Voting begins in tense Bosnia election

Politicians have largely chosen to appeal to their own ethnic group rather than to Bosnians as a whole

Voting has begun in Bosnia in an election dominated by nationalist rhetoric and a stagnant economy.

It comes nearly 20 years after the end of the devastating Bosnian war in which more than 100,000 people were killed.
Tensions between Bosnia's main ethnic groups - Muslims (Bosniaks), Serbs and Croats - remain high, and some groups have called for secession.
The country is one of the poorest in Europe, with joblessness at 44% and youth unemployment even higher.
Polls will close on Sunday afternoon and the first results are expected later on Sunday evening.
It is the seventh election since the US-brokered Dayton peace agreement ended the 1992-1995 war between the main ethnic groups.

Akaoua Babiana, the wife of Cameroon's deputy PM, was among the hostages released

Twenty-seven people including 10 Chinese workers held for months by suspected Boko Haram militants have arrived in Cameroon's capital.

Labour's Hunt urges 'Hippocratic oath' for teachers

Tristram Hunt says teaching standards are the key to improving schools

Teachers should take a public oath committing themselves to the values of their profession, suggests Labour's Tristram Hunt.

The shadow education secretary says it would be like the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors.
Such a symbolic statement when teachers qualified would help to "elevate" the status of the profession, he says.
The pledge would emphasise the "moral calling and the noble profession of teaching".
Mr Hunt has returned from visiting Singapore, which has one of the world's highest-performing education systems, where he was looking for ideas to bring to England.

UK troops training Kurdish forces in Iraq, says MoD

A "specialist team" of 12 UK soldiers is training Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has said.

It said troops from the Yorkshire Regiment were training Iraqi Kurds to use UK-supplied heavy machine guns.
The soldiers are expected to spend a week in Irbil, in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.
Royal Air Force Tornado jets based in Cyprus have been flying combat missions over Iraq since September.
The UK training mission comes amid heavy fighting between Syrian Kurds and IS forces in the town of Kobane, in Syria.
Last month, the Ministry of Defence announced it was supplying Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, with 40 heavy machine guns, as well as thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The RAF has also transported military equipment and ammunition to northern Iraq on behalf of other countries, while providing equipment such as body armour, helmets and ration packs.
'Non-combat army trainers'

Rebuilding Gaza: Donors meet at Cairo conference

 

 The war in Gaza destroyed an estimated 18,000 homes and more than 100 schools

The Palestinian and Egyptian presidents have called on Israel to commit to a peace initiative with Palestinians at a conference aimed at rebuilding Gaza.

Diplomats are meeting in Egypt to discuss aid required to rebuild following the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas.

UN: Ebola outbreak could be controlled in three months

 

The UN special envoy on Ebola says he hopes that the outbreak can be brought under control within three months.

David Nabarro told the BBC the number of Ebola cases was currently increasing exponentially, but greater community awareness would help contain the virus.
People were becoming aware that isolating those infected was the best way to prevent transmission, he added.
So far, there have been more than 8,300 confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola, and at least 4,033 deaths.
'Quite frightening' Most fatalities - 4,024 - have occurred in the west African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Cases have also been reported in Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and the US.
Mr Nabarro said that the number of new cases was "quite frightening", as the spread of the disease was currently accelerating.

Cyclone Hudhud pounds India's Andhra Pradesh and Orissa

Cyclone Hudhud is pounding the eastern Indian coast, causing extensive damage and prompting the evacuation of some 300,000 people.

The cyclone, classed "very severe", brought winds of 205km/h (127mph), as it passed over the coast near the city of Visakhapatnam.
Hundreds of trees have been uprooted and power lines brought down in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states.
Three people have so far been reported killed in Andhra Pradesh.
It is feared a storm surge of up to two metres could inundate low-lying areas and hundreds of relief centres have been opened in the two states. Disaster relief teams have also been sent.
The authorities say the next five to six hours will be crucial.
The strength of the cyclone has been revised upwards since Friday, and the Indian Navy is on standby to assist.