Shooting in Bangkok ahead of poll

1 February 2014 Last updated at 06:32 ET

Several people have been injured by gunfire in the Thai capital, Bangkok, amid clashes involving anti-government protesters ahead of Sunday's elections.

The violence erupted during a stand-off between supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The shots were fired as demonstrators blockaded a building where ballot papers are being stored, in an attempt to prevent their distribution.

Protesters want the government replaced by an unelected "people's council".

The opposition has vowed to boycott Sunday's poll, which is likely to be won by Ms Yingluck.

Troops deployed

The incident took place in Bangkok's Laksi district, a stronghold of the prime minister's Pheu Thai party.

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Thailand's crisis explained in 60 seconds

Sustained bursts of gunfire ricocheted off buildings after a tense stand-off between both sides, the BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok, reports.

A number of people could be seen lying injured on the road, as exchanges of gunfire continued, forcing reporters and passers-by to flee for cover, our correspondent says.

Continue reading the main story

• Sep 2006: Army ousts Thaksin Shinawatra
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin party wins election
• Aug 2008: Thaksin flees Thailand
• Dec 2008: Huge anti-Thaksin protests; court bans ruling party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Huge pro-Thaksin protests; dozens killed in army crackdown
• Jul 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of Thaksin, elected PM
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protests
• Dec 2013: Ms Yingluck calls election
• Jan 2014: Ms Yingluck declares state of emergency

It was not immediately clear whether those wounded were government supporters or opponents.

The protest movement has vowed to disrupt the election as much as possible, by preventing ballot papers from reaching polling stations.

The army earlier said it would increase the number of troops deployed in Bangkok for the polls on Sunday. Some 10,000 police will also patrol the streets.

The protests began in November, after the lower house backed a controversial amnesty bill that critics said would allow Ms Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, to return.

Ms Yingluck called early elections to quell the unrest, but demonstrators have vowed to block the poll from going ahead.

Correspondents say one election commissioner has predicted that 10% of polling stations will not be able to open at all on Sunday.

Because of disruption to candidate registration, the elections will also not deliver enough MPs for a quorum in parliament, meaning that by-elections will be needed before a government can be approved, extending the instability.

Last week, there were chaotic scenes as protesters tried to stop advance voters from casting their ballots.

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Clashes on Ukraine at Munich summit

1 February 2014 Last updated at 07:12 ET

Ukraine's future has sparked angry exchanges at a summit in Munich.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the "future of Ukraine belongs with the EU" while US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US backed Ukraine's "fight for democracy".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused those defending violent protests of double standards.

Ukraine has been in turmoil since November, when it scrapped an EU accord in favour of a Russian bailout.

'Time on our side'

The security conference is an annual event held to discuss military and political affairs.

Mr Van Rompuy's opening speech referred to the EU's offer of close association with Ukraine.

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Sergei Lavrov: "What does incitement of violent street protests have to do with the promotion of democracy?"

"The offer is still there and we know time is on our side. The future of Ukraine belongs with the European Union," he said.

Mr Kerry launched a broad attack on "a disturbing trend in too many parts of Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans".

He said: "The aspirations of citizens are once again being trampled beneath corrupt, oligarchic interests - interests that use money to stifle political opposition and dissent, to buy politicians and media outlets, and to weaken judicial independence."

Mr Kerry added: "Nowhere is the fight for a democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine. The United States and EU stand with the people of Ukraine in that fight."

He said the "vast majority of Ukrainians want to live freely in a safe and prosperous country - they are fighting for the right to associate with partners who will help them realise their aspirations".

In an apparent swipe at Moscow, he added that "their futures do not have to lie with one country alone, and certainly not coerced".

Mr Lavrov said that a "choice is being imposed [on Ukraine] and Russia is not going to be engaged in this".

He asked: "What does incitement of violent street protests have to do with the promotion of democracy? Why do we not hear condemnation of those who seize government buildings and attack police and use racist, anti-Semitic and Nazi slogans?"

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Herman Van Rompuy: "The future of Ukraine belongs with the European Union"

Mr Lavrov said: "Why are many prominent European politicians actually encouraging such actions, although back home they are quick to severely punish any violations of the law?"

Interfax also quoted Mr Lavrov as saying: "When John Kerry... says that Ukraine should choose who it is with - with the whole world or with one country, Kerry - with his experience, good sense - is the last person I would expect such propaganda from."

On Saturday Mr Kerry is scheduled to meet Ukraine opposition leaders said to include Arseniy Yatsenyuk, boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, legislator Petro Poroshenko and pop star Ruslana Lyzhychko.

The White House has confirmed it is discussing possible sanctions against Ukraine with the US Congress.

It was unclear whether Mr Kerry will meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, who is at the summit.

Before arriving in Munich, Mr Kerry said that concessions from President Viktor Yanukovych had "not yet reached an adequate level of reform".

Mr Yatsenyuk, who heads the Batkivshchyna party, recently refused an offer from President Yanukovych to become PM, one of the concessions.

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The BBC's Mariko Oi: "Shocking images of one anti-government protester"

President Yanukovych, who is currently on sick leave, has also tried to ease the crisis by repealing anti-protest laws, signing an amnesty for protesters and accepting the resignation of his cabinet.

However, opposition leaders are calling for his resignation and early elections.

One key issue for Mr Kerry and the opposition leaders will be the issue of Ukraine protester Dmytro Bulatov.

He went missing for eight days and said he had been kidnapped and tortured by captors who spoke with Russian accents.

He is now in hospital in Kiev under guard from both police and anti-government demonstrators.

Both White House spokesman Jay Carney and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said they were "appalled" by the apparent signs of torture.

US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt went to the hospital on Saturday to try to meet Mr Bulatov.

Ukraine's interior ministry says it wants to interrogate the activist on suspicion of organising mass unrest, and to examine his account of torture.

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Three held in baby murder inquiry

31 January 2014 Last updated at 16:45 ET

Three people have been arrested in Greater Manchester on suspicion of murdering a seven-week-old baby, police have confirmed.

The boy from Clarksfield, Oldham was admitted to Royal Oldham Hospital on Sunday with severe head injuries and a police investigation was launched.

He was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he died.

Two men aged 35 and 26 and a woman aged 23 are being questioned by police.

All three are being held on suspicion of murder and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

'Great shock'

The woman and 35-year-old man were originally arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault.

A post-mortem examination revealed the boy died from serious head injuries.

Det Insp Andy Cunliffe said it was a "tragic case" in which a very young baby has lost his life.

"We are determined to find out exactly what the circumstances were that led to him suffering such injuries," he said.

"News of the death of such a little boy will no doubt come as a great shock to people and I would like to try and reassure the community as much as I can that we have a team of detectives dedicated to working on this investigation and they will be interviewing the three people in our custody."

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Morsi in court over protest deaths

1 February 2014 Last updated at 03:28 ET

Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has arrived in court in the capital, Cairo, for the resumption of one of the four trials against him.

Mr Morsi and 14 other figures from the Muslim Brotherhood are charged with inciting the killing of protesters near the presidential palace in 2012.

At a hearing in another trial four days ago, a defiant Mr Morsi shouted that he was still the legitimate president.

He was deposed by the army last year after huge crowds rallied against him.

He is now facing four separate criminal trials on various charges.

They are:

• Inciting supporters to commit violence and murder as they tried to break up an opposition protest in Cairo in December 2012
• Conspiring with foreign organisations to commit terrorist acts, with prosecutors accusing Mr Morsi of forming an alliance with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah
• Murdering prison officers in a jailbreak in 2011 during the uprising against the then-President Hosni Mubarak
• Insulting the judiciary

Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated, although officials insist the trials are free and fair.

'Kept in a dump'

The former president was flown in by helicopter on Saturday morning from his prison in Alexandria.

Heavy security has been deployed outside the National Police Academy compound where the hearing is taking place.

On Friday, riot police fired tear gas at hundreds of Morsi supporters in Cairo and Alexandria and Fayoum, south of the capital.

Islamists have staged regular protests demanding the reinstatement of Mr Morsi but have been met with a heavy crackdown in which hundreds have died.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organisation and authorities have punished any public showing of support for it.

Human rights groups have dismissed some of the allegations against Mr Morsi as preposterous.

There were chaotic scenes when he first appeared in court in early November for the trial resuming on Saturday.

Mr Morsi chanted slogans against the current government and the court. He also refused to recognise the court's legitimacy or put on the required prison uniform.

Last Tuesday, Mr Morsi appeared in court at the beginning of a trial over his escape from prison in 2011.

He was accused of organising a mass breakout from the Wadi al-Natrun prison during the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, as well as the murder of prison officers.

During that court appearance, from inside a glassed-in defendants' cage, he shouted: "I am the president of the republic, how can I be kept in a dump for weeks?"

Although Mr Morsi won the presidency in a democratic election, he fell out with key institutions during his 13 months in power.

The interim government has since cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood, arresting thousands of members. At least one thousand people have been killed in clashes with security forces.

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Labour plans to cut unions' power

1 February 2014 Last updated at 06:21 ET

Trade unions, MPs and MEPs are to have their influence over Labour leadership elections reduced under plans announced by Ed Miliband.

It is part of the Labour leader's proposed shake-up of the party's historic relationship with the trade unions.

Mr Miliband said future leadership contests would be decided by a one member, one vote election.

He described the changes as some of the biggest in the party's history.

However, Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said the changes would make it "even easier" for the "union barons" to pick the Labour leader in future.

'Cash shortage'

The Labour leader embarked on reforming the union link after a selection row in Falkirk last year when allegations of vote-rigging surfaced involving the Unite union.

No wrong-doing has been found to have taken place.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Mr Miliband said: "These are the biggest changes to who can become involved in the Labour Party since probably its formation.

"They go much further than people expected, but they are designed to open us up and complete unfinished business of the past 20 years.

"These reforms are about letting people back into our politics, and getting them back into politics."

Currently - under Labour's electoral college system - MPs and MEPs get a third of the votes to select a new leader, trade unions get a third and party members another third.

That system is to be abolished with every party member and those union members who donate to the party having an equal say.

Under Labour's plans, from the end of 2014 new members of unions affiliated to the party would have to opt in and pay a £3 fee to Labour before they got a vote.

This process would be phased in over five years for existing union members.

MPs would retain the sole right to nominate leadership candidates.

The threshold those candidates would need is also to be raised - possibly to 20% of Labour's MPs.

'Massive change'

Continue reading the main story

A new method of electing Labour's leader - the electoral college, which gives unions, party members and MPs/MEPs a third of the votes each, abolished in favour of one member, one vote

MPs have sole nomination rights for leadership candidates and those candidates will need a higher level of support than at present - possibly 20% of MPs

All union members will have to 'double opt-in' if they want to take part in a leadership contest. They have to say that they are content to give money to Labour AND that they want to become 'an affiliated supporter'

Only full party members - not trade-union 'affiliated supporters' - will choose parliamentary and council candidates

Changes to London mayoral selection - Labour's candidate to be selected in the same way as the party leader

New leadership rules will be put in place this year - but changes to the party's funding will be phased in over five years

At present, trade union members pay a levy to the party - decided by the union - unless they opt out.

Describing the changes as "massive", Mr Miliband acknowledged they could mean donations to the party falling.

"I make no apology for making sure the party is financially secure, so these reforms are being phased over a five-year timescale."

In another mooted change, registered supporters - those who have registered their support but are not full party members - would be entitled to vote in leadership and mayoral elections "for a small fee".

There are currently around 20,000 such supporters and the party hopes to boost that number - partly as a counterweight to the votes of trade unionists, BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said.

Mr Miliband sought to reassure his parliamentary party, telling the Guardian: "They will continue to play an important role with their right to nominate, so it will be MPs that will decide who goes forward to the election in the country on the principle of one member one vote."

The BBC also understands that unions will retain 50% of the votes at the party's conference.

Veteran Labour MP Alan Johnson said he had been arguing for the changes since his time as Communication Workers Union general secretary.

"This is absolutely the right way to go," he told BBC News.

"We have a genuine one member, one vote system to elect our leader."

But the party's Glasgow South West MP Ian Davidson said: "There's been nobody in my constituency coming along and saying to me at this time of economic crisis, what we need is a reorganisation of the Labour Party."

'Same old Labour'

Conservative party chairman Mr Shapps, however, suggested union members could outnumber ordinary members by 10 to one under the proposed changes.

He said: "Ed Miliband promised to loosen the trade union barons' grip on the Labour Party. But he has been too weak to deliver.

"Until now, the union barons could buy Labour's policies and pick Labour's leader. After these changes, it will be even easier for the union barons to buy Labour's policies and even easier to pick the leader."

He added: "Ed Miliband has shown he's too weak to stand up to the union barons who own him, too weak to stand up for hardworking people and too weak to offer a long-term economic plan to secure Britain's future."

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High tides and wind bring flood risk

1 February 2014 Last updated at 07:01 ET

High tides and gale force winds could bring more flooding to parts of south-west England and the Midlands, the Environment Agency has warned.

It has five severe flood warnings - meaning a danger to life - three on the Severn estuary near Gloucester and two on the north Cornwall coast.

Lesser warnings affect many parts of Britain including western Wales and the flood-hit Somerset Levels.

Cobra, the government's emergency committee, has met on the issue.

Discussions on Friday evening were chaired by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson who is urging residents to "listen to all the advice being issued".

"Environment Agency staff are working day and night, alongside the emergency services and other local specialist agencies, to get communities ready for the bad weather," he said.

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Matthew Richards reports from Aberystwyth

A band of heavy rain swept across the south west, west Wales and southern England on Friday evening bringing up to 30mm (1.2in) to already-saturated ground.

Kate Marks, the Environment Agency's flood risk manager, said: "A low pressure system combining with high tides brings a risk of coastal flooding to many parts of England.

"The risk is highest for south-west England, although many coastal areas will be affected and the public should stay away from coastlines and tidal areas and not drive through flood water.

"At the same time the risk of river flooding continues for the southern counties as with the ground already saturated, rivers are very responsive to rainfall. Groundwater levels also remain high in southern counties."

The Environment Agency said gales and waves could combine to cause possible overtopping of flood defences and sea walls, property flooding and travel disruption over the weekend.

BBC weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker said gales were heading towards Britain, with the risk of further flooding.

He said: "The gales will be picking up across western areas through the course of the morning, probably peaking later on in the day across northern parts of the country."

He said winds would gust at up to 70mph (112km/h) in west Wales and south-west England.

There are also about 160 flood warnings and 290 flood alerts in England and Wales with parts of south-east and north-west England and the Yorkshire and Hull coast all said to be at risk.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Matthew Richards BBC News, Abersytwyth

---

People in Aberystwyth are not taking any chances this time around after twice being hit by floods and storms in January.

Six hundred students have been moved from their seafront accommodation to alternative digs elsewhere on campus. The seafront has been quiet this morning with only the occasional jogger or dog walker braving the promenade.

By high tide at 08:41 GMT the waves had begun to crash over the sea wall but no damage has been done so far. High winds may cause problems later on and further extremely high tides are awaited over the weekend.

Some residents have told me they think the precautions were a little over zealous but the authorities were not taking any chances.

Communities along the Welsh coast, already hit by a storm in early January, are braced for possible further flooding.

Leisure centres in Cardigan and Aberystwyth are open as emergency evacuation support centres if required. The youth centre in Upper Borth is also open.

Adam Wood, from North Somerset Council, said teams had been dispatched along the coast.

Speaking from Clevedon, where a seafront road has been closed as a precaution, he said: "We have got crews in three of our coastal towns.

"We have got a team set up at Weston-super-Mare, with all the main defences there, obviously here we have the road closure, and at Portishead we have a team down there keeping people safe."

The BBC's Katy Watson in Clevedon said there had been a sense relief that the big waves had so far failed to materialise - but the council was taking no risks.

Several riverside homes have been flooded at Minsterworth in Gloucestershire where the tidal surge has peaked and the water was receding.

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BBC Weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker has the weekend forecast

In Europe, areas of Italy and France are on flood alert as heavy rain brings chaos. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from homes in Pisa, Italy, while widespread flooding is expected on the French Atlantic coast.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron has expressed "enormous sympathy" for the people who have been living on the Somerset Levels where 25 sq miles (65 sq km) have been flooded for several weeks.

Writing in the Western Daily Press, Mr Cameron said: "I know that a great deal of work has been done to try and alleviate the situation but it is not acceptable for people to have to live like this almost four weeks later - and I am not ruling out any option to get this problem sorted out.

"The government is doing everything we can to help people recover as quickly as possible where they have suffered damage to their homes and businesses."

Continue reading the main story

Holding back the water

Dredging, flood barriers, natural flood management and sustainable drainage are recognised methods of preventing or alleviating flooding. BBC News looks at how these methods work and the scientific principles behind them.

The government and the Environment Agency have been criticised by MPs and local councils in Somerset, where the agency said it was now running pumps 24 hours a day to drain the water.

Personnel from all three branches of the armed forces are currently on stand-by to help villages cut off by the floods.

But the Environment Agency has said dredging of rivers in Somerset would not begin until flood water had drained and river banks were safe.

The Met Office has issued its own warnings of heavy rain and high winds of up to 60mph for many southern and western areas.

"Winds will increase on Saturday, with gusts widely to 50 to 60 mph, and locally to around 70 mph in exposed parts of the west," it said.

"Additionally, large waves could lead to overtopping along some coastlines."

The latest warnings come at the end of a month which has already become the wettest January on record for parts of southern England.

Up to and including 28 January, the south east and central southern England had a record 175.2mm (6.9in) of rainfall in January - beating the previous record of 158.2mm for the same parts of England set in 1988.

Are you in the South West or coastal areas? Have you been affected by flooding? You can share your experiences and pictures with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject heading High Tide.

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No 10 'ousting non-Tories from posts'

1 February 2014 Last updated at 07:05 ET

Downing Street is ousting non-Conservative supporters from key public body posts, according to the outgoing chair of schools inspectorate Ofsted.

Baroness Sally Morgan told the BBC she was the victim of a "determined effort from Number 10" to appoint more Tories.

The Labour peer has not had her term of office - due to end this month - renewed, but will stay on until a successor takes over in the autumn.

A senior Number 10 source described her claim as "baseless".

Asked about her comments, Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps said: "I don't agree. We have to make sure that we have the right people in place to deliver government policy."

'Right people'

But speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Baroness Morgan said: "There is an absolutely determined effort from Number 10 that Conservative supporters will be appointed to public bodies."

There had been a "strong and co-operative relationship" between herself, ministers and officials, Baroness Morgan said, denying there had been any kind of "falling out".

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She said her removal was part of a pattern which had seen a series of non-Conservative supporters on bodies like the Arts Council and the Charity Commission replaced with loyal Tories.

She said the impetus behind the appointments appeared to come from No 10.

She told Radio 4's Today programme: "I really do think it's just I am the latest of a fairly long list of people now who are non-Conservative supporters who are not being re-appointed."

Baroness Morgan, a former close aide to Tony Blair, said there was "absolutely a pattern", adding: "I think it's extremely worrying."

She was appointed by the coalition in 2010 as head of the education inspectorate for England.

'Transparently made'

Baroness Morgan said she believed the move was not specifically against Labour, but against those who did not support the Conservatives, and added: "I think there's a lot of concern about it.

"Often they are people who have been working really well with their organisations and, indeed, with their host departments, so I do think this is coming from Number 10.

"I don't think it is coming from individual departments."

Baroness Morgan told Radio 4 the issue needs to be looked at by the cabinet secretary, the most senior civil servant, and the cabinet office.

Continue reading the main story

It is wholly wrong that the Conservatives now are purging anybody who's not a Conservative"

End Quote Lord Falconer

"One of the really important things about public appointments is that they are made on the basis of merit and they are seen to be transparently made," she said. "I think there's something going on in the centre that's mitigating against that."

In a statement, Ofsted said Baroness Morgan's term of office "has been extended until the autumn of 2014 by the secretary of state while the process is put in place to find a successor".

Education Secretary Michael Gove has not commented on allegations she was dismissed but praised her contribution.

Mr Gove said: "She has brought great knowledge and insight, leading the board strongly through a period of significant change, both managing the smooth transition when there were changes in chief inspector, and leading the reforms to the inspectorate and its work.

"I hope that she continues to play an active role in helping to shape the education landscape to improve standards for all children and young people."

'Retrograde'

The education secretary has not commented on allegations in the Independent he was dismissing her. He earlier denied claims by Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools in England, that the Department for Education had briefed against Ofsted.

The Independent also reported that the deputy prime minister has complained to the cabinet secretary about Conservatives making "party political" appointments.

Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer said the Conservatives had taken "a really retrograde step".

He told the BBC: "It is wholly wrong that the Conservatives now are purging anybody who's not a Conservative in public office.

"The consequence of that will be to greatly reduce the quality of people who take non-political public service jobs."

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Ukraine activist 'was tortured'

31 January 2014 Last updated at 06:48 ET

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The BBC's Duncan Crawford reports how Bulatov claims he was beaten and hung up by his wrists

A leading activist in Ukraine's street opposition who vanished for eight days says he was abducted and tortured before being left to die in the cold.

Dmytro Bulatov, who organised car protests for the opposition camped out in Kiev, is being treated in hospital after being found near the capital.

Police have confirmed Mr Bulatov, 35, received an ear injury and bruising.

In another development, the army called on President Viktor Yanukovych to take "urgent steps" to ease the crisis.

Three protesters and three police officers have been killed, and scores injured on both sides, since the protests turned violent on 22 January.

Continue reading the main story

Dmytro Bulatov

• One of the leaders of AutoMaidan, a group of drivers associated with the anti-government protests
• The group have reportedly used their cars to pick up protesters, picket properties belonging to government officials and, allegedly, block streets to police
• Mr Bulatov reportedly took to the stage in Independence Square, focus of the protests, on several occasions
• He vanished on 22 January, only reappearing again on 30 January, injured and saying he had been kidnapped, tortured and finally dumped from a car near Kiev

Opposition to Mr Yanukovych spilled into the streets in November after he abandoned a trade deal with the EU in favour of closer economic ties with Russia.

Mr Yanukovych accused the opposition of seeking to "inflame" the situation on Thursday by continuing the protests despite moves by the government and parliament to ease the stand-off.

Parliament voted to annul a recently enacted law restricting protests and passed a law giving amnesty to detained protesters, under the condition that occupied buildings were vacated.

Anti-government demonstrators remain in their camp in Independence Square (Maidan) with no sign of the political crisis in the country coming to an end, the BBC's Duncan Crawford reports from Kiev.

Mr Yanukovych, 63, has gone on sick leave, with his staff reporting he has a respiratory illness and a high fever.

'Crucified'

Mr Bulatov says he was left to die by his captors after being kidnapped, repeatedly beaten and "crucified". He was, he said, hung up by his wrists.

"They crucified me, so there are holes in my hands now," he said.

"Other than that - they cut off my ear, cut up my face. My whole body is a mess. You can see everything. I am alive. Thank God for this."

The activist reportedly said he did not know who had abducted him but his abductors had spoken with Russian accents.

According to the Ukrainian news website Gazeta.ua, doctors found no damage to his internal organs or his skull.

Police in Kiev have confirmed Mr Bulatov was bruised and received a cut to one of his ears, Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda reports.

They have opened an investigation and posted guards at the hospital where he is being treated.

According to the paper, they also expressed indignation that Mr Bulatov had not phoned them after his release.

Continue reading the main story

Ukraine unrest - key dates

21 Nov 2013: Ukraine announces it will not sign a deal aimed at strengthening ties with the EU

30 Nov: Riot police detain dozens of anti-government protesters in a violent crackdown in Kiev

17 Dec: Russia agrees to buy $15bn of Ukrainian government bonds and slash the price of gas it sells to the country

16 Jan 2014: Parliament passes law restricting the right to protest

22 Jan: Two protesters die from bullet wounds during clashes with police in Kiev; protests spread across many cities

25 Jan: President Yanukovych offers senior jobs to the opposition, including that of prime minister, but these are rejected

28 Jan: Parliament votes to annul protest law and President Yanukovych accepts resignation of PM and cabinet

29 Jan: Parliament passes amnesty law for detained protesters, under the condition occupied buildings are vacated

Mr Bulatov is a prominent anti-government activist as one of the leaders of the organisation Automaidan, a group that has patrolled streets around Independence Square, our correspondent says.

It has also driven in convoys to protest outside government ministers' homes.

Vitali Klitschko, one of the most prominent leaders of the protesters, visited Mr Bulatov in hospital.

Offers rejected

Ukraine's defence ministry put out a statement after Defence Minister Pavlo Lebedyev met staff in Kiev.

"Laying out their civil position, servicemen and employees of Ukraine's armed forces... called on the commander-in-chief to take urgent steps within the limits of existing legislation with a view to stabilising the situation in the country and reaching consent in society," it said.

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Matthew Price compares life inside the "protest zone" in Kiev with the rest of the city, where life continues as normal

Soldiers have not been deployed against the protesters during the crisis, which has seen government buildings occupied.

President Yanukovych accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his cabinet this week, and offered senior jobs to the opposition - offers that were rejected.

Demonstrators accuse the security forces of being behind the abductions and brutality towards protesters.

Of the other two activists abducted this month, one was found dead in a forest near Kiev with his body reportedly showing signs of torture.

The activist, Yuri Verbitsky, was reportedly abducted along with fellow protester Igor Lutsenko, who was later released and spoke about his ordeal.

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Shrien Dewani loses High Court bid

31 January 2014 Last updated at 06:29 ET

Shrien Dewani, who is accused of organising the murder of his wife Anni in South Africa, can be extradited to the country, the High Court has ruled.

Lawyers for Mr Dewani, 33, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, argued he should not be sent there until he was fit to plead over the 2010 killing.

But judges ruled he can be extradited as long as the South African government makes a pledge over how long he would be kept in the country without trial.

Mr Dewani is currently in hospital.

'Justice for Anni'

Speaking outside the High Court, BBC correspondent Angus Crawford said the South African authorities had indicated they were minded to accept the court's conditions for extradition.

But he said Mr Dewani's family could yet lodge an appeal at the UK Supreme Court, which would continue to delay any extradition.

Continue reading the main story

It seems a step closer to finally getting justice for our Anni"

End Quote Amit Karia Anni Dewani's cousin

In his ruling, Lord Thomas said: "It might be unjust and oppressive to order the return of a person who was agreed to be currently unfit, and where there was a prospect that he might remain permanently unfit, without considering whether an undertaking should be required from the requesting state."

The effect of the undertaking would be that "in the event of the appellant (Dewani) being found unfit to be tried, he will be free to return to the UK, unless there is found to be a realistic prospect of his being tried within a year - or other stated reasonable period - of that finding and the trial takes place within the period".

Anni's cousin, Amit Karia, said the family was happy with the ruling by the three judges at the High Court.

"We have waited for it for three years, three months," he said.

"It seems a step closer to finally getting justice for our Anni."

Taxi kidnapping

A lawyer for the South African government said it was "delighted" with the court's ruling, and expected it would be able to give the necessary undertakings, but needed 14 days for "final clarification".

Mr Dewani, from Bristol, has been fighting removal from the UK to face proceedings over his new wife Anni's death until he has recovered from his mental health problems.

He is suspected of ordering the killing of Anni, a Swedish national.

The pair were kidnapped at gunpoint as they drove through the Gugulethu township in Cape Town in a taxi in November 2010. Mr Dewani was released unharmed.

The next day the body of Mrs Dewani was found in the car. She had injuries to her head and chest.

South African Xolile Mngeni was later convicted of premeditated murder and jailed for life. Prosecutors allege he was hired by Mr Dewani to kill his wife.

Mr Dewani, who has always denied the accusation, has been fighting efforts to secure his extradition ever since it was first ordered by a senior district judge in 2011.

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London gangs 'expanding' across UK

31 January 2014 Last updated at 01:09 ET

Some of London's most dangerous gangs are increasingly expanding their criminal activities across the UK, the Metropolitan Police has warned.

Officers say 54 gangs from the capital now have "tentacles" in other towns and cities, selling drugs and causing violence on a larger scale.

Police liken them to businesses, saying areas are selected depending on demand and whether other gangs operate.

Raids across the UK on Thursday targeted one south London gang.

Continue reading the main story

Gangs are spreading their wings so rather working in London, they are going into the counties, even Scotland to deal drugs,"

End Quote DCI Tim Champion

Twenty-nine people aged 18 to 47 were arrested in the latest phases of an operation said to be focused on the so-called GAS gang, based in Lambeth.

Simultaneous raids took place at 23 properties.

The Met Police searched nine addresses in Lambeth, one in Southwark, one in Hackney and another in Brent.

Seven properties were targeted in the Thames Valley, two in Edinburgh, one in Essex and one in Bedfordshire.

Police said the operation illustrated how gangs were targeting new areas to confuse investigators and generate more profit.

Officers say the 54 London gangs that they believe have made criminal advances around the regions are already behind two-thirds of gang-related crime in the capital.

Det Ch Insp Tim Champion, from the Met's Operation Trident Gang Crime Command, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we are noticing is that gangs are spreading their wings, so rather than working in London, they are going into the counties, even Scotland, to deal drugs. So basically it's an expanding trade.

"We have communication with all our colleagues in the county forces and in Scotland, so distance isn't an issue if you are actually talking about operations from a London perspective, but we work with local forces from up there. So it's not always the case we have to go up there ourselves."

But there are questions over whether the UK's other police forces have the same expertise and resources as the Met to tackle to complexities of gang organisation and crime.

US 'franchises'

Academics highlight the situation in the US in the 1990s which saw gangs expand into different locations to escape rivals or to take advantage of underserved markets.

The Latin Kings gang formed in Chicago in the 1940s now has what it describe as "tribes" in more than 39 states, as well as links to to Europe and Latin America.

Roger Graef, film-maker and criminologist at the London School of Economics, said gangs in the UK often mirrored what goes on in the US.

He said: "In America where all of this happened in the 1990s, the [Los Angeles-based] Crips and the Bloods really had thousands of members and they franchised to other cities, partly because it was safer.

"If they could go to Denver or Washington and places like that they would have almost virgin territory for drug dealing and the stuff they would do and they would be less threatened by the rival gangs."

Scotland Yard said Thursday's raids involved more than 700 officers and targeted what are believed to be "the most senior ranking high harm members" of the London gang.

The Met was assisted by officers from the Thames Valley, Essex and Bedfordshire police forces, as well as Police Scotland.

Those arrested are suspected of crimes including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, money laundering, fraud and immigration offences.

The Met said its work also involves preventing people from joining gangs and suspects are offered support to help them "escape" from such activity.

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