:00:13. > :00:15.Minister accuses Russian naval forces of occupying Sevastopol
:00:16. > :00:33.airport in the autonomous region of Crimea. Here in Balaklava, a Russian
:00:34. > :00:36.frigate today blocks the entrance to this strategically important
:00:37. > :00:39.harbour. But whose orders is it acting on? We'll have all the latest
:00:40. > :00:42.on the developing crisis in the Ukraine. Also this lunchtime... The
:00:43. > :00:45.Big Six energy companies are told to hand back ?400 million to households
:00:46. > :00:48.after an investigation by the industry watchdog. Last year's
:00:49. > :00:50.badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset were ineffective and
:00:51. > :00:57.inhumane, according to an independent scientific assessment.
:00:58. > :01:08.Globally-co-ordinated police raids - including here in the UK - against
:01:09. > :01:10.the so-called boiler room gangs. The Northern Lights go south, as
:01:11. > :01:19.spectacular illuminations light up the night sky far south as Essex and
:01:20. > :01:24.Gloucestershire. Later on BBC London, a High Court judge rules the
:01:25. > :01:32.Met failed the victims of this serial rapist. And the Tube unions
:01:33. > :01:46.claim the new trains are unsafe. Tensions are running high in the
:01:47. > :01:49.Ukraine's Crimea region, where armed men have seized one airport, and
:01:50. > :01:56.taken over the control tower of another. Russia has denied
:01:57. > :01:58.involvement, but the interim Ukrainian government has accused
:01:59. > :02:05.Moscow of invading the largely pro-Russian territory. Unconfirmed
:02:06. > :02:07.reports on Ukrainian media say Russian military helicopters have
:02:08. > :02:10.landed in Sevastapol, and that a Russian naval vessel has blocked the
:02:11. > :02:25.entrance to the city's Balaklava Bay. Our correspondent Duncan
:02:26. > :02:28.Crawford sent this report from Kiev. The main international airport in
:02:29. > :02:32.Crimea is under the control of heavily armed men. They are
:02:33. > :02:37.undoubtedly pro-Russian, but are they operating independently, or
:02:38. > :02:42.under the guidance of the Kremlin? They moved in last night. The men
:02:43. > :02:47.have not spoken about their plans, but the passenger terminal is still
:02:48. > :02:49.open. This man says they are guarding against pro-Western forces,
:02:50. > :02:56.aligned to the new government in Kiev.
:02:57. > :03:01.TRANSLATION: Radicalism and fascism are not welcome here. This is our
:03:02. > :03:03.slogan, and we do not want radicals from Ukraine or other regions, and
:03:04. > :03:11.other countries, to visit us in Crimea. On a road leading to a
:03:12. > :03:16.second airport, a military one, in Sevastopol, there are also armed
:03:17. > :03:19.men. The new Interior Minister of Ukraine claims these forces are from
:03:20. > :03:26.the Russian Navy, saying they are part of an armed invasion. Russia's
:03:27. > :03:29.Black Sea Fleet is based nearby, but denies Russian servicemen are
:03:30. > :03:35.involved. Russian speaking Crimea has been part of Ukraine for 60
:03:36. > :03:41.years, under a memorandum signed in 1994, Russia, the US, France and the
:03:42. > :03:46.UK agreed to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine. In Kiev, the
:03:47. > :03:50.parliament appealed to the West to protect that agreement. Emergency
:03:51. > :03:56.meetings are taking place to determine how to respond. The new
:03:57. > :04:00.government here has only been in power for 24 hours, yet they could
:04:01. > :04:05.already be facing a counter revolution. The parliament here has
:04:06. > :04:08.called on the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Crimea, a
:04:09. > :04:15.situation which threatens to spiral out of control. Many MPs are in no
:04:16. > :04:20.doubt who is responsible. TRANSLATION: It is a provocation
:04:21. > :04:25.against Ukraine by Russian special forces. It is a total violation of
:04:26. > :04:31.the laws governing the presence of foreign forces on Ukrainian
:04:32. > :04:35.territory. Relations between Russia and Ukraine
:04:36. > :04:40.have got worse ever since Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was
:04:41. > :04:43.ousted from power. But overnight, Russian President Vladimir Putin
:04:44. > :04:47.talked about financial support for Russia's partners in Kiev. It is
:04:48. > :04:50.unclear where the Kremlin really stands, or whether this really is
:04:51. > :04:56.the start of a military takeover. Let's talk to our diplomatic
:04:57. > :05:04.correspondent Bridget Kendall, who is in Moscow. -- Christian Fraser. I
:05:05. > :05:13.wonder if you could just take us through the things you have seen
:05:14. > :05:19.this morning? Yes, it has been a very fast developing situation. We
:05:20. > :05:22.have seen roadblocks on the way from Simferopol to Sevastopol last
:05:23. > :05:25.night, a significant roadblocks, stopping any traffic on the road.
:05:26. > :05:29.This morning we went up to Sevastopol airport, and the main
:05:30. > :05:32.approach has been blocked by two military vehicles, personnel
:05:33. > :05:36.carriers. The men that are there are heavily armed, with powerful assault
:05:37. > :05:40.rifles, but there is no insignia on the uniforms they are wearing. And
:05:41. > :05:45.they are refusing to answer questions. They are also being
:05:46. > :05:49.supported by what I suppose you could say is a civil defence force.
:05:50. > :05:54.Just around this rather pretty headlined is a Russian frigate, not
:05:55. > :05:58.entirely surprising, given that the Black Sea Fleet is stationed in
:05:59. > :06:02.Sevastopol, but is unusual to see a frigate manoeuvring backwards and
:06:03. > :06:05.forwards in the bay, seemingly blocking the entrance to this
:06:06. > :06:08.strategically important harbour, while under the watchful eye of the
:06:09. > :06:13.coastguard. When you put it in context, particularly with a report
:06:14. > :06:20.from one of our Russian colleagues that 23 Miller call vehicles -- 23
:06:21. > :06:28.military vehicles are en route to Sevastopol this afternoon, it does
:06:29. > :06:42.look threatening. It looks such a screen setting, but I wonder whether
:06:43. > :06:45.it feels tense? The planes on the runway belong to the Ukrainian
:06:46. > :06:49.defence force, and yet, it does not seem as if they have very much power
:06:50. > :06:53.over control over what is happening. So, they could do it one of two
:06:54. > :06:58.ways. They could do it softly, softly, or they could come in here
:06:59. > :07:01.hard, which could antagonise the situation. That dilemma I think is
:07:02. > :07:05.reflected in the people that come to talk to us here. There are some who
:07:06. > :07:08.come and give us these stickers, which are pro-Russian, this is the
:07:09. > :07:12.emblem of the Black Sea Fleet, the flag which is flying over the
:07:13. > :07:15.frigate out in the bay. And there are others, one man who has just
:07:16. > :07:19.come here, swearing and cursing and spitting on the floor when he
:07:20. > :07:32.referred to Russia. So, there are splits in society. It is a
:07:33. > :07:35.precarious situation at the moment. Bridget Kendall is monitoring events
:07:36. > :07:40.for us in Moscow. I wonder what the Russians are saying about events
:07:41. > :07:45.which are unfolding. The government is keeping its distance, it is not
:07:46. > :07:48.commenting here in Moscow. President Putin had a meeting with
:07:49. > :07:51.parliamentarians today, and his spokesman said Ukraine would not
:07:52. > :07:56.even be top of the agenda, although it may come up. But in the media and
:07:57. > :07:59.in comment, people are looking at the events in the Crimea and
:08:00. > :08:06.describing them as spontaneous. The response of Russian speaking locals
:08:07. > :08:10.to a government in Kiev which they feel is threatened. The Russian
:08:11. > :08:13.government certainly endorses that. There is a new statement from the
:08:14. > :08:18.Russian Foreign Ministry today, from Sergei Lavrov, complaining to the
:08:19. > :08:21.Europeans about the rise of nationalist and neofascist sentiment
:08:22. > :08:24.in Western Ukraine. But at the same time, Moscow has not quite made it
:08:25. > :08:29.clear what its attitude is towards the new government in Kiev. But it
:08:30. > :08:34.has given sanctuary to the ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych, who is
:08:35. > :08:37.supposed to be giving a press conference soon. And a very senior
:08:38. > :08:44.MP from Russia Justice morning raised the question of whether the
:08:45. > :08:48.deposing of Mr Yanukovych in Ukraine had been legal, and whether the
:08:49. > :08:52.government and Parliament in Kiev could be considered legitimate. So,
:08:53. > :08:55.it could be that Moscow is hardening its stance just that of course would
:08:56. > :09:00.have enormous indications for Russia's relations with the West.
:09:01. > :09:05.For more information on why Crimea has become such a focal point of
:09:06. > :09:08.this crisis, you can go to our website, where you'll find special
:09:09. > :09:18.reports and analyis on Ukraine - that's at bbc.co.uk/ukraine.
:09:19. > :09:22.The Big Six energy firms have been told to hand back more than ?400
:09:23. > :09:25.million owed to customers. Credit left in customer accounts when
:09:26. > :09:28.people move or switch suppliers has accumulated over the last six years,
:09:29. > :09:32.and millions of households are thought to be affected. Ofgem says
:09:33. > :09:33.the amount is "unacceptably large". Our industry correspondent John
:09:34. > :09:45.Moylan reports. When this pensioner moved house five
:09:46. > :09:50.months ago, his energies apply told him that he was in credit to the
:09:51. > :09:54.tune of ?1600. But he still has not received that cash, despite having
:09:55. > :09:57.contact with the firm many times. They are very good at taking money
:09:58. > :10:02.out of your account, so they should be just as good at putting it back.
:10:03. > :10:07.But I am not holding my breath. According to the regulator, the big
:10:08. > :10:10.suppliers have accumulated more than ?400 million of customers' cash over
:10:11. > :10:16.the past six years. It is thought that as many as 3.5 million
:10:17. > :10:23.households may be out of pocket, as well as around 300,000 businesses.
:10:24. > :10:27.This is a BCS issue which Ofgem has uncovered, and we are expecting the
:10:28. > :10:30.company to do more to engage consumers to tell them what they
:10:31. > :10:33.need to do to try and prevent this problem, to do more to try and
:10:34. > :10:37.tackle the large sum of money which has been built up, so that it goes
:10:38. > :10:41.back to individual consumers to whom it is old, and if that is not
:10:42. > :10:45.possible, to track them down, to make sure that it benefits consumers
:10:46. > :10:48.in general. This is all the more important because there has been a
:10:49. > :10:52.big rise in the number of households switching supplier in recent months.
:10:53. > :10:56.The advice is to take a final metre reading and send it into your
:10:57. > :11:00.supplier before you switch accounts. Ask if you are in credit, and if you
:11:01. > :11:06.are, get them to send you the money back. The firms insist they do what
:11:07. > :11:10.they can to attract customers down just many do not leave a forwarding
:11:11. > :11:15.address, others leave big debts. We want to give this cash back to the
:11:16. > :11:20.customer. At the same time, bad debts are four or five times that
:11:21. > :11:24.amount. So, fall or five times ?400 million is an awful lot of money,
:11:25. > :11:29.where people have gone away and left a bad debt and we cannot find them.
:11:30. > :11:33.But today, consumer groups called this latest revelation shocking and
:11:34. > :11:34.appalling. The reputation of the big six suppliers has taken another
:11:35. > :11:44.blow. Two women who were sexually
:11:45. > :11:47.assaulted by a London cab driver have won a case at the High Court
:11:48. > :11:50.which could allow them to claim compensation from the Metropolitan
:11:51. > :11:53.Police. The women were attacked by John Worboys, who was jailed for
:11:54. > :11:55.life in 2009 for a series of attacks. The women claimed the
:11:56. > :11:57.police's investigation into Worboys was "flawed at the most fundamental
:11:58. > :12:05.level". Badger culls aimed at preventing the
:12:06. > :12:07.spread of TB in cattle were ineffective and inhumane, according
:12:08. > :12:10.to an independent report. The Government's official assessment
:12:11. > :12:13.found that fewer than half of the animals were killed in West Somerset
:12:14. > :12:15.and Gloucestershire. Some took more than five minutes to die. Our
:12:16. > :12:28.science correspondent Pallab Ghosh reports. It is a toxic combination.
:12:29. > :12:31.Concerns that badgers pass on TB to cattle, who then have to be
:12:32. > :12:35.slaughtered. It has prompted a call to allow Marques meant to shoot
:12:36. > :12:37.badgers pass on TB to cattle, who then have to be slaughtered. It has
:12:38. > :12:39.prompted a call to allow Marques meant to shoot badges in two
:12:40. > :12:41.organised culls, in parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire.
:12:42. > :12:46.Earlier research had shown that the spread of TB in cattle might only be
:12:47. > :12:49.reduced if around 70% of the badgers were killed within a six-week
:12:50. > :12:56.period. Now, the Government's official assessment of the culls has
:12:57. > :13:00.shown that just under 50% of the badgers in each area were killed. It
:13:01. > :13:07.also found that more than 5% of the badgers killed took more than five
:13:08. > :13:10.minutes to die, contravening the government target for humaneness.
:13:11. > :13:13.Professor Woodruff is among a number of experts who warned that it would
:13:14. > :13:18.be difficult to kill so many badgers in such a short space of time. These
:13:19. > :13:21.culls have not killed enough badgers, have not done it fast
:13:22. > :13:27.enough. The benefits will therefore not be as great as were found in a
:13:28. > :13:30.previous trial, and there is a serious risk that they may have
:13:31. > :13:35.increased TB in cattle, rather than decreasing it. Farming groups say
:13:36. > :13:39.that culling is an important tool in eradicating TB from cattle, and they
:13:40. > :13:43.say the purpose of the pilot culls was to learn lessons for the future.
:13:44. > :13:46.There is room for improvement and we shall have to look at what has
:13:47. > :13:50.happened and try to devise a better strategy to achieve the targets. I
:13:51. > :13:57.do not think it is in doubt, though, that we have to try and address the
:13:58. > :14:00.infection level in the badger population. The Government is likely
:14:01. > :14:05.to continue with its plans to roll out more culls this year. But
:14:06. > :14:12.today's scientific assessment has raised questions about the
:14:13. > :14:15.effectiveness of the policy. The British veterinary Association has
:14:16. > :14:19.said that it raises serious concerns about its humaneness, and may even
:14:20. > :14:28.withdraw its support for a wider roll-out of the culls. Our top story
:14:29. > :14:33.- tensions are running high in the Ukraine. There are reports that
:14:34. > :14:37.Russia has moved its tanks to within ten miles of the border. It says it
:14:38. > :14:42.is just a military exercise. Still to come - lighting up the night sky.
:14:43. > :14:48.Clear skies have revealed a spectacular display of the aurora
:14:49. > :14:51.borealis. Later on BBC London - after last nights flooding on
:14:52. > :14:57.Clapham Road, now, repairs begin. A burst water pipe is to blame. And
:14:58. > :14:59.serving the First World War effort at home, the story of how the women
:15:00. > :15:10.in a Covent Garden hospital started saving lives.
:15:11. > :15:16.It's being described as the biggest ever crackdown on criminal gangs.
:15:17. > :15:20.City of London Police and agencies worldwide have carried out a series
:15:21. > :15:22.of raids on gangs, who trick people to invest in worthless or
:15:23. > :15:26.nonexistent stocks and shares. 110 people have been arrested - 20 of
:15:27. > :15:28.them in the UK - as part of an international investigation against
:15:29. > :15:37.so-called boiler room scams. This report from Robert Hall does contain
:15:38. > :15:42.some flashing images. On a quiet street in the centre of Barcelona,
:15:43. > :15:46.Spain 's elite serious crimes unit target a scan which has ruined
:15:47. > :15:51.thousands of lives and cost victims millions of pounds. This team is
:15:52. > :15:55.working with colleagues from the city of London 's financial crimes
:15:56. > :16:02.unit. The office block is the base for what they believe is a boiler
:16:03. > :16:13.room and the raid is one fragment of an operation which extends across
:16:14. > :16:22.Europe and beyond. There are further arrests taking place. It is the
:16:23. > :16:28.biggest deployment it has ever made in pursuit of the fraud
:16:29. > :16:31.investigation. Boiler room scams involve individuals cold calling and
:16:32. > :16:35.using high-pressure sales techniques to persuade victims to buy into
:16:36. > :16:42.bogus investments. Most never see their money again. The cold calls
:16:43. > :16:48.cost this pensioner more than ?20,000. I received a call from a
:16:49. > :16:52.very enthusiastic young man, who excited me. I was thinking about
:16:53. > :16:57.investing and he was talking about carbon credits, which I had not
:16:58. > :17:01.heard about. He sent me loads of literature and told me a lot of
:17:02. > :17:06.stuff about it. He was very knowledgeable. I foolishly trusted
:17:07. > :17:12.him. I did borrow money out of my house. The city of London force has
:17:13. > :17:24.played a major part in this crackdown. The aim is to decimate
:17:25. > :17:27.boiler room fraud. The photos taken by their officers show evidence that
:17:28. > :17:32.the men who run the scams are living well on their victims losses. Luxury
:17:33. > :17:42.cars, personal possessions and cash have been seized. This is a crime
:17:43. > :17:45.that ignores global boundaries, it ignores global borders and operates
:17:46. > :17:53.right across the world. We are able to do that as well. In Barcelona,
:17:54. > :17:58.five people were taken away to join more than 90 others arrested in the
:17:59. > :18:06.simultaneous raids. This scan has not been eradicated but this
:18:07. > :18:08.operation will offer reassurance to victims and severely damage the
:18:09. > :18:17.ability of the boiler rooms to operate. Members of the UK
:18:18. > :18:21.Independence Party are gathering in Torquay for their spring conference.
:18:22. > :18:23.UKIP's leader Nigel Farage will tell activists that the party poses the
:18:24. > :18:26.biggest threat to the political establishment that has been seen in
:18:27. > :18:29.modern times. The next big challenges for UKIP are the local
:18:30. > :18:35.and European Parliament elections in May. Our political correspondent,
:18:36. > :18:40.Robin Brant, is there. In the battle for your votes in those elections in
:18:41. > :18:44.May, UKIP reckon they are in with a really good shout. A few months
:18:45. > :18:49.ago, Nigel Farage was predicting they would win. Now, in public, he
:18:50. > :18:53.is not quite so confident. He has come to Torquay on the south coast
:18:54. > :18:58.with a very clear message for his supporters. That is, onwards and
:18:59. > :19:02.upwards. He is predicting an earthquake and he is all smiles
:19:03. > :19:09.about it. The UKIP leader has come to Devon, making a lot of noise
:19:10. > :19:11.about the European and local elections in May. Nigel Farage
:19:12. > :19:19.thinks his party can come out on top, a big step for the party mocked
:19:20. > :19:24.not so long ago by David Cameron. The more they throw all these words
:19:25. > :19:31.at us, the more people vote for us. The palm trees not looking their
:19:32. > :19:34.best in February. One of the most prominent members has told me, in
:19:35. > :19:41.the general election of next year, she thinks they should get three or
:19:42. > :19:45.four MPs. If things go really well, she predicts 20 class. For the
:19:46. > :19:51.die-hard members, the usual bits and bobs are on offer in Torquay. There
:19:52. > :20:02.is a major outsider lobbying at the conference. Truth is, UKIP house a
:20:03. > :20:05.long way to go on policy. The leader dismissed his last party 's
:20:06. > :20:10.manifesto as drivel. They are halfway through a major review. They
:20:11. > :20:15.have come to Torquay for one thing, a rallying call. I want to say to
:20:16. > :20:21.the electorate, don't get mad, get even. Go out and vote UKIP. He
:20:22. > :20:24.attacks the Government on its handling of the floods and has
:20:25. > :20:29.called for some of the foreign aid budget to be diverted to victims at
:20:30. > :20:35.home. There was what some supporters claim to be another type of blood.
:20:36. > :20:39.In scores of our cities and market towns, this country, in a short
:20:40. > :20:51.space of time, has frankly become unrecognisable. That wave of
:20:52. > :20:55.planeloads has yet to materialise. There is a simple message at this
:20:56. > :21:03.conference, designed to appeal to the heart, not the head. You cannot
:21:04. > :21:06.escape the fact that in Torquay there is a policy vacuum for this
:21:07. > :21:13.party. UKIP is jittery about what will fill the vacuum. At the
:21:14. > :21:18.conference last year, someone called women sluts and that dominated.
:21:19. > :21:26.There is a fringe about sharia law, Islamic law. UKIP a very jittery and
:21:27. > :21:32.nervous about what they see as distractions and others called true
:21:33. > :21:35.colours for the party on issues like immigration and women. Before they
:21:36. > :21:43.come forward with a serious policy offering it will be a serious issue
:21:44. > :21:45.for this party. The chief executive of International Airlines Group,
:21:46. > :21:48.which owns British Airways, has said a vote in favour of Scottish
:21:49. > :21:51.independence would probably be a positive change. Willie Walsh said
:21:52. > :21:53.the Scottish Government was expected to abolish Air Passenger Duty
:21:54. > :21:56.because it recognised the huge impact the tax had on the economy.
:21:57. > :22:04.Let's speak to our Scotland correspondent, Lorna Gordon.
:22:05. > :22:09.Yesterday, after standard life, this kind of intervention has been
:22:10. > :22:15.welcomed by those in favour of independence. Absolutely, it has.
:22:16. > :22:21.British Airways is the UK 's national flag carrier. Its ultimate
:22:22. > :22:25.boss says he is not fazed nor worried by the prospect of
:22:26. > :22:28.independence. As you pointed out, Willie Walsh, the chief executive of
:22:29. > :22:34.the parent company, said in the event of a yes vote on September the
:22:35. > :22:38.18th, he saw it as probably going to be a positive development. He has
:22:39. > :22:44.long campaigned against air passenger Judy and the Scottish
:22:45. > :22:48.Government in its white paper said they would like to reduce it by 15%
:22:49. > :22:52.and ultimately get rid of it entirely. As you say, it has been
:22:53. > :23:02.seized on by the Scottish Government. They have welcomed it.
:23:03. > :23:05.They see business opportunities should Scotland become independent.
:23:06. > :23:09.Only with independents will Scotland get the powers it needs to boost
:23:10. > :23:13.business. The Westminster government would argue differently. They would
:23:14. > :23:18.say the situation works just fine as it is, thank you very much. No
:23:19. > :23:22.concerns from British Airways and no contingency plans in place. Those
:23:23. > :23:31.campaigning for independence welcome these comments today. Royal Mail is
:23:32. > :23:35.putting up the price of stamps from the end of next month. First class
:23:36. > :23:40.will cost 62 pence, a two pence rise. Second class will go up by
:23:41. > :23:46.three pence, to 53 pence. Members of the Northern Ireland assembly are
:23:47. > :23:53.debating a motion which expresses disgust over letters sent to people
:23:54. > :23:57.suspected of terrorist activity saying they were no longer wanted by
:23:58. > :24:03.the Government. This has prompted real outrage. Here is our Ireland
:24:04. > :24:09.correspondent. A long history of violence has scarred the years. It
:24:10. > :24:12.cannot be forgotten. The idea that anyone suspected of playing a part
:24:13. > :24:18.in murders, bombings and shootings could be given assurances they would
:24:19. > :24:22.not be prosecuted. Quite a storm at Stormont. The First Minister
:24:23. > :24:27.threatened to resign. He said he is now satisfied at the announcement
:24:28. > :24:32.there will be a judge led enquiry into the issue, he is still
:24:33. > :24:37.concerned. That outrage was not manufactured or synthetic, it was
:24:38. > :24:44.real. It was an outrage felt by victims. And outrage felt by those
:24:45. > :24:49.within the political process. This case revealed the existence of
:24:50. > :24:53.scores of assurances. He denied murdering four soldiers from the
:24:54. > :25:00.Household Cavalry in what became known as the Hyde Park bombing. He
:25:01. > :25:03.was the main suspect. The High Court ruled that the letter from the
:25:04. > :25:08.Government meant a trial should no longer take place, even though it
:25:09. > :25:19.was sent in error. It is now known that at least 187 letters were
:25:20. > :25:24.issued. However, no letters have been received by loyalists suspected
:25:25. > :25:29.of terrorist offences. The past have a tendency to hang over politics in
:25:30. > :25:33.Northern Ireland. The First Minister has withdrawn his threat to resign
:25:34. > :25:38.but there is real anger in unionist areas. That is because of the
:25:39. > :25:41.perception this is a scheme set up specifically for Republicans.
:25:42. > :25:47.Everyone should be brought to justice. Law is law. Fine it is time
:25:48. > :26:01.everyone grew up and realised that the past is the past. -- it is time
:26:02. > :26:08.everyone grew up. Who is he trying to tell people to calm down? I
:26:09. > :26:14.suspect it is comrades in the IRA. Despite many jibes at the foot --
:26:15. > :26:20.the Deputy First Minister, it is claimed this was not a surprise to
:26:21. > :26:26.Unionists. I believe this has been used to poison the present. Efforts
:26:27. > :26:31.need to be refocused. There have been many reassurances that these
:26:32. > :26:37.letters do not offer immunity from prosecution but questions about this
:26:38. > :26:41.scheme remain. Now if you were out last night and looked up at the sky
:26:42. > :26:43.you may have been treated to a spectacular sight. The Aurora
:26:44. > :26:45.Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights, has been giving
:26:46. > :26:49.rare and stunning displays over parts of the UK. The lights have
:26:50. > :26:51.been clearly visible from Orkney to Norfolk to Essex and South Wales.
:26:52. > :26:58.The BBC's weather presenter, Helen Willets, has more. Magical images
:26:59. > :27:03.have delighted millions of people and many of our viewers across
:27:04. > :27:07.Britain. These pictures were taken by Andrew in Caithness in Scotland
:27:08. > :27:11.last night. The little further south, pink and green hues were
:27:12. > :27:17.enjoyed by Jonathan Cooper in Cumbria. In Norfolk, they were so
:27:18. > :27:20.strong they were unaffected by light pollution. The aurora borealis is
:27:21. > :27:25.normally associated with places much further north and Great Britain,
:27:26. > :27:30.such as Norway. Here is the night display over Trondheim a few days
:27:31. > :27:38.ago. How do they come about? Energy from the sun is carried 93 million
:27:39. > :27:43.miles to Earth on a solar wind. As the electrically charged particles
:27:44. > :27:47.approach it, they hit the planet 's field. There was a moderate solar
:27:48. > :27:54.storm three days ago. The fact that so many of us across the whole
:27:55. > :28:00.country experienced the Northern Lights is a surprise. It was a very
:28:01. > :28:06.welcome phenomenon. Helen is here in person to give us the rest of the
:28:07. > :28:11.weather forecast. Did you see it? I did not. I would have loved to have
:28:12. > :28:16.seen it. There is not as great a chance tonight. It will be much
:28:17. > :28:23.further north. There will be clear skies for some areas, in the North.
:28:24. > :28:29.It might be worth seeing if you can see them.
:28:30. > :28:36.It is the north where we are seeing the best of the sunshine. In the
:28:37. > :28:40.south, the cult of cloud has been rather stubborn. It is measurable
:28:41. > :28:45.and dank underneath that are not very quick to clear away for the UK
:28:46. > :28:50.and see how slowly it is going away. We will be left with rather
:28:51. > :28:55.dank weather for the evening rush hour. Still the possibility of sleet
:28:56. > :28:59.and wet snow across the tops of the Chilterns. Overnight, the skies
:29:00. > :29:05.clear away and we're looking at a more widespread frost and last
:29:06. > :29:10.night. It be colder. We could have an ice whisk again tomorrow morning
:29:11. > :29:14.and some fog, given the light win situation. It could be grey and
:29:15. > :29:21.overcast across the eastern side of England. Further west, after the fog
:29:22. > :29:25.lifts, we will see some spells of sunshine and a scattering of
:29:26. > :29:31.showers. It would be a decent start and it will be cold. The fog will
:29:32. > :29:36.take time to clear. The showers will mostly be in the north and west of
:29:37. > :29:39.Scotland and the western side of Northern Ireland. For a large swathe
:29:40. > :29:46.of the country, a pretty decent day. Quite a deal -- a good deal of
:29:47. > :29:49.sunshine. It will be slow to Brighton in East Anglia and the
:29:50. > :29:53.south-east. They could have 20 millimetres of rain before the day
:29:54. > :29:57.is out. Elsewhere, the rain showers to gather later in the West. It is
:29:58. > :30:02.small and evening and overnight picture as you will see. When it
:30:03. > :30:05.comes into the cold air, more snowfall for the Scottish mountains.
:30:06. > :30:13.That is adding to the amounts they have the ski season at the moment.
:30:14. > :30:23.The rainy nature further south could wash sold off the roads. The
:30:24. > :30:30.widespread frosts. -- a widespread frost. Still a little uncertainty on
:30:31. > :30:35.the timing of the new weather front on Sunday. Some patchy rain and
:30:36. > :30:40.drizzle around probably in the second half of the day. Just a bit
:30:41. > :30:48.of uncertainty. Saturday is drier. If you have plans, each into the
:30:49. > :30:53.forecast. I am assure people well. More on our top story. The former
:30:54. > :30:57.president of the Ukraine has appeared at a press conference in
:30:58. > :31:05.the southern Russian city, saying he had to leave the country because of
:31:06. > :31:11.threats to his -- his life. TRANSLATION:
:31:12. > :31:14.It is time for me to say about that I am eager, ready to fight for the
:31:15. > :31:28.future of Ukraine. There are those with terror and fear
:31:29. > :31:30.trying to rule the Ukraine. More on a fast developing story throughout
:31:31. > :31:31.the afternoon on