supreme Court to have the law reinstated in the wake of the 2009 court ruling.
Correspondents say although the law has rarely - if ever - been used to prosecute anyone for consensual sex, it has often been used by the police to harass homosexuals.

Also, in a deeply conservative India, homosexuality is a taboo and many people still regard same-sex relationships as illegitimate.

'Black day'

"It is up to parliament to legislate on this issue," Justice GS Singhvi, the head of the two-judge Supreme Court bench, said in Wednesday's ruling, which came on his last day before retiring.

"The legislature must consider deleting this provision (Section 377) from law as per the recommendations of the attorney general," he added.

Gay rights activists have described Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling as "disappointing" and said they will approach the court to review its decision.

"Such a decision was totally unexpected from the top court. It is a black day," Arvind Narrain, a lawyer for the Alternative Law Forum gay rights group, told reporters.

"We are very angry about this regressive decision of the court," he said.

"This decision is a body-blow to people's rights to equality, privacy and dignity," G Ananthapadmanabhan of Amnesty International India said in a statement.

"It is hard not to feel let down by this judgement, which has taken India back several years in its commitment to protect basic rights," he added.

However, the ruling has been welcomed by religious groups, particularly leaders of India's Muslim and Christian communities, who had challenged the Delhi High Court order.

Many religious and political groups had opposed decriminalisation of gay sex

"The Supreme Court has upheld the century-old traditions of India, the court is not suppressing any citizen, instead it is understanding the beliefs and values of the large majority of the country,"

Zafaryab Jilani, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, told BBC Hindi.
In its 2009 ruling, the Delhi High Court had described Section 377 as discriminatory and said gay sex between consenting adults should not be treated as a crime.

The ruling was widely and visibly welcomed by India's gay community, which said the judgement would help protect them from harassment and persecution.

Are you in India? What is your reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling? Please send us your comments using the form below.

 

Congo rumba star Tabu Ley Rochereau mourned in Kinshasa

Thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have attended the state funeral of rumba star Tabu Ley Rochereau in the capital, Kinshasa.

 The day has been declared a national holiday and the funeral service took place at the parliament.

Tabu Ley, who died last month, wrote more 3,000 songs during his long career and was popular across much of Africa.

Speaking during the service, musician Koffi Olomide called for 9 December to be declared "national rumba day".

Tabu Ley was one of the pioneers of Congolese rumba, known as soukous, with lyrics usually sung in the local Lingala language.

Fans of all ages came to parliament for the service

Soukous comes from the French word for shake "secouer" and its dancers are renowned for their erotic moves.

 ''Tabu Ley Rochereau, our master, our guide and our father, was and will forever be the pride of the

Congolese nation," Mr Olomide, who is also a popular rumba musician, told the gathering of politicians, including the president, and other dignitaries.

"And so, respectfully, we ask President Joseph Kabila and his government to officially make the day of Tabu Ley's passing the national day for Congolese rumba and Congolese musicians.''
 
'Inspiration'

The BBC's Maud Jullien in Kinshasa says the parliament building is covered in posters of the man his fans call "Seigneur Ley".

People of all ages came to pay their last tributes to the musician, she says.

"I didn't go to school because I wanted to pay a tribute to Tabu Ley, a monument of African music," 18-year-old Joachim, who was amongst the crowd outside parliament, told the BBC

"His songs have become classics, and his lyrics are so true, even if he is not from our generation, we will remember him."

Inside the parliament, two of the stars many children spoke during the service.

It is thought he could have as many as 84 children, although he only officially recognised 49, our reporter says.

One of his sons, the French rapper Youssoupha, said he worshipped his father's work as an artist.

''He was the main inspiration for all the following generations of Congolese musicians, and will continue to be," he said.

"Could he have given a more extraordinary present to his culture than to make millions of Ivorians, Gabonese, Chadians, and even Cubans, sing in Lingala?''

After the service, fans prepared to follow the funeral cortege

Tabu Ley was born in the western city of Bandundu more than 70 years ago - his exact date of birth is not known - first singing in church and school choirs.

His career took off shortly before the country's independence from Belgium in 1960 when he moved to Kinshasa.

He went into exile in the 1980s during Mobutu Sese Seko's long rule, returning after his overthrow in 1997.

The musician then went into politics, serving amongst other roles as a deputy governor of Kinshasa and a provincial cultural minister.
He died in hospital in Belgium on 30 November and had not been well for some time.

Same-sex weddings to begin in March

The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaderships all backed the proposals

 

The first same-sex weddings can take place from 29 March 2014, Equalities Minister Maria Miller says. 

Initially it was thought the first same-sex marriage in England and Wales would not take place until the summer.

Couples wishing to be among the first to marry will need to give formal notice of their intention to marry on 13 March.

It comes after the government's controversial legislation on the issue received Royal Assent in July.
The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaderships all backed the proposals.

BBC political correspondent Norman Smith says it is understood the government, following the passing of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act, has been able to put in place the necessary arrangements much faster than previously thought.
 
'Open to everyone'

Ms Miller said: "Marriage is one of our most important institutions, and from 29 March 2014 it will be open to everyone, irrespective of whether they fall in love with someone of the same sex or opposite sex.

"This is just another step in the evolution of marriage and I know that many couples up and down the country will be hugely excited that they can now plan for their big day and demonstrate their love and commitment to each other by getting married."

Ms Miller added that she was "working hard" to ensure that couples who wanted to convert civil partnerships into marriages - and married people wanting to change their legal gender while remaining married - would be able to do so before the end of next year.

From June, people will also be able to take part in same-sex weddings in some British consulates and armed forces bases overseas or in military chapels.
 
'Historic step'

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights campaign group Stonewall, said he was "delighted" at the announcement.

He said: "This historic step will mean that, for the first time, every gay person in England and Wales will finally enjoy exactly the same rights as their heterosexual friends and family."

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said on Twitter: "Great news that same sex weddings will happen from 29th March 2014 #savethedate."

Under the terms of the bill, religious organisations will have to "opt in" to offering weddings, with the Church of England and Church in Wales being banned in law from doing so.

 

Garth Brooks to go on world tour

Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2012

US country singer Garth Brooks is to embark on a world tour, more than 10 years after he last hit the road.

Brooks, 51, retired from recording new music and touring in 2001 so that he could see his three daughters grow up.

"My children are off on their own, so the guilt of not being there ... I'm a phone-call dad now," the singer told ABC's Good Morning America programme.

Brooks' hits include The Thunder Rolls and Unanswered Prayers. He has sold more than 125 million albums.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA,) he is the second best-selling solo albums artist of all time in the US behind Elvis Presley

"It sure feels good to get to throw your hat back in the ring," Brooks told Good Morning America.

Brooks said the tour would take place in 2014 although there was no detail on where it would take him.

The country star, who has sold more than 125 million albums, played occasional concerts during his hiatus but never went on tour. He began performing concerts in Las Vegas in 2009.

Ukraine crisis: Western diplomats bid to end stand-off

Steve Rosenberg reports from the protest camps.

Top Western diplomats are arriving in Kiev as police move to break the blockade of Ukrainian government buildings by pro-EU protesters.

US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met leading opposition politicians and was due to have talks with President Viktor Yanukovych.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is also due in the city.
Mr Yanukovych has reportedly indicated he may be willing to help free people arrested during the protests.
One of his predecessors as president of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, made the remark after talks with Mr Yanukovych and two other former presidents, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko.
Scores of people were injured and at least 31 arrests were made in clashes between police and protesters at the end of last month..
Several people were also hurt overnight as riot police advanced, before a deadline for protesters to lift their blockade.

Ms Nuland met Ukrainian opposition politicians (from left) Oleh Tyahnybok, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitaly Klitschko.

Riot police are guarding government buildings in Kiev to keep away demonstrators.

Protesters remain camped out in the snow, warming themselves around wood fires.

But no action was taken against the main opposition camp on Independence Square, where about 2,000 protesters remained on Tuesday morning, huddling around braziers to keep warm, Reuters news agency reports.

On Sunday, at least 100,000 protesters turned out, demanding the resignation of the government within 48 hours.

The political crisis began when Ukraine decided not to sign a landmark EU free-trade deal last month, while under pressure to strengthen economic ties with Russia.

The European Commission says the EU's offer of an association agreement with Ukraine remains on the table, provided Ukraine meets the conditions, which cannot be renegotiated.
'Serious risk'
A police raid on Monday on the headquarters of Ukraine's biggest opposition party, Fatherland, led Baroness Ashton to express concern and urge restraint on the eve of her visit.

Computer servers were removed during the raid on the party led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been in prison since 2011 over a controversial gas contract with Russia.

"I follow with concern the reports that police forces forcibly entered the office of the biggest opposition party," Baroness Ashton said in a statement.

She said the timing, just ahead of the talks proposed by Mr Yanukovych, "seriously risk to derail the process".

At least some people were hurt in scuffles with police overnight.

The protesters have vowed to defend Independence Square, the focal point of the demonstrations

Photos were released on Tuesday of Ms Nuland meeting Vitaly Klitschko, the heavyweight boxing champion who leads the Udar (Punch) party, as well as Arseniy Yatsenyuk, of Tymoshenko's

Fatherland party, and Oleh Tyahnybok, of the far-right Svoboda party.
In Moscow earlier, the US diplomat expressed "deep concern" about events in Ukraine, stressing

Washington's support for Ukrainians' "European choice".
She "urged Russia to use its influence to press for peace, human dignity and a political solution", the

US embassy in Moscow said in a statement.
 
Scuffles

After talks with Mr Yanukovych, Mr Kravchuk said the current president would decide whether arrested demonstrators should be freed "while not intervening in the work of the courts".

The street protests, the biggest since 2004, have invited parallels with that time. On each of the last three Sundays, crowds estimated at 100,000 or more have flooded central Kiev.

On Monday, phalanxes of riot police, their helmets caked in snow, moved to clear Kiev's government district of protesters, tearing down barricades leading to the presidency, cabinet offices and parliament.

Scuffles broke out and, while there were no immediate official reports of injuries, members of Svoboda said several people had been hurt. Two police officers were also reportedly injured.

The unrest in Kiev and other parts of Ukraine escalated after police used violence against protesters on 30 November.

The crisis has highlighted divisions in Ukraine, with many in the east of the country more sympathetic to Russia, and opposing both closer links with the EU and the anti-government protests.

Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria

A news conference calling for the men's release was held in Beirut

 Two Spanish journalists have been kidnapped in Syria by a radical Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda.

El Mundo reporter Javier Espinosa and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova were seized by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis).

The newspaper said they were taken at a checkpoint in northern Raqqa province near the Turkish border.

The BBC's Paul Wood in Beirut says Isis assumes that all foreign journalists and aid workers are spies.

The high risk of kidnapping has made rebel-held areas of Syria a black hole where few foreign journalists - or aid workers - will venture, he adds.

El Mundo said the two men had been trying to leave Syria at the end of a two-week reporting mission when they were taken on 16 September.

Four members of the Free Syrian Army - the main Western-backed rebel group - who were protecting them were also captured. The four were later released.

The Spanish daily said news of the kidnapping was kept quiet while it held indirect communications with the captors, who have still not made any demands.

Hours after the newspaper announced the kidnapping, Mr Espinosa's wife spoke at an emotional news conference in Beirut, urging the journalists' captors to free them.

Monica Prieto said the pair had "travelled a dozen times to Syria to document war crimes, risking their lives, and becoming brothers with the Syrians in their fear, misery and humanitarian crisis".

"Javier and Ricardo are not your enemy. Please, honour the revolution they protected, and set them free."
 
'Scores held'
Mr Espinosa has been a Middle East correspondent for El Mundo since 2002 and is based in Beirut.

Mr Vilanova has worked for various news outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the AFP news agency.

Our correspondent says the two are believed to be in an Isis jail in the northern city of Raqqa with a number of other foreigners - and dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Syrians.

Many kidnappings have not been made public but it is thought there are between 20 and 30 aid workers and journalists currently in captivity, our correspondent adds.

The group Reporters Without Borders calls Syria the most dangerous country for journalists.

At least 25 have been killed, along with as many as 80 citizen journalists and bloggers, and many others have gone missing since the conflict began in March 2011.

More than 100,000 people have died since rebels took up arms against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The conflict has displaced five million inside the country and created another two million refugees.

South Korea warns of North Korea's 'reign of terror'

Seoul believes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is strengthening his power

South Korea's president has warned that ties with the communist North could become more unstable following the removal of a major powerbroker.

President Park Geun-hye said the North was "carrying out a reign of terror", after news of the purge of Chang Song-thaek, uncle of leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea confirmed on Monday that Mr Chang was stripped off official posts.

The move has been seen as the biggest shake-up in Pyongyang since the death of leader Kim Jong-il in December 2011.

"North Korea is currently carrying out a reign of terror, undertaking a large-scale purge in order to strengthen Kim Jong-un's power," Ms Park said during a cabinet meeting.

"From now on, South-North Korea relations may become more unstable."

Mr Chang, who is married to Kim Jong-il's sister, was seen as a powerful figure guiding the administration of Kim Jong-un.

But on Monday, North Korean state media confirmed South Korean reports that he had fallen from grace, accusing him of forming factions against the state, corruption and "depraved" acts such as womanising and drug abuse.

North Korea television also broadcast images of the once-powerful man being removed from a meeting by guards.

'Internal politics'
State news agency KCNA on Tuesday reported on a meeting of the Workers' Party central committee on 8 December that it said laid bare Mr Chang's crimes.

It said that Mr Chang's group dared to "challenge the party through factional acts, while attempting to undermine the unitary leadership of the party".

"The party eliminated Jang [Chang] and decisively purged his group, dealing a telling blow at its dangerous factional acts," KCNA said.

The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, for its part, carried an editorial on its front page on Tuesday calling for unity under Kim Jong-un and said North Korea would "never forgive any traitors".

Meanwhile, China - one of North Korea's closest allies - described Mr Chang's case as "internal politics".

"As a friendly neighbour of the DPRK [North Korea], we hope they will maintain national stability, and ensure the development and well-being of the people," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei in a regular press briefing.

The ministry's call for stability in the North was echoed in Chinese media, who said that this was in Beijing's best interest.

The Global Times newspaper says China "should help bring about Kim Jong-un's visit to China" soon, which it says would "benefit the North's long-term stability and bilateral friendly ties".

The US has not issued a formal statement on Mr Chang's purge so far.

A party veteran and major administration figure, Mr Chang served as vice-chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission and was believed to have considerable influence over Kim Jong-un.

Breast implants: PIP's Jean-Claude Mas gets jail sentence

It was one of the biggest trials in French legal history

The boss of a French company which distributed defective breast implants around the world has been sentenced to four years in prison for fraud.

Jean-Claude Mas, the founder of the PIP company, was also fined 75,000 euros (£63,000) by a court in Marseille.

The company's sale of faulty implants caused a global health scare with an estimated 300,000 women in 65 countries affected.

The company used sub-standard silicone gel, causing many implants to rupture.
Four other former PIP executives were also convicted and given lesser sentences.

With more than 5,000 women registered as plaintiffs in the case, the trial was considered one of the biggest in French legal history.

The health scare came to public attention in 2011 when the French government recommended that women have PIP implants removed due to an abnormally high rupture rate.

There was confusion as British health authorities said there was no need for routine removal - though they later agreed to replace the implants to put women's minds at rest.

The issue of whether the sub-standard silicone used in the implants posed any danger was not resolved by the trial, AFP news agency notes.
'Under-reported'
Mas, 74, showed no sign of emotion as sentence was passed. His defence lawyer, Yves Haddad, said he planned to appeal.
He and the others had all admitted to fraud.

This is a PIP breast implant with its company identity card

Thousands of PIP implants burst

PIP's director-general was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended.
The company's head of quality control received two years, one of them suspended, and the head of research and development was sentenced to 18 months, suspended.
Throughout the trial, Mas had denied the silicone used was harmful while all but one of the other defendants said they had not been aware of the risks.
When an implant ruptures, the silicone gel filling can leak into the body. Some women will not notice anything at all, and there is no evidence of an increased cancer risk.
However, it can result in the formation of scar tissue that can change the shape and feel of the breast. The gel can be an irritant, causing pain and inflammation. It can also be more difficult to remove an implant once it has ruptured.
France's Health Products Agency (ANSM) has to date registered more than 7,500 implant ruptures and 3,000 cases of undesirable effects, mainly inflammations, among the 30,000 women using PIP products in France.
In a report released in June, the ANSM noted: "Taking into account the known under-reporting of medical device incidents, the number of women actually explanted may be greater than the number of cases reported to the agency."
'Too little' Isabelle Traeger, who received a PIP implant and attended the trial, said earlier that four years would be too little for what Mas had done.
"They explained what was in them [the implants]," she told Reuters news agency.
"Inflammable substances, substances to make your car work, and that at a certain point they said to the engineer who made them, 'How did you make them? How did you mix together these substances?' And he said, 'You use your best guess'.
"And then they asked him, 'Could you repeat what you just said?'. ' You use your best guess'. Which explains why there were women in the room who had been much more seriously affected, as well as others who actually are coping quite well.
"Can you imagine? It's a matter of chance. A dollop more, a bit more, a bit less. And he'll get four years for that? For what is put in your body using one's best guess. We don't even give horses their food according to a 'best guess'."
A UK report into the the PIP implant scandal concluded that the gel material was not toxic or carcinogenic, and did not cause a long-term threat to human health.
Nonetheless Mas and others have also been charged in separate and ongoing manslaughter and financial fraud investigations into the scandal.
The manslaughter inquiry is related to the suspicious 2010 death from cancer of a woman who was fitted with PIP implants.

French soldiers killed in Central African Republic

French soldiers have been disarming militia fighters in the capital Bangui

Two French soldiers have been killed in combat in the Central African Republic, the French presidency says.

A statement said President Francois Hollande "learned with deep sadness" that the two had been killed overnight in the capital Bangui.

They are the first French deaths since France deployed 1,600 soldiers to the CAR last week in a UN-backed operation.
The CAR has been in chaos since rebel leader Michel Djotodia ousted President Francois Bozize in March.

He installed himself as the first Muslim leader in the Christian-majority country sparking months of bloody clashes between rival Muslim and Christian fighters.
Claude Bartolone, speaker of France's National Assembly, told reporters that the two paratroopers had been involved in a clash near Bangui airport.

BBC Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman explains the background to the crisis

"They were injured and very quickly taken to the surgical unit, but unfortunately they could not be saved," he said.

The statement from President Hollande's office said the soldiers had "lost their lives to save many others".

"The president expresses his profound respect for the sacrifice of these two soldiers and renews his full confidence in the French forces committed - alongside African forces - to restoring security in the Central African Republic, to protecting the people and guaranteeing access to humanitarian aid," it said.

Fighting between Christians and mainly Muslim Seleka rebels has claimed many lives

A Christian mob attacked a mosque in Bangui on Tuesday

 

President Hollande is attending Nelson Mandela's memorial service in South Africa and is due to travel on to Bangui later on Tuesday.

The BBC's Thomas Fessy in the northern town of Bossangoa says French troops - along with African peacekeepers - launched an operation on Monday to forcibly disarm militiamen as well as predominantly Muslim fighters who claimed to be part of the new national army.

Tensions remain high in the country, our correspondent adds.
Extra French troops were sent into the CAR last Friday after the UN Security Council backed a mandate to restore order "by all necessary measures" the previous evening.

The UN resolution followed a surge of violence involving Christian self-defence militias that had sprung up after a series of attacks by mainly Muslim fighters from the former rebel coalition.

The Red Cross said 394 people were killed in three days of fighting in Bangui. Many of the victims are believed to have been children.

The French army said it has restored some stability in the capital by Monday night.
Following a request from France, the US announced on Monday it would help fly African Union peacekeeping troops into the CAR.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered US forces "to begin transporting forces from Burundi to the Central African Republic," his spokesman said.

US President Barack Obama has called for calm and asked the CAR's transitional government to arrest those who are committing crimes.

France's defence minister has said fighters loyal to interim president Michel Djotodia must return to barracks and the other fighters would have to surrender their weapons.

France said on Saturday that the African Union would increase the size of its existing force of 2,500 peacekeepers to 6,000.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that as many as 9,000 peacekeepers would be required in the CAR, and he hoped they would eventually become a United Nations operation.

An estimated 10% of the CAR's 4.6 million people have fled their homes, while more than a million urgently need food aid, according to the UN

Dubai International Film Festival

Past Dubai Film Festivals have been attended by the starry likes of Tom Cruise, George Clooney, HM Queen Noor of Jordan and Omar Sharif, and its slogan is “Bridging cultures. Meeting minds.” This year is the festival’s 10th anniversary. More than US$575,000 in prize money is awarded.

There is also much for the public to enjoy. The Rhythm and Reels segment of the festival follows film screenings with live music performances. The selection of films on show to the public is diverse, and falls into various categories, among them Arabian Nights, Gulf Voices, Cinema of the World, Celebration of Indian Cinema, Cinema of Asia and Africa and Cinema for Children.

Nelson Mandela death: Crowds gather to pay tribute

Large crowds of South Africans have spent a second night on the streets to pay tribute to former leader Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday aged 95.
People have been remembering his legacy, dancing and singing in front of Mr Mandela's former home in Soweto.

He is to be accorded a state funeral on Sunday 15 December, President Jacob Zuma announced.
Mr Mandela spent 27 years in jail before becoming South Africa's first black president in 1994.

His administration replaced the racist white-minority regime that had enforced segregation of black and white people in a policy known as apartheid.

Mr Mandela went on to become one of the world's most respected statesmen.
South Africans across the country have been saying prayers, singing anti-apartheid songs and lighting candles.

Hundreds are gathered outside Mr Mandela's home in Johannesburg's northern suburb of Houghton, where he died.

They have been sharing memories of the former leader, recounting how they drew inspiration from his life.

A stage has been erected near the house, from where priests have led the crowd in prayers.
One of his grandsons. Mbuso Mandela, laid wreaths in his grandfather's memory.

People have also been gathering before the Union Buildings in the administrative capital Pretoria.
"I was born after he became president and I just remember the South Africa he left to us, the South

Africa he gave to us," one mourner at the site was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"So today will be a good day to give him, some flowers to remember him and the South Africa he fought for."

President Zuma visited the house on Friday to pay his respects.
At a news conference, Mr Zuma outlined a week of events to mourn the former president.

• Sunday will be an official day of prayer and reflection with special religious services

• On Tuesday, a service of national mourning will be held at a 95,000-seater stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg

• Mr Mandela's body will lie in state from Wednesday to Friday in the capital, Pretoria

Next Sunday's funeral will be held in the village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, where Mr Mandela grew up. South African Airways has announced that it will provide extra flights to Qunu for mourners.

Hundreds have attended an interfaith remembrance service outside Cape Town's City Hall. The Johannesburg stock exchange suspended operations for five minutes on Friday as a mark of respect.
Criticism
"We sincerely thank all South Africans for the dignified manner in which they have respected and responded to the monumental loss of this international icon," Mr Zuma said.







Speaking in Cape Town, Mr Mandela's long-time ally, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, described him as an "incredible gift" to South Africa.

"He taught us extraordinarily practical lessons about forgiveness, compassion and reconciliation."
He also cited Mr Mandela's weaknesses, including "his steadfast loyalty to his organisation and some of his colleagues who ultimately let him down".

Mr Mandela had been receiving treatment at home for a recurring lung illness since September, when he was discharged from hospital.

As soon as the news of his death broke late on Thursday, small crowds began to gather in Soweto's Vilakazi Street, where Mr Mandela lived in the 1940s and 1950s.

Across the world, leaders, celebrities and members of the public have been paying tribute.

Pope Francis said Mr Mandela had forged "a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of non-violence, reconciliation and truth".
Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply saddened" to learn of Mr Mandela's death and said she remembered her meetings with him "with great warmth".

Dog dies

World's ugliest dog dies

World's ugliest dog dies

Beloved, officially ugly dog Elwood dies

It's a fact: Elwood was ugly. And he was loved.

Now, he's gone.

Karen Quigley told CNN on Saturday that Elwood, her Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix that shot to national prominence after winning the World's Ugliest Dog Contest in 2007, had died.

"The best part was he did not suffer, he was in my arms and with me," Quigley said from her home in Sewell, New Jersey, 15 miles east of Philadelphia.

"I couldn't be more proud that people who haven't met him loved him ... I couldn't be more proud."

Elwood was a mere 2-years-old -- barely a teenager in dog years -- when people outside southern Jersey first saw his distinctive mug. As Quigley explained in 2007, "He just doesn't have any teeth on the left side of his mouth, so there's nothing to keep his tongue in there. It never goes in. It's out all the time."

Asked by CNN how people tended to react upon seeing him, his owner said they're typically "stunned ... Sometimes they're not even sure if it's a dog."

Not that Elwood minded.

"He's very confident in his looks," Quigley said. "He thinks he's very handsome."

The judges at the World's Ugliest Dog Contest -- an annual event held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California -- apparently did not agree. His looks landed him the title, as well as fans from Brazil to Germany and beyond.

Not that it changed him, with Quigley saying his life's lesson is that "you don't have to be perfect to be special."

"For a little dog he touched a lot of lives in his short time," she said Saturday. "He did a lot of things."

On Thanksgiving morning, after 8 years "filled with love and devotion," Elwood died. Quigley said she didn't know his cause of death, only that he had recently fallen ill.

She added, "He was a big part of my life, and my heart."