03/03/2014 BBC News at Six

Ukraine. As President Putin meets his military leaders, Russia says it

will stay in Ukraine until the situation stabilises.

There is an uneasy stand-off at a Crimean naval base, as Ukrainian

sailors are told to say whose side they are on.

In Kiev today, the Foreign Secretary William Hague says it is the worst

crisis Europe has faced in the 21st Century, and calls on Russia to play

by the rules. It is not an acceptable way to

behave and so it is important that there are consequences and costs to

Russia. And tonight's other headlines: The

trial begins of South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, accused of

murdering his girlfriend. A coroner calls on the MoD to review

its care of vulnerable soldiers, after the suicide of a 30-year-old

Corporal at her barracks. 12 Years A Slave!

And just one of three awards for the film in a successful night at the

Oscars. Its British director pays tribute. I dedicate this award to

all the people who have endured slavery and the 21 million people

who still suffer slavery today, thank you very much.

In London, why the Mayor won't rule out a Commons comeback before the

next election. And cracking down on fraudsters conning councils out of

homes. Good evening. We are live in Kiev,

overlooking Independence Square, where the people of Ukraine are

nervously monitoring the events in Crimea and awaiting news of Russia's

latest intentions. Despite a rising tide of diplomatic pressure from

around the world, the Russians have said that their troops will remain

in Ukraine until the political situation has been 'normalised',

that is their word. There have been conflicting reports about a possible

ultimatum given to Ukrainian forces in Crimea, the Russians have

vehemently denied those reports. And in Kiev, the Foreign Secretary

William Hague met the new Prime Minister and warned Russia of

consequences if their forces were not withdrawn.

We will be reporting on today's developments here in Kiev, but

first, our correspondent Daniel Sandford reports from the strategic

port of Sevastopol. Heavily armed Russian troops standing brazen

outside the headquarters of the Ukrainian navy. Inside, a critical

meeting which -- on which the lives of Ukrainians may depend. Their

former Amanda tried to persuade them to switch sides but the new man

appointed yesterday urged them not to. -- former commander. They

decided to stay loyal and prove the loyalty by sinking the Ukrainian

national anthem. -- sinking. Afterwards, their admiral told me

his commander in chief is in Kiev, the acting President, President

Turchynov. I think the official leader of Ukraine is President

Turchynov. He is worried his man horribly burning secret documents on

the grounds of their headquarters, there are already former Russian

soldiers in the base. Outside these headquarters are armed Russian

soldiers but here inside this alias are on armed -- the sailors are not

armed, and their commander says he is loyal to Kiev. At Ukrainian

military at ports, Russian trucks were parked across the runway,

Russian soldiers were patrolling. Ukrainian apples were confined to

the airport buildings. -- Ukrainian apples. And one by one, Ukraine's

army bases are being surrounded. We have found heavily armed Russian

soldiers without insignia guarding a Ukrainian military base, keeping

prison at those soldiers inside who still loyal to Kiev. Dutch prison.

Though trapped, it Ukrainians will not open fire for fear of provoking

the Russians but they were remained defiant. They demanded we had all

our oh -- all our weapons of two the control of Russia but we refused,

the still remains a military base -- to the control. Across-the-board,

Russia was reminding everyone of the extent of its firepower in the

latest military exercises today but it has denied Ukrainian claims it

has given them an ultimatum to leave their bases by tomorrow morning.

Russia controls Crimea now but no one knows what President Putin plans

to do next. Here in Kiev, the new government has

warned that a conflict with Russia would destroy the stability of the

region. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation have stepped

up. Today, the Foreign Secretary William Hague held talks with the

Ukrainian Prime Minister. And the US Secretary of State, John Kerry,

flies in tomorrow. Our Europe editor Gavin Hewitt reports on the day's

events in the capital. Outside the Russian Embassy in Kiev

today, there were protests against President Putin. With drivers

sounding their horns in support. They stuck posters on the embassy

railings calling on the Russian President to take his hands of

Ukraine. If the Russians took more aggressive action, these students

said they would resist. We will fight because it is our country, it

is our territory and our motherland. At the Ministry of Defence, armed

troops appeared on the gates, as reservists were told to register for

duty. Colonel Alexander -- this colonel said at any minute, we are

ready to do our duty to protect our country, our patriotic spirit has

never been higher. The word here was that they did not want to give

Russia reason to start a shooting war. The Foreign Secretary William

Hague who was visiting Kiev laid flowers at the site where protesters

had been shot a snipers. He called on Russia to withdraw its troops. --

by snipers. If this situation cannot be resolved, if Russia cannot be

persuaded to respect the sovereignty and territory and integrity of

Ukraine, there will have to be the consequences and other costs. Here,

the Foreign Secretary was listened to closely. He said there would be

consequences Russia but did not spell out what that might be. There

are no military options on the table. The question is whether the

West is prepared to try to isolate Russia economic league. The crisis

is dividing families. This woman is Russia, -- Russian,

married to a Ukrainian, she supports Ukraine which upset her family back

in Russia. We did so many arguing with my family trying to explain our

points of view but it seems like people do not want to hear each

other and it is really bad and it hurts. In the capital, there is

anger, fear and helplessness, a sense that the future of their

country is in the hands of others. Let's talk more about the Russian

response. Russia has declared today the movement of more troops into

eastern Ukraine and Crimea is simply to stabilise the situation. The

Russian Foreign Minister says it will stay on tour that has been

achieved. ? Here is our diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall. She

looks at their strategy in intervening in Ukraine and what

could done to stop things escalating. The world 's burst

sighting of Vladimir Putin for nearly a week and he is sending a

clear message -- burst. That he could order these troops

into Ukraine if the world continues to ignore Russia's anger out what it

sees as an illegal and dangerous coup in Kiev. This is a question of

defending our citizens and ensuring human rights, especially the right

to life. And Moscow 's intervention in Crimea, said the Russian Warren

Minister in Geneva this morning, was entirely justified. The first move

came when massed gunmen seized Crimea's Parliament giving

pro-Russian MPs a chance to vote in a new Crimean leader who instantly

asked Moscow for help. More gunmen appeared at Crimea's airports, at

Sevastopol, and the Northern land crossing point with the rest of

Ukraine. Russia's Black Sea Fleet went into operation. It has allowed

military personnel at its bases in Crimea, Ukraine accused Moscow of

violating agreements by adding 6,000 more and securing the peninsular

with land and naval controls. Latest reports suggest a further build-up

just across the border. And there is that the fear that Russia might

seize control of eastern Ukraine in cities where most Russian speakers

are. Either by using pro-Russian locals or a military invasion.

150,000 Russian troops are on alert as part of military exercises across

the border. Here, pro-Moscow protesters march

past the riot police. Trying to oust local government loyal to Kiev.

Dangerous tensions now in eastern Ukraine as Russia tries to force the

West to see this conflict their way. Bridget Kendall there with that

report. Her assessment of the Putin strategy as we understand it, but it

is a bold thing all the time. We will have more on that at 10pm. And

you can get continuous live coverage and analysis on the situation in

Ukraine on the BBC's website at bbc.co.uk/news and on the BBC News

Channel. You will see all the links. Back to the owner.

-- the owner. In South Africa, the long-awaited

trial has begun of the world-famous athlete and, until last year,

national hero Oscar Pistorius. He is accused of murdering his girlfriend,

Reeva Steenkamp, at his home on Valentine's Day a year ago. A

witness has told the court she heard a woman's 'blood-curdling screams'

followed by the sound of gunshots the night of the murder. Mr

Pistorius claims he killed his girlfriend by mistake, believing she

was an intruder. Our correspondent Andrew Harding is outside the court

in Pretoria now. A dramatic start to this trial.

Prosecution has already produced its first witness who has made some

damaging allegations against Oscar story is but the defence has also

come out fighting. -- Oscar Pistorius. This will be a long and

bitter week contested trial. There is possible flash photography in

this report. -- Italy. Calm, focused, Oscar Pistorius

arriving in court this morning knowing that if this trial does not

go his way, he could face life in prison. In the scrum outside, the

mother of the woman he shot, June Steenkamp, who has never met

Pistorius in the flesh before but came to court today she says to look

him in the eyes but is -- in the eyes. In court room D and live

around the world, Akrotiri jet to the charge that he deliberately

murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. You understand the

charges? I do, my lady.

How do you plead? Not guilty, my lady.

His lawyers said it would prove it was a terrible mistake and that

Oscar had assumed Reeva, a 29 your old model, was an intruder in his

bathroom. I believe the intruders entered my

home and post an imminent threat to Reeva and me.

My bedroom windows were open because it was a hot evening. Then came the

first witness, a neighbour Michelle Burger who did not want to be

filmed. She lives on the next-door estate

less than 200 metres away from the home of Pistorius, close enough she

said to hear the gunshots inside his bathroom as he fired through the

toilet door. Bang!

But more importantly, she said she heard the sound of a woman screaming

reputedly in terror before the gun was fired. -- repeatedly.

It was blood-curdling. It was something that leaves you cold, do

cannot explain it you just know a woman 's life was really threatened.

-- you cannot. That is a sign the couple may have

been fighting that night, a possible motive for Pistorius to kill. But

then Pistorius 's lawyer Barry Roux went on the attack, wondering if the

witness had misheard. If I tell you that his voice when he

is really anxious, it sounds like a woman, can you say... He said other

witnesses would swear it was Pistorius shouting for help that

night and not Reeva Steenkamp screaming in fear. And with that,

the man some still called the Blade Runner was done for the day. It

seems there was no encounter with June Steenkamp in court.

A coroner has called on the Ministry of Defence to review its care of

vulnerable soldiers after an inquest ruled that bullying was one factor

in the suicide of a Royal Military Police Officer. The inquest ruling

said the 'lingering effects' of an alleged rape and 'work-related'

despair also played a part in the death of Corporal Anne-Marie

Ellement in 2011. Duncan Kennedy was at the inquest.

Bullied, belittled and broken, the words of Anne Marie's family to

describe her experience in the Army. Today they welcomed the coroner's

ruling she had been subject to months of unacceptable treatment by

colleagues and superiors before her death. The family are delighted with

this verdict we have today. The coroner has confirmed what we always

have known, that Anne Marie was treated appallingly and let down by

the Army. The coroner said Corporal Ellement was subject to bullying

after being transferred to Wiltshire, following allegations she

had been raped by two colleagues in Germany. Corporal Pritchard was one

of those who accused her of lying about it and started shouting names

at her. Others ridiculed her weight, calling her Anne Marie Elephant. One

senior officer used Facebook to post a highly abusive message about her.

Her mother says the Army failed in its duty to protect her daughter who

was already suffering from issues of low self-esteem. She was a victim of

a bullying campaign. She was made to work between 80 and 90 hours a week.

Absolutely disgusted. They had a duty of care towards her and they

failed her. If they had taken proper care of her I believe she would

still be here today. After the coroner in this case said Corporal

Anne Marie Ellement had taken her own life the Army issued an apology

to her family for what it called its failures. It said it deeply

regretted her death and it would now look to learn lessons from this

tragedy. Although the coroner said the Army

had provided some good care, others have likened this case to the

notorious bullying witnessed at the Deepcut Army camp in the 1990s. The

Mills were told to change -- the military were told to change. It

must come, it must happen and this culture must change. The family of

Corporal Ellement say no one was prouder to serve as a Red Cap but no

one felt more let down by military justice.

Our top story: Russia has sent more troops to Ukraine and has effective

control of the Crimea region. Still to come: The Oscar for the Best

Selfie goes to... The stars having fun in Hollywood.

Later on BBC London: Helping home owners along the Thames. Volunteers

bring hope to flooded communities. And, Sol Campbell tells us why he

believes the colour of his skin prevented him from regularly

Captaining England. It is one of the most notorious

murders of a serving police officer. PC Keith Blakelock died after being

stabbed more than 40 times when he was set upon by an armed mob on the

Broadwater Farm estate during rioting in 1985. Three men were

jailed for his murder two years later but their convictions were

quashed and they were freed. Today, a new suspect went on trial charged

with PC Blakelock's murder, as Ben Geoghegan reports.

PC Keith Blakelock, a community bobbie murdered as he tried to

protect others. Today, 29 years after his death, his family came to

the Old Bailey to hear the evidence against his alleged killer. He was

murdered during this riot on the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham

in north London in 1985. Years of simmering tension between the black

community and the police had exploded into violence after a woman

died when officers were searching her house. On the night of the riot

Keith Blakelock and several other police officers went inside this

building to try and protect a group of firefighters but they were soon

confronted by a crowd. The prosecution said the police and fire

officers were heavily outnumbered, scared of becoming trapped they ran

for safety. The jury were told as PC Blakelock and another police officer

tried to escape from the building they were set upon by a crowd

shouting things like kill the pig. Keith Blakelock suffered more than

40 stab bounds and said the prosecution -- wounds. It looked as

if there had been an attempt to decapitate him. This is the man

accused of murder, Nicolas Jacobs was 16 at the time. He's always

denied being involved. Some of his supporters were outside the Old

Bailey today. The prosecution say he was armed with a bladed weapon on

the night of the riot and used it as part of a joint attack. The jury

were told the attack on Keith Blakelock was ferocious and without

mercy. His family say they have never given up hope of getting

justice. People in Wales should have a

greater say over their police forces and how young offenders are dealt

with according to a report into expanding devolution. But with

recent bad headlines about poor school performance and problems with

healthcare in some areas, some in Wales are questioning whether the

Assembly there is ready to accept more responsibility for delivering

major public services? Hywel Griffith has been finding out.

Separate speed limits, different laws on drink driving. Powers over

policing and tackling youth crime. In the future, crossing the Welsh

border could mean entering a very different legal landscape if the

path set out today is followed. But how much power is handed over

will be up to the Westminster Government to decide and it doesn't

seem too keen to bolster the Labour Government in Wales. I think the

people of Wales are, frankly, disappointed in the way that the

Assembly Government has used its powers in terms of both health and

education, in particular. I think the people of Wales will want the

Welsh Government to make it absolutely clear that the powers

that they may get will be used properly. There is fire in the

debate over how well devolution is serving Wales and the next

generation, with parents worried about poor results in schools and

long NHS waiting times. But that doesn't mean most people want to

send powers back up to Westminster. If we had more powers we would have

more control over our own affairs and maybe a better deal. They have

enough at the moment. Let's see where we go in the future. You can't

have people in Westminster controlling the country. It should

be handed out locally. The row over how Wales is run doesn't just depend

on patriotism. It's down to basic party politics. England has no great

record on education either. We can all play that game. I understand

there is a general election coming next year and we will be hammered by

a Conservative Government in London trying to look for every way to

hammer the Labour Party across the UK. Before that, there is the small

matter of the vote on independence in Scotland which could ultimately

change Britain's political map and help decide how much power comes to

Cardiff Bay. It was a good night for British

talent at the Oscars last night. The historical drama 12 Years A Slave

won three awards with British director Steve McQueen picking up

Best Picture. The space thriller Gravity was the big winner of the

night with seven awards, many of them in the technical categories

including Best Visual Effects for the British team behind the stunning

recreation of deep space. Lizo Mzimba was at the awards and has

sent this report. The biggest stars marking the year's

best movies, it's the most glamorous event. But this was a night when

Hollywood ended up celebrating British talent. 12 Years A Slave!

The harrowing drama won Best Film. One of the movie's co-producers and

stars introduced the driving force behind it. We get to stand up here

because of one man who brought us here to tell that story, that is the

indomitable MrSteve MacKean. I dedicate this award to all the

people who have endured slavery and the 21 million people who still

suffer slavery today. Thank you very much. The movie won three awards

including Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o. She too thanked

the movie's producer and director. Thank you so much for putting me in

this position. It has been the joy of my life. Steve McQueen wasn't the

only Brit who ended up celebrating. Gravity won seven awards, including

many for the British technical teams who worked on the movie and its

ground-breaking special effects. The movie's director, who also won an as

core -- Oscar, paid tribute to his British team. It's the end of a

process for a lot of people who worked a long time and they were

celebrated. Best actor went to Matthew McConaughey. Best actress to

Cate Blanchett. There were surprises too, the host Ellen Degeneres took

part in what many will see as the ultimate star-studded selfie with

Brad, and others. It fast became the world's most retweeted photo. Of

course, it's not unheard of for British talent to do well at the

Oscars but what is unusual is for the Best Film to be a piece of

American history, brought to the United States and the cinema screen

by a British producer and director. Back to our main story. Let's speak

to our political editor Nick Robinson in Downing Street. I gather

there is a development there on the possibility or not of sanctions

against Russia. That's right. The Prime Minister has been vague in the

language he has used so far, talking about the possibility of political,

economic and diplomatic sanctions against Russia if they don't do what

the international community wants. We now have a sense of exactly why

he has been that vague, a photograph was taken of a document being

carried into a secret meeting by a very important Government official

today and it says, I quote, the UK should not support, for now, trade

sanctions or close London's financial centre to Russians. We

know that Ministers are considering visa bans, they are considering

asset freezes, but on those things that are crucial to the British

economy, trade with Russia and the involvement of so much Russian money

in the City of London, they are, for now at least, drawing a line under

that. The document also says that Britain should take no part in any

discussion at all at NATO of military preparation. All this

highlights is that there is a limit, not just to what Britain and other

European countries can do, but a real limit to what they're prepared

to do in the face of something they say is an international outrage.

Thank you. Let's look at the weather now.

A mixed bag today, the southern half of the UK saw showers, hail and

localised flooding in one or two places. Further north, some lengthy

spells of sunshine. Most of the showers fade away tonight.

Temperatures will drop away. The frost will be widespread and some

ice for some places and patches of fog. Most of the showers fade away

over the next few hours, but further showers to western areas,

particularly the north-west. They'll drift through Northern Ireland.

They'll push to western Scotland where they'll turn to snow over the

hills and it's a chilly night with a frost in some rural places and fog,

as well. In the morning a few showers around in Scotland. A cold

start to the day generally speaking. Still ice around in Northern

Ireland, in particular. The north-east of England some fog and

sunshine also. That brighter weather extends to the south coast. Further

west more cloud around but it's a dry start to what should be a decent

day across most of England and Wales. All in all a decent day. One

or two scattered showers into the afternoon but most places fine and

dry. There is thicker cloud working down towards the far south and west.

This rain is associated with a weather front that will drift

towards the south and then as that happens through the middle of the

week we see pressure rise across England and Wales. Looks like a

decent day on Wednesday for most of us, a frosty start. More of a wind

for Northern Ireland and Scotland and cloud and rain. A bit of snow

melt to go with that rain in Scotland. That rain tends to fizzle

out on Thursday. There will still be some in the north of the UK. Should

be dry further south. But a dry picture for many through Wednesday

and Thursday. That's it. Now