UN court redraws Peru-Chile border

27 January 2014 Last updated at 18:06 GMT

Peru-Chile border redrawn by UN court at The Hague

Chilean fishermen could lose out the most from the ruling

The United Nations' highest court has redrawn the maritime boundary between Peru and Chile after an acrimonious dispute between the two neighbours.

Judges at The Hague awarded Peru parts of the Pacific Ocean but kept rich fishing grounds in Chilean hands.

At stake were 38,000 square kilometres (14,670 square miles) of ocean and some of the world's richest fishing grounds.

In 2008, Peru asked the International Court of Justice to rule on the matter, saying the border was not legally set.

It wanted the boundary to extend roughly southwest, perpendicular to the point where the two countries' land border meets the ocean.

But Chile insisted it should extend from the coast parallel to the equator.

It cited treaties agreed in 1952 and 1954 which it said had settled the maritime boundary on that basis.

Both countries have pledged to abide by The Hague ruling.

Peruvian ex-President Alan Garcia welcomed the court decision as positive for Peru, saying: "We have gained something and we are happy."

BBC Mundo's Paula Molina in Chile said analysts there see it as the end of tensions between the two neighbours, which have maintained close economic ties despite the long disagreement.

There was a nervous wait in Lima: "In the Hague we are all Peru" read a banner

Chileans demonstrated ahead of the ruling, who feared conflict could erupt again

Peru's fishing industry estimates that the disputed zone has an annual catch of 565m Peruvian nuevo soles ($200m; £121m), particularly of anchovies, which are used to make fishmeal.

Chile has promised financial help to its fishing industry in the event that the court decision affects it adversely.

Correspondents say that, with intense interest in the case in both countries, there was considerable national pride at stake too.

The BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague says some Peruvians saw the ruling as a chance to win back national pride, and territory, after a humiliating defeat to Chile in the 19th century.

In the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific, Chile took mineral-rich land from two of its neighbours, Peru and Bolivia; the latter lost its only outlet to the sea, which it is determined to regain.

Tracey Emin wins South Bank accolade

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:59 GMT

Tracey Emin and Arctic Monkeys win South Bank awards

By Michael Osborn Arts and Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Emin collected her award from Frank Skinner

Artist Tracey Emin has been honoured with the South Bank Sky Arts Awards outstanding achievement prize.

Emin, who collected her award from Frank Skinner at the London ceremony, said she was "really overwhelmed".

Arctic Monkeys beat David Bowie to win the pop music prize, while acclaimed ITV crime series Broadchurch triumphed over the BBC's Top of the Lake and The Fall to win TV drama.

British film The Selfish Giant won the film award.

It beat Hanif Kureishi's Le Week-End, starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan, and Steve Coogan's Oscar-nominated Philomena.

Coogan was also nominated in the comedy category for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, alongside Sky Arts' series Psychobitches.

But both lost out to surprise winner Bridget Christie, who won the prize for her stand-up show A Bic for Her.

Backstage at London's Dorchester Hotel, Christie was genuinely surprised, and said she would place her award - designed by Sir Peter Blake - "on a little windowsill behind a mannequin".

"They put all the cameras on Psychobitches and everyone on my table said 'oh never mind, it doesn't matter'.

"I dealt with not winning and then I quickly had to deal with winning," said the comedian.

She added that the success of her show came after a lull in her work when it "hadn't been going so well".

Emin, 50, is no stranger to collecting accolades after a prominent art career spanning more than two decades.

"It's not about me, it's about art, it's about culture," she said after receiving her achievement award.

Bridget Christie was the unexpected winner of the comedy award, presented by Lenny Henry

Broadchurch's cast and crew turned out in force to collect their TV drama award

"I'm totally focused on what I'm doing at the moment and am very happy," said the artist, who has recently bought a home in Miami.

Emin revealed that her new objectives are to pass her driving test in the US and learn how to speak French, joking that the second ambition is "never going to happen".

Artist Katie Pearson is less of a household name, but walked away with the visual art prize for her work Kettle's Yard in Cambridge and Tipping Point at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

As well as her Blake trophy, she was given a small conker by artist Gavin Turk, who presented her with her gong.

"It's fantastic! I can't believe it. Winning it is a huge triumph," said Pearson, who graduated from art school in 2007.

"This is not a normal Monday for me. I'm not usually around celebrities. It's a roomful of the most amazing talent".

Episodes star Stephen Mangan presented the breakthrough award to comedian Nick Helm, who stars in BBC Three series Uncle, beating hopefuls from each of the awards categories.

Helm, who has been working the stand-up comedy circuit for more than a decade, said: "Clearly I hadn't broken through yet!"

Asked whether the award would boost his career or provide an inspiration for future projects, Helm joked: "I don't know, I haven't even talked to my mum yet."

Known for his brash comic delivery, he added: "If I can do more work on TV and radio, hopefully it'll mean I won't have to go door to door shouting at people."

Winners Katie Paterson, Nick Helm and Kate Atkinson all collected trophies, designed by Sir Peter Blake

Darcey Bussell, Daniel May and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa were at the awards gala

Life After Life author Kate Atkinson was honoured in the book category, beating The Kills by Richard House and Sathnam Sanghera's Marriage Material.

The National Theatre of Scotland's production of Let The Right One In beat Othello and Chimerica to win the theatre award, presented by Simon Russell Beale.

Winning the opera award was Written on Skin by the Royal Opera House, while the dance category was won by Dracula from the Mark Bruce Company.

The Southbank Centre's The Rest is Noise won the classical music category.

This year's judges included The Observer's Arts Editor Sarah Donaldson, Heat Magazine's Boyd Hilton, The Times Arts Editor Alex O'Connell and the Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye.

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards will be broadcast on 30 January on Sky Arts 1 at 21:30 GMT. The new series of The South Bank Show will begin on the channel in the spring.

CAR crisis getting even worse - UN

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:57 GMT

Central African Republic crisis getting even worse - UN

Former rebels, mostly Muslims, are being evacuated from military camps

Continue reading the main story

The security situation in the Central African Republic is getting even worse despite the inauguration of a new leader, the UN human rights chief says.

"Muslim civilians are now extremely vulnerable," said Navi Pillay.

Her statement came as a Muslim and Christian leader met British Prime Minister David Cameron to lobby for more international assistance.

About a million people - 20% of the population - have fled their homes during months of religious violence.

"I call as a matter of utmost urgency upon the international community to strengthen peacekeeping efforts... Many lives are at stake," said Ms Pillay.

Mobs continue to hunt out Muslim civilians

France, the former colonial power, has 1,600 troops in CAR, working with some 4,000 from African countries.

Last week, new President Catherine Samba-Panza said this was not enough.

Since the country's first Muslim leader Michel Djotodia resigned earlier this month, there have been widespread reports of revenge attacks on Muslim civilians.

Members of the Christian majority said they were attacked by members of Mr Djotodia's former rebel group who installed him as leader last year.

But Archbishop of Bangui Dieudonne Nzapalainga and Imam Oumar Kobine Layama, president of the Islamic Central African community, said the unrest was caused by politicians.

"This is not a religious crisis; it's a military-political crisis," Mr Layama told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

The two religious leaders warned of a possible famine

"We need help for the population, because all our infrastructure is gone, shattered. There is no education, no health care, no medicine," he said before meeting the British prime minister.

"Homes have been razed and famine is on the horizon if we do nothing."

Catherine Samba-Panza was sworn in last week by the interim parliament.

The businesswomen is seen a politically neutral.

CAR is rich in gold and diamonds but years of unrest and poor governance have left most of its 4.6 million people in poverty.

Defiant Rahul Gandhi vows poll win

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:47 GMT

Rahul Gandhi predicts India poll win in first TV interview

Rahul Gandhi said he "absolutely" opposed political dynasties

Rahul Gandhi has given his first major TV interview, predicting he would lead his ruling Congress Party to victory in this year's Indian general election.

The Gandhi family has dominated Indian politics but Rahul vowed to open up the system, saying he was "absolutely against the concept of dynasty".

He told Times Now TV he did not fear rival Narendra Modi, attacking him over his role in anti-Muslim riots in 2002.

Polls show Congress doing badly, amid a slow economy and corruption scandals.

Although Congress has named Mr Gandhi, 43, to lead its general election campaign, it has stopped short of saying he will be its candidate for prime minister.

Correspondents say the move appeared aimed at protecting one of the party's main assets, in case the party loses the vote, which is due by May.

'Scared of nothing'

But in the interview, Mr Gandhi said Congress was simply following the constitution.

"Members of parliament are to be elected by the population and members of parliament are to elect the prime minister. All I am doing is respecting that process," Mr Gandhi said.

When asked about his chances of victory, he said: "I will win the election."

Narendra Modi's BJP is ahead in the opinion polls

Mr Gandhi added: "If we don't win, I am the VP of the party; of course I will take responsibility for it."

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Mr Modi - Gujarat's chief minister - its candidate for PM last September.

The latest opinion polls suggest the BJP is extending its lead, with Congress projected to lose half its seats.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says Rahul Gandhi has been in the political limelight for 10 years but had never agreed to be interviewed until now, although this TV showpiece was long and, at times, rambling.

Mr Gandhi attacked Mr Modi over the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002.

The rioting, sparked by the death of Hindu pilgrims in a train fire, was among India's worst outbreaks of unrest, killing more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims.

Mr Gandhi said: "The Gujarat riots took place, people died. Mr Narendra Modi was in charge of Gujarat at that point... the government in Gujarat was actually abetting and pushing the riots further."

Mr Modi has been cleared of any personal wrongdoing. He has always denied his government encouraged the attacks.

When asked if he was scared of Mr Modi, Mr Gandhi cited his own family history.

"In my life I have seen my grandmother die, I have seen my father die, I have seen my grandmother go to jail and I have actually been through a tremendous amount of pain as a child when these things happen... There is absolutely nothing I am scared of."

However, Mr Gandhi stressed that he opposed dynasties in politics, saying his goal was to empower women and younger people, and open up the political system.

He said: "I didn't choose to be born in this family... I am absolutely against the concept of dynasty. But you are not going to wish away dynasty in a closed system, you have to open the system."

Mr Gandhi defended Congress's achievements on economic growth, political openness, the rural "right to work" programme and improving social welfare payments.

He said: "I don't like unfairness. It just makes my blood boil. I don't like it. And in whatever I did, if I saw unfairness, I would stand up against it. That's the heart of my politics."

VIDEO: 'Mile after mile of flood water'

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Somerset floods: 'Mile after mile of flood water'

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:15 GMT

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has been facing angry victims of flooding in Somerset.

Large areas remain under water, and pumping stations around the Somerset Levels are pumping thousands of tonnes of water per second back into the River Parrett.

Residents blame the Environment Agency for a lack of regular dredging - saying they have been warning of problems for years.

The BBC's Jon Kay says there is mile after mile of flood water.

Read more

Floods: Environment Minister Owen Paterson orders action plan

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:48 GMT

RBS faces £8bn in full year losses

RBS may face full-year losses of up to £8bn, after the bank said it needed another £3.1bn for claims relating to the financial crisis.

Shares in the 80%-taxpayer owned bank dropped 3% on the news.

RBS boss Ross McEwan said: "The scale of the bad decisions during that period [the financial crisis] means that some problems are still just emerging."

RBS also said its executive committee would not receive a bonus for 2013

Mr McEwan has already said he would not take a bonus for 2013 and 2014.

The BBC learned earlier this month that general discussions about bonuses had taken place with shareholders, including UK Financial Investments, the body that manages the government's shareholding in the bank.

The controversy over bank bonuses flared up in Parliament earlier this month, with Labour demanding George Osborne block any attempt by RBS to pay bonuses of up to double its bankers' annual salary.

Surprise

RBS said on Monday the £3.1bn it plans to set aside would be used to settle claims relating to mortgage products, PPI claims and interest rate hedging.

It would allocate:

• £1.9bn to pay for fines and damages relating to mis-selling mortgage bonds in the US, as well as other penalties relating to market manipulation
• £650m of losses for mis-selling payment protection insurance (PPI)
• £500m of losses for compensating small businesses who were wrongly sold interest rate hedging products
• The bank also said there would be £4.5bn of further losses on bad loans and investments
• It suggested there could be unspecified further losses from selling off bad assets

The announcement of the new provisions came near the end of share dealing in London.

Ian Gordon, from Investec Securities, said the news was not entirely unexpected, but the amounts involved were: "Some of this is a pull forward of future bad news and some of this is additional.

"Most of the items aren't surprising, but the amounts are at or above the top end of expectations."

The cumulative amount set aside to cover the mis-selling of PPI, payment protection insurance, alone, is now £3.1bn, said RBS.

RBS, has also, in common with most of its rivals, been fined for fixing the key Libor interest rate and has suspended traders amid an investigation into alleged rigging of the foreign exchange markets.

Tata chief's Thai death 'suicide'

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:30 GMT

Tata Motors' Karl Slym probably killed himself - Thai police

Mr Slym ran all Tata Motors operations except Jaguar Land Rover in the UK

Thai police suspect Tata Motors' Managing Director Karl Slym killed himself when he fell from the 22nd floor of a Bangkok hotel on Sunday.

The British executive was in Thailand to attend a board meeting of the company's local affiliate.

Investigators believe Mr Slym may have taken his own life because of a note left in his room referring to domestic problems.

Police said it was being analysed to confirm Mr Slym wrote it.

The Thai police said they were called to the Shangri-La hotel around 07:45 (00:45 GMT) on Sunday, after staff found Mr Slym's body on the fourth floor, which juts out above lower storeys of the luxury complex.

Mr Slym was hired from GM to revive Tata Motors' fortunes

They then woke up Mr Slym's wife, who seemed shocked, they said. The couple had been married for about 30 years and did not have any children.

In a statement, Company Chairman Cyprus P Mistry paid tribute to Mr Slym, describing him as "a valued colleague who was providing strong leadership at a challenging time for the Indian auto industry".

"In this hour of grief, our thoughts are with Karl's wife and family,'' he said.

Aged 51, Mr Slym ran led the automaker's operations in India and international markets including South Korea, Thailand and South Africa.

He was not responsible for the Jaguar and Land Rover luxury unit that Tata Motors acquired in 2008.

Mr Slym, who was from Derby, England, had worked for Toyota in the UK, and then General Motors in India and China.

He had been managing director of Tata Motors, part of the giant Tata Group, since being hired in October 2012 to revive Tata's flagging sales in India.

Tata Motors recently introduced a new petrol engine for its passenger vehicles and was planning to launch a hatchback and compact sedan this year, the first all-new Tata-branded passenger vehicles since 2010.

Following news of Mr Slym's death, Tata Motors stock closed down 6% at 347.8 rupees.

'Not possible' he slipped

Police official Somyot Boonyakaew said investigators "didn't find any sign of a struggle" in the room Mr Slym was sharing with his wife in the Shangri-La Hotel.

"We found a window open. The window was very small so it was not possible that he would have slipped," he told Reuters news agency.

"He would have had to climb through the window to fall out because he was a big man. From my initial investigation, we believe he jumped."

Tata Motors has declined to comment on the possible cause of Mr Slym's death.

Friends have described Slym as a jovial man who loved cricket and Indian films.

Fracking laws could be loosened

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:01 GMT

Fracking under homes could be allowed without permission

Environmental activists claim fracking can pollute water supplies

Continue reading the main story

Ministers are considering changing trespass laws to make it easier for energy companies to carry out fracking beneath people's homes without permission.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said it is reviewing whether the existing process is "fit for purpose".

The move comes amid concern that fracking for shale gas could otherwise be held back by lengthy and costly court proceedings.

It will consult on the change.

Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - is a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas.

Currently operators need to ask homeowners before they drill under their land, but they have a right to appeal by law if an agreement cannot be reached.

"There is an existing legal route by which operators can apply for access where this can't be negotiated. We're currently considering whether this existing route is fit for purpose," said a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Shale gas exploration typically involves drilling down vertically and out horizontally, often for more than a mile.

Environmental activists are against the technique, claiming it can increase climate change, cause small earthquakes and pollute water supplies.

However, the government backs fracking saying it believes the potentially large reserves of shale gas could reduce energy bills and create jobs.

Last year Prime Minister David Cameron pledged a "simplified system" for companies to get permission for fracking.

FBI hits 'hackers-for-hire' websites

27 January 2014 Last updated at 14:08 GMT

FBI arrests five over 'hackers for hire' websites

Hack-for-hire sites offer to find passwords to open up email account

The FBI has arrested five people in connection with what it says are several hacking-for-hire websites.

Two men have been charged with running and three others with being customers of websites that allegedly offered to obtain access to email accounts.

The swoop against the sites was co-ordinated with police forces in Romania, India and China.

Six other alleged administrators of such sites were arrested as part of the overseas element of the operation.

Mark Anthony Townsend and Joshua Alan Tabor, both of Arkansas, have been charged with operating the needapassword.com website that, according the FBI, charged people to find passwords for about 6,000 email accounts.

If the two are found guilty they face up to five years in jail for computer fraud offences.

The other three people have been charged with paying, between them, more than $23,000 (£14,000) to similar hacker-for-hire websites outside the US to find passwords for a wide variety of email accounts.

Paying a hacker to act on your behalf is a "misdemeanour offense" and if found guilty each defendant could go to a federal jail for 12 months.

In a statement, the FBI said it expected all five defendants to plead guilty.

Four people in Romania, one person in India and one in China were also arrested in connection with websites that allegedly offered to obtain a password for any email account for between $100 (£60) and $500 (£300).

AUDIO: Brokeback Mountain the Musical

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Brokeback Mountain the Musical

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:59 GMT

A modern Opera adaptation of the Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain premieres in Madrid this week.

Based on the short story by Annie Proulx, the tale of forbidden love between two cowboys has been translated into an opera.

Composer Charles Wuorinen completed the opera in 2012 after exploring the Wyoming mountains with Proulx, who also wrote the libretto for the opera.

Proulx spoke to Kirsty Lang on Front Row.

Click here to listen to the interview in full on BBC Radio 4

Egypt army backs Sisi presidency bid

27 January 2014 Last updated at 15:53 GMT

Egypt army backs Sisi as presidential candidate

Thousands called on the field marshal to stand for the presidency on Saturday

Continue reading the main story

Egypt's top military body has given its approval for army chief Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to run for the presidency, state media report.

Field Marshal Sisi led the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader, in July.

He is expected to accept the nomination from the Supreme Council for Armed Forces (Scaf) and resign from his military position within days.

Earlier, the interim president promoted him from general to field marshal.

Field Marshal Sisi is popular with much of the Egyptian public and analysts say he would be expected to win the presidential election, to be held by late April.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people joined a rally in Cairo to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against President Hosni Mubarak and call on Field Marshal Sisi to stand.

The BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo says many Egyptians see him as being the strongman needed to pull their country out of its political crisis, but that others fear his election could mark a return to the authoritarianism the revolution sought to end.

Saturday also saw widespread anti-government protests, with dozens of people killed in clashes and arrests reported in several cities.

Field Marshal Sisi served as defence minister under Mr Morsi, but spearheaded the military intervention which removed him after mass street protests.

Earlier this month a new constitution, replacing one introduced under Mr Morsi, was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum.

The military-backed government said the vote had been an "unrivalled success" but critics say the document favours the army at the expense of the people, and fails to deliver on the 2011 revolution that led to the fall of Mubarak.

The banned Muslim Brotherhood, which Mr Morsi comes from and which boycotted the referendum, dismissed it as a "farce".

Under the constitution:

• The president may serve two four-year terms and can be impeached by parliament
• Islam remains the state religion - but freedom of belief is absolute, giving some protection to minorities
• The state guarantees "equality between men and women"
• Parties may not be formed based on "religion, race, gender or geography"
• Military to appoint defence minister for next eight years.

Travis denies 'predatory nature'

27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:00 GMT

Dave Lee Travis tells court he is 'cuddly' not 'predatory'

Former BBC DJ Dave Lee Travis has told a court he does not have a "predatory nature".

Giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Travis said: "What I have is a cuddly nature with women. So maybe that's what this is all about."

He also told the jury if he knew Jimmy Savile was a paedophile, he would have "been the first to get him arrested".

Mr Travis, 68, of Mentmore, Buckinghamshire, denies sexual assault and 13 counts of indecent assault.

Answering questions about Savile posed by his defence barrister Stephen Vullo, he said: "He was always surrounded by girls and by that I mean girls of 16, 17, 18.

"But I don't think that anyone knew what was going on as far as him being a paedophile.

"In all honesty, if I had known that Jimmy Savile was a paedophile I would have been the first to get him arrested because it is the worst crime in the world as far as I am concerned."

Mr Travis is accused of indecently assaulting 10 women and sexually assaulting another.

The court heard that, in an interview with police on 18 September, Mr Travis - also known as DLT - dismissed the claims as "crap".

Junior prosecutor Teresa Hay said: "Mr Travis said that for 10 months he had lost his money, work, his health, he has had back and knee operations and had suffered stress.

"Worse still, his wife had suffered breast cancer.

"She was through it now but stress is bad for someone who is going through that."

'Full of anger'

He told police the allegations were "costing him his job, his living and everything he has built up over 50 years", Ms Hay added.

"For him these allegations don't stand up. He and his wife had suffered badly."

She said he had told police "he has been screwed backwards - he is selling his house to pay for solicitors and barristers".

"People might think he is a millionaire but his bank account is non-existent.

"His life has changed for the worse and he is full of anger - even if he is acquitted he still won't be free."

She said Mr Travis told police about one person who made allegations against him: "This is just someone else who can smell money and is jumping into the game to see what they can get out of it."

'Won keys'

The jury heard Mr Travis had been questioned over claims he groped a woman at two separate British Airways staff parties in the early 1990s after dancing the Lambada with her on both occasions.

He told police that, while he could not remember the particular events, he would provide musical entertainment or compere at such parties, sometimes dressed as a werewolf or Darth Vader.

When asked about claims he told the woman she had "won the keys to his room" he said it was not the kind of thing he would say.

A journalist working for a German broadcaster later told the court Mr Travis had touched her bottom when she interviewed him at his house in 2005.

He had shown her a flight simulator game he enjoyed playing on his computer, she said.

"What happened was then he asked me if I wanted to take over," she added.

"Then I found myself standing right in front of him - I don't particularly remember whether I actually started anything."

'Uncomfortable moment'

The journalist said he put "his hand behind me on my shoulders and ran it down my back and rested it on the right cheek of my bum".

It was "an extremely uncomfortable moment" and she "very quickly" moved away, she said.

She told the jury she did not speak to police at the time of the arrest but had made a statement after she heard about it.

The offences of which Mr Travis is accused allegedly took place while he was working as a BBC radio DJ, on Classic Gold radio, on BBC One's Top Of The Pops, and in pantomime.

He is being tried under his real name David Patrick Griffin.

Many die as Nigeria villages raided

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:57 GMT

Nigeria: Scores dead in 'Boko Haram' attacks on villages

A security offensive to combat Boko Haram's insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria has been unable to put a stop to the violence

Continue reading the main story

Suspected Islamist militants have attacked two villages in north-eastern Nigeria, leaving 74 people dead, say police and witnesses.

Militants attacked Kawuri village in Borno state as a busy market was packing up on Sunday, setting off explosives and setting houses ablaze.

Witnesses said 52 people were killed in that attack, while 22 died in an attack on a church service in Waga Chakawa village, Adamawa state, on Sunday.

The attacks were blamed on Boko Haram.

The Islamist group - whose name means "Western education is forbidden" - is especially active in north-eastern Nigeria.

Borno and Adamawa are two of three north-eastern states - along with Yobe - put under emergency rule last May, as the military attempts to combat the insurgency.

'No house left standing'

Gunmen planted explosive devices around Kawuri village prior to the attack, said a witness and security official.

They also killed civilians in their homes, dozens of which were set ablaze in the attack.

"No house was left standing," Ari Kolomi, who fled from the village to Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, some 70km (43 miles) away, told AP news agency.

"The gunmen were more than 50 (in number); they were using explosives and heavy-sounding guns."

Mr Kolomi said he did not yet know if his relatives had survived the attack.

Earlier on Sunday in neighbouring Adamawa state, gunmen attacked a busy church service in Waga Chakawa village, an army spokesman said.

They set off bombs and fired into the congregation, killing 22 people, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during a four-hour siege, witnesses told Reuters news agency.

The army suspects Boko Haram of being behind both attacks.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan sacked his military high command earlier this month.

No reason was given, but the move came amid concern that Boko Haram have been able to continue their bloody campaign despite the wide-ranging powers given to the military to tackle the insurgency last year.

Since the state of emergency was imposed in May, UN figures suggest more than 1,200 people have been killed in Islamist-related violence.

Couple jailed for trafficking women

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:05 GMT

Man and woman jailed for trafficking two prostitutes

Ladislav Kurina and Angelika Bacan put the women to work in a Cardiff Bay flat

A man and a woman have been jailed for trafficking two Czech women to Cardiff to work as prostitutes.

Ladislav Kurina, 29, a Czech citizen, was jailed for two years and seven months after he admitted four counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Co-defendant Angelika Bacan, 26, from Romania, was given a 15-month sentence for being a "willing accessory" while also working as a prostitute.

Judge Eleri Rees at Newport Crown Court said it was "a most repugnant crime".

Bacan was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon - a stun gun.

Both had previously pleaded guilty to arranging for two women, aged 25 and 26, to come to the UK from the Czech Republic to work in the sex industry.

'Destitute and desperate'

The court heard how the two trafficked women had come to the UK willingly but soon became aware that they would not be receiving half of their earnings as agreed with the couple.

Jeremy Jenkins, prosecuting, said that the women had been bought plane tickets to Luton airport from where Bacan picked them up to start work almost immediately.

He said: "There was a misunderstanding on the terms on which they'd agreed to work.

"Both found themselves financially destitute and desperate."

He added that "an element of control was subtly made" by the defendants.

The women were later taken to an address in Cardiff Bay where they operated as prostitutes, working with Bacan and Kurina, who kept their earnings.

He said: "After just a week in Cardiff they were financially destitute, seeing up to four clients a day and sometimes working seven days a week."

The women later contacted Safer Wales, an abuse charity based in Cardiff, which complained to the police on their behalf.

Judge Eleri Rees said the defendants had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and their sentences reflected that fact.

Both defendants will be released halfway through their sentence on licence, with a proceeds of crime act hearing due in the coming months.

'Destroys lives'

Nicola Rees, senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service's complex casework unit said the pair were guilty of "deplorable" offences.

She said: "Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and is totally unacceptable in a civilised society.

"Those who seek to demean the value of life by depriving others of the most basic of human rights should be in no doubt that we will do everything in our power to bring them to justice.

"We have strong local partnerships in place to help identify and prosecute cases where human trafficking is a factor and ensure that victims are given the support they need."

South Wales Police Det Insp Simon Maal said: "Human trafficking destroys lives. Its effects damage communities and it is something that we will not tolerate here in Cardiff.

"Thankfully these two victims are now back safe and well with their families.

"It is understandable that victims of trafficking are frightened and feel vulnerable but we hope highlighting the outcome of this investigation will encourage any other victims to seek help and contact police."

Roache cleared of one abuse charge

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:23 GMT

William Roache acquitted of one of seven abuse charges

William Roache denies all six charges at Preston Crown Court

Coronation Street star William Roache has been cleared of one of seven sex abuse charges at his trial, on orders of the judge.

Jurors at Preston Crown Court were directed to acquit Mr Roache of the charge after the prosecution offered no further evidence.

Mr Roache, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, is still on trial over two rape and four indecent assault allegations.

He denies the charges, which relate to incidents between 1965 and 1971.

The offences are alleged to have involved five women aged 16 and under.

The allegation the jury were directed to find Mr Roache not guilty of, related to the indecent assault of a 14-year-old girl in 1965.

His defence is due to start on Tuesday.

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:26 GMT

US makes Bitcoin exchange arrests

The operators of two exchanges for the virtual currency Bitcoin have been arrested in the US.

The Department of Justice said Robert Faiella - known as "BTCKing" - and Charlie Shrem from BitInstant have both been charged with money laundering.

The authorities said the pair were engaged in a scheme to sell more than $1m (£603,000) in bitcoins to users of online drug marketplace the Silk Road.

The site was shut down last year and its alleged owner was arrested.

More follows.

VIDEO: Storms reveal three beach shipwrecks

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Shipwrecks found on Carmarthenshire's Cefn Sidan beach

27 January 2014 Last updated at 14:45 GMT

The January storms have exposed three shipwrecks on Cefn Sidan beach in Carmarthenshire.

It is thought they date from the 18th or 19th Century when it was a popular but treacherous shipping route.

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:25 GMT

RBS sets aside £3.1bn for new claims

RBS says it will need to set aside another £3.1bn to settle claims relating to mortgage products, PPI claims and interest rate hedging.

The bank's chief executive, Ross McEwan said: "The scale of the bad decisions during that period [the financial crisis] means that some problems are still just emerging.

"The good news is we are now a much stronger bank and can manage these costs."

RBS is 80%-owned by the UK taxpayer.

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:17 GMT

RBS sets aside £2.9bn for new claims

RBS says it will need to set aside almost three billion pounds more to settle claims relating to mortgage products, PPI claims and interest rate hedging.

McNish completes BBC F1 team for 2014

27 January 2014 Last updated at 11:54

Formula 1: Allan McNish completes BBC team for 2014 season

Three-time Le Mans 24-hours winner Allan McNish will be part of the BBC F1 team for the forthcoming 2014 season.

McNish will co-commentate for Radio 5 live at 15 races and provide expert analyst across TV, radio and online.

The Scot, who drove for Toyota in the 2002 F1 season, made his debut in the BBC commentary box last year.

"We're delighted Allan is on board in an expanded role," said BBC head of F1 Ben Gallop. "His experience and expertise is an invaluable addition."

McNish, 44, is one of the most respected names in the world of motorsport and worked as F1 co-commentator alongside James Allen for Radio 5 live in the 2013 season.

He combined his media role alongside his driving, where he won his third Le Mans 24-hours race and rounded off the year by winning the FIA World Endurance Championship.

After a 25-year career in motorsport, the three-time British karting champion retired in December.

McNish will be using his extensive experience from across all areas of motorsport to steer audiences through the intricacies of the forthcoming season, which promises to be a fascinating one with all the technical changes ahead.

"Now that I have hung up my racing helmet, I am really looking forward to joining the BBC team again for what I am sure is going to be a fantastic new F1 season," he said.

"With so many technical rule changes, as well as team and driver movements, there will be lots of things happening on and off track for the BBC team to bring to you".

Chief analyst Eddie Jordan and ex-McLaren driver and pundit David Coulthard both return and Suzi Perry resumes her duties as TV anchor for 2014 after her first season at the helm last year.

Ben Edwards once again leads the commentary on TV with Lee McKenzie and Tom Clarkson bringing all the news from the pit lane.

On Radio 5 live, Allen leads the coverage as F1 correspondent and commentator with Jennie Gow as F1 presenter and pit lane reporter.

BBC One and BBC One HD will show nine races live on TV, including Silverstone, Canada, Monza and Spa, as well as the season finale from Abu Dhabi, with extended highlights programmes of the remaining races. This goes the same for practice and qualifying.

Every Grands Prix of the season will be live on BBC Radio 5 live or 5 live sports extra with live coverage of practice and qualifying. Plus all the action, news, reviews via the BBC Sport app and the BBC Sport website, with Andrew Benson as chief F1 writer.

Full details of the BBC's 2014 coverage will be announced in due course.

Also related to this story

• BBC to show nine live 2014 F1 races 20 Dec 2013 Formula 1
• All aboard the 'power train' - 2014 rules explained 24 Jan 2014 Formula 1
• Watch video A guide to F1's 2014 rule changes 03 Dec 2013 Formula 1
• Get Inspired: MOTORSPORT 19 Jul 2013 Get Inspired

Share this story

Share this page

• print

'Robocop' brings down watch thief

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:08 GMT

'Robocop' brings down watch thief in Edinburgh

Ray Mallon won the Robocop nickname for his no-nonsense approach to crime.

A politician and former detective dubbed "Robocop" has told how he wrestled a suspected watch thief to the ground outside an Edinburgh shop.

Middlesbrough's elected mayor Ray Mallon, 58, put a man in a headlock and held on with the help of two female shop assistants until police arrived.

Officers arrested a man in Frederick Street on Saturday.

Mr Mallon, who was on a day-trip to the Scottish capital, was outside the Laing jewellers when the incident happened.

He said: "I was visiting Edinburgh for the day and enjoying a bit of window shopping.

"I was looking at some watches in the window of a jeweller's shop when I noticed a commotion inside.

"Suddenly a man came sprinting out the door with two assistants chasing after him.

"What happened next was instinctive, it took me back to the old days.

"I stepped across the man and we grabbed hold of each other and wrestled for a few seconds.

"I managed to get him in a headlock and we ended up on the ground."

He added: "The two female assistants showed great courage and deserve a lot of praise.

"The man was shouting and trying to get away but they did a great job helping me to restrain him until police arrived and took him into custody."

Mr Mallon was a senior detective with Cleveland Police and in the 1990s was praised by both Labour and the Tories for pioneering a zero tolerance strategy in Middlesbrough.

He won the Robocop nickname for his no-nonsense approach to crime.

Many die in raid on Nigeria village

27 January 2014 Last updated at 16:01 GMT

Nigeria: Many die in 'Boko Haram' attack on Borno village

Continue reading the main story

Police in Nigeria say suspected Islamist militants have attacked a village in the north-east of the country, killing at least 20 people.

They said the market in Kawuri village, Borno state, was targeted, and that buildings had been set ablaze.

Gunmen planted explosive devices around the town prior to the attack, said a witness and security official.

The attack has been blamed on Boko Haram militants, who are especially active in north-eastern Nigeria.

Borno is one of three north-eastern states put under emergency rule last May, as the military attempts to combat the insurgency.

Tracey Emin wins South Bank award

27 January 2014 Last updated at 15:58 GMT

Tracey Emin and Arctic Monkeys win South Bank awards

Tracey Emin was honoured for her outstanding achievement to the arts

Artist Tracey Emin has been honoured with the South Bank Sky Arts Awards outstanding achievement prize.

The former Young British Artist was handed her award by Frank Skinner at a London ceremony hosted by Lord Bragg.

Arctic Monkeys beat David Bowie to win the pop music prize while acclaimed ITV crime drama Broadchurch triumphed over BBC series Top of the Lake and The Fall to win TV drama.

British film The Selfish Giant won the film award.

Clio Barnard's gritty tale of teenage scrap scavengers beat Hanif Kureishi's Le Week-End, starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan, and Steve Coogan's Oscar-nominated Philomena, starring Dame Judi Dench.

Coogan was also nominated in the comedy category for last year's feature film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, alongside Sky Arts' series Psychobitches, starring Mark Gatiss, Rebecca Front and Julia Davis.

However both lost out to surprise winner Bridget Christie, who won the prize for her show A Bic for Her.

Life After Life author Kate Atkinson was honoured in the book category, beating The Kills by Richard House and Sathnam Sanghera's Marriage Material.

Winners Katie Paterson, Nick Helm and Kate Atkinson all collected trophies, designed by Sir Peter Blake

The Broadchurch cast and crew turned out in force to collect their TV drama award

Frank Skinner, Darcey Bussell and actor Daniel Mays were among the attendees

The National Theatre of Scotland's production of Let The Right One In beat Othello and Chimerica to win the theatre award, presented by Simon Russell Beale.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Imelda May performed at the awards which celebrate the best of British culture and are now in their seventeenth year, after being taken on by Sky Arts when the South Bank Show was cancelled by ITV.

A host of stars from across the arts were there to honour the winners and present awards, including Lenny Henry, artist Gavin Turk, filmmaker Ken Loach and dancer and Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell.

Episodes star Stephen Mangan presented the breakthrough award to comedian Nick Helm, who stars in BBC Three series Uncle.

"The shortlist demonstrated an extraordinary breadth and range of artistic disciplines," said presenter and host Melvyn Bragg.

"The richly-deserving winners [are] all examples of the most exciting and unique talents at work in the UK today. I am delighted to be able to honour and celebrate them as they deserve."

Bridget Christie was the surprise winner of the comedy award, presented by Lenny Henry

This year's other winners - who were handed an award designed by pop artist and Beatles collaborator Sir Peter Blake - included Katie Paterson, who won the visual art prize for her work Kettle's Yard in Cambridge and Tipping Point at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

The opera award went to Written on Skin by the Royal Opera House, while the dance category was won by Dracula from the Mark Bruce Company.

The Southbank Centre's The Rest is Noise won the classical music category.

This year's judges included The Observer's Arts Editor Sarah Donaldson, Heat Magazine's Boyd Hilton, The Times Arts Editor Alex O'Connell and the Daily Mail columnist's Baz Bamigboye.

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards will be broadcast on 30 January on Sky Arts 1 at 21:30 GMT. The new series of The South Bank Show will begin on the channel in the spring.

Coulson 'told about hacking skills'

27 January 2014 Last updated at 15:56 GMT

Phone-hacking trial: Coulson 'told about hacking skills'

Dan Evans is a former News of the World and Sunday Mirror journalist

A former journalist told ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson about his phone-hacking skills at a job interview, the Old Bailey has heard.

Dan Evans told the phone-hacking trial he was shown how to hack phones at the Sunday Mirror and was recruited by the News of the World for those skills.

Evans is appearing as a prosecution witness at the Old Bailey trial, where actor Jude Law earlier gave evidence.

Mr Coulson is one of seven people who deny charges related to phone hacking.

'Taught to hack'

Evans said he told Mr Coulson at an informal job interview in a hotel how he could do "stuff with phones" to land cheap exclusives. "Andy knew what the context of it was," he said.

The jury heard Evans had pleaded guilty to hacking at the Sunday Mirror between 2003 and 2005 and at the News of the World up to 2010. He also pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office between 2005 and 2010.

Evans also confirmed he had admitted intending to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard he entered into an agreement with the Crown Prosecution Service in 2012 and had given two statements since.

Evans said he had been involved in hacking at the Sunday Mirror for about a year-and-a-half from 2003 but it had been going on long before that.

Asked by Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, what his job at the Sunday Mirror was, Mr Evans said: "I was a news reporter. Principally I was tasked with covering news events, investigations, undercover work, latterly with hacking people's voicemail."

Evans said he was taught to hack phones at the Sunday Mirror: "I was taken to one side... by a very senior executive and told that I was going to be tasked with something that was a secret and he proceeded to show me how to hack a voicemail for the first time."

He told the court he had been approached by a journalist to join the News of the World (NoW) in 2005. Phone hacking was discussed with the journalist when they first talked about a job at the NoW in a bar, the court heard.

He said: "Voicemail interception became part of the conversation. It was not referred to as phone hacking - that phrase did not exist then."

'Pet phone hacker'

But he told the court he initially did not want a job there to be the journalists' "pet phone hacker" when he wanted to do more investigations work.

Evans told the court how he met senior figures at the NoW - who cannot be named for legal reasons - over "beers" to discuss his move to the paper, including his skills at "voicemail interception".

He turned this job down after being given a pay rise to stay at the Sunday Mirror.

However, he said when he did finally join the NoW, after three approaches: "I was bringing phone-hacking techniques and methodology and bringing a list of hacking targets, how voicemails could be intercepted and general skills to perpetuate that activity."

He added: "The methodology of screwing around with people's telephonic data was a pretty standard tool in the tabloid kit."

Earlier, actor Mr Law told the trial the media seemed to have "an unhealthy amount of information" about his life. He also said photographers would turn up at places where he had secretly arranged to take his children.

Jurors also heard the News of the World paid a relative to leak information about the Hollywood star.

The trial, which began at the end of October last year and is due to last until May, continues.

Payout for girl's glue injection

27 January 2014 Last updated at 15:27 GMT

Hospital payout for girl's glue injection

Maisha Najeeb was receiving an embolisation treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital

A 10-year-old girl who was left brain damaged after she was accidentally injected with glue in her brain is to receive a multimillion-pound payout.

Maisha Najeeb was undergoing a treatment which involved injecting glue to block off bleeding blood vessels.

During the procedure at Great Ormond Street Hospital in June 2010, a dye was meant to be injected into an artery in her brain to check her blood flow.

The two syringes got mixed up leading to Maisha getting brain damage.

Judge William Birtles at London's High Court approved a settlement against Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust of a £2.8m lump sum.

The judge said that Maisha would also receive £383,000 a year until she turns 19, which would increase to £423,000 per year for as long as she lives. Some experts expect she will live into her 60s.

'Tragic mistake '

Maisha had a rare medical condition, which involved arteries and veins getting tangled, which could result in a bleed, but she was healthy when she entered the London hospital, the High Court heard.

Previously Maisha had successfully received the embolisation treatment, but on this occasion there was no procedure to distinguish between the syringe with glue and the syringe with the harmless dye.

The glue was wrongly injected into an artery to Maisha's brain, causing permanent brain damage, the court heard.

The trust, which admitted liability for Maisha's injuries, apologised unreservedly for the shortcomings in her care.

Neil Block QC, said: "We can't wind the clock back. We hope there are now systems and procedures in place to ensure such a tragic mistake cannot be made again."

He also praised Maisha's parents for engaging with the trust, saying this meant that the hospital could learn from what happened and make improvements.

'Life ruined'

Maisha's father Sadir, from Ilford, Essex, said the family were "devastated" by what had happened.

"Her life is ruined. All her dreams have been broken," he said.

"I hope that by bringing this case, lessons will have been learned to avoid this happening to other families.

The compensation will be spent on care and accommodation for Maisha, who needs assistance with all daily tasks, is in a wheelchair and has lost the vast majority of her bodily and cognitive abilities.