A huge fire has broken out in a high-rise hotel in central Dubai close to the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa.
Burning
debris could be seen falling from the 300m-tall (1,000-feet) building,
called The Address, as firefighters arrived at the scene.
It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
The blaze erupted ahead of a major New Year's Eve fireworks display, due to be held at the Burj Khalifa.
Crowds gathering to watch the display have been asked to leave.
Fire
appeared to have engulfed much of the building, which has more than 60
storeys and is a luxury five-star hotel and apartment complex.
There is no indication so far of what might have caused the fire.
The Dubai government tweeted (in Arabic) that the fire had started on the 20th floor.
A
tourist, Michelle Duque, who is visiting Dubai, told the BBC: "All of a
sudden we saw this huge black plume of black smoke coming between the
Khalifa Tower and the hotel.
"The flames burst out really big and before we knew it the whole of the Address Hotel was covered in orange flames."
The Portuguese scored an impressive second to dig his
side out of a hole against Real Sociedad on Wednesday, but his coach
looks unlikely to last much longer on this form
Rafa Benitez is on borrowed time. The Spaniard was whistled for the fourth home game in a row as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu and he needed a Cristiano Ronaldo rescue act in order to survive another day.
Madrid
had won their last two home matches by eight-goal magins: 8-0 against
Malmo and 10-2 over Rayo Vallecano. And although this game got off to a
lively start, the home team never looked likely to have it so easy
against a plucky Real Sociedad side.
Against Rayo before
Christmas, two red cards helped Madrid when things were going against
them. This time, it was two penalties. The first of those was awarded
for an alleged push on Karim Benzema and appeared highly contentious. In
any case, Ronaldo blasted over the bar.
The Portuguese did not
fail at the next time of asking as the officials awarded a second
spot-kick, this for a handball by Yuri Berchiche. However, the ball had
hit the defender's leg before his arm and therefore should not have been
given.So for the second game in a row, Madrid had the officials to thank and
it was just as well because they were creating very little on their own.
With Toni Kroos still struggling in midfield, Madrid lacked balance in
the absence of Casemiro, while Danilo was caught out of position time
and time again at right-back. Benitez, it seems, has abandonded his own
principles and just like in the 4-0 Clasico loss to Barcelona, there was
a huge gap between the defence and the attack.
And when
substitute Bruma equalised with a fine curling effort four minutes into
the second half, Madrid were in trouble. The fans, who had booed Benitez
and also Ronaldo after his penalty miss, showed their ire again as Rafa
brought off James Rodriguez and sent on Mateo Kovacic in the
Colombian's place.
For a little while it looked like Real
Sociedad may even go on to win the game, but Ronaldo found some
inspiration as he hooked a left-footed finish past Geronimo Rulli from a
corner. It was a moment of individual brilliance from the Portuguese
when Madrid needed him most - and a goal that ensures Benitez will still
be in a job at the start of 2016.
Gareth Bale's excellent cross
set up Lucas Vazquez for a third later on, but the scoreline once again
did not tell the tale. While Madrid were awarded two highly dubious
penalties, Real Sociedad were twice denied spot-kicks for what looked
like clear fouls by Keylor Navas and Pepe at the other end. Once again,
Benitez benefitted from officials' decisions - but they merely papered
over the cracks in another dire display.More worrying for Rafa will be the fact that they are unable to open up
teams they are expected to beat easily. Against Real Sociedad, they did
just enough in the end. But the fans were far from convinced by what
they saw and there were more jeers at the final whistle.
"I
congratulated Cristiano," the Madrid boss said afterwards. "He assumed
responsibility after missing the penalty and he took the team on his
shoulders."
That he did and no wonder Benitez is grateful because
a defeat or even a draw in this game could have had disastrous
consequences for the under-pressure coach.
Ronaldo, however,
won't always get a second penalty to make amends, while Madrid may find
it even more difficult away from home and against more difficult rivals
than Real Sociedad - starting away to Valencia on January 3rd in their
first game of 2016."There is no point changing coach halfway through the year," Pepe said
in the mixed zone afterwards. "We would have to adapt to another one and
that's not good. We have to give the boss time to work."
It was
hardly a ringing endorsement for Benitez, who spoke on Tuesday of a
"campaign" against him and president Florentino Perez.
If there
is negative press for Rafa in Spain, however, it is because there are
severe doubts about his abilities within the club at the very top and in
any case, the fans are not happy with what they are seeing at the
moment.
So the only way out for Benitez, as with any Madrid boss, is results -
and he hasn't managed to beat any of the big teams yet with Real in La
Liga. Against Valencia next week would be a good time to start - or it
could all be over for Rafa before the New Year has barely begun.
The under-pressure coach singled out his top scorer for special praise after he inspired the side to victory over Real Sociedad
Rafael Benitez paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo following Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday, stating the star carried his side to a much-needed win. The
club's all-time top scorer recovered from a missed penalty to open the
scoring from the spot at a second attempt, before putting Madrid back on
top following Bruma's equaliser early in the second half.
And Benitez was pleased with his side's display in a match that saw saw los Blancos temporarily rise top of the table, praising the side and singling out Ronaldo for special attention.
"We controlled the game, apart from 10 minutes. We created many
chances and if we had taken more of them we would have been more
comfortable," he told reporters after the match.
"Despite missing the penalty, Ronaldo took another one and [carried]
the team on his back. The whole team showed character and
responsibility.
"If we had taken more of our chances we would have had a much more comfortable game."
Lucas Vazquez rounded off the scoring but the win was still unable to
appease the crowd however, with sections of the home support in Madrid
again voicing their discontent during the match that saw Madrid overtake
Barcelona in the table.
Benitez has been under considerable pressure and protested
against the campaign he perceived against himself, the club and
president Florentino Perez, adding: "I have my opinion, some of you [the
press] have yours.
"I do not doubt the objectivity of the majority of you."
Nevertheless, the coach reiterated his belief that Madrid fans will
get behind the team if they continue to strive for positive results.
"When the team work to their maximum, then they can show their quality," he said.
"If they maintain the motivation they showed today they will win many more games.
"Whenever we win we are happy and content, the judgement will come at
the end. We are still, for me, on a good path, and we can get better.
Add The USS Harry S Truman was among three warships in the vicinity of the Iranian tests
Iran's navy conducted rocket tests
last week near US warships and other commercial vessels in the Strait of
Hormuz, the American military has said.
The tests threaten to cause new tensions between the two nations following their landmark nuclear deal.
Iran
fired "several unguided rockets" about 1,370m (1,500 yards) from two US
vessels and a French frigate, US military spokesman Kyle Raines said.
The tests were "highly provocative", said Cmdr Raines.
The
Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that
provides passage for nearly a third of all oil traded by sea. The strait
is also crucial for ships taking part in the war against so-called
Islamic State.
In 2012 Iran threatened to block the strait, which
lies at the entrance of the Gulf and is 33km (21 miles) wide at its
narrowest point.
The latest incident, which took place on Saturday
according to the US, follows a series of weapons tests by the Islamic
Republic. Iranian media and officials did not immediately comment on the
reports.
Iranian ships announced over maritime radio their intention to carry out the test 23 minutes before the rockets were fired.
"Firing
weapons so close to passing coalition ships and commercial traffic
within an internationally recognised maritime traffic lane is unsafe,
unprofessional and inconsistent with international maritime law," Cmdr
Raines said.
The US Navy's 5th Fleet is based in nearby Bahrain.
It conducts anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf and serves as a regional
counterbalance to Iran.
Old tensions
Iran
signed a long-term deal with six world powers in July to limit its
sensitive nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling
sanctions.
However, this year it has also broadcast footage of a
missile attack on a mock-up of an US aircraft carrier and aired film on
state TV of an underground missile base.
The Strait of Hormuz was
the scene of a battle between the US and Iran in April 1988, when the
US attacked two Iranian oil platforms used for surveillance and sank or
damaged six of its vessels, including two naval frigates.
Tensions had erupted after the near-sinking of missile frigate USS Samuel B Roberts by an Iranian mine.
In
July 1988, the USS Vincennes was patrolling the strait when it shot
down an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai, killing 290 people on board.
The ship's crew apparently mistook the plane for an Iranian F-14
fighter.
The US space agency Nasa has warned
that the effects of the current El Nino weather phenomenon could be as
bad as those of 1998, the strongest on record.
That El Nino played havoc with world weather systems and was blamed for several extreme weather events.
The current El Nino has been linked to several floods and unusually warm conditions in the northern hemisphere.
The phenomenon sees warm waters of the central Pacific expand eastwards towards North and South America.
El Nino is a naturally occurring weather episode which happens every two to seven years.
It
usually peaks late in the calendar year, although the effects can
persist well into the following spring and last up to 12 months. Nasa says the current El Nino "shows no signs of waning", based on the latest satellite image of the Pacific Ocean.
It bears "a striking resemblance" to one from December 1997, the agency says, "the signature of a big and powerful El Nino". Strongest El Nino since 1950 on the way Matt McGrath: 'High impacts' from globally stronger El Nino Worries over humanitarian impact
This year's El Nino has been linked to the worst floods seen in 50 years in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
The
floods there have forced more than 150,000 people from their homes -
more than 100,000 of them in the Paraguayan capital alone.
In the US, 13 people have died in the US state of
Missouri as a result of flooded rivers after tornadoes and storms hit
the region.
A five-mile (8km) section of the Mississippi River
near St Louis was closed to vessels as a result of the "hazardous
conditions" that have been caused.
El Nino has also been cited as
a factor in the floods that have hit northern parts of the UK, forcing
thousands from their homes and leaving thousands more without power.
Storm
Frank, which is expected to bring fresh rain and flooding to the UK
this week, is part of a weather system causing unusually high
temperatures in the Arctic.
One weather buoy near the North Pole
has measured a temperature above freezing - almost unheard of at this
time of year, when the normal figure is about -25C (-13F). Astonishing spike at North Pole: BBC science editor David Shukman
One
of the most bizarre side-effects of the current turbulence in the
global weather is that even at the roof of the world, at what is meant
to be the coldest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, the North
Pole itself is unusually warm.
There are no instruments there at
the moment to provide exact readings but US weather buoys, drifting with
the ice slightly to the south, have recorded the extraordinary fact of
temperatures nudging just above zero. And the Norwegian weather service
estimates temperatures there to be around -2C.
Either way, that is astonishingly warm given the average temperature for the time of year, which is around -25C.
The
spike in warmth will not last long but may conceivably act as a brake
on the usual process of the growth of winter ice in the Arctic. And it
certainly serves as a reminder of the power and reach of Storm Frank,
which is currently battering the UK, as the swirl of winds around it has
pushed warm air northwards.
Higher temperatures than the seasonal average have been noted in many parts of Europe and the US.
Average temperatures on Christmas Day in France were the second highest on record, just below those of 1997.
The
mild weather has forced farmers to harvest crops such as salad,
strawberries and asparagus early, with reports of large amounts of
produce going to waste.
Desperation in one French ski resort at the lack of snow led to 100 tons of snow being airlifted in by helicopter.
In Italy, experts say the unusually calm and dry weather has exacerbated pollution over the cities of Milan and Rome.
The Manchester United captain drew another blank
against Chelsea on Monday night and has only scored two goals all season
- can he ever return to the elite?
Manchester United
will hope the New Year can signal a change in fortunes having embarked
on an eight-game winless run, and no player will be keener to put 2015
behind him than Wayne Rooney.
The
captain has only scored twice in the Premier League this season, and
has not netted since October 17, while his shooting accuracy is a paltry
41 per cent and he has converted just 8% of his shots.
In fact,
Rooney's struggles in front of goal have been so extreme that 32 players
from 17 different Premier League clubs have out-scored him in the
calendar year, meaning Norwich and Aston Villa are the only sides with
strikers less prolific than Rooney.
Incredibly, the 30-year-old
ends the year tied 33rd with just six goals, the same number as Andre
Ayew, Charlie Austin, Steven Gerrard and Troy Deeney - even though they
only played half a season in the Premier League!
That
is a stance now backed up by Caballero, who is convinced that City have
both the desire and the financial means to make the historic transfer
possible."That subject is talked about a lot and it's inevitable not to think or speak about it," he exclusively told Goal. "And then when you think that Kun [Sergio Aguero] is at the club and he's such a good friend of Messi...
"But
until he's signed or not it's nothing more than a rumour. But yes, I
understand that it's possible, because this club has massive economic
power. The expensive players that the club has at the moment shows that
it can deal with high prices.
"Because of that it seems that
they can try to sign Messi if he decides to leave Barcelona. No doubt
that City can get Messi, but everything depends on what Leo wants to
do."
Caballero earned his first call-up to the Argentina national
team in 2014, at the age of 33, and has struggled to get back into the
international fold since.But he says he has already been able to enjoying playing alongside Messi
and is clearly excited about the prospect of doing so in Manchester.
"I'm
already grateful to the club I'm playing for, but imagine that!" he
added. "It wouldn't just be another star in a team full of stars, it
would be the best in the world in your team.
"Having the chance to enjoy that in the national team and imagining to
be able to have him in my team, it would be the best in the world."
In terms of discoveries, it seemed as unlikely as it was remarkable.
But it raised even bigger questions about the origins of this ancient manuscript.
And
there are now suggestions from the Middle East that the discovery could
be even more spectacularly significant than had been initially
realised.
There are claims that these could be fragments from the
very first complete version of the Koran, commissioned by Abu Bakr, a
companion of the Prophet Muhammad - and that it is "the most important
discovery ever for the Muslim world".
This is a global jigsaw puzzle.
But some of the pieces have fallen into place.
It
seems likely the fragments in Birmingham, at least 1,370 years old,
were once held in Egypt's oldest mosque, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in
Fustat.
Paris match
This
is because academics are increasingly confident the Birmingham
manuscript has an exact match in the National Library of France, the
Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
The library points to the expertise of Francois
Deroche, historian of the Koran and academic at the College de France,
and he confirms the pages in Paris are part of the same Koran as
Birmingham's.
Alba Fedeli, the researcher who first identified the
manuscript in Birmingham, is also sure it is the same as the fragments
in Paris.
The significance is that the origin of the manuscript in Paris is known to have been the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in Fustat.
'Spirited away'
The
French part of this manuscript was brought to Europe by Asselin de
Cherville, who served as a vice consul in Egypt when the country was
under the control of Napoleon's armies in the early 19th Century.
Prof
Deroche says Asselin de Cherville's widow seemed to have tried to sell
this and other ancient Islamic manuscripts to the British Library in the
1820s, but they ended up in the national library in Paris, where they
have remained ever since.
But if some of this Koran went to Paris, what happened to the pages now in Birmingham?
Prof
Deroche says later in the 19th Century manuscripts were transferred
from the mosque in Fustat to the national library in Cairo.
Along the way, "some folios must have been spirited away" and entered the antiquities market.
These were presumably sold and re-sold, until in the 1920s they were acquired by Alphonse Mingana and brought to Birmingham.
Mingana
was an Assyrian, from what is now modern-day Iraq, whose collecting
trips to the Middle East were funded by the Cadbury family.
"Of
course, no official traces of this episode were left, but it should
explain how Mingana got some leaves from the Fustat trove," says Prof
Deroche, who holds the legion of honour for his academic work.
And tantalisingly, he says other similar material, sold to western collectors could, still come to light.
Disputed date
But what remains much more contentious is the dating of the manuscript in Birmingham.
What
was really startling about the Birmingham discovery was its early date,
with radiocarbon testing putting it between 568 and 645.
The latest date in the range is 13 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632.
David Thomas, Birmingham University's professor of
Christianity and Islam, explained how much this puts the manuscript into
the earliest years of Islam: "The person who actually wrote it could
well have known the Prophet Muhammad."
But the early date contradicts the findings of academics who have based their analysis on the style of the text.
Mustafa
Shah, from the Islamic studies department at the School of Oriental and
African Studies in London, says the "graphical evidence", such as how
the verses are separated and the grammatical marks, show this is from a
later date.
In this early form of Arabic, writing styles developed
and grammatical rules changed, and Dr Shah says the Birmingham
manuscript is simply inconsistent with such an early date.
Prof
Deroche also says he has "reservations" about radiocarbon dating and
there have been cases where manuscripts with known dates have been
tested and the results have been incorrect.
'Confident' dates are accurate
But
staff at Oxford University's Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, which dated
the parchment, are convinced their findings are correct, no matter how
inconvenient.
Researcher David Chivall says the accuracy of dating
has improved in recent years, with a much more reliable approach to
removing contamination from samples.
In the case of the Birmingham Koran, Mr Chivall says
the latter half of the age range is more likely, but the overall range
is accurate to a probability of 95%.
It is the same level of confidence given to the dating of the bones of Richard III, also tested at the Oxford laboratory.
"We're as confident as we can be that the dates are accurate."
And
academic opinions can change. Dr Shah says until the 1990s the dominant
academic view in the West was that there was no complete written
version of the Koran until the 8th Century.
But researchers have
since overturned this consensus, proving it "completely wrong" and
providing more support for the traditional Muslim account of the history
of the Koran.
The corresponding manuscript in Paris, which could help to settle the argument about dates, has not been radiocarbon tested.
The first Koran?
But if the dating of the Birmingham manuscript is correct what does it mean?
There are only two leaves in Birmingham, but Prof Thomas says the complete collection would have been about 200 separate leaves.
"It would have been a monumental piece of work," he said.
And it raises questions about who would have commissioned the Koran and been able to mobilise the resources to produce it.
Jamal
bin Huwareib, managing director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Foundation, an education foundation set up by the ruler of the UAE, says
the evidence points to an even more remarkable conclusion.
He
believes the manuscript in Birmingham is part of the first comprehensive
written version of the Koran assembled by Abu Bakr, the Muslim caliph
who ruled between 632 and 634.
"It's the most important discovery ever for the
Muslim world," says Mr bin Huwareib, who has visited Birmingham to
examine the manuscript.
"I believe this is the Koran of Abu Bakr."
He
says the high quality of the hand writing and the parchment show this
was a prestigious work created for someone important - and the
radiocarbon dating shows it is from the earliest days of Islam.
"This version, this collection, this manuscript is the root of Islam, it's the root of the Koran," says Mr bin Huwareib.
"This will be a revolution in studying Islam."
This would be an unprecedented find. Prof Thomas says the dating fits this theory but "it's a very big leap indeed".
'Priceless manuscript'
There
are other possibilities. The radiocarbon dating is based on the death
of the animal whose skin was used for the parchment, not when the
writing was completed, which means the manuscript could be a few years
later than the age range ending in 645, with Prof Thomas suggesting
possible dates of 650 to 655.
If the Birmingham manuscript was a fragment of one of these copies it would also be a spectacular outcome.
It's not possible to definitively prove or disprove such theories.
But
Joseph Lumbard, professor in the department of Arabic and translation
studies at the American University of Sharjah, says if the early dating
is correct then nothing should be ruled out.
"I would not discount that it could be a fragment from the codex collected by Zayd ibn Thabit under Abu Bakr.
"I would not discount that it could be a copy of the Uthmanic codex.
"I would not discount Deroche's argument either, he is such a leader in this field," says Prof Lumbard.
He also warns of evidence being cherry-picked to support experts' preferred views.
Prof
Thomas says there could also have been copies made from copies and
perhaps the Birmingham manuscript is from a copy made specially for the
mosque in Fustat.
Jamal bin Huwaireb sees the discovery of such a
"priceless manuscript" in the UK, rather than a Muslim country, as
sending a message of mutual tolerance between religions.
"We need to respect each other, work together, we don't need conflict."
But don't expect any end to the arguments over this ancient document.
Somalia's government has banned the
celebration of Christmas, warning that such Christian festivities could
threaten the nation's Muslim faith.
"Those celebrations are not in any way related to Islam," an official at the religious affairs ministry said.
Security agencies have been directed to stay alert to stop any gatherings.
Foreigners
are free to mark the Christian holiday in their own homes, but hotels
and other public places have been prohibited from marking the day.
"Having
Muslims celebrate Christmas in Somalia is not the right thing, such
things are akin to the abandonment," local media quote Mohamed Kheyrow, a
top official at Somalia's justice and religious affairs ministry, as
saying.
Correspondents say as the country recovers from years of
civil war, a growing number of Somalis who grew up in the diaspora are
returning home, some of them bringing Western customs with them.
Christmas
is not widely celebrated in Somalia, which officially adopted Sharia in
2009, but the odd event was held - especially as an excuse to hold a
party.
Mogadishu's mayor, Yusuf Hussein Jimale, told the BBC that
such gatherings might also be a target for the Islamist al-Shabab group
that has targeted hotels in the city in the past.
Celebrations
will be allowed at UN compounds and bases for African Union
peacekeepers, who are in the country to back the government's fight
against the al-Qaeda-linked militants.
At least 200 civilians have been
killed in Russian air strikes in Syria, an Amnesty International report
says, quoting witnesses and activists.
The human rights group
accused Russia of using cluster munitions and unguided bombs on civilian
areas, and said such attacks could constitute war crimes.
Moscow insists it is targeting only the positions of "terrorist" groups.
Amnesty said in its report it is also researching concerns about the US-led coalition air strikes in Syria.
The
US has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths in its aerial bombardment of
the so-called Islamic State (IS), which began in September 2014.
Russia
began air strikes in September this year, saying it was acting at the
request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It is targeting IS and
other groups it has designated to be terrorists, some of which are
backed by the West.
'No military targets'
In
the report, Amnesty said it had "researched remotely" more than 25
Russian attacks that took place in Homs, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Aleppo
between 30 September and 29 November.
It had interviewed "by
phone or over the internet" witnesses to the attacks, and had audio and
video evidence, as well as "advice from weapons experts". Amnesty said.
It
said there was evidence that Russia's military "unlawfully used
unguided bombs in densely populated areas and inherently indiscriminate
cluster munitions".
Amnesty set out its findings into six attacks - each
of which, it said, caused dozens of civilian casualties, but had no
obvious military target nearby.
On 29 November, for example, it
said at least one suspected Russian warplane fired three missiles into a
busy public market in Ariha, in Idlib province.
A local activist group said a total of 49 civilians were either killed or missing and feared dead.
"It
was a normal Sunday; there was nothing unusual. People were buying
goods; children were eating," the activist, Mohammed Qurabi al-Ghazal,
told Amnesty.
"First there was a loud explosion - dirt flying in
the air - followed immediately by shock. In just a few moments, people
were screaming, the smell of burning was in the air and there was just
chaos."
He said the armed group Jaysh al-Fateh controlled the area, but did not have any presence inside Ariha itself.
"Some
Russian air strikes appear to have directly attacked civilians or
civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military
target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to
civilians," Amnesty's Philip Luther said.
"Such attacks may amount to war crimes," he added.
Russian officials have so far made no public comments on the report's accusations.
But
Russia's presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked on Monday if
Russia was using cluster bombs, said Moscow was "conducting its
operation in strict conformity with principles and norms of the
international law".
The Kremlin has previously described similar
reports as attempts to discredit its operations in Syria, describing
such claims as part of "information warfare".
President Vladimir
Putin said in October that reports of alleged civilian casualties had
emerged before the first air strikes were even carried out.
More
than 250,000 people are believed to have been killed and millions of
people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict began in
Syria in March 2011.
Nigeria's president has announced plans to raise spending by 20% next year by borrowing heavily amid falling oil prices
In
his first budget since his election victory in March, Muhammadu Buhari
said he would spend $31bn (£20.8bn) in 2016 on infrastructure and the
economy.
However, Nigeria has been hard hit by the falling price of oil.
Petroleum exports make up 90% of total overseas revenue, according to the Opec oil cartel.
The
country's budget deficit is expected to double to 2.2 trillion naira
($11bn, £7.4bn) next year and Buhari said the government would seek
funding overseas of 900bn naira as well as 984bn naira domestically.
Oil
prices have fallen from about $55 a barrel since the beginning of the
year to around $36-$37 and Mr Buhari said that of the 3.9 trillion naira
revenue forecast for 2016, just 820bn will come from crude.
Mr
Buhari said: "This huge decline is having a painful effect on our
economy. Consumption has declined at all levels. In both the private and
public sectors, employers have struggled to meet their salary and other
employee related obligations."
The president pledged to improve
tax collection and invest in other industries including mining and
agriculture. "The Nigerian economy needs to move away from dependency on
oil," he said.
Nigeria's
unemployment rate is growing, up from 8.2% in the second quarter to
9.9% between July and September according to official figures. Inflation
is also rising, hitting 9.4% in September, on fuel shortages and higher
food prices.
However, Mr Buhari said he expected Nigeria's economy to grow by 4.4% next year.
"The
2016 budget, as outlined, is designed to ensure that we revive our
economy, deliver inclusive growth to Nigerians and create a significant
number of jobs," he said.
The Indian parliament has passed a
bill which allows juveniles between 16 and 18 years of age to be tried
as adults for serious crimes like rape or murder.
At present, those under 18 can be sentenced to a maximum of three years in a reform facility.
The
move to change the law gathered momentum after the youngest convict in
the notorious 2012 Delhi gang rape was recently released from detention.
The parents of the victim were among those campaigning to change the law.
On Tuesday, the Juvenile Justice Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha - the upper house of the parliament.
The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha - the lower house - in May.
It will now have to be signed by the president to become law - which, correspondents say, is a mere formality.
The
new law will not apply to the youngest 2012 rapist, but it will be used
in future cases involving juvenile offenders above 16 years.
Authorities
say the number of juvenile crimes have been increasing - last year,
38,565 cases were registered, including many cases of rapes, murders and
acid attacks.
The supporters of the new law say tougher punishment will act as a deterrent.
However,
critics say that India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child which mandates that all children under the age of 18
be treated equally, and say the new law will violate the convention.
Jyoti
Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, died after being brutally
raped by five men and one minor on a moving bus in 2012.
The
attack sparked a huge public outcry in India and forced the authorities
to introduce tough new laws to deal with crimes against women.
Her
mother Asha Devi said she was "satisfied" at the bill's passing. "But I
am sad that my daughter did not get justice," she added.
Four adult convicts in the case are appealing against death sentences. A fifth died in prison.
But the youngest of her attackers, who was 17 at the time of the crime, was sentenced to three years and released recently.
During
his trial in a juvenile court, there were calls to try him as an adult
and protests were held over the weekend against his release.
Since his release, the rapist has been housed with a charity because of fears over his safety.
On
Monday, India's Supreme Court dismissed an appeal to stop his release,
saying it "shared" the concern of most citizens but its hands were
"tied" by the law.
The number of migrants and refugees
crossing into Europe by land and sea illegally this year has passed one
million, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.
This represents a fourfold rise on the total last year.
Most
crossed by sea, with more than 800,000 travelling from Turkey to
Greece. Most are refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The IOM says 3,695 migrants have drowned this year or remain missing. Migrant crisis in graphics Shelter or despair in Athens Desperate journeys
The
huge influx of migrants has caused significant political rifts within
the EU, with some states inside the border-free Schengen area putting up
fences and reimposing frontier controls.
Hungary and Slovakia are taking legal action at the European Court of Justice to challenge EU plans to share asylum seekers across EU states.
Meanwhile,
many migrants and refugees are pressing to be allowed to settle in
richer northern countries like Germany and Sweden.
'We must act'
Migration passed the symbolic milestone on Monday, the IOM said, with the total for land and sea reaching more than 1,006,000.
972,500 people have arrived by sea
34,000 people have crossed from Turkey into Bulgaria and Greece by land
942,400 new asylum claims in the EU Jan-Nov 2015, rising to more than 1 million when Norway and Switzerland are included (Source: Eurostat monthly figures)
More than 1 million registrations in Germany's "EASY"
system which counts new arrivals ahead of them claiming asylum. This
includes a large number (approx 40%) of people from the Balkans not
included in UNHCR figures
Entries via six EU nations - Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus - are covered in the report.
It found among other things that
Half of the refugees crossing the Mediterranean were from Syria, 20% were from Afghanistan and 7% from Iraq
Most
of the migrants who died - 2,889 - were making the sea crossing between
North Africa and Italy, while more than 700 died in the Aegean crossing
to Greece from Turkey
Only 3.5% of migrants made a land journey to Greece or Bulgaria via TurkeyThe IOM gathers its statistics from registrations, law enforcement agencies and its own monitors.
Its director general, William Lacy Swing, said it was not enough to just count the figures.
"We
must also act," he said. "Migration must be legal, safe and secure for
all - both for the migrants themselves and the countries that will
become their new home." A joint IOM and UNHCR statement said found a "more co-ordinated European response" was beginning to take shape.
However,
it said more needed to be done to improve reception facilities,
accommodation and registration, and to identify those who do and do not
qualify for refugee protection.
Save the Children campaigns
director Kirsty McNeill said: "This is the test of our European ideal.
When children are dying on our doorstep we need to take bolder action.
There can be no bigger priority."
Frontex boost
The EU last week agreed to increase the numbers of Frontex border agency staff in Greece, a key arrival point.
Germany
alone has received a million refugees and migrants this year, although
many were already within Europe, particularly in the Balkans.
Macedonia is now refusing to allow anyone through its Greek border who does not come from a war zone.
A UN report also last week warned that the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide would "far surpass" 60 million this year.
Iraqi government forces are
advancing into the centre of the city of Ramadi, which is controlled by
jihadist group Islamic State (IS), officials say.
Security sources
told the BBC that troops and allied tribesmen, backed by air strikes,
had already retaken two districts, and entered two others.
They were heading towards the main government complex, and had come up against snipers and suicide bombers.
Ramadi fell to IS in May in an embarrassing defeat for the Iraqi army.
Last
month, government forces completed their encirclement of the
predominantly Sunni Arab city, about 90km (55 miles) west of Baghdad,
cutting off militants inside the centre from their strongholds elsewhere
in Anbar province and in neighbouring Syria.
'Human shields'
Iraqi
Counter-Terrorism Service spokesman Sabah al-Numani said troops from
the elite force, supported by the army and police, had begun the assault
on central Ramadi at dawn and were advancing towards the government
complex.
"We went into the centre of Ramadi from several fronts and we began purging residential areas," he told the AFP news agency.
"The city will be cleared in the coming 72 hours.
Mr
Numani added that the counter-terrorism forces had not faced strong
resistance, "only snipers and suicide bombers, and this is a tactic we
expected".
Sources in the Iraqi military's Anbar Operations
Command told the BBC that engineers had built temporary bridges over the
River Euphrates, which flows along the north and west of the city
centre. This had enabled troops to enter directly the al-Haouz district,
south-west of the government complex.
By Tuesday afternoon,
government forces had retaken the al-Thubat and al-Aramil districts, and
entered nearby al-Malaab and Bakir, the sources said.
Iraqi intelligence estimates that between 250 and 300 militants are inside Ramadi.
The
US military says they have developed a strong defensive system,
including using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to create
minefields.
On Monday, the defence ministry warned that the
jihadists had prevented civilians leaving since leaflets warning of an
assault were dropped over the city last month.
"They plan to use
them as human shields," spokesman Naseer Nuri told the Reuters news
agency, without indicating the number of civilians who were at risk.
Sources
inside Ramadi told the BBC on Tuesday that IS militants had also
carried out a campaign of raids and mass arrests of residents in
districts still under their control, in an attempt to prevent an
uprising in support of the government offensive.
The operation to recapture Ramadi, which began in early November, has
made slow progress, mainly because the government has chosen not to use
the powerful Shia-dominated paramilitary force that helped it regain
the northern city of Tikrit to avoid increasing sectarian tensions.
IS
has lost control of several key towns in Iraq to government and Kurdish
forces since over-running large swathes of the country's west and north
in June 2014 and proclaiming the creation of a "caliphate" that also
extended into neighbouring Syria.
On Monday, analysis by IHS Jane's
suggested that IS had lost 14% of its overall territory in Iraq and
Syria, about 12,800 sq km (4,940 sq miles), over the past year.
Despite
this, the group has been able to capture new territory of strategic
value over the same period, including Ramadi and Palmyra in Syria's Homs
province. It also still controls the Iraqi cities of Falluja, east of
Ramadi, and Mosul, in the north.
What is Islamic State?
IS
is a notoriously violent Islamist group which controls large parts of
Syria and Iraq. It has declared its territory a caliphate - a state
governed in accordance with Islamic law - under its leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi.
What does it want?
IS
demands allegiance from all Muslims, rejects national borders and seeks
to expand its territory. It adheres to its own extreme interpretation
of Sunni Islam and regards non-believers as deserving of death.
How strong is IS?
IS
projects a powerful image, partly through propaganda and sheer
brutality, and is the world's richest insurgent group. It has about
30,000 fighters but is facing daily bombing by a US-led multi-national
coalition, which has vowed to destroy it.
Iraqi government forces are
advancing into the centre of the city of Ramadi, which is controlled by
jihadist group Islamic State (IS), officials say.