Sacking over poor elderly home care

30 April 2014 Last updated at 08:17 By Alison Holt BBC Panorama

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Secret filming by BBC Panorama shows some residents being taunted, roughly handled and one being slapped

One staff member has been sacked and seven suspended from one of England's largest care homes after an undercover probe by BBC Panorama found poor care.

The filming at the Old Deanery in Essex showed some residents being taunted, roughly handled and one was slapped.

The home said it was "shocked and saddened by the allegations".

Care Quality Commission figures seen by the BBC show over a third of homes that received warning notices since 2011 still do not meet basic standards.

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"Start Quote

People shouldn't be getting into this business if they don't care"

End Quote Andrea Sutcliffe Care Quality Commission

Allegations of poor care and mistreatment at the 93-bed home in Braintree, where residents pay roughly £700 per week, were first raised by 11 whistleblowers in August 2012.

Essex County Council put it on special measures for three months until concerns were addressed.

But secret filming by Panorama's undercover reporter over 36 shifts found many of the same sorts of issues reported a year earlier, including:

• a woman slapped by a care worker who had previously been complained about for her poor attitude towards residents

• the same woman, who has dementia and is partially paralysed after a stroke, was also repeatedly mocked and taunted by other care workers

• cries for assistance from a resident suffering a terminal illness ignored as she sought help for the toilet, and her call bell for assistance left unplugged on one occasion

• a resident bed-ridden with a chronic illness left lying in his own excrement after two care workers turned off his call bell without assisting him

Alex Lee, the reporter who conducted the undercover filming, said she saw "many good care workers trying their best" - but also saw some staff "mock, goad, taunt, roughly handle and ignore" elderly residents.

"Some were even left in their own mess for hours," she said.

Last November, while Panorama was undercover, the home was inspected by the regulator and passed for the first time in 18 months.

When the CQC revisited this February after being told about Panorama's findings, they found too few staff and some residents waiting an "unacceptably long time" for call bells to be answered.

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Panorama: Find out more

• Behind Closed Doors: Elderly Care Exposed, BBC One, Wednesday 30 April at 21:00 BST

Anglia Retirement Homes Ltd, which runs the Old Deanery, said the incidents involved a "small number of staff" and were not reflective of the high standards of care it demanded.

A statement said: "As soon as the new management team was made aware of the allegations we took immediate action.

"We hired an independent law firm to carry out a full investigation as a matter of urgency.

"Eight staff were immediately suspended, and have not returned to work, pending a full inquiry.

"Our priority remains the health and wellbeing of our residents and we have more than 200 dedicated members of staff who remain committed to the highest standards of care."

It added: "The care worker responsible for slapping a resident has been summarily dismissed."

Whistle-blowers

The company was taken over by new owners in November 2013.

A former care assistant at another home, who became a whistleblower, said she had experienced problems not being solved. Eileen Chubb runs a charity called Compassion in Care which supports people reporting misconduct in the industry.

She has had nearly 2,000 calls to her helpline in 14 years and she often found repeated complaints about the same problems in the same homes.

"Every day cases are coming in where there has been up to 15 staff, 20 staff, raising concerns, then six years later, more staff raising the same concerns again," she said.

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Andrea Sutcliffe: "I'm shocked and really angry about what Panorama have found"

The CQC said it would work with the care sector to improve standards, but it was determined to ensure problems were addressed.

Its new chief inspector of social care, Andrea Sutcliffe, said she was "shocked and really angry" about the poor care Panorama had found.

She said her "heart goes out" to those affected, but also to the "hundreds of thousands" of good care workers who had been let down by the "small minority".

"People shouldn't be getting into this business if they don't care," she said.

Asked if the CQC's systems were working, she said most care was good and the organisation would act on any concerns raised.

Minister for Care and Support Norman Lamb said there was a "stubborn minority of care providers who do not meet acceptable standards".

"We have to send out the message that there should be no place in our care services for providers of that sort," he said.

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Undercover reporter Alex Lee worked 36 shifts at the Old Deanery in Essex

Panorama: Behind Closed Doors: Elderly Care Exposed on BBC One on Wednesday 30 April at 21:00 BST and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

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Co-op report blames Britannia deal

30 April 2014 Last updated at 09:22

The Co-operative Bank's merger with the Britannia building society in 2009 should never have happened, a major review of the organisation has said.

Sir Christopher Kelly's report blames the deal for the bank's near-collapse last year.

His report states both companies had problems that were exacerbated by the merger.

It also points to failings in management and governance "on many levels".

Sir Christopher added the deal might have worked had the organisation received first-class leadership, but "sadly it did not".

Sir Christopher told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: "It is the merger [between the Co-op Bank and the Britannia], not the Britannia itself that caused the problems."

He said both organisations brought problems to the deal.

In Britannia's case, it was the vast size and unwieldiness of its commercial property loan book.

But the Co-op Bank had several problems of its own, including its approach to risk when lending money to customers and a large IT project that was already under way, which the merger "vastly complicated".

Sir Christopher added that the Co-op Bank "had a legacy of mis-selling payment protection insurance (PPI), which was not unusual at the time, but is particularly disappointing for an ethical bank".

Financial crisis

Among other reasons for the near-collapse of the bank identified by the report are the economic environment following the 2008 financial crisis and the demand from financial regulators for banks to hold increased levels of capital that followed.

Niall Booker, chief executive of the Co-operative Bank said he broadly accepted the findings of the report, which he admitted would "make difficult reading for our customers".

But Mr Booker added: "We do believe there are many more positive aspects of the Co-operative Bank's culture that are not reflected in the report - for example, not enough credit is given to the service ethic and empathy of our employees."

He apologised again for "past failings" and reiterated his commitment to "restoring the bank to financial health".

Richard Pennycook, interim group chief executive of the Co-operative Group, said: "Following the wake-up call of our recently announced £2.5bn loss, Sir Christopher Kelly's report today lays bare the failings of management and governance that caused it.

"It is a sobering assessment which shows clearly that the Co-operative Group's loss of control of its bank could have been avoided."

Profits hit

The report added that the financial crisis and the response to it by regulators and policymakers were the only factors outside the Co-op Bank's control.

Unlike a number of other financial institutions, before the merger, the Co-operative Bank obtained most of funding from its own customers' deposits.

As a result, it was not adversely affected when the international money markets dried up during the financial crisis and considered itself as having "weathered the crisis well".

But the bank was hurt by the prolonged period of low interest rates introduced by the Bank of England, which depressed its net margins and profitability.

The bank's problems were further complicated by the fact that some of its customers ran into difficulties, particularly business customers involved in commercial real estate - a market that itself all but collapsed following the financial crisis.

That depressed the value of the bank's assets and made it more difficult for its clients to refinance, limiting the Co-op Bank's ability to reduce its own heavily concentrated exposure to the sector.

The commercial loan book that the Co-op Bank inherited as part of its merger with Britannia stood at £3.7bn and accounted for as much as half of its lending and a greater proportion of its regulatory capital, the report added.

The Co-op Bank wanted Britannia's personal customers and retail branches. But in acquiring them, it was also saddled with a "substantial volume of assets well outside its risk appetite in terms of type, loan-to-value or concentration risk".

Equally troubling, for the bank and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) alike, the regulator admitted to the bank's board in July 2011 that it did not believe Britannia would have survived, had it not been for its takeover by the Co-op.

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Farage will not stand in by-election

30 April 2014 Last updated at 10:10

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Nigel Farage said that it was more important to focus on the European elections

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said he will not stand in the forthcoming Newark by-election.

The contest has been brought about by the resignation from Parliament of former Tory MP Patrick Mercer over a cash-for-questions scandal on Tuesday.

Mr Farage said he did not want to look like an "opportunist" by entering the contest, as he did not "have any links with the East Midlands".

He added that he wanted to focus on UKIP's European elections campaign.

Although the Conservatives have a majority of 16,000 in Newark, UKIP is currently doing well in opinion polls.

But John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said UKIP would be "trying to succeed on the back of no particular local support at all".

'Courage'

Mr Farage told BBC One's Breakfast: "I haven't had long to think about it but I have thought about it, and we're just over three weeks away from a European election at which I think UKIP could cause an earthquake in British politics, from which we can go on and win not just one parliamentary seat but quite a lot of parliamentary seats.

"For that reason I don't want to do anything that deflects from the European election campaign, so I'm not going to stand in this by-election.

"I want to focus the next three weeks on winning the European elections and also I don't have any links with the East Midlands. I would just look like an opportunist, and I don't think that would work."

Asked whether he had decided not to run for fear of losing, Mr Farage replied: "I have shown some courage over the years…

"It's about choosing the right battles. It's about prioritising and I know that if I were to have said yes to standing in Newark the next three weeks would be dominated by am I going to win, am I not going to win, and we wouldn't be talking about open-door immigration, EU membership and that most of our laws being made somewhere else."

'Not an idiot'

Mr Farage referred to the former leader of the Monster Raving Loony Party, once a fixture at such contests, saying: "I'm not Screaming Lord Sutch. I don't stand in every by-election."

Ken Clarke, seen as the most Europhile of the Conservative members of the cabinet, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Mr Farage had been right to decide not to run, saying: "I am not really surprised. Whatever else Nigel is, he is not an idiot, and I don't think he'd have the faintest chance of winning in Newark."

He accused UKIP, which advocates leaving the European Union, of "peddling a total nonsense that our economic problems have been caused by immigration".

Mr Clarke, who is a Nottinghamshire MP, said: "I don't think the residents of Newark, some of whom I know because I used to represent some of the villages there, they're not going to vote for a card, larking about, trying to get protest votes."

Mr Mercer, who has represented the Nottinghamshire constituency since 2001, is due to be suspended from the Commons for six months for allegedly asking questions in Parliament in return for money.

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Secret filming shows Patrick Mercer signing a contract with the fake lobbying company set up by BBC Panorama

He was filmed by undercover reporters from the BBC's Panorama last year apparently agreeing to set up a parliamentary group to push for Fiji to return to the Commonwealth.

The MP had already said he would not contest the general election next year, having served as an independent since May 2013.

'Heaviness of heart'

In a short statement, the former soldier said he would not contest the findings of a report into his conduct, to be published on Thursday, which will call for him to be barred from Parliament for six months.

He said he was resigning with "a great heaviness of heart" for the sake of his family, adding: "I am an ex-soldier, I believe that when you have got something wrong, you have got to 'fess up and get on with it."

The MP, a prominent critic of David Cameron, who sacked him as a shadow minister in 2007, said he hoped his successor would be a Conservative.

The party has selected Robert Jenrick to contest Newark. Labour - which held the seat between 1997 and 2001 - has chosen Michael Payne as its candidate.

At the 2010 general election, Mr Mercer won 27,590 votes. Labour came second with 11,438 votes, the Lib Dems third with 10,246 and UKIP fourth with 1,954.

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Tube strike disruption continues

30 April 2014 Last updated at 10:13

London Underground (LU) has managed to run services on all 11 lines of the Tube network on a second morning of disruption caused by a strike.

Chief operating officer Phil Hufton said it was a first for a strike day.

By 08:00 BST all lines had some service although frequency was disrupted and about 30 stations remained closed.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union began a strike on Monday night over plans to close all ticket offices at a cost of 960 jobs.

Two lines opened earlier than the advertised 07:00.

LU said more staff members had arrived for work than during the last strike in February and that volunteer travel ambassadors were helping passengers.

On Tuesday, the RMT accused LU of "misleading" the public over the level of services and of leaving platforms and stations "dangerously overcrowded".

RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said: "It helps no-one for LU to deliberately mislead the public as to what services are available, as it simply piles dangerous levels of pressure on to the ghost trains and skeleton operations, leaving passengers and staff at risk."

'Protection assured'

Mayor of London Boris Johnson wants legislation preventing strike action unless at least 50% of union members in a workplace take part in a ballot.

He told BBC London 94.9 he had assurances from the prime minister.

He said: "I've had it from his lips in public, that on day one of a new Cameron administration he will be able to deliver a deal that gives exactly the protection that Londoners want."

He added: "This is a strike by one of the unions concerned and a small minority have triggered that."

The RMT has said it will strike for 72 hours from 21:00 on Monday 5 May, if the ticket office dispute is not resolved.

Asked if it would come to that, Mr Johnson said: "I can't say what is in the minds of the RMT and their leadership.

"I think most people looking at the generosity of terms would say that's quite enough already."

Service operating

LU said 50% of services were running on Tuesday.

Extra bus services have been in operation since the start of the strike, with some vintage models being brought back into use.

Customers are advised to check their journeys before travelling, but LU has advised the following services are in operation although with trains running less frequently and some stations closed:

The DLR and London Overground lines are not affected by the strike action.

The strike is due to end after 48 hours, at 20:59 on Wednesday, but disruption may continue into Thursday morning.

The union and London Underground (LU) have met more than 40 times via the arbitration service Acas since the last 48-hour strike in February, but talks broke down on Monday.

TfL needs to save £4.2bn by 2020; it hopes to save £50m a year by closing ticket offices.

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UK firms use 1.4m zero-hour contracts

30 April 2014 Last updated at 10:46

Nearly half of big companies in the UK use a total of 1.4 million zero-hours contracts, a study from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says.

Zero-hours contracts do not guarantee a minimum number of hours of employment.

The ONS recently estimated that 583,000 people, around 2% of the UK workforce, were employed on zero-hours contracts between October and December 2013.

It said the data suggested that most workers on such contracts had at least two jobs.

The study found that more than one in five health and social workers are employed on zero-hours contacts.

But zero-hours contracts are rare in financial services, the ONS found.

People with zero-hours contracts were disproportionately students, female and under 25 or over 65, the study also found.

"These patterns may partly reflect the groups most likely to find the flexibility of 'zero-hours contracts' an advantage," the ONS said.

More research

ONS said it found evidence of a further 1.3 million contracts where no work was undertaken.

It said the total might include:

• people with contracts with several employers
• agency staff
• those not wanting to work
• those who had found another job elsewhere, but remained on employer records
• people on leave or sick
• and those not offered work during the period of the study.

It added some of contracts "probably" needed to be added to the official 1.4 million estimate, but that it wanted to investigate in more detail.

The ONS said it would carry out further research and report later in 2014.

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Inmate dies in 'botched' execution

30 April 2014 Last updated at 10:32

A US death row inmate in Oklahoma died of a heart attack after his execution was halted because the lethal injection of three drugs failed to work properly.

The execution of Clayton Lockett, 38, was halted after 20 minutes, when one of his veins ruptured, preventing the drugs from taking full effect.

The execution of a fellow inmate, due two hours later, was postponed.

Both men had unsuccessfully challenged a state law that shields the identities of companies supplying the drugs.

It comes amid a wider debate over the legality of the three-drug method and whether its use violates guarantees in the US constitution "against cruel and unusual punishment".

Lockett was sentenced to death for the 1999 shooting of a 19-year-old woman.

'Tortured'

A spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections told US media that Lockett had died of a heart attack following the injection of three lethal drugs.

"We believe that a vein was blown and the drugs weren't working as they were designed to. The director ordered a halt to the execution," spokesman Jerry Massie said.

Lockett writhed and shook uncontrollably after the drugs were administered, witnesses said.

Continue reading the main story

Since it was first used in Texas in 1982, "the triple-drug cocktail" has become the standard execution method in US states that have the death penalty. It was designed by anaesthesiologist Stanley Deutsch as an "extremely humane" way to end life.

The first drug, a barbiturate, "shuts down" the central nervous system, rendering the prisoner unconscious. The second paralyses the muscles and stops the person breathing. The third, potassium chloride, stops the heart.

But critics suggest that the method may well be painful. One suggestion is that people could be too sedated by the first drug to cry out, or that they might be in pain but paralysed by the second drug.

Another complication, as appears to have been the case with Clayton Lockett, is that intravenous drug use is common among death row inmates, meaning many prisoners have damaged veins that are difficult to inject.

Problems sourcing some of the drugs in the official protocol have also led to claims that states are using untested drugs in their executions.

Prison officials pulled a curtain across the view of witnesses when it became apparent that something had gone wrong.

"He was conscious and blinking, licking his lips even after the process began. He then began to seize," Associated Press news agency reporter Bailey Elise McBride tweeted from the scene.

Lockett's lawyer, Madeline Cohen, who witnessed the execution, said her client "was tortured to death" and called for an investigation into what went wrong.

"The state must disclose complete information about the drugs, including their purity, efficacy, source and the results of any testing," she said.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said in a statement that she had ordered a full review of the state's execution procedures.

Challenge overruled‏

Fellow inmate Charles Warner, 46, had been scheduled to be put to death in the same room two hours later in a rare double execution.

Warner was convicted of the 1997 murder and rape of an 11-month-old girl.

He and Lockett had unsuccessfully challenged an Oklahoma state law that blocks officials from revealing - even in court - the identities of the companies supplying the drugs used to sedate inmates, paralyse their respiratory systems and stop their hearts.

The state maintains the law is necessary to protect the suppliers from legal action and harassment.

Lockett and Warner argued they needed to know the names of the suppliers in order to ensure the quality of the drugs that would be used to kill them and to be certain that they had been obtained legally.

In March, a trial court ruled in their favour, but the state's highest court reversed that decision last week, ruling that "the plaintiffs have no more right to the information they requested than if they were being executed in the electric chair".

In recent years US states have had increasing problems in trying to obtain drugs used in executions, amid an embargo by European pharmaceutical firms.

Some have turned to untried combinations of drugs or have sought to obtain the drugs custom-made from compounding pharmacies.

The triple-drug cocktail, first used in Texas in 1982, has become the standard execution method in the US.

It was presented as a more humane replacement for lethal gas and the electric chair, but critics of the three-drug protocol say it could cause unnecessary suffering.

Several US states that still have the death penalty have since switched to a single-drug method.

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More time for stabbed teacher police

30 April 2014 Last updated at 10:39

Police have been given extra time to question a 15-year-old boy over the fatal stabbing of a teacher attacked in front of her pupils.

Ann Maguire, 61, died from multiple stab wounds after the attack in a classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on Monday.

West Yorkshire Police said magistrates granted detectives more time to hold the boy on Tuesday evening.

Mrs Maguire had been due to retire in September after a 40-year career.

Det Supt Simon Beldon, who is leading the investigation, said: "The suspect remains in custody and will continue to be interviewed today.

"Last night we were granted an extension by magistrates which has given us additional time to question him today."

He said officers were in the process of interviewing a number of pupils who had witnessed the stabbing.

Floral tributes to Mrs Maguire have been laid outside the school by current and former pupils.

The head teacher of the college, Steve Mort, said Mrs Maguire had been a "highly regarded" member of staff.

He said: "She was an inspirational teacher here for over 40 years, and she will be sadly missed by colleagues, current and former pupils, and the community as a whole."

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Half with cancer 'live a decade'

29 April 2014 Last updated at 00:00 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Half of people in England and Wales now being diagnosed with cancer will survive at least a decade - double the rate in the early 1970s, figures show.

New treatments have played a role as well as earlier diagnosis and screening.

But Cancer Research UK, which carried out the research, said the progress showed there needed to be new, more ambitious aims.

It said it wanted to see 10-year survival hit 75% in the next 20 years.

And it promised to increase investment in research by half within the next decade to help achieve that.

Researchers said cancer need no longer be viewed as the "death sentence" it once was with the new figures suggesting a "tipping point" had been reached.

'Significant progress'

The analysis showed that in 1971-2, 50% of people diagnosed with cancer died within a year. Now 50% survive for at least a decade - up from 24% in 1971-2.

But the findings, based on the outcomes for more than 7 million patients, also showed that for some cancers, survival rates were still very low.

For example, just 1% of pancreatic cancer patients and 5% of lung cancer patients can expect to survive for 10 years.

Nonetheless, the overall figures showed there had been significant progress in the way cancer was treated.

The findings have been adjusted to take into account the changing profile of new cancer being diagnosed - there has been a shift away from the more deadly disease such as lung cancer to ones where survival rates tend to be better - so provide a measure of how the care of cancer patients has improved.

Cancer Research UK chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said: "I don't think we would ever have expected to achieve what we have. We're gradually reversing the tide on this devastating disease.

"But many people still do not survive - we must tackle that."

Researchers said there were a number of reasons for the success, which includes earlier diagnosis.

But if progress is going to continue - and the 75% target achieved - Cancer Research UK identified key areas to focus on. These included investment in personalised cancer treatment, reducing smoking rates and paying particular attention to the cancers with the lowest survival rates.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health, which has itself set targets to improve cancer survival rates in the coming years, said: "We share Cancer Research UK's aspirations for the UK to be the best place in the world to survive cancer.

"We have seen significant improvements in some cancer survival rates, with new and innovative research and earlier diagnosis at the heart of this upward trend."

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Tube strike hits city commuters

29 April 2014 Last updated at 10:22

Commuters travelling in London are experiencing "severe disruption" as Tube workers strike.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union have walked out for 48 hours over plans to close all ticket offices at a cost of 960 jobs.

Transport for London said it hoped to run between 40% and 50% of services.

The strike started at 21:00 BST on Monday and ends at 20:59 on Wednesday, although disruption may continue into Thursday morning.

The union and London Underground (LU) have met more than 40 times, through the arbitration service Acas, since the last 48-hour strike in February, but talks broke down on Monday.

Transport for London has issued a document of travel advice to customers.

It has said it plans to run as many services as possible with extra bus and river services, but customers are advised to check their journey before they travel.

This is how services are running at the moment, all with a reduced frequency and with a number of stations closed:

Where services were being be operated, trains began to run at about 07:00 and will finish at about 23:00. The last services from central London may also depart much earlier, at about 21:30.

TfL said about 87% of Oyster cards that would usually be seen on the network have been used and there were almost 8,000 buses on the roads - the most ever operated in London - after an extra 266 were put into service.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Weary resignation or outright anger is probably what most commuters feel.

The concern is there doesn't seem to be room for a compromise from either side.

Poor industrial relations haven't helped and the absence of the late Bob Crow has changed the landscape.

The RMT has changed tack and offered to suspend its action for a public consultation.

There could also be room for movement on the creation of visitor centres as an alternative to ticket offices.

There will probably be more talks on Friday but to avoid more strikes one of the sides will have to back down.

Many commuters now seem just as angry at both sides in this acrimonious dispute that could drag on and on.

The RMT said it would have suspended the strike if LU had agreed to a public consultation over the plans, which do not include any compulsory redundancies.

The acting general secretary of the RMT union, Mick Cash, described the strike as "solidly supported" and accused London Underground of backtracking on an earlier deal to review its plan to close ticket offices.

"They're looking to make £15m worth of cuts and to do that they want to get rid of every single booking office and a 1,000 jobs," he told Radio 4's Today programme.

"Now we took industrial action in February this year and we suspended it following a deal done with our former general secretary, Bob Crow, where they had promised to review every single station.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

I'm afraid what you've heard from Mick Cash is nonsense"

End Quote Mike Brown London Underground

"And there are over 200 stations and do you know what we've done, is five."

But the managing director of London Underground, Mike Brown, told Today: "We agreed that we would start by looking at the different station types, which group into five different types, and we'd look at those first.

"And now we're in the midst of doing the full station by station review starting with the Piccadilly Line.

"So I'm afraid what you've heard from Mick Cash is nonsense."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has also criticised the strikes and suggested the plans will go ahead.

"We're going to close 260 ticket offices, we're going to change the way they operate, we're going to make them available for other functions, we're going to do fantastic things with our stations, but there's always room to discuss about the terms and conditions of our employees," he said.

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BBC London's Nick Beake meets frustrated commuters

The strike is likely to hit university students taking degree exams. On its website, King's College London says it is aware of students' concerns and will review the impact of strike action.

The RMT is also holding a 48-hour strike which began at 03:00 on Tuesday on the Heathrow Express in a separate row over jobs, pay and cuts.

And football fans travelling to Chelsea's Champions League match with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday will also be affected.

The union is set to strike for 72 hours from 21:00 on Monday 5 May, if the ticket office dispute is not resolved.

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Russia alarmed over US-Nato activity

29 April 2014 Last updated at 09:51

Moscow has voiced concern over an "unprecedented" increase in US and Nato military activity near Russian borders, amid an escalating crisis in Ukraine.

Russia's defence minister condemned "provocative" US and Nato comments.

Pro-Russia activists have seized buildings in more than a dozen towns in east Ukraine and hold seven European military observers in Sloviansk.

The EU has stepped up its sanctions, naming 15 new targets on Tuesday, a day after the US ordered similar measures.

The US sanctions targeted seven Russian individuals and 17 companies which Washington says are linked to President Vladimir Putin's "inner circle".

The European Union's list includes Gen Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, and Lt Gen Igor Sergun, identified as the head of the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU.

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Sarah Rainsford saw pro-Russians clash with a group marching for a united Ukraine

It also includes Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and pro-Russian separatist leaders in Crimea and in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Luhansk and Donetsk.

The BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels says this list does not appear to follow the US line in targeting President Putin's associates, but rather those involved in events on the ground in Ukraine.

'Provocative'

In a statement, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said he had a "candid" hour-long phone call with his American counterpart Chuck Hagel.

Mr Shoigu stressed that US and Nato military activity in eastern Europe was accompanied by "provocative" statements about the need to "contain" Russia.

The US has sent 600 troops to Poland and the Baltic states. Washington says it has deployed the extra troops to reassure Nato allies.

Mr Shoigu announced that Russian troops had returned to their "permanent positions" after conducting military exercises on the border with Ukraine.

The Pentagon said Mr Shoigu had given "assurances that Moscow has no plans to invade Ukraine".

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov repeated the line on Tuesday, telling Interfax that Moscow was "not at all inclined to repeat the so-called Crimea scenario in south-eastern Ukraine. There are no grounds to fear this".

Mr Hagel called on Moscow to help secure the release of the seven military observers linked to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe who were seized by pro-Russian gunmen in Sloviansk last week.

Some 40 people, including journalists, pro-Kiev activists and three members of Ukraine's security service are being held there.

The Russian ambassador to the OSCE, Andrei Kelin, earlier said Moscow was taking "steps" to secure the observers' release.

Journalist's ordeal

The US and EU first imposed visa bans and asset freezes on a number of senior Russian officials and companies after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine last month.

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US journalist Simon Ostrovsky tells of his ordeal at the hands of pro-Russian abductors

On Monday, Washington added to its sanctions list "in response to Russia's continued illegal intervention in Ukraine".

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow's response would be "painful for Washington".

Among the individuals named were Igor Sechin, head of state oil giant Rosneft, and Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the committee of international affairs of Russia's lower house.

Gas producer Gazprom, whose chief executive was spared sanctions, warned in a statement on Tuesday that further measures could damage its business and the BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow says there is a sense of nervousness in Russia that sanctions may start to bite.

The EU has now announced sanctions on a total of 48 individuals. It has avoided targeting business leaders such as Mr Sechin.

The US has accused Russia of "doing nothing to meet the commitments it made" at a meeting with Ukraine, the US and EU in Geneva on 17 April, which it said had included refraining from violence or provocative acts.

Name	Position	Sanctioned by
Putin's 'inner circle'
Gennady Timchenko	Founder of Gunvor (oil and energy market trading)	US
Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg	Co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group	US
Yuri Kovalchuk	Largest single shareholder of Bank Rossiya	US
Igor Sechin	Head of Rosneft (petroleum company)	US
Government officials
Sergei Ivanov	Chief of staff for Presidential Executive Office	US
Oleg Belaventsev	Russian presidential envoy to Crimea	US and EU
Vladimir Yakunin	Chairman of Russian Railways	US
Igor Sergun	Director of GRU	EU
Valery Gerasimov	Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces	EU
Vladimir Kozhin	Head of administration	US
Viktor Ivanov	Director of Federal Drug Control Service	US
Sergei Naryshkin	Speaker of the lower house of parliament	US and EU
Vladislav Surkov	Presidential aide and election adviser	US and EU
Dmitry Rogozin	Deputy Prime Minister	US and EU
Sergei Glazyev	Adviser on Ukraine policy	US and EU
Sergei Mironov	Member of Russian Parliament	US
Dmitry Kozak	Deputy Prime Minister	US and EU
Ludmila Shvetsova	Deputy Chair State Duma	EU
Sergei Chemezov	Director of Rostec (state high-technologies division)	US
Others
Bank Rossiya	Russian bank	US
Dmitry Kiselyov	State television news anchor	EU

Meanwhile, a US journalist who was kidnapped and held hostage for several days last week by pro-Russian activists has been speaking to the BBC.

Simon Ostrovsky said he was pulled out of his car at a checkpoint in Sloviansk.

"I was separated from my other colleagues and taken down into the basement, blindfolded. I had my hands tied behind my back. I was thrown on the floor and beaten up and held there for the next three days," he said.

But he said he was unable to confirm any of those involved were from Russia.

Are you in the region? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Ukraine crisis' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Delay to mobile number bank payments

29 April 2014 Last updated at 09:19

Twenty million bank account holders will have no immediate access to the new Paym mobile payment technology, which officially launches on Tuesday.

Over 5 million - mainly customers of the Nationwide Building Society - will not be able to use the system fully until 2015.

The technology allows people to pay or receive money using a phone number, but without giving out their bank details.

All account holders need to do is to share the number of their mobile phone.

However around 30m customers of banks including Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander or TSB will now be able to use the service, as soon as they have registered their mobile number with their bank.

Continue reading the main story

• Register your mobile number with your bank
• Use payments app to select friend's mobile number
• Confirm recipient, then press 'send'
• You can send up to £250 a day
• You still receive money, even if your phone is switched off
• No need to give out sort code and account number

They will be able to send up to £250 a day on their mobile phones through Paym, although some banks offer a higher limit.

Computer problems

Customers of RBS, NatWest, Ulster Bank and First Direct, will be able to join the scheme later this year.

The RBS group has over 13m current account holders, and First Direct has 1.2m.

However those with current accounts at the Nationwide will not be able to make payments until next year.

Other banks, including Metro Bank, the Clydesdale, Yorkshire Bank and some of the smaller building societies, have not set a timetable for joining the scheme.

RBS, whose customers have faced a series of computer problems over the last year, said it was giving priority to improving its IT systems.

"We are prioritising the volume of system changes we are making to ensure we can deliver the best service to our customers. ," said an RBS and NatWest spokesperson.

The reluctance of some banks to be ready for the scheme's launch is not the only problem.

A survey from the market research company Consumer Intelligence suggests only a quarter of customers will be using it.

'Like a balloon'

The survey, conducted earlier this month, claims that 47% of account holders will not be using Paym at all.

Their biggest worry is security.

"It's clear that the banking industry has a job to do educate many of them that mobile payments are a safe and consumer-friendly development," said David Black of Consumer Intelligence.

Others have warned consumers to watch transactions on their accounts very carefully.

"They will need to be vigilant and monitor their accounts to make sure that there is no suspicious activity, as with every advance in banking technology comes a new fraud risk," said Gabriel Hopkins of the from the data consultancy FICO.

"Fraud is like a balloon - if you squeeze it in one place, it bulges somewhere else - so banks need to stay alert and have the highest level of mobile fraud protection for customers," he said.

But the Payments Council, which is running the scheme, insists the technology is perfectly secure.

Customers still have to access their accounts through a banking app, which is password-protected.

Paym is a "safe and easy option", said Adrian Kamellard, the chief executive of the Payments Council.

Account holders can find out more from their bank's website, or by visiting the Paym website.

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UK economy grows by 0.8% in quarter

29 April 2014 Last updated at 10:14

The UK economy grew by 0.8% in the first quarter of 2014, according to the latest figures.

It marks the fifth consecutive period of GDP growth - the longest positive run since the financial crisis.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said the economy is still 0.6% smaller than its 2008 peak.

Chancellor George Osborne said Tuesday's figure showed that "Britain is coming back", but that the recovery could not be taken for granted.

"The impact of the Great Recession is still being felt, but the foundations for a broad based recovery are now in place," he added.

Continue reading the main story

Talk of quarterly growth accelerating to 1% in the first quarter of this year proved unfounded.

But with services, manufacturing and construction all registering expansion between January and March, a more balanced recovery seems to be developing.

Surprisingly, while the building industry may have been affected by the weather, the floods and storms of January and February do not seem to have had much of an impact on overall economic activity.

But while economies like the US and Germany have now moved ahead of their pre-recession peaks, the UK is still lagging a little behind.

It seems likely the economy will reach that milestone in the middle of the year.

"The biggest risk to economic security would be abandoning the plan that is laying those foundations."

Tuesday's growth figure - the ONS's first estimate for the quarter - is a slight increase on the 0.7% recorded for the final quarter of 2013, and a rise of 3.1% on the same period a year ago.

But many had been expecting the latest figure to be even higher, at 0.9%.

UK manufacturing output grew by 1.3%, the ONS said, its strongest quarter for nearly four years.

And the service sector, which includes everything from hotels and leisure to accountants, grew by 0.9%.

Construction output, which grew by 0.3%, was affected by the storms and high rainfall in January and February, the ONS said.

But it added that the bad weather did not have a significant impact on overall GDP growth.

Agriculture was the only one of the four main industrial sectors to register a fall in output, dropping by 0.7%.

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Service held for stab death teacher

29 April 2014 Last updated at 10:23

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LIVE: Police give news briefing following fatal stabbing of teacher Anne Maguire

The fatal stabbing of a teacher in front of her pupils has prompted condolence messages from as far afield as Australia.

Anne Maguire, 61, was killed at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on Monday.

A 15-year-old pupil is being questioned by detectives about the attack, while the school is open as normal.

Tribute messages and flowers to Mrs Maguire are at the school gates and pupils are attending a Mass for her.

She had taught at the school for 40 years, after starting her career there as a student teacher.

'Subdued atmosphere'

All of the youngsters described Mrs Maguire as an inspirational teacher who went out of her way to help students.

Speaking earlier, one former pupil said she would be "would be greatly missed".

Priest Paul Fisher said: "Messages from those who knew Anne have come from across the country, with at least one from Australia."

Mrs Maguire, 61, was taken to hospital after being fatally injured shortly before 12:00 BST on Monday.

As he arrived at school one pupil, Thomas Bainbridge, said he thought the atmosphere in the school would be subdued.

Thomas, from Wakefield, said: "It will not be the same atmosphere, it will be a bit quiet.

"Mrs Maguire was a very supportive teacher, she helped pupils keep their head above water."

'Show our support'

Former pupil Kathleen Walpole was also at the school gates.

She said: "I was devastated, absolutely devastated.

"Of all the teachers, it would be Anne who you would expect to be at the bottom of the list, she's going to be greatly missed.

Ch Supt Paul Money of West Yorkshire Police said the victim received a number of stab wounds and a knife was recovered from the scene.

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Phil Bodmer reports from outside Corpus Christi Catholic College

A delegation of officials from Leeds City Council are at the school, saying they are there to offer whatever support was necessary.

Tom Riordon, the authority's chief executive, said: "We're here to pay our respects to a wonderful teacher on behalf of the members and officers of Leeds City Council.

"We're about to go in and see people in the school and show our support."

Judith Blake, the council's executive member for children's services, said she supported the school's decision to open.

'Rest in peace'

She said: "This is a very tragic incident. They have someone in custody; there is no risk coming to the school today. The school is safe."

Downing Street said the prime minister's thoughts were with the victim's family.

The Neville Road college has 950 pupils and according to its website retains "traditional values", describing these as "a strong Christian ethos, a broad and varied curriculum, good teaching and learning, excellent discipline and outstanding pastoral care".

The Most Rev Malcolm McMahon, Archbishop-elect of Liverpool and chairman of the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales, spoke of his "shock and sadness" over the death of Mrs Maguire.

"Anne gave her life to the college and Catholic education, and thousands of young people have benefited from her kindness and hard work over many years," he said.

"May she rest in peace."

Are you in the area? Do you have any information you would be willing to share with the BBC? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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Deadly mortar attack in Damascus

29 April 2014 Last updated at 10:29

Twelve people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a mortar attack on a technical institute in central Damascus, Syrian state media say.

Four mortar shells struck the mainly Shia Shaghour neighbourhood of the city, police told the Sana news agency.

Two of the shells hit the Badr al-Din al-Hussein technical institute.

The attack comes a day after President Bashar al-Assad registered to stand for re-election defying calls to step down as a way of ending Syria's civil war.

The president's forces have pushed back rebels from many of their strongholds around the capital, but residents say they have responded by increasing the number of rocket and mortar attacks in the centre of the city.

"Twelve citizens were killed and 50 others wounded by terrorists who targeted the Shaghour neighbourhood," Sana reported.

The word "terrorists" is used by the Syrian authorities to describe all those seeking to depose President Assad's government.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also reported the mortar attack, saying that the number of fatalities is expected to rise.

It says that the Badr al-Din al-Hussein technical institute is an Islamic law studies centre, with students as young as 14.

More than 150,000 people are believed to have been killed in the three-year civil war.

Millions of people have fled their homes as fighting shows no sign of easing. The UN says that almost 3.5 million civilians are being denied vital aid, including medicine and medical care.

A group of prominent lawyers and academics has urged the UN in an open letter to deliver aid into Syria with or without the government's consent.

The letter, signed by 35 legal experts, says permission for aid is being arbitrarily withheld.

A UN resolution adopted in February called for all sides in the conflict to allow unrestricted humanitarian access.

Since March 2011, Syria has descended into civil war as rebel brigades - including Islamists and jihadists linked to al-Qaeda - battle with government forces and among themselves.

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Aleppo gripped by barrel bomb fears

28 April 2014 Last updated at 10:29 By Ian Pannell BBC News, Aleppo

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BBC crew witnesses devastation of air bombardment on Aleppo

A BBC team has witnessed the devastating effects of air bombardment on Syrian civilians after gaining rare access to rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

Emergency rescue teams told the BBC the city was living in "danger and fear".

Thousands of people are reported to have been killed or maimed in a campaign of aerial bombardment in northern Syria this year.

With cameraman Darren Conway, we were the first Western broadcasters in rebel-held Aleppo this year.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

If these... weapons managed to hit a military target, it would be sheer luck"

End Quote Sarah Leah Whitson Human Rights Watch

"My husband was sitting at breakfast. We heard the first blast: it sounded far away. But I asked him to go and get the kids off the street. And suddenly it hit us."

Um Yahya wept. With two small children at her side, the young mother was standing in what until that morning had been her home. It was now a wreck: a tangle of rubble and cables and dust, with half the ceiling missing and parts of the building completely razed.

Consumed by shock and grief, she described the moment the barrel bomb landed on her street. "It was as if someone picked me up and threw me inside".

Her husband, who had gone to find their children, was badly injured and had been whisked off to hospital. Her parents have fled to Turkey and she is now alone with her children. "I have nowhere to go," she said. "I just want my husband and nothing else."

'I am so scared'

Outside, the emergency rescue team of the Civil Defence Force (CDF) scoured through the rubble. With little training and limited equipment from Britain, America and elsewhere, theirs is a task as grim as it is dangerous.

When there is an attack on residential areas, they race in to search for survivors and - as often as not - to recover bodies.

In the last year, eight crew members have been killed as they brave bombs and bullets to rescue others.

Khalid Al Heju, the head of the CDF in Aleppo, says it is their responsibility to help those who have no one else to turn to.

"Our humanity urges us to do this job, to save people from under the rubble and take them to hospital," he says.

But he admits to living with fear, like so many others in this battered city. "Yes, I am scared, I am so scared. The same position is often hit more than one time.

"This is creating the most danger and fear for us."

Like the people they save, they face attacks from the land and air.

'Indiscriminate, dumb weapons'

Since last September Aleppo, Syria's largest city and its former economic capital, has been at the receiving end of what the pressure group Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls "an indiscriminate and unlawful air war against civilians by the Syrian government". Last month HRW produced a study into the scale of the attacks.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Barrel bombs are just what their name implies - large cylindrical metal containers filled with explosive and shrapnel that are typically rolled out of the door of a helicopter. They were initially dropped from a low altitude, which afforded a reasonable degree of accuracy, but the possession of portable surface-to-air missiles by the rebels has forced the helicopters higher and any accuracy has disappeared.

The barrel bombs have become significantly larger over time and on occasion have had additional tanks welded to them with suggestions that these might contain inflammable fuel, additional explosives or even possibly chemicals, such as chlorine.

Despite being rudimentary weapons, their destructive power is considerable - though they are only one part of a Syrian government's arsenal that has been employed against civilian areas - and their use could well constitute a war crime.

HRW says the use of barrel bombs has "terrorised" Aleppo in recent months.

The bombs are crude devices, often made from oil drums or large gas bottles, packed with explosives and bits of metal, that are literally tossed over the side of helicopters.

The devastation they cause and the fear they instil has forced tens of thousands of people to flee the city this year, according to charities and NGOs working with displaced families.

"Satellite photos and witness accounts show the brutality unleashed on parts of Aleppo," according to Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

"If these indiscriminate, dumb weapons managed to hit a military target, it would be sheer luck," she says.

In a rare show of unity over Syria, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution in February that called for an immediate end to "all attacks against civilians, as well as the indiscriminate employment of weapons in populated areas, including shelling and aerial bombardment, such as the use of barrel bombs".

The Violations Documentation Center, an opposition monitoring group, claims nearly 700 civilians have been killed across Aleppo province by warplanes and barrel bombs since the UN resolution was agreed.

The resolution also called for an immediate end to all forms of violence and called on both sides to cease attacking and besieging civilians as a tactic of war. That has also not happened.

President Bashar al-Assad insists his military is fighting to protect civilians, targeting what he calls "terrorists and foreign extremists". The armed opposition has also been accused of human rights violations and there have have been many cases where the rebels have killed civilians through bombardment, but on a very different scale.

World's 'indifference'

We have been coming to Aleppo since the battle began here, nearly two years ago.

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"The biggest bulk of the chemical weapons material is removed but not yet destroyed"

The report of war is the soundtrack for a city that is a shabby imitation of its former self.

Whole neighbourhoods lie empty; the facades of buildings have been ripped off, piles of rubble lie where homes used to stand, and roads are blocked by the charred remains of buses that protect passers-by from the scopes of snipers.

Even in the still of night, in a city consumed by darkness, the war grinds on.

The battle for Aleppo sharply escalated a few weeks ago as different rebel groups launched a surprise joint attack on government positions.

Abu Bakri is a leader of the Abu Amara Brigades, one of the groups on the frontline, and claims the bombing has galvanised the rebels.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

People here started to hate both sides. We don't want the regime forces or the FSA; [we] just want to live in peace"

End Quote Feras English teacher in Aleppo

"The regime has been threatening citizens with barrel bombs and airstrikes. It made all the armed factions in the city come together and form a joint operations room," he says.

"We are learning from our mistakes and trying to be more organised with weapons we have and use in better way."

As many as 70% of Aleppo's residents are thought to have abandoned the city to the two warring groups. "Life here totally sucks", says Feras, a young English teacher living in one of the neighbourhoods that has been attacked. He was afraid to give his family name.

"It isn't a life: [we are] afraid of shells falling on our heads day or night. We don't know if we go this way, if it's safe or not."

There are no signs of an end to this war, despite President Assad's reported prediction it will be over by the end of the year.

A trickle of aid makes its way across the border but Syrians feel shunned by what they see as the indifference of the outside world. They are defenceless in the face of incessant attacks, caught between two sides determined to fight to the bitter end and with little hope of either respite or relief.

Feras supported the revolution when it began. People used to talk about freedom and democracy in Syria. Today the talk is only of bombs and bullets, of deprivation and despair.

"Many armed groups here are stealing houses, not doing good to people. That's why people here started to hate both sides. We don't want the regime forces or the FSA; [we] just want to live in peace."

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Police probe 'Cyril Smith cover-up'

28 April 2014 Last updated at 04:58

Police are examining whether there is evidence of a criminal cover-up over claims of sexual abuse at a school linked to the late MP Sir Cyril Smith.

The leader of Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester's chief constable are due to give an update on the claims over Knowl View school in Rochdale.

Officers are already investigating the abuse allegations and the council is set to widen its own inquiry.

Sir Cyril's family has said he always denied such accusations.

The development comes after police launched an investigation into allegations that former Liberal MP Sir Cyril, who died in 2010 aged 82, sexually abused boys at Knowl View residential school. The school closed in 1992.

Officers are also looking into claims he abused boys at the privately run Cambridge House children's care home, which closed in 1965.

However, the BBC understands that Greater Manchester Police are now reviewing whether there is evidence of a cover-up at Rochdale Council, which was one of the local authorities that ran the Knowl View school.

Police are examining a book written by the Labour MP Simon Danczuk, as well as other sources as part of their inquiries.

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The BBC has also learned that Rochdale Council is to widen its own QC-led inquiry into the role played by council members and council staff in relation to Knowl View.

Rochdale Council was approached by the BBC today but declined to comment.

Allegations about Sir Cyril's conduct were first published in 1979 and also been made in a new book by the current Labour MP for Rochdale, Mr Danczuk.

He claimed Sir Cyril used his position of power to sexually abuse young boys and then escape prosecution.

Mr Danczuk previously said he asked police to re-examine the case after "a number of victims came to see me and raised concerns".

An independent review into the way Knowl View was run is due to report to Rochdale Council next month.

Sir Cyril's family have said he always denied such accusations made against him when he was alive and said they were saddened that allegations were now being made when he could no longer defend himself.

The Smith family said it would continue to co-operate with any further investigations.

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Ecclestone avoids potential £1bn tax

28 April 2014 Last updated at 01:30

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has avoided a potential £1.2bn tax bill as a result of a secret deal with HMRC.

The deal involved a payment of just £10m, according to legal transcripts obtained by BBC Panorama.

Revenue & Customs spent nine years investigating the Ecclestone family's tax affairs before offering to settle in return for the payment from the family trusts in 2008.

Mr Ecclestone said he paid more than £50m in tax last year.

Mr Ecclestone, the chief executive of Formula 1, is currently on trial in Germany facing corruption charges. It is alleged he was behind a £26m bribe paid to a bank official.

Prosecutors allege the bribe was paid to ensure that Mr Ecclestone retained control of the sport.

Ecclestone admits paying former banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky, but says he was effectively the victim of blackmail as he was worried the banker would tell the tax authorities he had set up an offshore family trust.

Offshore trusts

Panorama's investigation goes back to 1995 when Mr Ecclestone secured ownership of the lucrative TV rights of Formula 1.

Shortly afterwards he moved this prize asset offshore, giving the rights to his then wife, Slavica.

She transferred them to a family trust in Liechtenstein, before selling them for a huge profit, free of UK tax.

It may be the biggest individual tax dodge in British history, and is legally watertight provided Mr Ecclestone did not set up, or control, the trust.

If he had done, Mr Ecclestone has admitted, he could have faced a tax bill of more than $2bn - or £1.2bn.

Barrister and tax expert Jolyon Maugham said this was a "pretty substantial" loss of tax.

"I'm certainly not aware of anything else remotely approaching that sort of magnitude, in my fairly extensive experience."

Continue reading the main story

• Darragh MacIntyre presents Panorama - Bernie Ecclestone: Lies, Bribes and Formula One
• BBC One, Monday 28 April at 20:30 BST

HMRC deal

UK tax authorities spent nine years investigating the Ecclestones' tax affairs before agreeing a settlement.

HMRC does not comment on individual cases, but Panorama has obtained evidence from the previously unpublished transcripts of interviews conducted by a German public prosecutor.

One of the lawyers who helped run the Ecclestone family trusts, Frederique Flournoy, told the prosecutor: "In summer 2008, the Inland Revenue offered to conclude the matter if we paid £10m. We decided to pay up."

According to Ms Flournoy's evidence, the Ecclestone family trusts earn around £10m in interest every six weeks.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general, said: "Ten million may sound like a lot to some people but you have to look at it in the round.

"And if we're talking about a trust fund in which they are making huge amounts of money like this, then it isn't very much is it?"

Divorce payments

Mr Ecclestone says he gave away his fortune to avoid inheritance tax laws that he considered to be "very unfair" at that time.

Having gifted the assets to his wife, Mr Ecclestone can't receive payments from his family's offshore trusts.

But Ms Flournoy told the German prosecutor he's been receiving payments from his wife since his divorce: "Mrs Ecclestone received disbursements from the Trusts. In other words, she also has a personal asset. That is also the basis on which the divorce ruling fixed the payment amounts to Ecclestone."

When asked how high the divorce payments were to Mr Ecclestone, she said: "I don't know the exact figure, however it must be around $100 million a year."

Mr Ecclestone said his divorce was a "private matter". He says he has always paid his fair share of tax and that he is "proud to be British and proud to make my contribution by paying my taxes here."

Slavica Ecclestone's lawyer said her estate planning was based on legal advice and that she was entitled to privacy in her tax affairs.

A lawyer for the family trusts said Mr Ecclestone has not exerted any control over the management of the trusts. He said the transcripts from the German prosecutor contained errors.

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Three generations killed in fire

28 April 2014 Last updated at 10:28

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The BBC's Ed Thomas describes the scene in Sheffield

Three generations of a family, including a nine-week-old baby girl and her two young brothers, have been killed in a house fire in Sheffield.

Relative Ishfaq Kayani said the deaths at Wake Road, Sharrow, were a "tragedy beyond imagination".

The victims were his cousin Shabina Begum, 54, her daughter Anum Parvaiz, 20, Adhyan and Amaan Nazim, aged nine and seven, and their baby sister.

Twenty firefighters tackled the blaze shortly after midnight.

A police cordon remains in place in Wake Road, a street of mostly terraced houses, as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

Mr Kayani named the 20-year-old woman who died as Anum Parvaiz, who was the children's aunt.

He said the children's grandmother, Shabina Begum, had initially escaped the fire but went back into the house in an attempt to rescue them.

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Cousin Ishfaq Hussain Kayani says the family are "devastated and in a state of shock"

"She gave her life trying to save her grandchildren," he said.

The children's mother escaped the fire and their father was at work at the time.

Mr Kayani said: "The whole family is in a state of shock, devastated. The whole community is in a sombre mood.

"Friends, relatives, we're all in huge, huge shock. It's a tragedy beyond imagination.

"Just in a matter of minutes the whole family has been destroyed. The whole family has gone.

Continue reading the main story

Oliver Wright BBC News Online

---

As the residents of Wake Road awoke this morning, they were greeted by the grim sight of lines of police tape across the street and the tragic news that two women and three children had been killed in a house fire.

The full length of the road has been closed and a white forensics tent stands close by the affected terraced house.

White-suited scenes of crime officers and police officers in high-visibility jackets came and went from the three-storey property near to the junction with Emily Road.

The brown wooden windows of the house and neighbouring properties have been left wide open.

Those living in the leafy suburb to the south of the city have spoken of their shock, sadness and disbelief.

"You can well imagine what the children's parents are going through. I don't have the words to describe how the family is feeling, other than shell-shocked, devastated.

"We are a close-knit family, there are enough people around to support the family.

"The children were looking forward to school, and we've lost the whole family, just a wonderful family, highly respected."

'Such a tragedy'

Four fire engines from Central, Rivelin, Lowedges and Mansfield Road stations, along with a crew using an aerial ladder platform, went to the scene.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said details about the fire would become clearer after specialist investigators examined the scene.

Vicky Edwards, who lives in Wake Road, said: "It's a shock, of course it's a shock.

"I got up and saw the police tape and thought 'what is that about?' but it was only when I came outside and saw the police officers I realised it was something serious.

"It's a really nice neighbourhood, the sort of place where kids play outside."

Another neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "We were asleep we did not hear anything or see anything.

"We know the family. It's such a tragedy, it's the saddest thing you can hear."

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