17/04/2014 BBC News at Six

No more survivors have yet been found from the ferry that sank off

the coast off South Korea. Nearly 300 are still missing. Divers are

still searching the upturned ship - most of those on board were

schoolchildren. Dramatic footage emerges of passengers clinging to

the deck as the ship tilted into the water. Desperate and angry parents

demand answers. The captain of the ship, who did get off, apologises.

TRANSLATION: I am really sorry. I am deeply ashamed. I cannot put it into

words. We'll be looking at what may have caused the ship to sink so

quickly and why passengers were told to stay below deck. Also tonight...

After overnight violence in eastern Ukraine, a breakthrough after Russia

agrees or military groups should be disarmed. The most disastrous year

in the history of the Co-op as it announces annual losses of ?2.5

billion. The Speaker of the House of Commons tells the BBC Prime

Minister's Questions is so rowdy some women MPs won't take part. And

don't get too close. William and Kate visiting the Blue Mountains on

the second day of their tour in Australia. On BBC London: five days

of strike action announced on the Underground. Police discover an

arsenal of weapons in one of their biggest ever done seizures.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. Divers are continuing

to search for any survivors from the ferry that capsized off the coast of

South Korea. Questions are now being asked as to why passengers were told

to stay in their quarters for at least half an hour after the ship

began to sink. 179 people have been rescued but almost 300 are missing,

most of them school children. The captain did manage to get off and

says he is sorry and deeply ashamed. The ship sank off the coast

in the south of the country. The second day of this massive search

operation. The South Korean president visits the rescue scene.

Teams of divers are still searching for survivors. Families are about to

visit the stricken ferry for the first time. Knowing sons and

daughters were on board is too much for some. With no answers,

frustration is mounting. TRANSLATION: I was in the school

from 12pm to 7pm but they have repeatedly said the same things. The

man at the helm is under the spotlight. The captain apologised,

saying he was deeply ashamed. TRANSLATION: I am really sorry. I am

deeply ashamed. I cannot put it into words. Rescuers are battling

terrible weather conditions. One coastguard ship is setting off to

where the ferry sank. It will take them an hour and a half to get there

and it is laden with specialist diving equipment, which will help in

the rescue operation. Harrowing accounts of what happened just

before the ferry sank are beginning to emerge. One girl messaged her

father... Dad, do not worry. I am wearing a life vest and I am with

other girls. We are inside the ship, still in the hallway. Her distraught

father wrote back, urging her to get out. She said, I cannot. The hallway

is crowded with so many people. Now in hospital, this six-year-old was

rescued from the ferry. Her parents and brother are still missing. She

does not know. The search continues but hope is fading. The families

know that hundreds of teenagers went down with the boat.

So, why did the ferry sink so fast, and why were passengers told to stay

put instead of to evacuate the ship? Our science editor, David Shukman,

has been investigating. Leaning over but still accessible. This was the

brief period yesterday when there was the best chance of a mass

rescue. Everything went wrong incredibly rapidly and already the

focus is shifting to how a ship that was only 20 years old could have got

into this disastrous position. This should have been a routine journey.

Yesterday morning, disaster struck. One theory is that the ship hit a

rock. Another, for some reason, the vessel made a sudden turn. This is

emerging as a plausible idea. It would explain why the ferry started

listing or leaning to one side. It was soon tilting at more than five

degrees, the critical threshold because that was the point of no

return. Experts are amazed at how rapidly it happened. It was not

obvious it was going down for the first hour and a half. Perhaps they

thought it had stabilised and was going to be a safe refuge. They must

have realised that water was flooding into various openings high

up in the structure. This leaves a series of unanswered questions which

will be raised by investigators and by the families of those who died.

First, why was the evacuation so slow? Passengers were ordered to

stay in place for an hour probably to avoid making the listing of the

ship any worse but that left too little time. Presumably the crew did

not realise how serious things were or how quickly the ship would

think. Finally, why did the captain leave when he did? It is traditional

for the captain to help others and be the last abandon ship. As the

search for survivors continues, officials have said they will mess

to get everything from whether the crew were negligent to whether there

was a fault with the ship itself. At a time when safety standards at sea

are generally rising, there will be interest around the world in working

out exactly what went wrong. High-level talks in Geneva aimed at

ending the crisis in Ukraine have ended with a call for all illegal

armed groups -- ended in what looks to be a

breakthrough. Skirmishes continued throughout the region as the

Ukrainian government tried to wrest back control of the area. Daniel

Sandford reports from Donetsk. Pro-Russian separatists attacked

Ukrainian military base with petrol bombs and rammed the gate with a

track. Troops inside the only fired warning shots in the air. Whatever

the truth is, several people were shot. This hospital filled up with

the injured. Doctors say three people died. The first confirmed

deaths of pro-Russian protesters in this 10-day uprising.

TRANSLATION: They all came with gunshot wounds. One person who was

brought to this hospital died. They had been shot in the chest.

Yesterday, Ukrainian soldiers further north played cat and mouse

game with protesters. This woman managed to stop three armoured

personnel carriers in their tracks as they tried to make their way to

secure the local airfield. Today, things are much quieter. We found

that some armoured vehicles had broken through to the airfield

overnight - a minor success for the Government in Kiev. Here in the most

restless district, Ukrainian army do at least now have a foothold, if

only in the military airbase. What the troops do next in such hostile

territory is unclear. At the barricade at the entrance to the

base, they managed to speak to one of the soldiers who have got

through. TRANSLATION: Protesters tried to

block us and persuade us to switch sides. Tonight, the Ukrainian

national anthem was being sung by supporters of the Kiev government at

a demonstration in the very heart of rebel territory, the regional

capital. It was a reminder that administered the death and drama, it

was not a simple conflict. That is something diplomats will need to

bear in mind. At the end of high-level talks in Geneva, the

Russian Foreign Minister said the US, the EU, Russia and Ukraine had

all agreed illegal armed groups in the east of the country should be

disarmed, occupied building should be handed back. Our diplomatic

correspondent is here. This does sound, at last, like progress. We

have now heard from the US Secretary of State and the EU foreign policy

chief and they have endorsed this. All sides have agreed to take

initial steps to de-escalate the tension. It means armed groups

giving up weapons, buildings being vacated, and everything supposedly

going back to normal. The caveat, which was from the US Secretary of

State, they expect to see these steps start in the next few days

and, if they do not, the US stands ready to impose more sanctions and

they will realise it is not working. You have the sense from all sides

that you think they have perhaps turned a corner. The document from

representatives in eastern Ukraine was brought about what they wanted.

The US Secretary of State said the Ukrainian government had said they

were ready for decentralisation and giving a lot of powers to the

regions. That is what we have been hearing from the Russian speakers,

including the right to elect their own officials and look after their

own affairs. But foreign affairs, justice and Central Powers would

remain with the central government. It all sounds quite positive. It has

to be seen what happens on the ground. Mr Kerry said it is up to

Russia. We will have to see whether things change in the next few days.

That will be the test. Prosecutors in New York have begun outlining

their case against the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza. The

Egyptian-born preacher, denies 11 charges relating to terrorism,

including providing support to al-Qaeda and trying to set up an

al-Qaeda training camp. He was extradited from Britain in 2012. The

boss of the Co-op group says they've had their 'most disastrous year in

the group's 150 year history' - after announcing annual losses of

two and a half billion pounds. He's blaming fundamental failings in

management and governance and says the company needs to change course.

Our business editor has more. Co-op is a huge British business that has

fallen on the hardest of times. Today's colossal losses show the

huge challenges the organisation faces. The chief executive says it

must reform if it is to prosper. Al Ain the 21st century, this

organisation has a place and has a future. It has to be different from

previous history. What is a threat to jobs? I cannot guarantee there

will be no job losses. We have to make cuts in our cost base. What I

can say to colleagues is we will go to job cuts last. He has only been

chief executive for a month and he inherited a mess which will take

many years to fix. This is the problem. The collapse of the bank

left it with a ?2.1 billion bill. Today, it announced a loss on its

takeover of the Somerfield supermarkets chain of ?277 million.

What about the businesses it is still running, the supermarkets,

funerals and pharmacies. Well, profits are down. Co-op insists that

many parts of the business are still valuable but ministers have raised

concerns about the future. Disastrous financial results. Very

worrying for those of us. I think there are many in Britain who want

to see Co-op succeed. We need to have strong mutuals along side other

kinds of companies. Terrible mistakes have been made. It is a

question of governance, though, the gated way the Co-op is run will be

voted on next month. Senior figures says change does not mean losing the

organisation 's soul. There is a general agreement that there is a

need for change in the group 's governance. That is still ongoing.

Some of the things Lord Meyers has said recently suggests there is more

agreement and perhaps disagreement about some of these things. I am

sure, as we move forward, people will be able to perhaps step back

from some other positions that have been taken and take a calm,

reflective view of it. There are many hurdles ahead. In two weeks,

Sir Christopher Kelly 's review of how the Co-op fell apart is likely

to say the governance of organisation was shockingly poor.

It'll be the latest blow to an already struggling business. Our top

story: No more survivors have been found from the ferry that sank off

the coast of South Korea. Nearly 300 are still missing. Still to come...

Y Cardiff City' as lawyers want the Premier League to declare their 3-0

defeat to Crystal Palace now and void. Later on BBC London, warning

of travel disruption as the Easter getaway gets under way. We will have

the very latest of thousands prepare to leave London. Scientists in the

capital town to babies to understand more about attention deficit

disorder. He is the man charged with keeping unruly MEP MPs in order. The

speaker John Bercow has said several seasoned female MPs have told him

that the weekly Prime Ministers questions is so rowdy they no longer

take part. It will add to concern women are being put off going into

politics as what some see as chauvinistic attitudes in the Palace

of Westminster. There are 147 female MPs out of 650 and three women in

the Cabinet out of 22. Our political correspondent has been speaking to

Mr Bercow. Order. Unruly. Nosey. Even rude. The

Prime Minister will withdraw the word idiot. Not even his bellow with

keep a lid on thing, it is an atmosphere that angers the Speaker,

in a rare interview he told me it puts off some MP, and in particular

women from turning up. What in a sense has reinforced my concern is a

number of seasoned Parliamentarians who are not shrinking violet, who

are not delicate creatures at all, are saying this is so bad that I am

not going to take part, I am not going to come along, I feel

embarrassed by it. Recruited women into Parliament isn't a new problem.

In 1997, Tony Blair proudly stood alongside his newly-elected women

MP, the so-called Blair Babe, be they made up less than one in four

of the elected. There are no mothers in the Cabinet now. Others say the

Speaker is on to something PMQs, the first time I went it was

overwhelming, because you can't hear anything, I thought it would be an

opportunity to ask pertinent questions, not an opportunity to

scream and shout. I am one of those people, unless there is a particular

issue I avoid it. Next stop, Goodison Park, the home of Everton

football club. The Speke ears goal is to change the tone of Prime

Minister's Questions and the perception of politics round the

country. Most people think it doesn't reflect very well on

Parliament, when there is a huge decibel level, and a Punch and Judy

show or a shouting match. It is not just encouraging more women into

politics that motivates Mr Burr co-he wants people from a wider

range of backgrounds. Please don't think politics is only for posh

people. At a local school teenage brains are switched on by gaming,

but the Speaker knows plenty of young people are switched off by

politics. It is the mouse. On here. What an embarrassment. Not even

agrees with his views on Prime Minister's question, but if he is to

change it he can't can do it alone. Let's have a look at some of the

other stories making the news today. A lorry driver has been arrested

following a five-vehicle pile up on the M26 in Kent in which two people

died and seven others were injured. The two who died are a woman, aged

22, and a 16-year-old girl. Both were French.

The Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, has been found not guilty of a

public order offence, and of obstructing a public highway, during

an anti-fracking protest at Balcombe in West Sussex last August. Speaking

after the verdict, Ms Lucas said she would continue to campaign against

fracking. Right honourable Scotland says a law firm has cleared it over

allegations it forced small firms to close so it could make a profit. The

bank commissioned the review after a report suggested it made small firms

undergo restructuring unnecessarily. The Financial Services Authority is

conducting its own investigation into the allegations.

Investigations are continuing into a massive power cut that affected 10%

of the Scottish population yesterday evening. The electricity network

suffered a major technical fault, affecting hundreds of thousands of

people. Our Scotland Correspondent Lorna Gordon is in Inverness. Lorna,

still a bit of a mystery as to why this happened? Yes, it is. Still no

answers as to what went on last night, but make who mistake this was

a massive power cut from the Outer Hebrides and Fort William to

Inverness and everything beyond, as far north as Orkney and as far south

as Pitlochrie. The TVs wept off. Photograph fing lights went down. No

hospitals were affected. Power was restored within three hours, to

everyone, but it is a big question as to what happened. They have been

examining a small stretch of power transmission lines today, looking

into whether it was caused by a lightning strike, birds little --

hitting the lines or branches falling on the transmission cables.

They still don't know. But it is a very big question, as to why a power

outage on a small stretch of line could affect such a large part of

the population. The operator say it is an incredibly rare situation.

They will hope it doesn't happen again.

On the second day of their Australia tour, the Duke and Duchess of

Cambridge have visited the Blue Mountains, an hour's drive from

Sydney. They met survivors of last October's bush fires, which were the

worst in New South Wales for a decade. And William gave his hosts

an anxious moment when he stepped right up to the edge of a cliff with

a hundred metre drop.Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell

reports from Australia. To be a successful Royal, you must

be a good listener. People want to tell you their stories. On their

first full day in Australia, William and Catherine went to the town of

Winmalee in the Blue Mountains of Western Sydney. Last October it was

severely damaged by some of the worst bush fires in recent years.

Nearly 200 homes were destroyed. William and Catherine talked to some

of the people who had lost their homes, their presence was

appreciated. For them to come out all this way to say hello,

especially to my children and to us, and say, I am sorry this happened to

you, it means an awful lot. They were lovely and warp. I got a kiss

from Kate. They are going to come to my house for tea. They met some of

the firefighters and heard their stories.

And then something else, people singing songs in your honour.

This time it was the Girl Guides, singing for someone they regarded as

a Princess. Sightseeing next at a place called Echo Point and one of

those moments when the couple tried to take in the scenery and enjoy a

brief moment of tranquillity. Some hope.

place called Echo Point and one of those moments when the couple Over

there, two people watching the view. Over there, countless hundreds of

people watching them watching the view. Everyone wants their own

photo. These days, the jackpot is a selfie with one of them. There were

not so many of those today but, for some, a long and patient wait was

awarded with a brief chat. A moment when it's best not to come over all

bashful but to keep your head. Talking of which, here's a Prince

peering over a cliff. Just as well he kept his.

Cardiff City's lawyers have asked the Premier League to declare their

3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace earlier this month null and void. The club,

which is facing a relegation battle, says Palace had been passed the

details of their starting line-up at least 24 hours before the game, in

breach of Premier League rules. Our Sports Editor David Bond has more.

Crystal Palace get the points. It is a huge victory for Tony Pulis's

side. It was a crucial win in the fierce battle to avoid relegation,

but now Cardiff say Crystal Palace's 3-0 victory should not be allowed to

stand. They allege officials at Palace were leaked Cardiff's team by

a spy signed their dressing room. Nay say the Palace manager was aware

of attempts by his staff to obtain confidential details about Ole

Gunnar Solskjaer Cardiff line up. They allege that this man, the

Palace supporter director obtained the information at least 24 hours

before the match. A bizarre twist Cardiff say Moody

texted the team to a manager at another club, at Bolton, who tipped

off Cardiff. Last week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said

she was confident the league didn't come -- leak didn't come from any of

his players. I just said and answered, I have no reason to doubt

any players, profession Malty, integrity or loyalty. There was no

comment from officials here at Crystal Palace today, but the

details of the allegations contained in this five page letter show how

seriously Cardiff are taking the matter. They believe this is not

just a break down in trust, and good faith between the two club, but that

by leaking the team so far in advance, they believe Crystal Palace

got an unfair sporting advantage. Howard with a vital touch. With

Crystal Palace edging closer to safety with a win over Everton last

night, Cardiff hope the inquiry might throw them a lifeline in their

own hopes to avoid the drop. Another manager involveded in the battle to

stay up says this sort of spying is part and parcel of the game. --

involved. You try to get any information you

can get. I try also so get any information from Tottenham, and on

Saturday, and so, yeah. Despite that, the Premier League say they

are treating the matter seriously. While it may be hard to prove,

knowing the team in advance gave Palace the edge, it does nothing for

the image of the competition, if it is proved clubs are leaking their

secrets. Time for a look at the Easter r

weekend weather. How is it is look something warmer than Easter last

year, today, we managed to sneak 19 degrees in the south-east corner,

before we saw all this cloud spilling down from the north. We

have some colder air coming down behind that cloud, some late

sunshine in Scotland and Northern Ireland, further south, the cloud

thick enough to give one or two showers but many places will be dry.

The cloud leaks away to the south-west. Clear skies following

from the north. Light winds, it will be colder than last night. It could

be looking at an air frost, mainly in rural parts of Scotland, maybe

the far north of England. A chilly start but a dry one, there will be

some powerful sunshine I suspect, some warmth in that someone, but

then, as we head into Sunday and beyond, things much more unsettled.

But, after that cold start on Good Friday there will be lots of

sunshine round, the winds will be lighter than they have been today.

It should feel pleasant. Fair weather cloud in eastern England.

Here it will feel cooler and fresh, this is where we had the highest

temperatures today. But probably feeling warmer in other area,

particularly Scotland and Northern Ireland. As we head into Saturday,

getting more cloud coming in the eastern area, maybe one or two

showers but away from the north-west, where we have a spot of

two of rain, most places will be dry and enjoying the sunshine. So far so

good then, but as we head into Easter Day itself, this circulation,

this area of low pressure is heading our way from the near continent. It

will bring strong winds, rain, how far west it gets is in doubt but it

looks wet in the south-east. There could be an inch of rain. At this

stage it looks dry for Scotland and Northern Ireland, with some

sunshine. We may keep the sunshine in western cot land and Northern

Ireland on Easter Monday, the low pressure tending to spin away,

taking the worst of the rain with it, brighter spells but showers in

many places for Easter Monday, temperatures in the south-east

beginning to recover. Thank you.

A reminder of the main stories tonight. No more survivors have been

found from the ferry that is an off the coast of South Korea. Nearly 300

are missing. And there has been a diplomatic

breakthrough at international talks in Geneva aimed at ending the crisis

in Ukraine. That is all from the BBC News at six. It is goodbye from me

and on BBC One we