Pistorius 'on stumps when shooting'

19 March 2014 Last updated at 09:50

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Captain Christian Mangena said Pistorius was most likely not wearing his prosthetic legs when he shot Reeva Steenkamp

A key police ballistics expert said Oscar Pistorius was not wearing his prosthetic legs when he shot his girlfriend, as the athlete's trial continued in South Africa.

The police officer was giving evidence on the trajectory of the bullets which killed Reeva Steenkamp.

Mr Pistorius denies murdering the model on Valentine's Day 2013, saying he thought she was an intruder.

The prosecution says he intentionally shot her after an argument.

On day 13 of the trial, Captain Christian Mangena said analysis of the crime scene and his subsequent tests suggested that Mr Pistorius was not wearing the prostheses when he fired the fatal shots.

Correspondents say whether or not Mr Pistorius was on his prosthetic limbs when he fired his gun is important because it lends support to the defence team's insistence that the shooting was not premeditated.

Capt Mangena also said that while he had not been able to determine the exact distance, the evidence pointed to the shots having been fired from a position greater than 60cm (23 inches) away from the toilet door but no further than 3m.

Correspondents say this is in line with the athlete's testimony that he pulled the trigger while standing at the entrance to the bathroom.

Explaining the trajectory of the bullets, Capt Mangena said that Ms Steenkamp, 29, was standing up in the toilet cubicle when she was hit in the right hip by the first of four bullets.

He said she then fell backwards before being hit in the arm and the head by the last two bullets fired by Mr Pistorius through the wooden door as she crossed both hands over her head to protect herself.

Double tap?

Contradicting the athlete's testimony that the shots had been fired in close succession, Capt Mangena said there had been a short break between the first and second shots and that the second bullet missed Ms Steenkamp.

Correspondents said this corroborates the evidence given by a neighbour who said that she heard a shot, then a pause, then three further shots.

But defence lawyer Barry Roux contested Capt Mangena's evidence on the timing, maintaining that the bullets could have been fired in quick succession using a "double tap" technique - where the trigger is pulled in quick succession.

Capt Mangena insisted this was "impossible", saying that if this had been the case then Ms Steenkamp's wounds would have been in the same area of her body.

The trial is expected to call on more than 100 witnesses. It had been set to last for three weeks, but looks likely to be extended.

There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.

If found guilty, the 27-year-old - a national sporting hero and double amputee dubbed the "blade runner" because of the prosthetic limbs he wears to race - could face life imprisonment.

INTERACTIVE

• ×
• ×

  Mr Pistorius said in his statement at the start of the trial that he woke in the early hours and walked on his stumps to the balcony, pulled in two fans, closed the sliding door and drew curtains. He said that shortly before he had spoken to Reeva, who was in bed beside him.

  He said he rejected prosecution claims that a witness heard arguing coming from the house before the shooting.

• ×

  Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had entered the bathroom through a window which was not fitted with burglar bars.

  "Unbeknown to me, Reeva must have gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time I brought in the fans," he said.

  Mr Pistorius said he approached the bathroom armed with his firearm, to defend himself and his girlfriend, believing Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.

• ×

  Both sides agree four bullets were fired. Ms Steenkamp was hit three times.

  Mr Pistorius said he fired his weapon after hearing a noise in the toilet which he thought was the intruder coming out of the toilet to attack him and Ms Steenkamp.

  He said he was in a fearful state, knowing he was on his stumps and unable to run away or properly defend himself.

  Mr Pistorius said he rejected claims that he was on his prostheses when he shot at the door.

  A witness told the trial she woke to hear a woman screaming and a man shouting for help. She said that after the screams she heard four shots.

• ×

  At his bail hearing last year, Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom after shooting at the toilet door, then noticed Ms Steenkamp was not in bed.

  Mr Pistorius said he then realised she could have been in the toilet.

• ×

  Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bathroom but the toilet was locked, so he returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs, turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door with a cricket bat.

  Forensics expert Johannes Vermeulen told the court that the height of the marks on the door caused by the cricket bat suggest Mr Pistorius was on his stumps at the time.

• ×

  Mr Pistorius's defence team has said he then called security at the gated housing complex and a private paramedic service before carrying Ms Steenkamp downstairs.

  But security guard Pieter Baba told the trial he had called Mr Pistorius first, in response to neighbours' reports of gunfire, and not the other way round.

  He said Mr Pistorius had told him: "Everything is fine," before calling him back a few minutes later and crying down the phone.

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Missing plane frustration boils over

19 March 2014 Last updated at 10:46

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Relatives were forcibly removed while trying to speak to journalists at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur

Frustration with the search for flight MH370, boiled over into chaotic scenes as Chinese relatives were dragged away from journalists.

They were attempting to speak to Chinese journalists outside the daily press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

A BBC reporter was also pushed away from the relatives carrying banners criticising the handling of the case.

In the briefing, Malaysia's acting Transport Minister dismissed reports the plane was spotted in the Maldives.

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The BBC's Jonah Fisher faced a wall of police when trying to speak to relatives after the news conference in Kuala Lumpur

Hishammuddin Hussein also said the authorities had carried out background checks into almost all the passengers and crew of the plane, but had so far found no information of significance.

"We have received passengers' background checks from all countries apart from Ukraine and Russia," he told reporters. There were two Ukranians and one Russian on the plane.

In the briefing, it was also revealed that some data had been deleted from the flight simulator found at the home of one of the pilots, although it was not made clear if that was thought to be significant.

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Pro-Russians storm Crimea naval base

19 March 2014 Last updated at 10:48

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Watch: Activists replace flags at the Sevastapol navy base with Russian ones

Pro-Russian activists, some armed, have stormed the HQ of Ukraine's navy in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

Several Ukrainian servicemen have left, the Russia flag is flying and there are reports that Ukrainian navy chief Serhiy Hayduk has been detained.

It comes a day after Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russia absorbing the peninsula into Russia.

Sunday's disputed referendum, which officials say backed splitting from Ukraine, has been widely condemned.

Crimean and Russian officials say the vote showed overwhelming public support for joining Russia, with 97% of voters in favour.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Nobody should be under any illusions. The crisis in the Crimea is the most significant drama to hit the Euro-Atlantic area since the end of the Cold War.

But the West and the Ukrainian government in Kiev say the referendum - organised in two weeks and boycotted by many of Crimea's Ukrainian and Tatar minorities - was illegal, and the results will not be recognised.

On Wednesday, Russia's constitutional court approved the treaty as legal.

The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says there is no doubt that parliament will also give its full backing to the treaty when it votes on Friday.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh has reportedly been ordered to head to Crimea amid the rising tensions.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Crimea's Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, who is in Moscow, as saying: "Nobody will let them into Crimea, they will be sent back."

Servicemen leaving

An officer inside the Sevastopol base told the BBC that some 200 pro-Russian activists had broken down the gates and gone inside, using an ambulance car.

The senior Ukrainian officer at the scene was negotiating with them, he said.

Later, there were reports that Ukrainian navy chief Serhiy Hayduk had been detained and taken away from the base by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

A number of Ukrainian servicemen were seen leaving the base. There have been no reports of clashes or shots being fired.

Continue reading the main story

Crisis timeline

• 21 Nov 2013: President Viktor Yanukovych abandons an EU deal
• Dec: Pro-EU protesters occupy Kiev city hall and Independence Square
• 20-21 Feb 2014: At least 88 people killed in Kiev clashes
• 22 Feb: Mr Yanukovych flees; parliament removes him and calls election
• 27-28 Feb: Pro-Russian gunmen seize key buildings in Crimea. Parliament, under siege, appoints pro-Moscow Sergei Aksyonov a PM
• 6 Mar: Crimea's parliament votes to join Russia
• 16 Mar: Crimea voters choose to secede in disputed referendum
• 17 Mar: Crimean parliament declares independence and formally applies to join Russia
• 18 Mar: Russian and Crimean leaders sign deal in Moscow to join the region to Russia

The port city of Sevastopol is home to the Russian Black Sea fleet.

Ukrainian navy spokesman Sergiy Bogdanov told AFP news agency: "There are about 200 of them, some wearing balaclavas.

"They are unarmed and no shots have been fired from our side. The officers have barricaded themselves inside the building," he said.

He said even though Kiev had authorised the military to use force in Crimea in self-defence "we are not doing so and will not do so".

Reports are also emerging of a similar incident at a Ukrainian navy base in Novo-Ozyorne, western Crimea.

Ukrainian defence ministry spokesman Vladyslav Seleznev said a tractor had rammed the gates of the compound and pro-Russians had entered the base.

Sanctions 'consequences'

On Monday, the US and the EU imposed sanctions on several officials from Russia and Ukraine accused of involvement in Moscow's actions in Crimea.

Brussels and the White House have said the sanctions will be expanded now that the treaty on Crimea has been signed.

Moscow has warned this is "unacceptable and will not remain without consequences".

The Ukrainian crisis began last November after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych ditched an EU association agreement in favour of stronger ties with Moscow.

He fled Ukraine on 22 February after protests in which more than 80 people were killed.

Crimea has been part of Ukraine since 1954 but has a predominantly ethnic Russian population.

Pro-Russian forces effectively took control of the peninsula in late February and gunmen seized buildings, including the parliament.

The prime minister was removed from office on 27 February by a vote of no confidence and replaced by pro-Moscow Sergei Aksyonov, leader of the small Russian Unity party, who called the referendum.

Are you in the region? Email us haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Crimea' in the subject heading and include your contact details.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Zuma 'benefited from home upgrade'

19 March 2014 Last updated at 11:16

South Africa's top corruption fighter has said President Jacob Zuma has "benefited unduly" from using state money to improve his rural residence.

The changes to Mr Zuma's private home, including a pool and cattle enclosure, cost taxpayers $23m (£13.8m).

In a 400-page report, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela accused Mr Zuma of unethical conduct.

She said that Mr Zuma, who faces re-election in May, should repay costs for some of the unnecessary renovations.

The refurbishment of the residence in Nkandla in Mr Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal has turned into a major political controversy in South Africa.

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Many killed by Afghan suicide bomber

18 March 2014 Last updated at 07:55

A suicide bomb attack in northern Afghanistan has killed at least 15 people including women and children, officials have told the BBC.

Another 27 were wounded in the attack in Maymana, the capital of Faryab province, provincial governor Mohammadullah Batash said.

The bomber is believed to have detonated his explosives near the entrance to a busy market.

The attack comes as Afghans prepare to hold presidential elections on 5 April.

No group has so far said it carried out the bombing.

However, Taliban insurgents and the al-Qaeda affiliated group the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are active in the volatile region.

'Huge bang'

Mr Batash said the attacker had been riding a three-wheel motorcycle when he detonated his explosives.

"It was a local market day. Hundreds of local farmers and villagers bring their produce. All of those killed and injured are civilians," he said.

Witness Sayed Agha, 43, told the BBC: "I was busy buying bread when I heard a huge bang. I saw dead bodies and blood all around me."

Correspondents say security is likely to be severely tested during the election, where candidates include warlords and former guerrilla leaders from the civil war in the 1990s.

The Taliban have threatened to target anyone who takes part in the polls.

In recent days, the country's election commission has closed 396 polling centres in 15 provinces citing security concerns, says the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul.

The majority were closed in Faryab province, our correspondent adds.

The last remaining contingent of Nato-led forces is due to leave the country by the end of the year, having handed over security to Afghan forces.

The United Nations says 2,959 civilians were killed and 5,656 wounded in Afghanistan last year, a 14% rise from the previous year.

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China begins land search for plane

18 March 2014 Last updated at 08:30

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The BBC's Richard Westcott tracks the final communications of MH370

China says it has started searching its territory for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, while Australia has narrowed its search area in the south.

Efforts to find the aircraft are focusing on two vast air corridors north and south of the plane's last known location.

China said no evidence of terror links had been found in Chinese passengers.

The plane went missing on 8 March with 239 people on board. Some 26 countries are involved in search efforts.

Malaysia says the plane was intentionally diverted and could have flown on either a northern or southern arc from its last known position in the Malacca Straits.

Search efforts are focused on two corridors - one stretching from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, and another from Indonesia to the Indian Ocean.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the aircraft's crew - or other individuals on the plane - were involved in its disappearance.

A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board the missing aircraft, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Huang Huikang said that search and rescue operations in the Chinese territories of the northern corridor had begun, Xinhua news agency reported.

Based on background checks, there was no evidence to suggest that the mainland Chinese passengers on the plane were involved in hijacking or launching a terror attack, Mr Huang added.

China said it had also deployed 21 satellites to help with the search.

'Needle in a haystack'

Meanwhile, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said it had narrowed down its search area in the southern Indian Ocean based on satellite data and analysis of the aircraft's possible movements.

However, Amsa said the search area was still vast.

"A needle in a haystack remains a good analogy," Amsa Emergency Response General Manager John Young said, adding that there was a "difficult" task ahead.

"The sheer size of the search area poses a huge challenge - the search area is more than 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq miles)," he added.

Late on Monday, US officials said the US navy ship USS Kidd had been taken off the search because the enlarged search area meant that "long-range patrol aircraft" were "more suited" to the mission.

The move was made "in consultation with the Malaysian government", officials said in a statement. USS Kidd had searched the Andaman Sea but found "no debris or wreckage associated with an aircraft", they added.

The US says it is using patrol aircraft including the P-8A Poseidon and P-3C Orion to continue search efforts, with the P-8 taking part in search efforts in the south corridor.

'Breaches rejected'

The Malaysia Airlines plane left Kuala Lumpur at 00:40 local time (16:40 GMT) on 8 March. The last transmission from the plane's Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was received at 01:07.

A transmission expected 30 minutes later did not come through, Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahy told reporters. Officials believe the communications systems were deliberately disabled.

The last words from the plane - "all right, good night" - were believed to have been said by co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid to air traffic controllers at 01:19 as the plane left Malaysian airspace.

It then disappeared from air traffic controllers' screens at 01:21, when it was over the South China Sea, but was last spotted by military radar at 02:15 over the Malacca Straits - the opposite direction from its planned flight path.

Satellite communication at 08:11 showed that the plane could have continued flying for a further seven hours in a northern or southern arc.

Several countries have already rejected the suggestion that their airspace might have been breached, the BBC's Jonah Fisher in Kuala Lumpur reports.

After 11 days of a huge multinational investigation and search, almost all options for the fate of flight MH370 are still being considered, our correspondent adds.

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Putin moves towards annexing Crimea

18 March 2014 Last updated at 11:04

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Ukraine puts on a "show" to illustrate its military readiness, as Chris Morris reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed parliament formally of Crimea's request to join the country, the first legislative step towards absorbing the peninsula.

Mr Putin, who officially recognised Crimean independence on Monday, also approved a draft bill on the accession.

Crimean officials say 97% of voters backed splitting from Ukraine in Sunday's controversial referendum.

The EU and US have declared the vote illegal and imposed sanctions.

Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed on government officials and other figures in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine.

France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris had cancelled planned ministerial defence and foreign relations talks due to take place in Moscow on Tuesday, saying they would have been "ill-timed".

Ukraine's foreign ministry, meanwhile, has issued a "decisive and categorical protest" against Russia's actions, saying they fell short of Russia's international commitments.

Continue reading the main story

Crisis timeline

• 21 Nov 2013: President Viktor Yanukovych abandons an EU deal
• Dec: Pro-EU protesters occupy Kiev city hall and Independence Square
• 20-21 Feb 2014: At least 88 people killed in Kiev clashes
• 22 Feb: Mr Yanukovych flees; parliament removes him and calls election
• 27-28 Feb: Pro-Russian gunmen seize key buildings in Crimea
• 6 Mar: Crimea's parliament votes to join Russia
• 16 Mar: Crimea voters choose to secede in disputed referendum
• 17 Mar: Crimean parliament declares independence and formally applies to join Russia

In a bid to encourage loyalty among Ukraine's other mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east and west, Ukraine's interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Tuesday that Kiev was prepared to grant them "the broadest range of powers".

In a pre-recorded address on Ukraine's 5 Kanal TV - delivered in Russian - Mr Yatsenyuk said the reforms would give cities the right to run their own police forces and make decisions about education and culture.

The peninsula was taken over by pro-Russian forces in late February after Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia following months of protests, though Russia has always insisted the troops are not under its direct control.

Kiev is also concerned about a build-up of Russian troops on its eastern borders, and has authorised the partial mobilisation of 40,000 troops.

Ratification

Mr Putin is addressing a special session of Russia's two houses of parliament at St George's Hall at the Kremlin. A delegation of Crimea's new leaders is also there.

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Vladimir Putin will address Russia's parliament about the situation in Crimea later

Russian news website Gazeta.ru, quoting sources, says that after the speech, President Putin and the speaker of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, are expected to sign an agreement on Crimea's "entry into the Russian Federation".

Having approved the draft bill, Mr Putin has told MPs "to consider it practical to sign the agreement at the highest level," Russia's Interfax news agency reports.

Once signed, the bill must be approved by the constitutional court and then ratified by parliament.

The process is likely to be completed this week, after which Crimea is expected to be considered a new part of the Russian Federation, with the status of a republic.

In a sign of the wider impact of the Crimean referendum, parliament in the breakaway Moldovan region of Trans-Dniester announced on Tuesday that it too had appealed to Moscow for the right to join Russia, reports said

Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti said any Russian moves to accept Trans-Dniester "would be a step in the wrong direction".

Sanctions

Crimea was transferred from Russia to Ukraine while under Soviet rule in 1954 and much of its population is ethnic Russian.

The results of Sunday's referendum were celebrated by many Crimeans, but the vote was widely criticised by Western leaders and at the UN.

Continue reading the main story

Selection of officials targeted

• Dmitry Rogozin - Russian deputy PM (US)
• Valentina Matviyenko - head of Russia's upper house (US)
• Sergei Aksyonov - acting PM of Crimea (US and EU)
• Vladimir Konstantinov - speaker of Crimean parliament (US and EU)
• Viktor Yanukovych - former Ukrainian president (US)
• Andrei Klishas - member of Russia's upper house (US and EU)
• Leonid Slutsky - head of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) parliamentary committee in Russia (US and EU)
• Sergei Zheleznyak - deputy speaker of Russia's state Duma (EU)
• Alexsandr Vitko - commander of Black Sea Fleet (EU)

US executive order on sanctions

Full list of EU sanctions

Voters had been asked to choose between joining Russia or having greater autonomy within Ukraine. There was no option for those who wanted the constitutional arrangements to remain unchanged.

Many among Crimea's ethnic Ukrainians and Tatars - together making up about a third of the population - had said they would boycott the vote.

The Tatars were driven from Crimea under the Soviet Union, only being able to return after the collapse of the USSR. They have expressed fears of persecution under Russia.

On Monday, the EU and US published separate lists of sanctions in response to Moscow's intervention. Both included Crimea's acting leader, Sergei Aksyonov, and speaker Mr Konstantinov.

But the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says the sanctions have largely been dismissed in Russia, including by those they targeted.

Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin's senior foreign policy adviser, told Russian media the measures "provoke only feelings of irony and sarcasm".

Despite the condemnation, Mr Putin seems intent on pushing ahead very quickly with the annexation of Crimea, our correspondent adds.

Are you in Crimea or the wider region? What are your thoughts on recent events? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject heading 'Crimea'.

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Stones axe concert over Scott death

18 March 2014 Last updated at 11:16

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Mick Jagger is said to be "shocked and devastated", as Nick Bryant reports

The Rolling Stones have cancelled the first date of their Australian tour after the death of Sir Mick Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott.

The celebrated US fashion designer was found dead in her New York flat on Monday, in an apparent suicide.

The British band were due to play in Perth on Wednesday. Their promoter said no further information was available.

They are scheduled to play five more concerts in Australia. The next is due to take place on 22 March in Adelaide.

The BBC's Phil Mercer said ticket holders for Wednesday's gig were being asked to hold on to their tickets until a further update is available.

Scott, who was believed to be 49, was found by her assistant at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Monday.

Stones frontman Sir Mick said he was "completely shocked and devastated" by her death.

The Stones are due to perform in Sydney, Melbourne and Macedon later this month before playing two dates in Brisbane and Auckland, New Zealand, in April.

The On Fire tour is then scheduled to move to Europe in June, with concerts planned for the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Belgium.

Sir Mick, 70, began dating Scott in 2001.

On Monday night, a spokesman for the singer issued a statement to deny a report that he had recently ended his relationship with the designer.

"The story in the New York Post re: a split between Mick Jagger and L'Wren Scott is 100% untrue," said his spokeswoman, Victoria Scarfone.

"There is absolutely no basis in fact to this story. It is a horrible and inaccurate piece of gossip during this very tragic time for Mick."

The UK's Press Complaints Commission (PCC) told the BBC it had received a small number of complaints from the public over images published which apparently showed an upset Sir Mick at the time he was told Scott had died.

It is understood the singer has not yet complained personally, but the PCC would deal with the matter in due course.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and singer Madonna were among those who were fans of the designer.

Scott was found dead by her assistant 90 minutes after sending her a text message asking to come to her Manhattan apartment without specifying why, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Police said there was no sign of foul play and no note was found.

Naomi Campbell said Scott was "the epitome of elegance and femininity".

Anna Wintour described Scott as "a total perfectionist... always unbelievably generous, gracious, kind and so much fun."

She added: "Her old world American manners and charm were from another time, but her sensibility was always fiercely modern."

Madonna wrote in a statement: "This is a horrible and tragic loss. I'm so upset. I loved L'Wren's work and she was always so generous with me."

Actress Nicole Kidman, said to be a friend of many years, was "heartbroken and in shock right now and unable to say anything", according to a spokeswoman.

Bianca Jagger, one of Sir Mick's former wives, tweeted: "Heartbroken to learn of the loss of the lovely and talented L'Wren Scott. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. May she rest in peace."

According to its last UK filing Scott's firm, LS Fashion Limited, owed creditors about $7.6m (£4.6m), as of 31 December 2012. It had assets of $1.7m.

Scott's death comes a month after she cancelled a show at London Fashion Week, saying production delays had left key pieces unready for the show.

Scott, born Luann Bambrough, was raised by Mormon adoptive parents in the US state of Utah.

The 6ft 3in (1.9m) tall former model began her career in Paris, then moved to Los Angeles to become a fashion stylist, according to a biography on her company's website.

She founded her own high-end fashion label in 2006 and created a more affordable line of clothes with Banana Republic.

Scott had dressed actresses such as Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Jessica Parker and Angelina Jolie for red carpet events.

She was also a costume consultant for films such as Ocean's Thirteen and Eyes Wide Shut.

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Turkey braced for coma boy's funeral

12 March 2014 Last updated at 10:15

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The BBC's Selin Girit witnesses Tuesday night's clashes in Istanbul

Thousands of people have gathered in Istanbul for the funeral of a teenage boy who died nine months after being injured during Turkish anti-government protests.

Berkin Elvan's death on Tuesday led to protests in cities across the country.

President Abdullah Gul has appealed for calm ahead of his funeral.

Berkin was injured while walking to buy bread in Istanbul in June. He was hit on the head by a tear gas canister at the height of the unrest.

Correspondents say his 269 days in a coma gripped the country and became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Crowds of mourners began arriving early on Wednesday in the streets near an Alevi Muslim prayer hall, known as a Cemevi, in the Okmeydan area of Istanbul.

After his funeral at the Cemevi, a march is due to take place in the centre of the city. News of his death - the eighth linked to mass anti-government protests - triggered demonstrations in several Turkish cities the previous day.

In Ankara, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse some 2,000 protesters who chanted: "Government of Erdogan, government of corruption, resign, resign."

Police pursued the protesters into side streets where small clashes continued.

There was similar police action against thousands of protesters on both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul and in the cities of Mersin and Adana.

'Fabricated'

The June protests started as a gathering to save an Istanbul park, but they quickly grew into a nationwide movement against the government of Mr Erdogan, which critics say has become increasingly authoritarian and corrupt.

The sons of three former cabinet ministers have been arrested and accused of corruption, while Mr Erdogan himself has condemned as fabricated an audio recording that appears to show him talking to his son about hiding large sums of money.

He said last month that the recording, allegedly tapped and then posted on social media, was a "treacherous attack".

It appears to reveal Mr Erdogan asking his son Bilal to dispose of millions of euros in cash from a house.

The prime minister says the corruption allegations are part of a plot to unseat him by US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally whose is thought to have millions of followers in Turkey.

President Gul sent a message of condolence to Elvan's family in which he said that Turkey was going through difficult days and that the "mind of the state has become overwhelmed by anger and hatred".

"This atmosphere of hatred is undermining society's need for love and peace and efforts to understand one another," he said. "Little 15-year old Berkin Elvan is the latest victim of this atmosphere."

After Berkin's death was announced, his mother appeared outside Okmeydani hospital and was quickly surrounded by mourners. Tributes appeared on social media and hundreds of people gathered to show their anger.

Riot police soon arrived at the scene and protesters attacked one of their vehicles.

BBC Turkish correspondent Rengin Arslan said many in the crowd believed the police had not turned up at the hospital to ensure the safety of mourners but to make things worse.

Further protests were reported in the coastal cities of Antalya and Izmir and in the capital, Ankara, where students boycotted classes and staged sit-ins.

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Russia 'refuses to talk to Ukraine'

12 March 2014 Last updated at 07:42

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Steve Rosenberg in eastern Ukraine, close to the Russian border: ''This region could be the next flashpoint''

Russia's leaders are refusing all negotiations with their Ukrainian counterparts, Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said.

He told AFP news agency that Ukraine would not intervene militarily in Crimea, even though a secession referendum there was a "sham".

Meanwhile interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is travelling to the US to meet President Barack Obama.

On Thursday he is due to address the UN Security Council in New York.

'A provocation'

"We cannot launch a military operation in Crimea, as we would expose the eastern border [close to Russia] and Ukraine would not be protected," Mr Turchynov told AFP.

He said that Sunday's referendum in Crimea - in which people on the peninsula will decide whether or not to become part of Russia - was "a provocation" that would be boycotted by most people.

"The Russian forces don't intend to hold a referendum, they're just going to falsify the results," he said.

The president said that at the same time the Russian government was refusing to enter into any dialogue with Ukraine.

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There has been a call for the release of missing Ukrainians

"Unfortunately, for now Russia is rejecting a diplomatic solution to the conflict," he told AFP.

Mr Turchynov earlier on Tuesday called for the creation of a national guard and provide support to troops.

He said that the force would include volunteers with military experience who would be on guard against external and internal aggression.

Teetering economy

The president was speaking as Moscow announced more military exercises involving 4,000 paratroopers - apparently the biggest such exercise in 20 years.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk flies to the US on Wednesday and is scheduled to meet President Obama on the same day in the White House.

Correspondents say that Mr Yatsenyuk is likely to discuss the details of a $35bn (£21bn) aid package he says that Ukraine's teetering economy needs to stay afloat over the next two years.

The BBC's Mark Mardell in Washington says President Obama is likely to use the meeting to again call on the Russians to return their troops to base, support elections in May and enter into direct negotiations with Ukraine's government.

In other developments:

• An adviser to Ukrainian presidential hopeful Vitali Klitschko has warned that if Crimea is annexed by Russia, European security will "go up in flames"
• The European Commission on Tuesday offered Ukraine trade incentives worth nearly 500m euros ($694m; £417m) to stabilise the country's crisis-hit economy
• Ukrainian troops remain blockaded in their bases by armed men across Crimea
• Intense diplomatic efforts to settle the crisis diplomatically are continuing, with US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov speaking by telephone on Tuesday
• At a news conference in Russia on Tuesday, ousted President Yanukovych described the new Ukrainian authorities as a "gang of fascists" and says presidential elections set for 25 May are "illegal"
• A number of flights from Crimea's main airport in Simferopol have been cancelled amid reports that pro-Moscow militia have taken over air traffic control

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