Indian-built Arihant nuclear submarine activated

India has activated the reactor on board the INS Arihant nuclear submarine, the first to be designed and built in India.

The move means the submarine can now undergo sea trials.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed the "giant stride in... our indigenous technological capabilities".

Experts say is the first ballistic missile submarine known to have been built outside the five recognised nuclear powers.

The prime minister's wife helped unveil the Arihant in a ceremony in 2009

Last year, India rejoined those countries - the US, UK, France, Russia and China - in being an operator of nuclear-powered submarines when it formally commissioned a Russian-built submarine into its navy.

Nuclear submarines will add a third dimension to India's defence capability, as it has previously only been able to launch ballistic missiles from the air and from land.

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Analysis

Jonathan MarcusBBC defence and diplomatic correspondent

Previously, only the established nuclear powers have operated ballistic missile-carrying nuclear submarines - though it is not clear if China's missile-carrying boats have actually ever been operationally deployed. Israel too may have a limited sea-based deterrent capability.

The fact that this submarine, the nuclear reactor that powers it, and the ballistic missiles that it will fire are all manufactured locally in India - though there may have been some assistance from Russia - is a significant technological achievement.

Once operational, the Arihant will mark a strategic milestone as well. India's deployment of a nuclear triad - the capacity to launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and air - will influence the strategic calculations of other nuclear players in the region, Pakistan and certainly China.

An Indian sea-based deterrent will add a significant new dimension to nuclear rivalries in the region.

Assuming its sea trials are completed successfully, India's new nuclear-powered submarine could be operational within the next two years, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus reports.

Russian alliance

When it is eventually deployed, the Arihant will be able to carry a crew of about 100 sailors on board.

It will be able to stay under water for long periods and thereby increase its chances of remaining undetected.

By contrast, India's ageing conventional diesel-powered submarines need to surface frequently to recharge their batteries.

Last year India leased the Russian-built nuclear-powered submarine the INS Chakra for the next 10 years at a cost of about $1bn (£630m).

India had previously operated a Soviet nuclear submarine until 1991.

India and Russia are long-time allies, and Russia supplies 70% of India's military hardware.

Russia is also expected to help India train the Arihant's crew. The crew of the Chakra underwent their training in a secretive programme in St Petersburg.

Islam gaffe candidate Banister quits Australia election

Footage of the TV interview with Stephanie Banister

An Australian election candidate who was widely mocked after she mistook Islam for a country in a TV interview has withdrawn her candidacy.

Stephanie Banister, 27, was contesting a seat in Queensland for the anti-immigration One Nation Party. She had only been in politics for 48 hours.

Ms Banister also confused the term "haram" (forbidden) with the Koran and suggested Jews worshipped Jesus Christ.

The interview, which aired early this week, went viral on social media.

''I don't oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,'' Ms Banister told Seven News reporter Erin Edwards.

'Quite the fool'

She announced her withdrawal from the election on Saturday.

"With the way Channel Seven edited my interview, I was left quite the fool," Ms Banister said in a brief statement.

"I'd like to apologise to One Nation, to my friends and family, for any embarrassment this has brought to them."

One newspaper headline said Ms Banister had managed to put Islam literally on the map.

The leader of One Nation, Jim Savage, said Ms Banister continued to have the "full support" of the party executive.

He said she had been under "enormous pressure", including threats to her and her family.

Commentators compared Ms Banister to Sarah Palin, the gaffe-prone Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US election.

Even before this interview, Ms Banister was regarded as a rank outsider to win her seat, says the BBC's Jon Donnison, in Sydney.

The mother-of-two rose to prominence when she was arrested for going into a supermarket and putting stickers saying "halal food funds terrorism" on Nestle products.

She is facing charges of "contaminating or interfering with goods". If convicted before polling day, she would have been barred from standing.

Redheads stage Ginger Pride march at Edinburgh Fringe

Hitchins led scores of marchers through the streets of the Scottish capital

People with red hair have shown their true colours in a march through Edinburgh.

It had been billed as the UK's first Ginger Pride Walk and was part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Marchers gathered outside the Balmoral Hotel from 11:00, with the event being led by Canadian comedian and proud redhead, Shawn Hitchins.

He said it was a fun way to stand up against prejudice and those who poke fun at people with ginger hair.

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“Start Quote

I hope it's not just me - and I hope it doesn't look like the battle scene in Braveheart”

Shawn HitchinsComedian

Scotland is said to be home to almost a fifth of the world's redheads.

Speaking ahead of the march, Hitchins said: "Even although it isn't a real word, gingerism exists and bullying exists and you can't deny that kids are being subjected to taunts or being bullied in schools just for having red hair.

"In Canada there's not a lot of redheads, and for me as a really ridiculously gay kid, having red hair only heightened my sense of isolation because nobody looked like me, nobody lisped like me or burnt under the sun like I did."

The comedian said he was not sure how many people were likely to take part in the march, adding: "I hope its not just me - and I hope it doesn't look like the battle scene in Braveheart."

The event has generated a considerable amount of online interest, with Hitchins admitting he had been surprised at the number of ginger websites, blogs and activists.

He added: "They've all been in touch with me. It's almost like I've opened a door and realised there was an actual party on the other side.

"One day this week I was approached by a priest who came over, grabbed my shoulder said 'I love what you're doing with your affirmation march' and gave me two thumbs up."

Slogans prepared for the parade were said to include "Ginger and proud", "For the love of ginger", and "All hail! The red, orange and pale."

Belfast riots: 56 police officers injured during parade protests

Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott condemned the rioters.

The number of police officers injured during loyalist protests against a republican parade in central Belfast is 56.

The police fired 26 plastic bullets and made seven arrests on Friday evening amid sustained rioting in Royal Avenue.

Northern Ireland's Chief Constable Matt Baggott described the violence as "mindless anarchy" and "thuggery".

He praised his officers, saying they had put their lives on the line to protect the rule of law.

"I want to, as ever, commend my colleagues for their immense courage last night. I have no doubt whatsoever that they prevented that anarchy from spreading and without that courage, many lives may well have been lost," Mr Baggott said.

Officers hospitalised

He added that those who attacked police had "no intention of peaceful protest".

Bricks and fireworks were thrown at officers, and they were also attacked with scaffolding poles and paving stones ripped from the city's streets.

A PSNI spokeswoman said four of the injured officers needed hospital treatment and one of them remained in hospital.

Dozens of police officers were injured during loyalist protests against a republican parade

In addition to plastic bullets, police also used water cannon and dogs during the disorder.

The seven people who have been arrested were detained on suspicion of offences including riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour and hijacking.

Mr Baggott said: "We made arrests last night where we could, you can be assured that many more will follow."

He added: "I have no doubt whatsoever that significant custodial sentences will be handed down in the weeks and months that follow. The prisons will be bulging, sadly."

Shops damaged

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers described the violence and attacks on police as "shameful".

She said what had happened was a "hugely regrettable step backwards" after Northern Ireland's recent successes at hosting the G8 summit and World Police and Fire Games.

The trouble began when loyalists staged a demonstration in the city centre, against a republican parade that was due to pass along Royal Avenue, one of Belfast's main shopping districts.

Theresa Villiers MP: "It is outrageous that police officers were attacked."

The protesters attacked the police with bricks and bottles as they waited for the parade to arrive.

Police said they came under heavy and sustained attack by crowds "intent on creating disorder".

A number of parked vehicles were set on fire in the nearby North Street area and a number of shops and a pub were damaged during the violence.

'Heavy-handed'

Officers also said they had reports that two members of the public had been injured.

Some loyalists accused the police of being heavy-handed.

The commander in charge of the policing operation, ACC George Hamilton, said significant numbers of people began to gather in Royal Avenue at about 17:30 BST on Friday.

"There was absolutely no organisation, no coordination and no leadership around any of those protests. We saw numbers swell to around 1,200 people and it was evident that many of them had violent intent.

"There was no attempt whatsoever that we could see of any organised or coordinated protest activity in line with that which had been notified to the Parades Commission."

ACC Hamilton said police stopped the republican marchers in North Queen Street, while officers "faced huge personal risk" trying to clear protesters from Royal Avenue to make it passable for the parade.

However, he said that after a 25 minute delay the parade organisers decided to avoid Royal Avenue and take a different route towards Carrick Hill, Millfield and into west Belfast.

"The police did not reroute the parade away from Royal Avenue and in fact we were within minutes of having Royal Avenue cleared to allow the parade to go through," ACC Hamilton said.

Major operation

The parade and the protesters later confronted each other about 100 metres apart and what the police have described as serious disorder took place in the Carrick Hill, Peter's Hill and Millfield areas, just north of the city centre.

The parade then passed into west Belfast after protesters were pushed back towards the Shankill area.

Police put in place a major operation ahead of the parade, involving hundreds of officers and dozens of vehicles.

The march, which started in north Belfast, marked the introduction of internment in 1971.

The Parades Commission had given permission for six loyalist protests against the parade. Numbers were restricted at four of them.

Iraq unrest: Eid al-Fitr bomb attacks kill dozens

The bombs mainly targeted Baghdad, but Nasiriya, 375km to the south, was also hit

A wave of bomb attacks has hit Iraq as people celebrated the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of Ramadan, with more than 60 reported dead.

Eleven bombs targeted both Shia and Sunni areas of the capital, Baghdad, hitting cafes, markets and restaurants in at least nine different districts.

A bomb also killed at least 10 people in Tuz Khurmato, north of the capital.

This Ramadan in Iraq is thought to have been one of the deadliest in years, with more than 670 people killed.

Most of the violence in the past six months has involved Sunni Islamist militant groups targeting Shia Muslim districts.

More than 4,000 people have died in such attacks this year. A further 9,865 have been injured, with Baghdad province the worst hit.

Maliki vow

More than 170 people were reported injured in the latest wave of violence.

The capital's deadliest car bomb attack on Saturday struck in the evening near an outdoor market in the south-eastern suburb of Jisr Diyala, police said, killing seven people and injuring 20.

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Recent Attacks

• 12 July Bomb at cafe in Kirkuk kills 38
• 13 July Bomb attacks near Sunni mosques in Baghdad kill 21
• 14 July At least 34 killed in bombings in several cities
• 19 July Twenty killed at a Sunni mosque in central Iraq
• 20 July Car bombs in Baghdad kill 30
• 6 August Bomb attacks in and around Baghdad kill at least 41
• 10 August Bombs in Baghdad and elsewhere kill at least 50

• Iraq's uncertain future amid wave of violence

Correspondents say the areas struck in the capital were both Shia and Sunni districts.

Among the areas struck were Amil, Abu Dashir, Khazimiya, Baiyaa, Shaab, Husseiniya and Dora.

Saif Mousa, the owner of a shoe store in the mainly Shia New Baghdad, said he was sitting in his shop when he heard an explosion outside.

He told the Associated Press news agency: "My shop's windows were smashed and smoke filled the whole area. I went outside of the shop and I could hardly see because of the smoke. We had a terrible day that was supposed to be nice."

At least another 10 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Tuz Khurmato, 170km (105 miles) north of Baghdad.

Other attacks were reported in the Shia holy city of Karbala, 80km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, and Nasiriya, 375km (230 miles) south of the capital.

Another went off near a Shia mosque in the northern city of Kirkuk.

Last week Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to continue operations against militants, saying: "We will not leave our children to these murderers and those standing behind them and supporting both inside and outside."

Many Sunnis accuse Mr Maliki's Shia-led government of marginalising them.

The tensions this year were fuelled in April when Iraqi security forces broke up an anti-government Sunni protest in the city of Hawija, killing and wounding dozens of protesters.

Iraqis had been trying to enjoy the Eid al-Fitr holiday

Then last month, hundreds of inmates escaped after gunmen stormed two jails near Baghdad - Abu Ghraib to the west of the capital and Taji to the north.

The spike in violence in Iraq has raised fears of a return to the levels of sectarian killing seen following the US invasion 10 years ago, and has led commentators to discuss once again the prospect of partition along community lines.

The Iraqi government has also faced widespread criticism over corruption and the provision of basic services.

The conflict in neighbouring Syria, itself increasingly taking the form of a Sunni-Shia sectarian conflict, is further straining community relations in Iraq.

Nairobi airport fire: Police questioned over looting

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined

Police officers and airport workers are being questioned over suspected acts of looting during this week's fire at an airport in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

Investigators said some of the acts had been caught on security cameras. Items stolen included cash and alcohol.

The cause of Wednesday's fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has not yet been determined.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has ruled out terrorism but warned those responsible would be punished.

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Jomo Kenyatta Airport

• Busiest airport in east and central Africa, and seventh busiest in Africa
• Handles six million passengers a year
• Hub for neighbouring countries as well as cities as far away as Lagos, Johannesburg and Cairo - as well as gateway to continent for Europe and Asia
• Serves 49 destinations in 23 countries, across five continents
• Key export point for Kenya's flower industry, one of the country's top foreign exchange earners - Kenyan flowers account for 35% of flowers imported into the EU

Seven police officers, including an inspector, are being questioned over suspected looting.

One investigator told Agence France-Presse: "It is embarrassing because some of them concentrated on looting instead of raising alarms.

"We're questioning all of them. Police officers, immigration staff, civilians who work in other areas and even taxi drivers."

The suspects could appear in court on Monday, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reported.

The fire took about four hours to bring under control, by which time the arrivals hall had been gutted.

The airport is a regional hub, serving more than 16,000 passengers daily, and its closure caused widespread disruption.

President Kenyatta said on Friday: "There was no element of terror, no evidence of explosions or improvised explosive devices in this incident," adding that "those responsible for negligence will have to be punished".

The fire was believed to have started in the immigration zone

Ex-Microsoft exec Bill Henningsgaard dies in plane crash

The reason the plane crashed is not yet clear

A former director of technology firm Microsoft has died in a plane crash in the US, his family has confirmed.

Bill Henningsgaard, 54, was on board his own plane with his 17-year-old son Maxwell when the plane came down near Connecticut's Tweed New Haven airport.

Mr Henningsgaard, a Microsoft marketing executive for 14 years, had been travelling to the East Coast to help his son to choose a college.

The plane crashed into two homes, and two children are also feared dead.

The two homes in the town of East Haven caught fire. One witness said a woman was screaming that her children were trapped inside one of them.

A fire official has confirmed that four bodies were recovered from the site overnight.

The plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.

Mr Henningsgaard worked at Microsoft from 1988 to 2002 before leaving the company to concentrate on philanthropy.

Social Venture Partners, a charitable foundation he helped to set up, paid tribute to him as someone who was "truly all-in for this community, heart, mind and soul".

The plane, a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B, crashed at about 11:25 local time (15:25 GMT) on Friday as it approached the airport in rainy weather, say officials.

Tweed's airport manager said the pilot had been speaking to air traffic control, but did not issue any distress calls.

"All we know is that it missed the approach and continued on," said Lori Hoffman-Soares. "There were no distress calls as far as we know."

Indonesia volcano eruption: Six dead on Palue

The eruption could be seen from the Maurole district of East Nusa Tenggara province

Six people have been killed in a volcanic eruption on a tiny island in Indonesia, officials have said.

Mount Rokatenda, on the island of Palue some 2,000km (1,250 miles) east of Jakarta, spewed ash and rocks 2km into the air.

Disaster officials said hot ash covered a nearby beach, leaving four adults and two children dead.

The volcano had been rumbling since late last year, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

A 3km exclusion zone was set up after an eruption last October.

But Surono, a spokesman from Indonesia's volcanology agency, said many villagers had become accustomed to the volcanic activity and ignored the mandatory evacuation order.

Palue has a population of some 10,000 people.

Mr Surono said the latest eruption had begun at 04:27 on Saturday (20:27 GMT Friday) and lasted for nearly four hours.

He urged villagers to stay clear of the affected area, saying it was difficult to predict if there would be further eruptions.

Palue is about 4km wide and lies a short distance off the north coast of Flores, the main island in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The ACT Alliance humanitarian group reported in April that eruptions in Palue in October and again in March this year had forced hundreds of people from their villages, with significant losses of income in farming, trade and fishing.

Much of the Indonesian archipelago lies on the Pacific "ring of fire", an area prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

At least 350 people died and 250,000 were displaced when Mount Merapi in central Java erupted in 2010.

Iraqi Kurd leader Massoud Barzani issues Syria warning

Kurdish militias in northern Syria have recently been fighting jihadist forces

The president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has threatened to intervene to defend the Kurdish population caught up in Syria's unrest.

Massoud Barzani said if Kurds were "under threat of death and terrorism" then Iraqi Kurdistan would be "prepared to defend them".

Recent fighting between Kurds and Islamist anti-government forces have left dozens dead in northern Syria.

Kurds make up about 10% of the Syrian population.

Massoud Barzani called for a delegation to visit the Kurdish areas in Syria

They are largely concentrated in the north-east, towards the Turkish border.

The areas have been run by Kurdish local councils and militia since President Bashar al-Assad's forces withdrew last year.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in the 28-month conflict in Syria, with a further 1.7 million Syrians forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries, according to UN estimates.

'All capabilities'

Syrian Kurdish militia have been engaged in fierce fighting recently with the jihadists of the anti-Assad al-Nusra Front.

Mr Barzani called for a delegation to visit the Kurdish areas in Syria.

He said if the delegation found evidence of "terrorists" killing Kurds, then Iraqi Kurdistan would "make use of all its capabilities to defend the Kurdish women, children and citizens in western Kurdistan".

The majority of Syria's Kurds reside in the north

Mr Barzani gave no details of what form any intervention might take.

Iraqi Kurdistan comprises three provinces in northern Iraq. It has its own military and police force.

Syria's ethnic Kurdish minority has faced decades of discrimination and marginalisation under Assad rule, with Syrian Kurds staging their own anti-government protests after the Syria conflict began in March 2011.

But most of the fighting recently has been against Islamist rebels.

Last month a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician, Isa Huso, was killed by a car bomb in the north-eastern town of Qamishli.

Kurdish militiamen responded with a call to arms to fight jihadists.

Indonesia volcano eruption: Six dead on Palue

The eruption could be seen from the Maurole district of East Nusa Tenggara province

Six people have been killed in a volcanic eruption on a tiny island in Indonesia, officials have said.

Mount Rokatenda, on the island of Palue some 2,000km (1,250 miles) east of Jakarta, spewed ash and rocks 2km into the air.

Disaster officials said hot ash covered a nearby beach, leaving four adults and two children dead.

The volcano had been rumbling since late last year, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

A 3km exclusion zone was set up after an eruption last October.

But Surono, a spokesman from Indonesia's volcanology agency, said many villagers had become accustomed to the volcanic activity and ignored the mandatory evacuation order.

Palue has a population of some 10,000 people.

Mr Surono said the latest eruption had begun at 04:27 on Saturday (20:27 GMT Friday) and lasted for nearly four hours.

He urged villagers to stay clear of the affected area, saying it was difficult to predict if there would be further eruptions.

Palue is about 4km wide and lies a short distance off the north coast of Flores, the main island in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The ACT Alliance humanitarian group reported in April that eruptions in Palue in October and again in March this year had forced hundreds of people from their villages, with significant losses of income in farming, trade and fishing.

Much of the Indonesian archipelago lies on the Pacific "ring of fire", an area prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

At least 350 people died and 250,000 were displaced when Mount Merapi in central Java erupted in 2010.

Indian troops enforce curfew in Kashmir town of Kishtwar

The situation in Kishtwar was said to be tense after police clashed with protesters

Indian troops have fired warning shots to enforce a curfew in the Kashmiri town of Kishtwar.

On Friday, clashes between Muslims and Hindus in the town left two dead and more than 20 injured.

Violence reportedly erupted after Hindus objected to Muslims chanting anti-India slogans after prayers.

Tensions have risen since five Indian soldiers were killed on Tuesday close to the Line of Control which separates the disputed region.

Troops in armoured cars have been deployed to enforce a second day of curfew in Kishtwar, around 200km (120 miles) southeast of the region's main city Srinagar.

Several shops, two hotels and a gas station were set on fire in Friday's unrest, which saw Hindus and Muslims attack each other with firearms, stones and sticks.

Indian officials have blamed the Pakistani army for Tuesday's attack on Indian soldiers, an accusation which Pakistan vehemently denied.

Kashmir is claimed by both countries and has been a flashpoint for conflict for more than 60 years.

The two sides agreed a ceasefire along the Line of Control in November 2003.

But both have blamed each other for occasional firing across the line which has resulted in several soldiers and civilians being killed or wounded.

Thousands of people have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir since a revolt against Indian rule erupted in 1989.

Ex-Microsoft exec Bill Henningsgaard dies in plane crash

The reason the plane crashed is not yet clear

A former director of technology firm Microsoft has died in a plane crash in the US, his family has confirmed.

Bill Henningsgaard, 54, was on board his own plane with his 17-year-old son Maxwell when the plane came down near Connecticut's Tweed New Haven airport.

Mr Henningsgaard, a Microsoft marketing executive for 14 years, had been travelling to the East Coast to help his son to choose a college.

The plane crashed into two homes, and two children are also feared dead.

The two homes in the town of East Haven caught fire. One witness said a woman was screaming that her children were trapped inside one of them.

A fire official has confirmed that four bodies were recovered from the site overnight.

The plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.

Mr Henningsgaard worked at Microsoft from 1988 to 2002 before leaving the company to concentrate on philanthropy.

Social Venture Partners, a charitable foundation he helped to set up, paid tribute to him as someone who was "truly all-in for this community, heart, mind and soul".

The plane, a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B, crashed at about 11:25 local time (15:25 GMT) on Friday as it approached the airport in rainy weather, say officials.

Tweed's airport manager said the pilot had been speaking to air traffic control, but did not issue any distress calls.

"All we know is that it missed the approach and continued on," said Lori Hoffman-Soares. "There were no distress calls as far as we know."

Morocco bus crash 'kills 16 royal guardsmen'

At least 16 royal guardsmen have been killed in Morocco after their bus plunged into a ravine, media reports and doctors say.

More than 40 other guardsmen were injured in the crash near al-Hoceima in the north of the country.

The guardsmen were reportedly travelling north to prepare for a visit by King Mohammed VI.

The 6,000-strong Moroccan Royal Guard is part of the military but its sole function is royal security.

Moroccan Royal Guardsmen always accompany the king when he is in the country

The Moroccan news agency MAP said the bus had fallen into a 200-metre (656ft) ravine on the road between Tetouan and al-Hoceima but that the cause of the crash was not yet known.

The injured have been taken to a provincial hospital in al-Hoceima. Eight are said to be in a serious condition.

The guards were said to be heading to al-Hoceima to cover the king's visit there.

MAP reported that the king had announced after the accident that he would cover the medical and funeral costs for the families affected.

The Moroccan Royal Guardsmen are recognisable by the red berets they wear and always accompany the king when he is in the country.

Iraq unrest: Deadly Ramadan bomb attacks hit Baghdad

A wave of bomb attacks has hit mainly Shia areas of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing at least 40 people, police and medical sources say.

The attackers struck during celebrations marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Bombs were detonated in at least seven different areas of the city, targeting cafes, markets and restaurants.

Baghdad has seen a wave of attacks against mostly Shia targets this year

It is believed to be one of the deadliest Ramadans in years in Iraq, which has seen an upsurge in violence.

Most of the violence in the past six months has involved Sunni Islamist militant groups targeting Shia Muslim districts.

More than 4,000 people have died in such attacks this year. A further 9,865 have been injured, with Baghdad province the worst hit.

The deadliest car bomb attack on Saturday struck in the evening near an outdoor market in the south-eastern suburb of Jisr Diyala, police said, killing seven people and injuring 20.

Last week Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to continue operations against militants, saying: "We will not leave our children to these murderers and those standing behind them and supporting both inside and outside."

Many Sunnis accuse Mr Maliki's Shia-led government of marginalising them.