14/03/2014 BBC News at One

died. He was 88. Tributes have been paid from both sides of the

political divide to the former Cabinet minister and veteran

left-wing campaigner. Tony Benn will be remembered as a champion of the

powerless, as a conviction politician. As someone of deep

principle and integrity. I disagreed with most of what he said, but he

was always engaging and interesting and you were never bored when

reading or listening to him. Also this lunchtime. Crisis talks. The US

and Russia meet in London to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Mystery

deepens over the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Was it tracked

flying out over the Indian Ocean? An investigation is under way into a

helicopter crash in Norfolk in which four people died. And Winter

Paralympic history. Jade Etherington and her guide Caroline Powell become

the most successful British women ever. Later on BBC London, facing

jail, the cyber gang whose sole from British banks and forced from their

homes by coal, now residents refused to return.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News At One. Tony Benn, one of

the towering figures on the left of British politics for more than six

decades, has died. He was 88. He died peacefully at home this

morning, surrounded by his family who said they would remember his

long, full and inspiring life. The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, called

him an iconic figure of our age, who won the respect of political friend

and foe alike, as a speaker, campaigner and political diarist.

Our political correspondent, Ben Wright, looks back at his life. We

will not accept the cuts that they are trying to make. The voice, the

passion, the certainty. Instantly familiar to old and young, Tony Benn

were still rousing crowds in his 80s. Frailer, but still fervent

beliefs. He once said politics should be about issues than

personalities but he was one of its biggest. The thing about Tony Benn

commie always knew what he stood for and who he stood up for. I think

that's why he was admired right across the political spectrum. There

are people who agreed with him and disagreed with him, including in my

own party, but I think people admire that sense of conviction and

integrity that shone through from Tony Benn. He spent his last years

campaigning against war and for socialism, as he had done for

decades. Is, rising radicalism won him fans and made him enemies, but

today, there was affection and respect. I disagreed with most of

what he said, but he was always engaging and interesting and you

were never bored when reading or listening to him. And the country

has lost a great campaigner, great writer. His first campaign was to

keep his seat in the House of Commons, which he entered in 1915.

His manner the people image belied privileged background, when his

father died in 1960, he inherited the title, which forced him to quit

Parliament, a three-year fight in the court led to a change in the

law. He then became the first appear to renounce his title and he return

to the Commons. We have defeated the House of Lords. We have defeated the

courts. You have changed the constitution of this country by your

Rome power. He was then known as a Labour moderate, serving in the

government of Harold Wilson as Minister for technology, championed

the development of Concord. Harold Wilson said he a chore to age and in

the 70s, is politics swung to the left. In 1981, he split the party

down the middle by challenging Denis Healey for the deputy leadership and

was the guiding light of the left, but is influence began to wane

through the 80s. He could've been a much influence, but he went for the

populist, ultra left, and cut himself off from the mainstream and

potential leadership. He remained prominent in Parliament arguing for

nationalisation and denouncing the House of Lords and the EU. They have

got together and said you can't do that because we have agreed with the

Dutch that if they do that, the Belgians won't object to what the

Italians are said to them. So the minister has got no power anywhere.

And through all those commie kept a daily diary, an eight volume conical

post-war British politics. When the final diary was published in

October, I asked them how we felt about coming to the end of his life.

When you are my age, you do ask yourself, what will it be like when

you die? My wife said she thought death was a great adventure. And she

was dying of cancer for five years, and her courage, when she knew her

time was up was very great, and impressed me very much. And so I

learned from her how to die. And I have thought a lot about it. But I'm

not afraid of dying at all. And Ben is with me. That was such a rich

moving interview that you did with him, not really that many months

ago. Hard to believe such a towering figure has gone. He was frail,

surrounded by books in the flat he just moved into. Jim McCabe of tea,

talking with huge pride about his family, of course, his son is in

Parliament now -- drinking a cup of tea. Seeing the Tony Benn who became

a hero on Home Counties book circuits in recent years, and a

grandfatherly figure in Britain, that he was at a divisive character

in his time. He was a huge hero to the left but there are people on the

right who thought he was the most dangerous man in Britain. The

completely polarised political opinion. I asked him whether he had

any doubts about what he stood for all these years and he said in 2007

he had a dream where he realised he'd been wrong about everything,

but he still hopes in the years to come he will be vindicated, capital

of and the socialism will come about. I don't think he changed

politics very much full survey certainly, though, was colourful. I

think his diaries will be as lasting legacy. Thank you. Now the rest of

the day 's news. The diplomatic effort to solve the crisis in

Ukraine has moved to London. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and

his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, are meeting here for talks,

two days before people in Crimea are due to vote on whether to rejoin the

Russian Federation. Yesterday, Mr Kerry warned Russia it would face

immediate and very serious steps if it annexed Crimea. We'll have the

latest on those talks in just a moment. But first here's our world

affairs correspondent, Nick Childs, on the morning's developments. Is

this the last chance for diplomacy over Ukraine? If so, hopes aren't

high. The previous encounters between America's and Russia's top

diplomats have got nowhere. The Americans say Russia must do more to

defuse this most serious of East-West stand-offs ahead of

Sunday's referendum in Crimea which the West says is unconstitutional.

Obviously we have a lot to talk about. I look forward to an

opportunity to... Dig into the issues and possibilities about how

to move forward together, to resolve some of the differences between us.

I look forward to a good conversation. According to Mr

Lavrov, the situation is difficult and a lot of time has been lost. The

serious faces say at all. And this is part of the backdrop to the

talks. New Russian military manoeuvres near the border with

Ukraine. From Moscow's perspective what happened in Ukraine was a

Western inspired coup. And it's just protecting its interests and people.

To the West and the new Ukrainian authorities, this is Russian

sabre-rattling as it just continues to tighten its grip on Crimea. This

is absolutely and entirely unacceptable. In the 21st-century.

To resolve any kind of conflict, with tanks, artillery and boots on

the ground. And after this renewed overnight

violence in eastern Ukraine, between pro-and anti-Russian protesters, a

new warning from Moscow that it reserves the right to protect its

compatriots in the country. A new reminder that this crisis could

escalate further. In a moment we'll be getting the latest on that

referendum from Ben Brown who's in Crimea. But first Paul Adams who's

at the talks in central London. Really, what prospect of any

movement there? William Hague said this morning that it is they've

formidably difficult job. He said about that referendum but it's

taking place without a campaign, without an electoral roll, without

political leaders of the country being allowed to visit, and in the

presence of thousands of troops from another country. As far as he and

John Kerry are concerned, that referendum is illegitimate. But they

recognise that it is going to go ahead. There's nothing they can do

to stop it but what they're trying to do was to make sure the situation

after Sunday doesn't deteriorate further full suite just heard in

that report, those disturbing scenes from other cities in eastern

Ukraine, concerns about what Russian troop manoeuvres along Ukraine's

eastern border might mean, and that alarming language from the Russian

Foreign Minister saying it reserves the right to look after the

interests of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. What John Kerry

wants to do was to make sure that the situation doesn't deteriorate

after that referendum, even sanctions go into place as as

Monday. Let's go to Crimea. What sense are you getting of what people

are saying? It's meant to be the day after tomorrow. Yes, Jane, dude

excitement among the Russians here in Crimea. -- huge excitement. The

Russian flag is already flying here at the Crimean parliament, which is

where they took the decision last month to help this referendum. You

have some Russian self defence volunteers guarding the building as

well. I don't think the Russians here are in any doubt they will win

this referendum pretty easily. The minority Ukrainian and tartar

populations in Crimea, many of them are going to boycott the vote and

say they won't even vote at all and already, some of the Russians are

taking steps to make this more Russian. Street names today are

being changed from Ukrainian language to the Russian already, so

we will get results within three hours of the polls closing and I

think, by Sunday night, it's pretty clear that Crimea, this place will

be part of Russia, whether the rest of the world likes it or not. Thank

you. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Malaysia

Airlines plane deepened this morning. Radar and satellite data

suggests that a plane, possibly Flight 370, deliberately veered off

course away from its intended route to Beijing and instead flew west

over the Indian Ocean, towards the Andaman Islands. This report

contains flash photography. This is a Malaysia airlines staff member

trying to explain to Chinese relatives of those on board Flight

370 why they still know so little about the plane's fate. He gets a

pretty hostile reception. But then imagine what it must be like for

these people. Not knowing whether family members are alive or dead or

where they are. Planes from 13 countries are still looking

everyday. But the complete absence of any wreckage is forcing them to

look in new areas. 57 ships and 48 aircraft are already surging zones

in the South China Seas. Now it's been suggested the plane may have

been flown towards the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. Unnamed

US sources say radar and satellite evidence points to an aircraft

thought to be Flight 370 being flown off course and a planned direction.

But, at the daily press briefing, officials refused to be drawn. They

won't confirm or deny any line of enquiry. Two days ago, the search

areas widened to include Andaman Islands. Together we are now pushing

further east into the South China Sea and further into the Indian

Ocean. We want nothing more than to find the plane as quickly as

possible, but the circumstances forced us to widen our search. As

each date ticks by with no news, the fear is that what happened to Flight

370 are becoming more and more outlandish. This situation of the

giant airliner vanishing without a trace is so unprecedented, that the

authorities have to consider them all. However unlikely. The

government of the Prime Minister has taken some flak for its reticence

but they've never dealt with this kind of attention before. Like

everyone else, they are struggling to make sense of this mystery.

Investigations are continuing into a helicopter crash in Norfolk, in

which four people died. It's been confirmed that one of those was the

Northern Ireland Conservative peer and industrialist, Lord Ballyedmond.

His stately home is close to the crash site near Gillingham from

where our correspondent, Ben Ando, sent this report. In Norfolk field,

all that remains of a helicopter that crashed last in thick fog with

the deaths of four people on board, among them Lord Ballyedmond,

described as Northern Ireland's wealthiest man. A helicopter came

down shortly after taking off from the stately home in South Norfolk.

Close to the border with Suffolk. Police say the debris strewn over

fields and rents and they have cordoned off the area. During the

morning, as the fog lifted, painstaking work at the scene

continued. For now, the wreckage remains in situ as a crash

investigators inspected. Initial questions as to the cause of the

crash are likely to focus on the condition of the aircraft and on

weather conditions at the time of the accident. The aircraft that

crashed as understood by the BBC to be this one, and Augustin 139, often

used for the IP or corporate flights. The company says it will

support the investigation but would not comment on reports that Lord

Ballyedmond had raised safety concerns. A former pilot who lives

near the crash scene said he was surprised the pilots took off in

such heavy fog. There are visibility criteria when taking off and

landing, so if the fog was as bad as it was in Beccles at the time, I am

surprised he would take off in something like that. Lord

Ballyedmond was a successful businessman and chairman of nor

Brooke and a major employer in Newry, County Down. He served in the

upper houses of both the British and Irish parliaments. Politicians of

all sides have paid tribute to him. Now, work goes on to establish the

cause of the crash that led to his death and the deaths of three

others. Our top story this lunchtime. The

political world has been paying tribute to veteran labour politician

Tony Benn, who has died at the age of 88. Coming up, Gold Cup Day here

at Cheltenham, where jump racing fix the sunlight and Bobs Worth tries to

become one of the greats. Later on BBC London, Boris Johnson's Father

appeals to his son to support his Camden campaign against HS2. And the

chance to get up close to the World Cup Trophy, thousands join the queue

as it visits the capital. In March 2011, a demonstration began

in the southern Syrian town of Deraa against the government of President

Assad. Three years on the country is mired in a bloody civil war that has

killed tens of thousands. Since the conflict began, an estimated 140,000

people have died. 6.5 million people have been displaced from their homes

within Syria and the number of people who have fled to neighbouring

countries is estimated at 2.5 million. One of the biggest refugee

camps is in Zaatari. It is so big it is actually the fourth biggest city

by population in Jordan. What was once a temporary home for thousands

is now fully established, with its own power supply, schools and shops.

Our correspondent Yolande Knell now reports from there.

Buying groceries at the supermarket gives a taste of normal life. This

new Safeway store is full Syrian refugees. It has just opened at the

vast Zaatari camp in northern Jordan. And there is no need for

cashier. The shop accepts United Nations food vouchers. As I walk

home with this man and his son, he points out other improvements in the

camp. It bustles with activity, but he says that life here remains

tough. He and his neighbours all come from Deraa, in southern Syria.

It is where the revolution started, with anti-government protests

exactly three years ago. They did not expect it to turn out like this.

TRANSLATION: We thought it would last for a month

or two, at the maximum a year, but it continues until now. We went to

the streets calling for freedom, but the Syrian government responded with

bullets. After the conflict in Syria escalated into a full-scale civil

war, refugees began flooding out of the country. There are now about

100,000 Syrians living here, and Zaatari camp. Very quickly it has

grown to the size of the fourth biggest city in Jordan. And these

makeshift homes are being constantly upgraded. Many refugees have rigged

up their own electricity. Some have running water and toilets. But for a

few refugees, enough is enough. Everyday buses from Zaatari camp

take dozens of people to the border am so they can cross back into

Syria. Most here long to make the same journey, but it is so fraught

with danger that for now they dare not.

You can see more special coverage of Syria, three years on, all day on

the BBC News Channel and also lots of information on the special

section of the BBC website, bbc.co.uk/syria.

It is the 10th day of the trial of Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of

murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Today, the court has been

hearing from the head of police, who took charge of the crime scene.

Andrew Harding is at the court in Pretoria. What has the court been

hearing today Jamaat. They have been seeing graphic images, photos taken

at the crime scene after Reeva Steenkamp was killed, including one

of the athlete himself and I should warn you that it is quite disturbing

photo. It shows Mr Pistorius in the garage of his house, an hour or so

we understand after he had shot Reeva Steenkamp. He is not wearing a

shirt, as you can see, and he has got blood on his arms. He is staring

at the camera looking dazed and exhausted. We also heard more

evidence from the defence lawyers, who have been fiercely

cross-examining the first and most senior policeman on the scene about

the sequence of events that night, what Oscar Pistorius's team are

trying to show is that the police may have either moved evidence,

tampered with evidence or fabricated their testimonies of who arrived

when, on the scene. The defence is looking for room to show that the

prosecution has not proved its case about Oscar Pistorius deliberately

killing his girlfriend. Andrew Harding at the court in

Pretoria. New pricing rules which are supposed to make it easier to

find a cheaper energy supplier are still confusing, according to the

consumer group Which?. It has carried out a survey which showed

that most people who were shown the new tariffs still chose the wrong

deal. Our business correspondent John Moylan has more details.

Like many people Patrick Newman struggles to find the best energy

deal. And that really matters because his annual energy bill for

his four-bedroom houses around ?2000 a year. You have got the standing

charge and the tariff rate, which vary from supplier to supplier and

it is extremely difficult as it were to get a kind of level playing

field. The industry regulator introduced what are called simpler,

clearer tariffs in January. They require all energy deals to be

presented as a standing charge with a single unit rate for gas or

electricity. But when the consumer group Which? Put these new tariffs

to the test it found only 35% of people spotted the cheapest deal,

the rest either chose the wrong tariff or could not calculate the

best one. You are bobbing consumers are finding tariffs too complicated.

That is bad news for consumers who need to find the best deal in the

market. It stops people switching around and we have a less

competitive energy market as a result. Bath-time Which? Tested

tariffs only 8% of people found the cheapest one so the changes may have

helped but for many it is still a challenge. I looked to change in

January and it is such a minefield I can't say it has changed. I thought

it was complicated and difficult and I didn't bother. They have made it

appear to look easier but it is still hidden. It is confusing. You

need a degree in maths to work it out. I haven't got a degree. We have

put through reforms to make the market simpler already. At the end

of March there is new information reforms that will mean that

consumers can get personalised information that will allow them to

compare tariffs, like-for-like, meaning they will find the best deal

for them much more easily. Ofgem insists its reforms will work and

that the recent rise in switching rates suggests more people are

taking a closer look at their energy bills.

The partially sighted British skier Jade Etherington and her guide

Caroline Powell have become the most successful British women in Winter

Paralympic history. They won silver in the visually impaired super

combines at the Paralympics in Sochi. The wind brings their medal

tally to four so far. Here is our sports correspondent, Andy Swiss.

They had already won a bronze on two silver is so this time, could it be

gold? They would need the race of their lives. Jade Etherington and

her guide Caroline Powell were three seconds behind the leaders after the

first run will stop for their second they had to go for broke and they

did. Etherington, who has only 5% vision, hitting speeds of 60 miles

an hour, with a dazzling display of Porth -- poise and pace. That put

them in gold medal position. Now it was all down to the leader,

Russia's Aleksandra Frantceva. Unable to match Etherington's speed

heard three second caution was melting away, but would it not

quickly enough? COMMENTATOR:

It is very close... By barely half a second, Etherington and Powell had

been pipped once again, but the pair who only met last year are now the

most successful British women in Winter Paralympic history. Not about

silver lining. It was the fastest and best raced we have done together

so we are very happy. It is a shame it was so close to the gold again,

but we tried hard and we said we did not want to come down and finish and

get the silver, we really fought for it. Britain had other hopes on the

slopes with an attorney, the same blistering speed, the same or

nothing approach, but not the same result.

COMMENTATOR: And she has taken a high-speed fall.

Fortunately she was fine, but proof once again that success in snow

sport can be a precarious business. It is Gold Cup Day at Cheltenham and

can the favourite, Bobs Worth, make it two wins in a row? That seems to

be where the money is going, possibly with good reason. The Nicky

Henderson trained steeplechaser has won every time he has run at the

track. Let's go to our sports correspondent, Joe Wilson. Are you

allowed a flutter? I can tell you the fog has cleared here and the

gold cup is normally easier to predict than the Grand National, for

example. It is maybe foolish to concentrate on two horses but the

Gold Cup seems to be between one horse which fell when going well

last year and the 2013 champion, Bobs Worth. The horse I went to

meet. In the blue corner the defending champ, Bobs Worth, a horse

which thrives where others simply strive. Over the years at Cheltenham

in various races he has always finished first and last year he won

the big one, the Gold Cup. Today, he is back to try to do it again. He is

very, very tough and when he gets into that battle coming up that hill

he puts his head down and it will take a hard-won to get past him, if

he gets past him, nobody will get past him. History tell use --

history tells you that retaining the Cheltenham Gold cup is difficult,

even for a Cheltenham expert. Only six horses I've ever won the Gold

cup in consecutive years. 50 years ago, Arkle won the first of his

hat-trick of Gold Cups. Great feats make a reputation and remembered

here but protecting racing's integrity is an ongoing issue.

Today, last instalment will be led into the Gold Cup by a trainer. The

horse tested negative for drugs this month but his trainer faces charges

of possessing banned substances. This is a horse owned by four

families, representing the more ordinary. He is in there to give it

a go. He is a fantastic jumper and might unsettle warm two of them.

This ground will be great for him, he has won here before. He will

enjoy himself. He is an underdog. T43 may scrape third, Bobs Worth

will not accept being beaten. Not as small as he looks. For many, he just

resembles a champion. Of course, that may soon change. We should

remember that when the horses are travelling at over 30 miles an hour,

jumping the big fences, anything can happen donned often does. There is

an element of uncertainty in the Cheltenham Gold cup. Everyone hopes

for an exciting race but also a safe one.

Joe Wilson at Cheltenham, looking lovely sunny there. How is it

looking all over the country? It is dry down south but it is not

the story everywhere. If you take a look at the north of the UK, we have

had plenty of rain across the North and the West of Scotland. That has

been quite a feature through the last few hours. Much drier further

south. The story here was of the fog, which has gradually been

clearing away. You can see how it has broken up, particularly on land.

Vesicular lily Irish Sea Coast remaining Foster -- foggy and grey

in the afternoon. The wind is strong across the northern heart for the

country, particularly Scotland, where we are seeing severe gales

affecting the Northern Isles this afternoon. A windy day across

Scotland with outbreaks of rain continuing across the north and

west, particularly for Argyll and the Highlands. Drier further east.

Breezy and dry for Northern Ireland and the far north of England. As we

head further south, Central and eastern areas doing the best with

the sunshine. Grey and misty with some sea fog affecting north-west

England, West and Wales and also the south-west of England. It is looking

great for the Gold cup at Cheltenham and we have been watching the mist

and fog breakaway over the last few hours. There will be plenty of

sunshine in the afternoon, temperatures may be higher than this

and wins are light. This evening and overnight we have a breeze across

the whole country. Very strong across the north of the UK, full

Scotland windy and wet, but with variable amounts of cloud and the

breeze tonight will not be as cold as the last few nights. 5-8dC across

the board. The pressure chart for the weekend shows a large area of

high pressure taking control. Some weather fronts skirting the north of

the UK will bring more in the way of cloud, maybe outbreaks of rain

further south it is looking fine. In a nutshell, the weekend is looking

dry for most of the UK. Some warm, springlike sunshine to be had in

places and it will remain relatively breezy. Saturday starts on a

generally cloudy, breezy note. The cloud breaks up quickly and we

should see sunny spells. Windier and wetter across the far north,

particularly the north and west of Scotland, but that is about it.

Elsewhere, dry and somewhere could see 20 Celsius on Saturday

afternoon. The mid teens for most places. On Sunday, cloudy across

western areas, outbreaks of rain across the West of Scotland but

lovely spells of sunshine and we could even dust stuff our

barbecues! That is tempting fate. Thank you.

The top story this lunchtime, one of the towering figures of British

politics, Tony Benn, has died. That is