Ukraine: Russian Troops Fire Warning Shots

Ukraine Protests: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 10:13am UK, Tuesday 04 March 2014

Protesters in Ukraine have staged three months of demonstrations at the decision to reject an EU deal in favour of closer ties with Russia. Here are the key events:

:: November 2013 - Ukrainian authorities suspend talks on an Associated Agreement with the EU in favour of closer economic ties with Russia. The decision prompts pro-European opposition groups to call for protests.

:: December 1, 2013 - A crowd of up to 500,000 gathers on Independence Squaure in Kiev, setting up a camp and building barricades.

:: December 11, 2013 - Security forces move against protesters in Kiev but are forced back.

:: December 17, 2013 - President Viktor Yanukovych travels to Moscow where he secures a $15bn (£9bn) bailout deal and a huge price cut for Russian gas.

:: January 19, 2014 - Dozens are injured in clashes between police and protesters in the capital after 200,000 defy new restrictions on demonstrations.

:: January 22, 2014 - Police smash barricades in central Kiev. Protesters respond by hurling rocks and firebombs.

:: January 25, 2014 - Yanukovych offers opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko entry to the government, but they decline.

:: January 28, 2014 - Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigns, parliament scraps the anti-protest laws.

:: January 29, 2014 - Parliament passes an amnesty bill, but the opposition rejects its conditions.

:: February 2, 2014 - Yatsenyuk and Klitschko call for international mediation and Western financial aid in Kiev.

:: February 4, 2014 - Klitschko calls for an "end to the dictatorship" during a heated parliament session.

:: February 5, 2014 - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and top US envoy to Europe Victoria Nuland visit Kiev.

:: February 7, 2014 - Yanukovych meets his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

:: February 9, 2014 - 70,000 protesters gather on Independence Square.

:: February 10, 2014 - The EU stops short of any immediate threat of sanctions.

:: February 14, 2014 - All 234 protesters who have been arrested since December are released, but charges against them remain in place.

:: February 16, 2014 - Protesters evacuate Kiev city hall after occupying the building since December 1. A day later, protesters are granted amnesty.

:: February 17, 2014 - Moscow says it will release $2bn (£1.2bn) from a vital aid package to Ukraine "this week".

:: February 18, 2014 - At least 25 people are killed in the bloodiest day of clashes in nearly three months of protests. Riot police encircle Independence Square, where thousands of protesters remain after a deadline set by security forces.

:: February 19, 2014 - Ukraine's president announces a truce with the opposition.

:: February 20, 2014 - More than 50 people are killed in more clashes between riot police and protesters.

:: February 21, 2014 - President Yanukovych agrees to form a coalition government, hold early presidential elections and make constitutional changes to limit his powers. Mr Yanukovych leaves Kiev.

:: February 22, 2014 - Parliament votes to remove Mr Yanukovych and hold new elections. Yulia Tymoshenko is freed and addresses a huge crowd in Independence Square.

:: February 23, 2014 - Presidential powers are assigned to the Ukraine parliament's new speaker, Oleksandr Turchinov. Pro-Russian protests begin in Crimea, where Russia has a major naval base.

:: February 24, 2014 - Ukraine's interim government draws up an arrest warrant for Mr Yanukovych.

:: February 27, 2014 - Masked gunmen seize regional parliament and government buildings in Crimea. Mr Yanukovych is granted refuge in Russia.

:: February 28, 2014 - Ukraine says Russian troops have taken up positions around strategic locations on the Crimean peninsula. Mr Turchynov says he has put armed forces on full readiness.

:: March 1, 2014 - Russian troops take control of Crimea.

:: March 2, 2014 - Ukraine appeals for international help. The US says it believes Russia has more than 6,000 troops in Crimea. Preparations for June's G8 summit in Russia are suspended.

:: March 3, 2014 - Troops take control of a ferry terminal in Kerch. The Ukrainian military says it was given a deadline of 3am on March 4 to surrender or face a "full assault". Russia denies issuing the ultimatum. The US suspends all military engagements with Russia.

:: March 4, 2014 - Russian military exercises on the Ukraine border end. Russian troops fire warning shots at Ukraine servicemen outside Belbek airbase in Crimea.

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Girl Found In Grave: Cause Of Death Revealed

A teenager found dead in a freshly disturbed grave died from "pressure to the neck", police have said.

The body of 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson was discovered in the Great Western Cemetery in Didcot, Oxfordshire, in December.

Her ex-boyfriend Ben Blakeley, 22, has been charged with murder and perverting the course of justice.

Toxicology tests were ordered after an initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive.

Jayden was last spotted alive on CCTV

"Those results have now been received and Thames Valley Police can confirm that the cause of death is consistent with pressure to the neck," a police spokesman said.

The Oxford teen was last seen leaving Didcot railway station on December 3.

Police were led to the graveyard by "significant" information. Some 100 officers searched for her body.

Blakeley, of Christchurch Road in Reading, is due to appear at Oxford Crown Court for a plea hearing on March 17.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with perverting the course of justice by allegedly helping to dispose of Jayden's body and other evidence.

A third person, a 48-year-old woman from Didcot, was also arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and has been bailed.

Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating whether Thames Valley Police's response to Jayden's was "appropriate and proportionate in the circumstances".

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Oscars Pizza Man Gets $1,000 Tip From Ellen

The delivery man who ended up handing out pizza to some of Hollywood's biggest stars has been given a $1,000 (£599) tip by host Ellen DeGeneres.

Edgar Martirosyan, who owns Big Mama's & Papa's with his brother, appeared on The Ellen Show on Monday night to talk about how he ended up on stage at the Dolby Theatre.

He revealed that his pizza place had received an order which he believed was just for producers and writers.

However, when he arrived he was greeted by DeGeneres who took him by surprise by leading him out to where the stars were sitting.

"I was shocked, it was really crazy for me," he said.

Brad Pitt helped hand out slices to the stars

The pizza was dished out to many of the stars sat on the front rows, including Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep and best supporting actor winner Jared Leto.

However, Mr Martirosyan revealed it was Julia Roberts who left him star-struck.

"She was my like woman in dreams," the Russian said before explaining how he had watched her films when he lived in Moscow.

During the awards show DeGeneres collected a tip for Big Mama's and Papa's with many stars putting cash into singer Pharrell Williams' hat.

Mr Martirosyan looked thrilled as he was given the money by the comedian on her chat show.

The pizza delivery was not the only stunt DeGeneres pulled at the ceremony.

She also managed to pose with Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie, among others for a record-breaking selfie.

The photo, tweeted by DeGeneres moments after it was taken, went on to become the most retweeted photo in the website's history.

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Policeman Shot Five Sword-Wielding Terrorists

A policeman who shot five men as they slayed people with swords has recalled the night of terror which left 29 civilians dead in China.

The officer and three colleagues were on patrol when they were called to what state media have described as "China's 9/11".

A further 143 people were injured during the train station attack in the southwestern city of Kunming on Saturday night.

The unidentified officer told state television: "When we arrived at the site I saw some people were wielding curved swords, maybe four to five, to hack people around them.

"Some people had been put down onto the ground but the attackers still stabbed them."

Police investigate the scene of the massacre

The officer was leading his team and carried their only automatic firearm.

After pulling up 15 metres (nearly 50ft) from the attackers he fired a warning shot and ordered them to throw down their swords.

He told China Central Television: "The five attackers turned around to me and rushed at me wielding their swords.

"I fired another shot into the air and ordered them again to put down their swords.

"When a thin one in a black mask with a curved sword about 60-70 centimetres long was about one metre from my gun muzzle, I shot him down."

Officers patrol the site where 29 civilians were killed

He said the others continued to rush at him "more crazily", and that he shot all of them in a matter of seconds.

Officials said an eight-strong gang carried out the attack, four of whom were shot dead.

One was injured at the scene and three other suspects were captured on Monday.

China has attributed the attack to militants in the far-western region of Xinjiang, though no group has claimed responsibility.

Uighur separatists have waged a rebellion against Chinese rule in Xinjiang.

China says these fighters have links with international Muslim terror organisations.

However, some analysts believe citing ties abroad is China's way of vindicating its heavy approach in Xinjiang.

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Virus Wakes Up After 30,000 Years In Frost

A virus frozen in the Siberian permafrost for the past 30,000 years has come back to life.

Pithovirus sibericum was discovered by French scientists when a deep layer of frost thawed.

It is not dangerous to humans or animals, but its revival raises the possibility of other more deadly viruses such as smallpox being exposed amid global warming.

"It has important implications for public health risks," said France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

"The revival of viruses that are considered to have been eradicated, such as the smallpox virus, whose replication process is similar to that of Pithovirus, is no longer limited to science fiction.

"The risk that this scenario could happen in real life has to be viewed realistically."

The virus was found buried 30 metres (100ft) down in frost.

It is part of a family of giant viruses discovered 10 years ago that are so big they can be seen under a microscope.

At 1.5 millionths of a metre, Pithovirus sibericum is the biggest virus ever discovered, but it has not infected anything since mammoths and Neanderthals walked the Earth 30,000 years ago.

The virus infects amoebas, but does not attack human or animal cells.

But Professor Jean-Michel Claverie, from CNRS, said the exposure of permafrost to global warming and industrial exploration was now a "recipe for disaster".

Researchers are examining DNA from the frost to see what else might lurk within.

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'Kicked Out' Teenager Sues Her Parents

A teenager is suing her own parents, claiming they kicked her out of home and refused to pay for her college education.

The lawsuit filed by Rachel Canning, an 18-year-old cheerleader, is set to be heard today in Morristown, New Jersey.

Rachel Canning said in court documents her parents abandoned her when she turned 18 and refused to fund her education even if she had been accepted at various universities.

Her father, Sean, said his daughter voluntarily left home in October because she did not want to abide by reasonable household rules, such as being respectful, keeping a curfew and doing some chores.

Miss Canning has been staying with a friend

"We love our child and miss her. This is terrible. It's killing me and my wife. We have a child we want home," Mr Canning told the local newspaper The Daily Record of Parsippany.

"We're not draconian and now we're getting hauled into court. She's demanding that we pay her bills but she doesn't want to live at home and she's saying, 'I don't want to live under your rules.'"

Mr Canning added: "We're heartbroken, but what do you do when a child says, 'I don't want your rules but I want everything under the sun and you to pay for it?'"

He also said she is a "good kid" but "an incredibly rebellious teen" who has been getting bad advice.

The teenager has been living with the family of her best friend.

The newspaper reported that the friend's father, former Morris County Freeholder John Inglesino, is funding the lawsuit.

In New Jersey, the fact that a child has turned 18 does not automatically mean they are legally emancipated and is not an automatic reason to stop financial support, the newspaper said.

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Tottenham Rioter 'Wrote Blakelock Murder Rap'

A man accused of stabbing PC Keith Blakelock during the Tottenham Riots in 1985 wrote a rap song about the killing, a court has heard.

Nicky Jacobs, who was 16 at the time of the riots, allegedly wrote the rap while he was in a youth custody centre serving time for a sentence for affray.

A prison officer says he found the hand-written lyrics while searching Jacobs' cell in 1998. It was read out in court by prosecuting counsel Richard Whittam.

Cars were set on fire, and police and rioters were injured during the riots

The rap goes as follows: "As long as I live I remember it was 1985 the 6th October...

"Me have de chopper we have intention to kill an police officer PC Blakelock de unlucky f***** him dis an help de fireman...

"Who did an out an fire de fireman see we av come and decide to scatter but PC Blakelock him never smell the danger but when we fly down upon him he start scream and holla…

"Everybody gather round and av pure laughter he try to head out but we trip him over he start beg for mercy bit it didn't matter him try to play super man...."

PC Blakelock's uniform showing holes made by the knife used to murder him

Mr Whittam previously outlined to the court there was no dispute Jacobs had been involved in the riots, but that it was for the jury to decide if he was responsible for the death of PC Blakelock.

The disorder broke out the day after Cynthia Jarrett, a mother of a police suspect, had a heart attack and died when her home was searched.

PC Blakelock was among a group of officers sent out without cover on the night of Sunday, October 6, 1985, to protect firemen putting out blazes.

They came across a "very large group" of rioters, many armed with an assortment of weapons, the court heard.

PC Blakelock was the first police constable to be killed during a riot in Britain since PC Robert Culley was stabbed to death in Clerkenwell, London, in 1833

Jacobs denies murdering the police officer. The trial continues.

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Brooks 'Got Death Threats' Over Milly's Phone

Rebekah Brooks received death threats following the revelation that murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked by the News Of The World, a court has heard.

Brooks, who was chief executive of News International at the time but had been NOTW editor, told the Old Bailey she received messages of support as she found herself the "central figure" of the story.

Former prime minister Tony Blair sent her a text which read: "Let me know if there's anything I can help you with. Thinking of you. I've been through things like this."

Brooks replied: "Thank you, I know what's it's like. GB (Gordon Brown) pals getting their own back. Rupert and James (Murdoch) have been brilliant.

"Hopefully even in this climate the truth will out."

Mr Blair sent Brooks a message of support

Jurors were also read messages of support that Brooks received from former Mirror editor Piers Morgan.

"When it rains, it f***ing pours. Grit your teeth and stay strong," Mr Morgan wrote.

On the eighth day of giving evidence, Brooks' lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw QC asked her about the events of July 2011, when the Guardian broke the "horrific" story about the hacking of Milly's phone.

Brooks said that as the story made headlines around the world: "We were completely at a loss and all over the place really, trying to find out what was true and what wasn't".

Milly Dowler's phone was hacked

Referring to the abusive messages she was sent, Brooks, 45, told jurors: "The allegations were, I think, met with universal revulsion and I was the central figure of that."

Jurors also heard correspondence between Brooks and her mother, who was very fearful for her safety during the period and urged her not to go outside alone.

"Mum, I have more security than the prime minister," Brooks replied.

Jurors heard that in a message to a friend, Brooks said she felt there was a "witch-hunt" against her.

Brooks also said it was believed that whoever had hacked Milly's phone was not a staff member at the paper.

"Obviously the accusation of Milly Dowler's phone in itself was terrible, but it was the deletion of the messages, the false hope, that was rightly sparking fury," she said.

The allegation that voicemails had been deleted, and therefore given Milly's parents the impression she could still be alive, was later found to be untrue.

Ms Carter was described as an "amazing friend"

Brooks said that she and senior colleagues had first discussed closing the News Of The World in June 2011 due to the mounting number of civil liability cases brought against it by celebrities.

The final edition of the paper was published just days after the Milly story broke on July 10. Brooks went resigned on July 15. She told jurors: "I felt it was the right thing to do."

Mr Laidlaw asked Brooks about the charge of conspiring to cover up evidence to pervert the course of justice between July 6 and 9, 2011.

"Is there any truth in that?" he asked.

Brooks replied: "No, absolutely not."

Mr Laidlaw asked Brooks to describe Cheryl Carter, 49, her co-defendant on that charge, who worked as her personal assistant for 16 years.

Brooks described her as an "amazing friend" and "brilliant PA" who could be "scatty and forgetful" but would not pervert the course of justice.

Asked if she knew seven boxes were removed from the News International archives, Brooks said: "Absolutely not." She denied any knowledge of the boxes.

Brooks denies conspiring to hack phones, conspiring to commit misconduct in public office and conspiring to cover up evidence to pervert the course of justice.

She is one of seven defendants who all deny the charges against them.

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Pistorius Trial: Reeva 'Couldn't Have Screamed'

Oscar Pistorius' defence team has said claims by a neighbour that she heard Reeva Steenkamp scream after she had been shot multiple times will be thrown into doubt by expert evidence.

The claim came on an emotional day in court, where Pistorius was seen wiping his eyes with a handkerchief and the prosecution's key witness wept.

Sky's Alex Crawford, who was in court, said: "We saw for the first time a crack in the athlete's demeanour. He spent a lot of time taking notes, but this really broke him."

Oscar Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Neighbour Michelle Burger, who says she heard Ms Steenkamp being killed by Pistorius, was grilled by the athlete's defence team on the second day of the trial.

She told the packed courtroom in South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria she heard a woman screaming after shots were fired in Pistorius' residence.

Pistorius chats with his legal team during a break

But Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux said: "We will debate the sequence of the bullets. We will have experts state that there was serious brain damage after the shot to the head, that it would not have been possible for her to scream at all.

"With the head shot, she would have dropped down immediately."

Ms Burger replied: "As I said [on Monday], I heard her voice just after the last shot. It could have been that it was as the last shot was fired."

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel interjected to say it was the last of four shots that struck Ms Steenkamp's head.

Pistorius looks on from the dock as the case unfolds

Mr Roux opened Tuesday's questioning by saying he wanted to focus on two aspects of Ms Burger, her "credibility and reliability".

:: Pistorius Trial Transcripts: Day Two

The defence lawyer has repeatedly attempted to establish that Ms Burger had already decided she did not believe Pistorius' account of the evening - that he believed there was an intruder in his home - when she gave evidence contradicting his story.

The world's media is watching the case closely

She is the prosecution's key witness, as her account of hearing a woman's screams suggest Pistorius would have known that it was his girlfriend rather than an intruder when he opened fire.

But the defence says the screams came from Pistorius, who was upset that he had killed Ms Steenkamp.

A tense exchange between Mr Roux and Ms Burger came to a climax when he said he had asked her the same question eight times.

"I'm going to be really slow this time," he said. "You heard at the bail application that it was put on behalf of Mr Pistorius that Reeva did not scream that night, is that correct?"

Pistorius' family are in the public gallery

After giving an unclear answer, Judge Thokozile Masipa intervened and insisted that she had to make herself clear. Eventually, the witness admitted she had heard about Pistorius' claims.

Mr Roux said: "You've watched Sky News, you've watched other channels, and you've got retrospective knowledge, and you take that knowledge and you come and give evidence today as if it's the knowledge of that fateful evening."

Ms Burger, who had been composed through two days of aggressive cross-examination, wept as she finished her testimony and broke down as she recalled the "raw emotion" she felt after the killing.

She said she often relives the "terrifying screams".

The Pretoria home of Pistorius pictured after the shooting

At around the same time, Pistorius was seen reaching for a handkerchief from his inside pocket and wiping his eyes.

Later, Ms Burger's husband Charl Peter Johnson took to the witness stand.

He said: "We were under the impression that they were being held up in their house.

"I lay in bed thinking of how I can improve the security around my house. I fell asleep at about 4am.

Pistorius turns to chat to his uncle

"I went to work early around 6am and I remembered surfing on the web for security gates for costs."

He said he too heard screams.

Earlier, the trial was temporarily delayed after an image of the witness was used by a South African news organisation.

The trial is being televised, but witnesses can choose not to appear on camera.

The Paralympic athlete looks down at his notes

Ms Burger did not want to be filmed or pictured, and the case was temporarily adjourned in the morning after Judge Masipa was alerted. She said she viewed the error as "serious" and ordered an investigation.

Pistorius, a double-amputee, is accused of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp last Valentine's Day after a jealous row.

He is also accused of the illegal possession of ammunition and two additional counts relating to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The 27-year-old, who is known as the Blade Runner, denies all the charges and claims he shot his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder.

The trial, large parts of which can be broadcast live after a landmark ruling, is scheduled to last for three weeks and will hear from more than 100 witnesses.

South Africa does not have a jury system. Instead, Judge Masipa will decide his fate.

If Pistorius is found guilty he could be jailed for at least 25 years.

:: Sky News is broadcasting live coverage of the trial, and a special highlights programme will be broadcast every weekday at 9.30pm.

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Ukraine: Ministers Hold Talks With Russians

Putin's TV Appearance Was Laced With Threat

Updated: 3:52pm UK, Tuesday 04 March 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Laced with threat. Dripping with reason. Oozing confidence and with a fine comprehension of how to be frugal with the truth, Vladimir Putin sat slouched and held forth on Ukraine and his longstanding commitment to international law.

:: For the latest on the Ukraine crisis click here

On Kiev's new leadership, now recognised by the West - the products of a coup d'etat partly orchestrated with military training from Western mercenaries.

"We believe the coup d'etat was very meticulously planned and included some fighting units. We saw their work and their Western instructors did a very good job," the Russian president told a specially selected group of journalists during his first news conference in two weeks.

The Ukrainian opposition which deposed former leader Viktor Yanukovych, and is now the power in Kiev, has no legitimacy, he added.

On Russia's bloodless occupation of Crimea - he insisted that Russian troops had only reinforced their own locations after getting intelligence that nationalists were heading towards Crimea to cause trouble.

The men in Russian uniforms, driving Russian vehicles, carrying Russian weapons and speaking Russian, who have occupied government buildings, were not Russians, he said.

"A few days ago the group of armed men who occupied the parliament (in Crimea) were people who were concerned about security and they formed self-defence forces and took over government buildings," he insisted.

As he spoke, Ukrainian video footage showed Ukrainian air force officers confronting Russian commandos who have occupied the Belbek airbase just outside Sevastopol, the Ukrainian and Russian naval base. 

Putin's confident nonsense concerning the deployment of his troops inside a sovereign nation was coupled with other, more problematic and technically true asserting.

Yanukovych was unpopular. He has employed known oligarchs and criminals coming from a tradition going back decades, fomented by successive Russian regimes of intense corruption. He had lost his way politically - and Ukrainians yearned for a change in the faces of their politicians.

Putin condemned the man he is now providing with sanctuary since he ran from office last week.

He insisted that Yanukovych was finished politically, but added that he should have been deposed at the ballot box. Yanukovych was, after all, elected, unlike the new government, which has received instantaneous backing from the West.

"I understand the people of the Maidan (Kiev's revolutionary centre), who demanded not just a slight refurbishment of the state but wanted a most serious change ... But this should have been done with elections," he said.

He said he would only intervene in Ukraine with military force to protect Russian-speaking citizens who looked to Moscow for their leadership and culture.

In other words, he served the new government in Kiev with an outright warning - and attempted to appeal to ordinary Ukrainians, insisting he would act only within the strictures of international law.

He established a "right of precedent" for intervention in the name of ethnic Russians in Georgia in 2008 when the international community did nothing to stop his invasion of South Ossetia.

But, as he observed, the West manipulated a "no-fly zone into a bombing campaign" in Libya and twisted United Nations Security Council resolutions to allow the use of force in Iraq.

Facing threats of economic sanctions, he almost smiled.

"They can be mutually damaging," he warned.

There will be little the West can do, he knows, to undermine such confidence.

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