BBC News with David Austin.Thousands of Israelis have been taking part a rally to condemn the behavior of ultra-Orthodox Jewish. He want to enforce segregation between men and women. Israeli President Shimon Peres said minority in Israel was acting outrageously. Jon Donnison was at the rally in Beit Shemesh.
By early evening, thousands of demonstrators had gathered in Beit Shemesh. There was anger as the growing influence of Israel's conservative ultra-Orthodox Jewish and in particular their treatment of women. Local girls, some are (younger) than 8, have been harassed supposedly for dressing immodestly. At tonight's rally, there was something of party atmosphere. But many Israelis believe the country's character is at stake. The Israeli government so often critical of religious extremism in Islamic countries has ordered a crackdown on intolerance at home.
The president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai says he will allow the Taliban to open an ? office in Qatar to try to help the peace (process). However, Mr. Karzai's office said there should be restrictions preventing any foreign intervention in peace talks. From Kabul here is Caroline Wyatt.
This is the first time the President Karzai has personally ? in public the idea of an office for the Taliban in the gulf state Qatar. It was moved him ruled out a few weeks ago. In ? the U.S and Germany had been conducting the negotiations of location without consulting him. This month Afghanistan withdrew it ambassador to Qatar, a signal of Kabul's displeasure. However, a statement from presidential palace tonight said the Americans want to locate the ? the Afghan government would agree in order to help the peace process.
Tens of thousands of protesters in Syria have thrown the streets of Homs as Arab League observers visited the city to monitor a peace agreement. Opposition activists have accused the Syrian government hiding tanks outside Homs to avoid detection by the Arab League mission. Jim Muir reports.
It was ? by fire for the Arab observers. After meeting with the governor of Homs they went to the city's district which has been heavily pounded by (security) forces' tanks and artillery in the recent days.The observers found themselves confronted by angry residents ego to show the damage and ? of blood. Even as they were talking gunfire could be heard. The team is staying in Homs, though its leader is returning to Damascus for meetings. Although he said it had been a good day and both sides responded it'd been a ? result must brought Homs to the observers how complex and deadly the situation is. Jim Muir.
Human rights activists in Egypt welcomed a court order to stop the military from making female prisoners undergo virginity test. The case was brought by a woman who said the army forced her to undergo with virginity test after she was (arrested) during a protest in Tahrir Square in March.
World News from the BBC.
The lower house of Indian parliament has passed a bill to create anti-corruption on ?. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told MPs his government was determined to combat the problem. The vote came as the popular activist Allah Hasary began a ? in Mumbai to demand much tougher legislation against official corruption.
Nigeria's top Muslim leader has sought to come tensions of a series of deadly attacks on Christmas Day. The ? of ? said he wanted to do a show all Nigerians that there was no conflict between Muslims and Christians. Speaking of a meeting with the country's President Goodluck Jonathan, the Islamist sector Boko Haram said it (carried out) the bombings which killed around 40 people, most of them in a Roman Catholic church.
An official estimate in Portugal suggests that more than 1% of the population may have immigrated this year. In a newspaper interview a Portuguese minister said up to 120,000 had left the country over the past 12 months. From Lisbon, here's Alison Roberts.
Estimating immigration is ? hard in the European Union with free-movement and with tens of thousands Portuguese having the right to citizen country such Angola. But host of recent indicators points an ? on the scale last seen in the early 1970s when Portugal was delay as dictatorship. The latest wave of immigration includes many qualified workers such as engineers. Even the prime minister had suggested that teachers who failed to get place in schools here could try their luck abroad. His comments (triggered) a storm of protest. Alison Roberts.
With Kim Jong Il's funeral due to begin in the next few hours, North Korean media has been reporting supernatural events following the leader's death. The communist party newspaper said the owls had been weeping each day while Radio Pyongyang said an identified white bird was seen brushing off snow from his statue.
That's the BBC News.