Sunday, September 21, 2014

Climate change summit: Thousands join global protests

21 September 2014 Last updated at 09:44 ET

by Kathy DiNuzzo and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Thousands of people march in a climate change rally in Melbourne, Australia - 21 September 2014

Protesters in Australia fear their country faces more severe droughts, bushfires and storms in future

Protests in many countries to demand urgent action on climate change have kicked off, with over 2,000 marches taking place around the world.

The People's Climate March has been organised to call for action to curb carbon emissions ahead of the UN climate summit in New York next week.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Australia while protests are also getting under way in Europe.
The climax will be a march in New York, attended by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
He will join thousands of people on the streets of Manhattan, including business leaders, environmentalists and celebrities.
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio will also attend, having been appointed as a UN representative on climate change last week.

Leonardo DiCaprio and UN chief Ban Ki-moon shake hands during a ceremony in New York - 20 September 2014

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and actor Leonardo DiCaprio will join protesters on the streets of New York

An image captured from a drone shows protesters forming the words "Beyond Coal + Gas" during a demonstration in Sydney - 21 September 2014

An image captured from a drone shows protesters in Sydney forming the words "Beyond Coal + Gas"

In Australia, organisers said up to 20,000 people had turned out in Melbourne to call on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to do more to tackle climate change.
The BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney says protesters fear Australia faces more severe droughts, bushfires and storms unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
'An everybody issue' Later on Sunday, about 100,000 people are expected to take to the streets in New York.
Organisers of the rally in Manhattan said the massive mobilisation is aimed at transforming climate change "from an environmental concern to an 'everybody issue.'"

Protesters march to demand urgent action on climate change in Brussels, Belgium - 21 September 2014

Protests are expected to take place in about 160 countries, including Afghanistan, Belgium and the UK

On Tuesday, the UN will host a climate summit at its headquarters in New York with 125 heads of state and government - the first such gathering since the unsuccessful climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009.
Mr Ban, the UN's Secretary General, hopes leaders can make progress on a universal agreement to be signed by all nations at the end of 2015.
He said he would "link arms with those marching for climate action" to show that the UN stands "with them on the right side of this key issue for our common future."
The New York rally is part of a global protest that includes events in 161 countries - Afghanistan, the UK and Italy among them.

by Nasra Ismail and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Sanaa, Yemen

Yemen PM resigns amid escalating clashes between Shia rebels and Sunni militia, TV and government official say

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

Miliband vows to fulfil Scottish devolution pledge

21 September 2014 Last updated at 09:03 ET

by Emily Straton and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, London

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Ed Miliband: "We're going to deliver. No ifs, no buts"

Scotland Decides

Ed Miliband has said the pledge of further devolution to Scotland will be fulfilled "no ifs, no buts" amid a row over additional powers for England.

He said he and other leaders made a "clear" pledge of new powers during the referendum and they must "honour" it.
The Labour leader said he was "open" to the idea of a new role for English MPs but not building a new English Parliament, as favoured by many Tories.
No 10 has made it clear that it will not renege on its Scottish commitments.
But Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has said voters were "tricked" by the pledge to publish, in draft form, new powers for the Scottish Parliament on tax and welfare before the 2015 general election.
He claims the timetable for delivering more powers in the event of a No vote - promised by the leaders of the three main Westminster parties in a joint declaration - is slipping because Mr Cameron can not guarantee his backbenchers, who want more power for English MPs, will vote for it.
In other developments:

The prime minister is reported to have invited senior Tories to Chequers on Monday to discuss the devolution plans
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said English voters would be "furious" if they did not get similar powers to those being touted for Scotland
Ed Miliband rules out Gordon Brown returning to frontline politics after his key role in the referendum campaign but holds out the prospect of Alistair Darling doing so
The SNP says it has signed up 8,000 new members since the referendum vote, while Mr Salmond reveals plans to write a book about the campaign entitled '100 days'
Labour politicians in Wales are urging party leaders to back a fair deal over funding and powers in any discussions on further devolution within the UK
More than 1,000 people attend a special Church service in Edinburgh to celebrate Scotland's "shared values" and "common purpose"
Half the Scottish cabinet publicly back Alex Salmond's deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, to replace him as SNP leader

'Trap' The prime minister announced on Friday that he wanted tax-raising powers for Holyrood to be introduced at the same time as changes to the House of Commons, ending the anomaly which allows Scottish MPs to vote on English-only legislation, such as health and education.

Analysis by political correspondent Ross Hawkins
Will Scotland only get more powers in Holyrood if Scottish MPs get fewer votes in Westminster?
It could sound that way. David Cameron said the two matters should be decided "in tandem".
His chief whip Michael Gove said it would be "impossible to move forward" without being certain of change in Scotland and England.
Yet on the idea of swiftly drawing up plans that could stop Scottish MPs voting on England-only laws, Ed Miliband disagrees. It feels a lot like politics as usual.
The pre-referendum arrangement between the Westminster parties was designed to look very simple. Since the vote, things have grown complicated.
And yet voices in all three parties are clear - they will make good their vow to Scotland. No ifs. No buts. The Scottish people will hold them to it.

Some in the Labour Party fear the surprise announcement is a "trap" that could undermine a future Labour government, which would rely on its Scottish MPs to give it a majority on key votes.
Mr Miliband rejected this argument in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, saying most Labour governments had also had a majority in England.
He refused to be drawn on whether he supports the principle of England-only votes at Westminster, only saying that he was not against "greater scrutiny" by English MPs.
Mr Miliband repeated his call for a national debate on the constitution, saying major changes of the kind being proposed by Mr Cameron could not be drawn up "on the back of a fag packet".
'Together, not apart' "Let's not drive our country apart because David Cameron thinks it is an opportunity for him to do it. Let's keep our country together and it is very important we do it (change) in the right way."
He suggested the pledge for more powers for Scotland could be dealt with separately, telling Andrew Marr that the referendum campaign commitment would be kept.

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Alex Salmond "surprised by the speed" at which Westminster party leaders are "reneging" on their promises

"People right across the UK will say David Cameron made a promise. He did not make a conditional promise. He made a clear promise and he is going to be kept to that.
"I know David Cameron will want to honour that promise....For my part, I am going to keep the promise I made…We are going to deliver on the pledge, no ifs not buts."
The prime minister, he added, had not raised the English issue with him before they signed their joint "vow" with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg ahead of Thursday's referendum.
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said Labour was looking at "a grand committee" of English MPs to consider English laws.
'Non-negotiable' The head of the Better Together campaign, Alistair Darling, said the pledge of extra powers for the Scottish Parliament is "non-negotiable".
"It was promised, it has to be delivered," he told the Andrew Marr show. "Anyone who welches on that will pay a very high price for years to come."
"The three leaders gave an absolute commitment. I am confident they will deliver it."

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Alistair Darling, Better Together: "Agreement by the three parties... is non-negotiable"

And deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said there were "no ifs, not buts" about the Scottish devolution pledge and it "cannot be made contingent on other constitutional reforms".
The Lib Dem leader, writing in the Sunday Times, suggested the Conservatives were motivated by fears about the rise of UKIP and that "extreme solutions" to the role of English and Scottish MPs at Parliament "could jeopardise the union they purport to defend".
Tory chairman Grant Shapps said there would be no "reneging" on the parties' Scottish commitments but a new English settlement had to be reached "at the same time".
"We fought for a no vote (in Scotland) even though we don't benefit," he told Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News "We put politics aside. Miliband needs to put politics aside."
And Mr Grayling said Holyrood should not receive more powers while Scottish MPs can still "shape the destiny" of the NHS and schools in England and force "socialist policies".
"That would be a travesty of democracy, and would be regarded with fury by the English," he told the Sunday Telegraph.

by Kathy DiNuzzo and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, New York

3 hours ago

Kim Kardashian told Newsbeat the first leak was a "wake up call"

More pictures and videos which seem to show celebrities naked have been posted online.
Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Hudgens and Mary-Kate Olsen are some of the stars who appear to have been targeted.
It's thought to be the second massive hacking-related leak in less than a month, but it's not clear yet where the pictures came from.
They were briefly posted on 4chan and Reddit before being removed, according to reports.
Newsbeat has contacted the websites but hasn't had a response yet.

Vanessa Hudgens is on the latest list of apparent leaks

Actresses Leelee Sobieski and Kaley Cuoco, Avril Lavigne and US football star Hope Solo are others whose pictures now seem to be being spread on Twitter.
There's no word from any of them yet.
Kim Kardashian spoke to Newsbeat after the original iCloud hack at the start of September, saying: "'I think it's a big wake up call for people to make sure they have every privacy setting".
She added that people have to be "cautious" but claimed she didn't have an iCloud account on her phone.

Jennifer Lawrewnce has been involved in both leaks

The latest wave of pictures seems to include new images of Hayden Panettiere and Jennifer Lawrence. Both actresses were also targeted earlier this month.
At the time, Lawrence's agent told Newsbeat her team would be taking legal action.
The original list of mostly female stars affected also featured people like Rihanna, Kate Upton and Selena Gomez.

Hayden Panettiere with husband Wladimir Klitschko,

Some claimed those pictures were fake, but others confirmed it was them.
Reddit later shut down a forum called The Fappening, which became a destination for users wanting to see the pictures.
Apple called the first hack a "targeted attack" but denied its iCloud storage system had been compromised.

Pictures which seem to be of Avril Lavigne are going around online

It suggested the celebrities had their accounts hacked by using easy-to-guess passwords or giving up personal data to cyber criminals posing as Apple.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton said sorry for re-posting the original pictures earlier this month.
The FBI is already investigating the earlier breach.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

Casualties in bomb blast near Egypt's foreign ministry

21 September 2014 Last updated at 05:43 ET

by Nasra Ismail and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Cairo

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.The BBC's Orla Guerin visited the scene of the blast

Egypt in transition

A bomb explosion near the Egyptian foreign ministry in Cairo has killed at least two police officers, security officials say.

The blast occurred on a crowded street near the River Nile. Witnesses said smoke was seen rising from the area.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Islamist militants have intensified attacks on the security forces since the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.
Sunday's blast occurred in the Bulaq Abu-al-Ila district.
The bomb is believed to have been planted below a tree.
Initial reports said at least four people - two policemen and two civilians - were killed.
Security officials later sealed off the area, looking for more bombs, Egypt's Mena news agency reports.
The Islamist violence at first targeted mostly police and the army in the Sinai peninsula, but has recently spread to other regions including the capital.
The militants say they are taking revenge for the hundreds of Islamists killed and thousands detained in a crackdown on the Brotherhood.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Scottish referendum: Queen urges referendum 'respect'

19 September 2014 Last updated at 13:36 ET

by Emily Straton and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

The Queen talked of an "enduring love of Scotland"

Scotland Decides

The Queen has said she believes Scotland will unite in a "spirit of mutual respect and support" following the independence referendum.

She said she understood there would be "strong feelings and contrasting emotions".
But she had "no doubt" this would be tempered by "an understanding of the feelings of others".
Voters in Scotland rejected independence by 2,001,926 votes to 1,617,989 in Thursday's referendum.
The Queen's statement came after Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond announced he would be stepping down after his pro-independence campaign suffered defeat in the referendum.
The Monarch is currently staying at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
'Contrasting emotions' She said: "After many months of discussion, debate, and careful thought, we now know the outcome of the referendum, and it is a result that all of us throughout the United Kingdom will respect.
"For many in Scotland and elsewhere today, there will be strong feelings and contrasting emotions - among family, friends and neighbours.
"That, of course, is the nature of the robust democratic tradition we enjoy in this country. But I have no doubt that these emotions will be tempered by an understanding of the feelings of others."
She added: "Now, as we move forward, we should remember that despite the range of views that have been expressed, we have in common an enduring love of Scotland, which is one of the things that helps to unite us all.
"Knowing the people of Scotland as I do, I have no doubt that Scots, like others throughout the United Kingdom, are able to express strongly-held opinions before coming together again in a spirit of mutual respect and support, to work constructively for the future of Scotland and indeed all parts of this country.
"My family and I will do all we can to help and support you in this important task."

by Alyssa Mann, BBC News roving reporter for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

A Pennsylvania State Trooper prepares to enter a wooded area at the Dunmore Cemetery during the funeral service of Pennsylvania State Trooper Bryon Dickson in Dunmore, Pennsylvania 18 September 2014

A Pennsylvania state trooper enters a wooded area during the funeral of slain officer

Police searching for a man accused of killing an state trooper say they have limited the area in which he can hide, as the manhunt enters a seventh day.

More than 200 officers were searching for Eric Frein, 31, in Pennsylvania's dense north-east woodlands.
He is accused of killing Capt Bryon Dickson outside a barracks, and critically wounded another officer.
"We have now made the world where he could hide a very, very small place," said FBI special agent Edward Hanko.
Pennsylvania police and federal officers were focusing on the area around Mr Frein's parents' home, searching hunting cabins, campsites and other temporary shelters in the Pocono mountains.
The search has been hampered by rugged terrain and forest canopy heavy enough in places to block police helicopters' view of the ground.
Schools in the area were closed again on Friday as the search continued.
Mr Frein has been added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List and $175,000 (£107,000) has been offered for information leading to his capture.

Pennsylvania State Troopers carry the casket of murdered Pennsylvania State Trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson out of Saint Peter's Cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania after his funeral 18 September 2014

Captain Byron Dickson was remembered as a devoted officer during his funeral on Thursday

On 12 September, a sniper opened fire outside the Blooming Grove state police barracks during an evening shift change.
In addition to the death of Capt Dickson, State Trooper Alex Douglass was wounded in the attack.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said Mr Frein had survivalist training and had "made statements about killing law enforcement officers and also to commit mass acts of murder", according to the Wilkes-Barr Times-Leader newspaper.
Police said he also took part in a re-enactment group whose members play the role of soldiers from eastern Europe.
On Thursday, thousands of law enforcement office came to pay their respects to their slain comrade.

In this undated photo provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, Eric Frein is shown.

Police said Mr Frein took part in a re-enactment group whose members play the role of soldiers from eastern Europe.

Friends and colleagues and called Dickson a devoted officer.
During a eulogy, fellow officer Derek Felsman remember Dickson as "impeccable" in both his work and family life, saying he regularly worked past his regular hours to get drink-drivers off roadways.
"He held himself to the highest standards as evidenced in every aspect of his life," he said.

by Tokun Lawal and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

A rescue workers at the site of a collapsed building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in the Ikotun-Egbe neighbourhood of Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, 17 September 2014

The official death toll is 80 but rescue teams are still looking for bodies

A Zimbabwean opposition politician is among at least 80 people who died when a church hostel in the Nigerian city of Lagos collapsed a week ago.

Greenwich Ndanga was the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) provincial chairman for Mashonaland West.
Most of the victims were South Africans who were staying in the multi-storey guesthouse belonging to the church of popular TV evangelist TB Joshua.
The authorities say it it had more floors than its foundation could hold.

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Khathuatshelo Ramovha recounts being trapped in the hostel for 13 hours

More than 130 people survived, including one South African woman who was pulled from the rubble on Monday - three days after the building collapsed.
Mr Ndanga's death was confirmed by his family and party officials on Thursday.
MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said he was a pastor and had gone to Nigeria on church business, Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper reports.

A supporter of the Movement for Democratic Change's Morgan Tsvangirai holds his portrait as they attend a campaign rally in Harare - July 2013

Morgan Tsvangirai has visited TB Joshua

According to the private Zimbabwean paper Newsday, several other Zimbabweans were visiting the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) at the time and escaped unhurt.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, a rival of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, is a known follower of Mr Joshua, who is a founder of the the SCOAN church ministry and referred to as the "prophet".
On Wednesday, South Africa's president said 67 South Africans had died in the collapse.
A rescue team from South Africa is now in Nigeria trying to help locate missing South Africans.

TB Joshua

Founded Synagogue, Church of All Nations in the 1990s
Runs Christian television station Emmanuel TV
The ministry professes to heal all manner of illnesses
Controversially this includes HIV/Aids
Known as the "Prophet" by his followers
Tours Africa, the US, the UK and South America

Profile: Nigerian preacher TB Joshua
In pictures: TB Joshua's ministry in 2005

The Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (Nema) says its emergency workers were at first prevented from participating in the rescue.
Nema spokesman Ibrahim Farinloye told the Associated Press news agency that despite arriving on the scene just over an hour after the collapse at 13.50 local time (12.50) on Friday, they were not given full access to the site until 17:00 on Sunday.
Such accusations have been denied by the church.
Earlier, Mr Joshua said a small plane had been circling over the building before it collapsed, and suggested it was an attempt on his life.

by Emily Straton and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Scotland Decides

Alex Salmond is to step down as first minister of Scotland after voters decisively rejected independence.

He will also resign as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) after the "No" side won Thursday's referendum by 2,001,926 to 1,617,989 for "Yes".
The national split of the vote was 55% for "Yes" to 45% for "No".
Mr Salmond said: "For me as leader my time is nearly over but for Scotland the campaign continues and the dream shall never die."
Speaking from Bute House in Edinburgh, the first minister's official residence, he told journalists: "I am immensely proud of the campaign that Yes Scotland fought and particularly of the 1.6m voters who rallied to that cause."
Mr Salmond also said there were a "number of eminently qualified and very suitable candidates for leader", although the current deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon, also deputy SNP leader, would be seen as a clear frontrunner.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Science & Environment

Share this page

Related Stories

More on This Story

Related Stories

Middle East

Share this page

UK Politics

Share this page

More on This Story

Latest news

Middle East

Share this page

More on This Story

Features and Analysis

Friday, September 19, 2014

Scotland

Share this page

More on This Story

Latest news

US & Canada

Share this page

Related Stories

More on This Story

Related Stories

From other news sites

Sky News 'Nowhere Left To Hide' For Cop-Killing Suspect 2 hrs ago

Huffington Post Search For Eric Matthew Frein Centers On Dense Woods 4 hrs ago

Los Angeles Times Pennsylvania trooper mourned; town on edge as killer is sought 15 hrs ago

ABC News Suspected Cop Shooter Eric Frein on FBI's Most Wanted List With $100,000 Reward 19 hrs ago

FOXNews.com Survivalist sought in trooper's ambush murder being hunted in Pennsylvania bear country 25 hrs ago

Africa

Share this page

Related Stories

More on This Story

Related Stories

From other news sites

Scotland

Share this page

More on This Story

Latest news

Analysis/Features

What were the issues?