By Roland Buerk BBC News, Tokyo An activist from New Zealand has been arrested by Japan’s coastguard after he boarded a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean last month. Peter Bethune said he had boarded the ship intending to make a citizen’s arrest of the Japanese crew. Instead, the Shonan Maru 2 immediately set sail for Japan with him on board. He is a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has been trying to disrupt the annual hunt of the Japanese whaling fleet. Scores of camera crews and photographers waited on the quayside as the whaling ship sailed into Tokyo bay with the anti-whaling activist on board. ‘Eco-terrorist’ Nationalist protestors were carrying Rising Sun flags and placards branding Peter Bethune an “eco-terrorist”. After the Shonan Maru 2 docked, Japanese coastguard officials went on board and arrested him. He had been detained on the ship as it sailed back to Japan after he boarded it from a jet-ski in the Southern Ocean last month. His intention was to perform a citizen’s arrest on the Shonan Maru 2’s captain for what he said was the attempted murder of his crew, and demand compensation. Mr Bethune was in command of a Sea Shepherd hi-tech stealth boat when it was sliced in two in a collision with the ship as anti-whaling activists clashed with the fleet. He could now be charged with trespassing on a vessel, and if convicted, face a fine or prison.

New York City has agreed to pay up to $657m (

By Brandy Yanchyk Whitehorse, Yukon As Vancouver gears up for its second stint as Olympic host with the Paralympics beginning on 12 March, one northern Canadian territory is hoping the lasting legacy of the Games will be a boost to tourism. The government of Yukon spent just under 3m Canadian dollars (

LIVE TEXT COMMENTARY (all times GMT) To get involved, e-mail tms@bbc.co.uk (with ‘For Mark Mitchener’ in the subject), use 606 (after 0900 GMT) or text us your views on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide) with “CRICKET” as the first word. (Not all comments can be used. Messages will be charged at your standard operator rate) By Mark Mitchener Play is due to start at 0330 GMT (TMS coverage begins at 0315) From Andy, making lasers in Southampton, via text: “Good morning – three hours left till the weekend and what better way to start it” 0305: Oh, and Stuart Broad’s been declared fit. 0300: Toss news – Bangladesh have won the toss and have elected to field first. England give debuts to Michael Carberry and Steve Finn, but are only playing four specialist bowlers (including one spinner). 0255: Morning, everyone. I say “everyone”, I’m not sure how many of you are out there – but you’re very welcome. Bleary-eyed or not, we’re ready to bring you the opening day of the first Test between Bangladesh and England in Chittagong. England’s seam bowling resources have been stretched by injuries – which has forced them to delay team selection.

Arranging an election in an area where many people live in refugee camps is far from straightforward, as the BBC’s James Copnall discovered during a trip to Sudan’s Darfur region. Six years ago, as he fled the fighting in Darfur that killed one of his brothers, Adam Mahmoud felt utterly powerless. Swept this way and that by a conflict that the UN estimates has killed 300,000, Mr Mahmoud ended up in a vast camp for internally displaced people, Abu Shouk. Now in the relative safety, but miserable living conditions of the camp, Mr Mahmoud has found a way to make his voice heard. “I am registered to vote in these elections,” he says. “I am free to choose, but I haven’t decided yet who I will vote for.” However, if the election, Sudan’s first real multi-party poll since 1986, offers Darfur’s dispossessed the opportunity to influence their future, not everyone intends to take it. The Bashir factor Ahmed Atim, a large man with greying hair, introduces himself as the head of the traditional leaders in Abu Shouk camp. He says turnout will be low at Abu Shouk and other refugee camps, where many of the 2.7 million displaced people in Darfur live. “Here in the camp not more than 5,000 or 6,000 have registered, out of 70,000,” he says. “The people are against the elections. They are coming from different places, the war has been really bad for them, and they do not like this government.” There is a perception in the camp that President Omar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party is so closely linked to the polls that the elections themselves are not to be trusted. “The people think the elections are not able to change everything,” says Mohamed Sharif Beshir, who also lives in Abu Shouk. “The NCP came to attack the people, then it came again to register them. That is why they refused to register.” Others complain that the registration period in the camp lasted only two days, rather than several weeks. One teacher, in a basic camp school composed of 11 straw huts around a dusty central square, said he had not even been aware of the registration period. “We don’t know much about the elections,” he says, asking for his name not to be used. “I myself do not even have the right to return to my village in safety. How can I think about voting” Like many in Darfur, the displaced people in Abu Shouk are opposed to President Bashir and his party. Some observers feel they have been deliberately marginalised during the registration process – a charge the NCP denies. Civil war bitterness But there are other areas where registration did not take place at all. In South Darfur, for example, 20% of the land is estimated to be in the hands of rebels – principally the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) Abdul-Wahid faction. Another rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), which has recently signed a ceasefire with the government, has called for the election to be postponed. A senior official from the NCP, Ibrahim Ghandour, insists there will only be three areas where voting is impossible. He also concedes his candidate will do less well in Darfur than elsewhere. The region has traditionally supported Sadiq al-Mahdi and his Umma party. And many Darfuris are bitter about the events of the civil war. However, many Darfuris also support the president. They at least can rejoice in the early lead their man has taken in the numbers of posters in the main towns. Mr Bashir’s cheery face smiles down on passers-by everywhere, in stark contrast to the dearth of posters bearing the faces of opposition candidates. “I think the election is important, to let the people choose,” says one man who is desperate to vote. Another young man, in South Darfur’s largest town Nyala, was less optimistic. “People are talking about elections, but in Darfur we have many problems,” he says. “People have not registered, and the rebels are outside the elections. I don’t think the conditions are right for proper elections.” Another, Ali Asil, says the important issue is not personalities but policies. “It is not a matter of who should govern Sudan; it is a matter of how Sudan should be governed.” No protection Security will clearly be another issue in Darfur during elections. The war has dropped in intensity, but quite apart from the rebels, armed groups and criminals make travelling around dangerous. A hybrid African Union/United Nations peacekeeping mission, Unamid, has nearly 19,000 men in uniform on the ground. But because of limits to their peacekeeping mandate and insufficient numbers to patrol such a vast area, Darfuris should not count too much on Unamid for protection. There are areas where the peacekeepers cannot travel, and even these heavily armed military specialists sometimes come off worse in gun battles with criminals intent on car-jackings. “There is still time to do the right things by all,” says Ibrahim Gambari, the head of Unamid. He adds that although Unamid will help, as it did in the registration process, it is up to the Sudanese to make sure their elections are safe, free and fair. All the same, the possibilities for armed men or overzealous officials influencing voters must be huge.

By Julian Miglierini BBC News, Mexico City The first Mexican opera to deal directly with the country’s drugs conflict has staged its premiere in Mexico City. The opera, Only the Truth, is based on a popular Mexican song of the 1970s which tells the story of a woman who smuggles marijuana into the US. Her lover betrays her and in an act of crazy revenge, she murders him. Violence connected to Mexico’s drugs trade has killed more 15,000 people in the past three years. Since the song was first made popular, the central character of Camelia la Tejana seems to have become a mix of fact and fiction. Many women have claimed to be the song’s inspiration. Gabriela Ortiz, one of the opera’s authors, believes this is because her role goes beyond the expected, submissive part women often have in such tales. “This is exactly the opposite,” she said. “This is a very strong woman who finally kills her lover and disappears with the money. She became like a hero.” ‘Narco corrido’ But it is in her role as a drugs trafficker that Camelia’s story has more resonance for today’s Mexico, as Jose Arean, the opera’s musical director explained. “Out of the last 20 years, I would say, this is the one opera that is telling us a story that is not only on everyone’s mind, but also in the headlines. It is how Mexico is perceived outside as well,” he said. The song on which the opera is based is a corrido, a type of Mexican ballad initially created to tell epic stories of heroes from the Mexican revolution a century ago. In recent years, a whole sub-genre known as “narco corridos” has developed that narrates the adventures of the drugs barons. Some have called for the narco corridos to be banned, but artists defend their freedom of expression. The drugs issue seems to have permeated every aspect of Mexico’s culture – even that elusive, hard to reach genre that is opera.

Thailand has mobilised about 40,000 security personnel ahead of mass rallies by “red shirt” opposition protesters over the coming days. The demonstrators plan to meet around the country before converging on the capital, Bangkok, on Sunday. They are mainly supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006. They say they plan to rally until Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva calls new elections. The government has promised a tough reaction if the protests set to begin on Friday turn violent. ” If there is a siege, we would immediately take steps to disperse the crowds ” Suthep Thaugsuban Deputy Prime Minister Profile: Thailand’s reds and yellows Q&A: Thailand protests The Internal Security Act has been invoked, giving the military the power to impose curfews and restrict numbers at gatherings. Checkpoints have been set up on the roads into Bangkok. The red shirt movement, led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), has promised a huge but peaceful demonstration. Smaller rallies, meetings and “political schools” have been planned for various provinces before convoys of vehicles carry protesters to the capital. The red shirts’ last major protests, in April last year, turned violent, with two deaths and dozens of people injured. “If there is a siege, we would no longer consider it a peaceful protest and immediately take steps to disperse the crowds,” Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said. The protest leaders say the government is playing up the threat of violence to justify a possible crackdown. The red shirts oppose the 2006 military coup that toppled Thaksin Shinawatra. They say Prime Minister Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the backing of the military and the Bangkok-based elites. Mr Thaksin’s power base was in the rural north. He is now living in self-imposed exile in Dubai to avoid a jail term on a corruption conviction. Last month the Supreme Court ruled that just over half of the assets ($1.4bn;

A senior advisor to former US President George W Bush has defended tough interrogation techniques, saying their use helped prevent terrorist attacks. In a BBC interview, Karl Rove, who was known as “Bush’s brain”, said he “was proud we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists”. He said waterboarding, which simulates drowning, should not be considered torture. In 2009, President Barack Obama banned waterboarding as a form of torture. But the practice was sanctioned in written memos by Bush administration lawyers in August 2002, providing legal cover for its use. ” I’m proud that we kept the world safer than it was, by the use of these techniques ” Karl Rove Profile: Karl Rove In 2008, CIA head Michael Hayden told Congress it had only been used on three high-profile al-Qaeda detainees, and not for the past five years. One of those was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a key suspect in the 9/11 attacks. Mr Rove said US soldiers were subjected to waterboarding as a regular part of their training. A less severe form of the technique was used on the three suspects interrogated at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, he added. “I’m proud that we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists and gave us valuable information that allowed us to foil plots such as flying aeroplanes into Heathrow and into London, bringing down aircraft over the Pacific, flying an aeroplane into the tallest building in Los Angeles and other plots,” Mr Rove told the BBC. “Yes, I’m proud that we kept the world safer than it was, by the use of these techniques. They’re appropriate, they’re in conformity with our international requirements and with US law.” Mr Rove has just written a memoir, Courage and Consequence, in which he defends the two terms of the Bush administration as “impressive, durable and significant”.

Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been named African Footballer of the Year. Drogba scored five goals as Ivory Coast qualified for the 2010 World Cup and scored for Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Chelsea team-mate and Michael Essien and Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o were also shortlisted for the award. Drogba, who turned 32 on Thursday, had previously won the award in 2006, while Algeria were named team of the year at the ceremony in Accra, Ghana. Algeria qualified for the World Cup finals in South Africa after defeating Egypt in a play-off game. Drogba has scored 25 goals so far this season for Chelsea, who are in contention for the Premier League title and remain in the Champions League and FA Cup. And the Ivorian claimed as he celebrated his 32nd birthday that his appetite for the game is as strong as ever. 606: DEBATE Has the right man won the award “I still have the same passion for the game,” said Drogba. “I still feel hungry and I am still chasing medals. “I feel really good. As I have said in the past it depends on the injuries you get and this season I can say that I am lucky, or I can say that the few months that I took out last year to get my knee well are now paying off. “Your lifestyle is only as important as your mental approach to the game. If you put in your head that you are 32 and you are old it is going to be difficult. “I still feel like a kid when I am on the pitch so sometimes Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has to pull me back.” None of the three shortlisted candidates for the individual award were at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) ceremony. The last time that Drogba won the award, Essien and Eto’o were also the other two shortlisted players.

Nine members of a Russian white supremacist group have been jailed for up to 22 years each in connection with the killing of a man from Cameroon. Three of the group, known as Simbirsk White Power, were convicted of the racially motivated murder of Etizok Ndobe Ernest in the city of Ulyanovsk. Investigators said his throat was cut and he was stabbed repeatedly on his way home from work as a DJ in 2008. It is the latest in a series of cases involving racist attacks in Russia. “When investigators identified the people who carried out this cruel murder, it turned out that they were all members of an extremist organisation called Simbirsk White Power,” Ulyanovsk investigators said in a statement. Simbirsk is the original name of Ulyanovsk, about 900km (560 miles) east of Moscow. Three members of the group were found guilty of murder for reasons of ethnic hatred, investigators said. The other defendants, who included one woman, were convicted on various charges including the organisation of an extremist group, attempted murder, robbery and hooliganism. The nine received jail terms ranging from two to 22 years. Attacks filmed Prosecutors said earlier that the group had attacked 10 non-Slavic people in 2008, which they filmed on mobile phones and posted on the internet. Correspondents say the latest case comes as Russian authorities appear to be making a concerted effort to combat hate crime. Last month a court in Moscow sentenced nine members of a neo-Nazi skinhead gang to prison terms of up to 23 years. Independent groups monitoring the issue say the number of those killed in race attacks last year dropped by more than a quarter to just over 70 – a figure they say is still unacceptably high. They attribute this fall to the police and justice system taking hate crimes more seriously and targeting some of the largest far-right groups. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently called for tougher laws against racially motivated attacks. He also urged a deeper sense of community and a recognition that Russia is a multi-cultural country. Hate crimes increased sharply in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Skinhead groups began targeting people of foreign appearance such as Central Asians, residents of the Caucasus or Africans.

Certified Kapuso stars na ang Final 14 ng StarStruck V matapos silang pumirma ng exclusive contract na ginanap sa GMA Network Center nitong Huwebes ng hapon.

PARIS – After a week of shows dominated by the rail-thin teens who are ubiquitous on today's catwalks, Paris fall-winter ready-to-wear 2010-11 displays concluded Wednesday with a sensual celebration of women in all their curvaceous glory at Louis Vuitton.

ATHENS, Greece – Greek police battled demonstrators in Athens on Thursday as the country ground to a halt in the latest strike against government austerity measures aiming to end a crippling debt crisis.

But the press people are a little bit worried about the exposure and projects that they will get from GMA-7.

A series of killings since the political massacre of 57 people in the southern Philippines last year has set the stage for the country’s most violent election in recent history, experts warn.

By Malcolm Brabant BBC News, Athens Greece is expected to grind to a halt for the second time in a month as hundreds of thousands of state and private workers stage a general strike. The stoppage is in protest at the country’s austerity measures. The head of the employers’ federation has accused the strikers of trying to make Greece into a charity case. More groups of workers are staging industrial action and officers from the police, fire and customs services are planning to join the street protests. Greece’s links to the outside world have been severed. Air traffic controllers have closed the country’s airspace for 24 hours and ferries are stuck in harbours as maritime unions join the strike. The government says it sympathises with public anger over the tax rises and wage cuts, but it is refusing to water down the measures. Belt tightening Potential rebels within the governing socialist party who have objected to the belt tightening have been forced to toe the official line. In his first major public pronouncement, the head of Greece’s employers’ association has denounced the street protests. Dimitris Daskalopoulos said the government had no alternative but to start again and reform the country. He condemned what he called the perpetrators of demonstrations, agitation and violence. He said they wanted to maintain the deplorable conditions that had forced Greece to look for charity from foreign markets.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has arrived in India for talks expected to focus on arms and energy contracts. The two sides are due to sign two deals worth over $10bn in defence and civilian nuclear reactors and Russia will refit an aircraft carrier. They will also try to boost bilateral trade, which is currently worth $8bn. The two countries traditionally have had close links since Soviet times, with India remaining a top buyer of Russian weaponry. However, the relationship faces new challenges, including competition from the West and the growing economic and military might of China. Mr Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov has told reporters that Russia expects the “signing of 14-15 agreements after the talks and contracts worth over $10bn” during the prime minister’s two-day visit. He said the two sides would hold talks on civilian nuclear energy, arms and production of telecom equipment. The two sides also plan to sign agreements on retrofitting a Russian aircraft carrier, supply of additional 29 fighter aircraft and a deal to jointly develop transport aircraft. Russia will build a number of nuclear reactors in energy-hungry India as well as increase atomic fuel exports to it. Russia is among a number of countries seeking to expand their activities in India following its landmark nuclear deal with the US in 2005. That accord ended India’s nuclear isolation after it tested an atom bomb in 1974.

By Subir Bhaumik BBC News, Calcutta Indian security forces have stepped up their operations against Maoist rebels, officials say. Thousands of newly-arrived federal forces have joined those already in ground in three eastern states where rebels have a formidable presence. A major security offensive -Operation Green Hunt- to flush out the rebels is already underway in several states. More than 6,000 people have died during the rebels’ 20-year fight for communist rule in many Indian states. The rebels now have a presence in 223 of India’s 600-odd districts. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as India’s “greatest internal security challenge”. The newly-arrived federal forces are now moving into the jungles of West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand states that may house a number of rebel hideouts. West Bengal police chief Bhupinder Singh said 6,000 new forces had arrived in the state’s Purulia and West Midnapore districts, which have seen rebel violence. In neighbouring Jharkhand state, police chief Neyaz Ahmed said that federal forces along with local armed police had begun attacking rebels hideouts in the jungles. “We have seized a lot of explosives and destroyed a few rebel camps,” he said. With chances of peaceful negotiations with the government fading, the Maoist military wing chief Koteswara Rao has threatened to attack targets in the cities of Bengal and Orissa. Mr Rao said his offer of a 72-day ceasefire with government forces stands. He has also named three “intellectuals” to mediate between the government and the rebels. The federal government has not reacted to the latest demand of the rebels, and called some of their demands “bizarre”.

Election laws announced by Burma’s military rulers have provoked a storm of condemnation. A United States State Department spokesman, Philip Crowley, said it made a mockery of the democratic process. Burma has prohibited political prisoners – including the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi – from participating in forthcoming elections. However, several offices of her National League for Democracy were re-opened for the first time since 2003. “Maybe they want to show some flexibility,” said NLD spokesman Nyan Win, adding that about 100 branch offices had been reopened across the country, including several in the main city, Rangoon. ‘Farce’ The government had sealed NLD branch offices with red wax after a deadly attack on Ms Suu Kyi’s convoy by pro-regime elements on 30 May 2003. ” It’s a complete farce and therefore contrary to their roadmap to democracy ” Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo “Yes, it’s a positive step,” he said. “I think they want us to take part in the election, but we still haven’t made up our mind about this. We still need to talk it over among the top leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.” But he described the latest laws as “completely unacceptable”. Not only do they bar Ms Suu Kyi, but require participants to follow the 2008 constitution, which the NLD rejects and campaigned against. “It’s completely impossible for us,” Nyan Win said. Condemnation came from one Asian neighbour, the Philippines, as well as from the US, the UN and Britain. “Unless they release Aung San Suu Kyi and allow her and her party to participate in elections, it’s a complete farce and therefore contrary to their roadmap to democracy,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo told The Associated Press. The Philippines is a partner with Burma in Asean, whose 10 members rarely voice criticism of each other. “The political party registration law makes a mockery of the democratic process and ensures the upcoming election will be devoid of credibility,” US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. “Our engagement with Burma will have to continue until we can make clear that… the results thus far are not what we had expected and that they’re going to have to do better,” he added. Mr Obama met the Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein on the sidelines of a recent summit of the Association of South East Asean Nations (Asean). Gun power The US and Asean had called for the planned elections top be free, fair and “inclusive” – code for the participation of Ms Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy which she leads. “We’re going to need to study the election laws carefully once they’ve all been released,” British Ambassador Andrew Heyn said. ” So many of us suspected this wasn’t about bringing any real change to Burma, but it is surprising how nakedly they’re going about it ” Sean Turnell of Australia’s Macquarie University “But it’s regrettable and very disappointing that the laws are not based on a dialogue with a range of political opinion.” “They’ve used so many devices. It’s like using a machine gun to kill a mosquito,” said Sean Turnell of Australia’s Macquarie University. “So many of us suspected this wasn’t about bringing any real change to Burma, but it is surprising how nakedly they’re going about it.” Ms Suu Kyi has been detained on various charges for most of the past 20 years, after winning the last polls in 1990. She was already excluded from political office by a constitutional bar on people with foreign spouses. The regime enacted five election-related laws on Monday, two of which have now been made public. Three more are to be unveiled in coming days. Critics say the elections, the first to be held in Burma for 20 years, will be a sham designed to entrench the military’s grip on power.

Nigerian police say 49 people are to be charged with murder after communal violence left scores of villagers dead. Most of those facing charges are Muslims from the Fulani group, police spokesman Mohammed Lerama told the BBC. The number of those arrested since the killings near the city of Jos has risen to 200, he said. Police say 109 people – thought to be mostly Christians – died in Sunday’s bloodshed. Earlier reports put the toll at more than 500. The violence followed sectarian killings near Jos in January that left more than 300 dead, most of them believed to be Muslims. Plateau State, in central Nigeria, sits between the mainly Christian south and the predominantly Muslim north. International pressure Officials say police and troops are patrolling the area to prevent further trouble. Chief of police for Plateau State Ikechukwu Aduba said on Wednesday he had asked for extra help. “Our urgent patrol efforts after the incident… have yielded good results,” he said. “We have requested reinforcements, and have been reassured… that reinforcement is on its way.” However, international pressure is growing on the Nigerian government to take further action. On Wednesday Pope Benedict XVI denounced the bloodshed as “atrocious”. He urged civil and religious leaders “to work towards security and peaceful co-existence”. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called on the Nigerian government to “move swiftly” to prevent further attacks. Earlier, the governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, said security lapses had worsened the carnage in the three villages targeted. He said he had warned the army about reports of suspicious people with weapons hours before they attacked, but they failed to take action. “Three hours or so later, I was woken by a call that they [armed gangs] have started burning the village and people were being hacked to death,” Mr Jang said. “I tried to locate the commanders. I couldn’t get any of them on the telephone.” Mercenaries Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked the country’s national security adviser, Sarki Mukhtar, in an apparent response to the killings. But the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said the villages should have been properly protected after the January killings. The head of the northern area of Nigeria’s Christian Association has said he believed mercenaries were involved. Saidu Dogo told the BBC that fighters from neighbouring Chad and Niger took part in the violence. State information commissioner Gregory Yenlong said on Monday that more than 500 people were killed. That figure was also given by religious leaders and rights activists. But state police commissioner Ikechukwu Aduba says 109 people are known to have died.