pakistan updates

2014-07-09T16:03:00.001-07:00

2012-11-15T03:20:00.004-08:00

BBC crisis: Lord McAlpine 'angry' over abuse claim

Lord McAlpine said being wrongly implicated "gets into your bones ... it makes you angry"

Crisis at the BBC

Tory peer Lord McAlpine has spoken of his anger after a BBC Newsnight report led to him being wrongly implicated in child abuse allegations.

The former Conservative party treasurer toldBBC Radio 4's The World at One he should have been contacted beforehand.

He said about being wrongly under suspicion: "You just think there's something wrong with the world."

Some of those involved in deciding to run the report on care homes in north Wales face disciplinary measures.

Media watchdog Ofcom has confirmed it is investigating both Newsnight and ITV's This Morning programme over the allegations.

ITV said "appropriate disciplinary action" had been taken after a presenter inadvertently broadcast a list of names of alleged child abusers taken from the internet.

Although Lord McAlpine was not named by Newsnight, the report led to a flood of accusations about him online.

The BBC, which has apologised "unreservedly" for the report, said it hoped to reach a "settlement" of the matter on Thursday.

'Extremely bad'

“Start Quote

It makes you angry... And it gets into your soul and you just think there's something wrong with the world”

Lord McAlpineConservative peer

Speaking to the World at One, in an interview to be broadcast in full on Thursday, Lord McAlpine said he had been "in a state of shock" after hearing of the allegations.

"I was in southern Italy. I don't have television, I don't get newspapers, we don't have the internet. To suddenly find I was mixed up in all this, and I didn't know what Newsnight was going to say, it really was a horrendous shock.

"Of course they [the BBC] should have called me and I would have told them exactly what they learnt later on."

He continued: "That it was complete rubbish and that I'd only ever been to Wrexham once in my life. They could have saved themselves a lot of agonising and money, actually, if they'd just made that telephone call."

The peer was asked about London Mayor Boris Johnson's comment that to call someone a paedophile was to "consign them to the lowest circle of hell - and while they're still alive".

He replied: "Absolutely. I think it describes pretty much what happened to me in the first few days of this event.

"It gets into your bones... it makes you angry. And that's extremely bad for you to be angry. And it gets into your soul and you just think there's something wrong with the world."

'Clearly wrong'

Abuse inquiries

Operation Yewtree: Scotland Yard criminal investigation into claims that Jimmy Savile sexually abused young people
BBC investigation into management failures over the dropping of a Newsnight report into the Savile allegations
BBC investigation into culture and practices during Savile's career and current policies
BBC investigation into handling of past sexual harassment claims
Department of Health investigation into Savile's appointment to Broadmoor "taskforce" and his activities at Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary
Director of Public Prosecutions review into decisions not to prosecute Savile in 2009
North Wales abuse inquiry by National Crime Agency head into abuse claims from 70s and 80s, fresh claims, and police handling of the claims
Mrs Justice Macur appointed by PM to review the 2000 Waterhouse review which looked into the north Wales abuse
BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie into what happened with the Newsnight investigation into north Wales abuse claims

Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid said he hoped an agreement would be reached with the BBC on Thursday, but said his client was aware any payment would ultimately come from licence fee payers.

The BBC's statement said: "The BBC is hopeful that it can agree a settlement with Lord McAlpine today."

Mr Reid urged those who had named Lord McAlpine on the social media site Twitter to come forward. He said some prominent people had already apologised, but others had not.

He told the World at One: "What we're basically saying to people is, look, we know - in inverted commas - who you are, we know exactly the extent of what you've done. It's easier to come forward and see us and apologise and arrange to settle with us because, in the long run, this is the cheapest and best way to bring this matter to an end."

Mr Reid also confirmed ITV's This Morning programme would be sent a letter.

In a live interview several days after Newsnight's abuse report, ITV presenter Phillip Schofield handed the prime minister a list of names he said were being mentioned online as alleged paedophiles.

Mr Schofield later apologised amid suggestions the names could be seen by viewers due to a "misjudged camera angle".

In a statement on Thursday, ITV said it had investigated the "mistake" and that "appropriate disciplinary action" had been taken.

It added: "We sincerely apologise because the way in which the issue was raised was clearly wrong and should have been handled differently."

ITV News' UK editor Lucy Manning confirmed: "Phillip Schofield plus some of the This Morning production staff have been disciplined." Schofield appeared on Thursday's programme as normal.

'Unacceptable' failings

Acting BBC director general Tim Davie, who took charge of the corporation following George Entwistle's resignation in the wake of the Newsnight broadcast, has vowed to "get a grip of the situation".

An inquiry into Newsnight's broadcast, conducted by director of BBC Scotland Ken MacQuarrie, has identified "unacceptable" failings and said basic journalistic checks were not completed.

A summary of the findings released by the corporation said the full report would be issued after the completion of disciplinary proceedings.

The summary concluded "there was a different understanding by the key parties about where the responsibility lay for the final editorial sign off for the story on the day".

The head of BBC Northern Ireland, Peter Johnston, said he had a role in the decision-making of the Newsnight report but was not considering his position.

2012-11-15T03:09:00.002-08:00

Gaza rocket fire kills three Israelis, violence escalates

The rocket hit the top floor of the building in Kiryat Malachi

Three people have been killed as rockets fired from Gaza struck southern Israel, amid escalating violence.

They died when a four-storey building in the town of Kiryat Malachi was hit.

It marks the first Israeli fatalities since Israel killed Hamas' military chief in Gaza on Wednesday.

Eleven Palestinians - mainly militants but also children - have been killed in the ensuing Israeli operation. Since then, more than 130 rockets have been fired into Israel, police say.

Hundreds of rockets were fired into Israel by militants in Gaza, and Israel carried out numerous air strikes as cross-border violence soared in recent weeks.

Israel said the head of Hamas' military wing, Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari, who died when his car was hit in Gaza City, was responsible for all attacks from Gaza in the past decade.

“Start Quote

If the shooting doesn't stop, Israel will also target [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh”

Israel KatzIsraeli Transport Minister

Hamas militants have been running Gaza since 2007.

In a separate development, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reportedly cut short his trip to Switzerland and was returning to his base in the West Bank to deal with the growing crisis.

'Gates of hell'

The three Israelis - two women and a man - died when a rocket hit the top floor of the building in Kiryat Malachi, about 25km (15 miles) north of Gaza.

Three other people - a four-year-old boy and two babies - were injured, Israel's foreign ministry said.

The building's residents were warned by sirens about the impending attack, but did not have enough time to flee the building, reports said.

Meanwhile, three Palestinian militants were killed in Israeli air strikes on Thursday, Palestinian medics said.

After a relatively quiet night, violence picked up again in the morning the BBC's Jon Donnison in Gaza City says.

He says vapour trails from rockets being fired by Palestinian militants can be seen, and intermittently large mushrooms of smoke appear from Israeli air strikes.

Reports in Israel's media say that a rocket hit a house in Ashdod without causing injuries and another rocket landed close to a school in Beer Tuvya. There were also reports of rockets landing in Ofakim and Ashkelon.

Hamas on Thursday said it had fired missiles at Tel Aviv - but the claim was denied as "psychological propaganda" by the Israel Defence Forces.

So far the violence does not appear on the same scale as the last Gaza war almost four years ago when hundreds of Palestinians were killed on the first day of Israel's operation, our correspondent adds. Thirteen Israelis also died in that conflict.

Militants have fired hundreds of rockets from Gaza, which has seen repeated Israeli air strikes in recent weeks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that his country is prepared to extend its operation against Hamas.

Israeli military spokesman Joshua Hantman told the BBC that about one million Israelis across the country were now under fire from the militants.

He added that a ground offensive was "an option if we need to".

Meanwhile, Israeli Transport Minister Israel Katz told the BBC that "if the shooting doesn't stop, Israel will also target [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh".

Responding to Wednesday's strike, Hamas warned that the killing of 52-year-old Jabari would "open the gates of hell" for Israel.

In Gaza City, large crowds gathered for his funeral, vowing revenge attacks.

Among those killed in the Israeli air strikes in the last two days was the 11-month-old son of a BBC Arabic Service cameraman in Gaza City. The child, Omar, died in hospital of severe burns, while his brother and uncle remain critically injured.

Hamas leaders assassinated by Israel

Jan 1996, Gaza: Hamas chief bomb maker Yahya Ayyash killed by mobile phone packed with explosives
July 2002, Gaza: Salah Shehada, leader of Hamas military wing, killed by bomb dropped on his house
Mar 2004, Gaza: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder of Hamas, killed by missile strike
Apr 2004, Gaza: Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, co-founder and leader of Hamas, killed in missile strike
Jan 2009, Gaza: Said Siyam, senior Hamas commander, killed in air strike

Obituary: Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari

Condemnation

An emergency closed session of the UN Security Council was held at the request of Egypt late on Wednesday to discuss the situation.

The Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told the meeting that Israel was "vulgarly and publicly boasting about its wilful killing of Palestinians".

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice defended Israel's actions.

"There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organisations are employing against the people of Israel," Mrs Rice told the session.

In other diplomatic reaction:

US President Barack Obama spoke to Mr Netanyahu by telephone on Wednesday evening, with both men agreeing that Hamas needed to halt its attacks on Israel to allow the situation to de-escalate, the White House said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Mr Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi, expressing concern at the "deteriorating situation"
Arab League foreign ministers say they will meet in emergency session on Friday to discuss the escalating violence
Egyptian President Mursi also spoke to President Obama and agreed on the importance of working to calm the situation as quickly as possible, the White House said.

Neighbouring Egypt condemned the strikes, recalled its ambassador to Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador in Cairo as well as calling for UN and Arab League meetings.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in Cairo, says Egypt's reaction to events in Gaza will be followed closely.

2012-11-15T03:07:00.002-08:00

China confirms leadership change

The BBC's Martin Patience says the new leaders face immense challenges

Xi Jinping has been confirmed as the man to lead China for the next decade.

Mr Xi led the new Politburo Standing Committee onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, signalling his elevation to the top of China's ruling Communist Party.

The party faced great challenges but would work to meet "expectations of both history and the people", he said.

Most of the new committee are seen as politically conservative, and perceived reformers did not get promotion.

Xi Jinping replaces Hu Jintao, under whose administration China has seen a decade of extraordinary growth.

The move marks the official passing of power from one generation to the next.

'Pressing problems'

Analysis

The new line-up shows that 86-year old former leader Jiang Zemin still has important influence, because at least four out of seven new members are widely seen as his allies.The new faces contain no surprises - as all of them are from the list of favourite names widely mentioned by the media.

Meanwhile the outgoing leader Hu Jintao's three allies - Li Yuanchao, Liu Yuandong and Wang Yang - did not make it into the Standing Committee.

Mr Hu has also given up his post as the chairman of the Central Military Commission, indicating he will fully retire from his political posts and stay away from political life too.

The prospect of political reform now looks more unlikely as most of the new leaders are regarded as political conservatives.

Mr Xi was followed out onto the stage by Li Keqiang, the man set to succeed Premier Wen Jiabao, and five other men - meaning that the size of the all-powerful Standing Committee had been reduced from nine to seven.

Those five, in order of seniority, were Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang, Shanghai party boss Yu Zhengsheng, propaganda chief Liu Yunshan, Vice-Premier Wang Qishan and Tianjin party boss Zhang Gaoli.

The new leaders had great responsibilities, Mr Xi said, but their mission was to be united, and to lead the party and the people to make the Chinese nation stronger and more powerful.

"The people's desire for a better life is what we shall fight for," he said.

Corruption had to be addressed, he said, and better party discipline was needed.

"The party faces many severe challenges, and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucratism caused by some party officials," Mr Xi said.

“Start Quote

The important thing is whether they can lead the country in a good direction; whether they can reduce corruption and incompetence”

Qian Ah Jie AmitabhaNetizen

China media reaction

"We must make every effort to solve these problems. The whole party must stay on full alert."

'Confidence in continuity'

The new Standing Committee was endorsed in a vote early on Thursday by the new party Central Committee, but in reality the decisions had been made in advance.

The new leaders will gradually take over in the next few months, with Hu Jintao's presidency formally coming to an end at the annual parliament session in March 2013.

Mr Xi has also been named chairman of the Central Military Commission, a Xinhua news agency report said, ending uncertainty over whether that post would be transferred from Hu Jintao immediately.

Xi Jinping

Born in Beijing in 1953, father was Xi Zhongxun, a founding member of the Communist Party
Sent to work at a remote village for seven years when he was 15
Studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University and spent time at a US farm in 1985
Was Shanghai party chief in 2007 and became vice-president in 2008
Seen as having a zero-tolerance attitude towards corrupt officials
Married to well-known Chinese folk singer and actress Peng Liyuan with whom he has a daughter

Mr Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, held on to the post for two years after he stood down from the party leadership.

New Standing Committee member Wang Qishan has also been named head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection - the party's anti-corruption watchdog.

Mr Xi, a former Shanghai party chief, was appointed to the politburo in 2007.

A "princeling" - a relative of one of China's revolutionary elders - he has spent almost four decades in the Communist Party, serving in top posts in both Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Shanghai.

His speech drew praise online, with a number of netizens liking his more informal style.

"This big boss at least is talking like a human being. I won't comment on the rest," well-known Chinese journalist Gong Xiaoyue said via micro-blog.

Mr Xi, 59, is said to be a protégé of Jiang Zemin, while Li Keqiang is said to have been Mr Hu's preferred successor.

Mr Hu has been the Communist Party chief since he led the Standing Committee line-up out on stage in November 2002.

Under his administration China has seen a decade of rapid development, overtaking Japan as the world's second-largest economy.

But the development has been uneven, leading to a widening wealth gap, environmental challenges and rumbling social discontent over inequality and corruption.

Party numbers

Ruled China since 1949
83m members in 2011
77% of members are men
Farmers make up one third of membership
6.8m members work for the Party and state agencies
Funded by government grant and membership dues
Private businessmen allowed to join since 2001

Analysts say there has been division at the very top of the leadership in the lead-up to the party congress, with two rival factions jostling for position and influence.

The transition process has also been complicated by the scandal that engulfed Chongqing party leader Bo Xilai - a powerful high-flier once seen as a strong contender for the top leadership. His wife has been jailed for murdering a British businessman and he looks set to face trial on a raft of corruption-related charges.

That notwithstanding, the power transition process has been orderly, for only the second time in 60 years of Communist Party rule.

"The ostensible lack of drama throughout the week-long session may disappoint sensation seekers," China Daily said in an editorial on Thursday before the new Standing Committee line-up was announced.

"But the confidence in continuity, instead of revolutionary ideas and dramatic approaches, means a better tomorrow is attainable."

2012-11-15T00:01:00.001-08:00

Ibrahimovic destroys England

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring his fourth goal in Sweden's 4-2 friendly victory over England.

-- Zlatan Ibrahimovic produced a memorable performance after his four-goal salvo helped Sweden defeat England in Stockholm.

The 31-year-old, who has scored ten goals in as many games for club side Paris Saint-Germain, was on fire once again as Roy Hodgson's men were swept away.

The Swedish skipper had given his side a 20th minute lead before goals from Manchester United's Danny Welbeck and Tottenham's Steven Caulker gave England a half-time.

Ibrahimovic arrival marks watershed moment for Paris Saint-Germain

But it was Ibrahimovic who stole the show after the interval, with three strikes in the final 12 minutes.

A day in the life of Cristiano Ronaldo

Mourinho on the enigma of Balotelli

Messi moves past Pele milestone

After netting a 78th minute equaliser, Ibrahimovic slammed home a rasping 30-yard free-kick before rounding off his night with a scarcely believable scissors kick.

It ruined the night for England captain Steven Gerrard, who had hoped to celebrate his 100th cap with victory.

Gerrard told ITV 1: "I still stick by Zinedine Zidane, he is the best player in the world as the best player of his generation, but his (Ibrahimovic's) performance was world class and he just scored one of the best goals I seen live.

"It was his night. If someone scores four goals and the way he scored them....it's one of the best I've seen."

Hodgson added: "The fourth goal was extraordinary, but it was the second and third goals which cost us.

"For 70 minutes we were playing very well and we deserved to be in the lead, but we made changes and they took the initiative."

Elsewhere, France recorded an impressive 2-1 victory over Italy after it came from behind in Parma.

Milan star Stephan El Shaarway gave the hosts the lead only for France to hit back through Mathieu Valbuena and Bafetimbi Gomis.

The highly anticipated grudge match between the Netherlands and Germany failed to catch light as it finished goalless in Amsterdam.

Messi passes Pele's goal milestone

Lionel Messi drew a rare blank after Argentina was held to a goalless draw by Saudi Arabia.

Despite boasting the likes of Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria in their starting line-up, Argentina were unable to make the breakthrough against a stubborn Saudi defence.

Mikkel Diskerud scored a late equalizer as the U.S. grabbed a 2-2 draw in Russia.

Fyodor Smolov had given the hosts a ninth minute lead before Michael Bradley's fine effort brought the U.S. level.

Roman Shirokov looked to have won the contest with an 84th minute penalty but Diskerud fired home late on to ensure the game finished level.

Elsewhere, Portugal was held to a 2-2 draw in Gabon, Uruguay defeated Poland 3-1 and Greece claimed a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland.

2012-11-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

Three killed as Gaza rockets hit south Israel: police

KIRYAT MALAHI: Three people were killed on Thursday when rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malahi, an Israeli police spokeswoman told.
"We have three killed," spokeswoman Luba Samri told, saying four other people were also injured in a "direct hit on a house" in the town which lies 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of the Gaza Strip.
The rocket attack comes amid a vast Israeli operation against Gaza militants which began on Wednesday with the killing of a top Hamas chief.
Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip since the start of the operation have killed 11 Palestinians, including Ahmed Jaabari, the operational commander of Hamas's armed wing, and wounded at least 100, medical officials said.

2012-11-14T23:45:00.001-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked Thursday that the court doesn’t acknowledge any bogus company and the relevant documents will reveal if the company is real or fake.
A three-member bench of the apex court heard the Reko Diq case.
During the hearing, Advocate General Balochistan said that 1,000 square kilometre area could be allotted to explore reserves under the law but 13,000 square kilometre was allotted to the company by easing conditions in the regulations.
The chief justice in his remarks said that the court doesn’t recognise any bogus company and the only the authentic documents will prove if the company really exists or not.

2012-11-14T23:35:00.001-08:00

India v England, first Test, day one, AhmedabadLIVE

Virender Sehwag races to a 90-ball century as England struggle on the opening day of the first Test against India.

GET INVOLVED

Live Reporting

In Summary

Sehwag brings up 23rd Test century
Sehwag and Gambhir add 134 for first wicket
India win toss in Ahmedabad
Compton makes England Test debut
England include Patel and Bresnan
First match of four-Test series

From Andy in Aberystwyth, TMS inbox: "We've had neutral umpires for years now, shouldn't we also have neutral pitches? The ICC should dictate the make-up of pitches around the world to prevent games being won or lost on the toss, as this one probably has been."
0732:

Ind 174-1

Geoff Boycott on TMS continues pushing the proposed selection of Monty Panesar as Sehwag and Pujara both take two singles off Bresnan's over - Big Tim has 0-45 from nine overs.
Neil Harris on Twitter: "What pictures are people watching? There's stacks of people there. The ground is huge, remember."
Geoffrey Boycott, BBC Test Match Special

"Sehwag's never been a great athlete, he's 33 - or at least he says he is, I think he might be a bit like Basil D'Olivieira, who took a few years off. He averages 60 on the subcontinent, but only 27 in England."
0727:

SEHWAG CENTURY - Ind 170-1

Sehwag goes after Swann, lofting a four through long-on to reach his century in style from 90 balls. Raising his bat to salute the crowd, he also removes his dark blue India helmet to reveal a bright red bandana covering his head. He's now above Mohammad Azharuddin as number four in the list of most centuries for India, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar.
0724:

Ind 161-1

Sehwag tries to force Bresnan to leg... but can only manage a leg bye. If you're just waking up and joining us, there's not been a lot to cheer about from England's point of view. Pujara rotates the strike, Sehwag chops a quick single into the off side to move to 99 as the crowd's sense of anticipation grows.
0720:

Ind 158-1

Swann rattles through his 13th over, just a single apiece to the Indian second-wicket pair. Pujara moves to double figures with 10, Sehwag sneaks up to 98. And has the strike.
From Dave in Darlington, via text on 81111: "Very bad start for Cook as captain. Terrible selection with Bresnan not Panesar. Tedious, negative bowling changes and fields. Worst of all called wrong at toss."
0717:

Ind 156-1

Anderson takes a rest after his second four-over spell of the day, and it's time for Tim Bresnan to have another go. Prakash Wakankar on TMS thinks the crowd, which has been rising steadily all day, is now about 10,000 strong - Sehwag pushes a single to mid-on as he inches towards three figures. The tall Pujara gets a leading edge as he tries to force the ball to edge... but it's misjudged by Anderson at mid-on as he comes in too far and over-runs it.Definitely a chance - Pujara was preparing to walk off.
From Matthew in York, TMS inbox: "I don't understand why England can't get Sehwag out! He's just a slogger! Why don't we have plans to get him out?"
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special

"Samit Patel is essentially a batsman who bowls. He's not quite Yuvraj Singh in either department. But we expect he'll get plenty of work."
0712:

Ind 154-1

Sehwag, who's closing on his 23rd Test century, carefully guides a single to move to 96 as the scoreboard ticks round to 150. Pujara unleashes his first boundary, rocking back to hammer Swann through cover point for four. He's looked very much at home so far.
Joe Wilson, BBC Sport in Ahmedabad

"The crowd here is actually bigger than many people feared (there were estimates of 4,000 in the build-up). MS Dhoni concedes that in the future Tests might be staged in smaller cities and venues, where presumably the novelty factor would be higher. He also accepts that Indian cricket tastes have changed, as people are now used to a 'fast food' diet of cricket."
From Moh in Manchester, via text on 81111: "I think it's unfair to blame the Indians for turning their pitches into tarmac. That's a home side advantage as far as I'm concerned and its partially due to the hot climate in India... I didn't see anyone talking about the English pitches when subcontinent teams were getting whitewashed in England? End of the day, great batsmen don't depend on the toss or conditions, they adapt to the conditions and show why they are great."
0709:

Ind 149-1

Anderson in for his eighth over, Sehwag drills a two through the covers to move to 95, then there's another ball down the leg side - a bit like that dropped catch earlier - and this one is signalled as a leg bye.
Justin Goulding, BBC Sport

"A little about Cheteshwar Pujara, India's number three and the man charged with filling Rahul Dravid's clown-sized shoes... A 24-year-old playing his sixth Test, he made 72 on debut against Australia in 2010 and 159 on his return to the team against New Zealand this August. If England didn't take notice after his 87 for Mumbai A in the recent tour game, then perhaps a first-class average of 53 will make them do so."
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special

"Swann's going to be a busy man here. The one ball he got a lot of turn with, produced a missed stumping, but he's got a lot of right-handers to bowl to. Pujara is looking quite composed."
0704:

Ind 146-1

Sehwag has the crowd on their feet as he steps forward and caresses the ball through the covers for four. Swann tosses the next ball up and Sehwag can only guide it to long-off for a single as he moves to 93. Pujara doubles his score with a two.
Hamza A Khan on Twitter: "Three right-handers at 3,4,5 and Sehwag still in. England will miss Monty who's better than Swann against right-handers."
0701:

Ind 139-1

For the third successive over, Sehwag gets a single at the start of the over, then Pujara pushes the ball into the covers and Anderson is quick to field off his own bowling, hurling the ball at the stumps as Pujara ducks back into his crease.
From Graham in Exeter, via text on 81111: "The situation regarding DRS in this series is absurd. It's an antiquated attitude to technology from the people making decisions in India and it is holding back cricket worldwide. It may cost England in this series as well, with them being the side that is used to dealing with it."
0657:

Ind 138-1

Single from Sehwag again, then Pujara is off the mark with a well-run two off his legs. Swann has 1-26 from 10 overs, comfortably the pick of England's bowlers.
Mukundhan on Twitter: "Let's get over the misconception once for all. Barring Chennai, Bangalore & Kolkata, none of the cities care about Test cricket."
0654:

Ind 135-1

Sehwag pushes Anderson for a single, while I can also tell you that Graeme Swann drew level with Jim Laker on 193 Test wickets in that over, making him England's joint leading wicket-taker among Test off-spinners. But he needs another 104 to catch England's leading spinner, Derek Underwood, who took 297.

More worryingly for England, Henry Blofeld and Vic Marks on TMS think Anderson has received an official warning for running on the wicket.
0649:

Ind 134-1

Right-hander Cheteshwar Pujara - playing his sixth Test, and having to fill Rahul Dravid's shoes in the number three spot - is the new batsman.
Andrew Samson, BBC Test Match Special statistician

"That's the highest opening stand in a Test on this ground, beating the 131 by the rather unlikely pair of Matt Horne and Gary Stead for New Zealand in 1999. The new batsman Pujara was man of the tournament at the 2006 Under-19 World Cup."
0646:

WICKET- Gambhir b Swann 45 (Ind 134-1)

Swann to continue, Gambhir gives himself room and guides him for four square of the wicket. Next ball, Gambhir is put down by Prior behind the stumps (depending on whether you think he got a faint edge, it's either a dropped catch or a missed stumping, or both) - but when he attempts another cut shot, Swann bowls him off stump and is ecstatic!
From Tom Clark, TMS inbox: "I thought cricket was supposed to be a religion in India. Where are all the cricket fans? The stadium is empty! I don't understand."
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special

"They're bowling at Sehwag without a slip - you could almost have a defensive, wide slip for him, as he shouldn't be able to just glide it for four like that."
0644:

DROPPED CATCH- Ind 130-0

Sehwag slices the first ball after lunch for a single to the tumbling Jonathan Trott at third man. Gambhir adds a single, then Sehwag flicks one off his leg, Prior gets a glove to it but can't hold on and there's no umpire signal, so that was bat on it... and we have to put it down as a chance as Sehwag moves to 81 with a single. Gambhir guides a two through the covers, before a great dive-and-pick-up by Broad at mid-off restricts him to a single. Sehwag guides the last ball of the over through third man - too fine for the fielder - for four. He's on 85.
0640:

As Vic mentioned, James Anderson to take up the attack. No slips in for the right-arm paceman.
Joe Wilson, BBC Sport in Ahmedabad

"Decent stream of spectators still arriving through the lunch interval, perhaps lured by the promise of more runs. Diwali holiday spirit still in evidence in Ahmedabad, although fireworks stopped early last night... around midnight. Car park outside the ground is full, packed with new compact white hatchbacks - the new India!"
Vic Marks, BBC Test Match Special

"One of the good things England have done is kept Sehwag off strike. He's only faced 66 balls, Gambhir has faced over 100. To give Sehwag width is lethal, they've got to be tighter. Swann at least managed some control, I'd imagine he'll have to stay on at one end. Anderson, who only bowled four overs this morning, is going to start after the interval, he'll be hoping this magical reverse swing arrives. But they've got to get rid of Sehwag, or he's going to run away with this innings."
0636:

BBC 5 live sports extra

TMS are currently playing a few highlights of the morning session - a timely reminder that although play is due to finish at 1100 GMT (or 1130 if they've not bowled the overs) each day, you can listen to highlights of each day's play onBBC 5 live sports extra each afternoon and evening.
0630:

While you're pondering England's first session of the series, we've taken a look at what a tough test Alastair Cook is facing in his maiden stint as official Test captain. Former England paceman Steve Harmison and Cook's Essex coach Paul Grayson discuss the new skipper - you can read it on the BBC Sport website.
Philip Sparrow on Twitter: "When was the last time a four-match series ended 0-0?"
Australian commentator Jim Maxwell on TMS: "There's no-one really at the moment pushing for Ricky Ponting's place, but no-one's indispensable. If he can get some runs in the next couple of matches he might keep going for the rest of the summer. Ideally he'll retire on his own terms, but it may not be like that, like the way he was dropped from the one-day side. He really wants to try to get to England next year and regain the Ashes, but at the moment he needs to convince everyone he can still perform. He'll be 38 in December but he still runs and catches as well as anyone."
Chris Tubby on Twitter: "Sitting at my desk in Korea searching the internet for video footage of Geoffrey's mum batting. None so far."
0606:

TMS are going to discuss Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting during the interval - two titans of the modern game, who may be coming towards the end of their international careers. Boycs, for his two'pennyworth, thinks Ponting should have already called it a day.

Keep your radio on TMS, we're going to see if the BBC canteen has anything to offer at this time of day... back soon.
Drew Leitch on Twitter: "Said I would start work on my essay once England get their first wicket - 2 hours ago now."
Geoffrey Boycott, BBC Test Match Special

"Gambhir's had a very ordinary morning but he's got away with it, he doesn't look in good nick and doesn't look like he knows where to hit Swann. When he drives the ball, he doesn't time it. Sehwag's played serenely after those first few overs, Swann has bowled very well but the seamers were innocuous, and I'd have brought Patel on earlier. This is India, so it's par for the course that the pitch is flat and slow. As we get the sunshine, it'll get slower and lower, but it'll spin more as the game goes on so India should make hay while the sun shines."
0600:

LUNCH- Ind 120-0

Swann joins his spin buddy Patel in serving up a full toss to Sehwag, who's only able to work it away for a single. With the interval imminent, Gambhir looks content to play out the rest of the over, and lunch is taken with India having barely put a foot wrong.
From Dick, TMS inbox: "Broad bowls too many five-ball overs, with one ball meat and drink to an in batsman, which Sehwag most certainly is. Panesar or Onions for Broad every time. Or Geoffrey's mum."
0557:

Ind 119-0

England turn to Samit Patel as their fifth bowler, but the burly left-arm spinner's first ball is a juicy pie of a full toss which Sehwag clubs through mid-wicket for a first-bounce four. A single takes Sehwag to 77, Gambhir drills one through the covers and they run one. Patel has men back at long-off and long-on for Sehwag, who hits a single to the latter fielder.
Junaid Rahim on Twitter: "Pouring down with rain in Vietnam! Consoling myself by following the TMS Test match commentary."
0554:

Ind 112-0

India look to be playing for lunch here, Sehwag helps himself to a single and Swann has 0-18 from seven overs. But apart from one stifled lbw appeal, there's not been much going for him today either.

Meanwhile, my match report colleague Stephan Shemilt points out that it could have been worse for England. "We could have won the toss and put them in," he muses...
Tom Coleman on Twitter: "I've now resorted to playing out an alternate scenario in my head where we won the toss and Cook is doing what Sehwag is doing."

2012-11-14T23:33:00.002-08:00

'Rogue planet' spotted 100 light-years away

This modest dot is "rogue" planet CFBDSIR2149-0403, as seen in the infrared

Astronomers have spotted a "rogue planet" - wandering the cosmos without a star to orbit - 100 light-years away.

Recent finds of such planets have suggested that they may be common, but candidates have eluded close study.

The proximity of the new rogue planet has allowed astronomers to guess its age: a comparatively young 50-120 million years old.

The planet, dubbed CFBDSIR2149-0403, is outlined in a paper posted online to appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Rogue planets are believed to form in one of two ways: in much the same way as planets bound to stars, coalescing from a disk of dust and debris but then thrown out of a host star's orbit, or in much the same way as stars but never reaching a full star's mass.

One tricky part is determining if rogue planet candidates are as massive as the "failed stars" known as brown dwarfs, further along in stellar evolution but without enough mass to spark the nuclear fusion that causes starlight.

Either way, the objects end up free of a host star's gravity. Given that most planets we know of are found through the effects they have on their host star's light, pinning down rogue planets has proven difficult.

An international team went on a vast hunt for the planets using the Canada France Hawaii Telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and came up with just one candidate.

VLT studies allowed first guesses as to the planet's composition, as seen in this artist's impression

"This object was discovered during a scan that covered the equivalent of 1,000 times the [area] of the full moon," said study co-author Etienne Artigau of the University of Montreal.

"We observed hundreds of millions of stars and planets, but we only found one homeless planet in our neighbourhood."

But crucially, the new find appears to be moving along with a similarly itinerant group of celestial objects, called the "AB Doradus moving group" - a collection of about 30 stars which are of roughly the same composition and are believed to have formed at about the same time.

Because CFBDSIR2149-0403 appears to be moving with the group - to a certainty of 87% - astronomers believe it too formed with the stars, about 50 -120 million years ago.

It is this estimate of age that allows astronomers to use computer models of planet evolution to make further guesses as to the planet's mass and temperature.

The team believe it has a temperature of about 400C and a mass between four and seven times that of Jupiter - well short of the mass limit that would make it a likely brown dwarf.

What remains unclear is just how the planet came to be - the tiny beginnings of a star, or planet launched from its home? Study co-author Philippe Delorme of the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics of Grenoble, said that the latter implied a great many planets like it.

"If this little object is a planet that has been ejected from its native system, it conjures up the striking image of orphaned worlds, drifting in the emptiness of space," he said.

2012-11-14T23:31:00.002-08:00

Great whites 'not evolved from megashark'

The new specimen (examined here by Dana Ehret) links Great Whites to the much smaller mako shark

A new fossil discovery has helped quell 150 years of debate over the origin of great white sharks.

Carcharodon hubbelli, which has been described by US scientists, shows intermediate features between the present-day predators and smaller, prehistoric mako sharks.

The find supports the theory that great white sharks did not evolve from huge megatooth sharks.

The research is published this week in the journal Palaeontology.

Palaeontologists have previously disagreed over the ancestry of the modern white sharks, with some claiming that they are descended from the giant megatooth sharks, such as Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon).

"When the early palaeontologists put together dentitions of Megalodon and the other megatooth species, they used the modern white shark to put them together, so of course it's going to look like a white shark because that's what was used as a model," explained Professor Dana Ehret of Monmouth University in New Jersey who lead the new research.

Modern day white sharks show similarities in the structure of their teeth with the extinct megatooth sharks.

As they both sport serrations on the cutting edges, early scientists working on the animals used this as evidence for the sharks being closely related.

"But we actually see the evolution of serrations occurring many times in different lineages of sharks and if you look at the shape and size of the serrations in the two groups you see that they are actually very different from each other," Professor Ehret told BBC News.

Megalodon had one of the most formidable bites known from the fossil record

"White sharks have very large, coarse serrations whereas megalodon had very fine serrations."

Now, additional evidence from the newly described species shows both white shark-like teeth shape as well other features characteristic of broad-toothed mako sharks that feed on smaller fish rather than primarily seals and other large mammals.

"It looks like a gradation or a transition from broad-toothed makos to the modern white shark. It's a transitional species, and you don't see that a whole lot in the fossil record," Professor Ehret said.

The mako-like characteristics of the new species, named Carcharodon hubbelli in honour of Gordon Hubbell - the researcher who discovered it in the field - were only found due to the incredible preservation of the fossil.

Palaeontology in Peru

The Pisco formation is in South Western Peru, along the Pacific Ocean, a five mile drive from Lima on the transcontinental highway.

A very low energy environment with high depositional rates led to a large number of spectacularly well preserved finds from the area.

These have included whale skeletons complete with preserved baleen and preserved feathers on giant penguin fossils.

The formation has also preserved a shallow marine environment and fossils such as specialised marine sloths that swam in the ocean to feed on sea grasses, and the giant sperm whale relativeLeviathan melvillei.

Ehret and his colleagues were able to discover the original excavation site due to the site being protected by the high salt content of the sediment, preserving the hole.

"A big issue in shark palaeontology is that we tend to only have isolated teeth, and even when you find associated teeth very, very rarely are they articulated in a life position," continued Professor Ehret.

"The nice thing about this new species is that we have an articulated set of jaws which almost never happens and we could see that the third anterior tooth is curved out, just like in the tooth row of mako sharks today," he said.

David Ward, an associate researcher at the Natural History Museum, London, who was not involved in the study told BBC News: "Everyone working in the field will be absolutely delighted to see this relationship formalised."

The mosaic of both white shark-like and mako-like characters had been spotted by the researchers in an initial description of the fossil, but the age of the fossil meant their conclusion that the species was intermediate between a mako ancestor and modern white sharks wasn't fully accepted.

"Some folks said 'well, it makes a great story, but it's not old enough because by this time, the early Pliocene, we see full blown white sharks in the ocean.'"

This led Ehret and his team to revisit the original site the fossil was taken from the Pisco Formation in Peru to re-examine the geology of the area, guided by the original field notes of Gordon Hubbell.

Megatooth vs Mako

There are only two species of mako shark today: the short- and long-finned mako sharks.

They are smaller than white sharks and eat primarily fish rather then mammals, whereas white sharks shift away from eating fish as they grow.

The long-finned mako shark gives birth to live pups.

Megalodon was the largest of the 'megatooth' sharks reaching lengths of 15-20m.

A 2008 study found that its bite was one of the most formidable ever to have evolved.

Shark teeth are usually found isolated because they are continually replaced in a conveyor-belt-like fashion.

"Gordon gave us two photographs from when he actually collected the specimen and then a hand drawn map with a little 'X' on it. We tried to use the map and we didn't have much luck.

"But using the two pictures of the excavation, my colleague Tom Devries was able to use the mountains in the background."

"We literally walked through the desert holding the pictures up, trying to compare them. That's how we found the site."

Not only did they find the site, but the team were able to discover the precise hole from which the fossil had been excavated in 1988, before making a lucky escape from the desert.

"We made it back to Lima with about three hours to spare before an earthquake hit and shut down the transcontinental highway for two weeks. It was quite a trip."

By analysing the species of molluscs found fossilised at the site, the team found that the shark was actually two million years older than had been thought, making it roughly 6.5 million years old.

"That two million year push-back is pretty significant because in the evolutionary history of white sharks, that puts the species in a more appropriate time category to be ancestral or... an intermediate form of white shark."

"We've bolstered the case that white sharks are just highly modified makos... It fits the story now," Professor Ehret told BBC News.

2012-11-14T23:30:00.005-08:00

Mark Rothko painting crowns New York art sale

Rothko's No 1 helped Sotheby's achieve their best ever auction result

A painting by abstract artist Mark Rothko has fetched $75.1 million (£47.2m) at an auction in New York.

Rothko's No 1 (Royal Red and Blue), described by Sotheby's as "a seminal, large-scale masterpiece", was the subject of a heated bidding war.

The price far exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $35m-$50m (£22m-£31.4m) but fell short of the record $86.9m (£54.6m) a Rothko fetched in May.

The sale also saw a 1951 Jackson Pollock work sell for $40.4m (£25.4m).

Pollock's Number 4, a characteristic drip painting, easily outstripped the previous highest price - $23m (£14.4m) - fetched at auction by a work by the abstract expressionist.

The Rothko painting was one of eight works hand-selected by the Russian-American artist for his landmark solo show in 1954 at the Art Institute of Chicago.

It had been in the same collection for 30 years before coming to auction.

Tuesday's sale of post-war and contemporary art at Sotheby's saw plenty of interest from investors, raising a total of $375m (£236m) - the best auction result in the auction house's history.

Andy Warhol had a strong showing, with Green Disaster (Green Disaster Twice) selling for $15.2m (£9.5m) and The Kiss (Bela Lugosi) fetching $9.3m (£5.8m).

Another Warhol work, Suicide, that had been estimated to sell for between $6m (£3.7m) and $8m (£5m) ended up going for $16.3m (£10.2m).

A "screaming pope" by British artist Francis Bacon sold for nearly $30m (£18.9m), a Willem de Kooning piece fetched just under $20m (£12.5m) while a work by Gerhard Richter went for $17.4m (£10.9m).

Franz Kline's Shenandoah fetched $9.3m (£5.8m), setting another artist's record.

"If you want to talk about the market being happy, healthy and well, here it is," said Sotheby's auctioneer Tobias Meyer, worldwide head of contemporary art.

"That's probably about as good as it gets."

Further high prices are expected at a second Sotheby's contemporary and post-war art sale on Wednesday, with two Christie's sales focusing on the same period also taking place in New York this week.

2012-11-14T23:30:00.003-08:00

BBC marks 90 years of radio with historic Albarn broadcast

Damon Albarn says he was inspired by the BBC pips

A composition by Blur frontman Damon Albarn has been played to radio listeners around the world to mark 90 years of BBC broadcasting.

2LO Calling, a "snapshot of the airwaves", featured iconic sounds from radio over the past 90 years.

Musician and artist Nick Franglen told the BBC he enjoyed how the piece began but was "left feeling flat" by the end.

The broadcast at 17:33 GMT was hosted by BBC Radio 2's Simon Mayo from London's Science Museum.

It was the first scheduled simultaneous broadcast since 1922, when the BBC was established.

2LO Calling began with the chimes of Big Ben and featured the first ever broadcast from the 2LO transmitter and the number one song at the time - Three O'Clock in the Morning.

The three-minute piece also featured messages from listeners around the world along with the sound of the blackbird and skylark, commentary from the Cameroon election and the ubiquitous BBC pips.

"There is a special musicality to some of the vocal messages, which I tried to preserve," Albarn told the BBC earlier.

"Added to that, I got to do what I've always wanted - to play along with the pips."

Albarn also chose to include a famous quote from philosopher Bertrand Russell: "Love is wise, hatred is foolish."

Artist and musician Nick Franglen's take on 2LO Calling

I thought this was a great way to celebrate 90 years of radio, making a collage of BBC radio's output.

He didn't have very long to capture the entire history of broadcasting so he needed to be careful of the choices he made.

I enjoyed the start, Big Ben, the 20's music with children and snippets of conversation threading through it.

He got the time machine thing just right. I particularly enjoyed the wonderful girl talking about how busy the future was going to be and how we must not get lost, but from then on I found it disappointing.

The dirgy piano started, doing something with the pips and it then just stopped.

I was left feeling flat by the whole thing. I'm a real fan of Damon's work but I think he got the flow wrong and I wonder if he ran out of time.

It featured in Morse code, the series of clicks, tones, dots and dashes historically used to transmit information.

Russell delivered the BBC's inaugural Reith Lecture in 1948.

BBC Radio 3 presenter, Tom service described the tone of the piece as being one of "simultaneous elegy and hopefulness".

"The children's voices and their hopes for the future were both visionary in their innocent belief in the power of music; and dystopian in their hopes that the world wouldn't become overpopulated or burn itself to oblivion.

"Only at the end did Albarn allow himself a moment of real musical invention, in a radiophonic hymn for tolling piano chords, glockenspiel and those now magical, mythical pips," he added.

The 2LO transmitter made the first broadcast - from the British Broadcasting Company as it was then known - on 14 November 1922.

More than 55 BBC radio stations came together for Radio Reunited. It is estimated the broadcast could have reached up to 80 million listeners.

The Science Museum is marking the 90th anniversary of BBC Radio with a display featuring part of the original 2LO transmitter.

The display takes visitors back to the first broadcast and features two radios used to receive the BBC's early broadcasts, a microphone used in the early BBC Savoy Hill studios and an early copy of the Radio Times from 1923.

Tim Boon, head of research and public history at the Science Museum, said: "The first broadcast by the 2LO 90 years ago marked the moment when radio moved from the realm of the 'amateur enthusiast' to the first proper public broadcasting service in Britain.

"This exhibition takes visitors back to a time when everything, from the technology to the content of the programmes was still new."

Radio Reunited was one of a series of on-air events to mark 90 years of BBC Radio, which will also feature a wide range of special programming across BBC stations.

2012-11-14T23:29:00.002-08:00

Enigma coding machine beats auction estimate in London

Bonhams described the working machine as "extremely rare"

A rare Enigma encoding machine has sold at auction in London for £85,250.

That is more than its £40,000-£60,000 estimate, but less than the £131,180 price an Enigma sold for last year.

The typewriter-like devices were used by the Nazis in World War II to encrypt and decode messages sent between the military and their commanders.

Interest has been high as this is the centenary year of Alan Turing's birth - the British mathematician who played a key role in breaking the Enigma code.

Auctioneer Bonhams said that the version sold was a three-rotor model used in Germany between 1938 and 1944.

"This particular example is in working order, completely untouched and un-restored," said Laurence Fisher, specialist head of technical apparatus at the auctioneer, ahead of the sale.

"Many machines were picked up by the allies as souvenirs during the final stages of the Second World War and as such, in later years, tended to be 'mixed and matched', where rotors, outer cases and head blocks were replaced with another machine's parts.

"This one has all elements bearing the same serial number, making this totally complete and original throughout."

Bonhams was unable to reveal the names of the parties involved, but said that the seller was from Europe and the buyer from the US.

The winning bid was made over the internet.

2012-11-14T23:28:00.004-08:00

YouView faces legal challenge to the use of its brand

Lord Sugar is the chairman of the YouView television service

UK internet TV provider YouView has become embroiled in a trademark dispute with a Cheltenham-based tech firm.

The High Court in London has upheld an earlier ruling that the TV platform's name was "confusingly similar" to YourView, a name filed by Total Ltd with the UK's Intellectual Property Office in June 2009.

YouView's name was filed with the IPO just over nine months later, prompting a legal challenge.

The row looks set to return to court.

Despite the latest ruling, the TV service - which is headed up by Lord Sugar - has said it intends to keep its brand.

"YouView has no intention of changing its name," said the firm in a statement.

"This matter is complex and subject to a number of ongoing legal actions and will be settled in the courts."

But Total Ltd's managing director Stuart Balkie said he was now considering the best way to force his opponent's hand.

"We are looking to take further action and may be looking to seek an injunction," he told the BBC. "We're currently considering our options."

A statement from the company added that it might also seek damages.

YouView provides a catch-up TV alternative to Virgin Media and Sky's rival services

"We see that the success of the YouView business must to a large degree rely on brand recognition, also accounting for the fact that there are other businesses out there in the marketplace providing similar services," it said.

"We are aware that they have informed the public that they have a near £50m marketing budget. If the Court provides us with the relief we will be seeking then one way that this may impact on YouView may well be that they may have no other option than to re-brand."

The High Court ruling was issued last Friday, but only emerged after Total Ltd published a press release.

Brand awareness

YouView is a joint venture involving the BBC, ITV, BT, Channel 4, Channel 5, TalkTalk and media services firm Arqiva.

It offers viewers access to 70 live Freeview channels and a seven-day catch-up service.

The project had originally been set to launch in 2010 but was delayed until July this year.

By contrast, YourView is the name of an online service offered by Total Ltd.

YourView says it may seek damages for harm done to its brand

It allows the firm's business clients to monitor their staff's use of telephone calls and internet use in order to work out what would be the best tariffs and bolt-ons to sign up to as part of efforts to minimise their bills.

One observer said it was unsurprising YouView was resisting a change to its name.

"It would be a serious setback in the sense that they have now developed a brand presence among the public and within the business itself," said Toby Syfret, a TV expert at consultants Enders Analysis.

"Having built awareness of YouView there would now be extra publicity costs for the partners involved if they had to fund the exercise of introducing another name."

2012-11-14T23:28:00.001-08:00

Markets adjust to anaemic economy

Market DataContinue reading the main story

LAST UPDATED AT 07:26 GMT

Dow Jones	12570.95	Down	-185.23	-1.45%
Nasdaq	2846.81	Down	-37.08	-1.29%
FTSE 100	5722.01	Down	-64.24	-1.11%
Dax	7101.92	Down	-67.20	-0.94%
Cac 40	3400.02	Down	-30.58	-0.89%
BBC Global 30	6157.47	Down	-5.99	-0.10%

Global stock markets fell again on Wednesday, continuing a four-week-long slide, as investors lowered their expectations for the global recovery.

Key unresolved issues are the US fiscal cliff, Greece's bid to stay in the euro, and China's leadership change.

The US markets were underwhelmed by hints by the Federal Reserve that it may resume monetary stimulus.

The S&P 500 - the US shares index most closely followed by the market - fell 1.4%, bringing its total slide to 7.3%.

The Japanese and European markets are down by about 4% since 18 October.

Tepid recovery

In the US, President Obama made clear at a press conference on Wednesday that he was not willing to countenance any further extension to Bush-era tax cuts for the top 2% income earners in the US.

He rejected Republican offers to make high earners pay more tax by closing loopholes rather than raising tax rates.

If the two sides fail to reach a compromise, automatic spending cuts and tax rises, dubbed the "fiscal cliff" will kick in on 1 January - something the International Monetary Fund has warned could knock four percentage points off the US growth rate.

The federal government would also run perilously close to the statutory limit on its borrowing ability, forcing it to choose between ignoring the limit or reneging on one of its spending obligations.

However, even if a compromise is reached, the US economic recovery is widely expected to remain tepid, despite recent encouraging signs from the housing market.

President Obama said his approach was that ''the wealthiest Americans pay a little bit more''

Minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting released on Wednesday suggested the central bank was readying to buy up more long-term government debt if US unemployment fails to fall quickly enough and inflation remains subdued.

Despite the news of more monetary stimulus, the market continued to slide, reflecting a growing consensus among investors that the Fed's policies are becoming less effective.

Earlier in the day, the US Department of Commerce revealed that retail sales had fallen by 0.3% in October from a month earlier.

They were up 3.8% from a year ago, well below the 6% growth rate averaged over the last two years.

Greek dilemma

In Europe, the Bank of England cut its forecast for UK growth next year to 1% from 2%, saying the country's recovery would remain "slow and protracted".

S&P 500 Cash Index - Chicago Mercantile Exchange

LAST UPDATED AT 14 NOV 2012, 21:04 GMT

value	change	%
1355.49	- -19.04	- -1.39
Top winner and loser
Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
41.92	+ +10.74	+ +34.45
Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
1.93	- -0.16	- -7.66

The Bank said the UK economy, which has just emerged from a shallow recession, would not regain its pre-crisis level until 2015, making this the longest period of depression since the 1920s. On a positive note, unemployment continued its gradual fall in September.

On the continent, growth data for the third quarter of the year from the four main eurozone economies of Germany, France, Italy and Spain is to be released on Thursday.

Both the Italian and Spanish economies have been contracting for many months, while there are fears that France's economy is also flirting with recession.

Anti-austerity protests took place across the eurozone, with general strikes in Spain and Portugal.

Wrangling continues between eurozone leaders, the International Monetary Fund and private sector lenders about what to do about Greece, the most precariously placed of the eurozone members, whose economy it was revealed on Wednesday shrank a further 7.2% in the third quarter versus a year ago.

Eurozone leaders continue to withhold the latest tranche of bailout money until Athens can demonstrate that all three parties in the coalition government are on board with the agreed reforms.

Earlier this month, lenders gave Greece two more years to meet its austerity targets, recognising that a faster pace would be politically and economically disastrous for the country.

However, lenders face the dilemma that the longer Greece is allowed to overspend, the more debts it will incur.

Austerity

Economic policy aimed at reducing a government's deficit (or borrowing). Austerity can be achieved through increases in government revenues - primarily via tax rises - and/or a reduction in government spending or future spending commitments.

Glossary in full

Lenders already recognise that Greece's debts will not reach the original target of 120% of economic output by 2020 that was deemed sustainable, but there is no agreement as to whether and how to forgive more of Greece's debts, and which lenders should take the resulting losses.

Meanwhile, European Economic Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said that the Commission would not take any action against Spain or place any new demands for budget cuts, if the country's recession caused the government to overshoot its borrowing targets over the next two years.

However, Mr Rehn also warned that the measures announced by Madrid for 2014 so far had fallen short of the Commission's requirements.

Formidable challenge

In Asia, data on Tuesday showed that Japan's economy contracted in the three months to September, as exports and domestic consumer spending remain lethargic.

Meanwhile, China is braced for the formal announcement of the country's new Politburo Standing Committee.

The committee is expected to consist of nine people, headed by Xi Jinping as China's new president-in-waiting, and including the likely new premier Li Keqiang.

World economic news

The new leadership faces the formidable challenge of switching its economy from one driven by investment, exports and construction, to one driven by domestic consumer spending, while maintaining a relatively high economic growth rate.

Consumer spending comprises a third of spending in China - compared with about 70% in the West - while investment comprises about half of the economy.

Official economic data, whose release last week came just ahead of the politically-charged leadership transition, painted a surprisingly healthy picture of the economy.

Industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investment all rose more than expected in October, suggesting that the period of much softer growth seen over the past year may have come to an end.

However, China remains exposed to further slowdowns in Europe, the US and Japan, its main two export markets.

2012-11-14T23:27:00.003-08:00

Barack Obama: US wealthiest must pay more tax

President Obama said his approach was that ''the wealthiest Americans pay a little bit more''

US President Obama has reiterated his call for high earners in the US to pay more in taxes, in his first news conference since winning re-election.

He called for quick legislation to rule out tax rises on the first $250,000 (£158,000) of income, but refused to extend cuts for the wealthiest 2%.

"We should not hold the middle class hostage while we debate tax cuts for the wealthy," Mr Obama said.

The US faces an end-of-year "fiscal cliff" of spending cuts and tax rises.

The fiscal cliff would see the George W Bush-era tax cuts expire in combination with automatic, across-the-board reductions to military and domestic spending.

Loophole offer

Some $607bn (£380bn) of savings and tax rises are planned, including reductions in the defence budget, the end of an employee tax holiday, changes to Medicare allowances and higher personal taxes.

The lower paid are set to lose some child and income credits, but Mr Obama has made fewer references to other portions of the stimulus deal set to expire beyond the tax cuts.

Deficit

The amount by which spending exceeds income over the course of a year.
In the case of trade, it refers to exports minus imports. In the case of the government budget, it equals the amount the government needs to borrow during the year to fund its spending. The government's "primary" deficit means the amount it needs to borrow to cover general government expenditure, excluding interest payments on debts. The primary deficit therefore indicates whether a government will run out of cash if it is no longer able to borrow and decides to stop repaying its debts.

Glossary in full

The fiscal cliff is due to take effect because Congress failed to reach a deal on deficit reduction after a stand-off over the US debt ceiling in mid-2011.

Congressional Republicans have said since last week's US elections that they are open to raising revenue through tax reform and closure of loopholes, but oppose tax rises on the wealthy.

Glenn Hubbard, an economic adviser to Republican Mitt Romney's failed presidential bid, writing in the Financial Times, called on fellow Republicans to accept the need for the rich to pay more tax, albeit through closing loopholes such as tax deductions.

Other Republicans favour ending the right of Americans to deduct mortgage interest payments from their taxable income - something analysts say is likely to hurt the middle classes far more than top earners.

During his news conference on Wednesday, Mr Obama was dismissive of a loophole-only reform, telling reporters that "the math tends not to work" in helping to cut $1 trillion in the US deficit.

"It really is arithmetic, not calculus," he said.

The president has long opposed extending the Bush-era tax cuts for earnings above $250,000 a year, but gave into Republican demands in 2010 when the cuts were last up for renewal.

On Wednesday, Mr Obama said that would not happen this time.

"A modest tax increase on the wealthy is not going to break their backs," he said. "They'll still be wealthy."

But the president said he was confident that the White House and Congress could reach a deal before 1 January to avoid the "fiscal cliff", as the US economy could not afford it coming to pass.

He suggested the immediate extension of all the expiring tax cuts except the top rate, followed by a more comprehensive reform of the tax code as well as some of the US' largest benefits programmes, including Social Security, in 2013.

In doing so, he distanced himself from some in his own party who want the combined tax rises and cuts to happen, in order to give Mr Obama a better negotiating position.

'Great distance'

On Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner warned against extending all of the tax breaks that are due to expire in January as a way of giving Washington more time to broker a deal on the deficit.

Mr Geithner claimed doing this would create more uncertainty in the financial markets.

House Speaker John Boehner has scheduled a response to Mr Obama on Wednesday, as the White House planned to meet with congressional leaders on Friday, when both sides are expected to designate aides in search of a compromise.

Mr Obama met on Tuesday with allies from labour and liberal groups, and also invited a group of chief executives to the White House.

Earlier, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said that "many Republicans believe now is the time to sit down and talk more revenue", saying up to 20 Republican senators are willing to work towards accommodation.

But Sen Durbin said "there is a great distance" between Republicans in the House and Senate.

"Basically it comes down to the question of whether Speaker Boehner is willing to look for a bipartisan solution."

2012-11-14T23:26:00.003-08:00

India 2G telecom auction falls short of target

The auction of the 2G telecom licenses has been marred in controversy

India's latest auction of mobile phone licences has fallen flat, raising less than a quarter of the money the government had targeted.

The auction for second-generation (2G) mobile phone licences raised 94bn rupees ($1.7bn; £1bn). The government had wanted closer to 400bn rupees.

Many companies had complained that prices were set too high.

An earlier sale of the licences was annulled by the Supreme Court after a corruption probe.

The previous licences were issued by former minister A Raja, who is accused of mis-selling the bandwidth in what has been called India's biggest corruption scandal. Mr Raja, who is currently on trial for fraud, has denied any wrongdoing.

Government auditors say the scandal cost the country about $40bn (£24.5bn).

'A big embarrassment'

“Start Quote

ll in all, a big embarrassment for the Indian government, but one could see it coming”

Prashant SinghalErnst & Young

The auction has been marred with controversy as firms not only complained about the high base prices, but also alleged that the limited amount of bandwidth being offered had deterred many bidders.

"The limited amount of spectrum... was guaranteed to have a very detrimental impact on the auction," said Rajan Mathews, secretary general of the Cellular Operators Association of India.

"We said that the high reserve price would ensure that limited players come into the bid and that is exactly what we have seen."

In a big blow to the government, four circles, including Mumbai and Delhi did not attract any bids.

There were also no takers for the all-India licence.

"All in all, a big embarrassment for the Indian government, but one could see it coming," said Prashant Singhal, telecom industry leader, at Ernst & Young India.

The lacklustre response to the 2G auction contracts with the sales of the 2010 sale of faster third-generation (3G) licenses that fetched the government nearly $15bn.

2012-11-14T23:26:00.000-08:00

European workers stage austerity protests

Protesters clash with police in Lisbon, Athens and Madrid, while workers march in Brussels, Rome and Marseille

Workers across the European Union have staged a series of protests and strikes against rising unemployment and austerity measures.

General strikes in Spain and Portugal halted transport and closed businesses and schools. Police and protesters clashed in several Spanish cities.

Rallies took place in 23 countries including Greece, France and Belgium, union officials told the BBC.

Hundreds of flights to and from striking nations were cancelled.

Airlines recommended that passengers check schedules before setting out to airports.

British Airways and Easyjet were among the UK carriers forced to cancel some of their services.

The European Trade Union Confederation has co-ordinated the Europe-wide action.

The confederation's Judith Kirton-Darling told the BBC that austerity was not working.

"It's increasing inequalities, it's increasing the social instability in society and it's not resolving the economic crisis," she said.

Some 40 groups from 23 countries were involved in Wednesday's demonstrations.

'No work'

Unions in Spain and Portugal started strikes at midnight to protest against austerity measures that have combined tax rises with cuts in salaries, pensions, benefits and social services.

Marchers came out late on Tuesday in Spain, where 25% are unemployed, the highest rate in Europe.

At the scene

Armoured police buses have parked at Syntagma Square in front of parliament, ready for the expected arrival of thousands of demonstrators. This has been the location for most of the major clashes since Athens became the unofficial protest capital of Europe

.

The usual propaganda war on the day of a general strike is under way. The unions say a large majority of the Spanish workforce are not working. The government says there is a considerable amount of economic activity, given that a strike has been called.

"I have two sons in my house. One is getting subsidies, the other has been at home for the last three years," said protesting housewife Paqui Olmo.

"It is not that he doesn't want to work, there is just no work."

Picketers and police fought at a Madrid bus depot where demonstrators were trying to stop buses from leaving.

There were outbreaks of violence in other Spanish cities, and the interior ministry said more than 80 arrests had been made across the country. Dozens of people, including 18 police, were injured.

The government has played down the strike, saying the electricity grid registered 80% of its normal usage.

But unions claimed the operations of several large companies, including Danone and Heineken, ground to a halt.

In neighbouring Portugal, demonstrators took to the streets, carrying banners denouncing the European Union, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB).

The so-called troika has bailed out Portugal to the tune of 78bn euros ($100bn; £62bn), and demanded deep austerity measures in return.

The unemployment rate has hit a record 15.8%, according to figures released on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho acknowledged the rise was "bad news" but had been expected.

"We know that the unemployment level will increase a bit further before we observe a decline," he said.

1/4

The BBC's Chris Morris in Lisbon said public transport had come to a virtual standstill, and many schools and public offices were expected to be closed.

In Italy, unions called for a series of rolling four-hour strikes through the day which were expected to affect road, rail and air transport.

Correspondents said early signs were that the impact had been fairly limited. Riot police in Rome fired tear gas at protesters who hurled objects towards officers.

In Greece, the strike action is the third major walkout in two months.

Successive governments have been pushing through deeply unpopular spending cuts and tax rises in order to receive bailout payments from the IMF and EU.

Earlier this week, MPs backed a fifth austerity package of salary and pension cuts and labour market reforms, as well as a stringent budget for next year.

The IMF and EU had demanded the measures in return for the next 31.5bn-euro instalment of the bailout.

The government, which is being forced into short-term financing in the bond markets, says it needs the bailout to avoid bankruptcy.

Athens police said they expected about 10,000 people to protest, which is a relatively small demonstration by Greek standards.

Budget airline EasyJet said it had rescheduled flights to and from Greece on Wednesday because of the strikes.

Police and protesting workers clashed in several Spanish cities

In France, five trade unions organised marches in more than 100 cities but did not call for a strike, Reuters news agency reported.

Analysts say the marches are a way of showing that workers in France are in solidarity with their fellow-workers elsewhere in Europe.

In Belgium, protesters rallied in Brussels outside the embassies of Germany, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. They delivered a letter to Laszlo Andor, the commissioner for employment, social Affairs and inclusion, congratulating him on winning what they are calling the "Nobel Prize for Austerity", the BBC's Maddy Savage, in Brussels, reports.

Union walkouts have severely affected many of the high-speed rail links regularly frequented by politicians, advisors and diplomats from across the EU, our correspondent added.

Eurostar and Thalys, which connect Brussels to London and Paris, have been particularly hit, warning of delays or cancellations and advising passengers not to travel on Wednesday.

2012-11-14T23:25:00.001-08:00

Syria conflict: David Cameron to hold security talks

Aid agencies estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting

Prime Minister David Cameron is to chair the National Security Council later to discuss the conflict in Syria.

Senior UK ministers will consider military, humanitarian and diplomatic options for dealing with the violence and the growing refugee crisis.

The prime minister visited a refugee camp on the Jordanian border last week.

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the situation was reaching what one Downing Street adviser called the "something must be done stage".

The prime minister, his deputy Nick Clegg, Chancellor George Osborne and the foreign and defence secretaries are all expected to attend the meeting.

Among the options that could be discussed are a no-fly zone, supplying anti-aircraft weapons to Syria's opposition and encouraging other countries in the region to give arms, the BBC understands.

This week France became the first Western power to recognise Syria's opposition coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

Syrian opposition groups struck a deal in the Qatari capital Doha to form a broad coalition to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

'Horrendous' suffering

The US and the UK have both signalled support for the coalition but stopped short of recognising it as a government-in-exile.

“Start Quote

The prime minister hopes to find a fresh approach which he can persuade US President Barack Obama to pursue with him”

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent also this week estimated that 2.5 million people had been displaced within Syria, doubling the previous figure used by aid agencies.

Israel's military has said its tanks scored "direct hits" on Syrian artillery units after mortar shells fell near an army post.

It came after Israel fired warning shots after it said a Syrian shell hit another of its army posts on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

When he visited the refugee camp, Mr Cameron said the UK was to begin talks with armed Syrian rebels in a bid to unite the opposition to President Assad.

The prime minister said the suffering of the refugees was "horrendous".

Opposition and human rights activists estimate that more than 36,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad's rule began in March 2011.

Mr Cameron gave the go ahead for UK military action when it came to supporting rebels in the Libyan revolution in 2011.

British aircraft carried out 3,000 missions - 2,000 of them strike sorties, about one-fifth of the Nato total.

2012-11-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

Yen dips as Yoshihiko Noda proposes snap elections

¥1 buys	change	%
0.0124	0.00	-0.69

Japan's yen has fallen after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he was set to dissolve parliament and hold a snap election.

It fell as low as 80.83 yen against the US dollar, a six-and-a-half month low.

There is no guarantee the government would win an election, and the opposition has called for aggressive monetary easing by the central bank.

Its leader, Shinzo Abe, has said the bank should print "unlimited yen" to help fight deflation.

Analysts said such a move would weaken the yen even further.

"It is very likely that the Liberal Democratic Party will take over the lower house again, and very clear that they will be pressuring the Bank of Japan to become more dovish," said Geoff Kendrick, a currency analyst at Nomura.

"We are expecting the dollar/yen to head up to around 82 yen by the end of the year."

Mr Noda is expected to formally announce the elections on Friday.

However, Mr Noda indicated that his call for a snap election was conditional on opposition support for a financing bill and voting reform.

Economic issues

“Start Quote

If we take power, we'd like to do our utmost to beat deflation”

Shinzo AbeLiberal Democratic Party

Mr Noda's proposal for a snap election comes amid fears that Japan's economy may be heading back into a recession.

The economy contracted by 0.9% in the July to September quarter, from the previous three months. Most analysts have forecast that it may shrink further in the current quarter.

Japan's exports, one of the biggest drivers of growth, have been hurt by a slowdown in key markets such as the US and Europe.

Meanwhile, policymakers have found it increasingly tough to boost domestic consumption, as they continue to fight deflation or falling consumer prices, which tend to make customers put off their purchases in hope of a better deal down the road.

Mr Abe, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has said that the bank of Japan (BOJ) needed to set an inflation target of 3% instead of its current 1% goal to help revive growth in the economy.

"If we take power, we'd like to do our utmost to beat deflation," Mr Abe said. "In doing so, monetary policy would be key."

He indicated that if elected, he would review the BOJ law that guarantees its independence from the government.

2012-11-14T23:21:00.002-08:00

Software pioneer John McAfee denies murder in Belize

John McAfee says police in Belize want to frame him for the murder of US businessman Gregory Faull

The founder of the anti-virus software firm McAfee has denied murdering one of his neighbours in Belize.

John McAfee said he did not kill fellow American Gregory Faull, who was found shot dead on Sunday on Ambergris Caye island, off the Belize coast, where both men lived.

Police in Belize say he is a "person of interest" in their inquiries into Mr Faull's murder.

Mr McAfee says he is hiding from police out of fear they want to kill him.

He was detained earlier this year over the alleged possession of guns and drugs, but was released without charge.

Mr McAfee told the Associated Press news agency in a telephone interview that he was in hiding somewhere in Belize in the company of a young woman.

He said Gregory Faull had been "an annoyance" but denied killing him. Mr McAfee told AP he was unarmed and changing locations frequently to stay one step ahead of the police.

The police say they want to question him over the murder of Mr Faull, who was found lying in a pool of his own blood on Sunday morning.

Belize's Prime Minister Dean Barrow has urged Mr McAfee to help police with their inquiries. He said Mr McAfee was being paranoid.

"I don't want to be unkind, but he seems to be extremely paranoid, I would go as far as to say bonkers," Mr Barrow said.

Mr McAfee, who made millions selling his software firm in the early 1990s, settled in the Central American country around four years ago.

Now a yoga aficionado, he no longer has any role in the anti-virus software company he founded.

2012-11-14T23:20:00.006-08:00

Call for Cameron to boycott Sri Lanka summit over human rights

David Cameron should take a "forthright" stand on Sri Lanka, MPs say

David Cameron is being urged by MPs to consider boycotting next year's Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka in protest at its human rights record.

The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said it was wrong for Colombo to host the heads of government meeting amid reports of continuing "serious abuses".

The PM should not attend unless he had clear evidence of progress, it added.

UK officials said it was too early to decide on the matter but it expected Sri Lanka to honour its commitments.

In a report on the UK's relationship with the 54-member organisation, the cross-party committee said there were "serious questions" about whether the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) should be taking place in Sri Lanka.

'Frequent violations'

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already said he will boycott the biennial event in November 2013 unless Sri Lanka's human rights record improves. MPs applauded his "clear and forthright stance" and urged Mr Cameron to follow suit.

"We conclude that continuing evidence of serious human rights abuses in Sri Lanka shows that the Commonwealth's decision to hold the 2013 CHOGM meeting in Colombo was wrong," they said.

"The UK prime minister should publicly state his unwillingness to attend the meeting unless he receives convincing and independently verified evidence of substantial and sustainable improvements in human and political rights."

A 2011 report by the Foreign Office cited "frequent" human rights violations - including terrorist suspects being held without charge for long periods, reports of torture in custody, restrictions on freedom of expression and little progress in investigating disappearances of political activists.

Earlier this month, 27 prisoners were killed during clashes at a prison in Colombo. Opposition parties claim it was a massacre but the government says the deaths happened in exchanges of fire during a riot after prisoners obtained and used weapons.

At least 100,000 people died in the 26-year war between government authorities and Tamil separatists which ended in 2009.

There are still no confirmed figures for the number of civilian deaths in the final stages of the conflict but UN investigations said it was possible up to 40,000 people had been killed in the final five months.

A United Nations report leaked to the BBC on Tuesday suggested that the Sri Lankan government had intimidated UN staff at the end of the conflict - claims it denies - and that the UN failed the civilian Tamil population in the final stages of the conflict.

'More visible'

Giving evidence to the committee earlier this year, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said there was little prospect of it reconsidering the summit venue.

During a visit to the country in September, Mr Sharma offered Commonwealth support to help Sri Lanka strengthen its institutions to focus on upholding human rights and press for reconciliation and economic development throughout the country.

The Foreign Office said it was "too early" to talk about what presence the UK would have at the meeting.

"We will look to Sri Lanka to demonstrate its commitment to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and respect for human rights," a spokesman said.

"A key part of this will be to address longstanding issues around accountability and reconciliation after the war."

In their report, the MPs said the Commonwealth's commitment to protect and enhance its values had given it a "distinctive role" in the international community but its moral authority had too often been "undermined by the repressive actions of its member states".

In principle, the MPs said they backed the creation of a commissioner for human rights, democracy and the rule of law but stressed the Commonwealth Secretariat - its executive body - must be more visible and increase its global influence.

They praised the attention given by UK ministers to raising the profile of the Commonwealth in the UK but said the government's rhetoric about the economic and political value of the organisation was "not being matched by its actions".

2012-11-14T23:20:00.003-08:00

Obama: Republican attacks on Susan Rice 'outrageous'

'If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me'

US President Obama has lambasted top Republicans for attacking the diplomat tipped as a possible replacement for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Republicans said UN Ambassador Susan Rice should not be promoted, citing her response to September's deadly attack on the US consulate in Libya.

Mr Obama said the attacks on Ms Rice were "outrageous" and challenged her critics to "go after me" instead.

Republicans called for a committee to investigate the Libya attack.

In the wake of the 11 September assault on the US mission in Benghazi, Ms Rice framed it as a spontaneous protest over an anti-Islamic film made in the US.

'Cover-up'

The Obama administration later blamed the attack on al-Qaeda-linked militants, adding that the earlier account was based on the best information available at the time.

“Start Quote

When they go after the UN ambassador, apparently because they think she's an easy target, then they've got a problem with me”

President Barack Obama

Sen John McCain vowed on Wednesday to block any move to appoint Ms Rice to replace Mrs Clinton as America's top diplomat.

He introduced a Senate resolution calling for the establishment of a special committee to investigate the Benghazi attack, which left four Americans dead, including the US ambassador.

"This administration has either been guilty of colossal incompetence or engaged in a cover-up," he said on the Senate floor.

Lindsey Graham, another Republican senator, said he did not trust Ms Rice and called for "Watergate-style" hearings into the Libya incident.

In his first White House news conference since last week's election, President Obama said: "If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me.

"But when they go after the UN ambassador, apparently because they think she's an easy target, then they've got a problem with me."

"To besmirch her reputation, is outrageous," he added.

Nomination showdown

Shortly after Mr Obama's remarks, Sen Graham showed no sign of backing down.

Susan Rice would be the second female African-American secretary of state

"Mr President, don't think for one minute I don't hold you ultimately responsible for Benghazi," he said in a statement.

"I think you failed as commander in chief before, during and after the attack."

Mr Obama would not be drawn during Wednesday's news conference on possible cabinet appointments.

But the president insisted he would nominate Ms Rice if she was the best choice to lead the Department of State. Mrs Clinton plans to return to private life.

Wednesday's political showdown raised the prospect of a prolonged nomination for Ms Rice, who would be the second female African-American secretary of state, if she is picked by Mr Obama.

Another name mentioned for the post is Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat, who would be expected to breeze through a Capitol Hill confirmation hearing.

But picking Sen Kerry would create another headache for Mr Obama's Democrats - fending off a Republican challenge for his open Senate seat in Massachusetts.

During his news conference, Mr Obama also said he was not aware of any leak of classified information by former CIA Director David Petraeus, who quit last Friday because of an extramarital affair.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said Gen Petraeus would testify about the Benghazi attack in a closed-door hearing on Friday.

2012-11-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

Jordan police kill 'gunman' amid fuel price unrest

Jordanian security forces have been confronting protesters for a second day

Jordanian police say they have shot dead a gunman attacking a police station in the north of the country on the second day of country-wide unrest.

At least 12 officers were wounded in the attack near the city in Irbid province, according to police.

Rioting and protests were reported in several Jordanian cities on Wednesday.

The unrest was sparked the announcement on Tuesday night of increases in fuel prices, following the lifting of government subsidies.

In a second attack on a police station near the capital Amman, a police officer was shot in the eye, according to a police statement.

Several hundred protesters gathered in Amman and were dispersed by police using tear gas.

Protesters have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, and some have openly criticised King Abdullah, a taboo punishable by prison.

"I like the king, but so what?" 29-yead-old civil servant Daoud Shorfat, one of the protesters in central Amman on Wednesday, told the Associated Press.

"He can't feel our pain... He is watching the government raising the prices, while the people are barely able to feed their hungry children."

In the city of Salt, near Amman, protesters were prevented from reaching Mr Ensour's house.

Unrest was also reported in several locations across the country, including the cities of Karak, Irbid and Maan.

Economic woes

Ministers say the decision on fuel subsidies was necessary to tackle a budget deficit of 3.5bn dinars ($5bn; £3.1bn).

Household cooking gas has gone up by just over 50%, diesel and kerosene by 33% and lower-grade gasoline by 15%.

Mr Ensour told state TV on Tuesday that the price rises would be offset by government payments to low-income families.

Jordan is normally a heavy importer of Egyptian natural gas, but over the past year the pipeline which supplies gas to both Israel and Jordan has been attacked several times, forcing the country to use more expensive supplies.

Last month about 10,000 people took part in a protest in Amman called by the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Islamic Action Front, demanding broader political representation and a more democratic parliament.

King Abdullah has called early elections for 23 January. The opposition has threatened to boycott the poll.

Jordan has so far avoided the large-scale unrest and political upheaval that rocked much of the Arab world last year and led to changes of leadership in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Tunisia.

2012-11-14T23:19:00.002-08:00

Petraeus scandal: Broadwell and Kelley's access revoked

Paula Broadwell (left) and Jill Kelley

The US military has revoked access for two women at the heart of the scandal that led to Friday's resignation of General David Petraeus as CIA director.

Security clearance has been suspended for his ex-mistress, Paula Broadwell.

And Jill Kelley's pass at the Florida air force base where she organised social events has been frozen.

An FBI inquiry into Mrs Kelley's complaints of email harassment revealed that Mrs Broadwell and Gen Petraeus had been having an affair.

Mrs Broadwell, a 40-year-old married mother of two, had apparently sent the anonymous emails to Mrs Kelley warning her to stay away from Gen Petraeus.

Obama's backing

Mrs Broadwell, who wrote a biography of Gen Petraeus, held a security clearance through her work as a reserve Army intelligence officer.

It is not uncommon for those under investigation to have such clearance suspended, officials say.

“Start Quote

I'm an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property”

Jill Kelley

Profile: David Petraeus

An investigation is under way into how classified material ended up on the West Point graduate's computer and in her Charlotte, North Carolina home, which was searched by the FBI on Monday.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman said suspending Mrs Kelley's pass for MacDill Air Force Base was in the best interests of the local military community.

He confirmed the 37-year-old married mother of three would be able to enter the base, near Tampa, but only through the visitors' centre.

She had been described as a "social liaison" for the facility, which is the home of US Central Command.

In his first public comments on the scandal, US President Barack Obama told reporters on Wednesday he had seen no evidence that Gen Petraeus' extramarital affair compromised national security.

His resignation should be a "sidenote" to a distinguished career, said Mr Obama.

Gen Petraeus, who previously commanded the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, will testify on Friday to Congress about September's deadly attack on the US consulate in Libya.

He will not be questioned about his affair with Mrs Broadwell, said lawmakers.

Meanwhile, General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, said he plans to "fully co-operate" with an investigation into allegedly flirtatious emails he sent to Mrs Kelley, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Adultery is illegal under military law, and Pentagon officials are sifting through thousands of pages of correspondence involving the married Gen Allen, 58, and Mrs Kelley.

Extravagant parties

He is said to have addressed her as "sweetheart" and "dear" in the communication, although the messages are not said to be overtly sexual.

President Barack Obama praises David Petraeus

The commander, who has received the backing of President Obama and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, insists he did nothing wrong.

But Mr Panetta said on Wednesday that suspending Gen Allen's nomination to be the top Nato commander in Europe, pending an inquiry, was the "prudent" thing to do.

Mrs Kelley is said to have developed close friendships with Gen Petraeus and Gen Allen. Both men wrote letters supporting her twin sister in a messy custody dispute.

Mrs Kelley is known to have thrown extravagant parties for officers posted to MacDill and was appointed in August as an honorary consul representing South Korea.

In a recording of a phone call to police on Monday, Mrs Kelley asked for diplomatic immunity to have media crews outside her house removed.

"I'm an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property," Mrs Kelley can be heard saying.

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“Start Quote

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“Start Quote

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“Start Quote

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Petraeus scandal: Broadwell and Kelley's access revoked

“Start Quote