China columnist Jia Jia detained by Beijing police, his lawyer says

A lawyer for prominent Chinese columnist Jia Jia, who went missing last week, has confirmed he has been detained by Beijing police.

Yan Xin said police had told him that Mr Jia was taken away at the airport last week, before boarding a flight to Hong Kong.

Mr Jia is said to be linked to a letter calling for the resignation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, published on a state-linked site earlier this month.

The letter was quickly taken down.

Mr Yan posted on his WeChat account that police said Mr Jia was "suspected to be involved in a certain case" but did not give any details.

Friends have told media outlets that they believe Mr Jia disappeared because he warned an editor friend, Ouyang Hongliang, after the letter was published on Mr Ouyang's news site Watching, also known as Wujie News.

Rights group Amnesty International's researcher William Nee also told the AFP that Mr Jia's disappearance was "most likely" related to his involvement in the letter. Amnesty has called on people to appeal for Mr Jia's release.

Mr Jia has reportedly denied he had anything to do with the letter itself.

Meanwhile, Mr Ouyang, who is Watching's chief executive officer, is also thought to be missing. 

Several of his friends have told the BBC that they have been unable to contact him since last week, and the BBC's own attempts to contact him on his mobile have also failed.

The case comes after the recent controversial disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers, who later were confirmed to be detained on the mainland.

Controversial letter

The letter, attributed to "loyal Communist Party supporters", had criticised Mr Xi for various political, economic and diplomatic decisions, as well as for creating a "personality cult".

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An excerpt from the letter

"On the cultural and ideological front, you [President Xi] have emphasised 'party-surnamed media' [an official campaign to get all media to toe the party line], and have disregarded the citizen aspect of the media, stunning the whole nation; you supported... low-standard people to become our literary representatives, disappointing the workers in the larger literary world; you have condoned cultural units in directly singing your praises; your wife Peng Liyuan's sister took over the producing duties of the CCTV Spring Gala, causing everyone's beloved and anticipated programme to become your personal propaganda tool.

Your condoning of a personality cult, not allowing 'rash opinions of central leadership', creating a 'one voice party' method - those of us who have gone through the Cultural Revolution can't help but feel secretly worried - our party, country and citizens cannot go through yet another 10-year catastrophe!" 

Read the full letter

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It was first posted on overseas website Canyu and appeared to be republished on Watching on 5 March, before it was taken down. Canyu's version is still online.

China has seen a recent spate of censorship incidents amid a crackdown on dissidents, journalists and lawyers.

Indonesia 'will ask Australia to take more refugees'

Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi is expected to raise the issue of refugee intake when she meets her Australian counterpart Julie Bishop. 

Ms Bishop is on an official visit to Indonesia from Sunday to Wednesday.

Reports say Jakarta wants Australia to increase its asylum-seeker resettlement quota.

In an interview with Fairfax, Indonesia's Retno Marsudi also urged other nations to take more refugees.

"Of course there is hope from Indonesia not only to Australia but to every country to be more receptive to these migrants who have been waiting for resettlement," Ms Marsudi said.

No asylum seekers are allowed to reach Australia's territories by boat and those that do so are often turned back to Indonesia.

Refugees are also taken to detention facilities in neighbouring Pacific countries.

Asylum seekers often pay large sums to smugglers to travel to Australia by boat from Indonesia and hundreds have died making the dangerous journey.

Obama Arrives In Cuba For Historic Visit

Barack Obama has become the first US president in 88 years to visit Cuba after Air Force One touched down in Havana.

As the plane landed at a rainy Jose Marti International Airport, Mr Obama tweeted: "What's up Cuba? Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people."

The president was greeted by foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez - not president Raul Castro.

Instead he will hold talks with his Cuban counterpart on Monday.

The two announced they would re-open diplomatic relations in December 2014, ending an estrangement that began when the Cuban revolution ousted a pro-American government in 1959.

Commercial flights have been resumed and respective embassies reopened, but the economic embargo of Cuba remains after Republicans in the US blocked its rescission.

Mr Obama travelled with daughters Malia and Sasha, the first lady and her mother.

After their arrival, the president called his visit an "historic opportunity to engage with the Cuban people".

He will meet privately with dissidents, address Cubans live on state TV and attend an exhibition baseball game during the three-day trip.

Mr Obama's critics at home say the visit is premature and that human rights issues need to be addressed.

Sky's Cordelia Lynch, in Havana, said: "Obama's spokesman says he won't shy away from using his bully pulpit on this trip to address human rights violations, but it's going to be difficult.

"These old enemies have new impetus but the wounds of decades of animosity will take a very long time to heal."

For its part, Havana insists domestic politics are "off the table".

Underscoring the ideological divide that persists, police detained 50 people from the Ladies in White dissident group during a regular protest just hours before the presidential plane touched down.

The visit is the first by a sitting president since Calvin Coolidge arrived on a battleship in 1928.

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump criticised Mr Castro for not meeting the US president at the airport.

He tweeted: "Wow, President Obama just landed in Cuba, a big deal, and Raul Castro wasn't even there to greet him. He greeted Pope and others. No respect."

President Barack Obama has arrived in Cuba for a historic visit

He is the first US president to visit since the 1959 revolution, which heralded decades of hostility.

"Looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people," he tweeted on arrival. 

Mr Obama will meet President Raul Castro, but not retired revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, and the pair will discuss trade and political reform.

The US president emerged smiling from Air Force One with First Lady Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia.

Protesters were arrested in the capital Havana just hours before Mr Obama arrived.

Police took away dozens of demonstrators from the Ladies in White group, formed by wives of political prisoners, from outside a church where they attempt to hold weekly protests.

Six sticking points to better relations

A new DIY economy in Cuba

Fidel followers remain nervous of thaw

Correspondents say the visit marks a huge turnaround in US-Cuban relations.

It is hard to overstate the significance of this trip because as recently as 18 months ago, the idea of a US president setting foot on Cuban soil would have been unthinkable, the BBC's North America editor Jon Sopel says.

It represents the opening of a new chapter in the affairs of the two nations, our correspondent says.

Mr Obama and Raul Castro will sit together at a state dinner, there will be a joint news conference and they will discuss trade.

The White House has made it clear President Obama will meet political dissidents, whether the Cuban authorities like it or not. That is expected to include members of the Ladies in White group.

sanctions

This visit does not mark a complete normalisation in relations, however.

The 54-year-old US economic embargo of Cuba is still in place and can only be lifted by a vote in Congress. Meanwhile, Cuba still complains about the occupation of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Nevertheless enormous strides have already been taken, our correspondent says.

Mr Obama and Mr Castro agreed in December 2014 to end decades of frozen relations that began when Cuba's revolution overthrew a pro-US government in 1959.

Since 2014 there have been commercial deals on telecoms and a scheduled airline service, increased co-operation on law enforcement and environmental protection.

Winchester is 'best place to live in Britain'

The "best places to live in Britain" have been announced in a new guide. 

Winchester, in Hampshire, has been named the best city to live in thanks to its outdoor spaces, community spirit and quality of living. 

The historic cathedral city was called "practically perfect" by the Sunday Times Best Places To Live guide. 

Regional winners included Falmouth in Cornwall, Harrogate in North Yorkshire and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. 

'Historic, cultured, foodie'

Sunday Times home editor Helen Davies said: "Winchester thoroughly deserves its status as the best place to live in Britain. 

"It offers a tasty slice of authentic history, with great transport links and fine schools. 

"It also has an irresistible mix of food, festivals and feel-good factor."

Winchester City Council leader Stephen Godfrey said: "Winchester has a fabulous mix of history, culture, shopping, countryside and accessibility that adds up to a highly-prized quality of life."

Regional winners:

Orford in Suffolk

London: Fitzrovia

Midlands: Ledbury in Herefordshire

North East: Harrogate in North Yorkshire

Northern Ireland: Ballycastle in County Antrim

North West: Whalley in Lancashire

Scotland: Stockbridge in Edinburgh

South East: Midhurst in West Sussex

South West: Falmouth in Cornwall

Wales: Penarth in Vale of Glamorgan

The guide is published every year and combines data such as crime rates, house prices and school performance.

Paris attacks: Suspect Salah Abdeslam 'planned further attacks'

Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was preparing attacks in Brussels before he was arrested, Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders has suggested.

Abdeslam is being interrogated in Belgium following his arrest in a dramatic raid in Brussels on Friday.

Many weapons and a new terror network had been uncovered in the city, Mr Reynders told a foreign policy forum.

The Paris attacks, claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS), left 130 people dead and dozens injured.

Mr Reynders cited information that he said had come to light since Abdeslam's arrest. 

"He was ready to restart something in Brussels," he told the German Marshall Fund of the United States meeting in the city.

"And it's maybe the reality because we have found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons, in the first investigations and we have found a new network around him in Brussels."

Mr Reynders said the number of suspects had risen markedly since the November attacks. 

"We are sure for the moment we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure there are others."

France has reinforced its border security and Interpol has warned that accomplices may try to flee across frontiers now that Abdeslam is in custody.

Molenbeek raid: As it happened

Salah Abdeslam's luck runs out

Is Molenbeek a haven for Belgian jihadis?

What happened during the Paris attacks?

Who were the Paris attackers?

In another development, Abdeslam's lawyer, Sven Mary, said he planned to take legal action against Paris prosecutor Francois Molins for breach of confidentiality.

Mr Molins told reporters on Saturday that Abdeslam had admitted he wanted to blow himself up during the attacks on 13 November, but then changed his mind.

Mr Mary said he would take legal action against Mr Molins for breaching the confidentiality of the investigation.

The Belgian authorities have charged Abdeslam with terrorism offences. 

The 26-year-old French national, born in Belgium, spent four months on the run. 

He is fighting extradition to France, which could take up to three months, though Mr Mary says his client is co-operating with the Belgian authorities.

Abdeslam is believed to have fled shortly after the November attacks, returning to the Molenbeek district of Brussels.

He is being held at a high-security jail in the Belgian city of Bruges. 

Investigators believe he helped with logistics, including renting rooms and driving suicide bombers to the Stade de France.

The subject of a massive manhunt, Abdeslam was arrested about 500m (1,600ft) from his home in Molenbeek. His brother, Brahim, was one of the Paris attackers who blew himself up on 13 November.

Another man arrested at the same time as Salah Abdeslam on Friday, Monir Ahmed Alaaj, has also been charged with participation in terrorist murder and the activities of a terrorist group, Belgian prosecutors say.

The raid came after Abdeslam's fingerprints were found in a flat in another Brussels district, Forest, raided on Tuesday.

Footage showed Abdeslam being bundled into a police car on Friday after a volley of gunfire. Alaaj was also injured during the arrests.

Prosecutors said Alaaj had travelled with Abdeslam to Germany last October, where his fingerprints were taken during an identity check.

Nine Cuban Migrants Die Off Florida Coast

Nine Cuban migrants have died and 18 others were rescued after their boat was found off the coast of Florida.

The vessel was spotted by a Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship, according to the US Coast Guard.

The surviving migrants said they had been at sea for 22 days and reported that nine others had died.

They were suffering from severe dehydration when they were rescued off Marco Island, south-west Florida.

"Our deepest condolences to the families of the nine people who recently did lose their lives," said Coast Guard captain Mark Gordon.

"Unfortunately, tragedy is all too common when taking to the sea in homemade vessels with no safety or navigation equipment."

The cruise ship took the survivors to its next port of call, the Mexican island of Cozumel.

Mexican immigration officials were seen helping the exhausted Cubans ashore.

The deaths of the migrants come as Barack Obama makes a historic visit to Cuba - the first trip to the Communist-ruled country by a US president in 88 years.