Lukashenko seeks Belarus poll win

Supporters of presidential candidates Vladimir Neklyaev and Andrey Sannikov in Minsk, 6 DecThe opposition has been given some leeway in campaigning, albeit limited
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Belarus is due to vote in presidential elections, with the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko is widely expected to win.

Under the authoritarian leader aiming to secure his fourth term, the former Soviet republic has never held a poll seen as fair by international monitors.

However, these elections so far have been much freer than in the past, correspondents say.

But the opposition still plans to hold protests against what they say will be a rigged vote.

Security forces have warned they would crack down on any attempts to stir tension during or after the voting.

Window-dressing?

President Lukashenko, July 2010

“There will definitely be political changes… but no change of power in Belarus”

Alexander Lukashenko President of Belarus

Polling stations across Belarus will open at 0600 GMT and will close at 1800 GMT.

Nine challengers are competing with Mr Lukashenko for the presidency.

For the first time, state television aired a debate among the contenders opposing the president, who has governed since 1994.

Mr Lukashenko – who remains popular among large portions of the population – did not take part in the discussion.

The authorities also allowed activists to collect signatures during the election campaign, perform protest songs and read anti-government poetry.

Despite this, many in Belarus believe that the election day result has already been pre-ordained and the political thaw is merely window-dressing, the BBC’s David Stern in Minsk reports.

“Lukashenko needs this to show to the Europeans because he needs money from Europe,” said Andrei Sannikov, one of the three main opposition candidates.

“The economy is in very bad shape and he needs additional credits,” he said.

Mr Lukashenko, who denies the opposition’s claim, has said he is not planning to leave, whether by the ballot box or other means.

Asked by reporters last week if the vote would bring any political changes, he said: “There will definitely be political changes. I am sure you meant political changes in general, but no change of power in Belarus.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Israeli strike kills five in Gaza

Trails of rockets fired from Gaza – January 2009Rocket fire from Gaza has dropped sharply since 2008

An Israeli air strike has killed five people in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources and the Israeli military.

The five killed were militants, Palestinian hospital sources said.

The strike targeted “a squad of terror operatives”, Israel said, “who were preparing to launch rockets towards Israeli territory”.

Rocket fire from Gaza has dropped sharply since Israel’s devastating 22-day offensive in December 2008.

Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the Gaza Strip, says it has tried to stop rocket fire aimed at Israel.

In the past 18 months one person in Israel, a Thai farm worker, has been killed by a rocket fired from Gaza.

According to Israeli Defence Force figures, 180 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel by militants in 2010.

The United Nations says that in 2010, 55 Palestinians, including 22 civilians, have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza.

The UN says over 200 Palestinians have been injured in the same period.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Many dead in Bangladesh sinking

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More than 30 people are feared dead after a boat capsized in north-eastern Bangladesh, officials say.

They say the boat sank after hitting a cargo vessel in the Surma River at Alipur, some 240km (149 miles) north-east of the capital, Dhaka.

As many as 50 people – mostly labourers – are said to have been on board the vessel. Most of the victims were reportedly women and children.

Rescuers have been sent to the remote area to look for survivors.

The boat sank after colliding with a much heavier trawler in darkness.

Local media reports suggested that many of the passengers managed to swim to safety, but this has not been confirmed by officials.

“We have already sent advance teams but it’s a remote area, so it will take hours for them to reach the spot,” Abul Hashem, a senior government official in Sunamganj district, told the BBC.

Boat accidents are common in the south Asian country due to overloading and lax safety standards.

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Davey ‘confident’ on royal stamp

StampsEd Davey noticed a loophole concerning the Queen’s head on stamps
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The postal affairs minister says he is “extremely confident” the Queen’s head would remain on postage stamps if the Royal Mail was sold to a foreign firm.

Ed Davey told the Mail on Sunday he was confident a solution would be found and has said any buyer would have to be “mad” to drop the monarch’s image.

Royal Mail is under no legal obligation to show the Queen on stamps but has always done so.

Talks were held with Buckingham Palace after the loophole was spotted.

Mr Davey spoke to the Palace after learning that draft legislation, paving the way for a sell-off, would give the Queen a veto over any use of her image but would not insist her head be shown.

He said he was sure a solution would be found before the Postal Services Bill finished its passage through Parliament.

The Mail on Sunday suggested there was “anger” at the Palace over the omission and suggested it could try to delay the legislation until after the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee.

However, Mr Davey has denied these claims.

The newspaper reported that he queried the lack of specific protection with officials months ago, but was told it was not being sought by the Palace and that dropping the monarch’s image would be “commercial suicide”.

Unhappy with that answer, the minister said he initiated “positive and friendly” talks with the Palace to decide how to firm up the protection.

“Any company would be absolutely stark staring mad to decide not to have the Queen’s head on its stamps,” he said, stressing that there was no such guarantee in the previous Labour government’s draft Bill.

He said: “I was told we did not need it but I said several months ago I was not happy with that. I’m extremely confident that the Queen’s head will remain on our stamps.”

Meanwhile, a Palace spokesman told the newspaper there were “no outstanding issues on the Bill from our side”.

However, shadow business secretary John Denham argued the legislation was deliberately vague.

He said: “They are not leaving glaring loopholes like this for no reason. They think the fewer strings they attach, the more money they will get from a foreign buyer.”

The leading bidders in the sell-off are expected to be German and Dutch operators.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Russia warns over Korea tensions

A South Korean marine stands guard on Yeonpyeong islandThe exercises on Yeonpyeong island are due to be held in the coming days

Russia says it is seriously concerned that tensions between North and South Korea will escalate further.

Pyongyang is threatening to retaliate if the South goes ahead with planned military exercises on an island near the two countries’ disputed sea border.

Last month four people were killed when the North attacked the island during similar exercises.

The UN Security Council is preparing discuss the situation at an emergency meeting, scheduled at Russia’s request.

Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said his country was “seriously concerned about possible further escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula”.

“We believe that the Security Council must send a restraining signal… and help launch diplomatic activity with a view to resolving all issues of dispute between the two Korean sides by political and diplomatic means,” he said.

Russia has already urged South Korea to cancel the live-fire exercises on Yeonpyeong island.

The South has said they will be held by Tuesday – with the exact date depending on the weather.

It says they are defensive in nature and should not be considered threatening.

But the North Korean foreign ministry said on Saturday the South would face “catastrophe” if the drills go ahead.

China has also expressed concern about the rising tensions, describing the situation as extremely precarious.

And an unofficial US envoy visiting North Korea – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson – has warned that the situation on the peninsula is “a tinderbox”.

He made the comments after talks with officials in Pyongyang, whom he urged to act with extreme restraint.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

DR Congo unrest as Mazembe lose

TP Mazembe fans watch match on TVThe match was keenly watch back at home
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Police fired over football fans’ heads to disperse angry crowds in Lubumbashi in DR Congo after the local team TP Mazembe lost the Club World Cup final.

Reports say disappointed fans took to the streets and attacked Chinese-run businesses, after TP Mazembe were beaten 3-0 by Italian club Inter Milan.

They are believed to have thought the Japanese referee was Chinese, and were angered by his some of his decisions.

During the game in Abu Dhabi, fans had chanted “Chinese go home”.

Many Chinese firms work in the copper mining industry in Lubumbashi, capital of Katanga province.

Disappointed fans smashed windows and started to loot mobile telephone premises owned by Chinese companies, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

Police restored order, and no one was reported injured.

Inter Milan 9in blue) and TP Mazembe in Club World Cup finalInter Milan (in blue) won an easy victory

TP Mazembe are the first African team to reach the final of the Fifa Club World Cup.

They beat Internacional of Brazil 2-0 in the semi-finals, the biggest upset in the 10-year history of the event.

But in the final Inter Milan took an early 2-0 lead with goals from Goran Pandev and Samuel Eto’o, and a late goal from Joseph Biabiany put the match beyond doubt.

Club president Moise Katumbi congratulated Inter on their win, saying that TP Mazembe had tried their best.

“What is making them most to lose this game was the referee,” he added, calling on Fifa to carry out checks on match officials.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ice ice baby: Which rapper will join this duo on skates?

Kerry Katona (left) and Angela RipponKerry Katona and Angela Rippon will take to the ice on the skating show

Kerry Katona, ex-newsreader Angela Rippon and rapper Vanilla Ice are among the celebrities set to take part in the next series of ITV1’s Dancing on Ice.

Actor Steven Arnold, whose Coronation Street character Ashley Peacock was recently killed off, is also among the 16 stars hoping to compete.

Although 16 prepared for the show, only 12 will reach the competition stage.

The series will begin with two shows on 9 and 16 January in which four hopefuls will be axed after votes from viewers.

Victoria Cross hero Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, the first contestant from outside the worlds of sport and showbiz, is also in training to compete.

Soap actors are well represented in the line-up.

Ex-Coronation Street actress Denise Welch, former EastEnders star Sam Attwater, Australian Craig McLachlan – best known for his role in Neighbours – and Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Metcalfe are all set to appear in the show.

Cricketer Dominic Cork, BBC Radio 1’s David Vitty – better known as Chris Moyles’s sidekick Comedy Dave – and Chloe Madeley, daughter of Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, are also in the running.

Nickelodeon presenter Laura Hamilton, Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard’s ex-girlfriend Ellen Rives and actress Nadia Sawalha complete the line-up.

Spice Girl Emma Bunton and choreographer Jason Gardiner will remain on the judging panel, along with former figure skater Robin Cousins, who is head judge.

The voting panel has been reduced from four to three after a decision was taken not to replace former judge Nicky Slater, who announced he was leaving the show last month.

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Obama urges nuclear pact passage

The US Capitol building (file pic)The nuclear treaty has been delayed in the Senate amid bipartisan disagreements
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President Barack Obama has renewed his call for US senators to ratify an arms control treaty with Russia before the Democratic-led Congress breaks up.

In his weekly address, Mr Obama said the “safety and security of America” was at stake.

The US and Russian presidents signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) in April, but ratification has been delayed by disagreements.

The treaty requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate to become law.

That means that the Democrats need two independents and a number of Republicans to vote in favour of ratification.

Some Republicans had tried to delay the debate on ratification until January, when a new-look Congress will include more Republican senators.

The treaty is a key part of Mr Obama’s efforts to “reset” relations with Russia.

But Republicans have raised a number of concerns, including whether the treaty would allow the modernisation of America’s nuclear arsenal.

One senior Republican, Senator Kit Bond, said the treaty would give “essentially a vote on our missile defence decisions”.

Speaking the day after he signed into law an extension to wide-ranging tax cuts passed by his predecessor, President George W Bush, Mr Obama appealed to the Senate to put aside partisan differences and ratify the treaty.

Barack Obama

“Every minute we drag our feet is a minute that we have no inspectors on the ground at those Russian nuclear sites”

Barack Obama US President

“We’ll risk undermining American leadership not only on nuclear proliferation, but a host of other challenges around the world,” Mr Obama said of the potential impact of a failure to pass the treaty.

The terms of the new treaty would restrict each nation to a maximum of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads – a cut of about 30% from a limit set eight years ago.

The treaty would limit to 700 the number of deployed ballistic missiles or nuclear bombers.

It would also establish a new mechanism for sending inspectors to the other country’s nuclear sites.

Since the previous Start treaty expired in December 2009, Russia and the US have not been able to conduct inspections of each other’s nuclear stockpiles – leading to uncertainty about what the other side is doing.

“Every minute we drag our feet is a minute that we have no inspectors on the ground at those Russian nuclear sites,” Mr Obama said in his address, adding: “It’s time to get this done.”

Republicans have raised a number of concerns, including whether the treaty would allow the modernisation of America’s nuclear arsenal.

Senator Kit Bond, the most senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, condemned the treaty as “giving Russia essentially a vote on our missile defence decisions”.

A vote is expected early next week.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Seeing things

Mike Brace and his guide dog IzzyIzzy has given Mike more freedom of movement and more independence

When former Paralympic skier Mike Brace was blinded in a fireworks accident at the age of 10, no one told him to stop doing things.

He was expected to become as mobile as possible and lead as normal a life as he could.

“Those with good mobility used a white stick and those who didn’t, used a guide dog,” he explains.

“The white stick was a badge of honour.”

Fifty years later, after representing Britain in cross-country skiing at six Paralympic Games and three World Championships, Mike found that using a cane was becoming more difficult.

He realised that a guide dog would be the solution to a world full of increasingly awkward obstacles for a blind person.

The answer came in the form of a black Labrador retriever cross, named Izzy.

“I wanted to expand my mobility ambitions rather than shrink them,” he explains.

“The stick was great for knowing the environment I was in but the dog is good for going round the obstacles I kept encountering.”

Cars encroaching on pavements, vans parked in odd places, an increase in street furniture all became frustrations for Mike in his daily life.

“Izzy is a massive extension of my life.”

Mike Brace

Three months on from their first meeting, Mike and Izzy are a team – thanks to some intensive training provided by an instructor from Guide Dogs.

Mike’s busy lifestyle meant that Izzy had to be able to cope with regular journeys to central London from his home in Hornchurch, Essex, using all forms of public transport and even a trip on the London Eye.

It was no easy feat getting man and dog to bond and Mike recorded his thoughts on the training sessions in a regular phlog, the audio equivalent of a blog.

Listeners as far away as Australia listened to his experiences and his missives were downloaded 60,000 times.

In his phlog, Mike describes how he had an eventful maiden voyage with Izzy to the gym.

“Today is the first time I have been out of my home alone without my white cane for nearly 50 years.

“The route to the gym is difficult but she managed it with only one or two small problems.

“We missed the pavement leading to the sports centre but I soon realised Izzy was following two football players and got her back on the right path.

“We then nearly missed the path to the sports centre as Izzy was intent on getting into someone’s car right by the entrance.

Once at the gym, Mike confesses to his emotions taking over.

“I had a tearful minute in the changing rooms on my own before pulling myself together,” he says.

“Ninety-five per cent of the time she gets it right. When I think she’s got it wrong I have to take control.”

Mike Brace

Mike says Izzy is now very clingy, very affectionate and likes nothing better than sitting on his feet when they are at home.

He feels like a grandparent with a new charge; a dad with a new baby.

And she has given him a new lease of life.

“Izzy has allowed me to do more and not shrink away from things. We went out in the snow, for example, and she was totally unfazed by it.”

But of course sometimes things do go wrong.

“Ninety-five per cent of the time she gets it right. When I think she’s got it wrong I have to take control, retrace our steps and find the correct route,” he explains.

Mike worried that he wouldn’t need to use the skills of navigation he’d learnt using his cane anymore. But he concedes that the reverse has been true.

“Izzy is a massive extension of my life. She gives me freedom of movement and independence. I can go anywhere with her and know that I will be able to find my way.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.