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Uruguay will no longer grant asylum to Guantanamo prisoners Abu Wael Dhiab went to Argentina in February to campaign for the release of all Guantanamo detainees The new Uruguayan government says it will no longer grant asylum to prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. In December, Uruguay gave sanctuary to six Arab men who had been held at the US base in Cuba for 12 years. Opinion polls said most Uruguayans rejected the decision taken by outgoing President Jose Mujica. Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa also said Uruguay would stop taking refugees from the Syrian conflict. Were it not for Uruguay, I would still be in the black hole in Cuba today Abdelhadi Faraj, Former Guantanamo detainee Decisions on accepting new refugees from Syria will be put on hold "just until the end of the year," Mr Nin Novoa said. Uruguay has f

Yemen minister calls for Gulf military intervention Yemen unrest The Yemeni foreign minister has called for Gulf Arab states to intervene to prevent the advance of Shia Houthi rebels into the south of the country. The Houthis ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi last month, who fled to the southern port city of Aden where he established a rival power base. At the weekend, the Houthis seized Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, bringing them closer to Aden. The UN has warned that Yemen is on the edge of civil war. Mr Hadi's Foreign Minister Riad Yassin told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper he asked the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to intervene, without elaborating what that would mean. He also said he had asked the UN and GCC to impose a no-fly zone, after warplanes hit the presidential palace in Aden over the weekend. The Houthis' rise has alarmed the GCC, and in particular Sunni-controlled Saudi Arabia, which accuses the Houthi

Celebrity Sightings: Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and Jessica Chastain Jennifer Lawrence attends the Cinema Society 'Serena' film screening in New York Picture: Rex

Manmohan Singh: India ex-PM summoned in coal scandal Manmohan Singh's government ran India for a decade until last year Continue reading the main story Related Stories Profile: Manmohan Singh Q&A: India's coal scandal Outrage over India coal scandal A court in India has summoned former PM Manmohan Singh over a corruption scandal involving coal mining licences. Mr Singh and five others have been accused of criminal conspiracy and ordered to appear in court on 8 April. In 2012, federal auditors said India had lost $33bn (£20bn) because coalfield rights were sold off cheaply. Mr Singh, whose government ran India for a decade until last year, said that he was "open for legal scrutiny" and that the "truth will prevail". "I will be able to establish my total innocence. Of course I am upset, but this is part of life," Mr Singh told reporters on Wednesday. Last

Government funding boost for Australia's ailing car industry Australia's remaining car manufacturers have said they plan to pull out of the country in 2017 Continue reading the main story Related Stories The slow death of Australia's car industry Australia car industry seeks revival Toyota to end Australia production The Australian government is to restore hundreds of millions of dollars of funding to the ailing autos sector. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said that A$500m ($384m; £254m) of the taxpayer assistance which was cut in last year's budget would be renewed. Mr Macfarlane said the move would ensure the components sector would survive until at least 2017. Australia's car industry has been in decline for decades, with only three manufacturers left in the country. In recent years, Ford, General Motors' Holden unit and Toyota all said they would stop manufacturing cars in Au

Toyota to end car production in Australia by 2017 Toyota is one of the last remaining carmakers in Australia Continue reading the main story Global Car Industry F1 tech shaping tomorrow's transport Aston Martin battles to reinvent itself Carmakers face technology conundrum Lotus pins profit hopes on new model Toyota is to end its vehicle and engine production in Australia by the end of 2017, effectively marking the end of the country's carmaking industry. The company said it might scale down the operations of its development and technical centre in Australia as well. Last year, Ford and General Motors' Holden unit also announced plans to stop producing cars in Australia. About 2,500 jobs are set to be lost as a result of Toyota's decision, which it attributed to high manufacturing costs. "We believed that we should con

Death of Australia's car industry prompts recession fears By Phil Mercer BBC News, Sydney The car industry in Australia is a shell of what it once was Continue reading the main story Global Car Industry F1 tech shaping tomorrow's transport Aston Martin battles to reinvent itself Carmakers face technology conundrum Lotus pins profit hopes on new model It's been a seismic year for Australia's once-flourishing car industry. Last May, Ford said it would stop manufacturing in Australia, and in December, General Motors' Holden announced that it, too, would be closing down . Now Toyota has decided to close its assembly lines by the end of 2017, prompting warnings that the slow death of car manufacturing in Australia could push parts of the country into recession. Toyota said its move to end produc

Richard Branson calls on Indonesia to spare Bali Nine pair Richard Branson has campaigned against the death penalty, calling it "inhumane" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Relatives visit 'Bali Nine' island prison Watch Australia lodges Bali Nine complaint Australian pair moved for execution Richard Branson has written to the president of Indonesia to ask him to spare the lives of two Australian drug smugglers. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were convicted as ringleaders of the "Bali Nine" drugs ring, are expected to be executed in the coming days. Mr Branson said on Wednesday he is willing to fly to Indonesia "ASAP" to meet President Joko Widodo. Mr Widodo has rejected calls to show Chan and Sukumaran clemency. In his letter to the Indonesian president, Mr Branson, founder of the Virgin group of companies, called the death penalty an "in

Australia eyes indigenous recognition vote By Marie McInerney Melbourne Indigenous Australians represent about 2.5% of Australia's 24 million people Continue reading the main story Related Stories Indigenous recognition call in NSW Abbott governs from indigenous area Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala More than a century after its constitution was drafted, Australia is edging closer to formally recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the nation's first people. Changing the constitution to recognise the nation's first people is not about politics, says Mike Baird, premier of New South Wales - Australia's most populous state. It's about righting a wrong. "It is an important part of who we are, it is an important part of our history," he says. Earlier, this month, Mr Baird became the first state or territory

Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala This week, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is delivering on an election promise and spending a few days in North East Arnhem Land living and working alongside the Yolngu indigenous people. He will be spending a lot of the week in Yirrkala, one of Australia’s most remote communities and a stronghold of aboriginal culture. (Text and images by Hamish Simpson and Juliet Perry) Next image | Previous image | | Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of Yirrkala The Methodist Church of Australasia established a mission in Yirrkala in 1935. Over the decades that followed members of the 13 clans that owned land in the surrounding area were gradually drawn into the mission. Currently Christianity has a strong presence in the community. Church turnouts are high and a Christian belief system is common currency. Inside Australia's remote indigenous community of

Australian PM criticised for remarks on remote communities Tony Abbott has said he supports a plan to close up to 150 remote communities in Western Australia Continue reading the main story Related Stories Australian PM wants indigenous vote Australia edges towards recognition Indigenous recognition call in NSW Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been criticised for suggesting that people living in indigenous communities are making a "lifestyle choice". Visiting Western Australia, Mr Abbott said the government could not "endlessly subsidise" those that chose not to fit in with wider society. He has previously said he supports the planned closure of up to 150 remote communities in Western Australia. Critics have called the remarks "offensive" and "inappropriate". It was announced in September that the federal government would transfer responsibility for fundi

Altaf Hussain: Pakistan's powerful but absent politician Much of the support for MQM and its leader, Altaf Hussain, is in Karachi Continue reading the main story Related Stories Pakistani politician is shot dead Running Pakistan's biggest city - from London Returning to report on my brutal hometown MQM party leader Altaf Hussain is one of Pakistan's longest-serving and most powerful and divisive politicians. Mr Hussain lives in self-imposed exile in London, and has run his party from a nondescript office block in the northern suburb of Edgware since 1992. He addresses mass rallies in the southern city of Karachi by a conference telephone connected to loudspeakers. The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) mostly comprises - and is supported by - the descendants of Muslim Urdu-speaking people known as Mohajirs who migrated to Pakistan from India around the time of the partition of India in 1947. Admirers on

Pakistan: MQM activist arrested over Karachi riots Several clashes broke out in Karachi in May 2007 Continue reading the main story Related Stories Q&A: Karachi violence A local leader of Pakistan's MQM party has appeared in court accused of involvement in violence in Karachi in 2007 which killed at least 45 people. Rafiq Rajput was arrested on Sunday and will be held in detention for 90 days. While in custody he will be questioned further by Rangers paramilitaries, who say he has confessed. However, a senior MQM official denied that Mr Rajput was a criminal, saying that he was a "dignified and honest man" who should not have been arrested. His detention follows a report submitted by the Rangers which found that MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) was responsible for a September 2012 factory fire which killed more than 250 people. The party has rejected the allegations. The BBC'

Pakistan MQM leader Altaf Hussain arrested in London Jump media player Media player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Altaf Hussain's MQM party have been accused of following militant tactics as Shahzeb Jillani reports Continue reading the main story Related Stories Karachi in fear after Altaf Hussain arrest Pair sought over politician's murder Altaf Hussain: Powerful but absent Police in London have arrested the leader of Pakistan's powerful MQM party, Altaf Hussain, on suspicion of money-laundering. Officers are searching a residential address in north-west London where they say a 60-year-old man was detained. Mr Hussain has lived in the UK since 1991, saying his life would be at risk if he returned to Pakistan. His party, which controls Karachi, has urged supporters to stay calm amid outbreaks of violence there. The British and Pakistani authorities have

Parents of Thai ex-princess given jail term for lese majeste The judge reduced the sentence of Srirasmi's parents from five years because they pleaded guilty Continue reading the main story Related Stories The downfall of Princess Srirasmi Thai crown prince's wife quits The parents of a former Thai princess have been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to defaming the monarchy. The parents of Srirasmi Suwadee, who was recently divorced from Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, admitted misusing their royal connections 12 years ago. Since last year, nine of Ms Srirasmi's relatives have been arrested. Thailand's royal family is protected by some of the strictest lese majeste laws in the world. The army staged a coup last year, and have since ramped up the use of lese majeste. The law prohibits any negative comments about the king, queen, heir or regent. It car