UK-Based Oligarch Boris Berezovsky Found Dead

Exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky has been found dead in a bath at his home, Sky sources have revealed.

It is believed he had taken his own life.

Berezovsky made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s when he bought up state assets cheaply which were being sold off.

The report is understood to have emerged through the Facebook account of his son-in-law Yegor Shuppe.

He had lived in Great Britain from 2000 having fled from Russia after falling out with Russia's leader.

He openly called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be overthrown.

Berezovsky had been granted asylum in Britain, and died at his home in London.

In 1997 Forbes magazine estimated Berezovsky's wealth at US$3bn, (£2bn) but in recent years his wealth had been considerably reduced. It is thought he had done badly in the financial crisis.

James Nixey, Chatham House's Russian programme, said: "He is the most virulently anti Kremlin, anti Putin of the oligarchs.

"He was certainly willing to spend his money, what little he had left, in an attempt to use it to end the current regime in Russia.

"He lived in a heavily guarded flat in Mayfair. He had bodyguards, there were attempts on his life that even the security service in the UK had warned him about.

"Putin put in a request for extradition. This was denied on the basis that he wouldn't receive a proper trial in Russia. But he was a wanted man in Russia.

"It's certainly not the first case of Russians and people from the former Soviet Union, more broadly, who have been involved in difficult, embarrassing disputes with the Kremlin, to have died in relatively mysterious circumstances, perhaps before you might expect their natural life to end.

"Information is not always made public so I don't suppose we will find any answers particularly quickly."

More follows...

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Thousands Of Jobs Saved As Blockbuster Bought

The troubled DVD and games rental chain Blockbuster has been bought, saving 2,000 jobs and 264 UK stores.

Administrators from accountants Deloitte said restructuring specialists Gordon Brothers Europe had purchased the company for an undisclosed sum.

Blockbuster collapsed in January amid competition from internet firms and the digital streaming of movies and games.

Joint Administrator Lee Manning, said: "Having identified a profitable core portfolio of stores we are pleased to have achieved this sale for creditors.

"Together with the previously announced store sales more than half of the original estate has been secured for ongoing use.

"This transaction provides Blockbuster a future in the UK and we owe a special vote of thanks to all the company's employees, suppliers and customers for helping us rescue the business."

Commenting on the acquisition, Frank Morton, the CEO of Gordon Brothers Europe, said: "We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Blockbuster.

"We acknowledge the industry is in transition; we know that we have a challenge ahead but there is still a market to be served.

"Blockbuster has a strong brand affinity and we believe that with the right mix of new product offering, new technologies, strategic management and marketing, we can bring new life to this high street staple.

"We look forward to working with employees, suppliers, landlords and other stakeholders to make this happen."

Blockbuster had struggled to adapt to the changing market amid rivalry from internet retailers including Netflix, Amazon's LoveFilm and iTunes, which now offers a movie rental service.

The devastating impact of the internet on Britain's high street had already been laid bare by the demise of camera chain Jessops and electricals group Comet, which also cited competition from online players as a major reason for their decline.

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Cyprus Leaders Head To Brussels For Talks

Cyprus Bailout: Threat To Savings

Updated: 7:36am UK, Saturday 23 March 2013

By Ashish Joshi, Sky News Correspondent

Finally late into Friday night - an agreement on Plan B, meaning Cyprus has moved one giant step towards securing a Brussels bailout.

It includes a solidarity fund pooling together state assets and the granting of power to the Government to control bank capital.

The latter move is to prevent a run on the banks when their doors finally open on Tuesday.

There will also be a restructuring of the country's banks and a savings tax on Cypriot savers.

The details of the tax have still to be finalised, but the framework is in place.

It could mean savings over 100,000 euros held in Bank of Cyprus accounts being taxed up to 20%, according to one source close to the negotiations.

The same source said if that proposal is rejected there will be a plan to impose a tax of around 10% on all Cypriot bank accounts over 100,000 euros.

The threat of savers being hit hangs over the heads of people like Loizos Michael.

The 60-year-old tailor worked hard for 35 years, building up a good business.

He was looking forward to a wealthy retirement. Not anymore. Times are hard.

Speaking from his small tailor's shop in central Nicosia, Mr Michael said: "With the banks being closed, it is hard because I don't have a credit card and so cash flow is a problem.

"Even filling your car with petrol needs thinking about.

"Cypriots have always been workers by nature and nobody could have imagined that unemployment would be so high.

"This has hit us hard in the pockets."

Cyprus is weathering a storm - the likes of which this Mediterranean island has never faced in her young history.

Mr Michael said he knew things were getting bad, but expected solutions to be found to avoid ordinary people having to suffer.

"I expected something better. But now, it looks like the problem has been brewing for some time," he said.

"There used to be some people talking about the crisis, but now everyone's talking about it.

"I think things are harder now than just after the war. After the war of '74 people could still find work. Now, there is just no work so people have no money. What can we do?"

In the 1990s, Cyprus boasted a dynamic, booming economy, but it grew and unchecked.

An overbloated banking sector exposed to Greek debt has crippled the country's economy.

Now people like Loizos Michael must pay the price. He and the rest of Cyprus will soon find out exactly how much that is going to be.

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Experts Defuse Bomb Found In Northern Ireland

A bomb discovered and defused in a car in Northern Ireland was destined for a police station, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed.

The device was found in County Fermanagh, not far from the luxury Lough Erne golf resort where this June's G8 conference of world leaders will be held.

Sky's David Blevins said the device consisted of explosives packed into a beer keg rigged with timing devices.

PSNI district commander Pauline Shields said: "The people responsible for this have no regard for the lives of anyone in our community.

"It is fortunate that no-one was killed or seriously injured as a result of this reckless act.

"Although investigations are at an early stage it is our assessment at present that this vehicle was destined for Lisnaskea PSNI station."

Residents were told to leave their homes and Army technical officers carried out a clearance operation on the suspicious car and a viable device was made safe.

Ms Shields added: "Once again our community has been disrupted and the lives of residents put at risk by an element intent on causing  loss of life and disruption.

A week ago the Police Service of Northern Ireland discovered a mortar-type device aimed towards New Barnsley police station in north Belfast.

Also last week, three officers escaped injury when an explosive device detonated close to them as they patrolled a coastal path on the outskirts of Belfast.

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US: Boy, 10, Killed By Falling Airport Sign

A 10-year-old boy was killed and several members of his family injured after an electronic information sign fell on top of them at an airport in Alabama.

Deputy Coroner Derrick Perryman said Luke Bresette was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Two of his siblings were being treated for injuries while their mother, Heather Bresette, was in a critical condition at University Hospital.

Firefighters estimated the arrivals and departure sign at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport weighed between 150 kg and 180kg.

Albert Osorio, 46, described hearing a loud boom when the sign fell, followed by the screams of the family and witnesses.

It took him and five other people to lift the sign off the family.

He said: "The whole thing flipped down on those kids. It took all of us here to stand it up."

Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Derrick Perryman said the family is from Overland Park, Kansas.

Airport spokeswoman Toni Herrera-Bast said officials were unsure how the sign fell over.

The airport continued to operate while rescue workers tended to the family.

It completed the first phase of a $201m modernisation effort and opened newly renovated concourses last week.

Mayor William Bell issued a statement saying the city offered its full support to the Airport Authority in investigating the accident.

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Miliband Offers Answer To 'Decade Of Decline'

Ed Miliband has accused David Cameron of condemning the UK to a "decade of decline" by sticking to austerity plans.

In a speech this afternoon, the Labour leader insisted public anger with the coalition is growing in the wake of a no-change Budget - but he conceded that his party still has work to do to convince voters there is a real alternative.

Mr Miliband presented a list of policies that he claims would kick-start growth and make the economy fairer, including bank reform, infrastructure investment and a 10p tax rate.

He contrasted the platform he fleshed out with George Osborne's financial package this week.

"We are five years on from the financial crisis of 2008," he told a 'people's policy forum' in Birmingham, which is billed as representing political opinion from across the West Midlands.

"We are in the slowest recovery for 100 years. And it is you who are suffering. Wages are frozen. Prices are rising. Living standards falling.

"Yet the Chancellor offered no change in the Budget. He offered more of the same. Can you imagine another five years of this?

"Low growth. Living standards squeezed further. You paying the price. A lost decade Britain cannot afford. A decade of national decline."

Mr Miliband accused the Government of "shrugging their shoulders", saying ministers have "run out of ideas", and he urged voters to give him a chance to change the way the country is run.

"Over the last two and a half years since I became Labour leader, I have sought to understand why people left Labour," Mr Miliband said.

"From banking regulation to immigration to Iraq, I have been clear about what we got wrong. But as I listen to people around Britain I also know they are increasingly disappointed with this Government.

"People all over Britain have lost confidence in David Cameron's ability to turn Britain around. But let me clear with you. I know that however discredited, divided and damaging this Government is, I will not assume that their unpopularity will mean people turn to Labour.

"Indeed, many people will believe that the failure of this Government means they should give up on politics altogether."

Mr Miliband said he cannot offer "overnight answers" or that things will be easy, but he pledged to seek an economic recovery "made by the many, not just a few at the top".

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Breivik: Killer Asks To Attend Mother's Funeral

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has asked for permission to attend the funeral of his mother, it has emerged.

The murderer, who killed 77 teenagers and adults in a shooting spree and a bomb attack in 2011, is waiting to hear whether the authorities will approve.

His mother Wenche Behring Breivik died on Friday after suffering a long illness. She was 66.

Breivik and his mother met earlier this month, before her death, at Ila Prison where the convicted killer is being held. They said goodbye to each other then.

Tord Jordet, Breivik's lawyer, said: "He was allowed to say goodbye. They both knew it would be the final meeting. I spoke to him this morning. He was grieving. It was very sad news to him."

Breivik and Mr Jordet also discussed whether the confessed mass murderer would like to attend her funeral. "He would like to do so but it is up to the prison (board) to decide," Mr Jordet said.

The 34-year-old right-wing fanatic committed Norway's worst peacetime massacre on July 22, 2011.

He detonated a car bomb outside government offices in Oslo killing eight people and then drove to the island of Utoya where he massacred 69 in a shooting spree at the summer camp of the governing Labour Party's youth wing.

Many of those he killed were teenagers.

Five years before the massacre, Breivik had moved back to live with his mother and ended all contact with others in his social circle.

His mother never attended Breivik's 10-week trial for health reasons, but in a statement read in court she said her son had fabricated information.

Breivik and his mother had been having telephone contact in recent months because she was not able to visit him in prison for health reasons, Mr Jordet said.

"He told me they had completely opposite ideological views but they had a good mother and son relationship," the lawyer said. "He regarded her as a good mother."

Last year, the Oslo District Court found Breivik guilty of terrorism and premeditated murder for the attacks. He was given a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended if he is considered a threat.

The self-styled anti-Muslim militant denied criminal guilt, saying he was a commander of a resistance movement aiming to overthrow European governments and replace them with "patriotic" regimes that will deport Muslim immigrants.

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Derek Watkins: James Bond Trumpet Legend Dies

Derek Watkins, the British trumpet player who played on every James Bond film soundtrack, has died aged 68.

The lead trumpet player, who was described by the great Dizzy Gillespie as "Mr Lead", passed away at home in Reading following a lengthy illness, his close friend Philip Biggs, editor of the Brass Herald, has announced.

Watkins, who had been fighting cancer for two years, was "widely considered to be the foremost British Big Band trumpet player ever to grace the stage", Mr Biggs said.

After turning professional aged 17, he enjoyed a lengthy career in which he played with The Beatles, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

He also played on the soundtrack for every 007 film from Dr No to Skyfall.

He played with the BBC Big Band and performed for prominent jazz musicians Johnny Dankworth, Maynard Ferguson and Benny Goodman.

Mr Biggs described him as "a people's person - no side, no ego, a fun loving musician who couldn't get enough of life, who loved his family".

He is survived by his wife Wendy and their children, Sean, Ellie and Sarah.

Watkins was born into a brass band family and taught to play the cornet at the age of four by his father.

He then played in the band his father conducted - the Spring Gardens Brass Band in Reading, of which is grandfather was also conductor and a founder member.

He also played with his father's dance band before turning professional.

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Greece: Bombs and Guns Used In Jailbreak

Gunmen used "very heavy weapons" to attack a prison in Greece and free 11 inmates.

Two guards were injured as they attempted to fight off the six attackers, who turned the jail perimeter into a "battlefield".

Guns, grenades, a van and a pickup truck were used in the breakout at 8.30pm local time on Friday.

It kicked off a night-long standoff between police and the remaining prisoners at the facility near the town of Trikala, 200 miles northwest of Athens.

Two of the men who escaped were later captured after being found hiding in a church nearby.

A manhunt is underway to track down the others, who the authorities said were all Albanian.

The Ministry of Justice said the gunmen used "two vehicles and very heavy weapons" to attack the perimeter guards, as well as a prison patrol vehicle and two police cars.

"During the exchange of heavy fire that lasted over half an hour and turned the area into a battlefield, two guards were injured in the abdomen, one of them seriously," the ministry said.

At least five grenades exploded and army experts were called to the prison to dispose of two unexploded grenades.

Trikala city councillor Costas Tassios, who lives in the nearby village of Krinitsa, said: "It was like a war was going on. There was so much gunfire."

A bullet fired at the village damaged a coffee shop window, but no members of the public are thought to have been hurt.

The escaped prisoners used ropes and bed sheets tied together to climb down from a guard tower.

Police set up roadblocks near the prison and searched vacant homes and farm buildings as two helicopters scoured the surrounding countryside.

The attack was the latest dramatic incident at Greek prisons, which are suffering from serious overcrowding and staff shortages as the country struggles through a financial crisis.

Last month, guards foiled a breakout attempt by four inmates who tried to escape by helicopter from Trikala prison.

Among them was the notorious gangster Panagiotis Vlastos, who is serving life for murder and racketeering.

On March 17, a convicted contract killer, Albanian Alket Rizaj, took several prison guards hostage in an attempt to escape from another jail in central Greece.

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Weather: Man Dies In Snow Trying To Get Home

A young man died in a "very tragic incident" after trying to get home in the snow in Burnley after a night out with friends.

The man's body was discovered in deep snow by a farmer at 1.30pm but emergency services struggled to get to the area because of the weather conditions.

Chief Inspector Derry Crorken, of Burnley Police, said: "Early indications suggest that it appears to be a very tragic incident where a young man has been out with friends and has become caught up in the weather last night on his journey home.

"The snow and ice has been severe in the area with many roads not passable. I would urge people to take precautions and only go out if it is necessary and if you do go out then make sure friends and family know where you are and that you have suitable clothing on and your phone with you."

His death is the second tragedy in the recent spell of bad weather. On Friday police in Looe, Cornwall, found a body in a block of flats that had been flattened by a landslide thought to have been triggered by torrential rain.

There is apparently 18 inches of snow near Wrexham (Pic: Alison Brooks)

Heavy snowfall has brought disruption to many parts of the UK, with roads closed, flights delayed, rail services cancelled and sports events called off.

Power lines were brought down, leaving tens of thousands of homes in Northern Ireland without electricity, while 6,000 properties in Scotland and hundreds more in areas of northern England also had no power.

In some areas police reported snow drifts up to 20ft (6m) while the British Red Cross were called on to ferry medical staff, paramedics and even patients to hospital using 4x4s.

The snowy conditions extended south, hitting areas around London and Kent, where forecasters said there could be 2cm-5cm (1-2ins) of the white stuff on higher ground.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for the public to be aware of adverse weather conditions as a slow-moving band of rain, sleet and snow made its way across many central and northern parts, and the south and east.

There may be 5-10cm (2-4ins) of snow at lower levels and further significant snow accumulations were likely on hills, with continued drifting and blizzard conditions in strong southeasterly winds. 

In North Wales the British Red Cross ferried hospital staff, paramedics and renal patients to hospitals using 4x4 vehicles.

Bay Search and Rescue in Cumbria were deployed to help people in the snow

David Hallows, service manager for emergency response for the Red Cross in North Wales, said: "I've never seen snow like it. It's a metre thick in places and it's not drifting.

"I just can't believe it. It's great to know that our 4x4 capability can be of such vital use to medical staff in getting them through these tough weather conditions to patients, many of whom are seriously ill."

Airports were forced to shut their runways, and road closures hit motorists. The AA has warned drivers that even short journeys may be difficult.

More snow is expected tonight but it set to slowly die out on Sunday and forecasters say most places will have a cold, dry day with cold easterly winds.

About 70 people stranded in their cars in Cumbria overnight were put up in a local high school. Police said that snow was drifting up to 20ft (6m) and they had had 1,500 calls asking for help.

A motorist drives past another car stuck in a snow drift near Belfast

In Northern Ireland, 6ft (1.8m) snow drifts left emergency crews struggling to get through but electricity returned to 5,000 homes overnight.

However, about 35,000 customers were still cut off and teams were out again from first light to continue with network repairs, Northern Ireland Electricity said. They were using helicopters to try to identify the power lines affected.

In Scotland, ScottishPower estimated there were some 6,000 homes were still off supply in the south-west area.

Electricity North West was trying to restore power to parts of Cumbria, with 350 customers still without electricity, as engineers were unable to reach them due to road closures.

Leeds Bradford Airport said flights were not currently operating due to the adverse weather conditions. There was also disruption at East Midlands Airport.

Cutting through the snow in Denbighshire (Pic: David Cartwright)

Among the problems reported on the railways was disruption on First Transpennine Express services between Huddersfield and Manchester, and no Northern Rail services between Skipton and Carlisle.

The bad weather also hit the sporting programme, with racing at Doncaster and Newbury called off and some football league games in England and Scotland postponed.

Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier against Russia fell foul of the weather for the second time in 24 hours, with hostile conditions rendering Windsor Park unplayable.

The Group F clash was initially due to take place on Friday night but heavy snow and plummeting temperatures in Belfast saw the fixture postponed after three inspections by Norwegian referee Tom Hagen and the FIFA delegation.

The South West, which was hit by heavy rain and floods on Friday, had a dry day. By mid afternoon the Environment Agency had only 60 flood alerts in place, those mainly for the South East.

A snow plough ended up on its side in the bad weather (Pic: Shaun Cullis)

Sky weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "Southeast England, East Anglia, the Midlands, north Wales, northern England, Northern Ireland and much of Scotland can expect snow today.

"High ground will be worst affected with some heavy snow at times with drifting in the strong winds and also blizzards.

"Low levels could see 5-10cm (2-4ins) of snowfall today although amounts will probably be lower across London."

She added: "Southwest England, south Wales and southern Ireland looks largely dry and relatively mild with some brighter spells.

"A few showers may nudge into the extreme southwest later. Tonight will stay dry with a frost forming in places."

It is expected to be the coldest March since 1962 when the average temperature was 2.8C (37F).

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