Colombia kidnap: Farc agrees conditions for release

The soldiers were captured by Farc rebels in a remote jungle region at the weekend

Colombia's Farc rebels have reached an agreement with the government over the conditions necessary for releasing an army general and four others.

Announcing the agreement in Havana, Cuban and Norwegian officials acting as mediators said the hostages would be released as soon as possible.

However, the details of the agreement were not released.

Peace talks between the two sides were suspended after the men were captured by the left-wing rebels at the weekend.

Ruben Dario Alzate is the first Colombian general to be abducted in 50 years of conflict.

The rebels said they seized the men because they were unhappy at the continuation of Colombian military activities during peace talks.

Farc negotiator Pablo Catatumbo had earlier called for a bilateral ceasefire.

President Juan Manuel Santos had demanded the men's release before peace talks could resume.

Talks in doubt

Cuban diplomat Rodolfo Benitez and Norwegian official Rita Sandberg confirmed the agreement in Havana on Thursday.

However, they gave no further indication of when the conditions would be met or what they were.

An estimated 220,000 people have died in five decades of armed conflict in Colombia.

Brig Gen Alzate was travelling along the Atrato river in the northern province of Choco by boat when he was captured along with two companions.

Two more soldiers were captured by Farc in Arauca a week earlier.

The capture of the soldiers has cast doubt over peace talks between Farc and the government that have lasted for two years.

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Yahoo to replace Google for search on Firefox

Yahoo will now be the default search engine on Firefox's browsers in the US

Tech giant Yahoo will now replace online leader Google as the default search engine on Firefox's internet browsers in the US.

Yahoo said it would launch a "clean, modern and immersive design" search engine for Firefox users starting in December.

The news comes as Google's arrangement with Firefox maker Mozilla nears an end after a decade-long partnership.

Market leader Google accounts for 67% of searches from US desktop computers.

That compares to about 20% for Microsoft and 10% for Yahoo, according to research firm comScore.

Yahoo chief executive Marisa Mayer called the five-year deal with Firefox "the most significant partnership for Yahoo in five years".

"At Yahoo, we believe deeply in search - it's an area of investment and opportunity for us," she added.

Catching Google

Firefox users in the US will be automatically directed to search results on Yahoo's website when they enter a subject into the small box that appears at the top of the browser.

Firefox, however, does lag behind Google Chrome in the US browser market.

It accounts for about 10% of browsers on desktop computers, mobiles and tablets compared to over 33% for Google Chrome in October, according to tech data firm StatCounter.

Along with ending its partnership with Google in the US, Mozilla is also directing Firefox to Baidu's search engine in China and Yandex in Russia.

"Our new search strategy doubles down on our commitment to make Firefox a browser for everyone, with more choice and opportunity for innovation," said Mozilla chief executive Chris Beard.

Meanwhile, just last month, Google chairman Eric Schmidt had said that the firm's biggest rival in online search was e-commerce giant Amazon and not competitors like Yahoo.

Globally, Google accounts for about 90% of the online search market.

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Germany leftists agree historic deal to rule in Thuringia

Socialist Bodo Ramelow is now expected to head Thuringia's government after a vote next month

Leftist parties in Germany have agreed a historic coalition deal which will see the first far-left regional president since the fall of communism.

Under the deal, Bodo Ramelow of the Die Linke party is expected to become state premier of Thuringia state next month.

More details about the coalition are expected to be announced on Thursday.

The socialist Die Linke has been part of several state governments in Germany, but it has not led one since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It is a successor of the communist party which ran East Germany.

Mr Ramelow tweeted on Wednesday that Die Linke had reached a deal with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, in a so-called "red-red-green" coalition.

He said that a Linke-led coalition government would pursue "pragmatic policies" and would be a "project of reconciliation".

The agreement is reportedly set to last for five years, and analysts say it could form a blueprint for a similar coalition at the national level.

The appointment of Mr Ramelow is still subject to a vote in the state assembly which is currently scheduled for 5 December.

Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, who rule at the national level, are nonetheless expected to become the opposition in Thuringia.

The announcement comes just over a week after celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall.

German President Joachim Gauck said that people who lived under Communism would "find it quite hard to accept" a socialist-led state government.

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Northern US braced for more snowstorms after seven die

Cities near the Great Lakes such as Buffalo have been worst affected

Another 3ft (1m) of snow is expected to hit parts of north-eastern US after a massive snowstorm left at least seven dead in New York state on Wednesday.

Weather-related deaths were also reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.

Parts of the city of Buffalo are already under 5ft of snow. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the snowstorm a "historic event".

Freezing temperatures have continued in many parts of the US, with heavy disruption to travel.

Weather related deaths were also reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.

John Jiloty of East Aurora near Buffalo told the BBC that some people had been stuck in their cars for a day and a half.

"I'm lucky to not be in some of the worst of it where there's six feet of snow literally 15 minutes away from where I am," he said.

"We have maybe four feet of snow so a couple more coming tonight and we'll see how we do".

Residents were reported trapped in their homes and cars, and strong winds and icy roads caused motorway accidents and forced school closures in parts of the US.

James Grimaldi in Buffalo: "Right now I literally cannot go anywhere"

BBC Weather explains 'lake effect' snow

More than 100 National Guard members were deployed in New York to assist in clearing roads and removing abandoned vehicles.

The National Weather Service said some places could have topped the record for a single day of snowfall, which stands at 6ft 4in.

Several sports games were called off as snow covered stadiums across the northern US

Hundreds of vehicles remain stranded

Train services in parts of New York state was suspended on Wednesday, while long stretches of road near Buffalo were closed.

As well as the fatalities in New York, there were two other weather-related deaths reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.

About 20 people have died across the US since Saturday.

"We are talking about a very dangerous storm"

Three firefighters in Indiana were also injured when a trailer struck a fire truck on a snow-covered road.

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Protesters clash with police at Hong Kong legislature

John Sudworth reports on fresh clashes in Hong Kong

Clashes have taken place between Hong Kong police and a small group of protesters who tried to break into parliament early on Wednesday.

Protesters used metal barricades to break down a side door at the Legislative Council building (Legco).

The incident happened hours after bailiffs and police peacefully cleared a section of the main protest camp.

Protesters calling for full democracy have occupied three key sites in Hong Kong for nearly eight weeks.

The BBC's John Sudworth in Hong Kong said that this latest incident was a reminder that the overwhelmingly peaceful protests can still turn ugly.

Dozens of young protesters, some wearing masks, tried smashing in the door shortly after 01:00. Some reportedly managed to enter the building.

Riot police warned protesters to stay back, using red flags, and later used pepper spray to push them back.

There were repeated attempts by protesters to enter the building throughout the night, but they appeared to retreat by daylight.

The clashes broke out shortly after 01:00 local time

Protesters tried smashing in the door with concrete slabs, metal objects and rocks

Democratic lawmaker Fernando Cheung, who was among a group of people who tried to stop the protesters, told Reuters that it was "a very, very isolated incident" as the movement had been peaceful so far.

Student leader Lester Shum, from the Hong Kong Federation of Students, told AFP: "It's not something we like to see... We call on occupiers to stick firm to peaceful and non-violent principles and be a responsible participant of the umbrella movement."

The police said they arrested four people, while three officers were injured.

Some protesters said that they attempted the break-in because they were angry about the earlier clearance of part of the main protest site at Admiralty.

Others expressed frustration at the lack of progress. One told reporters: "The government is not listening. It keeps on having meetings every day. The rubbish legislators keep on talking rubbish. It's meaningless, and because of the injunctions some barricades were cleared. If the revolution fails because of injunctions it cannot be called a revolution."

Tuesday's clearance in front of Citic Tower came after the building's owners were granted an injunction by the high court.

An injunction has also been granted for the clearance of roads at the Mong Kok protest site. The South China Morning Post says hundreds of police are on standby to clear that site as early as Thursday. A third protest site remains at Causeway Bay.

The protesters have been on the streets since early October to demonstrate against a decision by China to screen candidates for Hong Kong's 2017 leadership election. Numbers were originally in the tens of thousands but have fallen to a few hundred.

Hong Kong and the Beijing government say the protests are illegal, and there is growing public frustration with the disruption to traffic and business.

Police operations to clear and contain the camps in recent weeks have sometimes led to clashes. An earlier attempt to clear an underpass near Admiralty led to accusations that police had used excessive force, after a video emerged of officers apparently beating a protester.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

• 1984: Britain and China sign an agreement where Hong Kong is guaranteed "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years following the handover in 1997.
• June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform and a large rally. This is followed by protests by pro-Beijing activists.
• 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017, but voters will only be able to choose from a list of pre-approved candidates. Activists stage protests.
• 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes in protest.
• 28 September 2014: Occupy Central and student protests join forces and take over central Hong Kong.
• October 2014: Chief Executive CY Leung refuses demands for his resignation. Discussions between government and student leaders go nowhere. High court begins granting injunctions to clear protest sites.
• 15 November 2014: Student leaders' attempt to travel to Beijing fails.
• 18 November 2014: Bailiffs move in to clear a portion of the Admiralty protest site.
• 2017: Direct elections for chief executive due to take place

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North Korea: UN moves closer to ICC human rights probe

North Korea's rights situation "exceeds all others in duration, intensity and horror", the UN report said

A UN committee has called for the Security Council to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court over its human rights record.

The human rights committee passed a motion seeking a probe into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Pyongyang regime.

The motion still needs to be voted on by the General Assembly itself.

A groundbreaking UN report released in February revealed ordinary North Koreans faced "unspeakable atrocities".

The UN Commission of Inquiry detailed wide-ranging abuses in North Korea after hearing evidence of torture, political repression and other crimes.

It led to Tuesday's non-binding vote, which was passed with 111 countries in favour and 19 against, with 55 abstentions.

China and Russia, which hold veto power on the Security Council, voted against the motion.

'Disappeared'

The resolution also condemned North Korea for its poor human rights record, and urged the Security Council to consider targeted sanctions against those responsible for the crimes.

Michael Kirby, who chaired the report, described the move as "an important step in the defence of human rights".

"One of the only ways in which the International Criminal Court can secure jurisdiction is by referral by the Security Council. That is the step that has been put in train by the big vote in New York," he said.

Cuba, Iran and Syria were among the 19 countries that opposed the vote

North Korea's Choe Myong-nam criticised the motion

The General Assembly is to vote on the motion in coming weeks.

Diplomats say, however, that long-time ally China would probably use its veto to block the Security Council from referring the case to the ICC.

The UN report said North Korea's human rights situation "exceeds all others in duration, intensity and horror".

It said those accused of political crimes were "disappeared" to prison camps, where they were subject to "deliberate starvation, forced labour, executions, torture, rape and the denial of reproductive rights enforced through punishment, forced abortion and infanticide".

The report, based on interviews with North Korean defectors, estimated that "hundreds of thousands of political prisoners have perished in these camps over the past five decades".

From the report:

Former inmate Jeong Kwang-il told the UN panel he was given so little food during 10 months in a detention centre that he dropped in weight from 75kg to 36kg (5st 9lb). He also described a technique referred to as 'pigeon torture' to force confessions where the hands are handcuffed behind the back.

"Then they hang you so you would not be able to stand or sit," he said.

"If you are hung like that for three days, four days, you urinate, you defecate, you are totally dehydrated… [it] was so painful that I felt it was better to die."

UN North Korea report main findings

It included an account of a woman forced to drown her own baby, children imprisoned from birth and starved, and families tortured for watching a foreign soap opera.

North Korea refused to co-operate with the UN report and rejected its conclusions.

Speaking ahead of the vote, a North Korean foreign ministry official warned the committee of the possibility of further nuclear tests.

Penalising North Korea over human rights "is compelling us not to refrain any further from conducting nuclear tests", Choe Myong-nam said.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests in the past. International talks aimed at ending its nuclear ambitions have been stalled for years.

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'Blood Moon' lunar eclipse seen in Americas and E Asia

Footage from Sydney and Tokyo shows the lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse has been visible across much of the Americas and Asia, resulting in a dramatic "Blood Moon".

The eclipse began at 08:00 GMT on the east US coast and was visible in Asia at about 10:00 GMT.

During the eclipse - which is the second to occur this year - our only natural satellite was fully covered by the Earth's shadow.

The Moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off our atmosphere, hence the name Blood Moon.

Weather permitting, skywatchers in North America, Australia, western South America and parts of East Asia have been able to see the spectacle.

The Hong Kong Space Museum set up free viewing locations on a harbour-side promenade while in Tokyo, yoga enthusiasts gathered to perform exercises under the Blood Moon.

In Australia, the Sydney Observatory also arranged a live video feed of the event.

Australian astronomer Geoff Sims watched the event from the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

"The moon is very very orange, it's very very obvious," he said.

"On the other side of the sky the Milky Way is starting to appear because the rest of the sky has darkened. It's a very serene, kind of surreal experience actually."

However, Europe, Africa and the eastern part of Brazil missed out on the show.

The last total lunar eclipse occurred on 15 April, and the next is expected to take place on 4 April 2015.

There will be two full lunar eclipses again next year.

Riders on a Ferris wheel watch the eclipse beginning in Tokyo

A plane on approach to Reagan National Airport flies past the full moon in Washington DC

The shadow starts to fall across the Moon as seen from behind a galleon-shaped weather vane in Miami

The Moon assumes its red hue as seen from Milwaulkee in the US

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Twitter sues US government over spying

Twitter is fighting US government regulations regarding surveillance disclosures

Twitter has sued the US government over surveillance laws.

Under current regulations, Twitter cannot reveal certain information about government requests for users' data relating to national security.

Twitter argues that this violates the right to free speech, as defined by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

The firm said it brought the case in an effort to force the government to be more transparent about personal data requests.

"It's our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users' concerns and to the statements of US government officials by providing information about the scope of US government surveillance," Twitter's lawyer, Ben Lee, wrote in a blog post.

Twitter brought the action against the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a northern California court on Tuesday.

In April, Twitter submitted a Transparency Report to the US government for publication; however, so far officials have denied the firm's request to share the full report with the public.

That report includes specific information about the nature and number of requests for Twitter user information relating to national security.

"The US government engages in extensive but incomplete speech about the scope of its national security surveillance activities as they pertain to US communications providers, while at the same time prohibiting service providers such as Twitter from providing their own informed perspective as potential recipients of various national security-related requests," wrote Twitter.

'Obligation to protect'

Although Twitter receives significantly fewer government requests than rival technology firms such as Google, the American Civil Liberties Union said the suit might spur others to act.

"We hope that other technology companies will now follow Twitter's lead," said Jameel Jaffer, American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director, in a statement.

"Technology companies have an obligation to protect their customers' sensitive information against overbroad government surveillance, and to be candid with their customers about how their information is being used and shared."

Several of the largest US tech firms have been fighting government requests for their users' private data, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Dropbox.

Others, such as Apple, have taken steps to circumvent US government requests by encrypting user data in a manner that puts it beyond the reach of law enforcement.

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Snapchat: Yahoo 'set to invest millions'

Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegal is reported to have rejected a $3bn takeover offer from Facebook

Yahoo is close to investing millions of dollars in mobile messaging service Snapchat, which may value the start-up at about $10bn (£6.2bn), reports say.

Snapchat allows users to send images and videos that "disappear" seconds after being viewed.

The company is said to have rejected a $3bn takeover offer from Facebook and other tech behemoths, including China's ALIBABA and Tencent groups in recent years.

Yahoo and Snapchat refused to comment.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo may invest about $20m in Snapchat's next funding round after cashing in from its stake in e-commerce giant ALIBABA.

In 2005, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang bought a 40% stake in Alibaba for about $1bn. It sold part of that stake during last month's initial public offering, earning more than $9bn before taxes.

Online shopping

Yahoo has been on an acquisition spree under chief executive Marissa Mayer, who has been looking to move it away from its reliance on search and make it more of a content provider.

Since joining in 2012, Ms Mayer has overseen more than two dozen deals aimed at turning the company around.

However, she has recently come under pressure from activist investor Starboard Value. The firm has been calling on Yahoo to halt its spending and consider combining with online rival AOL.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has overseen more than two dozen deals since joining in July 2012

Last week, it bought mobile-chat application MessageMe, which allows users to ping one or many friends on their smartphone using emoticons and stickers.

Ms Mayer also acquired blogging service Tumblr for about $1bn last year.

MessageMe has said it will shut down in November, so that its eight-person team can work on mobile products for Yahoo.

Snapchat was created by a group of students at Stanford University in 2011 and quickly became popular among teens.

Social network Facebook is now testing a similar feature that allows users to schedule the automatic deletion of their posts ranging from one hour to seven days.

Snapchat, which has little to no revenue, reportedly rejected Facebook's $3bn offer last year for being too low.

However, a tech boom in Silicon Valley has seen several privately owned start-ups receive eleven-digit valuations, including house-sharing company Airbnb and private car-booking application Uber.

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Hewlett-Packard 'to split into two companies'

Hewlett-Packard has struggled to adapt to the new era of mobile and online computing

Technology giant Hewlett-Packard, known as HP, plans to split itself into two companies, reports say.

The US firm will separate its better-performing computer and printer business from its corporate hardware and services operations.

HP is in the midst of a restructuring plan and has announced tens of thousands of job cuts in recent years.

In August, it reported a sharp fall in profit despite a rise in revenue, helped by improved PC sales.

Chief executive Meg Whitman, who has the job of reviving the fortunes of the 75-year-old firm, acknowledged at the time that demand for PCs was "coming back", but that it was still "a declining business".

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the split plans on Sunday, saying HP had been looking to focus on its faster-growing businesses.

It says the move could be announced as early as Monday, and one of its sources said Ms Whitman would head the new spin-off, enterprise company.

She will also reportedly be chairman of HP's printing and PC business, which last quarter accounted for about half its revenue and profit.

Business pressures

HP has also been involved in a continuing legal dispute with Autonomy, a British company it bought for $11.1bn (£7bn) in 2011.

A year later, HP said the firm was worth $8.8bn less, accusing Autonomy of misleading them over the true value of the company.

HP recently called for Autonomy's founder and former boss, Michael Lynch, to "be held accountable for fraud".

The division of HP's businesses comes at a time when other large tech firms are being urged to break up.

Last week, online auction site eBay announced it was splitting off its payments system PayPal into a separate company.

HP has been under pressure from newer rivals such as Chinese firm Lenovo, which overtook HP as the world's largest PC maker in 2012. Third-ranked US rival Dell was taken private last year.

Founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP helped usher in the PC revolution and now has more than 300,000 employees globally.

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US unemployment rate hit a six-year low in September

The US unemployment rate dipped to 5.9% in September, a six-year low, official figures have shown.

The rate fell from 6.1% in August and is the lowest recorded since July 2008.

US Labor Department also said that employers added 248,000 jobs last month, and the job growth figures for August and July were revised upwards.

The jobs figures are seen as a significant gauge of the health of the economy and there has been much debate over when US interest rates will rise.

The US Federal Reserve has kept interest rates close to zero since the financial crisis in 2008.

Rate watch

US markets cheered the news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising over 100 points.

The US dollar was pushed higher as expectations rose that interest rates would go up sooner than previously predicted.

"The most important item in this report is the drop in the unemployment rate below 6%. (Fed Chair Janet) Yellen has said there is only so much slack if the unemployment rate falls below 6%," said Christopher Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York.

The Federal Reserve's stimulus programme, known as "quantitative easing", is due to end this month. Its aim was to keep long-term interest rates low using the purchase of bonds, and thus to boost spending.

The Federal Reserve has indicated it will raise short term interest rates if the economy continues to grow. Janet Yellen has given no firm date for the rise, but the Fed has said the move will come a "considerable time" after the stimulus programme ends.

"This (jobless) number will continue to support the notion that the economy is growing," said Paul Nolte at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago, "and it isn't so strong that the Fed will raise rates anytime soon".

The Labor Department said 69,000 more jobs were created in July and August than previously estimated. It also said nearly 100,000 jobseekers stopped looking for work in September.

The largest rise in employment was in professional and business services, including management and legal services, which saw an increase of 81,000 jobs in September.

The retail sector added 35,000 jobs compared with the previous month. Employment in the health care, construction and leisure and hospitality sectors also continued to increase.

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Australia orders inquiry into Nauru abuse claims

Refugees resettled on Nauru staged a protest march to the Australian High Commission on Monday

Australia has ordered an inquiry into claims that asylum seekers have been abused at its Nauru detention camp.

The allegations include claims of staff sexually abusing women and children, and incidents of self-harm.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the independent inquiry would also look into reports aid workers were inventing such incidents or encouraging asylum seekers to self harm.

Australia has attracted intense criticism for its immigration policies.

Asylum seekers it intercepts as they are trying to reach its shores are sent to centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Anyone deemed to be a refugee will be ultimately resettled in those countries or Cambodia, not Australia.

Earlier this week, opposition Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young alleged that female asylum seekers were regularly required to strip and exchange sexual favours with guards so they could shower.

She had also brought up allegations that children were being forced to perform sexual acts in front of guards, and that young people were attempting self-harm and suicide.

The Greens and Labour called for an investigation, according to theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation.

Australia and asylum

• Asylum seekers - mainly from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq and Iran - travel to Australia's Christmas Island by boat from Indonesia
• The number of boats rose sharply in 2012 and early 2013. Scores of people have died making the journey
• To stop the influx, the government has adopted hard-line measures intended as a deterrent
• Everyone who arrives is detained. Under a new policy, they are processed in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Those found to be refugees will be resettled in PNG, Nauru or Cambodia
• Tony Abbot's government has also adopted a policy of tow-backs, or turning boats around
• Rights groups and the UN have voiced serious concerns about the policies and accuse Australia of shirking international obligations

Mr Morrison said the reports of sexual misconduct were "abhorrent and I would be horrified to think that things of that nature have taken place".

But he said he had also seen reports indicating that staff from one of the service providers on Nauru had been engaging in a "broader campaign with external advocates to seek to cast doubt on the government's border protection policies".

He did not name the service providers.

The allegations are that aid workers doctored reports and encouraged camp residents to harm themselves so they could leave the island.

"If people want to be political activists that's their choice but they don't get to do it on the taxpayers dollar and working in a sensitive place like Nauru," said Mr Morrison.

He also said he had ordered 10 members of the charity Save the Children off Nauru, adding that these removals had nothing to do with suspected misconduct.

Save the Children has strongly denied that their staff fabricated stories of abuse or encouraged self-harm.

The charity's head in Australia, Paul Ronalds, said incidents of children self-harming on Nauru were "a reality and have been well documented".

The inquiry comes after a series of protests on Nauru by asylum seekers and resettled refugees over a range of issues, including their living conditions and the recent agreement with Cambodia to resettle refugees in the South East Asian country.

Rights groups say that since last week some asylum seekers have drunk detergent, cut their own throats, and sewn their lips together in protest.

Asylum seekers in the Nauru centre's family residential compound demonstrated last week

The Australian government has been heavily criticised for its hard line on immigration and for the allegedly deteriorating conditions in asylum seeker processing centres.

Earlier this year Australia's top human rights official Gillian Triggs claimed that children had been self-harming in the centre on Christmas Island, while the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce accuses the government of not doing enough to protect child detainees.

The government has rejected such claims saying that it provides adequate healthcare, and has argued that the number of children in detention has declined.

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