Floods from storm Alexa force Gazans to leave homes

More than 5,000 people in Gaza have been evacuated from their homes because of severe floods caused by torrential rain, Palestinian officials say.

Rescuers have had to use rowing boats to reach residents trapped by rising floodwaters.

United Nations officials have described parts of the northern Gaza Strip as a disaster area.

The winter storm, called Alexa, has covered parts of the West Bank and Israel with heavy snow.

Unusually harsh winter weather is causing disruption across the region.

'Massive lake'

A spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for Palestine Refugees said that large swathes of Gaza had "water as far as the eye can see".

"Areas around Jabaliya have become a massive lake with 2m-high waters engulfing homes and stranding thousands," the spokesman added.

Gaza's Hamas government says thousands of people have been moved to schools and other temporary shelters after the heavy rain over the past four days.

The CA's Middle East correspondent, Yolande Knell, says many homes in Gaza are poorly built and the territory lacks basic infrastructure.

It is suffering fuel shortages which are causing power cuts.

Areas in the West Bank and Israel have seen the heaviest snow for decades.

Roads into Jerusalem are closed to private cars.

Officials say around 30,000 homes are without electricity in Israel.

Courtesy: BBC

Nelson Mandela buried at Qunu ancestral home

Nelson Mandela's body has been laid to rest in a family plot, after political and religious leaders paid tribute to South Africa's first black president at a state funeral service.

His widow, Graca Machel, and President Jacob Zuma were present for the private, traditional Xhosa burial at Mr Mandela's ancestral home in Qunu.

Mr Zuma had earlier told the larger funeral service that South Africans had to take his legacy forward.

Mr Mandela died on 5 December aged 95.

The last of 10 days of commemorations for Mr Mandela began with his coffin being taken on a gun carriage from his home to a giant marquee where his portrait hung behind 95 candles - each representing a year of his life.

The coffin, draped in the South African flag, was placed beneath a lectern where speakers paid their tributes.

Some guests sang and danced to celebrate Mr Mandela's life as the service began.

After the national anthem, the service heard from a family spokesman, Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, who thanked the army medical team that had treated Mr Mandela before he died.

"A great tree has fallen, he is now going home to rest with his forefathers. We thank them for lending us such an icon."

Close friend Ahmed Kathrada, told mourners he had lost an "elder brother" who was with him for many years in prison on Robben island.

Mr Kathrada's voice filled with emotion as he spoke of the difficulty of recent months and of how he had held his friend's hand the last time he saw him in hospital.

"Farewell my dear brother, my mentor, my leader," he said.

Two grandchildren then addressed the congregation. Ndaba who read an obituary, and Nandi, who spoke fondly of her grandfather as a disciplinarian.

"We shall miss you... your stern voice when you are not pleased with our behaviour. We shall miss your laughter," said Nandi.

Listening to the tributes were Graca Machel and Mr Mandela's second wife, Winnie-Madikizela Mandela. They sat either side of President Jacob Zuma.

Both women were praised for their love and tolerance, in an address by Malawi's President Joyce Banda.

African National Congress members, veterans of the fight against apartheid and foreign dignitaries - including several African presidents and the Prince of Wales - were among the guests.

Courtesy: BBC

Iran nuclear: 'Shift in Tehran tone' hailed at UN

US and European allies have welcomed what they called a "significant shift" in Iran's attitude to its nuclear programme, after high-level UN talks.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif he was struck by the "very different tone".

But Mr Kerry said Iran still had questions to answer.

Substantive talks with Iran on its nuclear programme are due to take place in Geneva from 15 October.

They will involve the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Russia, Britain, France and China - along with Germany, known as the P5+1.

The US-Iran meeting in New York represented the highest-level direct contact between the countries in six years. Diplomats from the P5+1 were also present.

Mr Kerry said he was pleased that Mr Zarif "put possibilities on the table", but said a lot of work remained to be done and that Iran would have to answer questions about its nuclear programme.

"One meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn't answer those questions yet," he said.

'Nothing but peaceful'

Mr Zarif called the talks "constructive" and said the diplomats had made progress on resolving international issues in a manner that respected the rights of the Iranian people.

"I am satisfied with this first step," he said. "Now we have to see whether we can match our positive words with serious deeds so we can move forward."

Mr Zarif insisted Iran's nuclear programme was "nothing but peaceful" and pledged to prove it to the international community.

The Iranian foreign minister called sanctions against Iran "counterproductive" and added he hoped all bilateral, unilateral and multilateral sanctions would be lifted in the near future.

Likewise, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said afterwards the tone and spirit of the meeting were "extremely good".

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there was an agreement to "go forward with an ambitious timeframe".

However, Iran's new envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, expressed caution on Friday, saying: "This is the first meeting, so nobody I guess should expect that in just one day we can solve our problems."

New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said he wants to reach a deal on the nuclear dispute in three to six months.

But the Americans have said there will be no major concessions on sanctions until the Iranians take concrete steps to reassure the world they are not seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran reaches out

Earlier, President Rouhani told the UN General Assembly that no country should possess nuclear arms.

Iran has been negotiating over the nuclear issue since 2006 with the P5+1.

Since Mr Rouhani's election in June, Iranian officials have reached out to the West, saying they want to address concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.

On Tuesday, Mr Rouhani told the General Assembly that he was prepared to engage in "time-bound and results-oriented" talks.

On Thursday, he called for stricter controls on nuclear weapons as part of a global effort to eventually rid the world of them.

"No nation should possess nuclear weapons, since there are no right hands for these wrong weapons," he said, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement at the General Assembly.

The P5+1 have asked Iran to halt production and stockpiling of uranium enriched to 20% - a step away from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

They also demanded Iran shut down the Fordo underground enrichment facility.

In return, they offered to ease the sanctions that have severely affected Iran's economy.

US President Barack Obama has welcomed the new Iranian president's more "moderate course".

He told the UN on Tuesday that the US wanted to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully, but was determined to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Mr Rouhani has said he is fully empowered by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to negotiate on the issue.

The BBC's Bridget Kendall, who is at the UN, says President Rouhani has signalled a sharp departure from the foreign policy and the tone of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose bombastic pronouncements at the UN in the past resulted in walk-outs.

Courtesy: BBC