Russia Shows Its Muscle As Crimea Breaks Away

Whatever the government in Ukraine says or does, events on the ground suggest that Crimea has already for all intents and purposes broken away; certainly Kiev's orders no longer stretch as far as this region.

Unidentified gunmen have taken over the parliament and the region's main airports in the space of twenty four hours.

They would not answer when I questioned them and asked if they had been sent by Moscow.

In many ways it did not matter - their appearance pretty much gave the game away.

They carried Kalashnikovs, they spoke Russian and their combat fatigues looked suspiciously like Russian issue - albeit without insignia.

The way they moved and patrolled the airports suggested too that this was no dad's army but a well-trained unit doing a professional job.

At times as they stomped up and down ostentatiously it seemed as though they were there just for the cameras.

It was perhaps a signal from the Kremlin that it could put its men on the ground whenever it wanted and there was nothing anyone else could do.

It was a projection of power and reach.

Elsewhere images were captured of Russian helicopters flying into the airport at Sevastopol: yet another direct challenge to the authority of the government in Kiev.

The acting interior minister called the action an invasion and an occupation.

Moscow denies that it has violated Ukrainian sovereignty - officially at least it says it respects its neighbour's borders.

But the pro-European government setting itself up in Kiev is seen as a threat by Moscow.

Ukraine has always been viewed by the Russian ruling elite as part of its sphere of influence.

Moscow may have lost the Western part of Ukraine (for now?) but you can bet it will not allow the same thing to happen in the south and the eastern parts of the country.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius 'In Love' With Reeva: Exclusive

Reeva Steenkamp: The Girl Behind The Name

Updated: 2:00pm UK, Friday 28 February 2014

Reeva Steenkamp was born in the South African city of Cape Town in August 1983, to horse trainer Barry Steenkamp and his second wife, June.

The family later moved to Port Elizabeth where she and her siblings grew up.

She attended St Dominic's Priory High School and, at the age of 15, entered a beauty competition organised through her local newspaper where she was spotted by the paper's then beauty editor, Barbara Robertson

"She was 15, and a young 15," Ms Robertson told Sky News.

"There was nothing sophisticated about her. She was sweet, down to earth, earthy ... just one of those girls who had the 'it' factor ... a little bit (of an) early Kate Moss."

While friends speak of an ultimate desire to marry and have a family, the young woman always expected to enjoy a career of her own.

She took a law degree in case her modelling career did not work out.

But the modelling side took off and the gauche, unsophisticated girl from Port Elizabeth moved on to Johannesburg to seek her success.

Originally a brunette, Steenkamp dyed her hair blonde and soon after broke into the glossy world of magazine modelling.

She made the cover of FHM but, said Ms Robertson, the model remained true to herself.

"The front pages made out she was this brazen blonde with boobs hanging out," she said in an interview with The Guardian.

"She was more than a model. She was Reeva. She had studied law at university. I don't think she was seeking bright lights and fame and fortune.

"She was spreading her wings. If she got noticed, what's wrong with that? It doesn't make her a celeb-seducer."

While she continued modelling and was popular on South Africa's A-list circuit, Steenkamp's legal ambitions appeared to resurface.

The future looked bright as she applied to the Bar in 2011, hoping to qualify as a legal advocate by 2013.

Her TV career also looked promising, with a part in a reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure that looked likely to lead to further opportunities in her professional life.

In November 2012, she began going out with Oscar Pistorius and the couple were said to be deeply in love.

Three months later, Reeva Steenkamp was dead.

:: Sky News will have live coverage of the trial from Monday, with a special highlights programme at 9.30pm.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Says Russia Has Sent In 6,000 Troops

Ukraine's Defence Minister says Russia has sent 6,000 troops into the country.

The country's military are on high alert in the Crimea region, as tensions continued to rise.

US President Barack Obama has warned Moscow that any military intervention in Ukraine would be "deeply destabilising".

But Russia, which has a naval base in Crimea, says any military movements are in line with agreements with Ukraine.

Ukraine's Prime Minister said his country would not be drawn into a military conflict by Russian "provocations", and appealed to Moscow to halt military movements in the region.

Arseny Yatseniuk said: "It is unacceptable when armoured Russian military vehicles are out in the centre of Ukrainian towns."

It came as the pro-Russian Prime Minister of Crimea Sergei Aksenov, appealed to Russia for help in keeping the peace there, and claimed control of all military, police and other security services in the region.

And the Kremlin said it would not ignore a request for help in restoring calm.

But Mr Obama has called on Russia to respect the independence and territory of Ukraine.

"Any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilising," he said.

"The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine."

More follows...

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Minister Accuses Russia Of 'Invasion'

Ukraine's interior minister has accused Russian forces of staging an "armed invasion" in Crimea.

Arsen Avakov claimed Russian forces had blocked one military air base and entered an airport overnight on the Black Sea peninsula.

The accusation comes a day after dozens of pro-Moscow gunmen seized government buildings in the Crimean capital of Simferopol.

An armed man patrols at the airport in Simferopol in Crimea

These included the regional parliament, which subsequently voted to hold a referendum on May 25 to expand the region's autonomy from Kiev.

"I consider what is happening to be an armed invasion and an occupation," Mr Avakov wrote in a statement on his Facebook page. 

Earlier, Russia reaffirmed its pledge to "respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine", despite placing fighter jets on combat alert along the countries' shared border.

Mr Kerry called on Russia to work with the US

The pledge came after US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov amid ongoing tension in Ukraine.

Mr Kerry sought assurances from Mr Lavrov that Russia would work with the United States to create unity in Ukraine.

"I asked specifically that Russia work with the United States and our friends and allies in order to support Ukraine to rebuild unity, security and a healthy economy," Mr Kerry told reporters.

Russian forces have been accused of an 'occupation' and 'invasion'

Mr Lavrov reaffirmed President Vladimir Putin's statement that Russia "will respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Mr Kerry added.

Mr Lavrov also denied that Moscow had any hand in the takeover of government buildings in the Crimea, over which a Russian flag was hoisted on Thursday.

Pictures show armed men patrolling the grounds of Simferopol Airport in the Crimea.

The White House has reinforced its warnings to Russia that it must avoid "miscalculations" in military drills along the border of Ukraine.

The comments appeared to reflect Washington's concern that Russian manoeuvres near the ex-Soviet state could trigger events which may get out of control.

Mr Kerry said his Russian counterpart had assured him that the exercises were long-planned and had nothing to do with the fast-moving events in Ukraine.

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has reportedly announced that he will hold a press conference today in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

The parliament building has been seized in Simferopol

Mr Yanukovych has reportedly been spotted in a luxury five-star hotel and spa outside Moscow, in an exclusive enclave favoured by Russia's super-rich.

The 63-year-old fugitive, who is wanted in Ukraine on charges of mass murder after police opened fire on demonstrators, released a statement on Thursday insisting he is still president.

Mr Yanukovych and his government are facing charges of stripping Ukraine's coffers bare before they were toppled from power.

Mr Lavrov says Russia will respect Ukraine's territorial integrity

Shortly before being appointed as head of the crisis-hit country's national unity government, Arseny Yatseniuk said $37bn (£22bn) had disappeared in an "unknown direction", while $70bn (£42bn) had been siphoned out of the economy into offshore accounts.

But Russia has questioned the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian authorities and has pledged to defend the rights of its "compatriots".

Crimea is an autonomous republic in the south of Ukraine, around 500 miles from the capital Kiev.

There have been mounting signs of separatism in the region, which has strong ties to Moscow and where the majority of the population are Russian speakers.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Boiler Room Fraud' Smashed In Police Raids

Suspected fraudsters who led extravagant lifestyles like Leonardo DiCaprio's character in hit film Wolf of Wall Street by conning victims out of millions of pounds have been targeted in an international clampdown.

Police swooped in a series of raids stretching from London and Barcelona to the US and Serbia in a move to smash the so-called boiler room fraud, where investors are duped into buying worthless or non-existent shares.

A total of 110 alleged fraudsters were held in what was one of the biggest anti-fraud operations ever staged.

To date, 850 British victims, many of them pensioners and one of whom killed themselves after being defrauded, have been identified.

They lost a total of around £15m - ranging from between £2,000 and £500,000 per person - but police believe this figure is only "the tip of the iceberg" and suspect thousands more people may have been duped.

A suspect's lavish home in Marbella, Spain. Pic: City of London Police

The operation, which was two years in the making, saw 40 officers from City of London Police join 300 of their Spanish counterparts from the Policia Nacional to target a number of organised crime gangs.

It aimed to take out criminal kingpins, as well as scores of conmen who work for them, including lawyers, money launderers and financiers.

The alleged fraudsters spent their ill-gotten gains on sports cars, designer watches, drugs and prostitutes.

One of the suspects was believed to be paying £40,000 per month to rent an apartment.

An Aston Martin and Ferrari were among the cars seized by police, along with various watches and £500,000 in cash.

One suspect wrapped watches around his slippers

The raids took place earlier this week but can only now be revealed after a reporting ban was lifted by a Spanish judge.

Speaking near the site of one of the searches in Barcelona on Tuesday, City of London Police Commander Steve Head said: "You see real victims in real communities whose lives have been devastated. Savings that they thought they could rely on in their old age have gone in a heartbeat."

He added: "These people have no conscience in terms of what they do to people's lives. This is not at all a victimless crime. We've seen lives that have been utterly devastated.

"We have dismantled an international network of fraudsters. Make no mistake, this will make a difference to the ability of fraudsters to operate at this level.

"This network has been dismantled, hopefully we have sent a message to those who think that it's an easy crime that it doesn't matter where you are, we will come after you."

Expensive cars including a Ferrari and an Aston Martin were confiscated

In total, the international team executed 35 warrants on offices from where the fraud is said to have been run, as well as the alleged criminals' luxury homes.

The operation closed down 14 boiler rooms in Spain, two in the UK and one in Serbia.

As well as the fraud, the gangs were also allegedly involved in drug dealing, money laundering and gun crime.

Most of the suspects targeted are British and a main group is expected to be extradited back to the UK to face trial.

Commissioner Jose Luis Andre Vega from the Spanish national police, said: "This sort of crime knows no frontiers or boundaries. It's important to investigate this sort of organised crime on an international level."

Of the 110 arrests, there were 84 in Spain, 20 in the UK, two in the United States and four in Serbia, with most of the suspects arrested on suspicion of money laundering and fraud offences.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius At Gun Range: Exclusive Pictures

Blade Runner's Best Friend's Call

Updated: 8:24pm UK, Sunday 17 February 2013

The best friend of Oscar Pistorius has told how the athlete rang him the night his girlfriend was shot and said: "I've killed my Baba. God take me away."

Justin Divaris, who introduced Reeva Steenkamp to the South African gold medallist, said Pistorius was crying down the phone and admitted he had shot the 29-year-old model.

Mr Divaris, 27, said: "Oscar called me at 3.55am saying that Reeva had been shot. I said to him, 'What are you talking about? I don't understand you'.

"He then repeated himself - 'There has been a terrible accident. I shot Reeva'."

Mr Divaris told the Sunday People that he then spoke to a neighbour who was also in the house, who warned: "She's not OK. You need to get here."

By the time he arrived at Pistorius' house on a gated estate in Pretoria, the double amputee was already being held by police.

He could see Miss Steenkamp's body inside the house at the bottom of the stairs, covered in blankets and towels.

Pistorius - nicknamed the Blade Runner due to his high-tech artificial limbs - was being detained in the garage, and was crying and repeating himself incoherently.

The 26-year-old appeared in court on Friday accused of premeditated murder over the shooting on Valentine's Day.

His agent, Peet van Zyl, said he had cancelled all the races in which the South African athlete had been "contracted to compete in".

Speaking of sponsors, Mr van Zyl said all parties had been supportive and contractual commitments would be maintained.

Pistorius is being held in custody and his family has said he denies murder in the strongest possible terms.

Miss Steenkamp's father Barry has also now spoken publicly for the first time and said he does not hate Pistorius for what happened.

He told The Mail on Sunday he was struggling "to find some reason why this happened to our lovely daughter".

Talking about Pistorius, he said: "He must be going through things that we don't know about. There is no hatred in our hearts."

He said he and his wife June were "at a complete loss," adding: "June is inconsolable. We just need to find some answers.

"Reeva was the most beautiful, kind girl in the world. She had love for everyone and was loved by everyone who knew her."

Mr Steenkamp said he had never met Pistorius but his wife had occasionally spoken to him on the phone.

The athlete's own father Henke has also spoken out, saying his son must have acted "on instinct".

Mr Pistorius said he has "zero doubt" that it was a tragic accident and said he believes she was mistaken for an intruder.

His family is behind him "heart and soul" and will do "whatever needs to be done" to help him clear his name, he told The Sunday Telegraph.

Their comments came after a reality show featuring Miss Steenkamp was broadcast despite controversy over its airing.

Tropika Island of Treasures showed the model laughing and joking with her fellow contestants and swimming with dolphins.

In an interview, the model - who was also the face of cosmetics giant Avon in South Africa - spoke about the importance of leaving a positive mark in life.

She said: "I think the way that you go out, not just your journey in life, but the way that you go out and the way you make your exit is so important.

"You either made an impact in a positive or a negative way, but just maintain integrity and maintain class and just remain true to yourself."

Pistorius became an international icon after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics last year. He also won a gold medal in the Paralympics.

He had both of his legs amputated below the knee when he was less than a year old and had campaigned for years to be allowed to compete on an equal level.

The athlete will be back in court on Tuesday when his lawyers are expected to attempt to get his charge downgrade and argue for his release on bail.

His girlfriend's funeral is scheduled for the same day.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Pair Brave Ukraine To Adopt Four Children

Money Talks In Battle For Control Of Ukraine

Updated: 11:21am UK, Monday 24 February 2014

By Tim Marshall, Diplomatic Editor

Money talks and the EU, the US, and Russia are all shouting.

Having overthrown the government of Viktor Yanukovych, the new powers in Kiev are not about to receive the $15bn bailout Moscow had offered to keep Ukraine leaning eastwards.

President Putin might also decide that the 30% discount he gave Ukraine for Russian gas last year might have been a little generous.

The new Ukrainian Speaker of Parliament may have made him think it was way too generous with a statement about "returning to the path of European integration".

With Ukraine's economy on the brink of default and its foreign reserves draining away, the EU has re-entered the game.

The deal probably being put on the table is for up to $20bn in return for Kiev signing the trade deal it rejected late last year.

Hence the arrival of the EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton.

The Americans made sure they are noticed by sending along Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt to meet the new government, have his photo taken, and issue a statement that the US will be pressing the IMF to make emergency loans.

Ukraine's debt is $73bn and it needs to pay $12bn of that this year.

The Russians are not out of the game. They would have taken Friday's EU-brokered deal which left Yanukovych in power for the rest of the year, but now they must fall back on Plan B.

Assuming Plan B does not involve military manoeuvres (still unclear) then they can now still offer some funds in order to keep influence on Kiev, and shore up the pro-Russian support in  parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

The senior figure in the new government is the newly released from jail Yulia Tymoshenko.

She may have been imprisoned by the Yanukovych government, but it was on charges of improperly overseeing the original Russia/Ukraine gas deal when she was Prime Minister.

She has cordial relations with President Putin whereas Yanukovych is reportedly held in disdain by the Russian strongman.

The Ukrainian economy is weak. Corruption and misrule, involving members of successive governments has meant that while its neighbours to the west, who escaped the Soviet Union 20 years ago, have become more prosperous, it has lagged behind.

Per capita economic output is about $7,300, next door in Poland it is $22,000.

Ukraine has an educated population of 46 million people and the potential to become a far more prosperous country.

Those who believe its future is linked to closer ties with the EU believe they are on the right track, those who look to the Russian and Kazakhstan markets disagree. 

Down in the Russian-speaking Crimea a few town halls area are already flying Russian flags, although this is localized and not an official decision at regional level.

All talk of economic development would be meaningless if wide-scale violence breaks out and the country is dismembered.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Russia Warns Of 'Dangerous' Dilemma

Yanukovych Survived One Revolution But Not Two

Updated: 11:00pm UK, Monday 24 February 2014

Former President Viktor Yanukovych built a reputation as a political street fighter throughout his career.

While he may have survived one revolution, the second has dealt him the final blow.

Mr Yanukovych's dramatic ousting is in many ways a fitting end to a career littered with controversy.

Long plagued by allegations of corruption and a love of luxury, the former president was said to have mastered the art of political survival.

Mr Yanukovych was first deposed after winning a presidential vote in 2004, only to be re-elected six years later. 

His rise to power was equally meteoric.

Hailing from Ukraine's industrial Donetsk region, Mr Yanukovych has previously said his childhood was mired by poverty.

Orphaned at the age of two and raised by his grandmother, he has recalled running around the streets barefooted. 

He fell in with a local street gang in the late 1960s and was convicted of robbery in 1967 and assault in 1970. He served prison sentences for both crimes, although his criminal record has since been inexplicably cleared.

The former leader cut his teeth in politics in his native Donetsk in the 1990s. He served as governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 until 2002, when he was appointed prime minister.

His first run at the presidency was in 2004.

He "won" the election, only to be promptly deposed following mass protests, which bore startling similarities to those which would follow 10 years later.

Allegations of fraud and voter intimidation in the second-round ballot promoted the occupation of Kiev's Independence Square, or Maidan, where protesters have returned recent months.

The movement, known as the Orange Revolution, forced the Ukrainian Supreme Court to order a re-run of the vote. 

Mr Yanukovych lost to his Western-backed opponent Viktor Yushchenko, but managed to retain leadership of his Party of the Regions.

He was not out of favour for long, and was again appointed prime minister in 2006.

Four years later, his campaign for Ukraine's top job proved more successful and he defeated Orange Revolution leader and long-time opponent Yulia Tymoshenko by 3.48% of the vote.

Shortly afterwards Ms Tymoshenko was imprisoned for abuse of power; a move which many suggest was orchestrated by Mr Yanukovych.

The Tymoshenko case and successive allegations of corruption earned him considerable criticism from opponents and western leaders during his time in office. 

But it was his decision to pull out of a long-awaited free trade deal with the European Union which sparked the mass protests which led to his downfall. 

The former president is now in hiding, with an arrest warrant out against him.

He stands accused of "mass murder" over the death of dozens of protesters.

Nevertheless, in a move typical of his political career, Mr Yanukovych is yet to formally admit defeat, denouncing the revolution against him as a political "coup".

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Set To Shiver As Polar Vortex Bites Again

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

People in Minneapolis have woken to sub zero temperatures for 49 days this winter.

Local weatherman Ian Leonard has run out of ways of telling them what is on its way.

"How do I make it entertaining?" he asks, only half in jest.

Imagine his predicament. It is not exactly fair, but someone has to take the blame for the worst winter the state of Minnesota has seen in decades.

He said: "People hate me right now. You go into a coffee shop, they give you a sideways glance. It's a tough place to be."

Temperatures in Minnesota have dropped below zero on 49 days this winter

Minnesotans are tough, known for their forbearance in a state that plunges them into the freezer in winter and the sauna in summer.

They are used to being asked by other Americans why they live here.

But Mr Leonard say this winter, "they're asking themselves, why DO we live here?"

On the streets of a residential suburb we found Letitia de-icing her car in just a pair of jeans and a shirt. 

She said: "This is one of the coldest years this is really cold. Keeps getting colder."

Snow drifts four or five feet deep line deserted streets. People hurry from their homes to their cars, warned more than a few minutes outside exposes them to the risk of frostbite.

Snow on the grounds around the White House in Washington

Temperatures this cold have not been seen here since the early 80s, but even then they did not start as early as they did this winter or last as long.

The polar vortex is being blamed again. An area of rotating very cold air above the North Pole, kept there normally by a belt of high winds. 

This year, the belt has loosened - letting slip polar air as far south as Alabama.

As many as 180 million Americans are expected to be affected as the polar vortex strikes again this week.

The freak weather has killed people, brought frostbite, traffic chaos and power cuts and astronomical heating bills.

It will not make people like Ian Leonard any more popular, but weather experts like him say there is no sign of any let up. 

The polar vortex is here to say. For now at least.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More