Ukraine: Crimea Bases Under Russian Control

Russia has announced all military bases in Crimea are under its control and Ukrainian troops have left the region.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu added the country's president, Vladimir Putin, would hand over the military vessels and airplanes of Ukrainian forces that have changed sides and joined Moscow.

The region voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in a hastily-arranged referendum earlier this month.

Vladimir Putin signs a bill confirming the annexation of Crimea

US President Barack Obama has urged Russia to pull its forces back from Ukraine's border amid the biggest crisis in relations between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War.

"You've seen a range of troops massing along that border under the guise of military exercises. But these are not what Russia would normally be doing," he told US television network CBS.

Russia was accused of invading Crimea in the aftermath of the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych, but Mr Putin called the soldiers who took over Ukrainian bases there "self-defence forces".

US President Barack Obama

However, on Friday the Russian leader said the action in Crimea had showed the new capacities of the Russian army.

"The recent events in Crimea were a serious test," he said at a televised military ceremony.

"They demonstrated the new capacities of our armed forces in terms of quality and the high moral spirit of the personnel."

Ukraine shares a vast border with Russia

It is the first time Mr Putin has confirmed the direct involvement of the Russian army in the seizure.

He went on to thank the "commanders and servicemen of the Black Sea Fleet and other units deployed in Crimea for their restraint and personal courage".

On Friday Mr Yanukovych said every region of Ukraine should hold a vote to decide whether to break away like Crimea.

Armed men, believed to be Russian, sit in an armoured vehicle in Crimea

He said he would not recognise a presidential election planned for May 25 and called instead for nationwide referendums.

"As president who is with you in thought and soul, I ask every single sensible citizen of Ukraine not to let yourselves be used by the imposters.

"Demand a referendum on determining the status of every region in Ukraine," he added in a statement quoted by Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency.

Mr Yanukovych faced months of mass protests over his decision to spurn a European Union trade deal in favour of closer ties with Moscow.

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Pistorius Murder Trial Adjourned Over Illness

The trial of Oscar Pistorius has been adjourned until April after one of the judge's assessors was taken ill.

The courtroom in Pretoria had been packed in anticipation of the athlete's first day in the witness box but proceedings will now continue on April 7.

Pistorius' brother Carl and his sister Aimee were both in the public gallery expecting to hear their brother give evidence when news of the adjournment was announced.

Judge Thokozile Masipa told the court: "We cannot proceed this morning and we're also not sitting next week.

"One of my assessors is unwell, so this court is not properly constituted. I suggest we postpone this matter until April 7."

South Africa does not have a jury system, and two assessors help the judge reach a decision.

The prosecution has wrapped up its case and both sides have agreed to an extension of the trial until mid-May.

Just 18 of 107 possible witnesses were heard during the first three weeks of the trial, which is being held in Pretoria.

During the prosecution's case, the court heard about text messages Ms Steenkamp sent to Pistorius, in which she wrote: "I am sometimes scared of you."

An emotional message from Ms Steenkamp sent on January 27 last year accused Pistorius of picking on her "incessantly".

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Missing Plane: Objects Seen In New Search Area

Australian authorities have said a plane involved in the search for the missing MH370 flight has spotted objects in a new search area in the Indian Ocean.

A tweet from the Australian Marine Safety Authority (AMSA) said a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion aircraft spotted the objects on Friday.

The sightings will need to be confirmed by ship, which is not expected to take place until Saturday.

It comes after the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has shifted after data suggested it was travelling faster than previously thought.

A helicopter is unloaded from a transport plane at the air base near Perth

Analysis of radar from before contact with flight MH370 was lost indicated the plane was burning up fuel more quickly and may not have travelled as far south over the Indian Ocean.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau described the data, which came from analysis by Boeing, as the "most credible lead to where debris may be located".

Search teams have been relocated to scour an area 685 miles northeast of the zone they had been operating in.

Some 10 aircraft, including nine military planes, are involved and six ships are being sent to the region.

Experts will also trawl through satellite images of the new search zone to identify any possible crash sites.

During a news conference on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian authorities said the search in the Indian Ocean could shift to a deep sea search and salvage if no sign of the missing plane was discovered before the 30-day life of its black box battery.

The search is now nearly three weeks old and the operation has had to be called off twice due to bad weather.

Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, chief executive of Malaysia Airlines, was asked about the psychological testing of pilots employed by the airline.

He said: "They do psychological tests when they take new pilots on. That is something we check yearly and six-monthly, depending on how old they are, through an interview with aviation doctors."

Hishammuddin Hussein, acting minister of transport for Malaysia, added the new search area "could still be consistent with the potential objects identified by various satellite images" because of ocean drift.

Search teams are using 10 planes in an attempt to find missing flight MH370

Professor Chris Bellamy, maritime security expert at the University of Greenwich, said it was not surprising that the search area continues to change.

He told Sky News: "In that time (since satellite images), with a current of approximately three knots the debris could have drifted that distance.

"We may be talking about a load of debris floating in the area that they have been searching just before they moved the area and an impact in the new area.

"It doesn't totally surprise me that it's taken them so long to refine the search and decide that the plane probably went in further north."

The development comes after images from a Thai satellite showed 300 objects ranging from two to 15 metres in size scattered in the sea about 1,700 miles southwest of Perth.

Prayers and messages of support left on a wall at Kuala Lumpur airport

A French satellite spotted more than 120 objects floating in the ocean, while Japan is also reported to have captured aerial images of 10 items.

It is not known whether any of the objects are from the missing Boeing 777, which disappeared on March 8 as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The plane is thought to have crashed with the loss of all 239 people on board after flying thousands of miles off course.

The search for the missing plane resumed after it was suspended earlier this week because of poor weather off the coast of Australia.

Heavy rain, strong winds and low cloud caused reduced visibility and forced aircraft to turn back.

Distraught relatives of the 150 Chinese passengers on board the plane continue to voice their anger and frustration at the speed of the investigation.

Some Chinese insurance companies have started paying compensation to the families, according to the state news agency.

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'Sharp Spike' In People Put To Death Worldwide

There has been a "sharp global spike" in the number of people put to death, according to Amnesty International.

Almost 100 more people were executed in 2013 compared with the previous year - a rise of almost 15%.

There were at least 778 executions carried out in 22 countries, according to the London-based rights group.

Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty said: "Only a small number of countries carried out the vast majority of these senseless state-sponsored killings.

"We urge all governments who still kill in the name of justice to impose a moratorium on the death penalty immediately, with a view to abolishing it."

Iran (369 executions), Iraq (169), Saudi Arabia (79), the United States (39) and Somalia (34) are top of the list.

However, the figures do not include the thousands of people who are put to death in China, where such information is a state secret.

The report follows a decision this week by a court in Egypt to sentence 529 alleged supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to death, a decision Amnesty called "grotesque".

The global increase is partly down to more executions in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia - which account for 80% of the total.

"Credible sources" have reported an additional 335 executions in Iran, Amnesty said.

The rights group said it could not confirm the number of executions in Syria and Egypt.

Reasons for executions included adultery in Saudi Arabia, blasphemy in Pakistan, economic crimes in China, North Korea and Vietnam, and reportedly in North Korea for pornography, escaping to China and watching banned videos from South Korea.

Methods of execution included beheading in Saudi Arabia, electrocution in the US, and lethal injection in China, Vietnam and the US.

Other countries were listed as using hanging and shooting, although there were no reported executions by stoning.

According to Amnesty, more than 23,000 people were recorded as being on death row in 2013, and at least 1,925 people were sentenced to death in 57 countries.

But amid the high numbers, the rights group pointed out that only around one in 10 countries carry out executions and 140 are against the death penalty.

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Ukraine Crisis: IMF Agrees $18bn Bailout Fund

The International Monetary Fund has agreed rescue funds of up to $18bn (£10.8bn) for Ukraine in return for strict economic reforms.

Under the conditions of the proposed deal, Ukraine's interim government has announced a 50% increase in the price of domestic gas from May 1.

The IMF has pushed for a cut in energy subsidies which accounted for 7.5% of Ukraine's GDP in 2012.

Ukraine has said it needs the bailout to avoid a possible debt default.

The so-called Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF will not be ratified until the executive board meets next month.

If it is agreed, it could open Ukraine up to further financial support from the US, EU and Japan amounting to a total of $27bn (£16.3bn) over the next two years.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Thursday the price for Russian gas could reach $480 (£290) per 1,000 cubic metres from April 1. The current level is $268.5 (£162).

He added that if the reforms required by the IMF were not adopted, GDP could fall 10% in 2014 and the economy could default.

The country's finance minister had predicted Ukraine's economy will contract 3% this year after years of mismanagement and political turmoil.

A statement from the IMF said: "Following the intense economic and political turbulence of recent months, Ukraine has achieved some stability, but faces difficult challenges.

"The mission has reached a staff-level agreement with the authorities of Ukraine on an economic reform programme that can be supported by a two-year Stand-By Agreement (SBA) with the IMF.

"The financial support from the broader international community that the programme will unlock amounts to $27bn over the next two years.

"Of this, assistance from the IMF will range between $14-18bn, with the precise amount to be determined once all bilateral and multilateral support is accounted for."

The agreement will help Ukraine to meet debt payments after months of anti-government protests which saw President Viktor Yanukovych flee the country and Russian troops enter the Crimea region.

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MH370 Search: Satellite Spots '300 Objects'

Thailand says satellite images show 300 objects floating in the ocean in the hunt for wreckage from flight MH370, which has been scaled back due to bad weather.

The items, ranging from two to 15 metres (6.5 to 50 feet) in size, were scattered over an area about 1,700 miles southwest of Perth, according to the country's space agency.

The latest satellite evidence comes as search aircraft were recalled to Perth due to poor weather conditions, which are expected to last 24 hours.

But eight ships will stay in the area and attempt to continue scouring the remote southern Indian Ocean where previous satellite images showed what could be a debris field.

The operation has already been suspended once this week because of the weather.

Another weather system is moving in to the search zone. Pic: bom.gov.au

International teams set off early on Thursday morning local time to continue the search, but by early afternoon the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the hunt, said all planes had been forced to leave the search zone due to heavy rains, strong winds, low clouds and reduced visibility.

On returning to Perth, Captain Mike MacSween, who is on attachment with the Royal Australian Air Force, said poor visibility meant he had to fly as low as 200 feet to keep the ocean surface in sight.

He told a news conference: "The conditions are definitely difficult.

"With the rain showers and reduced visibility, and the concentration required to try and pick up something visually made it difficult for the crew."

It took four hours to reach the search area and the crew had up to two-and-a-half hours search time before having to head back.

New satellite images continue to provide clues in the hunt for MH370

He added: "The crew are still motivated and hopefully we are going to be able to find something soon."

Before the weather deteriorated, crews were trying to find signs of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 in an area around 1,550 miles (2,500 km) southwest of Perth, Western Australia, after a French satellite spotted 122 objects, suspected to be debris.

Malaysian officials said the items, between one metre and 23 metres in length, were in an area measuring around 155 square miles (400 square kilometres).

There have been five separate satellite leads - from Australia, China, France, and now Thailand - showing what could be debris.

But it is not currently known if any of the objects are connected to MH370, which disappeared on March 8 on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

The plane is thought to have crashed with the loss of all 239 people aboard after flying thousands of miles off course.

Search aircraft have been grounded in Perth because of severe weather

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said crews had seen objects while they were searching on Wednesday, but the items were later lost.

"Three objects were spotted on Wednesday by two aircraft but were not able to be relocated despite several passes," it said.

"They were unrelated to the credible satellite imagery provided to AMSA."

The failure to zero in on any possible debris despite the visuals from crews and numerous satellite images highlights the logistical difficulties of the search area.

It has some of the deepest and roughest waters in the world, battered by the "roaring forties" winds that sweep across the sea.

The winds are named for the area between latitude 40 degrees and 50 degrees where there is no land mass to slow down gusts which create waves higher than six metres (19ft).

"It's a nasty part of the world simply because there's no land to break up any of this swell and waves - it's uncomfortable to be there any time," marine scientist Dr Rob Beaman told Sky News.

"You really need a strong stomach to work in that area, so I really feel for the people who are out there doing the search."

Meanwhile, Chinese insurance companies have started paying compensation to the families of passengers aboard the missing plane, according to the state news agency.

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US Mudslide: A Community Left Devastated

Dayn Brunner says he does not hold out much hope of finding his sister alive - but he can't give up the search.

"If it were me in there, she would do the same thing," he says.

Summer Raffo, 36, was driving along Route 530 in Oso on Saturday morning when the giant landslide swept through. No-one has heard from her since.

Dayn has joined rescue crews picking their way through the debris in the foothills if the Cascade Mountains.

He told Sky News: "It is important to me to get in there and get her out. Knowing this is no longer a rescue mission, it is hard."

His story is similar to dozens in this breathtakingly beautiful corner of America.

Around 30 homes were destroyed and dozens more damaged by the mudslide

While some may still hold out hope for loved ones missing or unaccounted for, the number of people thought to have been in Oso at the time of the slide means the death toll is certain to rise significantly.

I spoke to another man who had just heard from his son, searching in the wreckage of the family home. "He's found my wife and my other son. They're dead," he told me.

They had moved to their home on Steelhead Drive, the road that took the brunt of the slide, just two years ago.

"It was beautiful. My wife had never been happier," he said.

Residents attended a candlelight vigil as the death toll rose further

Everyone here knows someone who is missing.

Names and faces on Facebook pages and messages of hope are a mere indication of the pain being felt.

If talk of a 'tight-knit community' can sometimes seem clichéd, here in the wilds of the Pacific North West it is very real.

The towns either side of Oso have rallied to support those caught up in this disaster. Meals and comfort are being offered as hopes of anyone being found alive are dwindling.

Messages for victims' families have been left at a nearby Community Centre

A few miles away, the scene greeting rescue teams in Oso has been described as "unimaginable".

"It is unfathomable what kind of devastation there is. You have mounds of dirt 70ft tall by 100ft wide and 200ft long sitting in what used to be somebody's yard," said Dayn Brunner.

At the roadblock on Route 530, one can just about make out the edge of the slide between the flashing lights of rescue teams.

A sketch artist from the local newspaper stands on the banks of the River Stillaguamish and captures the scene. It is a peaceful and slightly surreal counterpoint to the devastation nearby.

People here are used to living alongside the beauty of nature. They are now living with the horror of its power.

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US Mudslide Death Toll Rises As Bodies Found

Mudslide: 911 Calls Of Scared Witnesses

Updated: 10:15pm UK, Tuesday 25 March 2014

Terrified residents of a town swept away by a devastating mudslide called 911 to report falling trees, buried cars and neighbours screaming for help.

One caller reported a house being pushed on to the road by a wall of mud and rock, while another shouted: "Houses are gone!"

The calls were released as rescue efforts continued after the mudslide north of Seattle, which has killed at least 14 people.

Another 176 people remain unaccounted for, though officials hope that at least some might have been double-counted or been slow to alert family and officials about their whereabouts.

In one of the calls, a woman is heard reporting a "big emergency".

"There has been a huge landslide, and it has pushed the house all the way across the road," she said, adding she was speaking of a house next door.

The woman said power lines were being cut, and called for help to be sent.

"I can't believe this, oh my God," she said.

"Tell them to come on up, there's a lot of work."

The mudslide smashed through the small community of Oso, around 55 miles (90km) north of Seattle, on Saturday morning.

Around 30 homes were destroyed and dozens more damaged as much of the riverside village was swept away.

Workers continued the search but hopes of finding survivors were fading. Earlier, they pulled out a four-year-old boy, but his father and siblings are missing.

In the 911 calls, a man spoke on behalf of his wife.

"She said it sounded like an earthquake was happening," the man reported.

"There is a mudslide or something, hundreds of trees have fallen right  by my house."

He added he had not been able to extract more information from his wife as she was "in a panic".

An agitated woman screamed into the phone as she called 911.

"Houses are gone!" she shouted, adding people were calling for help as they were being flooded.

"Oh my gosh," she said, breaking into tears.

Summer Raffo, 36, was driving along Route 530 in Oso when the giant landslide swept through. No-one has heard from her since.

Her brother, Dayn Brunner, doesn't hold out much hope of finding his sister alive - but he can't give up the search.

"If it were me in there, she would do the same thing," he told Sky News.

Mr Brunner has joined rescue crews picking their way through the debris in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

"It is important to me to get in there and get her out," he said. "Knowing this is no longer a rescue mission, it is hard."

Another man, who asked not to be named, had just spoken with his son, who was searching the wreckage of the family home.

"He's found my wife and my other son. They're dead," the man told Sky News.

The family had moved to their home on Steelhead Drive, the road that took the brunt of the slide, just two years ago.

"It was beautiful. My wife had never been happier," the man added.

The towns either side of Oso have rallied to support those caught in the disaster.

The scene greeting rescue teams in Oso has been described as "unimaginable".

"It is unfathomable what kind of devastation there is. You have mounds of dirt 70ft tall by 100ft wide and 200ft long sitting in what used to be somebody's yard," said Dayn Brunner.

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Disgraced Secret Service Agents Sent Home

Three Secret Service agents due to protect the US president on his trip to the Netherlands have been sent home.

President Barack Obama arrived in the country on Monday but the agents were sent home on Sunday after one agent was found drunk in a hotel in Amsterdam, the Secret Service said

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the three agents were "benched" for "disciplinary reasons".

He said the incident had not compromised the president's security in any way.

The agents sent home from Amsterdam were put on administrative leave, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the disciplinary action.

The newspaper said all three were on the Counter Assault Team - with one being a "team leader". The team defends the president if he comes under attack.

Secret Service staff travel with the president wherever he goes

While the drunk agent was discovered by staff at the hotel, who reported it to the US Embassy, the other two agents were considered complicit because they did not intervene despite being in a position to assist the drunken agent or curb his behaviour, an anonymous source said.

The latest incident with the Secret Service represents a fresh blemish for an elite agency struggling to restore its reputation following a high-profile prostitution scandal and other allegations of misconduct.

An inspector general's report in December concluded there was no evidence of widespread misconduct, in line with the service's longstanding assertion that it has no tolerance for inappropriate behaviour.

Before the president travels anywhere abroad, a number of Secret Service and other government officials are dispatched in advance to prepare the intense security operation needed to protect the president in unfamiliar territory.

Prostitute Dania Suarez was involved in the Columbia incident

Typically, counter assault teams travel with the president in his motorcade and, if he came under fire, the team would be called upon to engage any attackers while the president was hustled to safety.

Stricter rules implemented in the wake of a prostitution scandal involving secret service agents in Colombia in 2012 bar agents from drinking alcohol within 10 hours of starting a shift.

It is unclear whether the other two agents were drinking heavily or what time any of them would have been expected to show up for a shift.

Mr Obama was in the Netherlands on the first leg of a week-long, four-country European trip to include talks on Ukraine.

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Ukraine: West Looks To Tighten Screw On Russia

The West is expected to further ramp up pressure on Russia, after leaders of the G7 united to exclude Moscow from planned G8 talks.

The Cold War-style showdown looks set to dominate international talks in The Hague for a second day, as Western leaders seek to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

David Cameron is scheduled to discuss the crisis with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, while US President Barack Obama will hold his first news conference since Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The president's press conference, in which he will be joined by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, will take place on the sidelines of an international nuclear security summit in The Hague.

The first day of the nuclear summit was largely overshadowed by news that the G7 - the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan - had agreed to pull out of a scheduled G8 meeting in Russia and hold its own meeting in Brussels.

Mr Cameron will meet the UN Secretary-General later on Tuesday

The move effectively suspends two decades of cooperation with Moscow in the G8 "until Russia changes course".

In a statement, the G7 leaders said: "This group came together because of shared beliefs and shared responsibilities. Russia's actions in recent weeks are not consistent with them."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague described the move as a "huge blow" for the G8. 

He also indicated that the West was considering tougher sanctions against Russia.

The US and European Union have already targeted some Russian individuals, but are yet to impose broader economic sanctions.

Western leaders are working to put forward a united front on the crisis

Mr Hague acknowledged that measures targeting Russia's economy could carry a negative impact in Europe, but said "we have to be prepared to do that."

"Every country would have to do what is necessary if more far-reaching sanctions were applied, accepting that that would affect different economies in different ways," he said.

"The United Kingdom is fully prepared to play its full part."

Russian representatives, also in the Hague, largely shrugged off the G7's comments.

Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said the G8 had been useful to discuss issues such as the nuclear tensions with Iran and the civil war in Syria, but that it was not a vital tool.

Mr Lavrov said: "If our Western partners believe the format has exhausted itself, we don't cling to this format.

"We don't believe it will be a big problem if it doesn't convene."

Sergei Lavrov meets with Ukraine's Andriy Deshchystsya. Pic: @mfa_russia

Mr Lavrov held his own meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Deshchytsia on the sidelines of the nuclear talks. 

It was the first time the pair had met since Ukrainian President and Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych was ousted last month following mass protests in Kiev.

Speaking ahead of the talks, Mr Deshchytsia warned that Ukraine would never give up Crimea.

He also warned Russia against making further attempts to seize Ukrainian territory, amid reports that Russian troops are assembling along its borders.

Mr Deshchytsia told reporters: "Our military and civilians living in Eastern Ukraine, Ukrainians, Russians, other nationalities, they are ready to defend their homeland."

Ukrainian troops have been withdrawn from Crimea

Earlier in the day, Ukraine announced it was pulling all its forces from Crimea, after losing another military base to Russian troops in the early hours of the morning. 

Russian forces have gradually seized control of the region, since voters in Crimea agreed to join the Russian Federation in a swiftly-arranged referendum following Mr Yanukovych's removal.

Since then, Nato's top commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, has warned that Russia's military force massing on Ukraine's border was "very, very sizeable and very, very ready".

He said he was worried the Russian military could make a move for Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region.

Transdniestria, a narrow strip of land to Ukraine's southwest, already has a Russian military presence and most people there favour a union with the country.

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