Macedonia migrants: Border security measures defended

Macedonia has defended its handling of security at the country's border with Greece, where migrants were beaten back with truncheons and riot shields.

Up to 3,500 people a day had tried to enter Macedonia in recent days, said Nikola Poposki

The government had to act because up to 3,500 were entering each day, but migrants had not been mistreated, said Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki.

The migrants, many from the Middle East, want to reach northern EU states.

Amnesty International said they had been treated more like rioters rather than refugees.

Macedonia has declared a state of emergency to cope with the situation.

The UN refugee agency has expressed concern

Hundreds of migrants advanced on the border's security forces on Friday.

Mr Poposki told the BBC he had not seen pictures of people being beaten back but there had been an "intervention" after the situation had "dramatically deteriorated".

He said: "In the last several days there has been a dramatic increase of inflow of migrants and we have reached numbers of 3,000 to 3,500 per day which obviously is not something a country of two million people and our resources can handle on a daily basis.

"We had to reinforce the control of illegal entry of Macedonian territory."

Medecins Sans Frontieres said it had treated 10 people with wounds from stun grenades fired by Macedonian troops near the Greek border village of Edomeni.

Hundreds of migrants tried to break through the border on Friday

Amnesty International deputy Europe director Gauri van Gulik said the authorities had responded "as if they were dealing with rioters rather than refugees who have fled conflict and persecution".

Responding to criticism, Mr Poposki said: "Macedonia's definitely not a place where they [migrants and refugees] have been mistreated.

"For a country of two million people with no resources, not a member state of the European Union - meaning not being able to apply for all the funds that are available - we have handled this crisis in a pretty decent manner."

A man at the border who had fled the conflict in Syria, paying a smuggler for passage from Turkey to Greece told the BBC: "Nobody knows what's the idea of closing the border."

He explained he did not want to stay in Greece because of its financial crisis.

He said: "I am looking for a normal life of peace and democracy. We can't go back. We have to go ahead.

"My dream is to have a university to study in."

He added that travelling through Bulgaria was not an alternative as it was too dangerous.

Mr Poposki said all migrants had to register on entering Macedonia, and they had 72 hours to decide whether they would apply for asylum or pursue their route north.

The BBC's James Reynolds says he understands that Macedonian security forces plan to let several hundred migrants in at a time on Saturday to coincide with train departures north towards Serbia and the rest of Europe.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, has expressed concern for "thousands of vulnerable refugees and migrants, especially women and children, now massed on the Greek side of the border amid deteriorating conditions".

Austria chart success for migrant "minute of silence"

Macedonia has declared a state of emergency

It urged Macedonia to "establish an orderly and protection-sensitive management of its borders" while appealing to Greece to "enhance registration and reception arrangements" on its side of the border.

The UNHCR also said it had been assured by Macedonia the border "will not be closed in the future", but did not elaborate.

In recent weeks there have been chaotic scenes at Gevgelija station, with migrants trying to clamber on board packed trains heading north.

Many of the migrants at the border are from Syria

Greece itself has seen almost 160,000 people landing on its shores since January, the UN estimates, with 50,000 arriving in the past month alone.

The migrants trying to reach northern and western Europe come from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Many arriving in Macedonia are escaping the conflict in Syria.

Koreas to hold talks amid tension

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North and South Korea to hold top-level talks amid growing tension, South Korean media say

France train shooting: Americans overpower gunman

Three people have been hurt after a heavily armed man opened fire on a train in northern France, before being overpowered by American passengers.

Scene-of-crime experts were quickly summoned

The incident happened on the high-speed Thalys service near Arras, and the attacker was arrested at Arras station.

US President Barack Obama praised the passengers, who included two off-duty US military personnel.

The man arrested was a 26-year-old Moroccan. Anti-terrorist officers have taken over the case.

The weapons were said to include a Kalashnikov, a knife, an automatic pistol and cartridges.

French authorities said three people were injured, two of them seriously - one with a gunshot wound, the other a knife wound.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the attack took place at 17:45 local time (15:45 GMT) on Friday.

Police stand near gun parts and a backpack at Arras station

French media said the arrested man was known to the intelligence services. The suspect has so far refused to talk to police in Arras.

"The president expressed his profound gratitude for the courage and quick thinking of several passengers, including US service members, who selflessly subdued the attacker," the White House said in a statement.

"It is clear that their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy."

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called the incident a "terrorist attack".

The passengers included French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade who was lightly wounded breaking glass to sound the alarm, and Chris Norman, a British man living in France.

He and two other men from the US were awarded medals for bravery at a restaurant in Arras, Reuters reported.

Anthony Sadler from California, Aleck Sharlatos from Oregon, and Chris Norman, a British man living in France received medals for their bravery

Mr Cazeneuve said the passengers were "particularly courageous and showed great bravery in very difficult circumstances", adding: "Without their composure we could have been confronted with a terrible incident."

French media said the passengers who overpowered the suspect were US Marines who had heard the man loading a weapon in a toilet cubicle and confronted him when he came out.

Social worker Christina Coons from New York was on the train and told BBC Radio 5 Live she had ducked under her seat when she heard shots.

She said she saw a man running through her carriage bleeding heavily from the neck who identified himself as a paramedic.

She said: "None of these men were in uniform. They were just regular passengers, this afternoon, who stepped up to the plate as soon as they saw what was happening."

'Under control'

Images shared on social media appeared to show a man being restrained on the station platform in Arras.

One photograph showed an injured man in a blue top and jeans lying on the floor of the train.

French rail firm SNCF said there had been 554 people on board the train.

French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade cut his hand smashing the alarm glass

Thalys said several trains had been delayed in the wake of the attack.

France has been on edge since the attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in Paris in January, which left 17 people dead.

And in June a man said to be inspired by the Islamic State group beheaded his boss and tried to blow up a gas plant in southern France.

Why Boko Haram remains a threat By Tomi Oladipo

The Nigerian military says the footage shows Boko Haram fighters on trucks and motorcycles fleeing aerial bombardment by the Air Force, in a recent operation in the Sambisa forest - thought to be the militants' last stronghold in Nigeria.If the recent footage released by the military is anything to go by, Nigerians may have reason for optimism about the government's ongoing battle against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

Nigerian soldiers have retaken many towns from Boko Haram in a recent offensive

Over the past week alone, the military says hundreds of women and children have been rescued as part of an ongoing offensive against the group.

The latest developments mean that the Nigerian military has not only reclaimed many towns in the north-east previously under Boko Haram control, but are now pushing further to rout them from their final hideouts

By starting to provide more documentary evidence to back up its claims of success, the Nigerian military has shown it is willing to get involved in the propaganda war as well.

Before that, the images from Boko Haram, including militants carrying out atrocities and their leader Abubakar Shekau taunting the government, instilled fear and hopelessness in the minds of many.

The last broadcast from Shekau was his pledge of allegiance to Islamic State in an audio clip in March.

But as we have seen from his group in the past, silence does not always imply that they have been significantly weakened.

Attacks credited to Boko Haram continue in both Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Army commanders say they don't often find many bodies of the insurgents after battle, suggesting that the jihadists carry away their dead with them as they retreat.

The Nigerian army says it has rescued more than 700 people from Boko Haram camps

It's not clear if any senior Boko Haram figures have been captured during the recent operations, says Ryan Cummings, Chief Africa Analyst for the risk management firm Red24.

"With the leadership of the group still intact, Boko Haram may continue to possess the acumen to replenish, regroup, and rearm both within and outside of Nigeria's borders."

Then there is also the argument that until factors like poverty, unemployment and lack of education can be addressed, local populations will remain vulnerable to extremist ideology.

Apart from the Sambisa forest, a vast area based around a nature reserve of the same name, the group is also known to operate in the Mandara Mountains, which lie on the poorly-manned Cameroon-Nigeria border.

Fighting the group here would require greater cooperation between both countries - something that has been lacking - to combat their common enemy.

Nigeria's President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader, says one of his first moves after assuming office will be to call a meeting of the regional leaders on a more proactive collaboration to end the conflict.

Boko Haram at a glance

• Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - has also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Has abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls
• Seized vast area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
• Regional force has retaken most territory

Gen Buhari says the outgoing Nigerian government did not do enough to harness a suitable regional response.

Frosty cross-border relations have affected the military operations, with resentment and mistrust between Nigeria and its neighbours.

For a long time Boko Haram fighters were able to cross the border at will, to carry out attacks and to escape any army responses but now their movements have been limited by the joint regional forces.

In Nigeria, Gen Buhari is expected to reshuffle the top brass of the military to bring in top officials who can add more zest or possibly a fresh strategy to the ongoing offensive, in spite of the recent successes on the frontline.

The Nigerian military is keen to redeem its image in the international scene, having been accused by human rights organisations of carrying out abuses in its crackdown against Boko Haram.

It promised to investigate these allegations but it has not released the findings, although soldiers have been facing courts-martial as the force attempts to show it is tackling what it calls indiscipline within its ranks.

This could be a way of winning back military support from the West, particularly the US, in form of advanced training and supply of hardware.

Nigeria says the lack of equipment slowed down its counter-insurgency operations, with the government taking up other options, including the controversial move to employ private security companies.

Reports in March said that hundreds of these "military trainers" from South Africa and former Soviet Union countries were operating on the front lines in military operations against Boko Haram.

The Nigerian government has not specified whether these personnel have ever been involved in direct combat.

The recent gains against Boko Haram are a boost for both the Nigerian military and for President Goodluck Jonathan as he prepares to finish his term at the end of May.

Boko Haram is still active in Nigeria, across the border in Cameroon and with traces in Niger.

The influence and support of Islamic State implies that the insurgency is far from over and could get even more sophisticated.

Pope holds Falklands sign urging Argentine-UK talks

Pope Francis has been photographed in the Vatican holding a sign calling for Argentine-UK talks about the Falkland Islands, called Malvinas in Argentina.

The man who handed over the sign says the Pope was well aware of the message

The pontiff is from Argentina. He received the sign from Gustavo Hoyo, leader of a campaign for dialogue on the islands, during a papal audience.

A senior Vatican official told the BBC that Pope Francis "did not know and did not realise what was written on it".

In 1982 UK forces defeated Argentine troops, who had invaded the Falklands.

The war left Argentina and the UK still disputing the islands' sovereignty - but a UN resolution has called for dialogue to reach a settlement.

The sign held by the Pope on Wednesday said: "It's time for dialogue between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands.''

Pilgrims from Argentina posed with the Pope at the weekly audience

'No endorsement'

Vatican official Ciro Benedittini said that "during the general audience many people hand the Pope different items". He said the Pope was unaware of the message on the sign, "so there is no endorsement of what was written".

However, Mr Hoyo told Argentina's Clarin newspaper that "when he (the Pope) passed by, I explained what this was about and he kindly took the placard and got the picture taken.

"He could have chosen not to do it, but he did."

'Awkward for Vatican' - by James Reynolds in Rome

The best time to try to hand something to the Pope is on Wednesday morning - during his General Audience.

In the four minutes it took Pope Francis to walk through the crowd at his most recent audience, he was offered the following: seven babies (all safely returned), five flags, three shirts, one painting, one boy scout neckerchief, one magazine, and one stuffed toy (a rabbit).

The Argentine campaigners didn't have to fight their way through this crowd. They met the Pope during a quieter moment in the Audience.

The Vatican now finds itself in an awkward position. It allowed the campaigners to meet the Pope - with a possible idea of what they might want. But it also insists that the Pope didn't know what was written on the placard, and is not endorsing the campaigners' cause.

Kissing babies is more straightforward.

Until March 2013, Pope Francis was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires.

The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands are British Overseas Territories

As cardinal he spoke emotionally about the Argentine soldiers who had died in the war, who "went out to defend their mothers, their homeland, and reclaim what is theirs - the homeland - and which was taken from them".

In February 2013 Argentina turned down a UK Foreign Office invitation to meet members of the Falkland Islands government.

Soon afterwards, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner asked him to intervene as Pope and promote a dialogue with the UK on the islands.

A majority of Falkland residents voted in March 2013 to remain a British territory. About 2,900 people live on the islands.

Greece crisis: PM Tsipras 'to hold September election'

Mr Tsipras has faced a rebellion within his ruling hard-left Syriza party over a new bailout deal which has been agreed with international Creditors.Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is set to call a snap election for 20 September, according to Greek media.

Mr Tsipras is to make a televised state address later on Thursday

Greece received the first €13bn ($14.5bn) tranche on Thursday, allowing it to repay a debt to the European Central Bank and avoid a messy default.

But the austerity measures needed for the deal angered many in his party.

Mr Tsipras had to agree to further painful state sector cuts, including far-reaching pension reforms, in exchange for the bailout - and keeping Greece in the eurozone.

The overall bailout package is worth about €86bn over three years. The payment of the first tranche was made on Thursday after the bailout deal - Greece's third in five years - was approved by relevant European parliaments.

Lost majority

Mr Tsipras is to make a televised state address later on Thursday.

He is set to submit his resignation to the president to clear the way for the elections, the media reports said.

Energy and Environment Minister Panos Skourletis said on state TV: "The certainty is that the need for elections has arisen."

Some 43 of Syriza's 149 MPs had either opposed the bailout or abstained in last Friday's Greek parliamentary vote that approved the deal.

The rebellion meant Mr Tsipras, who was elected this January, had effectively lost his parliamentary majority.

Mr Tsipras had won power on a manifesto of opposing the stringent austerity conditions that he has now accepted.

He said he was forced to do so because a majority of Greeks wanted to stay in the eurozone, and this could not be achieved in any other way.

Greece remains under strict capital controls, with weekly limits on cash withdrawals for Greek citizens.

If a government resigns within a year of election, the constitution requires the president to ask the second-largest party - in this case the conservative New Democracy - to try to form an administration.

If this fails, the next largest party must be given a chance. However, analysts say the mandates can be handed back to the president to allow the snap election to go ahead.

Bangkok bomb: Two suspects cleared after handing themselves in

The pair were filmed by security cameras standing near the prime suspect in Monday's blast at the Erawan Shrine, which killed 20 people.Two men identified as suspects in the Bangkok bombing have been cleared of involvement, police say.

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Media captionThe main suspect, in yellow, deposits a backpack on a bench before walking off

The pair were filmed by security cameras standing near the prime suspect in Monday's blast at the Erawan Shrine, which killed 20 people.Two men identified as suspects in the Bangkok bombing have been cleared of involvement, police say.

A police spokesman said they have now discovered one of the men was a Chinese tourist and the other was his Thai tour guide.

Police told the BBC they believe their main suspect is still in Thailand.

Dozens of people were injured in the explosion, with some losing limbs.

Shrapnel

The police had said that at least 10 people were suspected of involvement in the attack, and that the prime suspect was foreign.

What we know so far?

The messy theories behind the Thai bomb

The remains of some of the victims have been released to their families

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Media captionLocals will never forget the bombing, but life goes on at the shrine

Earlier on Thursday, Col Winthai Suvaree, a spokesman for the ruling military junta, said the preliminary conclusion was that it was "unlikely" the attack was the work of an international terror group.

However, he later told Associated Press that a global terrorism link had not been ruled out, saying: "We still have to investigate in more detail."

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says police are also questioning a tuk-tuk taxi driver who drove the main suspect to the shrine, but are making slow progress in identifying the name and nationality of the man in yellow.

He adds that, although the shrine has been cleaned up, a BBC team was still able to find bomb shrapnel embedded in a wall nearby, suggesting the forensic teams have not yet collected all possible evidence from the area.

Thai police released this sketch of the "man in yellow", suspected of planting the bomb

Images released by Thai police show him in a tuk-tuk near the shrine before the bombing...

... and riding away from the scene afterwards on the back of a motorcycle taxi

No-one has yet said they carried out the attack.

National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said he believed the attack was planned at least a month in advance.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has called the bombing the "worst ever attack" on Thailand.

Twelve of the 20 dead in Monday's attack were foreigners, including nationals from China, Hong Kong, the UK, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Bangkok explosion