Saudi Arabia clashes in eastern province of Qatif

Fourteen people have been injured in clashes in eastern Saudi Arabia, state media say.

They said the unrest in the province of Qatif late on Monday had been incited by "a foreign country", without elaborating.

Saudi Arabia's minority Shia population is concentrated in the east, the scene of protests earlier this year.

State media said eight of those wounded were security personnel and three were civilians.

State news agency SPA quoted the interior ministry as saying that "a group of outlaws and rioters on motorbikes" had gathered in Al-Awamia village in Qatif province, "carrying petrol bombs".

The group was responsible for acts leading to "insecurity with incitement from a foreign country that aims to undermine the nation's security and stability", SPA reported.

Saudi mentions of foreign meddling are normally veiled references to Iran, the region's main Shia power.

Fifth iPhone expected to be launched by Apple

The launch event is the first Tim Cook will host as outright boss of Apple

Apple is expected to launch the fifth version of its best-selling iPhone today.

Journalists have been invited to a "Let's talk iPhone" event at its California campus due to start at 10:00 PDT (18:00 BST).

Doubts surround how different the iPhone 5 will be to its predecessor though some do expect big changes.

The launch will be hosted by Tim Cook, now Apple's full time boss following Steve Jobs' retirement in August.

As ever with Apple launches, exact details of product features will not be known until the event. Expert opinion is divided with some expecting significant changes.

"We're expecting a flagship, high tier product to cement the iPhone's position as the must-have device," said Ben Wood, director of research at analysts CCS Insight.

Gadget site Gizmodo took a different line and said there was only a 10% chance of seeing a new iPhone. Instead, it said, the iPhone 4S will be the new model and it will be cheaper than its predecessor.

Others say the cheaper model will be aimed at Asia, one of the few places where the smartphone has room for growth.
Rumours are also circulating that Steve Jobs will make a cameo appearance even though Mr Cook is expected to be the launch compere.

The event is the first since Mr Cook became official head of Apple. Before now he was an interim boss who oversaw day-to-day running of the company when Mr Jobs was on sick leave.

History lesson
The iPhone 4 debuted 15 months ago and the hiatus between that launch and today marks one of the longest periods without a new model in the history of the device. All previous versions, bar the first, have been unveiled in June.

Mr Wood said this might reflect the complexity of the task Apple set itself when getting the iPhone working the iCloud service. This acts as a network-based backup and synchronisation system for Apple's smartphones and tablets.

"The announcement is definitely more about the holy trinity of device, software and applications, and services to which iCloud adds a completely new dimension," he said.

The use of iCloud would help Apple stay one step ahead of rivals, especially HTC and Samsung, who were fast getting their own hardware to match the capabilities of the iPhone, said Mr Wood.

Apple will also be keen to put behind it the troubles that dogged the iPhone 4. Incorporating the phone's antenna into its case was blamed for causing a loss of reception. The problem led to the company offering free cases to owners to combat the reception loss.

The launch of the phone is important to Apple which is keen to capitalise on its growing share of the smartphone market. It faces strong challenges from Google's Android mobile phone operating system which, figures suggest, has become the most popular among new phone buyers in the US.

The ability of the phone to be activated and updated without connecting to a PC would help this push, said Mr Wood.
One strong competitor for the smartphone market is South Korean electronics firm Samsung. It produces phones that use Android as well as models that use its own operating system called Bada.

Apple and Samsung are locked in litigation around the world over who owns the rights to use many technologies found in both smartphones and tablets.

The court room clashes have led to a ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany and a ban on the sales of some Galaxy smartphones in the Netherlands.

In Australia, the row meant a delay to the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In the most recent development in that row, Apple has reportedly rejected Samsung's offer of a deal to settle the case.

The iPhone 4's integrated antenna led many to claim it caused reception problems

France warns Syria not to intimidate activists

A protester in Jordan. There have been allegations of abuse of protesters' relatives back in Syria

France has warned Syria it will not tolerate its agents harassing those who are protesting against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

The warning followed media reports that a group of activists had been filmed, insulted and attacked in Paris.

Earlier, an Amnesty International report accused Syria of a campaign of intimidation against activists abroad.

It quoted the activists as saying that Syrian embassy staff had threatened them and their relatives in Syria.

Meanwhile, Russia has said it will not support a draft resolution condemning Syria's suppression of pro-democracy protests, which is to be put to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

'Systematically harassed'
French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero, quoted by Agence France-Presse, said Syrian activists had been given more police protection in the wake of the alleged intimidation, which is now being investigated.
He said: "We would not tolerate a foreign state organising acts of violence or intimidation on our territory, and we have made this known in the clearest possible terms to Syria's ambassador in Paris.

US ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford, called for Syria to ''respect basic human rights''

"The right to protest freely and peacefully in safety is fully guaranteed by the French constitution, and it is also obvious that France supports the Syrian people's hopes for freedom."

Le Monde newspaper had reported an attack on a small group of Syrian protesters in a square in central Paris.

In its report entitled Syria: The long reach of the Mukhabaraat, Amnesty International details the cases of 30 Syrian activists in eight countries, in Europe and North and South America, who have been systematically monitored and harassed by Syrian embassy officials and others believed to be acting on behalf of the Syrian regime.

The report says the dissidents' relatives in Syria have also, in some cases, apparently been exposed to harassment, detention and even torture. Some activists say they were directly threatened by embassy officials.

Naima Darwish, who set up a Facebook page to call for protests outside the Syrian embassy in Santiago, Chile, told Amnesty she was contacted directly by a senior official who asked to meet her in person.

"He told me that I should not to do such things. He said I would lose the right to return to Syria if I continued."

Amnesty has called on host countries to take stronger action against the Syrian embassies accused of orchestrating the intimidation campaign.

Robert Ford, the US ambassador in Syria, also renewed criticism of the Syrian government, calling on it to stop its "incredible repression" and allow a political process of transition to move forward peacefully.

Import ban rescinded
Meanwhile, Russia said it would not support Tuesday's UN draft resolution.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that Moscow "cannot support a text" that did not urge other countries not to become involved in Syria's internal affairs.

But it is unclear whether Moscow will veto the resolution.

On Tuesday, Turkish media reported that a colonel who had defected from the Syrian army was calling for a united front against Mr Assad.

"Opponent forces in Syria should get united and close ranks until the regime collapses," Col Riad al-Asaad, who is sheltering in Turkey, told the Anatolia news agency.

Separately, Syria has withdrawn a ban it imposed on many consumer goods and raw materials, amid reported discontent over rising prices.

The ban was intended to preserve foreign currency reserves.

Syria is under international pressure to stop using force to suppress protests that began six months ago.

The UN estimates that more than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the crackdown began.

On Tuesday the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three soldiers and one civilian had been killed in fighting between government troops and army defectors in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in north-west Syria.

The government says it is in the process of introducing reforms and is speaking to members of the opposition - it blames the unrest on armed gangs.

Premier League games can be shown on foreign decoders

Karen Murphy: "I'm glad I took it on even though it's taken up quite a chunk of my life"

A pub landlady has won the latest stage of her fight to air Premier League games using a foreign TV decoder.

Karen Murphy had to pay nearly £8,000 in fines and costs for using a cheaper Greek decoder in her Portsmouth pub to bypass controls over match screening.

But she took her case to the European Court of Justice.

The ECJ now says national laws which prohibit the import, sale or use of foreign decoder cards are contrary to the freedom to provide services.

The decision could trigger a major shake-up for the Premier League and its current exclusive agreements with Sky Sports and ESPN, and pave the way to cheaper viewing of foreign broadcasts for fans of top-flight English games.

However, whereas this opens up opportunities for individuals to watch overseas broadcasts at home, it remains unclear whether in future games can be shown in pubs using foreign decoders and broadcasts, as the ruling also threw up a number of copyright issues.

'Relief'
The ECJ said national legislation, which banned the use of overseas decoders, could not "be justified either in light of the objective of protecting intellectual property rights or by the objective of encouraging the public to attend football stadiums".

"I'm relieved, very relieved," Mrs Murphy told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It has been a rollercoaster, highs and lows, nerves... It has been a strange time and I am glad it is coming to an end."
She added: "I feel I have taken on the Premier League and Sky."

Karen Murphy used the Greek firm Nova to show Premier League games

Mrs Murphy said she no longer had a decoder box in her Red, White and Blue pub and would wait for the "stamp of approval" from the High Court before reinstating it.

The ECJ findings will now go to the High Court in London, which had sent the matter to the ECJ for guidance, for a final ruling.

However, it is unusual for a member state High Court to pass a different judgement from one provided by the ECJ.

'Contingency plans'
"In practical terms, the Premier League will now have to decide how it wishes to re-tender its rights," said sports media lawyer Daniel Geey of Field Fisher Waterhouse solicitors.

"There can be little doubt it will have contingency plans ready to go and has various options available.

"Be it a pan-EU tender, selling in only certain EU member states or devising a plan to start its own channel, they will be deciding how best to maximise the value of their product to ensure any revenue shortfall is minimised."

The judges said the Premier League could not claim copyright over Premier League matches as they could not considered to be an author's own "intellectual creation" and, therefore, to be "works" for the purposes of EU copyright law.

Copyright issues
However, the ECJ did add that while live matches were not protected by copyright, any surrounding media, such as any opening video sequence, the Premier League anthem, pre-recorded films showing highlights of recent Premier League matches and various graphics, were "works" protected by copyright.

To use any of these extra parts associated of a broadcast, a pub would need the permission of the Premier League.
It remains to be seen whether pubs could broadcast match action without using any of these Premier League "extras", such as just broadcasting from kick-off only and therefore avoid breaching the league's copyright.

By ensuring that its branding was on screen all the time, or including in-match graphics, the league may be able to claim pubs were in breach of this ECJ ruling on copyright.

"It's not a decision that the Premier League or its clubs wanted," Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey told BBC Radio WM after the ECJ ruling was made.

"The Premier League have been aware of the situation and the possibility of the judgement going against them for some time now and have been assessing how it will sell TV rights going forward.

"Football has shown itself to be a resilient business."

He said the Premier's League's financial model had been challenged by the ECJ ruling, and any future sales would need to take the court's decision into account.

The way games featuring PL teams such as Wolves and Newcastle are broadcast could be set to change

'Confused picture'
"On the face of it, it looks like a blow for the Premier League and... broadcasters Sky and ESPN," said BBC sport editor David Bond.

But he said the Premier League had faced many regulatory challenges in the past and would find ways to get round the new situation.

"The League insists the ruling is not clear cut, pointing to a part of the judgment which appears to offer them copyright protection and requiring pubs to seek their permission if they wish to use foreign decoders," added our correspondent.

"It is a confused picture and it is now up to the High Court to try and interpret the judgment. Whatever happens the league is confident it is not about to suffer a major loss in TV income."

Sky has pumped billions into top flight English football since the league was founded in 1992, with the money given to clubs allowing them to buy some of the top names in the world.

The Premier League's television income from mainland Europe is about £130m, less than 10% of their total £1.4bn overseas rights deal.

'Inflated prices'
However, the court decision could have a significant repercussions for other rights holders outside of sport, with life potentially getting more difficult for the film industry, which also sells its product on an country-by-country basis.

Smithfield Partners is a law firm which represents David Richardson of QC Leisure (a digital box supplier), and SR Leisure Limited (a publican), all of whom were defendants to a civil action brought by the Premier League.

"We consider this ruling to be a significant step in creating fair competition across the internal market, reducing artificially inflated prices which vary across member states," said the firm's Martin Ochs.

"It also provides some clarity in relation to the rights of businesses within the EU to broadcast live football. In fact this decision is likely to have far reaching implications beyond that of football."

Satellite signals
The legal battle kicked off six years ago, when Ms Murphy was taken to court for using the Nova firm to show matches at the Red, White and Blue pub.

Using the Greek service, she had paid £118 a month, rather than £480 a month with the official broadcaster.

Licensed broadcasters encrypt satellite signals, with subscribers needing a decoder card to access them.

Mrs Murphy took advantage of an offer to UK pubs to use imported cards.

In February, an ECJ advocate general said this was in line with the aims of the EU single market - a border-free zone for goods and services.

The Premier League has already taken action against two suppliers of foreign satellite equipment and a group of pub landlords who used imported decoding equipment to show English Premier League games and avoided the commercial premises subscription fees for Sky.

Dalai Lama cancels South Africa Tutu trip over visa

China views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous "splittist"

The Dalai Lama has cancelled his trip to South Africa, where he had been invited by fellow Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The Tibetan spiritual leader's office said the South African government had failed to grant him a visa on time.

He was due to take part in Friday's celebrations to mark the archbishop's 80th birthday.

Pretoria has maintained that it did not come under pressure from China to stop the visit.

The row intensified as South Africa's Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe visited China for four days of talks last week, signing a number of bilateral trade and investment deals. He made no public mention of the visa issue while in China.

It is the second time in two years that the Dalai Lama's visit to South Africa has been blocked.

'Inconvenient'
"His Holiness was to depart for South Africa on 6 October 2011 but visas have not been granted yet," the Dalai Lama's office in northern India said in a statement.

"We are, therefore, now convinced that for whatever reason or reasons, the South African government finds it inconvenient to issue [a] visa to His Holiness the Dalai Lama."

The statement said he had cancelled his visit because he "does not want to create any inconveniences to anyone, individuals or governments" in his work, but that he "regrets the inconveniences caused to his hosts and the large number of South African public".

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama to be a dangerous separatist seeking to lead Tibet in breaking away from China.

But he has repeatedly stated that his goal is for greater Tibetan autonomy rather than independence.

Protests have been held outside South Africa's parliament by his supporters, who say the country's sovereignty is being compromised.

Archbishop Tutu's office had accused the South African government of dragging its feet over the visa application.

At the weekend, the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre put its name to a petition calling for the Dalai Lama to be allowed into South Africa.

Signatories to the petition said they were "ashamed and hurt" by the visa delays and that they believed the Dalai Lama was being refused entry "on the basis of political considerations that are inconsistent with our Constitution and the values contained in it".

Kercher family still seeking answers after acquittals

                                           Lyle Kercher: "It feels almost like back to square one"

The search will go on to find out what really happened on the night UK student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Italy four years ago, her family has said.

Speaking after an Italian court cleared Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of murder, Meredith's brother Lyle said it felt like it was "back to square one".

Italian prosecutors say they will appeal. Only Rudy Guede, 24, has been convicted for Miss Kercher's murder.

                    Amanda Knox makes her way through the departure lounge to board a flight out of Italy

Knox has since left Italy and is on her way back to the US.

It is understood she is travelling back to her hometown of Seattle on a commercial flight.

Speaking to reporters in Perugia, where his sister was studying at the time of her death, Mr Kercher said: "We accept the decision and respect the court and the Italian justice system.

"We do find we are now left looking at this again and thinking how a decision that was so certain two years ago has been so emphatically overturned, which raises other questions.

"It feels very much like back to square one. The search goes on to find out what really happened."

During a separate earlier trial, Guede was convicted of Miss Kercher's murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. On appeal, his conviction was upheld but his sentence reduced to 16 years.

It was said in court that Guede did not act alone. This now raises significant questions following the acquittals as to who had also been at the murder scene.

Meredith Kercher was in Perugia for little more than two months before she was killed

Meredith's sister, Stephanie, said the "biggest disappointment" was still not knowing what happened and knowing "someone or people out there" were responsible.

"It's still very difficult to speak in terms of forgiveness," she added.

"Until the truth comes out, we can't forgive anyone because no-one's even admitted to it knowing there was someone out there who was responsible."

Their mother, Arline, said: "What happened to my daughter, Meredith, is every parent's nightmare.

"Of something so terrible happening, when basically she was in the safest place, her bedroom."

Prosecutors said Miss Kercher was killed in a brutal sex game which went wrong.

Mrs Kercher admitted she could appreciate why Knox would feel she had lost her life over the last few years.

"I don't think anyone's going to get off scot-free," she said. "Their lives have been disrupted - no-one is untouched by this."

Earlier, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he felt sympathy for the Kerchers.

"They previously had an explanation about what happened to their daughter and they don't have that any more, and I think all of us should be thinking of them," he said.

'Nightmare over'

Knox, 24, and Mr Sollecito, 27, spent nearly four years in jail but their convictions were overturned on Monday after evidence was found to be unreliable.

The prosecution is to appeal to Italy's highest court, although it appears unlikely that Knox would be extradited back to Italy from the US.

An eight-member jury cleared both defendants of Miss Kercher's murder after doubts were raised over procedures used to gather DNA evidence.

The judge upheld Knox's conviction for slander for accusing bar owner Patrick Diya Lumumba of carrying out the killing. But he set the sentence at three years, time that Knox has already served, meaning she was free to leave.

She was ordered to pay him 22,000 euros (£18,800) in compensation.

Her family said she had "suffered for four years for a crime she did not commit".

Speaking on the steps of the court, Knox's sister Deanna said: "We are thankful to the court for having the courage to look for the truth and to overturn this conviction."

She said her sister's "nightmare was over" and asked for privacy for her family to recover from "this horrible ordeal".

Knox's lawyer, Carlo Della Vedova, said outside court that there was "no winner" in the case and the appeal court had "rectified a mistake".

"Meredith was a friend of Amanda - we should never forget this and we have to respect the sorrow of all the families," he told the BBC.

Mr Sollecito's father Francesco said he had "allowed himself some tears" following the verdict and said the court had "given me back my son".

Hundreds of people had gathered in the streets outside the court ahead of the verdict and some shouted "shame" when they heard about the decision, while others cheered.

During the appeal hearing Knox, who was serving 26 years in jail for the killing, had told a packed courtroom: "I did not kill, I did not rape, I did not steal. I was not there."

Tearful, and speaking in fluent Italian, she added: "I want to go back home. I want to go back to my life. I don't want to be punished. I don't want my life and my future to be taken away for something I didn't do because I am innocent."

Her ex-boyfriend, Mr Sollecito - who had been given a 25-year term after the initial trial - told the court that he was in a "nightmare" and said the claims against him were "totally untrue".

Miss Kercher, a student at Leeds University, had been sharing a cottage in Perugia with Knox during a year studying abroad.

Contamination fear

Prosecutors said she was killed in a brutal sex game which went wrong. Her throat had been slit and she had been sexually assaulted.

They maintain that Knox's DNA was on the handle of a kitchen knife - found in Mr Sollecito's flat and believed to be the murder weapon - with Miss Kercher's DNA on the blade.

They also said Mr Sollecito's DNA was on the clasp of Miss Kercher's bra.

But an independent review disputed those findings, raising concerns over poor procedures in evidence collection and forensic testing, and possible contamination.

It put in doubt the attribution of the DNA traces - collected from the crime scene 46 days after the murder.

Amanda Knox broke down in tears as Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann delivered the verdict

Huge Somalia suicide car bomb kills dozens in capital

At least 65 people have been killed by a huge suicide blast near a government compound in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, say officials.

Eyewitnesses said a truck carrying explosives was driven into a gate near a government ministry and detonated.

A spokesman for the Islamist militant group al-Shabab told the BBC it had carried out the attack.

It is the largest attack since al-Shabab withdrew its forces from Mogadishu in August.

Rescue workers said more than 40 people had been injured in the blast.

The UN-backed transitional government condemned the attack and said no senior government officials were hurt in the blast. Government members were meeting in the building near the blast site at the time.

"The attack shows that the danger from terrorists is not yet over and that there are obviously still people who want to derail the advances that the Somali people have made towards peace," it said in a statement.

The government statement set the number of dead at 15, but it was not clear whether this was an earlier count.

'Walls fell apart'

The blast struck outside a compound housing government buildings in Kilometre Four (K4) - a crossroads in central Mogadishu. Buildings were destroyed.

Police officer Ali Hussein told the Associated Press news agency that the vehicle had exploded after pulling up at a checkpoint on the way into the official compound.

Somalia's Planning Minister Abdullahi Godah Barreh told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme he was in his office when the blast hit.

"All of a sudden a huge, huge sound and all the furniture and all the windows and all the walls started falling apart," he said.

The vehicle carrying the explosives was big, he said, about an eight- or 10-tonne truck.

"The building that has been destroyed houses eight ministries, and you can imagine how crowded it would have been. I expect the casualty toll to be very high."

He said the area was well protected which is "why we have a high number of soldiers among the dead".

"There was some protection, but unfortunately, it was not good enough.

"Almost half of the cabinet sit in that building. So you can understand it was a good target for them - the terrorists."

BBC Somali's Mohammed Dhore in Mogadishu said vehicles were on fire, bodies were lying in the street and shocked soldiers were randomly firing into the air.

Our correspondent said it was the worst incident he had ever come across.

One aid worker said body parts had landed hundreds of metres from the scene.

Among those killed were students who had been queuing at the main gate to take an exam at the education ministry in order to gain a scholarship to study in Turkey.

Ali Abdullahi, a nurse at Medina hospital in the city, said victims were being brought in with horrific wounds, including burns and lost limbs. Some had been blinded, he said.

"It is the most awful tragedy I have ever seen," he told AP.

"Dozens are being brought here minute-by-minute. Most of the wounded people are unconscious and others have their faces blackened by smoke and heat."

Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu's ambulance service, said he expected the death toll to increase.

"The explosion has not only affected the targeted place, but even passer-by people and car passengers died there."

An official from the African Union, which has peacekeeping troops in Somalia, said the incident was "very serious".

Famine crisis

Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991 - the weak transitional government and Islamist militias are competing for control of the country.

Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, controls large swathes of south and central Somalia.

It retreated from Mogadishu two months ago, but analysts said without a front line it was likely to begin carrying out more bombings, including suicide attacks.

Last week, al-Shabab tried but failed to seize two towns from pro-government forces near Somalia's border with Kenya.

Somalia's political instability has been compounded in the past year by the worst drought in six decades, which has forced tens of thousands of people to flee to Mogadishu in search of food.

The UN has declared a famine in six regions of Somalia.

The BBC's East Africa correspondent, Will Ross, said the latest attack will not only worry the government, but also the aid agencies, who have been taking great risks to get food to the drought victims.