Russia protests: Hundreds detained at opposition rallies

Hundreds of people have been detained at anti-corruption rallies in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Riot police in central Moscow were picking protesters out of the crowd at random, a BBC correspondent at the demonstration has said.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained at his home ahead of the protests, according to his wife.

Thousands of supporters have heeded his call to take to the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities.

OVD-Info, an independent NGO, told Russian media that 600 people had been detained at the Moscow protest and 300 at the rally in St Petersburg.

Police in Moscow say about 5,000 took part in the demonstration there, Interfax news agency reports.

"Alexei [Navalny] has been arrested in the entrance to our block of flats," Yuliya Navalnaya wrote on Twitter, ahead of the demonstration.

Mr Navalny, who intends to stand for the Russian presidency next year, had been due to attend the unauthorised rally in central Moscow.

• Russia's vociferous opposition leader
• Why Navalny rattles the Kremlin

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'Many young plucked from the crowd' - by BBC's Sarah Rainsford, central Moscow

This was a peculiar protest.

At first it was hard to tell who was taking part. Tverskaya Street was full of families marking Russia Day with entertainers in historical costumes.

Then thousands of protesters turned up. Huge numbers of riot police were right behind them.

First they announced that the rally was illegal then the arrests began. We saw dozens of people plucked from the crowd - many of them young - and dragged roughly towards police buses.

By calling people to an unauthorised rally, Alexei Navalny knew he was risking a confrontation. The police duly obliged.

But people I spoke to said they knew the risk and still wanted their voices to be heard. Among other things, those voices chanted loudly: "Putin, thief!" and "Russia will be free".

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In a live broadcast by the Russian liberal TV channel, Dozhd, protesters in St Petersburg could be heard shouting "shame" as they were detained by police. Among those arrested was Maxim Reznik, the city's legislative assembly deputy.

Prominent activist Daniil Ken said he was arrested as he left his home in St Petersburg. He urged people to join the rally at the city's Champ de Mars square. "Go for me, please!" he tweeted. He has since been released.

Police had earlier detained several people at demonstrations in the cities of Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk and Kazan.

Mr Navalny was earlier granted permission to hold a rally at Sakharova Avenue but changed the location - without permission - on the eve of the demonstration to Tverskaya Street, near the Kremlin.

The protest was called over government plans to demolish Soviet-era apartment blocks in the city.

• LISTEN: Moscow's controversial redevelopment plan

• Permission was granted for demonstrations in 169 locations across the country, some of which were broadcast live on the Navalny Live YouTube channel.
  The protests coincided with a series of official events - including festivals, concerts and military enactments - taking place across the country to mark Russia Day, the national holiday dedicated to the 1990 declaration of sovereignty.
  Similar rallies led by Mr Navalny in March led to hundreds of arrests.
  Those protests were the largest since 2012, drawing thousands of people - including many teenagers - to rallies nationwide, angered by a report published by Mr Navalny that accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of corruption.
• WATCH: US film-maker Oliver Stone talks about his Vladimir Putin documentary
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• BBC NEWS

China Eastern plane lands at Sydney with hole in engine

A China Eastern Airlines plane has had to turn back to Sydney airport after a technical failure which left a hole in an engine casing.

Flight MU736 was heading from Sydney, Australia to Shanghai, but the pilot reported problems with the engine about one hour after taking off.

Passengers, who had to spend the night in Sydney, told media they smelt something burning inside the aircraft.

The Airbus A330 landed safely and there were no reports of injuries.

Images circulating on social media showed a large hole in the engine casing.

Several passengers said they had heard a loud sound coming from the left engine shortly after take-off.

One passenger told Australia's Seven News network: "All of a sudden we heard this noise... it kind of smelt like burning".

"I was really scared. Our group was terrified."

One woman on the flight told news agency Reuters: "The cabin crew went out and told us to fasten our seatbelts and tried to calm us down, but we were actually very panicked because we had no idea what was happening."

Passengers said the crew cleared the seats near the affected engine.

China Eastern Airlines said in a statement to the media that the crew had "observed the abnormal situation of the left engine and decided to return to Sydney airport immediately".

It added that all passengers would be placed on flights leaving on Monday.

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Aviation safety authorities are now investigating.

'Too early to link'

Aviation expert Greg Waldron of consulting firm FlightGlobal told the BBC that it would be "difficult to say at this early juncture what caused such extensive damage" to the China Eastern plane.

He said investigators would likely look at all possible factors and examine maintenance records of the aircraft and engine. "They will also carefully assess whether a foreign object may have played a role in this," he said.

Last month, industry websites The Aviation Herald and Aero.de published pictures from social media appearing to show a similar hole in another aeroplane's engine casing.

Mr Waldron added it would be "too early" to say whether the Sydney incident was linked to other cases, but it would be something investigators would consider

 

BBC NEWS

Donations pour in for robbed Indonesian banana-seller

Netizens in Indonesia have rallied together in support of an elderly banana-seller who said he was robbed of more than 1m rupiah ($80; £62).

Suratman, 94, said he was approached by a driver and asked to enter a vehicle to sell his fruits.

When inside, two men forced Mr Suratman to empty his pockets. They kicked him out afterwards and drove away, he said.

Tommy Reza posted a video online of a distressed Mr Suratman, which has since drawn sympathy and donations.

In the post, Mr Reza said Mr Suratman told him he was planning to use the stolen money to buy new furniture in celebration of the Eid al-Fitr festival later this month

 

 The incident happened in the province of Jambi on Sumatra island. Tommy Reza told BBC News that he came across Mr Suratman in tears.
"I just happened to be in the area when I saw a man shouting for help," he said.
Mr Reza told his story on Facebook and friends started getting in touch to help. That's when he decided to start a fundraising collection to get Mr Suratman his money back.
"Many people from Jambi and even overseas from places like Hong Kong and Malaysia got in touch to ask me where they could donate money," he said.

Image copyright Facebook: TommyReza Chokolatoz

 

 Many people also posted comments about their outrage and anger at the incident.
"This is disgusting on so many levels," wrote Calista Primalia on Facebook.
"First, it says a lot about you if you pick on an old man who is just trying to earn a living. And to think anyone would have the heart to carry out such an ugly deed during fasting month. Shame on them all."
Angie Kuron, who watched the video, said: "I cried because of the unfairness of it all. Is this what our country has been reduced to? I hope that the authorities will catch these crooks soon."
Since the viral post, more than 37m rupiah has been raised for Mr Suratman. The local governor later also donated 5m rupiah and bought his remaining banana stock.
Mr Reza posted pictures of himself delivering the money to the family.
"He was very grateful and he was praying. I told him that I was only the messenger," Mr Reza said.
"Indonesians are amazing. I'm touched by their compassion towards one another." 

Reporting by the BBC's Heather Chen and BBC Indonesia.

 

 

Brazil teen tattooed with 'I'm a thief' over bike theft accusations

Two men have been arrested and charged with torture in south-eastern Brazil accused of tattooing "I'm a thief" on the forehead of a teenager, police say.

The suspects said the 17-year-old boy had tried to steal a bike, which he denies. His family says he has mental health problems and is a drug user.

Police identified the men after they shared a video online of them making the tattoo.

An online campaign has been created to help the boy get the tattoo removed.

The suspects, aged 27 and 29, confessed to writing the message, which said in Portuguese "I'm a thief and loser", as a "punishment".

Police in the city of Sao Bernardo do Campo, in Sao Paulo state, have not yet confirmed that the attempted robbery took place.

The boy said he had fallen over the bike for being "very drunk", but that he was not trying to steal it.

The two men caught the boy, tied his hands and feet and said they would tattoo him, he added.

"I asked them to make the tattoo on my arm but they said they would do it on my forehead and started laughing," he told Folha de S.Paulo newspaper (in Portuguese).

"I begged them to break my arms and legs instead."

In the video, the boy, who seemed frightened, is seated on a chair but not tied, while a man with a tattoo machine holds him by the hair. The man who is filming laughs and says: "It's going to hurt."

The boy also had his hair cut by the suspects after he tried to hide the tattoo.

The teenager's family said he had gone missing on 31 May and recognised him after seeing the video, which was uploaded on Friday. He was reunited with his family on Sunday.

 BBC NEWS

Stormont collapse: Power-sharing talks to reconvene

Talks to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland are set to resume amid uncertainty about an anticipated DUP-Conservative parliamentary deal.

Talks aimed at restoring the executive were previously put on hold due to the UK general election.

The deadline for an agreement to be reached has been extended to 29 June.

Speaking ahead of the talks, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said no deal between the Conservatives and the DUP would be good for Northern Ireland.

Devolved government in Northern Ireland broke down in Janu

• Further discussions over DUP-Tory deal
• New Stormont talks deadline - 29 June
• Parties' red lines in Stormont talks

 

ary and there has been political deadlock following a snap assembly election in March.

Stormont leaders are expected to meet Secretary of State James Brokenshire and the Irish minister for foreign affairs later on Monday.

If no executive is formed, Mr Brokenshire has warned Northern Ireland may face direct rule.

The secretary of state said he would continue to chair the talks, despite calls for an "independent broker".

"The point is that we have a process already, which involves, yes the UK government, but the Irish government too and also the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service," he said.

"That is something that was working to bring the parties together, I think that remains absolutely the way to approach this."

He said if there was no agreement by 29 June, Northern Ireland could face direct rule.

Mr Adams said Sinn Féin did not believe that "any deal between the DUP here and the English Tories will be good for the people here".

"Any deal that undercuts, in any way, the process here or the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements is one that has to be opposed by progressives, and that puts a huge onus on the taoiseach, and there's an incoming taoiseach [Leo Varadkar]," he said.

"I think [outgoing] Taoiseach [Enda] Kenny was right when he expressed concerns about this deal directly with the British prime minister."

Earlier, Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy said it "would be kind to describe Mr Brokenshire as delusional".

"His government won't exist unless the DUP allow it to exist and the fact that they will be dependent on them conflicts him even more."

Leo Varadkar, the new leader of Ireland's Fine Gael party, has said he will raise with Theresa May the importance of impartiality in the Stormont talks.

He said it was important that the two governments, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, should not be too close to either unionism, or nationalists and republicans.

Mr Varadkar is expected to become Irish prime minister later this week in a parliamentary vote on Enda Kenny's successor.

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Analysis - Enda McClafferty, BBC News NI Political Correspondent

All the parties will be back at Stormont today, but it is likely that the focus will be on political partnerships in London and not Belfast.

The DUP is up for supporting a Conservative Government but only if its demands are met.

That support will involve backing Theresa May in any confidence vote and supporting her government's budgets.

As yet there are no details on what the DUP wants in return but it is thought its demands will include extra cash for Northern Ireland.

But some say the real cost of a deal could be the future of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance say any partnership between the DUP and Conservatives could scupper plans to restore the institutions.

It is fast becoming a game of political poker with high stakes.

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The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said he was "looking forward to the talks process getting under way again".

"It is now more important than ever that we have effective devolved government in Northern Ireland, especially with Brexit negotiations due to begin shortly," he said.

"It is absolutely crucial that the voice of Northern Ireland should be heard in these negotiations through a newly-formed power sharing executive."

Meanwhile, DUP leader Arlene Foster is due to meet the prime minister on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a DUP-supported Conservative government at Westminster.

The SDLP and Alliance Party have echoed Sinn Féin's concerns that such a partnership could make power-sharing at Stormont more difficult.

The former Labour secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster a DUP-Conservative arrangement could have a negative impact on the talks.

"My concern is that it jeopardises the neutrality, the non-partisan stance, that a prime minister and a secretary of state must have in relation to Northern Ireland's politics," he said.

"If I, as secretary of state, or for that matter Tony Blair, were seen to be aligned with any one party in Northern Ireland, it would have compromised the trust we needed to build with any other party."

Under Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement, the executive must be jointly run by unionists and nationalists, with the largest party putting forward a candidate for first minister.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness quit as deputy first minister in January in protest against the DUP's handling of a botched green energy scheme.

The party said it would not share power with DUP leader Arlene Foster as first minister until the conclusion of a public inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

Mr McGuinness, who had been suffering from a rare heart condition, died earlier this year.

 

BBC NEWS

UK election result 'may delay Brexit talks'

The UK general election result could delay Brexit talks and be negative for the economy, credit ratings agencies Moody's and S&P have warned.

The Brexit negotiations with the EU were due to start on 19 June but Moody's said the fact that the Conservatives had lost their majority would delay the start of the talks.

It will "complicate and probably delay Brexit negotiations," it warned.

Moody's said it could also further pressure the UK's public finances.

The "inconclusive" outcome of the general election could mean the government places less of a priority on cutting the budget deficit. This would be negative for the UK's credit rating and make it more expensive for the country to borrow money.

As a result, Moody's said it expected fiscal risks to increase, because in its view the budget deficit will increase this year and next.

"The election outcome, with significant gains for the Labour Party, which had campaigned for increased public spending, will likely be seen as a 'vote against austerity', it added.

"The public debt ratio will rise further and for longer than we had expected, placing the UK among the few highly rated European sovereigns whose public debt is still rising."

However, Moody's said the election result suggested an "electoral shift" away from the "hard Brexit" that Prime Minister Theresa May, had ostensibly sought.

As a result, Moody's said the government may now consider "softer" Brexit options, which would be positive for the country's credit rating, it said.

"Hence, a move towards "softer" versions of Brexit - potentially with continued access of some sort to the single market - might now be considered," it said.

'Another snap election'

Meanwhile, S&P Global Ratings released a note saying the outcome of the snap election and the hung parliament should have no immediate impact on the UK's rating.

"Our ratings on the UK already take into account a less predictable policy framework following the vote to leave the EU in June 2016," it said.

It also said it believed the lack of an overall majority for any one part was likely to delay Brexit negotiations.

"Furthermore, we do not exclude the possibility of another snap election," it added.

Separately, S&P economist Jean-Michel Six said "In terms of the [UK's} outlook for growth, it's clear that things are not going in the right direction."

"This latest bit of instability can only weaken the business environment and consumer confidence, " he said.

Standard and Poor's (S&P) said the UK credit outlook remained negative.

Moody's rates the UK credit worthiness as Aa1 negative, one notch above the other two main ratings agencies, including S&P. 

BBC NEWS

Campaigners challenge Forth and Tay wind farm plans

Campaigners have appealed against a ruling which gave the go-ahead for four controversial wind farm projects in the firths of Forth and Tay.

RSPB Scotland had objected to the developments which, they say, threaten thousands of seabirds.

After winning the initial challenge, an appeal was lodged by Scottish ministers and the ruling was overturned last month.

The charity has confirmed it has started a legal challenge.

It is seeking permission from the Inner House of the Court of Session to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

The Scottish government has declined to comment on the legal action, but stressed its belief in the importance of offshore wind projects.

Image copyright PA

 

 After last month's ruling, one of the developers, Mainstream Renewable Power, said it would immediately press on with construction work.
The company estimates its project alone would create 500 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent operational roles.
The Inch Cape, Neart na Gaoithe and Seagreen Alpha and Bravo projects were approved by Scottish ministers in 2014.
It has been estimated that they could generate up to £1.2bn for the Scottish economy and power 1.4 million homes.
But RSPB Scotland raised concerns that the wind farms risked birds like puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.

'Worrying precedents'

Director Anne McCall said: "RSPB Scotland continues to fully support the development of renewable energy and the vast majority of projects continue to pose no significant threat to birds or other wildlife.
"However, we are concerned that this judgment could set worrying precedents for the protection of wildlife across Scotland and the UK.
"In light of our concerns we have decided to start the appeal process by applying to the Inner House for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court."
A statement from Mainstream Renewable Power said: "We are committed to working with all our partners, including the RSPB, to deliver this nationally-significant infrastructure project and the vitally important jobs and investment that it will create.
"Neart na Gaoithe is a £2bn project capable of supplying all the homes in a city the size of Edinburgh with clean energy and is the only project out of the four offshore wind projects in the Forth and Tay to hold a Contract for Difference (CfD)."

Climate change

It added: "Rapid advances in offshore wind technology have enabled us to reduce the number of turbines to be installed from 125 in the original consent application in 2012, to a maximum of 64 turbines today."
A Scottish government spokesman said: "Protecting the environment and fighting climate change are key priorities for the Scottish government.
"Offshore wind has an important role to play in Scotland's energy future, and offers valuable opportunities to reduce the carbon emissions which lead to climate change and create jobs too.

BBC NEWS