Rebels down Ukraine helicopters

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:36

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Sarah Rainsford in Donetsk says the scale of clashes on the ground is not yet clear

Pro-Russian rebels have shot down two of Ukraine's army helicopters during an "anti-terror" operation in the eastern city of Sloviansk, Kiev says.

Ukraine's military said a pilot and serviceman were killed and nine rebel checkpoints seized.

However, separatists at three Sloviansk checkpoints told the BBC they were still in control there.

Russia says Kiev's actions "killed the last hope" for a deal agreed last month in Geneva aimed at defusing the crisis.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov also described Ukraine's operation as "punitive".

And Mr Peskov said that contact had been lost with Russian envoy Vladimir Lukin sent to the south-eastern Ukraine.

Russia's foreign ministry earlier warned that any assaults by Ukraine's troops in the region would have "catastrophic consequences", triggering fears of an invasion by Moscow.

Separately, reports are coming that several foreign journalists have been detained in Sloviansk.

Sloviansk is a stronghold for pro-Russian separatists who are exerting increasing control in the region.

'Full combat alert'

In a statement on Friday , Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the "active phase" of the operation began at 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT).

He said interior troops and the National Guard were involved in the operation in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk region.

"The terrorists opened fire with heavy weapons against Ukrainian special units.

"A real battle with professional mercenaries is going on," Mr Avakov said, adding that the separatists were using the tactics of hiding behind civilians in residential buildings.

Russia's state-run Rossiya 24 TV channel said the city was being "stormed".

It quoted Sloviansk's rebel leader Igor Strelkov as saying that the city was completely sealed off.

The fighting appears to be concentrating on the periphery of the city, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford, who is in the regional capital Donetsk.

In a video posted on YouTube, Sloviansk's self-declared mayor Vyacheslav Ponomariov said "our city is under attack... and we have already suffered casualties".

"I would like to appeal to all children, women and the elderly not to leave their homes."

However, there were no reports of Ukrainian government troops entering the city itself.

Local residents were later quoted as saying that the situation in the city calmed down but remained tense.

Earlier, Ukraine's acting President Olexandr Turchynov reinstated military conscription.

Mr Turchynov said his forces were "helpless" to quell the unrest in some parts of the east, saying the goal was now to prevent it from spreading.

He also said Ukraine was on "full combat alert" amid fears that Russian troops could invade.

Some 40,000 Russian troops are stationed near the Ukrainian border.

Monitors held

Eastern Ukraine has a large Russian-speaking population and was a stronghold for President Viktor Yanukovych before he was overthrown by pro-Western protesters in February.

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Moscow says it reserves the right to use "all means" to protect its citizens in eastern Ukraine

Russia then annexed the Crimean peninsula - part of Ukraine but with a Russian-speaking majority - in a move that provoked international outrage.

The crisis has plunged East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War ended in the early 1990s.

On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Russia in a phone call to President Putin to help free foreign military monitors seized by rebels in Slovianks last week.

For his part, Mr Putin reiterated his call for Kiev to withdraw troops from the south-east to open the way for a national dialogue.

Are you in Sloviansk? Do you have any information to share? Send us your comments? You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Sloviansk'.

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Pfizer raises AstraZeneca offer

2 May 2014 Last updated at 09:28

US drugs giant Pfizer has raised the price it is offering for AstraZeneca to £50 a share, valuing the firm at £63bn.

Pfizer's initial offer in January was worth £46.61 per AstraZeneca share, and was rejected by the UK firm.

If successful, the deal would be the biggest takeover of a UK company by a foreign firm.

Pfizer also sent a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron to try to address concerns over the bid.

There have been worries that a takeover of AstraZeneca could affect the number of skilled jobs in the UK, where Astra employs about 6,700 people.

On Wednesday, four scientific bodies raised concerns about possible UK lab closures following a Pfizer deal, and a committee of MPs is considering an inquiry into the issue.

Pfizer told Mr Cameron it would go ahead with Astra's planned research and development (R&D) base in Cambridge, and retain its Macclesfield manufacturing facilities.

Continue reading the main story

Pfizer also pledged that if the deal went ahead, 20% of the combined company's R&D workforce would be based in the UK.

The US firm said its commitments would be valid for five years, unless circumstances changed significantly.

On Friday, Conservative peer Lord Heseltine called for greater powers for the UK government to intervene in foreign takeovers if crucial UK interests were at risk.

'Compelling rationale'

AstraZeneca confirmed on Monday that Pfizer had made a takeover approach for the company in January, but said that offer "significantly undervalued" the firm, which employs more than 51,000 staff worldwide.

Following Pfizer's latest approach, AstraZeneca said its board would meet to discuss the proposal and "a further announcement will be made when appropriate".

Announcing Pfizer's new offer, Pfizer chairman and chief executive Ian Read said: "We have seen significant positive market reaction to the announcement we made on April 28, including from the shareholders of both our companies.

"The consistent message we have heard reinforces our belief that there is a highly compelling strategic, business and financial rationale for combining our businesses, with significant benefits for shareholders and stakeholders of both companies.

"We believe our proposal is responsive to the views of AstraZeneca shareholders and provides a sound basis upon which to arrive at recommendable terms for the combination of our two companies."

Pfizer - whose drugs include Viagra - has a global workforce of more than 70,000, with 2,500 in the UK.

The company said it wanted to establish its corporate and tax residence in the UK, as well as its European headquarters.

Heather Self, a tax expert at Pinsent Masons, told the BBC: "Pfizer want[s] to put a UK company on top of the whole group which is taking the whole company outside the US tax system."

US federal corporation tax is 35%, while the UK's rate is 21% and is due to be cut to 20% in 2015.

Ms Self added that a significant tax gain for the UK would be unlikely.

"All it will mean is moving a few senior people here and having a few board meetings here. It doesn't mean anything for the UK tax industry," she said.

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RBS sees profits rise to £1.6bn

2 May 2014 Last updated at 09:36

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported pre-tax profits of £1.6bn for the three months to the end of March, almost double the profit recorded in the same quarter a year earlier.

But the bank warned it faced a "tough year" ahead as it continued to deal with the cost of restructuring the business and expected regulatory fines.

The results mark a return to profit for the first time since last summer

But RBS expects more fines and damages for mortgage mis-selling in the US.

Operating profit was £1.5bn, up from £747m a year earlier, the bank added.

Continue reading the main story

Shares in RBS soared 10%, or 31.10p, to 337.70p in early trading on the London Stock Exchange.

RBS chief executive Ross McEwan said the results showed the bank was in a "steady state".

He promised RBS would be a bank "that does a great job for customers while delivering good returns for our shareholders".

"But we still have a lot of work to do and plenty of issues from the past to reckon with," he added.

Expected losses

Underlying profit at the bank stood at £1.2bn in the quarter, three times higher than a year earlier and as much as six times higher than the £200m to £300m range City analysts had forecast.

But the bank - which remains 80% taxpayer-owned - cautioned that it still expected to make a loss for the year despite the profit in the first quarter.

Aside from fines from legacy issues, the bank expects considerable costs from restructuring as it slims down from seven divisions to three.

Continue reading the main story

RBS is pursuing a similar route to Lloyds in preparing to simplify and focus its operations, but Lloyds is much further down the road"

End Quote Richard Hunter Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers

The bank added its results benefitted from its decision in November to hive off toxic assets into a bad bank at a cost of £4.5bn, which led to lower impairment charges, particularly at Ulster Bank.

But the bank also benefitted from better cost control. It reported a cost-to-income ratio of 66%, down from 73% a year earlier. The bank is aiming to reduce the ratio to 55% by 2017 and 50% in 2020.

The year ahead is still likely to be dogged by fines relating to legacy issues, particularly from abroad.

In its annual results, RBS made a £1.9bn provision for fines and damages relating to mis-selling mortgage bonds in the US, as well as other penalties relating to market manipulation. But the bank fears the fines could exceed this amount.

RBS is among several major banks assisting regulators around the world investigating allegations of collusion and price-rigging in the global currency market.

Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said the bank's results appeared to "represent the calm before the storm."

He added: "The bank is still in the midst of dealing with its legacy issues, and has warned that there will be a considerable rise in costs as the year progresses, driven both by the restructure and the possibility of further regulatory fines.

"RBS is pursuing a similar route to Lloyds in preparing to simplify and focus its operations, but Lloyds is much further down the road."

Dividends

In April, RBS agreed with the Treasury to cancel a deal which stopped it paying dividends to private shareholders.

The deal was seen as a first step towards privatisation.

The bank said it would seek permission from its shareholders at its annual general meeting (AGM) on 28 June to pay £1.5bn to cancel the so-called dividend access share (DAS) - £320m of it this year, and the rest by the beginning of 2016.

The block on dividend payments to private investors was created in 2009 when the government bailed out the bank for a second time at a cost to the taxpayer of £25.5bn - taking the total cost of the RBS bailout to £45.5bn.

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Teacher murder accused in court

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:13

A 15-year-old boy charged with the murder of a teacher who was stabbed in front of her pupils has appeared before Leeds Crown Court.

Ann Maguire, 61, was attacked in a classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on Monday.

The boy, who cannot be named and who appeared by video link, was remanded to youth detention with a provisional trial date fixed for 3 November.

A second teenager was arrested and later released without charge.

Police would give no further details about his arrest.

Mrs Maguire, who taught Spanish, had worked at Corpus Christi Catholic College for more than 40 years and had been due to retire in September.

Floral tributes

The teacher lived in Moortown, Leeds, with her husband, Donald. The couple had two daughters, Emma and Kerry.

Mrs Maguire also raised her nephews Andrew and Daniel following the death from cancer of her sister, Eileen Poole, when the boys were young.

Hundreds of floral tributes have been laid outside the school by current and former pupils since Monday.

A book of condolence was also opened at the church that adjoins the school.

The Pope, Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband have all paid tribute to Mrs Maguire.

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Dozens hurt in S Korea subway crash

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:19

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Up to 170 people were injured although none were thought to be seriously hurt

Dozens of people have been injured after two subway cars collided in the South Korean capital Seoul.

As many as 170 people were hurt - and a number were taken to hospital for treatment - but no-one suffered serious injuries, officials said.

The accident happened after one train ran into the back of another that had stopped at a station in east Seoul.

It comes as the nation continues to mourn the deaths of about 300 people in last month's ferry disaster.

The Sewol ferry sank with 476 people aboard - most of them high school students and teachers - off South Korea on 16 April.

The emergency response to the disaster has been heavily criticised as too slow, and has led to the resignation of the prime minister and a public apology from President Park Geun-hye.

Friday's crash happened at around 15:30 local time (06:30 GMT) at the Sangwangsimni Station on one of Seoul's major subway lines, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reports.

Yonhap said the stationary train had stopped because of mechanical problems when the second train ran into the back of it.

A witness said many passengers ignored an onboard announcement telling them to stay inside and forced the doors open, escaping on to the tracks.

One official said 170 people had complained of feeling pain after the accident, and 32 were taken to a nearby hospital, but no-one was seriously hurt, the Associated Press reports.

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Barrister jailed over lies to police

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:32

Barrister and part-time judge Constance Briscoe has been jailed for 16 months after being found guilty of lying to police in ex-cabinet minister Chris Huhne's speeding points case.

A jury found the 56-year-old guilty of three counts of lying about Huhne, who had got his ex-wife Vicky Pryce to take speeding points for him.

Briscoe had denied intending to pervert the course of justice.

Judge Mr Justice Baker said Pryce and Briscoe lacked "respect for the law".

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Adams spends second night in custody

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:39

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Mrs McConville's daughter: "I will happily give the names that I know to the police"

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is still being questioned by Northern Ireland police in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville.

Mr Adams, 65, has spent a second night in custody after presenting himself at Antrim police station on Wednesday evening.

He has denied involvement in the death of the mother of 10.

Meanwhile, Mrs McConville's daughter, Helen McKendry, has said she is "ready to name names".

In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme she said: "I do not fear the IRA anymore. I will happily give the names that I know to the police."

Asked if she feared for her life by divulging such information, she said: "No, what are they going to do to me? They've done so much to me already in the past 42 years, what are they going to do? Come and put a bullet in my head? Well, they know where I live."

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain described Mr Adams' arrest as a "serious moment for Northern Ireland's politics.

"Regardless of the particulars of this case, about which I cannot comment except to say that when we were seeking the truth about the Disappeared in the period 2006 to 2007, Gerry Adams was co-operating with me and with the Police Service of Northern Ireland to try and establish the truth about these cases," he said.

"I know for a fact, because he told me this that he felt very strongly that these individual cases of the Disappeared were wrong and that he totally identified with the families concerned.

"He seemed to me to be genuinely concerned in seeking to get to the bottom of what happened and genuinely mortified about the plight of the families."

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers about the arrest on Thursday evening.

Deliberately timed

It is understood Mr Cameron reiterated his view that there was no political interference and it was a matter for the police.

Sinn Féin has claimed the arrest was deliberately timed ahead of elections in three weeks' time. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said it showed no-one was above the law.

Continue reading the main story

• Gerry Adams was arrested at 20:00 BST on Wednesday under the Terrorism Act 2000
• Under the terms of that act, a suspect can be held for a maximum of 28 days before being charged
• After the first 24 hours has passed, the police can extend questioning for a further 24 hours if a superintendent says there are sufficient grounds to do so
• However, if a suspect has been held for 48 hours the police then have to go to court to seek an extension of the length of time he or she can continue to be held.
• In the case of Gerry Adams, he could be held until 20:00 BST on Friday before a judge would have to rule on whether he could be held for a further period.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, said on Thursday he had pressed Mr Cameron on killings related to the state.

"The Police Service of Northern Ireland is duty bound to fully and energetically pursue every investigation and I support and encourage them to do so," he said.

"But I know that some investigations are pursued more vigorously than others."

First Minister Peter Robinson said the arrest "strengthens our political process in Northern Ireland for people to know that no-one is above the law".

"I would suggest to you that it would be political policing if the PSNI had not questioned those that were deemed to have been involved in any way," the DUP leader said.

Mrs McConville, a 37-year-old widow and mother of 10, was abducted and shot by the IRA.

Her body was recovered from a beach in County Louth in 2003.

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Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ before his arrest, Mr Adams said he was "innocent of any part" in the murder of Mrs McConville

Mrs McConville, one of Northern Ireland's Disappeared, was kidnapped in front of her children after being wrongly accused of being an informer.

The claim that she was an informer was dismissed after an official investigation by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman.

Secretly buried

The widow was held at one or more houses before being shot and buried in secret.

The Disappeared are those who were abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles.

The IRA admitted in 1999 that it murdered and buried at secret locations nine of the Disappeared.

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A BBC reporter spoke to Jean McConville's children who describe what happened the night their mother disappeared

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains was established in 1999 by a treaty between the British and Irish governments.

It lists 16 people as "disappeared". Despite extensive searches, the remains of seven of them have not been found.

Jean McConville's remains were found in 2003 by a man walking at Shelling Hill beach, near Carlingford.

Last month, Ivor Bell, 77, a leader in the Provisional IRA in the 1970s, was charged with aiding and abetting the murder.

There have also been a number of other arrests over the murder recently.

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Killed teacher was 'shining light'

1 May 2014 Last updated at 10:46

The family of teacher Ann Maguire, who was stabbed to death at a school in Leeds, have described her as "a shining light" who "brightened the world".

Mrs Maguire, 61, had worked at Corpus Christi Catholic College for more than 40 years before she was attacked in front of pupils on Monday.

In a statement, her family said they were "devastated" at her death.

A 15-year-old boy has appeared at Leeds Youth Court and was remanded in custody charged with Mrs Maguire's murder.

Continue reading the main story

Danny Savage North of England Correspondent, BBC News

---

Every seat was taken in Court 20 at Leeds Youth Court.

In court were the parents of the 15-year-old boy accused of Ann Maguire's murder, to whom he nodded as he walked in.

Also in court was Mrs Maguire's husband - who stared intently at the youth - and her daughters and a nephew.

The boy said, "yeah" four times in reply to questions asked.

He will appear via video-link in front of Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

The boy, who cannot be named, is due to appear via video-link at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

In the statement, issued by West Yorkshire Police, Mrs Maguire's family described her as "a loving wife, the best mother, a treasured sister, a true friend".

"We are devastated. Her selfless, genuine, caring nature will remain with us eternally," they added.

Family members said they were "overwhelmed" by the support, sympathy and tributes they had received which were "a source of great comfort at this dark time".

The statement added: "Ann, we will love you always, your loving family."

Mrs Maguire, who taught Spanish, was due to retire in September after a 40-year career.

She had joined Corpus Christi, a 950-pupil college in the Halton Moor area of Leeds, as a student teacher and last year the school had celebrated her 40th year of service.

Mrs Maguire lived in the Moortown area of Leeds with her husband, Donald, and is understood to have had two daughters.

Hundreds of floral tributes have been laid outside the school by current and former pupils since Monday.

A book of condolence was also opened at the church that adjoins the school.

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Police quiz Adams on woman's murder

1 May 2014 Last updated at 07:07

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Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTE before his arrest, Mr Adams said he was "innocent of any part" in the murder of Mrs McConville

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams continues to be questioned by Northern Ireland police in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville.

Mr Adams has spent the night in custody after going to Antrim police station, where he was arrested.

Speaking before his detention on Wednesday evening, Mr Adams said he was "innocent of any part" in the murder.

Mrs McConville, a 37-year-old widow and mother-of-10, was abducted and shot by the IRA.

Her body was recovered from a beach in County Louth in 2003.

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Police said a 65-year-old man presented himself to officers at Antrim police station and was arrested.

'Malicious allegations'

In a statement, Sinn Féin said: "Last month Gerry Adams said he was available to meet the PSNI about the Jean McConville case. That meeting is taking place this evening."

Mr Adams added: "I believe that the killing of Jean McConville and the secret burial of her body was wrong and a grievous injustice to her and her family.

"Well publicised, malicious allegations have been made against me. I reject these.

"While I have never disassociated myself from the IRA and I never will, I am innocent of any part in the abduction, killing or burial of Mrs McConville."

His party colleague Alex Maskey condemned the timing of the arrest, just over three weeks from the European and local government elections.

However, Mrs McConville's son Michael, who was 11 when his mother was murdered, welcomed the arrest.

"We're just happy to see everything moving as it is moving at the minute," Mr McConville said.

"Me and the rest of my brothers and sisters are just glad to see the PSNI doing their job. We didn't think it would ever take place [Mr Adams' arrest], but we are quite glad that it is taking place.

"All we're looking for is justice for our mother. Our mother, on the seventh of next month, would have been 80 years of age.

"Although we didn't spend much time with our mother, we'd have like to have spent a lot of time with her. If the IRA hadn't have killed our mother, God knows, she still might have been alive today."

Mrs McConville, one of Northern Ireland's so-called Disappeared, was kidnapped in front of her children after being wrongly accused of being an informer.

Last month, Ivor Bell, 77, a leader in the Provisional IRA in the 1970s, was charged with aiding and abetting the murder.

There have also been a number of other arrests over the murder recently.

The case against Bell is based on an interview he allegedly gave to researchers at Boston College in the US.

Continue reading the main story

• Dozens of former IRA members were interviewed in Belfast and other cities and towns from 2001-2006 as part of an oral-history project known as the Belfast Project
• Details about internal politics and activities of the IRA were revealed on tape, including accounts of a hunger strike in prison in the 1980s
• Overall the project cost about $200,000 (£118,520), mostly provided by an Irish-American businessman
• Each interview was transcribed, sent by encrypted email to New York and then the material was sent to Boston College
• Here the material was placed under lock and key at Burns Library, until some were released to the Police Service of Northern Ireland last year following a legal battle with the college

Sources: Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times

The Boston College tapes are a series of candid, confessional interviews with former loyalist and republican paramilitaries, designed to be an oral history of the Troubles.

The paramilitaries were told the tapes would only be made public after their deaths.

However, after a series of court cases in the United States, some of the content has been handed over to the authorities.

Informer claim dismissed

The claim that Mrs McConville - who was abducted from her flat in the Divis area of west Belfast - was an informer was dismissed after an official investigation by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman.

She was held at one or more houses before being shot and buried in secret.

The Disappeared are those who were abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles.

The IRA admitted in 1999 that it murdered and buried at secret locations nine of the Disappeared.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains was established in 1999 by a treaty between the British and Irish governments.

It lists 16 people as "disappeared". Despite extensive searches, the remains of seven of them have not been found.

Mr Adams has never been charged with membership of the IRA. He was, however, interned in 1972 under the controversial Special Powers Act, but briefly released in order that he could take part in talks in London between representatives of Sinn Fein and the then Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw.

He was later re-arrested and interned at Long Kesh. Following an aborted escape attempt he received a prison sentence.

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Travel problems ease after IT fault

1 May 2014 Last updated at 10:27

Airports and sea ports are returning to normal following an IT glitch which caused long delays for passengers.

The fault on UK Border Force computers, which began on Wednesday, disrupted airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Birmingham with ports such as Dover and Southampton also affected.

The Home Office apologised and said engineers had been working "through the night" on the issue.

Gatwick and Heathrow airports said it was "business as usual" by Thursday.

On Thursday morning, Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said: "The current situation is much improved and we are doing our best to keep waiting times to a minimum during this morning's busy period.

"We apologise for any delays but security must remain our priority at all times."

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport told BBC News that the queues had reduced overnight, that its IT systems were "back up and running" and it was "business as usual" for passengers.

Officials at Heathrow confirmed there were no queues at their terminals on Thursday morning.

The glitch meant that UK Border Force staff were forced to manually input passport details for those arriving in the UK rather than simply scanning documents.

The delays had a particular impact on non-EU passengers, and extra Border Force staff were called in to try to reduce the queuing time.

The BBC's Sarah Falkland said delays of up to 90 minutes befell passengers on Wednesday evening, while the queuing time at Gatwick was even longer.

Continue reading the main story

Border agency staff were professional, friendly and helpful but clearly struggling with failed computers"

End Quote Christian Walton

She said the problem affected both self-service e-Passport gates - which operate by running a facial recognition check against a traveller's passport - and manned customs desks.

At London Luton Airport, passenger Simon Kalman, 57, of Golders Green, London, told BBC News he had been queuing alongside about 2,000 other people, and had waited for almost two hours.

Mr Kalman, who arrived at the airport at 22:45 BST on Wednesday after flying in from Barcelona, said: "It was a total mess, there was limited water available and people were getting very frustrated."

Christian Walton said the immigration hall had been "packed" at Heathrow airport after his flight from Zurich landed on at 19:50 BST on Wednesday.

He said: "Nobody could tell us how long the wait would be. It took about 20 minutes for somebody to start handing out water, but only after people complained.

"People were joking a bit, generally well-behaved and resigned to a long wait, typically British.

"Border agency staff were professional, friendly and helpful but clearly struggling with failed computers."

Are you at a UK airport or do you know someone who has been affected by the delays? Do you have any information you would be willing to share with the BBC? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject line "Travel disruption".

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