Saudi activist calls for abuse law

13 February 2013 Last updated at 09:05 GMT A Twitter campaign to criminalise violence against women and children has been launched in Saudi Arabia A Saudi Arabian human rights activist has called for a child abuse law in the kingdom after a five-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her father.

Writing in a Saudi paper, Prof Fawziah al Bakr said existing laws needed "to catch up with Saudi society."

Fayhan al-Ghamdi, an Islamic cleric, is on trial, charged with beating to death his daughter, Lama.

Erroneous reports that he was freed after paying "blood money" drew outrage in the kingdom and around the world.

"The absence of laws [to protect women and children] produce cases like Lama, who die waiting for justice, and this absence of legislation will keep producing others like Lama we may or may not know about," Prof al Bakr wrote in Al Jazirah.

The Saudi Ministry of Justice denied reports that Mr al-Ghamdi had been released after paying 200,000 riyals ($50,000; £31,500) to Lama's mother, saying the case against the cleric was continuing and he remained in jail.

But for Professor al Bakr, Lama's story underlined the urgent need for legislation in a country where women's rights campaigners say that domestic violence is a growing but rarely acknowledged issue, says the BBC's Gulf analyst Bill Law.

Writing of changes to Saudi society, she argued that "in the past, it was acceptable to address similar cases within the context of the family and neighbourhood" but that was no longer true.

"It is time to wake up," she wrote, adding: "our modern times have seen a shift in how we define and view terms like childhood, abuse, neglect and other terms relating to rights in modern social institutions."

"There is an immediate need to call for a draft law that clearly defines all forms of abuse including verbal, psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. [These] behaviours should be clearly identified by lawmakers and sharia [Islamic] laws and codified."

Professor al Bakr's article adds weight to a Twitter campaign launched by the women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif.

That campaign is using the hashtag "Ana Lama" (Arabic for "I am Lama") to demand legislation criminalising violence against women or children.

With concern over the issue growing, the Saudi authorities have recently said a 24-hour hotline will be set up to take calls about child abuse.

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SA university closed after protests

13 February 2013 Last updated at 13:34 GMT Students barricaded the campus entrance and blocked staff from getting to work South Africa's Fort Hare University has shut down its main campus following violent student protests over a 90% rise in residence fees.

University officials said the intimidation of staff and the destruction of property had resulted in the campus' closure until next Tuesday.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse students burning tyres on Monday.

Fort Hare was once a famous university, where African leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe studied.

Continue reading the main story

Four students cannot be expected to share a room, which has been originally created for two students”

End Quote Athol Trollip Democratic Alliance Twenty-one students were arrested for public violence and released on warning after Monday's protest at the university's campus in the town of Alice in Eastern Cape province.

Students barricaded the campus entrance and blocked staff from getting to work.

Mvuyo Tom, the university 's vice-chancellor, says they may be forced to close the 97-year-old institution if the violent protest continued.

The university obtained an interdict to stop students from further disrupting activities and vandalising property on Monday.

Student Representative Council (SRC) leader at the university, Andile Gama, denied that the students protested in defiance of the court order.

"We are planning to appeal the interdict because the management has not answered to our grievances."

Students have been demanding a reversal of a 90% rise in the university's residence fees.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has condemned the closure of the campus.

African leaders like Robert Mugabe and Nelson Mandela got their first taste of politics at Fort Hare

"The 90% increase in residence fees is unacceptable as most of the students are from poor family backgrounds," said DA regional leader Athol Trollip.

Mr Trollip said they were also shocked to hear of the living conditions of the students.

"Four students cannot be expected to share a room, which has been originally created for two students," he said.

Fort Hare University is one South Africa's oldest learning institutions and carries a great deal of history.

Many anti-apartheid activists, as well as regional leaders who fought colonial rule, got their first taste of politics decades ago as students studying there.

Mr Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president, was expelled from Fort Hare in 1940 for political activism and Mr Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, won a scholarship to study there in 1949.

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New owl species is described

14 February 2013 Last updated at 02:59 New owl species Otus jolande, found in Lombok, Indonesia A new species of owl discovered in Lombok, Indonesia, has been formally described by scientists.

The Rinjani Scops owl (Otus jolandae) was discovered by two separate researchers just days apart in September 2003.

The "common" owl is the first endemic bird species recorded on the island of Lombok.

The first study of the species, by an international team of scientists, is published in the journal PLoS One.

Lead researcher George Sangster, from Stockholm University's Department of Zoology in Stockholm, Sweden, described his first encounter with the new species.

"I found the new owl on 3 September 2003, and Ben King found it independently at a different location on 7 September 2003."

"I was on Lombok to collect sound recordings of the local population of a species of nightjar. On the first night I arrived on Lombok, we heard the vocalisations of an owl that [I was] not familiar with."

Coincidentally researcher Ben King, from the Ornithology Department, American Museum of Natural History in New York, USA, was in Lombok at the same time, recording the same nightjar species even though the researchers had never met.

Mr King commented, "My experience was similar to George's. While I was tape-recording the nightjar, I heard a song that sounded like an owl, but unlike any I'd heard in years of field work in Indonesia."

Initially Mr Sangster was not certain whether it was a previously known species from Java and Bali that for some reason had been overlooked on Lombok.

This explanation was quickly ruled out when he played back the sound recordings of the owl.

"When we first heard them, the owls were very vocal, and either involved in a duet (of male and female) or a duel (between two males).

Because we were not sure which species this was, we made recordings and played it back.

Owls are territorial, so when their sound is played back in their territory, the owl usually comes to investigates the 'intruder'."

The owls responded strongly to the recordings and approached the researchers, meaning they had a clear view of the owls.

This meant that the volcalisations were indeed the song,a crucial piece of information according to researchers.

Researchers attracted the owls by playing back sound recordings

The Rinjani Scops owls initially looked very similar to the Moluccan Scops owl, a species of owl that was reported to occur on Lombok.

However, their whistles sounded completely different from the "raven-like croak" of the Moluccan Scops Owl.

The researchers only realised that they had in fact discovered a new species when they checked the taxonomic literature and examined their recordings more closely.

Previously no endemic species of birds from the island of Lombok were known.

To verify their findings the scientists studied plumage differences in museums, took measurements of various body parts and analysed the songs.

They used playback in the field to determine which species are present on Lombok and Sumbawa, before using DNA data to compare all relevant species.

Further finds

Mr Sangster explained that there may be further undiscovered bird species in Indonesia.

"Several species have already been announced in the scientific literature but await formal description. There are probably several other species of Scops owls in Indonesia that remain overlooked, even if they are already named.

Until recently, many species of owls were included as 'subspecies' of highly variable, widespread species. Step-by-step, we are learning that this is not always correct, and that some of those are better considered as species."

Mr Sangster was most surprised by how common this new species was. The researchers found the owls at several locations and often heard multiple individuals calling from different directions.

He suggested how this discovery can have long-reaching implications for study.

"In the past, ornithologists and birdwatchers have largely ignored the island because, unlike Java, Bali, Flores and other islands in the region, no bird species were unique to it," he told BBC Nature.

"Our study underscores that even after 150 years of scientific study we still do not know all birds in the Indo-Malayan region. In fact, Indonesia is a treasure trove for taxonomists."

Join BBC Nature on Facebook and Twitter @BBCNature.

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Dorner's 'last stand' after hiding in plain sight

13 February 2013 Last updated at 19:47 GMT By Alastair Leithead BBC News, Big Bear Lake Police originally thought the trail had gone cold after searching house-by-house in Big Bear Lake Thick snow still blankets the small ski town of Big Bear Lake after a weekend storm which had hindered the search for Christopher Dorner.

A massive manhunt led sheriffs here last week after the 33-year-old's truck was found burning on a mountain road.

The authorities went from house to house in the snow, looking for the ex-policeman who was suspected of double murder and of killing a former colleague while on the run.

They used snow cat vehicles to scour the area for any sign of the 270lb (122kg) African American, who was not thought to have had any winter survival training.

'Heartbroken'

The ex-Navy reservist and former police officer was heavily armed. As the trail appeared to go cold, there was speculation that someone else was involved - or that the burning car was a decoy.

Security was stepped up across southern California and there were long delays at the US-Mexico border as every vehicle was searched.

But it appears he was hiding out in one of the hundreds of mountain cabins in the centre of town - just half a mile from the police control centre.

"We haven't had so much excitement around here in 20 years since that armed bank robbery," one local said, getting a coffee as this tourist city 7,000ft (2,133m) up in the mountains could finally relax.

Ron White, from Big Bear Donuts, said the locals weren't afraid: "He was targeting police, not us."

Footage has emerged of the gunfight which took place at the cabin

The mayor of Big Bear Lake had said he was more worried that anyone who saw Dorner might have taken the law into their own hands.

"We are certainly very relieved that residents and tourists are now safe," Mayor Jay Obernolte told the BBC as police were still trying to identify the charred remains found in the burned-out cabin.

"But we are also heartbroken that we lost a sheriff's deputy. Our thoughts go out to his family."

He praised the action of the law enforcement agencies.

When asked how they could have missed the suspect in their search, he explained many of the cabins are holiday homes, locked up and left empty. Police could not just smash down every single door.

Who started fire?

But when Dorner decided to make a run for it back down the mountain and stole a car, the alarm was quickly raised and police were soon in pursuit.

Continue reading the main story Feb 3: Allegedly kills Monica Quan, 28, the daughter of a police captain who assisted Dorner in his disciplinary hearings, and her fiance Keith Lawrence, 27, in Los AngelesFeb 7: Shoots at two officers in Riverside, California, killing one instantly and injuring the otherFeb 7: Dorner's truck found burning in Big Bear, CaliforniaFeb 9: A man alleging to be Dormer calls Quan's fatherFeb 12: Dorner is located at a cabin in Big Bear, ensuing shoot-out leaves one officer dead, two injuredThere was an intense gunfight as he tried to escape from a mountain lodge he had barricaded himself into, no doubt aware from his military training that he would be surrounded.

The mountain roads were sealed off as dozens of police, FBI agents, sheriffs and snipers moved in.

Journalists followed the operation as it unfolded by listening into police radios.

From the recordings, since posted online, it appeared the police may have started the fire, which soon overwhelmed the wooden building.

As the lodge burned and there were mixed reports about whether or not a body had been found in the building, the authorities appeared pretty confident they had got their man.

At an Italian restaurant in Big Bear, staff and diners were relieved to hear the manhunt was finally over.

It might be a stereotype but when they said "it's such a calm place - nothing like that ever happens here", it seemed accurate in this laidback mountain town.

'Ghost town'

"A lot of citizens were worried," one diner told me. "As soon as people heard what was going on, this place was like a ghost town."

It's peak ski season and there's a great combination of California sunshine and well-covered slopes - the bars and restaurants are normally heaving.

Christopher Dorner had been inside this cabin a half-mile away from the police command centre

On Wednesday morning police were still blocking roads approaching the valley where the manhunt had come to an end.

The news helicopters buzzing overhead showed there was little left of the lodge but burned timbers.

It could be some time before forensic scientists can confirm the body is Dorner, but the manhunt is over.

Life here and down the mountain in Los Angeles, is getting back to normal.

Most of the protection teams deployed to guard dozens of potential targets of the former cop's grudge have returned to normal duty - LAPD is no longer on high alert.

Efforts now will switch to establishing what drove this disgruntled former employee to go on a deadly rampage as some form of revenge.

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How safe do women feel on a night out?

13 February 2013 Last updated at 10:50 GMT For many young people around the world, a night out often involves seeing friends, dancing and drinking - and it's not only on St Valentine's day that romance is on the agenda. But as these young women from five cities around the world explain, personal safety is rarely far from their minds.

Thursday is the big night out for me in Ramallah. I like to go wherever there is good music and good company. I like drinking shots - fewer calories, instant effect.

I love to dance, so I never wear heels. I like to make a statement with what I am wearing. As Oscar Wilde put it, you can never be over-dressed or over-educated.

There's a thin line between sexy and slutty. Cross that line and you won't be taken seriously, but you will certainly get the attention. But then again, who gets to define the borders?

I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy the attention of men - but only from certain people. I don't mind getting attention from open-minded people, but they make up only 20% of Ramallah, if not less. However, getting it from the [others] is rather repulsive to me and upsets me a lot.

It's almost impossible to walk in downtown Ramallah and not get hassled. [Some] guys take it upon themselves to make walking in Ramallah for women like walking through hell. I've had so many bad experiences, I don't even know where to begin.

I do walk on my own at night, but not without constantly looking over my shoulder, and sometimes even pretending to be on the phone with my father whenever I see a group of guys walking near me.

I usually go out on Fridays or Saturdays, with my friends, dancing and drinking.

The clothes I wear depend on the mood am in, the company that I am with, and which transport I am going to use.

If it is a girls' night out, then I would wear a body-hugging dress, mostly very short, showing some skin and a pair of high heels. But that means someone has to pick me up in a car. If I am going out and using a motorbike taxi, I prefer to wear jeans and flat shoes.

I don't feel safe walking alone at night at all, but if I am with male friends then I am granted some degree of safety.

I do think about the attention that I am going to get, both positive and negative. If a gentleman gives me positive and respectful compliments then I like that kind of attention, but if they are drunkards throwing negative insults, then I loathe it.

Some nights I go out wanting no attention whether positive or negative, just to sit and laugh and talk with my friends.

I have had hassles, guys throwing insults at me, calling me a slut and asking openly how much I charge for a night.

Men in Uganda expect you to be "decent" - their idea of decent is long skirts. Some have now adjusted to jeans [but] when young women wear shorts or skimpy dresses in some parts of Kampala market vendors can hurl insults like "whore" at you.

A great night out means a good venue with good friends, listening to good music - lots of laughter and dancing.

I always wear a dress if I'm going out at night. I decide on how I'm feeling on the day. Am I having a "fat day" and need to hide my body? Or am I feeling confident and want to show skin?

I guess men look at me when I go out and am all done up. I have learned to showcase my assets. If I am in a place I feel comfortable around people I'm attracted to, then I don't mind people looking at my body. In other circumstances I would feel very uncomfortable. The way I dress definitely affects the way men respond.

I have not really had any bad experiences when I have been out - though I have friends that have had drinks spiked or have been taken advantage of while drunk.

I don't feel safe walking alone at night - I usually go out close to where I live.

A young journalist who wasn't much older than me was raped and murdered in a suburb very close to here. It happened in a place where I frequently go out and I have girlfriends who live there. So, in light of that incident, my girlfriends and I often discuss safety and security.

Overall, though, Australia is a great place to be a young woman.

Saturday is the big night out. We rarely go to nightclubs. We usually go to parties with specific attractions, such as a band that's become a new hit and a DJ.

We mostly wear skirts or dresses - Rio is usually hot, after all. When the party is less sophisticated, we use flat shoes because they are more comfortable to spend long hours in, standing and dancing. When we do wear high heels, we choose the most comfortable kind.

When men are interested in us, they keep observing us, staring at us. If they realise that we are open to it, they start a conversation. It's good to be looked at, it makes us feel pretty and attractive. We don't consider it a lack of respect.

Although we wear clothes that are often tight-fitting or short, we avoid wearing things that are vulgar. Men are a bit more "aggressive" and have less respect when women dress up too sensually or behave in a vulgar manner.

Nothing grave or serious [has ever happened to me]. At worst you get men that come at you grabbing you or holding your hair, but it's easy to free yourself. I've had cases where men are very persistent and spend a big part of the night bugging you. In these cases, we try to keep a distance and stay close within our group of girlfriends.

[When we go out we] always travel by taxi, because we can't drink and drive. Since we always go out in a group, we share the cab. On the way back, the last one to be dropped off has to let us know that she got home safely.

There's no doubt that Brazil is a good place to be a woman. There are lots of ways to have fun… the risks are small, we have freedom and it's easy for us to impose limits and to be respected.

Continue reading the main story Saturday is my preferred night to go out. I go wherever my friends want to go - I am a sheep, not a shepherd.

I wear a lot of black, but it's still hard to decide which black items to wear. Sometimes I want to show some cleavage, but I don't want to misrepresent who I am.

Sometimes I get a glance here or there. I usually don't let the eye contact linger… even if it's an Einstein in the body of James Dean, I still feel absolutely dirty, and disgusted, when I feel someone's eyes looking at my body.

I have had great conversations with men at bars when I was dressed very conservatively. I personally feel the conversation is richer when I am dressed conservatively, but it may be that I am more receptive to having a conversation with a guy who I know isn't looking at my boobs.

I have had moments where I want scream and give long lectures to men (or boys, as that would be more fitting) who I witness yelling degrading comments in the general direction of women. Telling a girl that you 'know she wants it' is NOT sexy.

It is common to see men at bars who prey on girls who are too drunk to have the clarity to think: "This guy is a creep, and his body language is aggressive - I know what he is after, and I need to just walk away."

I have always been very cautious when walking at night, especially alone. I do not feel safe walking at night, but I do not assume that danger lurks behind every corner. I just know that as a woman, I am at a greater risk. I always keep my hands on my keys in my pocket, just in case I need a weapon.

The five women's stories were featured on the BBC World Service programme Newsday. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook.

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Real Madrid 1-1 Man Utd

90:00 +3:26 Full time Full Time The match has reached full-time.

90:00 +2:40

Shot by Robin van Persie. Rodriguez Diego Lopez makes a fantastic save.

90:00 +1:51

Alvaro Arbeloa concedes a free kick for a foul on Robin van Persie. The free kick is swung in left-footed by Robin van Persie, Garcia Sergio Ramos makes a clearance.

90:00 +1:01

Luka Modric sends in a cross, Phil Jones gets a block in.

90:00 +0:22

Mesut Ozil fouled by Michael Carrick, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Alvaro Arbeloa.

89:29

Free kick awarded for a foul by Alvaro Arbeloa on Michael Carrick. David De Gea restarts play with the free kick.

88:50

Sami Khedira delivers the ball, comfortable save by David De Gea.

87:18

Direct free kick taken by Alexandre Fabio Coentrao.

87:18 Booking Booking Booking for Antonio Valencia for unsporting behaviour.

87:09

Garcia Sergio Ramos fouled by Antonio Valencia, the ref awards a free kick.

84:19

Free kick awarded for a foul by Phil Jones on Luka Modric. Cristiano Ronaldo produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick.

83:55 Substitution Substitution Oliveira Anderson is brought on as a substitute for Wayne Rooney.

82:53

David De Gea restarts play with the free kick.

82:53 Substitution Substitution Kleper Pepe on for Xabi Alonso.

82:53

Unfair challenge on Ryan Giggs by Alvaro Arbeloa results in a free kick.

81:41

Antonio Valencia sends in a cross, clearance made by Alvaro Arbeloa.

81:23

Phil Jones fouled by Cristiano Ronaldo, the ref awards a free kick. Rafael Da Silva takes the free kick.

80:05

Corner taken by Luka Modric from the right by-line.

79:44

Centre by Alvaro Arbeloa, clearance made by Jonny Evans.

78:53

Sami Khedira takes a shot. Save by David De Gea.

78:03

Corner from the left by-line taken by Mesut Ozil, clearance by Phil Jones.

76:31

Gonzalo Higuain takes a shot. Save made by David De Gea.

75:55

A cross is delivered by Gonzalo Higuain, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand.

74:22 Substitution Substitution Angel Di Maria leaves the field to be replaced by Luka Modric.

73:53

Mesut Ozil takes a shot. Blocked by Jonny Evans. Corner from left by-line taken by Mesut Ozil.

72:58 Substitution Substitution Danny Welbeck goes off and Antonio Valencia comes on.

72:29

Cristiano Ronaldo takes a shot from deep inside the box clearing the bar. Mesut Ozil takes a outswinging corner. Shot on goal by Sami Khedira from just inside the area goes over the target.

71:33

Shot from 12 yards by Robin van Persie. Xabi Alonso manages to make a clearance.

71:08

Effort from 12 yards by Robin van Persie. Fantastic save by Rodriguez Diego Lopez.

70:24

Alexandre Fabio Coentrao takes a shot. Comfortable save by David De Gea.

70:13

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Mesut Ozil from the right by-line.

69:38

The ball is delivered by Gonzalo Higuain, Shot from close range by Cristiano Ronaldo misses to the right of the target.

67:14

Unfair challenge on Danny Welbeck by Alexandre Fabio Coentrao results in a free kick. Rio Ferdinand restarts play with the free kick.

67:06

Xabi Alonso produces a cross, Michael Carrick manages to make a clearance.

66:48

Centre by Angel Di Maria, Phil Jones makes a clearance.

66:27

Outswinging corner taken by Angel Di Maria, clearance made by Phil Jones.

66:15

The ball is crossed by Angel Di Maria, Rio Ferdinand manages to make a clearance.

64:16

Alexandre Fabio Coentrao challenges Wayne Rooney unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick crossed right-footed by Wayne Rooney from right wing, clearance made by Alexandre Fabio Coentrao.

63:10

Rafael Da Silva takes the direct free kick.

63:10 Substitution Substitution Ryan Giggs joins the action as a substitute, replacing Shinji Kagawa.

63:10

Alexandre Fabio Coentrao concedes a free kick for a foul on Shinji Kagawa.

61:31

Inswinging corner taken by Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra takes a shot. Danny Welbeck is caught offside. Free kick taken by Garcia Sergio Ramos.

60:38

Gonzalo Higuain takes a shot from inside the box clearing the bar.

59:58

The ball is crossed by Sami Khedira, Alexandre Fabio Coentrao takes a shot. Save made by David De Gea.

59:15 Substitution Substitution Gonzalo Higuain replaces Karim Benzema.

56:18

Angel Di Maria has an effort at goal. Save by David De Gea.

55:05

Alexandre Fabio Coentrao concedes a free kick for a foul on Rafael Da Silva. Robin van Persie delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, Raphael Varane makes a clearance.

52:37

Angel Di Maria has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the right-hand upright.

51:42

Effort on goal by Angel Di Maria from 25 yards. Comfortable save by David De Gea.

51:04

The ball is sent over by Alvaro Arbeloa, clearance made by Jonny Evans.

50:22

Foul by Phil Jones on Cristiano Ronaldo, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Sami Khedira.

49:50

The ball is crossed by Angel Di Maria, clearance made by Rafael Da Silva.

48:03

Effort from 20 yards by Cristiano Ronaldo. Save by David De Gea.

46:31

Corner taken by Wayne Rooney, Raphael Varane makes a clearance. Phil Jones produces a header from inside the area that goes over the bar.

46:11

Wayne Rooney delivers the ball.

45:58

Robin van Persie sends in a cross.

45:01

The second half kicks off.

45:00 +2:36 Half time Half Time It is the end of the first-half.

45:00 +0:55

Alexandre Fabio Coentrao crosses the ball, Close range headed effort by Cristiano Ronaldo goes wide of the left-hand upright.

45:00 +0:06

Effort on goal by Rafael Da Silva from just inside the area clears the crossbar.

44:25

The ball is crossed by Patrice Evra, save made by Rodriguez Diego Lopez. Corner taken by Wayne Rooney.

43:02

Alvaro Arbeloa gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Patrice Evra. Direct free kick taken by Jonny Evans.

42:08

Shot by Cristiano Ronaldo from outside the box goes over the net.

41:07

The ball is delivered by Xabi Alonso, Rio Ferdinand makes a clearance.

39:21

The free kick is swung in right-footed by Xabi Alonso, clearance made by Danny Welbeck.

39:21 Booking Booking Rafael Da Silva is shown a yellow card.

39:19

Rafael Da Silva gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Mesut Ozil.

39:00

Cristiano Ronaldo takes a shot. Jonny Evans gets a block in.

37:17

Rafael Da Silva handles the ball and concedes a free kick. Xabi Alonso takes the direct free kick. Mesut Ozil takes a shot. Save made by David De Gea. Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Mesut Ozil from the right by-line. Unfair challenge on Patrice Evra by Mesut Ozil results in a free kick. David De Gea restarts play with the free kick.

36:42

Alvaro Arbeloa gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Danny Welbeck. Jonny Evans takes the free kick.

35:36

Corner taken by Robin van Persie.

35:05

Corner taken right-footed by Wayne Rooney.

33:23

Robin van Persie produces a cross, volleyed left-footed shot by Danny Welbeck. Save by Rodriguez Diego Lopez. Inswinging corner taken by Robin van Persie from the right by-line, save made by Rodriguez Diego Lopez. Wayne Rooney produces a right-footed shot from the edge of the box and misses to the left of the target.

33:04

Free kick awarded for a foul by Alexandre Fabio Coentrao on Wayne Rooney. Rafael Da Silva takes the free kick.

31:52

Effort from 18 yards by Robin van Persie. Comfortable save by Rodriguez Diego Lopez.

30:41

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Wayne Rooney by Sami Khedira. Rio Ferdinand restarts play with the free kick.

29:08

Assist on the goal came from Angel Di Maria.

29:08 Goal scored Goal - Cristiano Ronaldo - R Madrid 1 - 1 Man Utd Cristiano Ronaldo finds the net with a headed goal from inside the penalty box. Real Madrid 1-1 Man Utd.

29:02

The ball is sent over by Angel Di Maria,

27:04

Michael Carrick gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo. Strike on goal comes in from Cristiano Ronaldo from the free kick. Cristiano Ronaldo produces a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty box that misses to the left of the target.

25:57

The ball is swung over by Karim Benzema.

25:32

Corner taken by Mesut Ozil from the left by-line, Phil Jones makes a clearance.

25:03

Inswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Angel Di Maria, David De Gea makes a save.

24:37

Robin van Persie handles the ball and concedes a free kick. Rodriguez Diego Lopez restarts play with the free kick.

22:20

Angel Di Maria takes a shot. Save by David De Gea. Mesut Ozil takes a inswinging corner to the near post, Robin van Persie makes a clearance.

22:07

The ball is swung over by Alexandre Fabio Coentrao, clearance by Michael Carrick.

19:29

Assist on the goal came from Wayne Rooney.

19:29 Goal scored Goal - Danny Welbeck - R Madrid 0 - 1 Man Utd Danny Welbeck finds the back of the net with a headed goal from close range. Real Madrid 0-1 Man Utd.

19:27

Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Wayne Rooney,

18:02

Mesut Ozil takes a shot. Jonny Evans gets a block in.

16:18

Mesut Ozil takes a inswinging corner.

15:24

Unfair challenge on Garcia Sergio Ramos by Shinji Kagawa results in a free kick. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Xabi Alonso, Jonny Evans manages to make a clearance.

14:26

Corner taken by Mesut Ozil.

13:11

Foul by Angel Di Maria on Patrice Evra, free kick awarded. Rio Ferdinand takes the free kick.

11:58

Effort from 25 yards by Wayne Rooney. Save by Rodriguez Diego Lopez.

10:59

Karim Benzema takes a shot. Blocked by Phil Jones.

10:21

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Mesut Ozil by Patrice Evra. Sami Khedira restarts play with the free kick.

9:06

Robin van Persie is caught offside. Direct free kick taken by Raphael Varane.

7:44

Wayne Rooney takes the inswinging corner, clearance by Raphael Varane.

7:14

Cristiano Ronaldo has an effort at goal from outside the area which misses left.

6:04

Free kick awarded for a foul by Rafael Da Silva on Cristiano Ronaldo. Xabi Alonso crosses the ball, Headed effort from deep inside the penalty area by Garcia Sergio Ramos goes harmlessly over the crossbar.

5:08

Alexandre Fabio Coentrao produces a curled right-footed shot from the edge of the box and hits the post.

4:30

Xabi Alonso takes the direct free kick.

4:30 Booking Booking Robin van Persie goes into the book.

4:19

Free kick awarded for a foul by Robin van Persie on Garcia Sergio Ramos.

3:20

Angel Di Maria has an effort at goal from just outside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post.

2:48

The referee blows for offside. Rodriguez Diego Lopez takes the direct free kick.

1:32

Sami Khedira produces a left-footed shot from deep inside the penalty area which goes wide of the right-hand post.

0:00

The referee gets the game started.

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Ravi Shankar daughter 'was abused'

13 February 2013 Last updated at 12:06 GMT Anoushka Shankar is a sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar, musician and daughter of the legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, has admitted she was sexually abused as a child.

In a video to support a global campaign to end violence against women - One Billion Rising - she said the abuse had been by "a man my parents trusted".

Ms Shankar said she had suffered "groping, touching and verbal abuse".

There has been growing outrage in India at the treatment of women after the fatal gang rape of a woman in December.

The One Billion Rising movement was started by American playwright and feminist Eve Ensler to mark the 15th anniversary of the V-day campaign to end violence against women.

A number of events have been organised in India on 14 February - the day the campaign is calling for one billion people around the world to rise up against gender-based crimes.

In the video, recorded in her London home, Ms Shankar, 31, appealed for people to support the campaign in memory of the 23-year-old gang rape victim.

The brutal attack on the physiotherapy student on a Delhi bus led to weeks of protests by thousands of people across India and the world.

"As a child I suffered sexual and emotional abuse for several years at the hands of a man my parents trusted implicitly," she said.

Ms Shankar added that she was taking part in the One Billion Rising movement "for the child in me who I don't think will recover from what happened".

Ms Shankar grew up in London, Delhi and California and began learning to play the sitar from her father at the age of nine. Ravi Shankar, 92, died in a hospital in California in December after an illness.

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Jimmy Savile estate and BBC sued

13 February 2013 Last updated at 12:54 GMT Sexual abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile emerged after his death The estate of Jimmy Savile and the BBC are being sued by alleged sex abuse victims of the late DJ and presenter.

Solicitor Alan Collins, of law firm Pannone, said a writ had been issued at the High Court on behalf of 31 alleged victims.

All claimants were taking action against Savile's estate, while up to eight were also suing the BBC, he said.

More than 90 people are pursuing legal action in the wake of allegations of abuse by Savile.

The cases had been put on hold until the outcome of a series of inquiries by the police, the BBC and the NHS amongst others.

Mr Collins said that the number of people getting in touch with Pannone over alleged abuse still "grows on a daily basis".

He said: "The purpose of issuing the writ is to protect our clients' position and to seek management directions from the court to ensure the claims are administered as efficiently as possible.

"At this stage we are unable to expand in detail on the nature of the cases or the allegations that have been made, which range in seriousness from inappropriate behaviour to serious sexual abuse."

In statement, the BBC said: "We're unable to comment on any legal claims of this nature made against the corporation."

Last November, formal letters of claim on behalf of 36 people were sent by another firm, Russell Jones & Walker, to the Savile estate, the BBC, Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor hospitals.

NatWest bank, executor to the late presenter's £4m estate, has frozen the account.

Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, was a Radio 1 DJ and the presenter of the Jim'll Fix It show on BBC One.

Last month a Metropolitan Police report said he had abused adults and children across the country over a time span of 50 years. The NSPCC said Savile had been one of the most prolific sex offenders in its 129-year history.

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EU urges DNA tests of processed beef

13 February 2013 Last updated at 23:44 GMT Health Commissioner Tonio Borg outlines plans for DNA tests on processed beef

The EU is urging members to conduct random tests to tackle a widening scandal over mislabelled horsemeat.

All members should carry out DNA tests on processed beef for traces of horsemeat for three months from 1 March, the health commissioner said.

Horsemeat should also be tested for the presence of the veterinary medicine phenylbutazone ("bute"), he added.

Tonio Borg was speaking after a meeting with ministers from the UK, France and other affected countries in Brussels.

"This is a Europe-wide issue that needs a Europe-wide solution," Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said.

"This is about someone in the food supply chain selling horsemeat as beef and making money in a fraudulent way by doing that," he added.

Mr Borg said the programme of random tests should report after 30 days, but testing should continue for three months.

Supply chain Continue reading the main story Christian Fraser BBC News, Brussels

There is a growing sense of urgency to reassure the public. The problem is that the European Commission and the ministers do not have all the answers.

How could they? The supply chain is global, convoluted. Yes, there may be "traceability." But even with a paper trail that stretches from Romania to the Netherlands, to the South of France, to Luxembourg, it is complex and deciphering where it went wrong is extremely difficult.

What they must develop is a picture of how wide-scale the problem is. And that is where this new testing regime comes in.

Hopefully by the end of March when they collate the first preliminary results we will get to just how many of us have unknowingly eaten horsemeat - and whether the reassurances that this is a fraud issue, rather than a health issue, are in fact correct.

Ahead of the meeting, the UK had called for EU-wide DNA testing of beef products, and welcomed developments.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: "It is completely wrong that consumers are being presented with a product marked beef and found it contained horse."

The measures follow the discovery that meat sold in up to 16 European countries labelled as beef contained horsemeat.

The scandal has raised questions about the complexity of the food industry's supply chains across the 27-member EU bloc, with a number of supermarket chains withdrawing frozen beef meals.

In the UK, the supermarket giant Tesco, frozen food firm Findus and budget chain Aldi received mince containing horsemeat from Comigel, based in north-eastern France.

Horsemeat has now been confirmed in some frozen lasagne on sale in France too.

In Germany, officials announced that a shipment of frozen lasagne suspected of containing horsemeat had arrived in the country. They were notified of the delivery by authorities in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

Comigel denied wrongdoing, saying it had ordered the meat from Spanghero, a firm in southern France, via a Comigel subsidiary in Luxembourg - Tavola.

UK Environment Secretary warns of "an international criminal conspiracy"

The supply chain reportedly led back to traders in Cyprus and the Netherlands, then to abattoirs in Romania.

There are now calls for more specific labelling on processed meat products in the EU, to show country of origin, as in the case of fresh meat. But the cost of doing that may trigger opposition from food manufacturers.

Romania has denied claims that it was to blame for the mislabelling of horsemeat.

"There are plants and companies in Romania exporting horsemeat but everything was according to the standards, and the source and the kind of meat was very clearly put as being horsemeat," Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta told the BBC's Newsnight programme.

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Israel confirms it held Prisoner X

14 February 2013 Last updated at 03:48 GMT Ben Zygier is believed to have been imprisoned at Ayalon Prison Israel has for the first time confirmed it imprisoned an Australian-Israeli man under a false identity for security reasons, and that he died in custody.

The justice ministry did not name the man - previously known as Prisoner X, and recently identified by Australian media as Ben Zygier - but said his family was notified of his detention.

He was held following a court order and his rights were upheld, it added.

The ministry also stated that the man killed himself inside his cell in 2010.

On Wednesday, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr ordered a review of how diplomats handled the detention of Mr Zygier, who is believed to have worked for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

On Thursday, Mr Carr told a parliamentary committee that Canberra had been informed of Mr Zygier's detention in February 2010.

Australia was told through intelligence channels that he had been detained "in relation to serious offences under Israeli national security legislation".

He "would be treated in accordance with his lawful rights as an Israeli citizen", Australia was told. No request for consular support was received, Mr Carr said.

'Negligence' Speculation about the existence and identity of Prisoner X has been rife since reports of his death broke in the Israeli media two years ago, despite strict reporting restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities.

The statement published by the Israeli justice ministry on Wednesday evening gave only a few new details about the case.

"For security reasons, the prisoner was held under a pseudonym, but his family was notified of the arrest immediately," it said.

"The prisoner was held in jail under a warrant issued by a court. The proceedings were overseen by senior officials in the justice ministry and he was duly represented in all the proceedings against him."

The statement added that he "was found dead in his cell two years ago" and that a closed-door inquiry into the death was ordered at the time.

The justice ministry said the investigation concluded six weeks ago that the cause of the prisoner's death was suicide, but that the judge recommended that the state "pursue a negligence investigation".

"National security prevents the release of any other details in this case."

Hanged

The identity of Prisoner X was revealed on Tuesday by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which named him as Ben Zygier.

According to its report, he was an active member of Melbourne's Jewish community before emigrating to Israel in 2000 and serving in the army.

Continue reading the main story

I think the government took some steps that may irritate anyone who cares for freedom of expression”

End Quote Nachman Shai Israeli Labour party At the time of his death, Mr Zygier was 34 and married to an Israeli woman and had two children.

He is known to have gone by the Hebrew name of Ben Alon in Israel and also carried an Australian passport bearing the name Ben Allen. Fairfax said he had also called himself Benjamin Burrows.

The reason for Mr Zygier's arrest and imprisonment in Israel is not known, but ABC said it understood he had been recruited by Mossad.

Australia's Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday that months before he was arrested in Israel, Mr Zygier was being investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) on suspicion of fraudulently using his passport for espionage purposes.

Mr Zygier was found hanged in a cell on 15 December 2010, months after he "disappeared", and his body was flown to Melbourne for burial the following week, ABC added.

When the story about Prisoner X first emerged, Israeli media said the unidentified man was being held incommunicado at Ayalon Prison, a maximum security facility in central Israel.

ABC said his cell was fitted with surveillance cameras designed to prevent suicide.

The reason for his detention was not disclosed and his identification was so secret that even his guards did not know who he was, it reported.

An Israeli opposition MP told the BBC he agreed that the government's actions were likely to have been in the interests of national security.

"In general I understand it, but practically I think the government took some steps that may irritate anyone who cares for freedom of expression," Nachman Shai of the Labour party added.

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American and US Airways 'to merge'

14 February 2013 Last updated at 02:15 GMT The new company will fly under the American Airlines brand American Airlines and US Airways are planning to form one the world's biggest airlines, according to media and newswire sources.

The two boards are said by a number of unnamed sources to have met on Wednesday to approve the merger.

A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.

The merger will bring American Airlines closer in value to rival Delta Airlines, with an estimated market valuation of $11bn (£7bn).

The lion's share of the new company will be owned by American Airline's bankruptcy creditors, who will have 72% of the company, the reports say.

American Airline's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection more than a year ago.

The carrier will be run under the American Airlines brand, but the chief executive is expected to be the current US Airways boss, Doug Parker.

The reported deal would need approval from competition regulators and a US bankruptcy court before going ahead.

After that, it could be years before passengers notice any changes.

The deal follows a period of intense consolidation for the US airline sector, with Delta hooking up with Northwest and Continental with United.

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UN Syria team meets rebel leader

13 February 2013 Last updated at 22:13 GMT Mokhtar Lamani has played an important role in negotiating local ceasefires A member of the UN special envoy's team has carried out the first field visit to Syria for several months.

Lakhdar Brahimi's deputy Mokhtar Lamani held talks with the head of the rebel Revolutionary Military Council to the north of Damascus, a UN official said.

He also met civilian and Christian leaders in the town of Yabroud, with all expressing support for a recent opposition peace initiative.

Damascus has seen heavy recent fighting but rebels have made no breakthrough.

Moaz al-Khatib, head of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, offered earlier this month to hold direct talks with Vice-President Farouq al-Sharaa.

However, he gave two conditions - the release of the 160,000 people he said were being held in prisons and intelligence facilities, and the resumption of the issuing of new passports by Syrian embassies.

On Monday, the government responded to the offer for the first time.

The Minister for National Reconciliation, Ali Haidar, told the Guardian newspaper that he was "willing to meet Mr Khatib in any foreign city where I can go in order to discuss preparations for a national dialogue".

Opposition and rebel groups have long insisted that they will not begin dialogue with the government until President Bashar al-Assad agrees to stand down.

Mr Lamani met met civilian and Christian leaders in the town of Yabroud

The messages of support for Mr Khatib's initiative, offered by leaders in Qalamoun, near Damascus, and in Yabroud, may be seen as a positive sign by Mr Lamani.

The UN spokesperson said the Canadian diplomat's visit was the first of a series that he planned to carry out in the coming weeks.

Since taking up his post in September, Mr Lamani has played an important role in negotiating local ceasefires, particularly at the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, reports the BBC's Lina Sinjab in Damascus.

The UN field visit is seen as a step forward in the promotion of dialogue between both sides and shows that Mr Brahimi's team can play a role in mediation, our correspondent adds.

Later on Wednesday, the new US Secretary of State, John Kerry, reiterated the Obama administration's position that any political solution to the conflict in Syria had to include Mr Assad giving up power.

Mr Kerry said he was looking into ways to convince the president to change his "calculation" and accept "the inevitability" of his departure. There were "additional things" that could be done to get there, he added.

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Apple loses iPhone ruling in Brazil

13 February 2013 Last updated at 21:00 GMT Gradiente launched its Android-powered iphone in Brazil in December Brazilian regulators have ruled that Apple does not have exclusive rights to use the "iPhone" trademark in the country.

But the US tech giant has already lodged an appeal against the decision with the Brazilian regulators.

The ruling is the result of a local company, Gradiente Eletronica, registering the name in 2000, seven years before the US firm.

Apple can continue to sell iPhone-branded handsets in Brazil.

But the decision means that Gradiente has an option of suing for exclusivity in South America's biggest market.

The Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) told the BBC that its decision only applied to handsets, and that the California-based company continued to have exclusive rights to use the iPhone name elsewhere including on clothing, in software and across publications.

Appeal

INPI added that Apple had argued that it should have been given full rights since Gradiente had not released a product using the iPhone name until December 2012.

Apple is asking the INPI to cancel Gradiente's registration through expiration - it is arguing that the Brazilian firm did not use the name between January 2008 and January 2013.

The Manaus-headquartered company now sells its Android-powered iPhone Neo One for 599 reals ($304; £196).

Bloomberg previously reported that the chairman of Gradiente had said: "We're open to a dialogue for anything, anytime... we're not radicals."

Apple's most recent financial results revealed its cash reserves had grown to $137bn (£88bn).

The firm's manufacturing partner, Foxconn, currently produces iPhones and iPads among other equipment at its facilities in Brazil.

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Ministers 'flat-footed' on horsemeat

14 February 2013 Last updated at 05:12 GMT Several processed meat products have been withdrawn from sale after horsemeat was detected The government's response to the horsemeat scandal has been criticised as "flat-footed" by a group of MPs.

They have called for greater testing of products to reassure people there is not a threat to human health.

The Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee also said that if criminals were illegally passing off horsemeat as beef they were unlikely to be applying adequate hygiene standards.

Ministers insist there is no evidence of a risk to health.

'Broader spectrum'

The committee said the public appeared to have been "cynically and systematically duped" for financial gain by parts of the food industry.

It said in a report: "It seems improbable that individuals prepared to pass horsemeat off as beef illegally are applying the high hygiene standards rightly required in the food production industry.

"We recommend that the government and FSA undertake a broader spectrum of testing for products found to have the highest levels of contamination... to provide assurances that there is no other non-bovine DNA or any other substances that could be harmful to human health present."

Continue reading the main story Experts say horsemeat is as safe to eat as beefThe Food Standards Agency (FSA) has ordered food businesses to check for horsemeat in all processed beef products, such as burgers, meatballs and lasagne. The first set of results are expected on FridayThere is concern that some horses are given a drug called bute (phenylbutazone) which can be dangerous to humansIn rare cases it causes a serious blood disorder known as aplastic anaemia, where the body does not make enough new blood cellsAnimals treated with phenylbutazone are not allowed to enter the food chain for this reasonThe Food Standards Agency has ordered Findus to test its beef lasagne that contains horsemeat for buteResults are expected imminentlyThe MPs criticised the way the government and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had dealt with the crisis since horsemeat was discovered in some supermarket beef products last month.

They said: "Whilst ministers are properly responsible for policy, the FSA's diminished role has led to a lack of clarity about where responsibility lies, and this has weakened the UK's ability to identify and respond to food standards concerns.

"Furthermore the current contamination crisis has caught the FSA and government flat-footed and unable to respond effectively within structures designed primarily to respond to threats to human health."

The committee called for the FSA to be given statutory powers to force producers to carry out testing.

Committee chairman Anne McIntosh said the scale of contamination in the food chain was "breathtaking".

Last year, the committee called on the government to set out plans to prevent illegal meat imports.

It said then: "The agriculture minister's evidence suggested that it was inevitable that that wrongly labelled or unlawful meat products would be importing into the UK to replace UK produced [banned] desinewed meat."

Shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said the report was a reflection of government cuts at the FSA.

'Unacceptable situation'

A Defra spokesman said: "We have been working urgently with food businesses, police and authorities across Europe to get to the bottom of this unacceptable situation.

Owen Paterson said DNA testing will reassure consumers that the food they buy has been properly labelled

"Once we have established the full facts we will take whatever action is necessary so that this unacceptable situation cannot happen again."

Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, London, said the Food Standards Agency needed to be strengthened.

He told the BBC's Newsnight: "It's not been doing its job. We need more inspectors, they've been slashed and cut. We can't have the industry policing itself, that's what's gone wrong. The big food companies didn't actually have the control they said they had."

European ministers have agreed plans for EU-wide random DNA testing of meat products for horsemeat as well as for the equine drug "bute".

The move was welcomed by UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson who said it was "completely intolerable" that products marked as beef actually contained horsemeat.

The FSA will announce the results of tests for bute in horses slaughtered in the UK on Thursday morning.

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Bahrain urged to release prisoners

14 February 2013 Last updated at 00:37 GMT Jailed activist Nabeel Rajab has more than 185,000 Twitter followers Amnesty International has called for the release of what it calls Bahrain's "prisoners of conscience".

The call by the human rights organisation comes on the anniversary of a protest movement that has led to two years of unrest and violence.

More than two dozen activists remain behind bars in Bahrain, including several sentenced to life imprisonment.

Amnesty said: "It's time that people detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression be released."

Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said: "The government of Bahrain cannot carry on imprisoning people simply because it can't take criticism."

He added: "Many of the allegations put forward by the prisoners of conscience have still not been investigated by the authorities."

'Charges wrong'

Last month the group conducted a research trip to Bahrain where it met seven prisoners of conscience detained in Jaw prison in the capital, Manama.

They included Nabeel Rajab, given a two-year sentence for encouraging "illegal gatherings."

Mr Rajab is quoted as telling the Amnesty researchers he was warned by prison authorities not to speak in English.

Continue reading the main story

We did not call for the fall of the regime - we are people in the education system”

End Quote Mahdi' Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb Jailed activist "The punishment for disobeying would be solitary confinement. I was also threatened for … talking about human rights," he told them.

Mr Rajab, head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, has been a leader of the pro-democracy protests which have rocked the kingdom since February 2011.

The 48-year-old is also one of the most well-known activists in the Arab world, with more than 185,000 followers on Twitter.

Another jailed activist, Mahdi' Issa Mahdi Abu Deeb, a teachers' trade union leader who has been in jail since his arrest in 2011, told Amnesty he and a fellow accused were not agitating against Bahrain's rulers.

"As for the charges against me and Jalila [Jalila al-Salman, a fellow teachers' union leader and mother of three], no one thinks they are right: we did not call for the fall of the regime - we are people in the education system."

Bahrain silent

On 14 February 2011, peaceful protesters took over an iconic Bahraini monument, Pearl Roundabout. Three days later security forces cleared the site using tear gas, batons and birdshot.

At least two protesters died and hundreds were injured.

As violence escalated 35 people, including five police officers, were killed, hundreds more were hurt and thousands jailed in February and March 2011.

The vast majority were Shia Muslims in a country ruled by a minority Sunni royal family.

Since then, opposition and human rights activists say another 45 people have been killed, a figure which the government disputes.

In October last year two policemen died of injuries sustained during clashes with protesters in villages outside the capital, Manama.

Although many people have been released, 13 activists and politicians including the leader of the secular Waad party, Ibrahim Sharif, remain in jail.

They have been convicted and in some cases given life sentences on evidence that is widely accepted to have been obtained under torture.

No one from the Bahraini government was available to comment on Amnesty's charges.

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Chernobyl hit by roof collapse

13 February 2013 Last updated at 17:36 GMT The roof that collapsed was installed after the 1986 nuclear disaster A section of the roof at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant has collapsed - but there has been no increase in radiation at the site, authorities say.

No-one was hurt when the roof over a turbine hall gave way under heavy snow.

The "sarcophagus" used to seal off the failed reactor was unaffected, officials said, but around 80 construction workers were moved away.

The 1986 explosion and reactor meltdown at Chernobyl was the world's worst-ever nuclear accident.

Correspondents say the roof collapse will revive concerns about the condition of the defunct power plant.

"There are no changes in the radiation situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant or in the exclusion zone," Chernobyl's administrators said in a statement.

'Stay calm'

The affected area was about 50m (165 feet) away from the sarcophagus built to contain leaking radiation from the exploded reactor, Chernobyl spokeswoman Maya Rudenko told the Associated Press.

"Everyone should stay calm," Ms Rudenko said. "Yes it is unpleasant, but there is no danger."

Ukrainian officials released a photo showing the affected area

A huge new containment structure is currently being built to slide over the reactor, amid concerns about the long-term viability of the existing encasement.

The concrete shell is being built by French construction companies and funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as other donors. After the roof collapse, two firms, Vinci and Bouygues, moved their workers away from the site as a precaution.

The explosion at Chernobyl's number four reactor in 1986 - when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union - sent a huge plume of radiation across Europe.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Ukraine, western Russia and Belarus.

The number of people who died because of the accident remains controversial, but thousands are thought to be at higher risk of cancer as a result of exposure to radiation.

The area around the plant is heavily contaminated and a 30km (19 mile) exclusion zone is in force.

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Zimbabwe referendum 'due in March'

13 February 2013 Last updated at 17:35 GMT Elections in Zimbabwe in 2008 were marred by violence and allegations of vote-rigging Zimbabwe's key referendum on a new constitution has been "tentatively" set for 16 March, government minister Eric Matinenga has said.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the referendum would herald a major step towards democratic reform, AFP news agency reports.

It would be followed by elections, expected to be contested by Mr Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe.

The date was announced as the election chief resigned, citing ill health.

The 88-year-old Mr Mugabe has been in power since independence in 1980.

Details of the new constitution, agreed by Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, have not been officially released.

But it is believed that it sets a limit of two terms for future presidents.

'By hook or by crook'

Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai are expected to urge voters to approve the constitution, opening the way for elections to be held under the new rules.

The election would herald the end of the shaky coalition the two leaders formed after the disputed 2008 election, when Mr Tsvangirai - the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - boycotted a run-off after claiming he had been robbed of victory during the first round.

Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party was also accused of unleashing violence against MDC supporters, an allegation it denied.

The two parties then formed a coalition government under pressure from regional leaders.

"I can confirm 16 March is the tentative referendum date," said Mr Matinenga, the constitutional affairs minister, an MDC member.

"I've indicated that maybe there's a need to rethink so that at least we have two days of voting for the referendum," he added, in a briefing to journalists in the capital, Harare.

Sources say the general elections are expected to be held between 15 and 30 July.

Mr Tsvangirai told AFP he would fight to ensure that "no-one is disenfranchised by hook or by crook" in the elections.

"If Mugabe's position that we need a free and fair election is a ruse, then he would have cheated me," he is quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, election commission chief Simpson Mutambanengwe, who was expected to organise the votes this year, has resigned, said Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa of Zanu-PF.

"The resignation is on the grounds of health," Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper quotes Mr Chinamasa as saying

MDC Secretary-General and Finance Minister Tendai Biti said his decision was regrettable.

"The judge is a man of good standing," he said.

A replacement for Mr Mutambanengwe, a retired judge who was appointed after the disputed 2008 poll, would be chosen after discussions involving the coalition partners, Mr Chinamasa said.

Zimbabwe's crash-strapped government has also repeatedly said it does not have enough money to hold the votes.

"We are looking for the money," Mr Tsvangirai told AFP.

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Japanese economy worse than forecast

14 February 2013 Last updated at 05:33 GMT Watch: Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports from Tokyo that there are "increasing signs" of a pick up in the Japanese economy.

Japan's economy contracted for the third straight quarter in the three months to end of December, underlining the challenges the new government faces in reviving growth.

The economy shrank 0.1% compared with the previous three months. Most analysts had forecast growth of 0.1%.

That is equivalent to an annualised dip of 0.4% in gross domestic product.

Japan's growth has been hurt by a drop in exports to key markets as well as subdued domestic consumption.

"The biggest reason for the decline in gross domestic product (GDP) is external demand was weak and domestic demand did not recover as quickly as we thought," said Shuji Tonouchi of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Japan's central bank, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) left its interest rates unchanged at between zero to 0.1%.

However, it rejected a proposal to keep the rates at that level until its target of achieving a 2% rate of inflation is met.

The central bank had set that target last month, in an attempt to spur domestic demand.

Japan has been fighting deflation, or falling prices, for best part of the past decade.

That has hurt domestic demand as consumers tend to put off purchases in the hope of getting a cheaper and better deal later on.

Many analysts have said that stoking inflation is key to spurring Japan's domestic consumption.

Bottoming out? Continue reading the main story

The economy has contracted for three straight quarters, but the third quarter was the worst and fourth quarter data show the pace of decline is slowing”

End Quote Shuji Tonouchi Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Japan's new government led by Shinzo Abe has said that reviving the country's economy is its top priority.

Last month, it approved a fresh 10.3 trillion yen ($116bn; £72bn) stimulus package in an attempt to spur a revival in the economy.

The package, which includes infrastructure spending, as well as incentives for businesses to boost investment, is estimated to boost Japan's economy by 2% and create 600,000 jobs.

Japan's central bank also expanded its asset purchase programme in January, which is to expected to pump billions of yen into the economy.

Analysts said these moves were likely to help spur growth in the Japanese economy in the current quarter.

"The economy has contracted for three straight quarters, but the third quarter was the worst and fourth quarter data show the pace of decline is slowing," said Mr Tonouchi of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities

"Data show that overseas economies are recovering, so we expect Japan to return to growth in the first quarter.

"The economy is still on the recovery track," he added.

Yen effect

The measures by the central bank, coupled with the hopes that it may ease its policies further in the coming months, has had a big impact on the yen.

The Japanese currency has dipped more than 15% against the US dollar since November last year.

Continue reading the main story A weak currency bodes well for Japanese exporters as it makes their goods more affordable to foreign buyers, but also helps boots their profits when they repatriate their foreign earnings back home.

Analysts said the timing of the drop in yen's value has been great for the exporters.

"We are nearing the end of the financial year, a time when leading exporters will be looking at closing their books and transferring their overseas earnings back to Japan," Martin Schulz of Fujitsu Research Institute told the BBC.

Mr Schulz said that given the sharp drop in yen's value, leading exporters were likely to see profits exceed their previous forecasts.

He explained that a profit boost would mean that firms were likely to have much more cash available for investment.

"As global demand begins to rise and Japan's goods become more affordable, companies are likely to use that cash pile to expand their facilities.

"That will help boost Japan's economy further in the coming months." Mr Schulz added.

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Ireland's Healy gets two-game ban

Ireland prop Cian Healy will miss two Six Nations games after being banned until 10 March for stamping on Dan Cole in Sunday's defeat by England.

Healy was cited for the stamp during a ruck in England's 12-6 win in Dublin and he is suspended for the matches against Scotland and France.

The Leinster man appeared before the tournament's disciplinary committee in London on Wednesday.

Healy will be available again for the final game against Italy on 16 March.

Ireland take on Scotland on 24 February at Murrayfield before a Dublin encounter with France on 9 March.

The loose-head was found guilty of "stamping or trampling on an opponent".

Healy escaped without a yellow or red card from referee Jerome Garces during the match, but the front-rower was cited by citing commissioner Alberto Recaldini of Italy.

Healy's suspension should now pave the way for Ulster loose-head Tom Court to be recalled to the match-day squad.

Munster's Dave Kilcoyne, who was on the bench for the last two games against Wales and England, is expected to start at Murrayfield with Court among the replacements.

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Sulu: The islands home to Philippine militancy

14 February 2013 Last updated at 00:43 GMT By Kate McGeown BBC News, Sulu, Philippines The islands of Sulu, in the south-west Philippines, look like the type of tropical paradise you would see on the front cover of a tourist brochure.

But appearances can be deceptive. This is a violent and unstable region - a breeding ground for international terrorism.

That is why US troops arrived here shortly after the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.

"All the attacks that occurred between 1994 and 2001 at least touched, in some part, the southern Philippines," said Col Mark Miller, commander of the US Task Force here.

The region was used "either as a safe haven, or to conduct planning, or training, of the individual concerned," he said.

The Americans' mission here is part of the War on Terror; their mandate to advise their Philippine counterparts on strategy and tactics to win the fight against the different Islamic rebel groups that plague these islands.

It may be less well known than missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it ignites the same divided passions and still, more than 10 years later, shows no sign of coming to an end.

Business harmed

A quick look at the roll call of militants who have passed through these islands shows clearly why the Americans are here.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the 9/11 attacks; Ramzi Yousef, accused of a pivotal role in the World Trade Centre bombings in the 1990s; Dulmatin, a key figure behind the Bali attacks - all of them spent time in the Philippines.

They were sheltered by the Abu Sayyaf, a home-grown insurgent group that claims it is fighting for an Islamic state but in reality is more of a kidnap-for-ransom gang.

It released two Filipino hostages earlier this month, but is still thought to be holding six foreigners - two Europeans, an Australian, a Malaysian, a Japanese and a Jordanian.

The Abu Sayyaf is a shadowy organisation, difficult to track, and with substantial support among local Muslim communities.

And it is not the only rebel group on these islands. Other Philippine groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), are active in the area. These two groups have agreed peace deals with the government, but that does not mean they are no longer a fighting force. Just this week clashes between the MNLF and Abu Sayyaf left about 30 people dead.

Then there are the militants who arrived across the porous sea borders from Malaysia and Indonesia - members of the regional group Jemaah Islamiah, which has known links to al-Qaeda.

For ordinary residents of Sulu, like 16-year-old Lovell Lauzon, everyday life is punctuated by the knowledge that somewhere nearby, violent extremists are living and possibly planning their next move.

"Fear hinders you from doing what you want. It limits you," she said.

"Even if you want to go to places - the beaches, the forests - because of those threats, you are afraid."

Fear also hinders business, growth and development. The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which includes Sulu, is the poorest region in the Philippines.

It has the highest levels of infant mortality, the lowest levels of adult literacy, and the big chain stores and shopping malls seen in other parts of the country are largely absent.

Caught in crossfire

Despite fighting numerous rebel groups across numerous islands, the Philippine military gradually seem to be gaining ground, no doubt helped by the training they have received from the Americans.

Col Mark Miller: 'Another rebel group could fill the void left if Abu Sayyaf is defeated'

The militants occupy just a third of the area they once did.

But the battle against the insurgents is not just about gaining territory - it is also about gaining the trust of the locals.

Some Filipinos - and not just those in Sulu - are uneasy about the US presence in the southern Philippines, questioning its necessity and even claiming it is a retrograde step, back to the US colonial past.

And to the average Sulu resident, members of the Philippine military are almost as foreign as the Americans, as most of them are non-Muslims from elsewhere in the country.

Civilians caught in the crossfire, heavy-handed tactics, and the fact that many people have relatives in one or more of the rebel groups, all contribute to this sense of mistrust.

And if the locals do not trust the security forces above the rebels, the rebels will never be defeated.

That is why the US military is moving its focus away from military tactics and onto efforts to engage the local community.

Together with their Philippine counterparts, they hold events to provide free healthcare and food, and foster initiatives to promote peace.

"Our objective is to start the healing process. We want to build trust again," said the commander of the local marines, Col Orlando de Leon.

He is extremely optimistic about the progress being made, and is already looking ahead to a time in which tourists and investors flock to Sulu.

US training is helping local troops to gain ground against the militants

He showed me promotional material filled with images of tropical beaches, stunning sunsets and exotic birds.

But all that is optimistic yet. The last foreign birdwatchers known to have visited the region - two men from the Netherlands and Switzerland - are among Abu Sayyaf's current hostages.

And as Col Miller said: "Even if the Philippine military is successful in rounding up all the terrorists… there's still the base conditions that need to be addressed."

"Because if not, in one, two, three years, there'll be another group with another name that will be down here."

Progress is definitely being made, but right now, the islands of Sulu are still as dangerous as they are beautiful.

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Shale oil 'to boost world economy'

14 February 2013 Last updated at 00:01 GMT Fracking has been blamed for the pollution of water supplies and causing earth tremors Shale oil production could boost the world economy by up to $2.7tn (£1.7tn) by 2035, according to a report.

The extra supply could reach up to 12% of global oil production, or 14 million barrels a day, and push global oil prices down by up to 40%, PricewaterhouseCoopers said.

Shale oil and gas have emerged as a viable way to boost energy supplies.

However, there are concerns over the process by which the gas is extracted, known as fracking.

In fracking, a mixture of water, sand and some chemicals is pumped into a well under high pressure to force the gas from the rock. It has been linked to minor earthquakes, and there are concerns about its impact on the environment.

In its report, PwC said that the level of global growth could increase by around as much as 3.7% by the extra supply of shale oil, which is the equivalent of adding an economy roughly the size of the UK to the total world economy by 2035.

But the benefits of oil price reductions due to shale oil will vary significantly by country.

Current major oil exporters, such as Russia and the Middle East, could be "significant net losers in the long term unless they can develop their own shale oil resources on a large scale", it said.

Last month, China stepped up its efforts to explore shale gas reserves by awarding exploration rights on 19 shale gas areas to 16 firms.

Demand for energy in China has surged in recent years as its economy has expanded. The country is now the world's biggest energy consumer.

In December, the UK government gave the go-ahead for a firm to resume fracking to exploit gas in Lancashire, which was stopped after two tremors near Blackpool.

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Sunni authority hopeful over Vatican

13 February 2013 Last updated at 16:18 GMT By Ahmed Maher BBC Arabic Remarks by the Pope early in his papacy sparked outrage among Muslims The top religious authority in Sunni Islam says it hopes Pope Benedict XVI's successor will work for better ties between Muslims and Christians.

Al-Azhar al-Sharif institute in Cairo said it sought to "re-establish ties based on mutual respect and understanding".

The statement was its first response to Pope Benedict's decision to resign.

Relations between the Vatican and the Muslim world became strained in recent years after comments by the Pope.

His papacy got off to a rocky start with al-Azhar, which accused Benedict of repeatedly addressing Islam negatively.

Relations soured in 2006 after Pope Benedict quoted a 14th Century Byzantine emperor in remarks taken by some Muslims to imply that Islam was a violent religion.

Pope Benedict has repeatedly said words did not reflect his personal views, but stopped short of issuing a clear apology to Muslims.

In January 2011, al-Azhar suspended indefinitely its traditional dialogue with the Vatican in protest at what it said were "repetitive and negative statements" about Muslims by the Pope.

Al-Azhar accused Benedict of repeatedly claiming that Christians in the Middle East, and in Egypt in particular, were discriminated against and oppressed.

The Pope's statements on Christians in the Middle East came after a deadly New Year's Eve bombing in the al-Qiddissin church in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria three years ago.

At least 21 people were killed and 70 injured in the attack, which authorities said was carried out by a suicide bomber.

'Discrimination'

Egypt has the largest Christian minority in the Arab world. Church figures say Christians comprise about 10% of Egypt's population of 83 million people.

Egyptian Copts (Christians) have long complained about discrimination and outright oppression under former President Hosni Mubarak.

And since Mr Mubarak's overthrow in January 2011, Christian Egyptian leaders have expressed concerns about political gains made by Islamists.

Al-Azhar (which means the "most flourishing and resplendent" in English) was named after Fatima al-Zahraa, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

It was established in 971 as a mosque and then expanded into a university.

Over hundreds of years it has drawn millions of Muslim students and scholars from across the world.

Despite its long history and reputation al-Azhar was badly tainted by its close association with a string of Egyptian rulers, especially during Mr Mubarak's three-decade rule.

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Arrests in Acapulco tourists' rape

13 February 2013 Last updated at 23:35 GMT The women were raped in a bungalow they had rented near Acapulco Six men have been arrested in Mexico in connection with the rape of six Spanish women near the holiday resort of Acapulco last week, officials say.

Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said the suspects had confessed.

The women were raped by masked gunmen who had broken into their bungalow.

The police said they were looking for one more suspect. Acapulco is one of Mexico's most famous beach resorts, but it has recently suffered from drug-related violence.

The brutality of the case shocked Mexicans and foreigners living in Mexico alike.

The gunmen burst into a rented beach house on Monday, tied up and held at gunpoint six Spanish men as they attacked the women for several hours.

A seventh woman escaped after telling the attackers she was a Mexican.

Most of the Spanish women are reported to be residents of Mexico who had travelled to Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, for a weekend break.

Correspondents say the rapes are a blow to Mexico's attempts to boost its reputation as a tourist destination.

Officials have promised to act swiftly to bring those responsible to justice.

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EU and US launch free-trade talks

13 February 2013 Last updated at 21:16 GMT European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said a free-trade deal would be 'ground-breaking' The European Union and the US will begin formal talks on a free-trade agreement, paving the way for the biggest trade deal in history.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made the announcement following President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

The US said that "everything is on the table" in the talks.

A deal would bring down trading barriers between the two biggest economies in the world.

EU-US trade is worth around 455bn euros (£393bn; $613bn) a year.

"A future deal between the world's two most important economic powers will be a game-changer, giving a strong boost to our economies on both sides of the Atlantic," said Mr Barroso, speaking in Brussels.

The EU estimates that a "comprehensive and ambitious agreement" will boost annual GDP growth by 0.5%.

Mr Obama announced US support for talks as part of his annual address to the US Congress on Tuesday, saying a free-trade deal would "boost American exports, support American jobs and level the playing field in the growing markets of Asia".

It is not clear how long the talks will take, but similar trade deals have involved years of negotiations, and the BBC's Gavin Hewitt in Brussels says the most optimistic timeframe given by European officials is two years.

Continue reading the main story Andrew Walker BBC World Service Economics correspondent

One aim of the free-trade agreement would be to eliminate or reduce tariffs - taxes that apply to imported goods.

For both the EU and US average tariffs are already low, below 3% on one measure. But further reductions could nonetheless stimulate additional trade and there are some areas where tariffs are much higher, notably food.

Beyond that, the negotiations would try to reduce regulatory barriers to trade. That is more complex, but the experience of Europe's internal market shows it is sometimes possible.

The desire for bilateral trade liberalisation on both sides of the Atlantic reflects the failure of negotiations for a global deal in the World Trade Organization.

Those talks were launched 11 years ago and are nowhere near concluding. The big powers are anxious to use any opportunity to boost their economic performance.

A US-EU working group was established in 2011 to discuss the prospect of a free-trade agreement.

The US trade representative, Ron Kirk, said that even sensitive issues such as agricultural subsidies will be up for discussion.

"For us, everything is on the table, across all sectors, including across the agricultural sector, whether it is GMOs [genetically modified organisms] or other issues," Mr Kirk said. "We should be ambitious and we should deal with all of these issues."

Low tariffs

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told the BBC that free trade between the US and the EU had been under discussion for several years, and said he hoped talks would begin in the summer.

But he admitted that the negotiations would be "difficult" and "complex", but he warned: "As the two biggest economies in the world, failure is not an option."

The EU says the deal will focus on bringing down remaining tariffs and other barriers to trade, and standardise technical regulations and certifications.

Currently the US and EU impose relatively low tariffs on goods traded between them, but analysts say other barriers are often in place to prevent European companies competing in the US and vice versa.

One example is found in the car industry, where the EU and the US employ equally strict - but differing - safety standards, meaning that European car makers must meet both before they can sell cars in the US market, putting them at a disadvantage.

Mr De Gucht estimates that such barriers are equivalent to a traditional imports tariff of 10-20%.

Rise of China The agriculture industry is likely to be a focus of negotiations

Agriculture is also likely to be a significant bone of contention. The European farming industry is already heavily subsidised through the Common Agricultural Policy, and the European agriculture minister has already expressed reservations about the impact a free-trade deal might have.

The US government is also likely to come under pressure from domestic businesses who have in the past called for protectionist measures to prevent the market from being swamped by cheaper Chinese imports.

The EU has already said that certain "sensitive" sectors will require more negotiation but said no sectors would be excluded from the deal completely.

The chief European economist at Barclays, Philippe Gudin, suggested that the emergence of China as an economic power along with other emerging markets has encouraged the US and Europe to unify in order to remain economic leaders.

Mr De Gucht denied that they were seeking to combat Chinese growth, saying: "We are the leading economies and it's important that we remain the leaders, but in a way that allows others to develop."

Steve Davies from the Institute of Economic Affairs, a think tank, said he believed the economic crisis in Europe was a far more important factor.

"It's happening now because there has been seriously depressed growth in the EU, and this will be good news for economic growth," he said.

"On the American side, the critical factor is that Obama is now in his second term, so he doesn't have the protectionist pressures from US businesses to worry about."

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Lew urges US to avoid spending cuts

13 February 2013 Last updated at 16:45 GMT "Jack has my complete trust," President Obama said of Mr Lew, currently his chief of staff The expected next US Treasury Secretary has urged the country's politicians not to allow automatic spending cuts to come into effect at the end of the month.

Jack Lew, the White House Chief of Staff, has been nominated by US President Barack Obama.

At his Senate hearing, Mr Lew said the $85bn (£55bn) in cuts imposed "self-inflicted wounds to the recovery".

If confirmed, the 57-year-old Mr Lew will replace Timothy Geithner.

The automatic spending cuts were originally set to take place on 1 January, before Congress passed a last-minute deal to prevent tax rises on most Americans and delay the cuts for two months.

Known as the sequester, the cuts would suck away $85bn of spending from the US economy in one year, split between defence and domestic programmes, with a total of $1.2tn reductions until 2022.

Mr Lew said the sequester would "put far too many jobs and businesses at risk".

The deadline for a deal on the cuts is 1 March.

'Resilient to headwinds'

In his testimony, he added: "Our top priority is to strengthen the recovery by fostering private sector job creation and economic growth at a time when we must make sure our economy remains resilient to headwinds from beyond our shores.

"At the same time, we must put our nation back on a path of fiscal sustainability. Over the past two years, we have locked in $2.5tn in deficit reduction through spending cuts and revenue increases."

Speaking of the financial crisis of 2008, just as Mr Obama was elected and poised to take office, he said that the president "moved quickly to break the back of the financial crisis and reignite growth, and because he, along with Congress, responded with great speed and force, our economy is in better shape today".

Mr Lew is due to take up his post amid tense negotiations between the White House and congressional Republicans.

In addition to the sequester, debates are brewing over the government's borrowing limit - known as the debt ceiling - as well as government spending cuts, and other fiscal matters.

The US Congress has voted to extend the nation's borrowing limit until the middle of May. Otherwise it would have reached its $16.4tn debt limit in late February or March.

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Police end 'killer' ex-LA cop search

14 February 2013 Last updated at 01:08 GMT Sheriff McMahon said police did not "intentionally" burn down the cabin in which the gunman thought to be Dorner had barricaded himself

California police have ended the manhunt for an ex-Los Angeles policeman accused of murder, a day after finding a charred body in a cabin where he was thought to be hiding.

San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon said police could not yet identify the remains as those of Christopher Dorner.

But "we believe this investigation is over at this point", he said.

Dorner is accused of killing three last week and engaging in a gun battle with officers as they closed in on Tuesday.

'War zone'

The manhunt ended on Tuesday afternoon, after police received word that a man matching Dorner's description had stolen a vehicle in the area of Big Bear Lake, a ski resort 80 miles (130km) east of Los Angeles.

Officers pursued the suspect, who took refuge in the cabin on a snowy, wooded mountain. The suspect fired on police as they surrounded him, in a scene Sheriff McMahon likened to a war zone.

"The rounds kept coming but the deputies didn't give up," he said at a news conference on Wednesday. "Our deputy sheriffs are true heroes."

Continue reading the main story

In suicides, says Jack Digliani, a police psychologist with the Loveland, Colorado Police Department, police officers are more likely to leave a note than the general population. Dorner left a manifesto, sent to a media station before he allegedly committed his first crimes.

"In many cases, a manifesto reads like a suicide note," says Digliani. Dorner's lengthy manifesto, he said, had similar hallmarks, including a section thanking those who helped him. The manifesto, says Digliani, also offers insight into how Dorner could have turned from cop to criminal.

"It's [presented as] a righteous cause," he says. "It's two-fold. One is to change the LAPD, the other is to reclaim his name and his reputation. This is the avenger/crusader perspective: 'I don't want to do this, but it's the only way to accomplish the goal.'"

In the fight, Detective Jeremiah MacKay was shot and later died from his wounds. Another officer, Deputy Sheriff Alex Collins, was shot and has undergone surgery in hospital.

During the gun battle police shot tear gas canisters into the building in an effort to drive Dorner out.

Shortly afterwards, police heard a single gunshot as fire began to spread through the cabin.

It is not clear how the blaze started, and Sheriff McMahon said officers had not "intentionally" set fire to the cabin.

But he acknowledged the pyrotechnic tear gas canisters "generate a lot of heat".

"We introduced those into the residence and a fire erupted," he said.

"The pyrotechnic-type canisters are commonly referred to as burners."

Forensic tests will determine if the charred remains found in the razed cabin after Tuesday night's siege are those of Dorner, Sheriff McMahon said.

Revenge

Dorner, a 33-year-old former Navy reservist, is suspected of killing three people in a spree across southern California last week, including a policeman.

Christopher Dorner also had military experience

During the manhunt police guarded about 50 families, many belonging to former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) colleagues against whom Dorner had vowed revenge for allegedly ruining his career.

He was fired for making false statements, after lodging a complaint against his field training officer, saying she had kicked a suspect during an arrest.

His killing spree began on 3 February when he shot dead the daughter of a former police captain who represented him at his police disciplinary board, and her fiance.

Dorner apparently believed the woman's father, Randal Quan, had not defended him adequately.

Police say he shot and killed a Riverside, California policeman in an ambush on 7 February.

In an online manifesto, Dorner, who was black, suggested that racism was still rife in the LAPD.

It was an unwelcome allegation for a department that overhauled itself after the notorious police beating in 1991 of a black man, Rodney King.

Sunday 3 Feb: Monica Quan (pictured), 28, and Keith Lawrence, 27, were found shot dead in Irvine. Ms Quan, was the daughter of a former Los Angeles police captain who had represented Mr Dorner in disciplinary hearings that resulted in his dismissal in 2008.

Wednesday 6 Feb: At around 22:30, a man matching the description of Mr Dorner (pictured) tried to steal a 47-foot boat from a San Diego marina, but the engine wouldn't start. An 81-year-old man on the boat was tied up but unhurt.

Thursday 7 Feb: At 01:30, two LAPD officers assigned to protect a person named in Mr Dorner's "manifesto" chased a vehicle they believed was Mr Dorner's in Corona. One officer was injured during a shootout, and the gunman fled.

Thursday 7 Feb: Shortly after the shootout in Corona, a gunman believed to be Mr Dorner ambushed two Riverside police officers who had stopped at a red light. One officer was killed and the other critically injured.

Thursday 7 Feb: At 05:15, LAPD officers guarding a target in Torrance identified in Mr Dorner's "manifesto" opened fire on a truck they mistakenly believed to be Mr Dorner's. Two women were wounded. Shortly afterwards, Torrance police shot at a second truck they mistook for Mr Dorner's. Nobody was hurt.

Wednesday 13 Feb: The charred remains of a body, believed to be that of Christopher Dorner, are found in a burnt-out cabin at Big Bear Lake ski resort, after a shoot-out. One officer was killed and another injured. The search moved to the area after a truck belonging to the suspect was found there.

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