01/03/2014 BBC Weekend News

Good evening. The crisis over Ukraine has intensified dramatically

today. This afternoon, the Russian Parliament approved the use of its

troops in Ukraine, following a request by President Putin. They're

already in the semi-autonomous region of Crimea. Ukraine's acting

president accused Russia of trying to provoke it into military

conflict. The seriousness of the situation has prompted an emergency

meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. This report from our

correspondent Daniel Sandford, who's in Crimea.

As Moscow approved the use of military force in Ukraine, Russian

armour was already on the ground. There's been a slow takeover of

strategic sites in the Crimean Peninsula, something Ukraine has

been unable to respond to. These Russian troops are blockading

the Ukrainian coastguard base at the end of the world famous Balaklava

Bay. There were Russian soldiers at the

local parliament in Simferopol, too, and at the Cabinet of Ministers, the

seat of the Crimean regional government which has been taken over

by a pro-Russian politician who started the day by asking Moscow to

help. TRANSLATION: With full understanding

of my responsibility for the lives and security of our citizens, I call

on the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to

provide assistance in securing peace on the territory of the autonomous

republic of Crimea. As if working to a script, President

Putin asked his upper house of parliament to authorise Russian

troops to be used in normalising the situation in Ukraine.

The Senate passed the request unanimously, despite warnings from

America that there would be consequences. The official

justification was the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat

to lives of Russian citizens. These riot police, sacked by the

Ukrainian government but today laying flowers at the police

headquarters in Crimea, show how little control Kiev has here now.

Their leader said he was still loyal to the ousted president, Viktor

Yanukovych. TRANSLATION: The people elected

Yanukovych, the elections were legitimate. Any other speculation is

unnecessary. The Crimean capital, Simferopol,

still officially part of Ukraine, was awash with Russian patriotic

fervour. There were times some of it seemed staged. President Putin's

spokesman said tonight that he had not yet decided to send troops to

Ukraine, but thousands of them are already here.

Well, Daniel is live in Sevastopol, and in a moment we'll talk to Nick

Bryant at the UN in New York. Daniel, this has become a major,

major crisis now, hasn't it to me yes, it is a very grave crisis

indeed. There is still a chance this is just a show of force by Russia,

rather than anything worse. You have to remember that Ukraine has been

subject of a tug of war between Russia and the European Union for

several years, and now we are faced with the prospect of large numbers

of more Russian troops arriving here in Ukraine or even in mainland

eastern Ukraine. The Westwood then I do have to do nothing or respond

strongly, and neither of those is an attractive proposition. -- the West

would then either. Vitali Klitschko tonight called for a national

mobilisation in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke to the

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and said he had urged him to

calm what he called this dangerous situation. Straight to Nick Bryant

in New York, the Security Council meeting within the hour, what are

you expecting? The Ukraine has called this meeting, the second time

the Security Council has met within the space of 24 hours, but you get

the sense that the Security Council is going through the motions. Not a

meaningful will happen in New York, because Russia would block anything

meaningful happening in New York. If, for instance, the Western powers

came up with a statement condemning what has happened in Crimea, Russia

would wield its veto to block it from emerging. One idea that didn't

merge yesterday from the Western powers at the United Nations

Security Council was for a UN envoy to travel from Kiev to Crimea to try

to mediate the crisis. Well, today that UN envoy decided it was simply

impossible to travel to Crimea. He flew instead to Geneva. I think that

is indicative, at the moment the international community is largely

on the sidelines, watching what is unfolding in Crimea and watching the

Kremlin for Vladimir Putin's next move.

The former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, who was released

without charge nine years ago, has been remanded in custody charged

with Syria-related terror offences. 45-year-old Begg, who's from

Birmingham, denies the allegations. He's accused of providing terrorist

training and funding terrorism overseas.

China's official news agency says at least 27 people have been killed and

109 injured after a group of men attacked people with knives at a

train station in the south west of the country. The attack happened in

Kunming in Yunnan province. So far there are no details about a

possible motive for the attack. Plans to reform Labour's historic

links with trade unions have been approved by an overwhelming

majority, at a special conference of party members. Ed Miliband proposed

a system of one man, one vote in leadership elections and an end to

the automatic affiliation of union members. The Labour leader praised

the party for having the courage to change. Our political correspondent

Iain Watson reports. Labour MPs meeting in 1906. The

party had only just been set up by the trade unions at the start of the

last century to give them a voice in Parliament, and over the years some

leaders felt the boys had become too powerful. But it was not until 1993

that John Smith narrowly succeeded in abolishing the union block vote.

The changes I propose today are vital. Today Ed Miliband said he was

finishing the job, claiming he was responsible for the biggest reforms

to the party links with the trade unions in its history. Today I ask

you to agree the biggest changes to our party since 1918. In future,

individual trade unionists will have to give explicit consent before any

of their money is handed over to Labour, and supporters, rather than

just members, will have the right to select the next leader. You are not

just voting to open our doors and reach new people, you are voting for

the biggest transfer of power to our members and supporters in the

history of the Labour Party. Ed Miliband says this is an historic

day for Labour, a new type of politics, but his critics inside as

well as outside the party argue that his reforms aren't anything like as

radical as he would have you believe. As the Conservatives point

out, the unions will still control 50% of the vote at Labour

conference. There will be no cap on union donations. And many of the

reforms will be phased in over five years. Some union leaders argue that

too much time has been spent already arguing about party structures,

rather than arguing for the concerns of ordinary trade unionists. We want

Labour to be standing up with our people, getting them registered to

votes, let alone both Labour. This has been a diversion. At the end of

it, none of our traditional is will change, none of our rule book will

change. But Ed Miliband doesn't see his reforms as a diversion. Instead,

he sees them as an invitation to some people to get involved in

politics for the very first time. Iain Watson, BBC News, east London.

The New York City coroner says Oscar winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman

died from a combination of heroin, cocaine and other drugs. He was

found in his apartment last month. The coroner ruled his death was

accidental. Tests found heroin in samples from at least 50 packets at

his Manhattan home. Councils in England are warning that

the elderly and disabled could lose vital bus services because of cuts

in Government funding. The Local Government Association says support

for the free off-peak bus service entitlement has been reduced by over

a third since 2010. But the Department for Transport says it

provides extra funding to bus operators to help meet the cost.

Finally football, Chelsea have opened up a four-point gap at the

top of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-1 win at near

neighbours and bottom of the table Fulham. But the talking point of the

day could yet be the sending off of Newcastle manager Alan Pardew in an

incident involving the Hull midfield player David Meyler. It had no

bearing on the game though with Newcastle winning 4-1. Afterwards,

Pardew said the incident had taken the gloss off his team's victory.

There's more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel, we are back

with the late news 10:10. Now on