Friday, December 27, 2013

Freed Greenpeace activists back home

27 December 2013 Last updated at 18:12 GMT

Freed Greenpeace Arctic detainees home from Russia

Anthony Perrett, Kieron Bryan, Alexandra Harris, Iain Rogers, Phil Ball

Anthony Perrett, Kieron Bryan, Alexandra Harris, Iain Rogers and Phil Ball (left to right) travelled back to the UK from St Petersburg

Five UK Greenpeace activists, held in Russia for 100 days, have been welcomed home by relieved family and friends.

Anthony Perrett, Alexandra Harris, Phil Ball, crewman Iain Rogers and videographer Kieron Bryan were granted an amnesty from charges over an Arctic oil drilling protest.

There were emotional family reunions at London's St Pancras rail station.

The five were among 30 people held on hooliganism charges and were released under a new Russian amnesty law.

They flew from St Petersburg to Paris, then travelled on to St Pancras on Eurostar.

'Complete overreaction'

Mr Perrett told reporters it was "good to be back" and he was looking forward to going for a walk in the woods, once back in Wales.

He said prison conditions in Murmansk had been difficult, describing being held in a cell for 23 hours a day and sharing a toilet without a cubicle with three others.

"It has been a strange few months but it is over now and it is good to be back," he said.

"We're very relieved to be home and speaking English, which has been sorely missed."

Kieron Bryan is greeted by his mother, Ann

Phil Ball is welcomed home with a hug

Alexandra Harris talking to reporters and camera crews

Alexandra Harris talks to the media

Asked whether it had been worth it, he said: "Well, look at the media that's here today. We're trying to spread the word to save the Arctic and I think we have done that job fairly well."

Ms Harris said the detention of the activists was "obscene, a complete over-reaction on the part of Russia".

"There was no physical violence towards me but it was torture - we spent two months in a Russian jail cell and 100 days detained for a crime we didn't commit," she added.

She said she thought Russia let them go to avoid global criticism in the run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Once back at home in Devon, she said she was looking forward to spending time with her family and eating home-cooked food.

Mr Bryan, who was embraced by his parents at St Pancras, said he was glad to be back in the UK for the new year.

"The day before [the] amnesty I was still being told that we might be facing two years in prison so it's a heck of a change in nine days."

He said it was no coincidence that the activists had been released in the same week as female punk band Pussy Riot and former Russian tycoon and prominent Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

"It's a big human rights issue and I hope Sochi coming up will allow the world's media to shine a light a little bit closer," he added.

Anthony Perrett: Greenpeace oil protest arrest was "worth it"

A sixth Briton, activist Frank Hewetson, has also been released and is travelling to another country.

Another activist, Canadian Alexandre Paul, was also expected to arrive in Montreal later on Friday.

Eight of the so-called Arctic 30 group arrested in September have now left Russia.

They were all held after Russian authorities boarded their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, during an anti-drilling demonstration against an offshore oil rig owned by the Russian company Gazprom.

The departures began on Thursday when Dima Litvinov, a Swedish-American, left Saint Petersburg on a train to Helsinki.

Grim surroundings

Earlier, Mr Perrett told Radio 4's Today programme he had been treated well in Russia despite grim surroundings.

"We weren't treated like prisoners of war. It had very much the razor wire and the barbed wire and the reinforcing bar which made up cages. It had the aesthetic of a concentration camp."

Mr Perrett, 32, of Newport, south Wales, added that he would be happy to return to Russia to carry out further protests, although Greenpeace currently had no plans for further action there," he said.

"I hope we've got the conversation started in Russia about the drilling in the Arctic and raised it with the Russian voters."

Greenpeace said all but the four Russian members of the Arctic 30 are expected to leave the country over the coming days.

Legal concerns

"All 30 have since had the case against them dropped after the Russian parliament approved an amnesty decree last week," the environmental campaign group said.

Kieron Bryan: "I know that I am going to be in the UK to start 2014 which is just such a wonderful feeling"

"The 30 benefited from the amnesty without admitting any guilt."

The release and return of the detainees was welcomed by the UK's Minister for Europe, David Lidington.

He said: "I am delighted that the British nationals have been allowed to return to their families and friends. This is a welcome step from the Russian government."

However he said there were still concerns over Russia's legal system.

"The British government continues to call on the Russian authorities to strengthen the rule of law, tackle corruption and promote independence of the judiciary."

NSA surveillance lawful, judge says

27 December 2013 Last updated at 17:46 GMT

NSA surveillance lawful, judge rules

The surveillance programme was leaked by former National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden

Spy leaks

A US federal judge has found that mass government surveillance of the phone network is legal, a week after another ruling said the opposite.

New York District Judge William Pauley said the snooping was a "counter-punch" against al-Qaeda.

He said the National Security Agency (NSA) programme might have prevented the 9/11 attacks.

Last week a federal judge in Washington DC said the surveillance was "likely unconstitutional" and "Orwellian".

But in Friday's decision, Judge Pauley, of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, said "the balance of equities and the public interest tilt firmly in favour of the Government's position".

He dismissed a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

In the conclusion to his 53-page ruling, he writes: "The right to be free from searches and seizures is fundamental, but not absolute."

He also notes: "Every day, people voluntarily surrender personal and seemingly-private information to trans-national corporations, which exploit that data for profit.

"Few think twice about it, even though it is far more intrusive than bulk telephony metadata collection.

"There is no evidence that the Government has used any of the bulk telephony metadata it collected for any purpose other than investigating and disrupting terrorist attacks."

West Brom close in on new manager

West Brom close in on new manager to replace Steve Clarke

West Brom will hold talks with several managerial candidates on Friday as they close in on Steve Clarke's replacement.

Clarke was sacked as head coach on 14 December following a fourth straight Premier League loss.

Former Real Betis boss Pepe Mel is the frontrunner for the position but is not certain to get the job.

Paul Clement, who is currently assistant at Real Madrid, has been linked with the position, as has former Osasuna boss Jose Luis Mendilibar.

"We have identified suitable candidates to work within our existing structure," said the club's sporting and technical Director Richard Garlick.

"This is a confidential process and it is inevitable there will be speculation about whom may be under consideration.

"We are now progressing through the interview and short-listing stage. We plan to make an appointment at the earliest opportunity but our primary concern is recruiting the most suitable individual."

Ex-Liverpool defender Mauricio Pellegrino is another man who has been tipped to replace Clarke, as has Malky Mackay - who was sacked by Cardiff on Friday - but Mel is the bookmakers' favourite to take charge at The Hawthorns.

Mel, who started his playing career at Real Madrid, spent three years at Betis and he has also managed Rayo Vallecano, Tenerife and Getafe.

Continue reading the main story

"If you look at Southampton, they are doing well with a foreign manager"

Zoltan Gera

The Spaniard has never coached outside of his homeland, but Baggies midfielder Zoltan Gera sees no reason why that should be a problem.

Gera, who made his first start in a year in the 1-1 draw at Tottenham on Boxing Day after recovering from a knee injury, pointed to Southampton, who have thrived under Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine had no experience of the English game before he replaced Nigel Adkins in January, but has guided the Saints to ninth place in the Premier League. They were 15th when he took over.

"I don't know whether a foreign manager will come in, but you never know," said Gera.

"If you look at Southampton, they are doing well with a foreign manager. But I trust the club and I think they will make a good decision and get a good coach."

Meanwhile, Garlick confirmed caretaker-manager Keith Downing will continue to take charge of the team for Saturday's Premier League trip to West Ham.

Greenpeace protesters return home

27 December 2013 Last updated at 16:23 GMT

Greenpeace Arctic detainees return home from Russia

Anthony Perrett and his partner Zahara Ally land in Paris

Five British Greenpeace activists have arrived in the UK from Russia after being granted an amnesty from charges over an Arctic oil drilling protest.

Anthony Perrett, Alexandra Harris and Phil Ball travelled home with crew member Iain Rogers and videographer Kieron Bryan after 100 days in Russia.

There were emotional family reunions at London's St Pancras rail station.

The five were among 30 people held on hooliganism charges and were released under a new Russian amnesty law.

They flew from St Petersburg to Paris, then travelled on to St Pancras on Eurostar.

Another activist, Canadian Alexandre Paul, was also expected to arrive in Montreal later on Friday.

Seven of the so-called Arctic 30 group arrested in September during action at an offshore oil rig owned by the Russian company Gazprom have now left Russia.

The departures began on Thursday when Dima Litvinov, a Swedish-American, left Saint Petersburg on a train to Helsinki.

Grim surroundings

"It's been a very long 100 days. I'm quite eager to get back to Wales and sleep in my own bed and get back to work," Mr Perrett told Radio 4's Today programme before boarding a flight to Paris.

He said he had been treated well in Russia despite grim surroundings.

"We weren't treated like prisoners of war. It had very much the razor wire and the barbed wire and the reinforcing bar which made up cages. It had the aesthetic of a concentration camp."

Mr Perrett, 32, of Newport, south Wales, added that he would be happy to return to Russia to carry out further protests, although Greenpeace currently had no plans for further action there," he said.

"I hope we've got the conversation started in Russia about the drilling in the Arctic and raised it with the Russian voters.

"It was definitely worth it. Unless humanity starts acting as one people on this planet we're going to irrevocably change the climate and make it unliveable on this planet for everybody."

Mr Bryan said he too was relieved to be heading home.

"It is a shame that we missed Christmas, but I know that I'm going to be in the UK to start 2014, which is such a wonderful feeling," he said.

Greenpeace said all but the four Russian members of the Arctic 30 are expected to leave the country over the coming days.

Legal concerns

"All 30 have since had the case against them dropped after the Russian parliament approved an amnesty decree last week," the environmental campaign group said.

Kieron Bryan: "I know that I am going to be in the UK to start 2014 which is just such a wonderful feeling"

"The 30 benefited from the amnesty without admitting any guilt."

The release and return of the detainees was welcomed by the UK's Minister for Europe, David Lidington.

He said: "I am delighted that the British nationals have been allowed to return to their families and friends. This is a welcome step from the Russian government."

However he said there were still concerns over Russia's legal system.

"The British government continues to call on the Russian authorities to strengthen the rule of law, tackle corruption and promote independence of the judiciary."

'For the first time, the joke was on Australia'

Ashes 2013-14: England dominate Australia in Melbourne

Ah, so that's what it used to feel like.

After five weeks of toil and torment, England - and you may wish to adjust your set - finally, unequivocally, finished a day of this Ashes series in the dominant position.

Australia are nine men down. England are still 91 runs ahead. Not for many long winter nights have supporters back in the UK been able to emerge from their duvets with such a spring in their pyjamas.

What made it all the more surprising was that it came as such a sharp deviation from the usual script. In front of another monstrous crowd, England had lost their last four wickets for just 29 runs in under an hour.

Slog followed fearful fend followed hapless defence. Five-nil was not just a taunt but a logical prediction. Roll on the runs, roared the MCG. Bring out the clowns.

Except, for the first time all series, the joke was on Australia. All six of their top order got out to unnecessary shots. England, at last, found both penetration and parsimony.

This had been England's plan from the start, just as it was three years ago: starve aggressive batsman of airy shots, draw the error, seize the chances.

It failed so dramatically in the first three Tests this winter because Australia would not let it happen. In 2010-11 James Anderson took 24 wickets at an average of 26.04, Graeme Swann 15 at 39. In the three calamitous losses here this time, Anderson was clouted for 409, his meagre seven wickets costing 58 apiece; Swann was savaged so badly (560 runs conceded, each wicket at 80) that it ended his Test career.

Here, on a pitch where the ball just held up enough to draw catches in front of the wicket and punish those attacking on the up, all five at the forefront got it right.

Anderson had his best day all tour, taking 3-50 off 16. Stuart Broad's three wickets cost just 30 runs in his 16 overs.

Crucially, when those two strike bowlers went off, the back-up boys continued the blockade. Tim Bresnan's two wickets and 18 overs went for a mere 24 runs; Ben Stokes's 14 overs cost less than three apiece, and Monty Panesar's nine went for only 18.

Against batsmen breezily belligerent after the Ashes were won with such ease, it brought rewards. While David Warner and Shane Watson edged mighty swipes and Michael Clarke shouldered arms to Anderson, Steve Smith slashed wildly outside off stump to be caught at slip and George Bailey - poor, bemused George Bailey - nicked behind to the 19th runless delivery he faced.

If England's beleaguered support could smile as they have only with gallows humour on this disastrous tour so far, there will also be those for whom Friday's lonely success triggers a lament for what could have been.

Australia entirely deserve their ascendancy in these Ashes. They have scored seven centuries in the series and enjoyed six partnerships of 100 or more; England have just one of both. But there remains sufficient weakness in the top order for England to wonder what might have been.

To have Australia 122-6 in their first innings here was hardly out of character. At the Gabba they had Clarke's men in trouble at 132-6, in Adelaide on 174-4 and at the Waca on 143-5.

What they have been unable to do, to the eternal regret of even the barmiest in the travelling army, is match the ruthlessness of the opposition. The Aussie tail has not just wagged but thrashed; England's has been tucked between its legs while the front end howls.

In the first innings at Brisbane, the last five Australian wickets added 195 runs. In Adelaide they added 313, in Perth 242.

That England lost their last seven wickets here in Melbourne for just 82 was entirely in keeping with their contrasting lower-order ordeals. And the reason they did was the reason why it has been happening all series.

Mitchell Johnson's three wickets at the very start of this second day meant his spell with the second new ball yielded five for 14 in 42 balls.

It was his 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, five of which have come against England, three of them in this series alone.

More importantly, it underlined how destructive his dynamite bursts have been. If you combine his four key spells (three wickets for two runs and then three for five in Brisbane; six for 16 in Adelaide; 5-14 at the MCG) it means his 18 most important scalps have come at a remarkable two runs apiece.

It is why England celebrated the seventh and eighth wickets, and then at the death the ninth, with as much vigour as the big boys at the top.

For the first time they have not just opened the door but shouldered through it. If something is to be salvaged from the wreckage of this series, now is the time. This is the match.

What they must now do is start again with a lead of at least 70 and at least make parity with their first-innings score, despite the rampaging Johnson and the relentless Ryan Harris.

That would leave Australia to chase more than 300, on a pitch that punishes poor shots as much as it rewards application. They have the batsmen to do it; England have shown the discipline to deny them.

In many ways it is too little too late. One good day does not guarantee another, not against an attack that has bowled them out this series for 136, 172 and 179, not against a batting line-up containing the four top performers by series average.

But this is what it has come to: saving face, dodging the whitewash. When it has been all darkness and gloom, silver linings are all that are left.

Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott's review of the day on the TMS podcast page.

Catch up with a two-minute summary of Test Match Special commentary with the Pint-Sized Ashes.

Check out the best photos from Melbourne on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Indian woman 'raped by two gangs'

27 December 2013 Last updated at 14:58 GMT

Indian woman 'raped by two gangs on Christmas Eve'

Indian students shout slogans as they hold placards demanding stringent punishment to rapists during a protest in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April, 23, 2013

Ever since the fatal gang rape of a student in Delhi last December, there have been public protests and an outcry against sexual violence

Rape scandal

Police in India say 10 men are in custody, after a 21-year-old woman was raped by two apparently unrelated groups of men on Christmas Eve.

She was visiting friends in Pondicherry when she was abducted by three men and raped by one of them, officials say.

She found her friends after that ordeal but they were all confronted by another group of men who singled her out and gang-raped her, according to police.

The last suspect was arrested on Friday and police say they have confessed.

The suspects have been remanded for 15 days, but they are yet to be formally charged in court. None of the suspects has publicly commented on the allegations made against them by the victim.

Pondicherry Senior Superintendent of Police Monika Bharadwaj told the BBC that this was a particularly bizarre and brutal sequence of events.

It comes just days before India marks the first anniversary of the death of the student whose gang-rape on a bus in Delhi sparked unprecedented public outrage, leading to changes in India's laws against sexual violence.

'Unrelated attacks'

The incident took place in Pondicherry's port city of Karaikel. When the woman was briefly left alone after her friends went into a house, she was abducted by three men.

"One among that group of three people sexually assaulted her," SSP Bharadwaj told BBC Tamil citing the victim's account of the sequence of events.

She managed to make contact with her friends who came to help her after that ordeal.

"When they were going back they were waylaid by a second group.. who again picked up the victim and she was taken to a secure place. There again she was sexually assaulted six times".

According to police, the attackers were not known to the victim and these appear to be unrelated attacks.

Two police officers have also been suspended for initially refusing to register the victim's complaint.

The woman was taken to hospital where she was treated for her injuries and is said to be in a stable condition.

S Sudan government 'agrees to truce'

27 December 2013 Last updated at 14:32 GMT

South Sudan government 'agrees to truce'

The government of South Sudan has agreed to an immediate end to fighting with rebels, East African leaders meeting in Nairobi say.

The leaders said they "welcomed the commitment by the government of the Republic of South Sudan to an immediate cessation of hostilities".

They called on rebel leader Riek Machar to "make similar commitments".

More than 1,000 people are said to have died in recent fighting in the world's newest state.

Classic 70s and 80s games go online

27 December 2013 Last updated at 14:21 GMT

Internet Archive puts classic 70s and 80s games online

Classics like the original Donkey Kong can be found in the archive

Classic video games from the 1970s and 1980s have been put online by the Internet Archive and can be played within a web browser for nothing.

The collection has launched with games from five early home consoles, including the Atari 2600 and Colecovision.

The games do not have sound, but will soon, the Internet Archive said.

"In coming months, the playable software collection will expand greatly," archivist Jason Scott wrote.

"Making these vintage games available to the world, instantly, allows for commentary, education, enjoyment and memory for the history they are a part of."

The other machines included are the Atari 7800, the Magnavox Odyssey (known as the Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe) and the Astrocade.

Well-recognised titles such as Pacman, Space Invaders and Frogger are all in the archive - with more consoles and games expected soon.

Nostalgic urges

Unlike today's titles, which are stored on disks or even simply downloaded directly to a console, many older machines would use bespoke cartridges to store games.

As the consoles fell into disrepair and became ever more scarce, playing these games has become difficult.

For many years, communities of gamers have created ROMs - read-only memory - images of games. These files can be played on a normal PC by using an emulator.

However, in many cases, gaming in this way can be illegal - particularly when the games involved are made by the likes of Nintendo and Sega, which clamp down on such activity, deeming it a form of counterfeiting.

But older games such as the ones found on the Internet Archive fall into something of a legal grey area.

Publishers and developers often turn a blind eye as, with the games no longer available to buy, the ROMs mean the titles are still able to be played by many.

Yet with smartphone gaming on the rise, publishers are now in a position where these old titles can be revived, cashing in on the timeless quality of the games, as well as fans' nostalgic urges.

Army boss in Taliban attacks warning

27 December 2013 Last updated at 13:16 GMT

UK Army head in Taliban attacks warning

Sir Peter Wall said the Army was "extremely proud" of what it had achieved in Afghanistan since 2001

UK troops in Afghanistan

The head of the UK Army has warned that the Taliban could retake lost territory after troops leave Afghanistan.

General Sir Peter Wall said, with UK combat forces due to withdraw by the end of next year, it would be "quite bad news" if some areas changed hands.

The Taliban would fight for land which forces had "suffered significantly" to capture, he told the Daily Telegraph.

David Cameron said last week that UK troops had accomplished their mission of making Afghanistan more secure.

The Afghanistan mission began in 2001, with 447 personnel losing their lives since then.

On Friday, Nato confirmed that three services members had been killed in a suicide attack on the capital Kabul.

'Tough campaign'

Around 5,200 UK troops are now based in Afghanistan, down from 9,000 at the start of the year, and the government is committed to removing all combat forces by the end of 2014.

On a visit to to the country earlier this month, Mr Cameron said a "basic level of security" had been achieved and troops could "come home with their heads held high".

David Cameron and former England footballer Michael Owen at Camp Bastion

David Cameron visited UK troops at Camp Bastion with former England footballer Michael Owen before Christmas

Asked if personnel were coming home with the message "mission accomplished", the prime minister said: "Yes, I think they do."

He added that the "driving part of the mission is a basic level of security so it doesn't become a haven for terror" and that forces "will have accomplished that mission" by the time they leave.

Military experts have said UK troops have been broadly successful in fulfilling their central objectives - set out in their United Nations mandate - of protecting the Afghan population and institutions from Taliban insurgents and ensuring al-Qaeda did not regain a foothold in the country.

However, senior military figures are braced for increased activity next year as more troops pull out and expect elections to be a particular focus for insurgent groups.

More than 5,000 UK troops remain in Afghanistan

Sir Peter, Chief of the General Staff, told the Telegraph a "tough campaign" had achieved its primary aim of disrupting the al-Qaeda network, so that it could no longer organise plots from safe havens in Afghanistan.

But he said: "The Taliban will be contesting the places we've left and there are these iconic places like Musa Qala which we fought over and suffered quite significantly. It would be quite bad news if the Taliban were to get back into a place like that.

"The Army's head is up. People are extremely proud of what they have achieved."

But Sir Peter argued that "more moderate" Taliban members could be "assimilated into the political process".

BBC News correspondent Karen Allen, who has just returned from Afghanistan, said Sir Peter's comments struck a more measured tone perhaps than Prime Minister David Cameron's recent statement about Afghanistan.

Asked earlier this month whether Mr Cameron's comments had risked seeming premature, a Downing Street spokesman said he had not used the words "mission accomplished" himself but had responded to a question from a journalist accompanying him.

The head of Nato, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has said international forces "achieved what we came here" for by preventing terrorists using the country as a safe haven.

South Sudan neighbours reject 'coup'

27 December 2013 Last updated at 12:53 GMT

South Sudan crisis: East Africa would not accept coup

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (middle) posing in a photograph with his Ethiopian and Kenyan counterparts Hailemariam Desalegn (left) and Uhuru Kenyatta (right) on 26 December 2013 in Juba

The leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya met in Juba on Thursday

South Sudan strife

East Africa's leaders have said they would not accept a violent overthrow of the government in South Sudan, where more than 1,000 people are believed to have died in recent clashes.

Kenya's president also called for an immediate end to the fighting and for talks with both sides.

The UN is sending extra peacekeepers to the world's newest country.

The clashes come amid a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar.

There are reports of mass killings along ethnic lines, targeting both members of Mr Kiir's Dinka ethnic group and Mr Machar's Nuer community.

The fighting has forced more than 100,000 to flee their homes, with about 60,000 seeking refuge at UN compounds across the country, UN officials say.

'Give peace chance'

Anne Soy reports: ''Many here are too frightened to venture out of the UN camp in Juba''

East African regional leaders from the eight-member bloc, known as Igad, are meeting in Kenya's capital Nairobi after the leaders of Kenya and Ethiopia met President Kiir in South Sudan's capital Juba on Thursday.

However, BBC South Sudan analyst James Copnall says there is no sign of the key step in solving this crisis - direct talks between the two protagonists.

President Kiir is the only Igad leader not attending the Nairobi talks but a Kenyan official sought to downplay his absence.

"Kiir is not coming because [Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam] Desalegn and [Kenyan President Uhuru] Kenyatta met him yesterday in Juba. Everything they needed to discuss was discussed," a State House official told the Reuters news agency.

He is being represented by senior officials.

China, which buys most of South Sudan's oil, has also sent an envoy to the region to try to negotiate an end to the fighting.

"Let it be known that we in Igad will not accept the unconstitutional overthrow of a duly and democratically elected government in South Sudan," President Kenyatta said at the start of the talks.

"Violence has never provided optimum solutions - violence begets more violence," he said.

Rebecca Garang, widow of John Garang, who led south Sudanese rebel forces against Khartoum for many years, told the BBC's Newsday programme she was "optimistic" about the Nairobi talks and welcomed the regional intervention.

She said her late husband would not have been happy with the fighting in the world's newest country.

"Those people who have died for the cause of this country would not be happy with what we are doing today," she said.

The head of the UN mission in South Sudan, Hilde Johnson, on Thursday called on the country's political leaders "to give peace a chance".

"The nation that [was] painstakingly built over decades of conflict and strife is at stake," she said, speaking via a video link from Juba.

South Sudanese troops walk past ransacked shops in Bor. Photo: 25 December 2013

A number of towns have been devastated during the almost two days of fighting

A South Sudanese woman with a child sits at the main hospital in Bor which troops loyal to President Salva Kiir re-captured from rebel forces on 25 December, 2013

The UN says more than 100,000 civilians have fled their homes

The UN Security Council has voted to almost double the number of peacekeepers to 12,500.

'Oil wells seized'

Ms Johnson said there had been heavy fighting in Malakal and Bor, while the town of Bentiu had become calmer.

Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom: ''Any solution to this crisis should be through political dialogue''

The fighting is also affecting oil production, which accounts for 98% of government revenue.

Ms Johnson said there had been internal tension within the governing Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) before the outbreak of violence.

But, she said, no-one had expected "the unravelling of [South Sudan's] stability so quickly".

The violence first erupted after a meeting of the SPLM's high council, when President Kiir accused the former vice-president, who had been sacked in July, of plotting a coup.

Mr Machar denied any involvement and said the accusations were an attempt by Mr Kiir to get rid of his political rivals.

The fighting quickly spread to half of Sudan's 10 states.

South Sudan has been beset by a series of rebellions since becoming independent from Sudan in 2011.

Map of South Sudan highlight five of the central states affected by violence

Fighting erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and his Nuer ex-deputy Riek Machar. The fear is that the rivalry will spark a widespread ethnic conflict. According to OCHA, 81,000 people have been forced from their homes.

News graphic showing the ethnic groups of South Sudan

Sudan's arid north is mainly home to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in South Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own languages and traditional beliefs, alongside Christianity and Islam.

Map showing the location of oil fields in South Sudan

Both Sudan and the South are reliant on oil revenue, which accounts for 98% of South Sudan's budget. They have fiercely disagreed over how to divide the oil wealth of the former united state - at one time production was shutdown for more than a year. Some 75% of the oil lies in the South but all the pipelines run north

Map showing the geography of South Sudan

The two Sudans are very different geographically. The great divide is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. South Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.

Map showing access to water in South Sudan

After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan is the world's newest country - and one of its poorest. Figures from 2010 show some 69% of households now have access to clean water - up from 48% in 2006. However, just 2% of households have water on the premises.

Map showing education levels in South Sudan

Just 29% of children attend primary school in South Sudan - however this is also an improvement on the 16% recorded in 2006. About 32% of primary-age boys attend, while just 25% of girls do. Overall, 64% of children who begin primary school reach the last grade.

Map showing food insecurity rates in South Sudan

Almost 28% of children under the age of five in South Sudan are moderately or severely underweight - this compares with the 33% recorded in 2006. Unity state has the highest proportion of children suffering malnourishment (46%), while Central Equatoria has the lowest (17%).

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Days of the 'bank job' are numbered

27 December 2013 Last updated at 12:34 GMT

Days of the 'bank job' are numbered, report suggests

By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

Robberies like this are becoming far less common, with greater rewards for criminals to be found by targeting financial services online

The number of robberies on British bank branches has dropped by 90% in the past decade, figures from the British Bankers Association suggest.

The BBA said there were 66 robberies in 2011, compared to 847 in 1992.

The drop has been attributed to a raft of innovative technologies making it extremely difficult for "traditional" robbery tactics to work.

"Banks are working hard to confine armed robberies to the world of TV dramas," BBA chief Anthony Browne said.

"Being caught up in a bank job is a terrifying ordeal for staff and customers that can scar lives for decades.

"It's great to see that the number of these crimes have fallen sharply in recent years. Anyone trying to rob a bank now faces much better CCTV, protective screens that can rise in less than a second and even special fog designed to disperse criminals.

"Banks will continue to work closely with each other, post offices and the police to make such raids a thing of the past."

Disorientating fog

A similar trend has been noted in the US, where FBI figures for 2012 put the number of bank robberies nationwide at 3,870 - the lowest in decades.

In an effort to deter criminals and make branch workers safer, banks have made significant investments in security technology.

These range from simple barriers - which drop down when a panic button is pressed - to special "fog" that disorientates criminals.

"DNA" spray is another common deterrent - robbers are coated with a unique, traceable material that is extremely difficult to wash off skin and can prove that a suspect was at the premises of a robbery.

Combined, the measures mean the risks outweigh any potential gains - particularly as bank branches typically store less cash on the premises than in previous years.

Shift to online

However, while brute-force bank robberies are dropping, banks - and their customers - are still under threat from crime.

Official statistics from the Met Police confirm that business robberies were down 31% in London over the past decade, reports the BBC's business correspondent Joe Lynam, but some thieves have switched their focus to the vehicles that transport money between banks.

More significant is the growing rate of cyber-crime relating to banks and other financial transactions.

Loretta Lynch, US attorney: "Instead of guns and masks, they used laptops and malware"

Recently, 40 million credit card details held by major US retail chain Target were compromised and are now being sold online. The attack, according to one security researcher, originated in Ukraine.

In a separate attack, criminals based in New York obtained $45m (£29m) by accessing a database of information used by cash machines. Seven men were charged in May.

Beyond bank details, hackers - the new generation of robbers - are also scooping up personal details and packaging them up to be sold on.

Full dossiers of information about an individual, including bank details, are routinely sold on the online black market for around $30, a recent study suggested.

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