World Bank stalls $90m Uganda loan

27 February 2014 Last updated at 20:28 ET

The World Bank has postponed a $90m (£54m) loan to Uganda over its tough new anti-gay law that has drawn criticism from around the world.

World Bank officials said they wanted to guarantee the projects the loan was destined to support were not going to be adversely affected by the new law.

The loan was intended to boost Uganda's health services.

The new law, enacted on Monday, strengthens already strict legislation relating to homosexuals in the country.

It allows life imprisonment as the penalty for acts of "aggravated homosexuality" and also criminalises the "promotion" of homosexuality".

Elimination of discrimination

The law has been sharply criticised by the West, with donors such as Denmark and Norway saying they would redirect aid away from the government to aid agencies.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the law "atrocious". Both he and South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu compared it to anti-Semitic laws in Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa.

A spokesman for the World Bank said: "We have postponed the project for further review to ensure that the development objectives would not be adversely affected by the enactment of this new law."

The loan was supposed to be approved on Thursday to supplement a 2010 loan that focused on maternal health, newborn care and family planning.

The World Bank's action is the largest financial penalty incurred on the Ugandan authorities since the law went into force on Monday.

In an editorial for the Washington Post, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim warned that legislation restricting sexual rights "can hurt a country's competitiveness by discouraging multinational companies from investing or locating their activities in those nations".

He said the World Bank would discuss how such discrimination "would affect our projects and our gay and lesbian staff members".

In his view, he adds, fighting "to eliminate all institutionalized discrimination is an urgent task".

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the anti-gay bill earlier this week, despite international criticism.

Ugandan authorities have defended the decision, saying President Museveni wanted "to demonstrate Uganda's independence in the face of Western pressure and provocation".

Uganda is a very conservative society, where many people oppose homosexuality.

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Crackdown on fake shares fraudsters

28 February 2014 Last updated at 01:00 ET By Danny Shaw Home affairs correspondent, BBC News

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The worldwide operation was led by City of London police, Robert Hall reports

Criminal gangs who trick people into investing in worthless shares have been targeted by police in the biggest ever international crackdown on the fraud.

The operation resulted in 110 arrests - mostly in Spain and the UK.

Police targeted the masterminds and facilitators of the "boiler room" fraud - so-called because of the cramped conditions they work from.

There are 850 confirmed victims of the gangs in the UK, but the real figure is likely to be in the "multi-thousands".

Detectives say the aim of the two-year investigation, codenamed Operation Rico, is to "decimate" boiler room fraud in Europe.

They believe it is the biggest ever operation against the crime.

Operation Rico, which culminated in a series of raids this week, was led by City of London Police.

Commander Steve Head, who is the national economic crime co-ordinator, said: "It is our most important investigation ever, targeting people we believe are at the top of an organised crime network that has been facilitating boiler rooms across Europe and which is suspected of being responsible for millions of pounds of investment fraud."

Among those under investigation were 10 "tier one criminals" with alleged links to organised crime and drugs, detectives said. Nine of them are British; one is South African.

Continue reading the main story

This is us seeking to decimate a crime type"

End Quote Detective Inspector James Clancey City of London Police

The operation - supported by Spanish police - involved the UK's National Crime Agency and the US Secret Service.

"This is a landmark both from an investigative perspective and in terms of our close working partnership with other law enforcement agencies, most notably the Policía Nacional," said Commander Head.

Eighty-four arrests were made in Spain - where most of the boiler rooms are believed to be based - in raids involving 300 police officers, 40 of them from the UK.

Twenty people were detained in Britain, two in the US, four in Serbia.

Police released photographs of a Ferrari and a Ford Mustang seized in Marbella, and an Aston Martin recovered in Barcelona.

Detective Inspector James Clancey, from City of London Police, who was based in Spain for the operation, said: "This is us seeking to decimate a crime type."

Police say victims of the boiler room gangs have lost sums ranging from £2,000 to £500,000.

Those who are targeted are usually vulnerable or have a history of share investment, particularly in privatised utilities in the 1980s and 90s.

Most of them are aged 40 and over, with many in their 70s and 80s. Police say some killed themselves because of the financial problems they got into.

Fraudsters cold-call their victims, applying "high-pressure sales techniques" and "confidence tricks" to persuade them to part with their money.

They are offered returns of 10 to 20% per year, directed to authentic-looking websites and glossy brochures and asked to invest in bonds in well-known firms or in other companies that are officially registered.

Initially, they may receive "dividends" to give them confidence their investment is paying off but never receive any more or get their money back.

One of the victims, a woman in her late 70s, invested £23,000 in carbon credits.

She was then persuaded by another salesman to borrow money to buy £140,000 of shares in gold. She never recovered the money.

"I foolishly trusted him," she told BBC News, adding: "My generation is not very streetwise - because we never had to be."

Another victim, a 72-year-old man from the Midlands, said he and his wife had been "scammed out of our entire life savings".

He said that, in the weeks after realising what had happened, "we hardly slept or ate".

"It is still very raw to us both and we both have bad days when it is all we can think about," he added.

The Financial Conduct Authority has estimated that as much as £200m is lost to boiler room frauds in Britain every year.

The biggest individual loss recorded by police was £6 million.

Officers say the fraudsters spend their proceeds on Rolex watches, Armani suits, fast cars and flashy apartments.

Some are involved in drug dealing and attend drugs parties.

Avoiding detection

Each boiler room network is believed to have an accountant, money launderer and lawyer, as well as people who do the "sales".

These tend to be university students or travellers who speak English, including some from Scandinavia, who have answered adverts for salespeople.

They use false names and build up a "legend" - a cover story and false history.

"They're young people who want to earn good commission and want to drink themselves into the ground," said DI Clancey.

Operation Rico is the first time there has been a multi-agency and cross-border investigation against different networks of boiler room fraudsters. Previously there was more of a piecemeal approach.

However, despite some successes, criminals had become adept at avoiding detection by frequently moving offices and wiping computers.

DI Clancey said the Spanish authorities were fully behind the operation. "The Spanish want to drive it out of Spain - it's tainting them," he said.

Detectives acknowledge that boiler room fraudsters will not disappear but they are more likely to operate in future in the more "hostile" environments of Thailand, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

Police have urged anyone who may have been scammed to call the Action Fraud line on 0300 123 2040.

Anyone with any information about these crimes can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Myanmar suspends MSF work in Rakhine

28 February 2014 Last updated at 04:50 ET

The Myanmar government has suspended the operations of one of the biggest aid agencies working in violence-hit Rakhine state.

Speaking to the BBC, a presidential spokesman alleged that Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) was biased in favour of Rakhine's Muslim Rohingya minority.

MSF is one of the biggest providers of healthcare in Rakhine.

It provides emergency assistance to tens of thousands of Rohingya people displaced by recent violence.

It also administers extensive HIV and anti-malaria programmes.

Rakhine state - in the west of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma - has seen several outbreaks of violence targeting the Rohingya since June 2012.

Continue reading the main story

Aid agencies in Rakhine state face a difficult choice. Keep quiet in a situation some have described as close to apartheid or speak out and risk infuriating the Buddhist majority.

Most have opted to keep their heads down, reasoning that their priority is to try and assist the most needy. Medecins Sans Frontieres have not, and consistently raise issues of access and the dire conditions in camps for displaced Rohingya.

With MSF already unpopular among Rakhine Buddhists, in January there was an incident which may have directly led to their suspension. A massacre is alleged to have taken place of Rohingya Muslims near the border with Bangladesh.

Two narratives quickly emerged, with the UN claiming that as many as 48 people may have died, while the Burmese authorities said there had been no casualties.

Then much to the annoyance of the government, MSF confirmed that their medics had treated 22 patients near the site of the alleged attack.

It suggested something serious had happened and may have been the final straw for MSF. Presidential spokesman Ye Htut told me their actions had clearly demonstrated their bias towards what he called the Bengalis.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled their homes for temporary camps.

MSF is one of the few agencies that provides treatment for Rohingya who would otherwise be turned away from clinics and hospitals, the BBC's Jonah Fisher reports from Yangon.

The government says that MSF has prioritised the treatment of the Rohingya community over local Buddhists.

The final straw may well have been MSF's statement a month ago that they had treated people after an alleged massacre of Muslims by Buddhists near the border with Bangladesh, our correspondent says.

The government's own investigation found there had been no casualties, our correspondent adds.

The move comes days after another rights group said it had evidence of institutionalised local government discrimination against Rohingya.

Fortify Rights said it had obtained leaked government documents setting out what amounted to "state policies of persecution" in Rakhine state.

The Rohingya people are considered stateless and are rejected by both Burma and neighbouring Bangladesh.

MSF was founded in Paris, France, in 1971, according to its website.

The non-profit, self-governed organisation "delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare", its website adds.

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Japan to examine sex slave apology

28 February 2014 Last updated at 05:37 ET

Japan will form a team to review the lead-up to a 1993 statement over its wartime use of sex slaves, its top spokesman says.

Yoshihide Suga said the team would "re-examine and understand the background [of the statement]".

The Kono statement acknowledged that women had been forced into sex slavery and that the Japanese military had been complicit in this.

A former leader has said any move to review the apology would be "absurd".

Some 200,000 women in territories occupied by Japan during World War Two are estimated to have been forced to become sex slaves for troops.

Many of the women came from China and South Korea, but also from the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.

The Kono statement - issued by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono in 1993 - acknowledged that women had been coerced, with the Japanese military involved in the establishment and management of the process.

This statement, which was viewed as a landmark apology, was based in part on evidence given by 16 Korean women.

Any move to revise the statement is likely to be met by anger from Japan's neighbours.

'Academic' review

The comments from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga came in a lower house budget committee session. He did not say whether Japan would issue a new statement following the review.

The issue was first raised last week, when Mr Suga said that a review "from an academic point of view" was desirable.

It came after a former senior official involved in drafting the statement said that the testimony of the 16 Korean women had not been independently verified.

Some conservatives in Japan have argued that the women, known euphemistically as "comfort women", were prostitutes - claims fiercely denied by the women and Japan's neighbours.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama has urged against any revision of the apology.

Speaking in Tokyo on Thursday, Mr Murayama, who was prime minister from June 1994 to January 1996, said that the Kono statement was based on evidence.

He also cautioned against any moves to revisit his historic 1995 statement to mark 50 years since the end of the war, which offered a "heartfelt apology" for actions during Japan's "colonial rule and aggression" which "caused tremendous damage and suffering".

"He [Japanese PM Shinzo Abe] cannot deny it, as the Murayama statement has been adopted by all prime ministers whether they are from the Liberal Democratic Party or Democratic Party of Japan," he said.

"In a sense, it is agreed by international communities and becomes a definition. It is unreasonable and impossible to deny it," said Mr Murayama.

Comments from Mr Abe in the past have suggested he could revisit this statement. Most recently, however, his spokesman has said that he will leave it alone and may instead issue a statement "that will suit the 21st Century".

Commemoration days

The news comes a day after China approved two national days to mark the Nanjing massacre and Tokyo's World War Two surrender.

Chinese lawmakers on Thursday approved 3 September as Victory Day and 13 December as a memorial day for Nanjing, Chinese state media said.

A Chinese spokeswoman said marking the days was "a necessity in current circumstances".

Mr Suga called the decision an internal affair of China's.

"I can't deny there is a question why they have to set up these commemoration days more than 60 years after the war," he said.

"But this is a domestic matter for China, so the government declines to comment on it."

Chinese state media said that national memorial activities would be held on the two days each year.

Ties between Japan and China have been severely hit by a territorial row over islands in the East China Sea.

A visit late last year by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Yasukuni Shrine - where Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals are honoured - also angered regional neighbours.

China accuses Japan of failing to adequately address its wartime actions. Japan says it has apologised many times - but recent controversial comments by senior Japanese figures have fuelled regional anger over alleged rewriting of history.

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Migrants storm into Spanish enclave

28 February 2014 Last updated at 06:02 ET

More than 200 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have broken into Spain's North African enclave of Melilla by scaling the border fence.

It is one of the biggest migrant surges into Melilla in recent years.

Many of the migrants suffered cuts scaling the fence. During the incident, migrants threw stones, sticks and bottles at police, officials say.

This month there have been similar mass break-ins in Melilla and Ceuta - another Spanish city in North Africa.

The break-in happened at about 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT) at Ben-Enzar, a crossing point on the Spain-Morocco border.

The migrants, many of whom said they were from Cameroon and Guinea, sang triumphantly as they made their way to the Melilla migrant reception centre, Spain's El Pais daily reported.

They are likely to be expelled from Melilla. The reception centre is already overcrowded - built for 480, it now houses 1,300 people, its manager Carlos Montero said.

On 6 February at least 14 migrants drowned when hundreds tried to swim into Ceuta.

The two Spanish territories have become a magnet for migrants seeking work or asylum in Europe.

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Cyprus bailout hit as bill fails

28 February 2014 Last updated at 06:06 ET

International efforts to bail out Cyprus' debt-laden economy have been thrown into doubt after its parliament rejected a key part of the plan.

As part of the 10bn-euro (£8.25bn; $13.7bn) deal with the EU and International Monetary Fund, lawmakers have until 5 March to pass a bill allowing state firms to be privatised.

But on Thursday, they threw it out, jeopardising the next tranche of cash.

The government says it will re-submit the bill with some amendments.

The deal was agreed in March last year in an attempt to stave off the collapse of Cyprus's banking sector and the wider economy.

It included moves to restructure the banks, along with other measures such as tax rises and privatisations.

Late on Thursday, the privatisation bill was narrowly defeated after parliament split 25-25 on the vote, with five abstentions. This meant the legislation failed to pass.

The vote took place as hundreds of people opposed to privatisation staged a protest outside the parliament building.

A government spokesman, Christos Stylanides, said the bill would be amended to reflect concerns over workers' rights after privatisation.

He said the new version would be submitted to the House of Representatives on Friday.

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MtGox files for bankruptcy

28 February 2014 Last updated at 06:08 ET

The MtGox bitcoin exchange has filed for bankruptcy protection, reports say.

The application was made in Japan by lawyers acting on behalf of the exchange and comes only days after MtGox went offline.

On Tuesday, the exchange's boss said he was working hard to find a "solution to our recent issues".

Before going offline, technical troubles meant it prevented customers transferring digital cash to other exchanges on 7 February.

Details of the bankruptcy are scant but the application for protection has been accepted by a district court in Tokyo, reported AFP. At the court hearing, the company said it had outstanding debts of about 6.5bn yen (£38m).

MtGox's lawyers are believed to have decided to apply to the court for protection after US regulators filed a subpoena against the company.

Reports suggested the site shut down after it discovered that an estimated 744,000 bitcoins - about $350m (£210m) - had been stolen due to a loophole in its security.

MtGox's troubles have put pressure on the price bitcoin owners can get for their holdings. Currently one bitcoin is worth about $561 (£334), a price far lower than the high of $1,000 per coin it hit in November 2013.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has banned its banks from from handling the crypto-currency saying the virtual cash is not legal tender. The country's state bank said trading in bitcoins carried "potential risks" for users.

At the same time, Japan's deputy finance minister said any regulation of bitcoin would have to involve international cooperation to avoid opening up loopholes that traders could exploit.

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'Russians occupy' Crimea airports

28 February 2014 Last updated at 06:53 ET

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Christian Fraser says barriers and armed men are blocking Sevastopol airport

Ukraine's interior minister has accused Russian naval forces of occupying Sevastopol airport in the region of Crimea.

Arsen Avakov called their presence an "armed invasion".

But Russia's Black Sea Fleet has denied that Russian servicemen are taking part.

The other main Crimean airport, Simferopol, has also been occupied by armed men, thought to be pro-Russia militia.

Continue reading the main story

At the Scene

Sevastopol is by name an international airport, but civilian flights stopped some years ago, and it is owned by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.

So it would be of no real consequence that soldiers are guarding a military base were it not for the fact no-one knows whose orders they are obeying.

There are roadblocks springing up from here to the administrative capital Simferopol.

The local parliament is in session there, but is sharing the municipal building with a paramilitary unit, and Simferopol airport is also under protection.

There are also signs of further military movements:

• The BBC has seen eight truck with the black plates of the Russian army - usually the type used to carry personnel - moving towards Simferopol
• There are unconfirmed Ukrainian reports of eight Russian military helicopters arriving in Sevastopol

The Ukrainian parliament has called on the United Nations Security Council to discuss the unfolding crisis in Crimea.

As Ukraine's currency slides, the central bank has put a 15,000 hryvnia (1,000 euro; £820) limit on daily bank cash withdrawals.

Meanwhile interim President Olexander Turchynov has dismissed the Armed Forces chief, Yuriy Ilyin.

He was reported to have been admitted to hospital with a heart attack on Thursday.

Mr Ilyin was appointed earlier this month by Viktor Yanukovych, in one of his last acts before being ousted from the Ukraine presidency.

Tensions rise

Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been strained since Mr Yanukovych lost power.

These tensions have been particularly evident in Crimea, Ukraine's only Russian-majority region.

The BBC's Bridget Kendall in Moscow says the Crimea is becoming the lynchpin of a struggle between Ukraine's new leaders and those loyal to Russia.

Mr Yanukovych is now in Russia and is preparing to hold a news conference on Friday in the city of Rostov-on-Don, near the Ukrainian border.

He surfaced in Russia on Thursday, asserting that he is still Ukraine's lawful president.

Ukraine's general prosecutor has said that Ukraine will ask Russia to extradite Mr Yanukovych, if it is confirmed that he is there.

Armed men, said by Mr Avakov to be Russian soldiers, arrived in the Sevastopol military airport near Russia's Black Sea Fleet Base on Friday morning.

The men were patrolling outside, backed up by armoured vehicles, but Ukrainian military and border guards remained inside, Mr Avakov said.

"I consider what has happened to be an armed invasion and occupation in violation of all international agreements and norms," Mr Avakov said on his Facebook page.

Armed men also arrived at Simferopol airport overnight, some carrying Russian flags.

A man called Vladimir told Reuters news agency he was a volunteer helping the group there, though he said he did not know where they came from.

"I'm with the People's Militia of Crimea. We're simple people, volunteers," he said.

"We're here at the airport to maintain order. We'll meet the planes with a nice smile - the airport is working as normal."

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The armed men at Simferopol Airport would not talk to the BBC

After the violent clashes and the ousting of Mr Yanukovych in Kiev, the focus of the Ukraine crisis has now moved to Crimea, which traditionally leans towards Russia.

Continue reading the main story

Crimea's airports

• Simferopol is the main international terminal, serving the regional capital
• Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, has a Soviet-era military airport (Belbek) which was also used for civilian flights until some years ago. Ukrainian air force jets are stationed there
• The Russian Black Sea Fleet has aircraft stationed at other air bases in Crimea (Gvardeyskaya and Kacha)

On Thursday, a group of unidentified armed men entered Crimea's parliament building by force, and hoisted a Russian flag on the roof.

The Crimean parliament later announced it would hold a referendum on expanding the region's autonomy on 25 May.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged his government to maintain relations with Kiev and even join Western efforts to bail out its troubled economy.

But he is also giving the Crimean government humanitarian aid.

The US sought assurances from Russia earlier this week, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills to test the combat readiness of troops near the border with Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on all sides to "step back and avoid any kind of provocations".

Mr Kerry said he had spoken to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who vowed to respect Ukraine's "territorial integrity".

Financial strain

On top of its political problems, Ukraine also faces huge financial hurdles.

It says it needs $35 billion over the next two years to avoid default on its loans.

Russia has suspended the next instalment of a $15bn loan because of the political uncertainty.

Switzerland and Austria announced on Friday that it had launched an investigation against Mr Yanukovych and his son Aleksander for "aggravated money laundering".

Austria also said it had frozen the assets of 18 Ukrainians suspected of violating human rights and involvement in corruption. It did not give any names.

Crimea - where ethnic Russians are in a majority - was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954.

Ethnic Ukrainians loyal to Kiev and Muslim Tatars - whose animosity towards Russia stretches back to Stalin's deportations during World War Two - have formed an alliance to oppose any move back towards Moscow.

Russia, along with the US, UK and France, pledged to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a memorandum signed in 1994.

Are you in the Crimea region of Ukraine? Email your stories to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Ukraine' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

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Deadly bomb blast in Somali capital

27 February 2014 Last updated at 06:23 ET

A suicide car bomb has exploded in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing at least 12 people and wounding eight others near the security service headquarters.

The bomber targeted a security vehicle. Three members of the security forces were among the dead, witnesses said.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group said it carried out the attack.

The group is waging an insurgency in Somalia against the UN-backed government.

"A suicide car bomb targeted a national security car passing along these tea shops," police official Abdullahi Hassan told Reuters news agency.

He added that several civilians had been killed.

There has been an increase in violence in Mogadishu in recent weeks, including night-time mortar raids and daytime clashes between the security forces and al-Shabab.

Last week, the group carried out a car bomb attack outside the presidential palace in Mogadishu, killing officials and guards.

Al-Shabab was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 but it still controls many smaller towns and rural areas of the country.

Some 22,000 African Union troops are helping the government battle al-Shabab.

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Former German president cleared

27 February 2014 Last updated at 05:39 ET

A German court has cleared the country's former president Christian Wulff of corruption.

"The accused Wulff has been found not guilty," presiding judge Frank Rosenow told Hanover's state court.

He added that Mr Wulff was entitled to compensation for police searches during the investigation.

He was once a deputy leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party and her choice for the largely ceremonial role of president.

The former head of state resigned two years ago over the allegations he illegally accepted favourable loan and hotel stays from friends when he was governor of the state of Lower Saxony, before becoming president in 2010.

The charges related specifically to some 720 euros ($990; £600) in hotel and entertainment costs allegedly paid by German film producer David Groenewold for Mr Wulff and his family during a visit to Oktoberfest in Munich in 2008.

In return, he was accused of having lobbied German companies to support Mr Groenewold's work. He had faced up to three years in jail, if convicted.

Mr Wulff resigned amid unfavourable coverage in the German media over his links to businessmen.

The pressure on him increased at the end of December 2011 with allegations, published in Bild newspaper, about a low interest home loan received from the wife of a businessman in 2008.

He was accused of giving misleading statements about the loan, and later apologised to the editor of Bild, Kai Diekmann, for leaving an angry message on his voicemail threatening him if the story was published.

Mr Wulff was succeeded by the Lutheran pastor and former East German anti-communist campaigner, Joachim Gauck.

The last German head of state to face charges in court was Adolf Hitler's successor Admiral Karl Doenitz, who was convicted at the Nuremburg trials of war crimes.

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US governor vetoes 'anti-gay' bill

27 February 2014 Last updated at 00:50 ET

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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer: "The bill could have had unintended and negative consequences"

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has vetoed a bill that would have allowed business owners who cited their religious beliefs to turn away gay customers.

Ms Brewer said the bill could have had "unintended and negative consequences".

It was touted as a religious liberty protection by social conservatives. Its opponents denounced it as legalising anti-gay discrimination.

Business groups warned it would tarnish the state's reputation and discourage companies from moving to the state.

'Creates problems'

Continue reading the main story

The broad-reaching bill was based around protecting religious freedoms, but would also have given legal protection to those discriminating against others.

Its authors argued people should be allowed not to sell something or serve someone, if doing so went against their religious beliefs.

Its opponents were big and powerful - the gay rights movement in America has momentum and strong support.

Apple, which is bringing a new factory and 2,000 jobs to Arizona, urged the governor to veto the bill, as did American Airlines, the Marriott hotel chain and the group responsible for bringing the next Super Bowl to the state.

The leader of the Chamber of Commerce said a huge majority of businesses opposed the bill, and for a pro-business governor trying to pull the state out of recession this was a persuasive argument.

Local Republican Senator John McCain and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney all pressed for a veto. Governor Brewer had held private briefings with opponents, and religious conservatives who proposed the bill all day before announcing her decision.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Brewer, a Republican, said the bill did "not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona".

"I have not heard one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated," she said of the bill, which passed the state legislature last week with the strong backing of the state's Republican Party.

Ms Brewer spent Wednesday huddling with both supporters and opponents of the bill and said she had vetoed it because she believed it had "the potential to create more problems that it purports to solve".

"It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and nobody could ever want," she said.

In doing so, Ms Brewer sided with the business community - including firms such as Intel, Yelp, Marriott and Major League Baseball and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.

Loud cheers erupted outside the Arizona capitol building immediately after the governor announced the veto.

Rebecca Wininger, president of Equality Arizona, told the BBC the veto was "a clear message for those trying to use religion and those with right-leaning rhetoric that we're done... we're tired and we're done with being discriminated against".

Even as the federal government, the military, the courts, other states and US public opinion increasingly back gay rights and same-sex marriage, some states have seen the makings of a backlash in recent weeks, analysts say.

"Religious liberty" bills similar to the Arizona measure have been introduced in seven other US states, but Arizona's was the only legislature to send a bill to the governor.

'Distorted the bill'

The bill would have expanded the state's religious liberty law to add protection from lawsuits for individuals or businesses that cited their "sincerely held" religious beliefs as motivating factors in taking an action or refusing to do so.

All but three Republicans in the state legislature voted for the proposal, known as SB1062, but some Republican state senators who voted for the bill subsequently called for a veto.

"We were uncomfortable with it to start with and went along with it thinking it was good for the caucus," Senator Steve Pierce told the Associated Press news agency on Monday.

"We really didn't want to vote for it. But we made a mistake, and now we're trying to do what's right and correct it."

But supporters, framing it as only a modest update on the state's existing religious freedom law, had pushed Ms Brewer to sign it in support of religious liberty.

The president of a conservative policy organisation that backed the bill said Ms Brewer's veto "marks a sad day for Arizonans who cherish and understand religious liberty".

"Opponents were desperate to distort this bill rather than debate the merits," Center for Arizona Policy president Cathi Herrod said in statement. "Essentially, they succeeded in getting a veto of a bill that does not even exist."

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Thai PM faces negligence charges

27 February 2014 Last updated at 04:26 ET

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Supporters of the Thai PM have blocked access gates, as Jonathan Head reports

Thailand's embattled prime minister has sent her lawyers to an anti-corruption panel to hear charges of negligence over a government rice subsidy scheme.

PM Yingluck Shinawatra's opponents, who are seeking to replace her, say the programme was rife with corruption.

If found guilty, Ms Yingluck could be removed from office and face a five-year ban from politics.

Thailand's political crisis has become increasingly violent since mass anti-government protests began in November.

Ms Yingluck, who flew to the northern city of Chiang Rai on Wednesday, did not attend the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in person.

Instead, she sent her lawyers to hear the charges set against her.

Blockading tactics

The prime minister, who denies the corruption charges, says she is willing to co-operate with the NACC "to establish the facts".

The rice subsidy programme - a flagship policy of Ms Yingluck's administration - saw the Thai government buying farmers' crops for the past two years at prices up to 50% higher than world prices.

The policy was originally popular with farmers. However, it has led to Thailand's rice exports being badly hit and accumulated losses of at least $4.4bn (3.2bn euros: £2.6bn).

Recently, the scheme has left many farmers out of pocket, as the government cannot borrow money to make the payments until a new parliament has convened.

Continue reading the main story

• Sep 2006: Army ousts Thaksin Shinawatra
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin party wins election
• Aug 2008: Thaksin flees Thailand
• Dec 2008: Huge anti-Thaksin protests; court bans ruling party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Huge pro-Thaksin protests; dozens killed in army crackdown
• Jul 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of Thaksin, elected PM
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protests
• Dec 2013: Ms Yingluck calls election
• Jan 2014: Ms Yingluck declares state of emergency
• 2 Feb 2014: Election, with 90% of polling stations operating normally

Ms Yingluck says she was only in charge of formulating the policy, not the day-to-day running of the scheme.

She has complained that the commission has treated her unfairly, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok reports.

For the first time since anti-government protesters began blockading ministries in Bangkok last year, the prime minister's supporters have begun to use the same tactic, our correspondent adds. They surrounded the office of the NACC and chained the gate to prevent officials from entering.

As a result, the hearing had to be moved to another location.

A spokesman for Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai party suggested that the NACC was biased against the prime minister.

"People have started to notice that if it is a blue [Democrat] government it is always slow. But if it is a red [Pheu Thai] government it is always quick. Isn't that true? We want the NACC to answer this," spokesman Prompong Nopparit said in quotes carried by AP news agency.

Tensions have been on the rise in recent weeks, with shootings and recent grenade attacks targeting anti-government protest sites.

Four children were among the dead in separate violent attacks in the Thai capital, Bangkok, last weekend. At least 20 people have died since hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets on 24 November.

'Avoid confrontation'

The protests have disrupted the government's ability to function over the last three months, blocking roads and government agencies to pressure Ms Yingluck to resign.

Anti-government demonstrators want Ms Yingluck's government replaced with an unelected "people's council".

However, Ms Yingluck's party has broad support from rural areas, and there are fears that any confrontation between Ms Yingluck's supporters and opponents could turn violent.

National security chief Paradorn Pattanatabutr told Reuters news agency: "The government must do everything it can to avoid confrontation and to prevent each side setting up stages or rallies near each other."

The US has expressed concern over the violence in Thailand.

"Violence is not an acceptable means of resolving political differences," US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"We reiterate our call for all sides to exercise restraint and urge Thai authorities to investigate thoroughly and transparently all recent acts of violence."

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Detained S Korean in North apology

27 February 2014 Last updated at 04:29 ET

A detained South Korean missionary has appeared before media in North Korea to read from a statement publicly apologising for "anti-state crimes".

Baptist Kim Jong-uk, 50, said he was arrested after entering via China with religious materials in October.

Religious activity is restricted in the North, with missionaries arrested on multiple occasions in the past.

Foreign nationals arrested in North Korea sometimes make public confessions which they later say were under duress.

Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old US national, was briefly held last year. He was freed after confessing to committing crimes during the Korean War - a statement he said was given under duress.

'Destroying the system'

In his first public appearance since his arrest, Mr Kim said he wanted to let his family know he was in good health.

He said he acted "under directions" from South Korea's National Intelligence Services (NIS), setting up an underground church in Dandong, China, to collect information on life in North Korea to send back.

"I was thinking of turning North Korea into a religious country, and destroying its present government and political system," he also told the news conference.

One report said Mr Kim had been working in Dandong for seven years helping North Korean refugees.

Mr Kim said he was unsure of his punishment and asked that he be released.

The North's state media in November said it had arrested an unnamed South Korean "spy", a charge which South Korea's intelligence agency denied.

On Thursday, South Korea's Unification Ministry urged North Korea to release and repatriate Mr Kim.

"It's hard to understand how our citizen, involved in purely religious activities, was rated an anti-state criminal," spokesman Kim Eui-do said.

'We know nothing'

Meanwhile, Australia's foreign ministry said it had not received any information about John Short, 75, a missionary who was arrested at his hotel in Pyongyang last week.

Mr Short, an Australian based in Hong Kong who entered Pyongyang on a group tour, was detained after apparently leaving Christian pamphlets at a tourist site.

"We do not know anything about the conditions in which he's being held," Justin Brown, head of the consular section, told a parliamentary hearing in Australia.

Australia does not have diplomatic representation in Pyongyang and is being represented by the Swedish embassy.

In November 2012, North Korea also arrested Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae. He is currently serving 15 years of hard labour after being convicted of trying to overthrow the government.

Efforts from Washington to secure Mr Bae's release have so far been unsuccessful.

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Ancient Spanish caves briefly reopen

27 February 2014 Last updated at 05:31 ET

Spain's famous Altamira caves are briefly being opened to the public, for the first time in 12 years.

Five elderly Spaniards chosen in a draw can marvel at its ice-age paintings of bison, bulls and other animals.

The visit, including time accessing the caves, will last only about half an hour - allowing the group just eight minutes to admire the paintings.

The caves were closed in 2002 to protect the paintings from microbiological damage.

The site has been dubbed the "Sistine Chapel Ceiling of Cave Art", BBC Spain correspondent Tom Burridge reports.

The paintings date back 22,000 years and were discovered in 1876 by a local archaeologist and his daughter. For more than 20 years afterwards, the images were dismissed as fakes.

In the years that followed they were damaged by the breath of human visitors and the caves were eventually closed to the public. For the past 12 years, visitors have only been able to see replica images in a museum nearby.

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Andrew Graham-Dixon describes a visit to the replica Altamira caves

Thursday's five visitors were chosen from a list of people who had visited the replica caves in the Museo de Altamira. They were invited, at random, to enter a draw to visit the original caves.

During the visit, dozen of sensors will monitor changes in the cave's temperature and humidity, to see if more visitors can be allowed in in future, our correspondent says.

As part of the experiment, a total of 192 people will be allowed to see the paintings in weekly visits until August, El Pais newspaper reports.

Despite the historic nature of the viewing, taking pictures will not be allowed. Nor will visitors be allowed to touch the rock.

They will be also dressed in protective clothing, to help prevent contamination of the site.

The images have survived so long because the soluble pigment used to paint them became fixed to their limestone rock canvas.

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Costa Concordia captain back on ship

27 February 2014 Last updated at 05:52 ET

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'A thick-set figure in dark glasses' - Alan Johnson watches as Francesco Schettino returns to the wreck

The Italian captain of the Costa Concordia ship, Francesco Schettino, has returned to the wreck for the first time as part of his manslaughter trial.

The ship hit a reef near the island of Giglio in January 2012 and capsized, with the loss of 32 lives.

Mr Schettino was taken to the wreck on board a small boat, two days after travelling back to Giglio.

He denies the charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years.

He arrived on the island off the Tuscan coast on Tuesday and is said to have wept when he saw the wreck from a ferry taking him to Giglio.

He attended a health-and-safety briefing at a hotel on Thursday morning to prepare him for the short boat trip out to the wreck, on which he was accompanied by a group of court-appointed experts.

Mr Schettino was taken out to the wreck on a small boat and was then seen standing on the ship itself.

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Francesco Schettino was surrounded by reporters as he arrived at the port in Giglio

He was being allowed on to the ship "as a defendant, not a consultant", said Judge Giovanni Puliatti.

The 290m-long vessel was righted in September 2013 in one of the largest, most complex salvage operations ever, but remains stranded.

Memories of tragedy

The captain has been accused of leaving the luxury liner before the 4,229 people on board the ship were taken off the ship.

"They want to show that I am weak, just like two years ago. It's not true. I want to show I'm a gentleman, not a coward," Italian media quoted him as saying.

He has already accepted some degree of responsibility, asking for forgiveness in a television interview last year as he talked of those who died.

But he denies abandoning the ship after it hit a reef near the island.

He maintains he managed to steer the stricken vessel closer to shore so it did not sink in deep water where hundreds might have drowned.

An Italian court convicted five others of manslaughter in July 2013.

They had all successfully entered plea bargains, whereas Mr Schettino's request for a plea bargain was denied by the prosecution.

His return to the island will undoubtedly stir memories of the tragedy among locals, says the BBC's Alan Johnston.

"Schettino's here, he cried, so what?" one woman on the island told the AFP news agency. "We're tired of this story! We want him and the boat gone."

But Giuseppe Modesti, 67, told AFP: "There's no real anger here any more. Two years have passed and it's time to make peace with what happened."

The complex operation to salvage the Costa Concordia took 18 hours and followed months of stabilisation and preparation work by a team of 500 engineers and divers.

Ports in Italy, Britain, France, Turkey and China are now bidding for the lucrative contract to dismantle it.

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Ukraine warns of Russia 'aggression'

27 February 2014 Last updated at 06:58 ET

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Pro-Russian demonstrators have pushed through police lines in Simferopol, says Mark Lowen in Simferopol

Ukrainian interim President Olexander Turchynov has warned Russia against any "military aggression" in Crimea.

He said Russia's troops from Russia's Black Sea Fleet should not move outside their naval base in Sevastopol.

The warning comes after armed men seized Crimea's regional parliament and the government headquarters of the Russian-majority region.

The Russian flag had been raised over both buildings in Simferopol. It is not clear who the men are.

"We ask our Russian partners to provide to stick to their... obligations, we believe Russia would never intervene into Ukrainian domestic affairs and will refrain from any steps that would split Ukraine," Prime Minister designate Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the BBC.

"We are committed to having Ukraine as one united country. We will punish anyone for separatism in Ukraine with all legal and constitutional means," he added.

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Watch a short history of the Republic of Crimea

The warnings from Ukrainian leaders came as Russia performed a second day of military exercises, saying its fighter jets were on "combat alert".

"Constant air patrols are being carried out by fighter jets in the border regions," Russia's defence ministry told Interfax.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered a snap drill to test the combat readiness of troops in central and western Russia, near the border with Ukraine. Thursday's exercises appear to be part of that drill, analysts say.

The Russian foreign ministry expressed concern over what it termed "massive violations of human rights in Ukraine".

Amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was "concerned about developments in Crimea" and urged Russia "not to take any action that can escalate tension".

The US has warned against any military intervention by Russia.

Also on Thursday, former President Viktor Yanukovych issued his first statement since being voted out of office by MPs last week, telling Russian news agencies he had been "compelled to ask the Russian Federation to ensure my personal security from the actions of extremists" and that he still considered himself the legitimate president of Ukraine.

The state-run Itar-Tass agency quoted an official source as saying Mr Yanukovych would be granted "protection" by Russia, although there was no official confirmation of this.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

A handful of pro-Russia demonstrators have pushed through the police cordon and are now outside the Crimean parliament.

They're cheering the occupation of the building by unidentified armed men, who entered this morning by force, hoisting a Russian flag from the roof. The protest leader proclaimed: "We've been waiting for this moment for 20 years. We want a united Russia."

This is the first big challenge for the new Ukrainian government. It has a delicate balancing act to perform in a region that straddles ethnic, political and linguistic divisions. Against the pro-Russian majority is a sizeable ethnic Ukrainian and Tatar minority who would firmly resist any attempt at secession.

But the demonstrators outside the parliament, waving Russian flags, say illegitimate protesters seized power in Kiev and that they fully intend to do the same here in Crimea.

'Provocateurs'

The incident in Simferopol is another illustration of tensions in the region, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Crimea.

One eyewitness Leonid Kazanov, who saw the armed men entering the parliament building, told local TV: "I asked one of the guys who they were. The guy, who introduced himself only as Andrey, said :'We are Russia.'"

Mr Kazanov added the attackers acted quickly and efficiently, and were well armed.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the area near the government buildings has been cordoned off to prevent "bloodshed". He added that the seizure of the buildings was the work of "provocateurs".

"Measures have been taken to counter extremist actions and not allow the situation to escalate into an armed confrontation in the centre of the city," he said in a statement on his Facebook page.

Regional Prime Minister Anatoliy Mohylyov told a local TV station said he would take part in talks with the gunmen and told government employees who normally work there not to come in.

The men have not yet made any demands or issued any statements but did put up a sign reading: "Crimea is Russia".

They threw a flash grenade in response to questions from a journalist, AP news agency reported.

Continue reading the main story

Crimea

• Autonomous republic within Ukraine
• Transferred from Russia in 1954
• Ethnic Russians - 58.5%*
• Ethnic Ukrainians - 24.4%*
• Crimean Tatars - 12.1%*
• Source: Ukraine census 2001

Separatism fears

Tensions have been rising in Crimea since Mr Yanukovych was ousted last week.

On Wednesday the city saw clashes erupt between Ukrainians who support the change of government and pro-Russians.

Crimea - where ethnic Russians are in a majority - was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954.

Ethnic Ukrainians loyal to Kiev and Muslim Tatars - whose animus towards Russia stretches back to Stalin's deportations during World War II - have formed an alliance to oppose any move back towards Moscow.

Crimea was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954.

Russia, along with the US, UK and France, pledged to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a memorandum signed in 1994.

Are you in the Crimea region of Ukraine? What is your reaction to the recent events? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Ukraine' in the subject heading and including 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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Ukraine elite police 'disbanded'

26 February 2014 Last updated at 06:38 ET

Ukraine's acting interior minister has said the elite Berkut police unit, blamed for the deaths of protesters, has been disbanded.

It is unclear what will happen to Berkut officers, but Arsen Avakov said more details would be given in a briefing on Wednesday.

The unit had 4,000-5,000 members stationed across Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a new cabinet is expected to be presented to protesters in Kiev on Wednesday afternoon.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Ukraine's new leaders are tasked with not just forming a new government, but also stabilizing the country, finding the fugitive former President Viktor Yanukovych, and staving off a looking financial catastrophe. They must also transform the basic way the country is governed and its economy is run.

In order to unlock billions of dollars in emergency loans from the International Monetary Fund, interim officials must agree to reforms in key areas such as the gas and agriculture industries. They must also overhaul the country's judiciary, where, in the words of one expert, Adrian Karatnycky of the Atlantic Council, court decisions were decided by "a phone call from the presidential administration."

And there are many more areas. All them carry heavy political and economic risks, and could spark a backlash from interested or affected groups - for instance, the Berkut themselves. Or Ukrainians forced to pay higher gas prices. Or the industry tycoons, who will see their revenues diminish. But not doing anything will also unleash a reaction - especially from the still-present protestors on the Maidan. The government can't afford not to act.

Also on Wednesday Mr Turchynov announced that he had assumed the duties of the head of the armed forces.

Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev at the weekend and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Interim authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, and on Tuesday parliament voted in favour of trying him at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The fugitive president is accused of being behind the deaths of more than 100 protesters at the hands of riot police.

Any new government will face a daunting set of challenges, with many areas of government in Ukraine needing urgent reform, the BBC's David Stern in Kiev reports.

The much-despised Berkut are just one part of the security and law enforcement agencies, which have long been accused by human rights groups and local citizens of human rights abuses.

International divisions

Also on Wednesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on other countries to condemn "nationalist and neo-fascist" sentiment in western Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov called on the OSCE to condemn "calls to ban the Russian language, to turn the Russian-speaking population into 'non-citizens' and to restrict freedom of expression".

Russia has portrayed the ousting of Mr Yanukovych as a violent seizure of power by the opposition, and has expressed concern about the role of far-right parties in the protests against him.

The US and EU countries have broadly backed the takeover of power by the opposition.

Many Russian-speaking residents in the south and east of Ukraine have protested against the actions of the interim authorities.

Tensions are rising in Crimea, where two big rival protests are being staged.

Crimean Tatars and local activists supporting the demonstrators in Kiev have gathered in front of the autonomous republic's parliament in Simferopol.

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Zhalilo Yaroslav from the National Institute for Strategic Studies explains the economic challenges facing Ukraine to Tim Willcox

They are facing a pro-Russian demonstration, with only a police cordon separating the two rallies.

The Crimean Tatars say they will resist any attempts at secession by pro-Russian political forces.

The two rival rallies have been called ahead of a planned session of Crimea's parliament, where the issue of Crimea's status is expected to be raised.

Crimea - where ethnic Russians are in a majority - was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954.

The change of government in Kiev has raised questions over the future of Russia's naval bases in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, the lease for which was extended until 2042 by Mr Yanukovych.

Most experts believe that the new leadership will not push for the withdrawal of the Russian fleet, as this could further threaten Ukraine's internal stability as well as the country's fragile relations with Russia, the BBC's Ilya Abishev reports.

Earlier, Ukraine's Mr Turchynov expressed concern about what he called the serious threat of separatism following the ousting of Mr Yanukovych.

Addressing parliament, he said he would meet law enforcement agencies to discuss the risk of separatism in regions with large ethnic Russian populations. Separatism was a "serious threat", he said.

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Protester Sergey Prohor returns to the scene of the violence

Fugtive president

Mr Yanukovych fled Kiev at the weekend and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Interim authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, and on Tuesday parliament voted in favour of trying him at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The fugitive president is accused of being behind the deaths of more than 100 protesters at the hands of riot police.

Unrest in Ukraine began in November when Mr Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.

Ukraine is close to bankruptcy and with promised loans from Russia looking increasingly unlikely, interim leaders are looking to the West to bail the country out.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton held talks in Kiev on Tuesday to discuss financial and political support for Ukraine's new leaders.

She urged the provisional authorities to include Yanukovych supporters in any new government, adding: "Everyone I've spoken to here recognises the importance of this country sticking together. But we also know that there are big financial and economic challenges in the days, weeks and months ahead."

Continue reading the main story

Yanukovych's flight from Kiev

• 21 Feb: leaves Kiev for Kharkiv on helicopter; stays overnight in state residence
• 22 Feb: flies by helicopter to Donetsk airport; tries to leave on private jet but stopped by border guards; leaves by car for Crimea
• 23 Feb: arrives in Balaklava, Crimea, and stays briefly in a private spa before making aborted attempt to reach Belbek airport
• Dismisses most of his security detail; leaves Balaklava in a three-car convoy with some guards and presidential administration head Andriy Kliuyev
• Source: Acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov

Are you in Ukraine? What is your reaction to the recent events? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Ukraine' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

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Stunning whale graveyard explained

25 February 2014 Last updated at 20:32 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

It is one of the most astonishing fossil discoveries of recent years - a graveyard of whales found beside the Pan-American Highway in Chile.

And now scientists think they can explain how so many of the animals came to be preserved in one location more than five million years ago.

It was the result of not one but four separate mass strandings, they report in a Royal Society journal.

The evidence strongly suggests the whales all ingested toxic algae.

The dead and dying mammals were then washed into an estuary and on to flat sands where they became buried over time.

Continue reading the main story

We managed to sample all the superstars of the fossil marine-mammal world in South America in the Late Miocene"

End Quote Nicholas Pyenson Smithsonian Institution

It was well known that this area in Chile's Atacama Desert preserved whale fossils.

Their bones could be seen sticking out of rock faces, and the spot acquired the name Cerro Ballena ("whale hill") as a result.

But it was only when a cutting was made to widen the Pan-American Highway that US and Chilean researchers got an opportunity to fully study the fossil beds.

They were given just two weeks to complete their field work before the heavy plant returned to complete construction of the new road.

The team set about recording as much detail as possible, including making 3D digital models of the skeletal remains in situ and then removing bones for further study in the lab.

Identified in the beds were over 40 individual rorquals - the type of large cetacean that includes the modern blue, fin and minke whales.

Among them were other important marine predators and grazers.

"We found extinct creatures such as walrus whales - dolphins that evolved a walrus-like face. And then there were these bizarre aquatic sloths," recalls Nicholas Pyenson, a palaeontologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

"To me, it's amazing that in 240m of road-cut, we managed to sample all the superstars of the fossil marine-mammal world in South America in the Late Miocene. Just an incredibly dense accumulation of species," he told BBC News.

The team immediately noticed that the skeletons were nearly all complete, and that their death poses had clear commonalities. Many had come to rest facing in the same direction and upside down, for example.

This all pointed to the creatures succumbing to the same, sudden catastrophe; only, the different fossils levels indicated it was not one event but four separate episodes spread over a period of several thousand years.

The best explanation is that these animals were all poisoned by the toxins that can be generated in some algal blooms.

Such blooms are one of the prevalent causes for repeated mass strandings seen in today's marine animals.

If large quantities of contaminated prey are consumed, or the algae are simply inhaled - death can be rapid.

"All the creatures we found - whether whales, seals or billfishes - fed high up in marine food webs and that would have made them very susceptible to harmful algal blooms," said Dr Pyenson.

The researchers believe the then configuration of the coastline at Cerro Ballena in the late Miocene Epoch worked to funnel carcases into a restricted area where they were lifted on to sand flats just above high tide, perhaps by storm waves.

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The finds were a media sensation in 2011

This would have put the bodies beyond marine scavengers. And, being a desert region, there would have been very few land creatures about to steal bones either.

A lot of the fossils at Cerro Ballena are perfect but for a few nicks inflicted by foraging crabs.

The researchers are not in a position to say for sure that harmful algal blooms were responsible for the mass strandings. There were no distinct algal cell fragments in the sediments; such a presence could have amounted to a "smoking gun". What the team did find, however, were multiple grains encrusted in iron oxides that could hint at past algal activity.

"There are tiny spheres about 20 microns across - that's exactly the right size to be dinoflagellate cysts," said Dr Pyenson.

"They're found in algal-like mats all around the site. We can't say whether those were the killer algae, but they do not falsify the argument for harmful algal blooms being the cause in the way that the sedimentology falsifies tsunami being a potential cause."

Cerro Ballena is now regarded as one of the densest fossil sites in the world - certainly for whales and other extinct marine mammals. The scientists calculate there could be hundreds of specimens in the area still waiting to be unearthed and investigated.

The University of Chile in Santiago is currently working to establish a research station to carry this into effect.

To coincide with the publication of a scholarly paper in Proceedings B of the Royal Society, the Smithsonian has put much of its digital data, including 3D scans and maps, online at cerroballena.si.edu.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

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Credit Suisse 'aided' US tax evaders

25 February 2014 Last updated at 20:56 ET

Credit Suisse "helped its US customers conceal their Swiss accounts" and avoid billions of dollars in American taxes, a report has alleged.

It claims the bank opened Swiss accounts for more than 22,000 US customers, with assets totalling $12bn (£7.2bn) at their peak.

The report alleges bankers helped clients create offshore shell entities and design transactions to avoid arousing suspicion.

Credit Suisse declined to comment.

"From at least 2001 to 2008, Credit Suisse employed banking practices that facilitated tax evasion by US customers," the report by a US congressional committee said.

It said the practices included "opening undeclared Swiss accounts" or accounts to "mask their US ownership", as well as sending Swiss bankers to the US to recruit new customers and "service existing Swiss accounts without creating paper trails".

US prosecutors are chasing 14 Swiss banks for allegedly helping wealthy Americans dodge US taxes.

Continue reading the main story

As federal regulators begin to crack down on these banks' illicit practices, it is imperative that they use every legal tool at their disposal to hold these banks fully accountable for wilfully deceiving the US government"

End Quote John McCain US Senator

Credit Suisse's private banking and wealth management division has already put aside 175m Swiss francs (£118m) to fight a US investigation into hidden offshore accounts in Switzerland.

Secretive methods?

The bank has said it was "working towards a resolution" with US authorities but has not given a time-frame of when that resolution might be reached.

The report has also published details of the way, it alleges, the bank worked to keep the accounts concealed from the US authorities.

It said some bankers even applied for US visa waivers, claiming they planned to visit the country for "tourism" instead of "business" purposes.

The report listed one incident where a client was handed bank statements hidden in a Sports Illustrated magazine.

It said the bank also used sponsored events, including the annual "Swiss Ball" in New York and golf tournaments in Florida, to recruit more customers.

Strict action

The committee has called upon US regulators to take strict action against banks that help US customers avoid taxes.

"For too long, international financial institutions like Credit Suisse have profited from their offshore tax haven schemes while depriving the US economy of billions of dollars in tax revenues by facilitating US tax evasion," said Senator John McCain, a member of the subcommittee.

"As federal regulators begin to crack down on these banks' illicit practices, it is imperative that they use every legal tool at their disposal to hold these banks fully accountable for wilfully deceiving the US government and seek penalties that will deter similar misconduct in the future."

The US Justice Department issued a statement saying it was investigating various Swiss banks over the issue.

"We won't hesitate to indict if and when circumstances merit," it said.

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Uganda health services 'are for all'

25 February 2014 Last updated at 21:47 ET

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Dr Ruhakana Rugunda told the BBC that all people, gay or otherwise, should get full access to medical treatment

Uganda's health minister says homosexuals will not be discriminated against when accessing healthcare despite the introduction of a tough new anti-gay law.

Dr Ruhakana Rugunda told the BBC that all people, gay or otherwise, should get full access to medical treatment.

Aid charities warn the new bill will have "disastrous" effects on the country's response to HIV.

Uganda is a very conservative society where many people oppose homosexuality.

Homosexual acts were already illegal in Uganda, but the new law bans the promotion of homosexuality and covers lesbians for the first time.

Western governments have condemned President Yoweri Museveni's decision to approve the bill, which gives life sentences for gay sex and same-sex marriage.

Promises of confidentiality

The Ugandan authorities sought to give assurances on Tuesday, after several Western nations condemned the signing of the tough new anti-gay law.

Mr Rugunda urged gay people to be honest with healthcare workers, particularly when discussing treatment for HIV.

Continue reading the main story

• Life imprisonment for gay sex, including oral sex
• Life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality", including sex with a minor or while HIV-positive
• Life imprisonment for living in a same-sex marriage
• Seven years for "attempting to commit homosexuality"
• Between five and seven years in jail or a $40,700 (£24,500) fine or both for the promotion of homosexuality
• Businesses or non-governmental organisations found guilty of the promotion of homosexuality would have their certificates of registration cancelled and directors could face seven years in jail

"All people whether they are sexual orientation as gays or otherwise are at complete liberty to get full treatment and to give full disclosure to their doctors and nurses," he told the BBC.

He adds: "And by the way, health workers will live up to their ethics of keeping confidentiality of their patients."

Western governments have threatened to withdraw international aid to Uganda, which the country's fragile health system relies heavily on, says the BBC's Tulip Mazumdar.

Uganda receives a reported $400m (£240m) in annual aid from the US, which has begun to review its assistance programmes in Uganda in the wake of the passing of the new law.

But Dr Rugunda said he was confident the US would not restrict funds and said if it does, Uganda would cope.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Mr Museveni's decision to sign the bill marked a "tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights".

But the Ugandan authorities have defended the decision, saying President Museveni wanted "to demonstrate Uganda's independence in the face of Western pressure and provocation".

The sponsor of the bill, MP David Bahati, insisted homosexuality was a "behaviour that can be learned and can be unlearned".

There are already concerns of a witch-hunt against gay people in Uganda after popular tabloid Red Pepper published on Tuesday a list of the country's "200 top homosexuals" under the headline: "Exposed".

In 2011, a Ugandan gay activist was killed after his name appeared in a similar list published by the now-defunct Ugandan Rolling Stone magazine, calling for the execution of gay people.

Sweden says it might withdraw direct aid to Uganda, worth about $10.8m and the Netherlands has already stopped a $9.6m subsidy to Uganda's judicial system.

Norway and Denmark said they would transfer direct aid - together totalling about $17m - to non-governmental organisations.

Are you in Uganda? What is your reaction to the new anti-gay law? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Uganda' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

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HK news editor wounded in attack

26 February 2014 Last updated at 03:21 ET

The former chief editor of prominent Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao is in a critical condition after being attacked with a cleaver, officials say.

Kevin Lau was attacked in Hong Kong by two men on Wednesday morning, police said. He suffered three wounds.

The attackers reportedly fled by motorbike.

Mr Lau was recently replaced by a Malaysian editor viewed as pro-Beijing, sparking fears among staff that the paper's independence was under threat.

Ming Pao is a popular, credible Chinese-language newspaper, the BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong reports.

Mr Lau's colleagues called the move to replace him an attempt to muzzle independent-thinking journalists, our correspondent adds.

'Growing attacks'

Police are searching for two men in connection with the attack.

"One of them alighted from the motorcycle and used a chopper to attack the victim," police spokesman Simon Kwan told reporters.

"He suffered three wounds, one in his back and two in his legs," Mr Kwan said, adding that the back wound was deep.

In a statement, Ming Pao said it "strongly condemned the savage act".

It added: "We are deeply angry that the assailants dared to conduct an attack in broad daylight."

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said he was "extremely concerned" and "outraged" by the attack.

"Hong Kong is a society ruled by law, and we will not allow this kind of violence," he said, adding that the police would conduct a full investigation.

The attacked was condemned by the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC).

"The growing number of attacks against members of the press in Hong Kong needs to be taken seriously by the local administration," the FCC said in a statement.

"Hong Kong's reputation as a free and international city will suffer if such crimes go unsolved and unpunished," it added.

Since being replaced, Mr Lau has been working in an online subsidiary of Ming Pao's parent company.

On Sunday, thousands in the city marched on the streets calling for press freedom.

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Hezbollah 'will respond to strike'

26 February 2014 Last updated at 06:41 ET

Hezbollah has said it will respond to an alleged air strike by Israel warplanes on one of its bases on the Lebanese border with Syria on Monday.

The militant Shia Islamist movement described the attack as a "blatant assault on Lebanon, and its sovereignty and territory", al-Manar TV reported.

It would "choose the time and place and the proper way to respond", it warned.

Israel has not officially confirmed that it carried out the air strike, near the Bekaa Valley village of Janta.

But on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that his government would "do whatever is needed to protect Israel's security".

"We will not say what we're doing or what we're not doing," he added.

'Zionist hostility'

One senior Israeli security official told Time magazine that the warplanes had targeted a convoy carrying surface-to-surface missiles from Syria.

Continue reading the main story

This new assault is a blatant assault on Lebanon, and its sovereignty and territory, not against the Resistance only"

End Quote Hezbollah statement

The missiles could carry warheads heavier and more dangerous than almost all of the tens of thousands of missiles and rockets Hezbollah had in its arsenal, the official added.

Hezbollah's statement said the air strike caused material damage, but denied that it targeted any artillery or rocket positions or caused any casualties. Local reports had said four members of its military wing, the Islamic Resistance, were killed.

"The attack confirms the nature of the Zionist hostility and requires frank and clear position from all," Hezbollah added. "The Resistance will choose the time and place and the proper way to respond to it."

Israeli jets have bombed areas on the Syrian side of the border several times since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad three years ago, but if confirmed this would be the first Israeli air strike inside Lebanese territory in that time.

Eyal Ben-Reuven, a former deputy head of the Israeli military's Northern Command, said he doubted Hezbollah would retaliate since it was too busy fighting alongside government forces against the rebels in Syria.

But he warned that it was imperative that Israel maintain its ability to operate freely in the skies and in the seas, and block more sophisticated weapons from reaching Hezbollah.

"Israel has always stayed as the main objective for Hezbollah and Iran,'' he told the Associated Press. "A terror organisation gets these kinds of capabilities not for deterrence, but for acts."

Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006, during which Israeli warplanes bombed Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon and in Beirut, while Hezbollah fired about 4,000 rockets at Israel.

More than 1,125 Lebanese, most of them civilians, died during the 34-day conflict, as well as 119 Israeli soldiers and 45 civilians.

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