Ukraine: Crimea Crisis 'Enters Military Stage'

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the Crimea crisis has now entered a "military stage" after Russian troops stormed a military base in Simferopol.

Soldiers at the base, on the outskirts of the Crimean capital, say they were fired upon and have barricaded themselves inside, Interfax news agency quoted a Ukrainian military spokesman as saying.

"One Ukrainian serviceman has been wounded in the neck and collarbone. Now we have barricaded ourselves on the second floor," he said.

"The headquarters has been taken and the commander has been taken. They want us to put down our arms, but we do not intend to surrender."

Mr Yatsenyuk called the attack a "war crime".

An unidentified serviceman told Fifth Channel television: "We are being stormed. We have about 20 people here and about 10 to 15 others, including women."

Sky's Nick Martin in Crimea said there are reports that Russian forces threw stones and debris at the Ukrainian soldiers.

Observers said three or four gunshots were heard at the base.

Police are clearing bystanders from the area, Martin said.

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Pistorius Trial: Objects Moved At Scene

A police photographer has admitted some objects were moved when photographing the aftermath of Reeva Steenkamp's killing.

Bennie Van Staden told the court he had moved a gym bag in Pistorius' bedroom but did not know who shifted around objects including flip flops, a fan and TV remote control.

Pictures of the room taken two days apart were shown, with the defence claiming they showed a "great disturbance" in the scene.

Mr Van Staden says he may have moved the mat under the gun

Mr Van Staden also said he may have moved a bathmat while photographing a handgun after pictures showed the weapon in different positions.

However, when asked by the prosecution "on the 14th, did you change the scene?" he answered "no".

The photographer also admitted someone had moved the cricket bat Pistorius apparently used to beat down the bathroom door to get at his model girlfriend.

But under prosecution questioning he later agreed it had shifted just "millimetres".

The defence claimed objects were also moved around in Pistorius' bedroom

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius is charged with the premeditated murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who he shot dead at his home on Valentine's Day last year.

The 27-year-old says he thought she was an intruder and killed her by mistake.

In a twelfth day of evidence in South Africa, the defence portrayed a disorganised crime scene and suggested a second officer was also taking photos of the bathroom area at the same time as Mr Van Staden.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux showed time-stamped photos on the court monitor and said police ballistics officer Lt. Col Motha was also working in the bathroom passage.

Mr Van Staden denied he and his colleague were in the same area and said "as far as I can remember" he was alone.

However, the witness appeared surprised when a close-up of one of his photos taken outside of the bathroom appeared to show someone else inside the room.

Ballistics expert Capt. Chris Mangena also began giving evidence on Tuesday.

He described how he went to Pistorius' house and used a steel rod and laser beam to map the trajectory of the bullets fired through the bathroom door by Pistorius.

Capt. Mangena said the four bullet holes were 93.5cm, 97.3cm, 99cm and 104.3cm above the floor. Pistorius claims he was not wearing his prosthetic legs when he fired the fatal shots.

Pistorius was one of the stars of the 2012 Paralympics in London

The defendant was also measured with and without his artificial legs, the court heard.

"Shoulder level was 156cm with the prosthesis, 123cm shoulder level without the prosthesis," said Capt. Mangena.

Reeva Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, needed comforting as more graphic evidence came out, with the witness describing photos of bullet entry and exit wounds to her daughter's head.

Pistorius hunched over and covered his ears.

Capt. Mangena also said he found bruising on Ms Steenkamp's back but did not know what had caused it.

Pistorius is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition, as well as two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The trial continues.

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Childcare: £2,000 Boost For Working Parents

Working parents are to get up to £2,000 of tax-free childcare in a move to target families who are "running to stand still".

The scheme will be worth up to £2,000 per child per year when it launches in autumn next year - £800 more than the £1,200 originally proposed last year.

The Deputy Prime Minister told Sky News the move would target hard-working parents who were "going out to work just to pay the nursery fees" saying many felt they were just "running to stand still".

It was only expected to apply to children under the age of seven, but parents will now be entitled to the money until their son or daughter's 12th birthday.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg will unveil details of the childcare scheme

Nearly two million families could benefit from the scheme - twice as many as the present voucher scheme, which is only available where adopted by an employer.

However, it has been criticised for excluding couples where one parent does not work and for applying to richer households with incomes of up to £300,000. Those where one parent earns more than £150,000 will not be able to take advantage of the scheme.

Speaking to Sky News Nick Clegg denied the scheme was unfair and said families on Universal Credit would now have 85% of their childcare costs met.

Mr Clegg said: "If you have two children and you have to pay their childcare costs then it's (the scheme is) worth up to £4,000 to you."

David Cameron said the policy, which effectively covers 20% of childcare costs up to a maximum of £10,000 a year, would help "hard-pressed families" and "provide financial security for the future".

Asked by Sky News whether he would be taking advantage of the tax-free childcare scheme for his children he replied: "I won't be taking it up." His salary crosses the £150,000 limit.

Earlier this month, the Family and Childcare Trust said parents now spend more on part-time childcare than their mortgage repayments.

How it works

However, Labour's Lucy Powell, the shadow minister for children, said the proposals were "too little, too late".

"Mr Cameron has cut support for children and families by £15bn since he came to office," she said.

"This Government has done nothing in this Parliament to help parents experiencing a cost-of-living crisis."

As well as the childcare tax break, the Government is to give an extra £50m to nurseries looking after the most deprived three and four-year-olds.

Families claiming Universal Credit will also have 85% of their childcare costs met, up from 70%.

The announcement comes as the Chancellor prepares to unveil this year's Budget.

George Osborne, who will set out the Government's spending plans for 2014-15 next Wednesday, has warned of "difficult decisions" to come.

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Max Clifford 'Claimed He Slept With Diana Ross'

By Tom Parmenter, News Correspondent, Southwark Crown Court

A former model has told a court that Max Clifford claimed he had slept with US singer Diana Ross.

The woman, who cannot be named, was giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court about a meeting she had with the celebrity publicist in the early 1980s.

She explained how she was an aspiring 17-year-old fashion model who came to London from the north of England and was told Clifford could help her career.

She said: "I was trying to follow my dream."

Inside his New Bond Street offices, the woman said Clifford showed her framed newspaper front pages and pictures of celebrities on the walls and then claimed "he had slept with Diana Ross".

Clifford clearly shook his head in the dock when the allegation about the American superstar was made.

The former model told the court: "For me, Diana Ross was a very beautiful, famous woman, I couldn't imagine why she would sleep with him."

The woman claimed Clifford then said: "I need to see your figure ... I need you to take your dress off."

She said she eventually did take her dress off despite reservations about the underwear she was wearing.

She alleged Clifford quickly became excited about the holes in her tights and she claimed he started saying: "Oh my God, what a turn on, what a turn on."

Clifford said he slept with Diana Ross, claimed an alleged victim in court

The woman said he groped her chest area and arms, adding: "At this point I'm feeling utterly stupid, totally in shock, I'm just not doing anything."

The publicist then performed a sex act while he took a telephone call from his wife, the ex-model added.

Unlike other earlier witnesses the former model said she remembered Max Clifford as "well endowed."

Her detailed descriptions of the sex acts led to several jury members collapsing in laughter in court prompting an adjournment.

After they had composed themselves the judge told them he understood their outburst but asked them to "settle down and remember where we are and what we are dealing with".

Following the alleged sex acts, she claimed Clifford insisted she should come to dinner with his wife and American film producer Cubby Broccoli.

Clifford allegedly told her that Broccoli could get her a role on a James Bond film if she performed sexual favours for him.

The woman told the court she "loathed" the Bond movies and had simply wanted to be a fashion model.

She added that she later ignored multiple phone calls from the publicist to go to the dinner and only reported her allegations to the police when she saw Clifford had been arrested in December 2012.

Clifford is accused of 11 counts of indecent assault against seven women and girls.

He denies all the charges and his trial continues.

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EuroMillions: Neil Trotter Wins £107.9m Prize

The winner of the £107.9m EuroMillions jackpot has been revealed as mechanic Neil Trotter.

The 41-year-old from Coulsden, Surrey, was so confident he had won a prize that he told staff at his father's office on Friday lunchtime that "this time tomorrow" he would be a multi-millionaire.

And thanks to a Lucky Dip ticket, his dream has come true.

He learned he had won the huge prize at around 10.30pm on Friday night.

 "I've always thought I'd win big and I'd had a good feeling all week," Mr Trotter said.

The car lover plans to update his motor

"On Friday evening we were sitting at home when I checked the time and thought the draw must have taken place by now.

"I took out my ticket to check the winning numbers and amazingly, one by one they matched.

"I told Nicky, my partner, 'I've done it, I've won the lottery'. But she told me to shut up and to stop being an idiot.

"Apparently I turned white as a sheet and couldn't sit still, I kept walking round the house - I didn't know what to do with myself.

"I got her to check the numbers with me and she started screaming. 

"Next we called my Dad but he said I was being an idiot too and that I should stop drinking, but I hadn't had a drop."

Mr Trotter appeared at a news conference with Nicky Ottaway, his partner of eight years, and said he had decided to go public about the win because he did not want to have to keep the news a secret from his friends.

The delighted couple share a kiss

He said: "I didn't want to disappear and hide. I don't think it would have been possible and I didn't want to be deceitful to my friends. It would have got out ... it was just too much money."

When asked if such a figure was too much money for one person to win, Mr Trotter said: "I don't think it's too much.

"That's what makes people play the Euro lottery. It's a real life-changing amount. Everyone dreams of what they could do in the world to change things or help people out - family and friends - and with that sort of money you can do a lot of good."

The mechanic, who runs his own repair garage in Mitcham called Chameleon Coachworks, and Ms Ottoway said they were giving up work.

Mr Trotter said: "I worked my last shift on Friday repairing and spraying other people's cars.

"I have a few phone calls to make to let people down but this is my time now."

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Putin: West 'Has Crossed A Line On Crimea'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has received a standing ovation in parliament after defending Crimea's breakaway vote to join Moscow.

To regular applause during a televised address to the nation, he pointed out that 82% of Crimea's residents turned out for Sunday's referendum, and more than 96% of them voted to join Russia.

He said the vote was "quite convincing" and was held "in full accordance with democratic procedures and international legal norms".

A Russian military personnel carrier in Simferopol, Crimea

"The (Crimean) issue has a vital importance, a historic importance for all of us," he said.

US Vice President Joe Biden, who has arrived in Poland for a two-day trip through Eastern Europe, dismissed Russia's actions as "nothing more than a land grab".

Staff at a pizza restaurant in Crimea's Simferopol watch Mr Putin's speech

America and its G7 allies - Britain, Germany, Canada, France, Japan and Italy - will gather next week at The Hague to discuss "further steps they may take" against Russia.

Mr Putin said he did not want to "carve up" Ukraine, but said the West had "crossed a line" with its behaviour over the former Soviet country.

Mr Putin said Crimea is of 'vital importance' to Russia

"They are trying to drive us into a corner," he told a joint session of parliament in Moscow.

He also accused the West of hypocrisy, pointing to Kosovo's bloody independence from Serbia, which was backed by the West and opposed by Russia.

People queue to withdraw money from a bank in Crimea

His speech came as he signed a treaty making Crimea officially part of Russia. It coincided with a mass rally, celebrating ties between Russia and Crimea, in Moscow's Red Square.

Mr Putin also thanked Ukraine's soldiers for "not staining themselves in blood in Crimea".

He said the peninsula's future was decided without a shot being fired because it was "practically impossible to fight the will of people."

Joe Biden arrives in Poland for a two-day mission in the region

Western leaders say Crimea's vote was illegal and have imposed travel bans and asset freezes on senior Moscow officials.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Russia's actions "are in flagrant breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe."

After the speech, Mr Putin signed a treaty making Crimea part of Russia

After Mr Putin spoke, British Foreign Secretary William Hague tweeted: "Preparatory work is now underway for a third tier of sanctions, including economic and trade measures."

Members of a Ukrainian self-defence force train near Kiev

Meanwhile, one of Ukraine's top politicians told Sky News his country is ready to fight if Russian soldiers cross the border from Crimea into mainland Ukraine.

Serhiy Taruta, governor of the eastern city of Donetsk, warned: "We're going to have a war. Our people will take up arms and they will protect our country."

Under the Russian treaty, Crimea will ditch Ukraine's currency, the Hryvnia, and adopt the Rouble next month.

It is also due to move time zones - adopting Moscow time, which is two hours ahead of Kiev - on March 30.

The peninsula is also offering Crimean soldiers the chance to join the Russian army.

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Missing Plane: China Satellites Scan For MH370

Missing Malaysia Plane: What We Know So Far

Updated: 12:39pm UK, Tuesday 18 March 2014

Mystery surrounds the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, even as more information emerges about the sequence of events that led to its disappearance 11 days ago.

THE FLIGHT (Malaysian time is eight hours ahead of UK time).

What we do know:

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, with 239 people on board, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am (local time) on Saturday, March 8 heading north to Beijing.

At 1.07am, the plane sent its last ACARS transmission which provides engine maintenance data to the ground.

The ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) was then deliberately switched off by someone on the jet up to half an hour after that.

The last words from the Boeing 777 were heard from the cockpit, where a person, believed to have been the co-pilot, said "All right, good night" to Malaysian air traffic control at 1.19am.

At 1.21am the jet, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, dropped off air traffic control screens after its transponder - which responds to civilian radar - was turned off on purpose by a person on board.

The plane, which was north of Malaysia and flying towards Thailand, was then deliberately diverted from its planned route as it is turned sharply to the west.

At 2.15am, the flight was picked up by Malaysian military radar south of Phuket island in the Strait of Malacca, hundreds of miles west of its last known location.

At 8.11am - nearly seven hours after the plane was first thought to have gone missing - a satellite high above the Indian Ocean received the last signal from the aircraft.

The final "handshake" communication put the jet somewhere in one of two flight corridors.

One is a northern arc stretching from northern Thailand to Kazakhstan, the other is a southern one from Indonesia to the vast southern Indian Ocean.

What we do not know:

Who deliberately switched off the plane's two crucial communication systems - ACARS and the transponder?

Was the co-pilot under duress when he made the last verbal contact with air traffic control?

Where exactly was the plane when it sent its last signal at 8.11am?

Did the plane crash or did it land safely? One Malaysian official said the aircraft could have been on the ground when it sent its final signal.

THE SEARCH

What we know:

Some 26 countries have been looking for flight MH370, using at least 43 ships and 58 aircraft.

The nations helping in the hunt were Malaysia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkmenistan, the UAE, UK, US, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Search teams are concentrating on the northern and southern flight corridors.

It is a massive area of 2.24 million square miles - which is about the size of Australia.

The northern search corridor includes countries with busy airspace that likely would have noticed an unidentified aircraft in their territory.

China, India and Pakistan are among the nations that say they have seen no sign of the plane.

Australia is leading the search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean.

It has sent two AP-3C Orion aircraft, one of which is searching north and west of the Cocos Islands. Two more search aircraft were being deployed.

The search area has dramatically expanded. It was previously in the South China Sea and around India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but these operations have now been halted or suspended.

What we do not know:

There has been speculation that the plane could have flown as low as 5,000ft using "terrain masking" to try to avoid radar.

Malaysian authorities have rejected these claims.

Of course, the main issue is that the exact location of the jet is still unknown.

THE SUSPICIONS

The investigation is focusing on the possibility the jet was deliberately diverted by the pilots or someone on board with considerable flying experience.

Police seized a flight simulator from the captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's home on Saturday and also searched co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid's home.

Authorities said no suicide notes were found at either property.

Mr Zaharie, 57, was an active supporter of Malaysia's opposition, whose leader Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomy - illegal in Muslim Malaysia - just hours before MH370 took off.

But those who knew Mr Zaharie rejected media reports he was deeply upset by the Anwar case.

Mr Fariq, 27, had his reputation called into question by a South African woman who accused him of inviting her to join him in the cockpit during a flight in 2011, in breach of security rules.

Malaysia Airlines said it was "shocked" by the reported security violation, but could not verify her claims.

Investigators are checking the backgrounds of all 227 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as the ground crew, to see if links to terrorists, personal problems or psychological issues could be factors.

Authorities are considering if the two pilots were involved in the disappearance, were they working together or alone, or with one or more of the passengers or crew?

Did they fly the plane under duress or of their own free will?

Did one or more of the passengers manage to break into the cockpit or use the threat of violence to gain entry and then seize the plane?

And what possible motive could there be for diverting the jet?

Officials have not commented on reports that police were investigating a passenger who had aviation experience.

Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat said on social media sites he was a flight engineer working for a Swiss-based private jet charter company.

The 29-year-old's apparent experience means he would have a knowledge of in-flight computer systems and be able to carry out repairs.

And all the time the plane is not found, the anguish for the passengers' families goes on.

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Seattle News Chopper Crash: Two Killed

A news helicopter has crashed onto a busy street near Seattle's famous Space Needle, killing two people on board and critically injuring a motorist.

The chopper belonging to KOMO-TV was apparently attempting to lift-off from the station's rooftop when it went down.

Three vehicles were struck when the helicopter crashed onto Broad Street, between the station and Seattle's iconic landmark.

Emergency crews found two people dead at the scene

The Seattle Fire Department said two people - both of whom had been on board the chopper - were found dead in the wreckage.

The news chopper was apparently attempting to land

A third person who managed to free himself from his car was taken to hospital in critical condition.

A spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center said the hospital had not received any other patients from the crash.

Only the tail of the helicopter could be identified among the burned metal after fire crews put out the blaze.

An hour after the crash, firefighters were cleaning up spilled fuel, which left a strong smell in the area.

In addition to being near the Space Needle in Seattle Center, the crash site is by the EMP Museum, the music and culture museum founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Seattle Center is popular with tourists and locals, and is the site of many music and cultural festivals and sporting activities.

Other cities have experienced helicopter crashes as TV stations rush to cover the news from above major cities.

Two news helicopters collided in midair in Phoenix in 2007 as the aircraft covered a police chase. Four people were killed in the crash, which sent fiery wreckage plummeting onto a park. Four people in the helicopters were killed.

The helicopter involved in Tuesday's crash was used in a joint partnership between KOMO-TV and KING-TV.

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Hacking Trial Hears William's Message To Kate

Former News Of The World editor Andy Coulson approved a two-month project to "monitor" the phones of three royal aides, says the paper's ex-royal editor.

Clive Goodman told the hacking trial he made a personal deal with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, separate from the newspaper's contract.

The Old Bailey was also told a phone message from Prince William to his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton was intercepted by Mulcaire, while he was working for the paper.

The message, found on a micro-cassette in Goodman's flat, was allegedly of William arranging to leave Sandhurst military academy to meet her.

Former NOTW royal editor Clive Goodman

In it, the royal said: "Hopefully I should be able to leave by seven at the latest" and later he repeated: "Planning on definitely coming out by sevenish so I will be with you by eight at the latest."

Under "Project Alexander", Coulson allegedly agreed to extra payments of £500 a week to Mulcaire for hacking the phones of people close to princes William and Harry.

Goodman said he gave the private investigator the names of the princes' personal assistant, private secretary and also the Prince of Wales' head of press.

Goodman went on to claim phone hacking was going on at the NotW "on a pretty industrial scale" and "it got to the level" when Coulson's phone was being hacked.

Asked for what purpose, he said it was to find out what other stories were in the pipeline in the competitive newsroom.

Goodman said The Sun's then-editor Rebekah Brooks' phone was also hacked "for the same reason - to find out what the Sun was up to".

Goodman told the court how he got a story about Prince Harry asking his private secretary for help with his homework at Sandhurst from the employee's voicemail.

In it, the prince allegedly asks for information about the Iranian Embassy siege, saying: "Please, please, please, email it to me or text me and I will try to ring you again later."

Andy Coulson denies the charges

The court heard about other stories on the young royals which Goodman said came from hacking.

They included a story about William getting lost in woods during a night exercise and getting shot at with blanks, much to his embarrassment.

Harry's phone was also hacked to listen to a jokey message from his brother putting on a woman's voice, the court heard.

Goodman's project with Mulcaire was only due to last a couple of months from October 2005 but went on ad hoc until the time of their arrests in August 2006, he said.

Goodman admitted phone hacking and was sentenced in 2007. He denies conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office.

Mulcaire was imprisoned for six months in 2007 after pleaded guilty to hacking.

Seven defendants, including Brooks and Coulson, deny all the charges against them. The case continues.

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Mick Jagger 'Struggling' With Scott's Death

Sir Mick Jagger has said he is "struggling to understand" how his girlfriend L'Wren Scott "could end her life in this tragic way".

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