Russia says West's UN effort over Syria 'path to civil war'

A senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday that the push for adoption of a Western-Arab draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria calling for the regime to put an immediate stop to violence was a "path to civil war".

Syrian soldiers, who have defected to join the Free Syrian Army, patrol the streets of a Damascus suburb

The text calls for President Bashar al-Assad to hand power to his deputy.

It also stresses there will be no foreign military intervention in a conflict that the United Nations says has killed more than 5,400 people in the past 10 months.

It demands that "the Syrian government immediately puts an end to all human rights violations and attacks against those exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association".

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov underscored Moscow's opposition to the draft, but he stopped short of an explicit threat to block it with a veto.

"The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria will not lead to a search for compromise," Interfax quoted Gatilov as saying. "Pushing it is a path to civil war."

The Arab League initiative was to be presented to the Security Council on Tuesday and Western members want a vote on the resolution, backing the league's call for the "transfer of power from the President" of Syria, this week.

Russia has said the Western-Arab draft is unacceptable in its current form. Gatilov had warned on Friday a quick vote would be doomed to failure, a strong suggestion that Moscow could use its veto if the text is not changed significantly.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Australia on Tuesday that Russia would never let the Security Council approve military action in Syria, according to Russian news agencies.

"If the (Syrian) opposition refuses to sit at the negotiating table with the regime, what is the alternative – to bomb? We've been through that before," Itar-Tass quoted him as telling a news conference. "The Security Council will never approve that, I guarantee you," Lavrov was quoted as saying.

Syria has been Moscow's firmest foothold in the Middle East, paying cash for Russian weapons and hosting a naval maintenance facility on its Mediterranean coast that is Russia's only military base outside the former Soviet Union.

Syrian government forces reasserted control of Damascus suburbs on Tuesday after beating back rebels at the capital's doorstep.

Russia has said that Assad's resignation must not be a precondition for a process meant to end the bloodshed in Syria and that any such specific political changes should be discussed as part of a peace process.

That suggests Moscow will demand removal of the call for Assad to step aside in talks on the draft.

Russia has also criticised the document's threat of "further measures" in case of noncompliance and the blame it puts on Syrian authorities for bloodshed the United Nations estimates has killed more than 5,000 people since a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators began nearly a year ago.

Moscow says Assad's opponents must share the blame and accuses the West of encouraging them to press for his ouster instead of entering talks.

Russia offered on Monday to host talks between Syria's government and its opponents. Opposition leaders swiftly rejected the idea, calling it a ploy to buy time and delay action by the Security Council.

Russia has warned it would not allow foreign intervention in Syria after accusing the United States and other Nato countries of violating the mandate of a March 2011 Security Council resolution on Libya and using it to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

Russia and China vetoed a European-drafted resolution on Syria in October. China is expected to follow Russia's lead again, but Western envoys say they have enough support in the 15-nation council to pass the resolution unless it is vetoed.

Russia may feel that abstaining from a vote on the draft resolution, which would enable it to pass, would be tantamount to tacitly supporting the ouster of Assad and paving the way to potential military intervention.

Analysts say Prime Minister Vladimir Putin – who is running for president and bitterly criticised the council resolution authorising Nato's Libya campaign, which Russia let pass by abstaining – wants to look firm in Western eyes and avoid allowing a new precedent for regime change aided from outside.

Euro crisis hangs over latest EU summit

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The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and "smart" budget discipline.

The EU has more than 23 million unemployed people and there are fears that wide-ranging budget cuts will harm enterprise and training.

Cuts need to be "smart" - well-targeted - to allow room for future growth, the European Commission says.

Most member states - and not the UK - are expected to sign up to a new budget treaty, or "fiscal compact".

The goal is much closer co-ordination of budget policy in the 17-nation eurozone.

Diplomatic wrangling continues over the influence of non-eurozone countries in the new institutional set-up.

The UK opted out, in a blaze of publicity last month, but did secure observer status in the discussions.

Poland is insisting that it and other countries preparing to join the euro should be fully involved in the eurozone negotiations.

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Currently the draft treaty says signatories will hold summits at least twice a year. The attendance of non-euro countries is left to the discretion of the summit president, with the words "will invite when appropriate and at least once a year".

The Czech Republic may delay joining the treaty because of a split in its ruling coalition and the Republic of Ireland may decide it has to put it to a referendum.

While France may be content with a eurozone-only membership, Germany is keen to include countries like Denmark, Poland and Sweden, not yet in the euro.

The Brussels summit coincided with a general strike in Belgium in protest at recent austerity measures, which has brought most of the city's transport system to a standstill and disrupted international trains and flights.

Staff were asked to arrive for the 14:00 (13:00 GMT) summit at 05:30 to avoid the disruption.

Firewall bid

The summit comes a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a 0.1% tax on financial transactions.

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The tax is part of a package of measures to promote growth and create jobs, and will be implemented in August regardless of whether their countries do the same.

Greece remains a big question mark hanging over this summit. Complex negotiations with private creditors have not yet produced a deal to prevent Greece defaulting.

The European Commission says it is confident a deal will be reached within days. But Greece could run out of money as early as mid-February.

Private investors are being asked to take a 50% "haircut" (loss) on their Greek bonds in a complex bond swap, with the aim of cutting Greece's debt to 120% of gross domestic product by 2020.

A deal is crucial for the EU and International Monetary Fund to grant a long-awaited 130bn-euro (£109bn; $172bn) second bailout for Greece.

In an interview for the Wall Street Journal on Monday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said only radical reforms in Greece could trigger the release of the funds.

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"Unless Greece implements the necessary decisions and doesn't just announce them… there's no amount of money that can solve the problem," he said.

The atmosphere remained tense at the weekend with a row over a leaked German proposal to put an EU budget commissioner with veto powers in charge of Greek taxes and spending.

Greece rejected the proposal outright, but its EU partners remain alarmed by its failure to meet tough fiscal targets.

The EU is trying to put in place a bigger, more resistant "firewall" to prevent contagion spreading from Greece.

The eurozone plans to launch a 500bn-euro permanent bailout fund - the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - in July, a year earlier than first planned. It is expected to get the final go-ahead at the summit. The UK will not contribute to it.

The existing temporary fund - the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) - is reckoned to be worth about 300bn euros and it ends next year. Some experts say it should be combined with the ESM, rather than running in parallel.

Italy alone needs to refinance more than 300bn euros of debt this year and there are many voices urging the European Central Bank to boost the firewall to at least 1tn euros.

Recession clouds make it a gloomy start to this year's EU summits. But the European Commission says 82bn euros of EU money is available for countries to spend on projects to boost jobs and growth.

EU leaders will exchange views on how best to tackle youth unemployment and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which complain of excessive administrative costs imposed by Brussels.

Breast implant scandal: PIP founder arrested

Jean-Claude Mas, the founder of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which was found to use non-medical grade silicone in its breast implants, has been arrested.

President of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), Jean-Claude Mas  

Jean-Claude Mas was detained by police at his home in Marseilles in southern France, according to a police source.

Claude Couty, another executive from the French company, closed down in March 2010, was also held.

The implant firm is at the heart of a scandal over breast implants, which were discovered to be faulty. A leading surgeon has claimed around one in 10 could have ruptured.

Around 50,000 British women were believed to have the implants filled with an unregulated industrial silicone. It is thought 3,000 of them were NHS patients who had the implants fitted after breast cancer surgery.

"Jean-Claude Mas was arrested at the home of his companion ... and taken into custody," the source said, adding that officers had picked him up on Thursday morning.

The investigation into the health implications over PIP plants was launched in December. Police are said to be looking at charges of homicide and involuntary harm.
In France, 20 women who had the implants have been diagnosed with cancer, 16 of whom had breast cancer, although no direct link has been established.
Some 2,700 women have filed complaints against Mas.
Health authorities in France, Germany and the Czech Republic have advised women to have the implants removed but the UK Government has said there is no need.
There has been a public outcry among patients after a number of private health care firms have failed to offer free surgery to remove or replace the implants.
Mas, 72, has admitted that some of his company's implants contained industrial-grade silicone but there is no evidence it is more harmful than regulated medical material.
Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a Global Alert and Response, urging women with the implants to seek medical advice if they had any concerns.
The WHO said data about implications from the implants was sketchy and hoped to get a clearer picture as more cases were reported.
"While the rupture rate of PIP prostheses was observed to be higher than expected in France, rates reported by other national authorities vary," it said.
A model and businesswoman behind a PIP victims’ campaign group welcomed the arrest but said it was only the first step in the fight for justice.
Vanessa Halstead, 29, suffered months of physical and mental pain when her PIP implant ruptured.
She set up the Justice For PIP Victims campaign.
She said: “The arrest is great news for all those women out there who have been suffering and who are scared by what has happened to them.
“But this is only the first step in obtaining the justice for women who had PIP implants fitted and who have been to hell and back through no fault of their own.
“Many more people involved in this scandal will now be looking over their shoulder – and rightly so!”
As well as calling for legal action against those responsible for the scandal, the campaign is calling for tighter regulation of breast augmentation and the cosmetic surgery industry and women to be compensated for the trauma of ruptured implants and the distress of having to have them replaced.

Nigeria violence: Scores dead after Kano blasts

Co-ordinated attacks by Islamist militants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday killed about 150 people, witnesses and reports say.

Hospitals are struggling to deal with the numbers of killed and injured.
A series of explosions ripped apart police buildings, passport offices and immigration centres around the city, which is now under a 24-hour curfew.
Boko Haram militants said they carried out the attacks, which would be their bloodiest assault to date.
The group has said it wants to overthrow the national government and install an Islamic state.
Its members have frequently attacked police stations and other symbols of state power, but the group has also bombed churches and killed hundreds of people - including many Muslim and Christian civilians.
President Goodluck Jonathan promised that the perpetrators would "face the full wrath of the law".
"As a responsible government, we will not fold our hands and watch enemies of democracy, for that is what these mindless killers are, perpetrate unprecedented evil in our land,'' he said.
Wave of attacks On Saturday in Kano, a city of nine million people, most of them Muslims, Red Cross teams have been collecting bodies from the streets and taking them to mortuaries.

All day long people have been streaming towards the mortuary of the main hospital in Kano to look for the bodies of loved ones so they can be taken for burial. The cars used to collect the corpses are then marked with a small tree branch - a traditional symbol showing that a body is being transported.
Mortuary workers have been struggling to cope with the large number of bodies - the majority of victims appeared to be civilians but there were some uniformed police officers among the dead as well.
The Red Cross and various Nigerian emergency response organisations have been helping to deliver wounded people to hospital and move corpses. The number of dead is likely to rise in the coming days as buildings that were blown up are searched.

A BBC reporter in Kano said he had counted 150 bodies in the mortuary of the city's main hospital.

A medical official told the AP news agency that 143 people had been killed, and another official told AFP that 162 bodies had been counted.
Boko Haram, which loosely translates from the local Hausa language as "Western education is forbidden", has been behind a string of attacks in recent years.
The group wants Islamic law across Nigeria, whose population is split between the largely Muslim north, and the south where Christianity and traditional beliefs predominate.
It first hit the headlines in 2009 when a spate of attacks by its followers on police and government buildings in the city of Maiduguri led to a crackdown in which hundreds died.
More recently, the group has launched bomb attacks on churches, drive-by shootings on government targets and other attacks across northern Nigeria, killing scores and forcing many more to flee.
But the Kano attacks appear to be the group's most deadly co-ordinated assault.

Boko Haram: Timeline of terror

• 2002: Founded
• 2009: Hundreds killed when Maiduguri police stations stormed; leader Mohammed Yusuf captured and killed
• Dec 2010: Bombed Jos, killing 80 people; blamed for New Year's Eve attack on Abuja barracks
• Jun-Aug 2011: Bomb attacks on Abuja police HQ and UN building
• Dec 2011: Multiple bomb attacks on Christmas Day kill dozens
• Jan 2012: Wave of violence across north-east Nigeria

The police said in a statement that four police stations around the city, the headquarters of the State Security Service (SSS), as well as passport and immigration offices had been targeted.

There was also a shoot-out at the headquarters of the state police in the city's eastern district of Bompai, reports said.
A local man, Andrew Samuel, described the scene of one blast: "I was on the roadside and I just heard a 'boom'. As I came back, I saw the building of the police headquarters crashing down and I ran for my life."
Witnesses said the bomber who attacked one of the police stations pulled up outside the building on a motorbike, dismounted and ran inside holding a bag.
Some unconfirmed reports have claimed suicide bombers carried out some of the attacks.
The BBC's Mark Doyle, in Kano, says he has seen one police station with its roof completely burnt off, though it was not clear whether this was caused directly by an explosion or by fire.

He says the atmosphere is nervous, and a large crowd outside the police station quickly dispersed when soldiers arrived.
Nigeria's Channels TV said in a statement that one of its reporters, Enenche Akogwu, had been killed in the attacks .
It said he had been "shot by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect", outside the state government house.
The wounded were reported to include foreigners from an area near the SSS headquarters, which is home to many expatriates, particularly Lebanese and Indians.
A Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, told journalists that it had carried out the attacks because the authorities had refused to release group members arrested in Kano.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "shocked and appalled" by the attacks.

Eastman Kodak files for bankruptcy protection

Eastman Kodak, the company that invented the hand-held camera, has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The move gives the company time to reorganise itself without facing its creditors, and Kodak said that it would mean business as normal for customers.
The company has recently moved away from cameras to refocus on making printers, to stem falling profits.
The 133-year-old firm has struggled to keep up with competitors who were quicker to adapt to the digital era.
"Kodak made all its money from selling film, then the digital camera came along and now no-one's buying film. It's not like they didn't see it coming. Kodak hesitated because they didn't want to eviscerate their business," said Rupert Goodwins, editor of technology website ZDNet.
Announcing the move to seek bankruptcy protection, Antonio Perez, Kodak's chairman and chief executive, said: "The board of directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak."
The company said it had already arranged a $950m (£615m) credit facility from Citigroup.
The bankruptcy protection move by Kodak affects its operations and companies in the US, but the company said its non-US subsidiaries were not included in the move and would continue to operate as usual.

Kodak moments

• Kodak founder George Eastman produced the first camera film in rolls in 1883
• The firm Kodak is set up in 1888 and launches the first consumer camera in 1888 with the slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest"
• In 1900 Kodak introduces a consumer camera for $1 called the Brownie, which goes on to become a best-seller in America
• In 1969 a Kodak camera is used by astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong during the first Moon landing
• Kodak claims to have invented the world's first digital camera in 1975. It had a resolution of 0.1 megapixels; the camera was the size of a toaster

Its shares were suspended following the announcement. They last traded at 36 cents per share.

Kodak's shares have been in decline over the past decade. It fell out of the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 top US companies in 2004. That year, its shares were around $30 each.
Transformation Since becoming chief executive, Mr Perez has been responsible for steering Kodak away from its traditional market in cameras to focus on home and commercial printers.
However, the firm has failed to stop its plunging profitability.
The firm said earlier this year that it was pinning its hopes on its printer, software and packaging businesses, with the aim of expanding them to account for 25% of its income by 2013.
It reorganised its business units into two rather than three, renaming them consumer and commercial.
"Even though film and developing is a dead business, there is still money to be made in ink and other supplies," technology commentator Larry Magib said.

Rupert Goodwins, ZD Net UK: "They knew what was happening, but they didn't have the guts to move with it"

"But Hewlett Packard, Canon and Epson have those markets. Kodak does have printers, but it has not been able to succeed in making money from them," he said.
The move to seek bankruptcy protection comes after Kodak failed to sell its catalogue of digital imaging patents last year. At the time, Kodak warned that it would run out of cash if it did not find a buyer by the end of 2011.
It has struggled as mobile phone firms have introduced increasingly sophisticated cameras on their own devices.
"Now we must complete the transformation by further addressing our cost structure and effectively monetising non-core IP assets," said Mr Perez on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Kodak launched a lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that certain Samsung tablet devices infringe Kodak's digital imaging technology.
It comes a week after Kodak launched a similar lawsuit against HTC and Apple over patents related to digital imaging technology.
Reorganisation Former Kodak vice president Don Strickland insists the firm's late entry into the digital market is a key factor in its recent troubles. He claims he left the company in 1993 after he failed to get backing from within the company to release a digital camera.
"We developed the world's first consumer digital camera and Kodak could have launched it in 1992.

The term for bankruptcy protection in the US. It postpones a company's obligations to its creditors, giving it time to reorganise its debts or sell parts of the business, for example.

"We could not get approval to launch or sell it because of fear of the cannibalisation of film," he said.

Although Kodak was one of the original inventors of digital photography, it failed to keep pace with developments in the market and competitors including Fuji steadily eroded its share of the market.
Since 2003, Kodak has closed down 12 manufacturing plants.
Mr Strickland believes the firm has little chance of surviving long term.
"There will be no more 'Kodak moments' - after 133 years, the company has run its course."
Kodak employs 19,000 workers, but it is not known how many may be affected by the reorganisation.
In its 1980s heyday, the company employed 145,000 people in locations throughout the world.

Captain held over liner disaster

• The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia leans on its starboard side as seen from the Giglio harbour

Forty people from the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia are still missing as it was reported that the ship's captain and first officer were being questioned by Italian prosecutors on suspicion of manslaughter.
The country's state television claimed Master Francesco Schettino and the officer were being quizzed over the events that led to at least three deaths among passengers and crew after the Italian-owned liner listed and keeled over a few hundred metres from the tiny Tuscan holiday island of Giglio on Friday evening after apparently sailing off course.
Unconfirmed reports indicated they were being held on suspicion of "abandoning ship" and "multiple manslaughter".
The incident happened in the centenary year of the Titanic disaster, in which more than 1,500 people died when the luxury liner struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage.
Despite the panic among passengers and crew as the Costa Concordia began to list, the vast majority of more than 4,200 people on board made it to safety as a massive rescue operation swung into action.
Initial estimates had put the number of missing at 70 but as rescue operations continued that figure fell to 40.
British consular staff were on hand to help the 37 Britons aboard the Concordia - 25 passengers and 12 crew members. Costa Cruises said all were accounted for but the Foreign Office was unable to confirm this.
It was thought some of the Britons had headed to Rome and consular staff were working to secure emergency travel documents for them to fly home after their passports were lost.
Divers continue to scour the submerged hull for the missing. It is not known yet what caused the liner to crash into rocks ripping a massive gash in its hull. Pictures showed a 150ft long rip, with a huge rock embedded in the side of the ship towards the stern.
The Italian media later reported that a man and a woman had been located alive on board the stricken ship. It is said the survivors were on the deck levels above the water line and a team of firefighters had been sent on board the vessel to rescue them.

Guatemala congressman Valentin Leal shot dead

 

Mr Leal had received death threats since the elections

A Guatemalan congressman and his brother have been shot dead in Guatemala City, a day before the new government is due to take office.

Valentin Leal Caal was attacked by gunmen on a motorcycle as he was being driven through the city centre.
He had recently agreed to defect to the party of the president-elect, Otto Perez Molina.
Mr Perez Molina, 61 - a former general - was elected last year after promising an "iron fist" against violent crime.
Police said 17 bullets hit Mr Leal's car in the attack, which happened close to the Congress building.
He and his brother Erick died at the scene and his bodyguard was wounded.
Mr Perez Molina said: "We lament the violence and insecurity, it is sad that these kind of situations keep happening."
He added that Mr Leal had received numerous threats since he was re-elected to Congress last September, and had been thinking of going into hiding.
Violent legacy Mr Leal represented the northern region of Alto Verapaz, where Guatemala's security forces have been struggling to contain the influence of Mexico's Zetas drugs cartel.
He stood for election as a member of the right-wing opposition Lider Party, but a few days ago agreed to join Mr Perez Molina's Patriotic Party.
Political violence is not unusual in Guatemala, which emerged from a 36-year civil war in 1996.
The country has one of the highest murder rates in the world, but few killers are ever brought to justice.
Much of the violence is blamed on street gangs and drug traffickers with links to Mexico's cartels, but senior figures in politics and the military have also been implicated.
Since 2008 a UN-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala has been working to reform the justice system and tackle organised crime.
Mr Perez Molina, who is the first former military figure to lead Guatemala since the end of the civil war, has promised to boost police numbers and deploy troops to combat violent crime.

'Fake' Mother Snatches Baby From Hospital

A New Zealand woman allegedly fooled her family into believing she was pregnant for nine months before walking into a maternity hospital and abducting a baby.Police say 24-year-old Neha Narayan, of Fijian-Indian descent, told her partner she was about to give birth last Wednesday so he dropped her off at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital where she was able to roam the maternity ward.
She was able to bypass the ward's security measures and pick up an Indian baby.
"She just helped herself," police spokeswoman Ana-Mari Gates-Bowey told Sky News.

"She then walked out of the hospital having called her partner to ask him to pick her up.
"A nurse became suspicious and followed her to the exit. As she made her way to the car the nurse said 'what are you doing, come back inside'," said Ms Gates-Bowey.

It is alleged the baby's actual parents also saw her carrying away their child and alerted other staff who called the police.
Spokeswoman for the hospital, Lauren Young, told Sky News: "This is a very rare event. This person managed to avoid normal checks in a closed ward. We will be reviewing the security systems to make sure this does not happen again."
Middlemore Hospital has New Zealand's busiest maternity unit.
CCTV cameras are in operation and doors are unlocked using identity cards. Only parents, close family and staff are normally allowed on the wards.
"The woman was apprehended before leaving the hospital environment," said Ms Young. "Thankfully it turned out well."
Neha Narayan has been charged with abduction. She was remanded on bail and will appear in court again later this month.
If found guilty of abducting a young person she faces a maximum of seven years in prison.

Iran death sentence for 'CIA spy' Amir Mirzai Hekmati

 

Amir Mirzai Hekmati was shown on state television "confessing" to being a CIA spy

A US man of Iranian descent has been sentenced to death by a court in Tehran for spying for the CIA.

Amir Mirzai Hekmati was "sentenced to death for co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism," semi-official Fars news agency said.
The 28-year-old's US-based family say he was in Iran visiting grandparents.
The sentence comes at a time of fresh tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that further sanctions imposed by the West "will not have any impact on our nation".
"The Islamic establishment... knows firmly what it is doing and has chosen its path and will stay the course," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.
Televised 'confession' Iran says that, as a former US marine, Mr Hekmati received training at US bases in Afghanistan and Iraq before being sent to Iran for his alleged intelligence-gathering mission.

Iran's judicial and political systems place huge emphasis on the importance of confessions. So, for many in Iran's establishment, Amir Hekmati's guilt was proven beyond doubt during a televised confession broadcast on Iranian state TV in December.
In his televised statement, Mr Hekmati said he had been sent to Iran by the CIA to infiltrate Iran's intelligence agencies and spread misinformation. So it's little surprise that Iran's Revolutionary Court has now sentenced him to death.
The US state department says Mr Hekmati has been falsely accused, and his family say he had simply gone to Iran to visit his grandmothers.
Mr Hekmati is now expected to lodge an appeal against his sentence with Iran's Supreme Court.
It's difficult to predict how the case against him will now proceed. Mr Hekmati has a high profile and holds an American passport. A decision to go ahead with his execution may have an impact on tensions between Iran and the West - which have got worse in recent weeks.

Iranian officials said his cover was blown even before he had arrived in the country, because he had been spotted by Iranian agents at the US-run Bagram military air base in neighbouring Afghanistan.

On 18 December, Mr Hekmati was shown on Iranian state television allegedly confessing to being part of a plot to infiltrate Iran's intelligence services for the CIA.
Televised confessions form a central part of Iran's political and judicial system, the BBC's Iran correspondent James Reynolds says. But human rights organisations strongly question their validity.
During his trial later in December, according to Fars, Mr Hekmati admitted he did have links to the CIA, but had never intended to harm Iran.
"I was deceived by the CIA... Although I was appointed to break into Iran's intelligence systems and act as a new source for the CIA, I had no intention of undermining the country," Fars quoted him as saying.
Mr Hekmati's family, who live in Arizona, say the charges against him are fabricated and that he was in Iran to visit his grandmothers - and they had "struggled to provide Amir with an attorney in Iran".
His father, Ali Hekmati, a college professor in Flint, Michigan, said his son joined the US military in 2001 and served in the Marines, where he was an Arabic translator.

Dual-nationality arrests in Iran

• May 2007: Four Iranian-American academics - including Haleh Esfandiari -detained for some three to four months on suspicion of spying
• June 2009: Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari detained for four months for being a spy after covering post-election unrest
• Jailed 2009: Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi detained for four months on spying charges

At the time of his visit to Iran and subsequent arrest, Amir Hekmati was working in Qatar as a contractor for a company "that served the Marines", Mr Hekmati was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

The US has demanded his release, saying he has been "falsely accused".
The state department said Swiss diplomats in Iran - who handle Washington's interests because of an absence of US-Iran diplomatic relations - were not allowed to see Mr Hekmati before his trial.
Mr Hekmati has 20 days to appeal against the sentence.
'Red line' The sentence further heightens the tensions which rose after the US said it would impose new sanctions on Iran's central bank and the European Union would impose an embargo on Iran's oil exports.

 

The West believes Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, although Tehran has always insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.
In response to the sanctions threat, Tehran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz - a key route from the Gulf through which 20% of the world's traded oil passes.
US defence chiefs on Sunday warned that they would take action if Iran closed the strait.
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said such a move would cross a "red line" and "we would take action and reopen the strait."

Eyewitness: Syria observers tour town

Unscheduled visit by Arab League observers to a Damascus suburb

Mohammad Ballout, accompanied three Arab League observers to the town of Irbine, on the outskirts of Damascus. This is his eyewitness report.

An extraordinary day for the residents of the town of Irbine. The town, a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, was visited by observers from the Arab League on Thursday. They broke off from their official programme to visit the area unhindered by an official escort.
The BBC was able to film the ensuing demonstration without being stopped by the army or pro-government militia.
The security forces stayed on the sidelines, allowing the protest to go ahead. During the five hour visit, the observers moved about the town freely.

 

Arab League monitors surrounded by a chanting crowd in Irbine

 

Protesters gathered quickly in front of the police station, surrounded the observers and led them to the centre of the city where they were joined by hundreds of residents eager to tell them what had happened in their town.
The group of observers - made up of three Algerian diplomats - was able to record the accounts of the resident of the town freely.
Three veiled women said the security forces had taken hostage one of their brothers to force them to hand over another man. The observers were told that Ghayas Halabi was killed in an operation by the security forces, while the hostage, Yassine Halabi, was never freed.
A father told the observers that his son was killed by a sniper as he left a mosque on a protest day in the town. He said soldiers "finished off" his injured son with a knife.
A group of activists in face masks arrived in a truck and distributed banners and flags. A demonstration followed and a chant went up in the crowd demanding the execution of President Bashar al-Assad.
The observers accompanied the crowd to the city's main mosque. One of them took part in the prayer. The two other observers went into an office beside the mosque to hear the residents' complaints and to receive a list of those who had been detained or had been missing without news for more than a month.

Iowa caucuses: Republicans set for 2012 caucus votes

 

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was locked in a virtual tie in late polling with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul

Six contenders for the US Republican presidential nomination are making frantic final appeals to voters ahead of caucuses across the state of Iowa.

Tuesday evening's contest launches six months of state-by-state caucus and primary ballots.
Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum lead in a race that remains too close to call. Many voters remain undecided.
The caucuses will involve about 120,000 Iowans gathering in homes, schools and public buildings.
Voters will gather at 20:00 EST (01:00 GMT) for sessions that last two hours.
Voters undecided

Iowa caucus

• 'First in the nation' contest to decide each party's nominee
• 46 TV ads - 35 from the campaigns themselves - have been broadcast in the state this election cycle
• In 2008, about 120,000 Iowa Republicans attended caucuses
• Just half of Iowa Republican winners since 1976 have gone on to become the nominee
• Only three modern Iowa winners have become president: Jimmy Carter, George W Bush and Barack Obama

The caucuses will take place in more than 1,700 locations in all of the mid-western state's 99 counties.

Iowans will elect 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention, where the party's eventual nominee will be anointed in Florida this August.
Iowa is not expected to settle the contest - John McCain, the eventual Republican nominee in 2008, came fourth in the state's caucuses that year - but it will help shape the race for the White House.
Although the candidates have been campaigning for months on end, about 40% of voters say they could still be swayed, and the Republicans made last-ditch efforts on Tuesday to win over the many undecided voters.
Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann and two of Mitt Romney's sons spoke at an afternoon "Rock the Caucus" event at a West Des Moines high school.
Mr Paul told a crowd of young voters does not believe in sending young people to war unless "absolutely necessary".
Mr Santorum told the students that government would "crush your pocketbooks", the Des Moines Register reported.
Mrs Bachmann is now travelling to Black Hawk County, where she was born, to speak at a caucus event at 17:30 CST (23:30 GMT).
'Hard to predict' Former Massachusetts Governor Romney, whose last run for the presidency in 2008 was effectively derailed in Iowa, adopted a more cautious tone on Tuesday, a day after predicting he would win.

Whoever gets the top spot in Iowa will get attention and interest and so momentum going into next week's election in New Hampshire”

Recent opinion polls suggest a knife-edge contest between Mr Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, a small-government, anti-war libertarian, who enjoys widespread support in the Hawkeye state.
But former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum - whose conservative Christian message plays well in Iowa - has been closing the gap on both men.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was until last month the front-runner in Iowa, hit back at Mr Romney on Tuesday.
He said Mr Romney should "just level with the American people" about his moderate political views.
Mr Gingrich also said it was "baloney" that Mr Romney had nothing to do with a political action committee that has pummelled Mr Gingrich with attack ads.

Republican hopefuls

• Mitt Romney: Ex-Massachusetts governor and Mormon; presumed front-runner though doubts remain for some over his conservative credentials
• Rick Perry: Texas governor; once seen as a conservative alternative to Mr Romney, his campaign has been damaged by a series of gaffes
• Ron Paul: Texas congressman and, at 76, oldest in race. Libertarian-minded, with a band of devoted followers
• Rick Santorum: Ex-Pennsylvania senator and social conservative. Nearly written off, but seen late surge in support in Iowa
• Newt Gingrich: Ex-House of Representatives' speaker; Briefly led the field, but support collapsed amid a fusillade of attacks ads
• Michele Bachmann: Minnesota congresswoman and outspoken favourite of the Tea Party, her campaign has faltered in recent months
• Jon Huntsman: Ex-Utah governor and Mormon. Has decided not to run in Iowa and concentrate efforts on New Hampshire's primary

Asked on CBS television if he was calling Mr Romney "a liar," the former House speaker said: "Yes."

Mr Romney lost Iowa in 2008 amid voter scepticism over his Mormon faith and conservative credentials.
But he can win this time, analysts say, if the evangelical Christian vote is split across competing conservative candidates - including Mr Santorum, Texas Governor Rick Perry and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Chilly forecast Iowa experts say the state's weather could be a determining factor in voter turnout on Tuesday, with Mr Paul's dedicated supporters the most likely to brave poor conditions.
The forecast for Iowa on Tuesday is partly cloudy, BBC Weather says, with temperatures likely to hover just above freezing during the day.
After Iowa, the state of New Hampshire holds its primary election on 10 January. Mitt Romney has a big lead there.
Over the next six months, each US state will vote on the presidential contenders before a final nominee is selected.
The candidate will run in the 6 November general election against Democratic President Obama, who is seeking a second term.
Mr Obama, meanwhile, plans to host a web-chat with supporters in Iowa on Tuesday as the caucuses take place.
Voters remain concerned by the slow pace of economic recovery from the recession that started during the end of the presidency of George W Bush and officially ended in 2009.

Europe leaders warn of difficult 2012

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads Europe's largest economy

European leaders have warned of a difficult year ahead, as many economists predict recession in 2012.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was experiencing its "most severe test in decades" but that Europe was growing closer in the debt crisis.
France's President Sarkozy said the crisis was not finished, while Italy's president called for more sacrifices.
Growth in Europe has stalled as the debt crisis has forced governments to slash spending.
The leaders' new year messages came as leading economists polled by the BBC said they expected a return to recession in Europe in the first half of 2012.
The cost of borrowing for some of the eurozone's largest economies, including Italy and Spain, has shot up in recent months as lenders fear governments will not be able to pay back money they have already borrowed.
With growth stalled, the pressure is on governments across Europe, not just ones using the single currency, to cut spending in order to meet debt obligations.
Fears are now focusing on a potential second credit crunch, triggered by the exposure of banks across Europe to Italy's huge debt.
Euro defended In her TV address, Chancellor Merkel said that despite Germany's relatively good economic situation, "next year will no doubt be more difficult than 2011".

The most likely outcome in pure economic terms is a moderately bad fiscal crisis, a survivable sovereign debt event and a sharp growth downturn, all in the first half of the year”

"The road to overcome it [debt crisis] remains long and not without setbacks, but at the end of this path Europe will re-emerge stronger from the crisis than it was when it entered it."

She defended the euro, saying it had made "everyday life easier and our economy stronger... and protected from something worse" in the financial crisis of 2008.
Heading into an election year trailing his Socialist rival Francois Hollande in the polls, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said structural changes to the economy were needed in order to return to growth.
"I know that the lives of many of you, already tested by two difficult years, have been put to the test once more," he said in a televised address.

 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an uphill battle to be re-elected in April

"You are ending the year more worried about yourselves and your children," he said.
But after having already pushed budget cuts in order to forestall a downgrade of France's treasured AAA sovereign credit rating, he promised there would be no more budget cuts.
"What was to be done was done by the government," he said.
Mr Sarkozy is due to meet Mrs Merkel in early January to push forward a European Union agreement in December for a new fiscal compact.
'Unavoidable' sacrifices The president of Italy, the eurozone's third-largest economy, urged people to make sacrifices to prevent the "financial collapse of Italy".
President Giorgio Napolitano said: "Sacrifices are necessary to ensure the future of young people, it's our objective and a commitment we cannot avoid."

 

Government austerity has undermined growth and caused a great deal of anger around Europe

 

Fears that Italy might need a Greek-style bailout that Europe would have difficulty dealing with have forced the government's borrowing costs up and led to the replacement of Silvio Berlusconi by Mario Monti, leading a cabinet of unelected experts.
"No-one, no social group, can today avoid the commitment to contribute to the clean-up of public finances in order to prevent the financial collapse of Italy," President Napolitano said.
"The sacrifices will not be in vain, especially if the economy begins to grow again."
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, another technocrat who was appointed to lead an interim coalition government after the debt crisis forced George Papandreou to resign, also warned of a difficult year ahead.
"We have to continue our efforts with determination, so that the sacrifices we have made up to now won't be in vain," he said in a televised address.
His government has imposed harsh austerity measures in order to ensure Greece continues to receive an international bailout.
The austerity measures, begun in 2010 by the previous government, have led to mass protests and riots as high unemployment, raised taxes, salary cuts and reduced government services take their toll.