Turkey and its neighbour Armenia have moved closer to establishing diplomatic ties after decades of bitter mistrust on both sides. They are to hold six weeks of domestic consultations on the move after which their parliaments will vote on it, their foreign ministries announced. Negotiations on the mending of ties have been brokered by Switzerland. The two countries’ dispute centres on the fate of Armenians under Turkish Ottoman rule nearly a century ago. Turkey has resisted widespread calls for it to recognise the mass killing of Armenians during World War I as an act of genocide. Anticipation of a diplomatic breakthrough has been growing ahead of a planned visit by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to Turkey on 14 October. He is due to attend the return leg of a World Cup qualifying football match between the two countries. ‘Border to open’ A roadmap for the normalisation of the relationship between the two countries was agreed in April. Hundreds of thousands of Ottoman Armenians died in 1915 The foreign ministries said the two countries had agreed to start internal discussions on two protocols: one establishing diplomatic relations and the other developing bilateral ties. “The political consultations will be completed within six weeks, following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to the respective parliaments for ratification,” their joint statement said. According to Reuters news agency, the Turkish-Armenian border – closed by Turkey in 1993 – will re-open within two months of the protocols coming into force. Modern Armenia, which took shape as a Soviet republic in 1920, has only had diplomatic relations with Turkey as part of the USSR. Since declaring independence in 1991, it has pressed for recognition of what it says was genocide. Relations have also been complicated by Turkish support for Azerbaijan in its armed conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The UK government will publish all correspondence with Scottish ministers on the Lockerbie bomber, Downing Street sources have said. Information will be made public on Tuesday afternoon, when the Scottish Government also releases documents. Scotland’s justice secretary has meanwhile defended the medical advice he received before freeing terminally-ill Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. Kenny MacAskill insisted he sought a wide range of opinion. It was understood the documents to be released by the UK government largely consist of letters from the Ministry of Justice, many of which have already been leaked, relating to the prisoner transfer agreement with Libya. They are said to indicate there was no discussion about compassionate release of prisoners and reinforce the UK government’s position that no deals were done over Megrahi’s release. Scottish ministers had already announced they would release documents on Tueday afternoon, ahead of a government-led debate on Wednesday. Mr MacAskill earlier rejected claims by Scottish Labour health spokesman Dr Richard Simpson that he failed to consult appropriate specialists before releasing Megrahi on compassionate grounds. The minister said: “In terms of medical reports, I received a clear report from the director of health and social care at the Scottish Prison Service. “Whatever Dr Simpson may suggest, this wasn’t done on the whim and fancy by the director of health and social care. “It was done on the clear information and evidence – not simply his own professional expertise, but following the advice and information available to him from consultants who’d been dealing with Mr al-Megrahi during the course of his illness. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Kenny MacAskill said political or economic factors played no part in his decision “There were numerous prostate cancer specialists, very many consultants.” It said it was “rather demeaning” for opposition MSPs to be “seeking to undermine the information provided by such a highly qualified medical professional”. However, Dr Simpson, who specialised in prostate disease research, later reiterated his criticism, claiming there was no medical consensus about the Libyan’s prognosis. “The justice secretary chose to disregard the advice of four specialists and release Megrahi on the opinion of one doctor, who we know was not a specialist,” he said. “At the very least, Kenny MacAskill should have sought a second opinion confirming the patient’s prognosis from a specialist in palliative care. “That he did not do so showed a disregard for due process and the significance of the decision.” Megrahi was freed on 20 August after serving eight years of a life sentence for the 1988 bombing. A total of 270 people died when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over the town of Lockerbie in southern Scotland. The Lockerbie bombing claimed the lives of 270 people The decision to release Megrahi, who was greeted with a hero’s welcome when he arrived back in Libya, has divided opinion. It has been condemned by President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and some of the families of American victims. The director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, described the move as “making a mockery of justice” and one which gave “comfort to terrorists”. However, Mr MacAskill’s decision received backing from Nelson Mandela, former First Minister Henry McLeish and the former lord advocate of Scotland, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie QC, who launched the case against Megrahi. Meanwhile, the UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw described reports that the bomber was released over an oil deal as “wholly untrue”. He denied a “back door deal” was done to transfer Megrahi because of UK trade talks with the Libyan government. ‘No pressure’ Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s deputy first minister, said it was no secret that the UK government had negotiated a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya. She told the BBC’s Today programme: “To be frank, I don’t know what deals the UK government did or tried to do in the context of that agreement. “It’s certainly the case that al-Megrahi was not excluded from that agreement. “What I do know, and can state categorically, as Kenny MacAskill and Alex Salmond have both done, is that these deals – if such deals existed – played no part whatsoever in the decision Kenny MacAskill took to release al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds.” She also insisted that Megrahi’s decision to drop his appeal played no part in Mr MacAskill’s decision. “There was no pressure put on him by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Government had no influence in that decision,” she said. “In many respects the Scottish Government would have preferred the appeal to continue.”
Nearly 700 soldiers from the South African defence force have been sent letters of dismissal following last week’s strike action. Up to 3,000 military personal clashed with the police on the streets of Pretoria during demonstrations over pay and conditions. The action was condemned by both the defence minister and the secretary general of the ruling party, the ANC. The soldiers’ union says the sackings are illegal and will inflame tensions. The image of demonstrating soldiers clashing with the police in the heart of South Africa’s administrative capital sent shockwaves throughout the country, says the BBC’s Karen Allen in Johannesburg. The troops left their barracks and marched to the Union Buildings on 26 August, insisting on seeing President Jacob Zuma to seek a 30% pay rise. Police used rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the marchers, who reportedly became unruly and attacked police cars. ‘Disgraceful’ behaviour Now 697 soldiers have been sent letters of dismissal from the defence department, for what the government claims was an illegal protest. Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has condemned their protests as “disgraceful” and a threat to national security. A spokesman for the South African National Defence Union (Sandu) said members who had received letters of dismissal had 10 days to defend their actions. The union is seeking an urgent injunction in the high court to stop soldiers from losing their jobs. It claims some of the letters were sent to military personnel who are currently serving on peacekeeping missions outside South Africa, thousands of miles away. The soldiers’ protest last week was the latest in a series of rallies, strikes and disputes over pay and services over the past few months. Several unions have led walkouts, demanding inflation-busting wage rises – and have largely had their demands met. However, the government has said the military is subject to different rules to the rest of society.
A US woman, kidnapped as a child and held for 18 years, bonded with her alleged captor and helped to run his printing firm, according to reports. Customers knew Jaycee Lee Dugard as Allissa and believed her to be kidnap suspect Phillip Garrido’s daughter, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Police in California are searching the property where Ms Dugard was held, and a neighbouring house. Mr Garrido and his wife Nancy deny 29 charges in connection with the case. They are accused of abducting Ms Dugard when she was 11 years old from near her home in South Lake Tahoe, 200 miles (320km) away from Antioch, where they lived. ‘Little family’ It is believed Mr Garrido fathered Ms Dugard’s two children, the first when she was just 14. “It was almost like a little family,” said Ms Dugard’s step-father, Carl Probyn, in a TV interview. “That’s probably what kept her alive – the fact that they all bonded.” Ms Dugard regularly interacted with clients of Mr Garrido’s printing company, and was responsible for the graphic design side of the business, the San Francisco Chronicle quoted customers as saying. CHARGES AGAINST THE GARRIDOS Kidnapping a child under 14 Kidnapping for sexual purposes False imprisonment by violence Six counts each of forcible rape Seven counts each of “forcible lewd act on a child” In pictures: The Garrido home Shock and disbelief in Antioch “[Mr Garrido] told us up-front he works with his daughter. He said Allissa did all of the graphic design and he did all of the printing,” said JP Miller, who hired the firm to print advertising for his haulage company. “She was very professional, very polite, just like any other secretary or anyone you’d meet at a place of business,” said Ben Daughdrill, another customer. Ms Dugard and the children are believed to have been living in tents and sheds in the backyard of the Garridos’ Antioch home for 18 years. Her identity was rediscovered last week, after Mr Garrido was ordered to a parole meeting by police officers whose suspicions had been aroused by the behaviour of two girls with him. The Contra Costa County sheriff’s office spokesman, Jimmy Lee, said the house next door to Mr Garrido’s property was also being treated as a crime scene. He said Mr Garrido had access to the property before the current occupant moved in in 2006. He said dogs were being used to search the properties, including those trained to look for bodies. However, he said it was too early to say if there were any links to other “open cases”. Media have said police have been searching for clues to a number of prostitute murders in the 1990s. Several bodies in the unsolved murders were dumped near an industrial park where Mr Garrido worked. Mr and Mrs Garrido are being held without bail and a further court hearing has been scheduled for 14 September. Layout of the back garden where Jaycee Lee Dugard is said to have lived In detail
Firefighters tackling an intense wildfire north of Los Angeles say the blaze remains “very dangerous”. Fuelled by hot weather and dense, dry brush, the blaze is threatening 12,000 buildings and key communications masts. Two firefighters were killed on Sunday after their vehicle was overrun by flames and rolled down a mountainside. Mike Dietrich, of LA County Fire Dept, said: “We are making progress. But it is… slow and very dangerous. We have to wait for the fire to come to us.” The fire has been growing steadily, doubling in size on Sunday. Mr Dietrich said it was possible it would double in size yet again over the next few days. See map of California wildfires Some 6,600 homes are under mandatory evacuation orders. State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger described the blazes as “still totally out of control”. The fires also threaten communication towers housing transmitters for all Los Angeles’ major TV stations. Mount Wilson, where the towers are located – near the city of Pasadena – is also home to a historic solar observatory. In pictures: California’s wildfires Firefighters are on the mountain clearing brush and spraying fire retardant in preparation for the fires, which are approaching the transmitters. About 2,500 firefighters are trying to contain the fires, which have burnt over 66 sq miles (170 sq km) of forest. Fire department officials say the area’s steep, rugged hills are making efforts to fight the fire more difficult. With forecasts of continuing hot weather, there has been speculation that it could take firefighters a week to bring the blaze under control, says the BBC’s David Willis in Los Angeles. Wildfires are a feature of the Californian summer, but it is unusual for them to break out so close to major population centres. A number of other fires are also burning in southern and central California. A new fire in Placer County, north-east of the state capital, Sacramento, has destroyed 60 structures, many of them homes in the town of Auburn. Have you been given an evacuation order? Are you concerned about the spread of the fire? Send us your comments using the form below: You can also send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100 . If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions Back to story
Entertainment giant Walt Disney is to buy Marvel Entertainment in a shares and cash deal valued at $4bn (?2.5bn). The deal means Disney will take over ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men. Marvel shareholders will get $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share owned. The boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the deal, which now needs the backing of Marvel shareholders and competition authorities. Marvel shares were ahead $10.17, or 26%, to $48.82 shortly after the market opened. Disney shares fell 47 cents, or 1.8%, to $26.37. ‘Great assets’ “We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” Disney president and chief executive Robert Iger said. “We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney.” Other Marvel’s characters include Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Thor. “Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Marvel chief executive Ike Perlmutter. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world,” he added. ‘Good deal’ Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne, Agee and Leach, said that the deal appeared to be a “win-win situation for both companies”. “They [Marvel shareholders] are getting a good deal in my opinion. The CEO of the company, Isaac Perlmutter, is also the largest shareholder of the company. “From that standpoint, we think the chances of this deal going through are pretty high.” Last month, Walt Disney reported a fall in profits of more than a quarter as the downturn hit revenue at its film and theme park divisions. Net profit between April and June came in at $954m (?579m), down 26% on the $1.28bn the entertainment giant made in the same period last year. Revenues of $8.6bn were down 7% from the $9.2bn recorded a year before.
The South African government is investigating the suicide of a young man who was refused the identity documents he needed to start a job. A local official reportedly refused to issue the papers to Skhumbuzo Mhlongo, 22, accusing him of being a foreigner. In the absence of his parents, he was looking after his four siblings. The case prompted Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to break down in tears at a press conference. She suspects the official wanted a bribe. She said she “would leave no stone unturned” in the investigation into the identity of the official. The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says the Department of Home Affairs has come under heavy criticism over the years for its inefficiency in issuing ID documents, birth certificates and passports, with some people claiming to have waited up to four years. She points out it would be even more difficult to obtain the documents if you have no parents to vouch for your identity. Suicide note A senior delegation from the Department of Home Affairs has visited the office in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal province, where his demand was rejected. Mr Mhlongo had been due to start the new job at a factory which manufactures bird food on Monday. He apparently left a suicide note before hanging himself. Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mampoepa told the BBC that Mhlongo had been raised by his mother, who disappeared in 2000, leaving him to care for his younger siblings. He had apparently been trying to get an ID card for some time without any luck. “He did not have parents. He was the eldest in his family and needed the ID to secure a job as he was the sole bread-winner,” said Mr Mamoepa. Mr Mamoepa told the BBC that Mhlongo had been told to bring someone who could vouch for his nationality. “We understand he visited the office with an elderly man who shared his surname and told the official that served him that the man was his father.” The official didn’t believe the young man’s story, tore up Mhlongo’s papers and called him a “kwere-kwere” – a derogatory term used for foreign nationals.
Nearly 60% of black and African people living in Russia’s capital Moscow have been physically assaulted in racially motivated attacks, says a new study. Africans working or studying in the city live in constant fear of attack, according to the report by the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy. A quarter of 200 people surveyed said they had been assaulted more than once. Some 80% had been verbally abused. But the number of assaults was down from the MPC’s last survey in 2002. The report’s clear conclusion was that Africans living in Russia exist in a state of virtual siege, says the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield Hayes in Moscow. Extreme violence Many of the African respondents said they: Avoided using the Moscow metro Were also careful to avoid crowded public places Did not go out on Russian national holidays or on days when there were football matches Many of the attacks on Africans were pre-meditated and extremely violent, the report found. One Nigerian migrant interviewed by the BBC had been repeatedly stabbed in the back and then shot. Another man said his attacker had attempted to remove his scalp. Officially there are some 10,000 Africans living in Moscow, but far more are believed to live there illegally – many as economic migrants. The Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy is an English-speaking interdenominational Christian congregation that has ministered to Moscow’s foreign community since 1962.
Japan’s next leader, Yukio Hatoyama, is beginning a transition to power after winning a landmark general election. Exit polls show his Democratic Party of Japan overwhelmingly defeated the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed almost unbroken since 1955. Media forecasts give the DPJ 308 of the 480 seats in the lower house to the LDP’s 119, almost an exact reversal of their previous standing. Markets briefly rose as the scale of the DPJ’s victory became clear. Japan’s Nikkei stock market index jumped to an 11-month high in early trading but the rise of the yen and Chinese stock falls saw an overall fall of 0.3%. Official results are still to be released, but Prime Minister Taro Aso said that he took responsibility for the defeat and would resign as head of the LDP. ANALYSIS Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo The vote was as much an expression of disgust with the Liberal Democratic Party as an endorsement of the Democratic Party of Japan. But the people have handed Mr Hatoyama a thumping majority and the legislative clout to push change through parliament. His challenge now is not to disappoint. Challenge ahead for Hatoyama Mr Hatoyama, the wealthy heir to an industrial and political dynasty, is expected to announce a transition team later in the day. He is expected to be confirmed as prime minister when parliament meets in about two weeks. His Cabinet is expected to be in place by then, and his party is also in coalition talks with two smaller opposition parties whose support it needs in the upper house. “It’s taken a long time, but we have at last reached the starting line,” Mr Hatoyama told a news conference at his home in Tokyo on Monday. “This is by no means the destination. At long last we are able to move politics, to create a new kind of politics that will fulfil the expectations of the people.” ‘Close partnership’ Correspondents say attention will now to turn to whether he can deliver on his election promises. Profile: Yukio Hatoyama Profile: Taro Aso Send us your views In pictures: Japanese election He must steer the world’s second biggest economy back to sustainable growth after a crushing recession, and tackle record unemployment. Mr Hatoyama has also promised to expand the welfare state, even though Japan is already deeply in debt and the rapidly ageing population is straining social security budgets. On foreign affairs, the DPJ says it plans to create a new diplomacy less subservient to the US and to improve relations with Japan’s Asian neighbours. The White House has already said it hopes to forge a strong ties with the incoming government. “We are confident that the strong US-Japan alliance and the close partnership between our two countries will continue to flourish under the leadership of the next government,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. As the result of the election became clear, LDP leader Mr Aso said there had been “deep dissatisfaction with our party”. Kotaro Tamura, another LDP lawmaker, said: “We made too many mistakes. Very crucial mistakes… we changed prime minister three times without holding an election.” Kyodo News agency put turn-out at 69%, up from 67.5% in 2005. Officials said people turned out despite a combination of typhoon-triggered rainfall around Tokyo and a government warning that a swine flu epidemic was under way.
A report by the US’s top general in Afghanistan is expected to admit the current strategy is not working. General Stanley McChrystal’s report is also expected to say that protecting the Afghan people against the Taliban must be the US’s top priority. But the report will not contain any recommendations on troop numbers. It comes days after the elections in Afghanistan. Partial results give President Hamid Karzai a lead over rival Abdullah Abdullah. Crisis of confidence The BBC understands General McChrystal’s report will say that the Afghan people are undergoing a crisis of confidence because the war against the Taliban has not made their lives better. General McChrystal says the aim should be for Afghan forces to take the lead but their army will not be ready to do that for three years and it will take a lot longer for the police. He will warn that villages have to be taken and held, not merely taken. General McChrystal also wants more engagement with the Taliban fighters and he believes that 60% of the problem would go away if they could be found jobs. This report does not mention increasing troop numbers – that is for another report later in the year – but the hints are all there. When General McChrystal’s report lands on the President Obama’s desk he will have to ponder the implications of increasing commitment to a conflict which opinion polls suggest is losing some popular support among the American people.
