Ukraine: Insurgents Killed In Attack On Convoy

Twenty pro-Russian insurgents have been killed after an attack on a convoy of soldiers in eastern Ukraine, according to reports.

Ukraine's defence ministry has said in a statement up to 500 insurgents attacked the convoy outside the eastern village of Rubizhne.

It added that one soldier had been killed earlier on Friday in a separate clash in the same area.

It comes after Vladimir Putin said Russia will recognise the outcome of Ukraine's presidential election as he criticised the West for imposing economic sanctions on his country.

He also blamed the West for plunging Ukraine into "chaos and a full-scale civil war" since the country's former president was overthrown months ago.

Striking a more conciliatory note, he said he is ready to work with the new Ukrainian leadership and insisted Moscow wants peace and order restored in its neighbour.

Speaking at an investment forum in St Petersburg, the Russian president said: "We will treat the choice of the Ukrainian people with respect."

On Thursday, pro-Russian insurgents attacked a military checkpoint in the eastern town of Volnovakh, reportedly killing at least 13 troops and wounding more than 30.

Militants have been seizing government buildings in eastern Ukraine and fighting government troops for more than a month.

Mr Putin also said Russia does not want to isolate itself from the rest of the world and wants to work with Washington on many projects.

"We are not planning any self-isolation," Mr Putin said.

"We hope that common sense ... will prompt our European and US partners to work with Russia."

Twenty-one candidates are competing on Sunday to become Ukraine's next leader.

However, it will be impossible to hold the vote in some areas in the east - especially in Donetsk and Luhansk, where insurgents have declared independence and pledged to derail the vote.

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Lib Dems Sinking Fast As Tide Turns To UKIP

Voters Brand Miliband 'Weird' In Election Blow

Updated: 2:39pm UK, Friday 23 May 2014

Ed Miliband was left fighting to salvage his public image after a disappointing performance in the local elections which saw members of his own party turn on his leadership.

The Labour leader was accused of being in urgent need of an overhaul after a series of blunders ahead of Thursday's vote, which saw unflattering pictures of him eating a bacon sandwich and him giving a wild underestimate of the cost of a family shop in interview.

In a further blow a poll found nearly half of voters considered Mr Miliband to be "weird" and the most likely leader to have been bullied at school.

The party failed to make the gains it should have done, leaving it far short of the number of seats it was expected to win to put it in a good position for the 2015 General Election.

As the results emerged, Mr Miliband was attacked by members of his own party for running a lacklustre campaign.

Labour MP Graham Stringer told Sky News: "Ed's behind in the personality stakes. We can sharpen up his presentation but we are also behind on economic policy. No party in opposition has evern won when they are behind in the opinion polls on both personality of the leader and economic policy.

"The team round him  haven't been good enough, the basic organisation of the campaign has been poor both in what message has been delivered and how it has been organised."

Labour veteran Tessa Jowell said: "If you are a politician ... don't eat a bacon buttie when the world's cameras are on you, quite frankly."

She said he had been caught out on the price of the weekly shop "presumably because Justine, his wife, does the shopping".

Charles Lewington, Sir John Major's  former press secretary, said one of Mr Miliband's problem was that he "looks like Wallace from Wallace and Gromit".

A poll by YouGov for BuzzFeed found 41% of people found the Labour leader "weird", which compared with just 34% of the 1,942 people questioned feeling the same way about Nick Clegg and 27% thinking David Cameron strange. It also found 36% thought Mr Miliband would have been bullied at school.

However, when quizzed on his performance and the way Labour had conducted itself, Mr Miliband said: "I think we ran a good campaign."

He said: "I think in some parts of the country we have had discontent building up for decades about the way the country has been run and about the way our economy works and people feeling that the country just does not work for them and so what you are seeing in some parts of the country is people turning to UKIP as an expression of that discontent and that desire for change."

Sky's election analyst Michael Thrasher said the numbers were well short of the sort of surge Ed Miliband needs to sweep him into Downing Street when the General Election takes place in a year's time.

Pollsters suggested Labour should look to gain between 300 and 500 seats, with the party predicting 200, but were falling well short.

Mick Temple, professor of journalism and politics at Staffordshire University, said on these results Labour were not likely to secure a majority in 2015. He said the party's politicians had told him privately that they were frustrated with Mr Miliband's leadership.

He simply isn't a bloke most of us would want to share a pint with, he argued, while Mr Cameron and certainly Nigel Farage might be.

Labour's enjoyed more success in London where UKIP are less of a threat, taking Hammersmith from the Conservatives, however, the party cannot win an election in the capital alone.

For the latest results from around the country as they come in follow Sky's live election blog.

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'No Evidence' To Place Rolf At 'Groping' Events

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Correspondent

The barrister for Rolf Harris has told the jury at his sex assault trial there is no evidence to place him at events where he is alleged to have groped two girls.

Despite police searches of newspaper archives, no proof could be found of the entertainer's appearances at a community centre near Portsmouth in 1969 or an event in Cambridge in 1975.

One alleged victim claims Harris groped her outside a celebrity It's a Knock Out event in Cambridge when she was 14.

Another woman claims Harris touched her when she was seven or eight as she queued to get his autograph at a community centre near Portsmouth in 1969.

But Sonia Woodley QC told senior investigating officer Detective Sergeant Gary Pankhurst from Operation Yewtree - a prosecution witness - that there was no evidence "of any kind" to suggest Harris had been there.

The jury was also shown a video seized from Rolf Harris's home in 2012 of a third alleged victim.

The footage of a 1978 holiday in Australia shows the girl swimming in a pool in a bikini.

It also shows her swimming with a group of friends in a river.

The prosecution then took DS Pankhurst through some of the key pieces of evidence it had set out earlier in the trial before ending its case.

The defence will begin on Tuesday, when Rolf Harris himself is expected to give evidence.

Before dismissing the jury, the judge joked with them that bank holiday weekends usually mean bad weather and reminded them not to discuss the trial with anybody else.

Harris is accused of 12 counts of indecent assault on four alleged victims between 1968 and 1986, all of which he denies.

The trial continues.

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RBS And NatWest Hit By Mobile Banking Glitch

Mobile banking services for RBS and NatWest have been hit by an IT glitch, along with an unconnected problem that affected some Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland online users.

In a statement given to Sky News, a spokesperson for RBS Group said: "Some customers may have had trouble getting into mobile banking today between 8.40am and 2.30pm.

"All services are back up and running as normal.  We apologise for any inconvenience this caused."

A spokesman for Lloyds Banking Group said there was a temporary issue on Friday morning that affected mobile and online services for a small number of customers who were trying to set up payments at Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland.

The apology seen by NatWest smartphones users

A Lloyds spokesman said: "We are aware that a small number of customers experienced issues accessing payments this morning.

"The issue has now been rectified and we are working with those customers who were affected."

The RBS Group has been hit be a sequence of system-wide IT failures in the past, which affected RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank.

More recently, it has suffered 'pay day problems'  in the past, when workers expect to see funds enter their accounts.

Branch and cash machines are believed to be unaffected by the latest woes.

In its last annual results, the group said it was investing heavily in computer infrastructure to modernise its systems.

A number of banks were affected in February when workers expected funds to be deposited.

According to the British Bankers' Association, the use of mobile devices for banking services has doubled in the past 12 months.

RBS saw more than 17 million log ins in one week, through its mobile app, earlier this month.

In late December the group was hit by its fourth IT failure, after a cyber attack left online users unable to access accounts.

That followed an outage in early December, on one of the year's busiest shopping days.

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Tupac's 'Final Words Revealed By Ex-Cop'

US rapper Tupac Shakur's last words before he died in a drive-by shooting were "**** you", according to a police officer who said he was at the scene.

Former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer Chris Carroll made the claim 18 years after the attack in the city.

Shakur was travelling in a car along the Strip when another vehicle pulled up and a gunman inside opened fire, shooting him several times.

Mr Carroll said Shakur's swearing was in response to the officer's question "Who shot you?"

Shakur then lost consciousness, was taken to hospital where he was put on a life-support machine and then died six days later at the age of 25.

But his murder remains unsolved.

Shakur (R) and Snoop Dogg at MTV Video Music Awards in September 1996

Carroll was on the city's bike patrol squad and was reportedly the first officer on the scene on September 7, 1996.

He said as he opened the car door, a blood-covered Shakur "fell into him" and he pulled him out of the vehicle.

He recalled to Vegas Seven: "I immediately notice that the guy's got a ton of gold on-a necklace and other jewellery - and all of the gold is covered in blood. That has always left an image in my mind."

The officer claimed he had asked the rapper who shot him several times, but Tupac would not answer.

Carroll said: "I kept asking over and over, 'Who did this? Who shot you?' And he basically kept ignoring me.

"And then I saw in his face, in his movements, all of a sudden in the snap of a finger, he changed. And he went from struggling to speak, being noncooperative, to an 'I'm at peace' type of thing. Just like that."

He added: "He went from fighting to 'I can't do it.' And when he made that transition, he looked at me, and he's looking right in my eyes. And that's when I looked at him and said one more time, 'Who shot you?'

Suge Knight was driving the car in which Shakur was shot

"He looked at me and he took a breath to get the words out, and he opened his mouth, and I thought I was actually going to get some cooperation. And then the words came out: '**** you.'

"After that, he started gurgling and slipping out of consciousness. At that point, an ambulance showed up, and he went into unconsciousness."

Shakur was a front passenger in Death Row Records founder Suge Knight's BMW when several occupants pulled up in a white Cadillac and one opened fire at an intersection.

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Missing Yachtsmen: 'Still Hope' As Search Ends

The families of four British sailors missing in the Atlantic say they "still hold out much hope" their loved ones will be found despite the search being only hours from ending.

Relatives of Steve Warren, 52, Andrew Bridge, 22, James Male, 23, and Paul Goslin, 56, said they have received strong support from the public and have been told "endless stories" of people surviving for months at sea.

They spoke out after the US Coast Guard said the hunt will be called off if the seamen are not found by midnight on Friday - 5am on Saturday UK time.

Captain Anthony Popiel said he had phoned the men's families to tell them the news.

Family members of the missing men outside the Foreign Office on Thursday

He added: "It is only after deepest consideration that we suspend active search efforts."

A statement issued by the Foreign Office on behalf of the families said they "still hold out much hope that their loved ones will be found soon".

It added: "They have received so much support from the public and the yachting community, hearing endless stories of people that have survived many weeks and months in different circumstances at sea and have drawn much strength from this.

Captain Popiel says he has informed the men's families

"They were obviously saddened to hear that the US Coast Guard will be suspending the search. But, they were prepared for the fact that this would have to happen."

Debris was found in the search area on Thursday, but Captain Popiel said none of the objects located so far match the missing yacht.

The four men were on board a 40ft yacht when it ran into difficulties a week ago while returning to the UK from a regatta in Antigua.

An initial search for the stricken vessel was called off on Sunday amid bad weather in the Atlantic Ocean, but began again on Tuesday after pressure from the men's families.

More than 200,000 people signed a petition demanding the operation be resumed and the families of the four sailors have written to US President Barack Obama to thank him for his support.

The search, around 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, includes commercial vessels as well as aircraft from the US Coast Guard, the US Air Force, the Canadian military and the RAF.

More than 17,500 square miles of ocean have been covered since the search resumed three days ago.

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Local Elections: UKIP Makes Significant Gains

Nigel Farage has claimed his party is a "serious player" for 2015 after UKIP made significant gains in the local elections, leaving main party leaders admitting the public was voicing its discontent.

The Prime Minister conceded his party had to start delivering on immigration and welfare reform, and said the public had become "frustrated" with the status quo.

Mr Farage forecast his party would win double the 80 seats predicted leading to claims the elections had ushered in an era of four-party politics.

A ballot box is emptied at Trinity School in Croydon

UKIP took seats off both Labour and the Conservatives in their heartlands, which was particularly damaging to Ed Miliband, who has been accused by his own party of running an "unforgivably unprofessional" campaign.

David Cameron said: "People want us to deliver. The economy is growing, we are creating jobs, but we have got to work harder and we have got to really deliver on issues that are frustrating people and frustrating me, like welfare reform and immigration and making sure people really benefit from this recovery.

"We will be working flat out to demonstrate that we do have the answers to help hard working people."

Labour lost its grip in the north and, in a serious blow, the party lost control of Thurrock, a key marginal for the General Election in 2015, to no overall control, losing two seats to UKIP.

Mr Farage said UKIP would now be "serious players" in the General Election and said the party was expecting to win double the 80 seats that had been predicted.

He said: "The UKIP fox is in the Westminster henhouse" and added: "The idea the UKIP vote just hurts the Tories is going to be blown away by this election." 

Joey Essex may have supported Ed Miliband but Essex man voted UKIP

However, Mr Farage, who has consistently warned the local and European elections would deliver a UKIP "earthquake", admitted that the party was unlikely to be successful in London.

Ed Miliband defended the party's campaign and said people were turning to UKIP to express their discontent with the way the country is run.

He told Sky News: "I think we ran a good campaign."

He said: "I think in some parts of the country we have had discontent building up for decades about the way the country has been run and about the way our economy works and people feeling that the country just does not work for them and so what you are seeing in some parts of the country is people turning to UKIP as an expression of that discontent and that desire for change."

Mr Farage casts his vote in Cudham, Kent

Mr Miliband added that Labour would be able to provide the answer to the discontent by the 2015 vote.

UKIP made its greatest gains in Essex, where Margaret Thatcher once identified the "Essex Man", a man who moved out of London, once voted Labour but switched to the Tories.

UKIP took seats from Labour in Hartlepool, won 10 seats in Rotherham and polled more than a third of the vote in wards in big cities, such as Sunderland, Birmingham and Hull, where it previously had little or no presence.

The Camerons and the Milibands cast their votes

According to the latest Sky News projection, the results so far would give a hung parliament at the 2015 General Election, with Labour holding the largest number of MPs.

Sky's election analyst Professor Michael Thrasher said UKIP's success suggested the party would claim at least one seat in the House of Commons next year

As predicted, the Liberal Democrats suffered significant losses, particularly in Kingston-Upon-Thames where it lost control of the council after 12 years to its coaltion partners. In Portsmouth it lost control with UKIP gaining six seats.

However, the party managed to hold on in Eastleigh, where UKIP came second last year in a by-election.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg admitted the party had had a bad night but said: "Actually I think in the areas where we have MPs where we have good organisation on the ground ... we are actually doing well."

Mr Farage celebrated by going on a tour of the areas where he had been most successful.

Sky's Siobhan Robbins, who followed from Thurrock in Essex to Basildon, said that in Thurrock he had been greeted by a large crowd.

She said: "It was like he was a pop star. People were gathered around him and there was a scrum. I saw two grown men cry. One of them was saying: 'Thank you Nigel Farage. Thank you for showing us the light'."

:: Follow all the results as they come in on Twitter with @skyelections.

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Stuart Hall Jailed For Sex Assaults On Girl

Ex-broadcaster Stuart Hall has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for indecently assaulting an underage girl.

The former It's A Knockout presenter had been convicted of carrying out an attack on the youngster by a jury at Preston Crown Court.

He was found guilty last week of assaulting her when she was under 16.

Hall, 84, had earlier pleaded guilty to another indecent assault on the same girl when she was 13.

That involved an incident at a dinner party where he crept into his victim's bedroom and assaulted her.

Passing sentence, Lord Justice Turner said of his offences: "It was an act of vile bravado and horrible betrayal."

The victim sat metres away and began wiping away tears with a handkerchief passed to her, as details of the offences were again mentioned in court.

Hall was sentenced to 12 months for the offence he admitted and was given an additional 18 months for the indecent assault of which he was convicted by the jury.

Last week, he was cleared of 15 counts of rape in relation to that woman and another who claimed they were sexually assaulted by him between 1976 and 1981.

The married father-of-two is currently in prison serving a 30-month term.

He had been jailed after he pleaded guilty last year to indecently assaulting 13 other young girls, aged between nine and 17, over a 20-year period.

The ex-BBC football match commentator had not been due for release from that custodial sentence until September.

Hall will not now be eligible for release until December 2015 as the latest sentence will only begin after the end of his current jail term.

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Professor's 70ft Crevasse Plunge Escape Filmed

An American professor has filmed his incredible escape after falling 70ft (21m) down a Himalayan mountain crevasse while collecting snow samples.

Dr John All was researching climate change on the 23,379ft Mount Himlung, close to Mount Everest in Nepal, when he fell into a deep crevasse hidden by snow.

His body ricocheted between the walls of the ravine as he plunged to certain death.

But incredibly, he landed on a precarious ice ridge more than 300ft from the bottom.

Dr John Hall fillmed himself after landing on the ice ridge

The 44-year-old broke an arm, ribs and suffered severe cuts and bruises in the fall.

He recorded the scene on his mobile phone as he worked out how to get out of the crevasse.

He then spent the next six hours in agony, crawling inch by inch with his ice axe, knowing one slip and he would fall to his death.

Eventually, Dr All, a geology lecturer from West Kentucky University, managed to climb out out of the crevasse, and a few hours later reached his tent.

The view from the ledge to the top of the crevasse

Rescuers arrived the next morning and airlifted him to a hospital in Kathmandu.

"My body was shattered and I was in agony," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"My face hit one wall, my back and stomach hit the back wall and I bounced between them. My face was pretty torn up. I landed on a piece of ice at a midpoint.

"I could have fallen another 100 metres and it's amazing I didn't. The entire time climbing out I knew if I slipped I would have been dead."

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Glasgow's School Of Art Badly Damaged By Fire

Fire has caused "significant" damage to a historic art school building in Glasgow city centre.

Crews were called to reports of a blaze at Glasgow School of Art's Charles Rennie Mackintosh building at about 12.30pm.

It is believed the fire started in the basement and spread to the upper floors where flames were seen leaping from windows and the roof.

The blaze is now being damped down but early assessments say most of the interior of the Category A listed building on the corner of Renfrew Street and Scott Street has been destroyed.

Flames can clearly be seen coming from the windows. Pic: @xdxxnx/Twitter

There were no reports of casualties but a number of people had to be helped from the building.

Sky's James Matthews said the blaze is believed to have broken out while final year students were preparing their end of year degree shows on the upper floors.

Many of the students whose work has been lost were in tears as they witnessed their efforts go up in smoke.

Broadcaster Muriel Gray, a former student and current chairwoman of the school, was another who burst into tears as she arrived and saw the building in flames.

The art school, designed by the famous Scottish architect and dating from 1897, is a tourist attraction and is regarded as a building of "national or international importance".

It attracts around 20,000 visitors a year, with tours given of the building.

Hugh Thornhill, a second year student, said: "I was helping one of the fourth years set up their exhibit and suddenly the alarm went off. We saw smoke coming out and realised that it was really bad.

Broadcaster and current art school Chairwoman Muriel Gray was in tears

"All that effort is gone, everyone's work on that side of the building is ruined. The degree show next month is pretty much a bust now, it's sad."

Second year student Clare Reilly said: "Four years of work is gone for all those students, the deadline was at 5pm today."

As well as renowned artists, former students include members of the bands Travis and Franz Ferdinand, Architect and TV presenter George Clarke and actors Peter Capaldi and Robbie Coltrane.

Travis lead singer Fran Healy tweeted: "Man the mac library is all wood!!!! And loads of paper!! Man!!"

George Clarke said: "Devastating to see the Glasgow School of Art in flames...I'll support its full restoration in any way."

Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Glasgow School of Art. Pic: Finlay McWalter

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) described the blaze as "an international tragedy".

Chief Fire Officer at the scene Alasdair Hay said some items had been salvaged but it was too early to say exactly what had been destroyed.

He said: "Part of our operation is to try and salvage what we can and we worked with colleagues from the school who identified objects of significance that they would like us, if possible, to save."

He said efforts were underway to save as much of the fabric of the building as possible but he could not say if any of the students work could be recovered.

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China Signs Russian Gas Deal 'Worth $400bn'

Is Wiley Putin Really Like Hitler?

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Wednesday 21 May 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

It's an opportunity for a brief snigger, a moment of international schadenfreude, the moment of guilty pleasure at someone else's misfortune - and it came all in one sentence.

In reaction to Prince Charles' comparison of Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler the Russian president's spokesman said: "I don't know anything about it. I can't really trust the Daily Mail as a source."

This offhand dismissal signals both that the heir to the British throne is irrelevant to Russia - and that the Kremlin is not to be moved, as British politicians very often are, by headlines in the UK's most powerful tabloid.

Charles' comment was made in private. It was controversial only because he said it.

His father, Prince Philip, has form for making off-the-cuff comments about foreigners that have been intended as jokes but taken too seriously.

"And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler," the Prince of Wales is reported to have said.

Hillary Clinton said much the same not long ago.

The former US Secretary of State told an audience: "The claims by president Putin and other Russians that they had to go into Crimea and maybe further into Ukraine because they had to protect Russian minorities is reminiscent of claims made back in the 1930s when Germany under the Nazis kept talking about how they had to protect German minorities in Poland, Czechoslovakia and elsewhere throughout Europe."

Prince Charles and Clinton are simply showing that they know their history.

Hitler's unopposed annexation of the Sudetenland, a German speaking part of Czechoslovakia, happened on the pretext of protecting ethnic Germans there after deliberately fomenting unrest, riots, and violent secessionist movements.

Putin has done exactly the same thing in Ukraine.

The issue is whether Russia wants to annex the vast central European country.

He needs to work out whether he has gone far enough or wants to go for broke - and he risks just that, going broke.

So his main focus this week has been on a state visit to China where he had hoped to sign a 30-year, $456bn, deal to export gas and other petrochemicals to China.

He needed this deal to offset the inevitable strategic shift by European national consumers of Russian gas to alternative supplies because Russia is no longer trusted following the annexation of the Crimea.

And Putin got it.

He landed the deal, according to the Chinese state news agency, on Wednesday.

Some 88% of Russia's total oil exports, 70% of its gas exports and 50% of its coal exports go to Europe.

They all face sanctions if Russia keeps the pressure on Ukraine with more of the destabilising tactics used by Hitler.

The Chinese deal is roughly the equivalent of Russia's current oil exports to Germany.

But he'll still be feeling smug.

Russia's play for Ukrainian territory has been as much about a land grab as it has been about weakening the European Union and the bloc's flirtation with Kiev.

He has designs on greater influence over 'Eurasia' and will be watching the EU-wide elections with great interest.

He'll be rooting for the anti-European right - for UKIP, the National Front in France, Austria's Freedom Party - all determined to leave the European Union.

A weakened EU is what Putin wants, so if anti-Europeans do well then Russia's president will enjoy yet another moment of shadenfreude - taking pleasure at the EU's misfortune.

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Hillsborough Inquests Shown CCTV Of Tragedy

Harrowing footage has been shown at the Hillsborough inquests of events leading up to Britain's worst football disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 people.

People attending the court hearing in Warrington, including relatives of the fans killed, were warned beforehand they may want to leave before the images were shown.

CCTV played to jurors showed crowds building up outside the Leppings Lane entrance to the Hillsborough football stadium.

And it showed the number of fans trying to get into the match still building just 10 minutes before the the 3pm kick-off.

The jury heard how police agreed a gate could be opened, allowing an extra 2,000 supporters into the ground.

At the same time, separate footage inside the stadium showed how packed with fans two pens were becoming.

Even before the start of the match, images could be seen of fans being lifted out, while some tried to climb to safety.

Jurors have already heard a request was made for a fleet of ambulances at 3.06pm after the match had been called off.

The court heard it was not until after 3.20pm Hillsborough was declared a major incident, by which time many fans lay injured, dead or dying on the pitch.

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Prince Charles 'Compares Putin To Hitler'

Prince Charles has reportedly compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler over his actions in Ukraine.

The Prince of Wales' alleged remark about Mr Putin came during a four-day tour of Canada when he spoke to a woman who fled the Nazis and lost family members in the Holocaust.

A spokesman for Clarence House said: "We do not comment on private conversations.

"But we would like to stress that the Prince of Wales would not seek to make a public political statement during a private conversation."

Charles was being shown around the Museum of Immigration in Halifax, Nova Scotia, along with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The royal couple paid tribute to World War Two veterans and their families, and during the course of the visit they spoke to museum volunteer Marianne Ferguson.

Ms Ferguson told the Prince she fled to Canada with her family in 1939, not long before Hitler annexed the Baltic coastal Free City of Gdansk.

Prince Charles and Camilla in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island

After meeting Charles, the 78-year-old told the Daily Mail: "The Prince said 'And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler'.

"I must say that I agree with him and am sure a lot of people do.

"But I was very surprised that he made the comment as I know they [members of the Royal Family] aren't meant to say these things.

"I told the Prince that while my family and I were lucky to get a permit to travel, many members of my relatives had permits but were unable to get out before the war broke out on September 1.

"They were sent to the concentration camps and died."

The Mail reported that the Prince made his comments while surrounded by media and they were heard by several witnesses.

Mr Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Sky News: "I don't know anything about it. I can't really trust the Daily Mail as a source."

Protesters in Kiev have also compared Putin to Hitler

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg backed Prince Charles on his LBC Radio phone-in, saying: "Prince Charles should be perfectly entitled to express views in the confidence that he's expressing them privately."

But Labour (Co-op) MP Mike Gapes, who represents Ilford South, said the Prince "should abdicate" if he wants to make controversial statements.

He said on Twitter: "If Prince Charles wants to make controversial statements on national or international issues he should abdicate and stand for election.

"In constitutional monarchy, policy and diplomacy should be conducted by parliament and government. Monarchy should be seen and not heard."

UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who has backed Mr Putin's anti-EU stance in the past, said: "Prince Charles has made those comments - I know some people feel that way about Putin.

"I think there's a difference. The difference is right from the very start Hitler was expansionist, and we haven't see very much evidence of that until now from Putin and arguably, what's happened in the Ukraine is because he's been poked with a stick by the rest of the world."

Mr Putin is in Shanghai meeting with Xi Jinping and other world leaders

Charles and the Russian leader are due to meet next month when they attend the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6.

Mr Putin has faced international anger over Russia's actions in neighbouring Ukraine, including the controversial annexation of Crimea.

In March, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly said Mr Putin's claim to be be defending ethnic Russians in Crimea was "what Hitler did back in the '30s".

She later backtracked, claiming she was not making a direct comparison but that Russia's behaviour was "reminiscent" of Germany in the build-up to the Second World War.

Prince Charles has been known for speaking his mind on issues such as architecture and the environment, but he rarely makes his feelings known on diplomatic matters.

There is an ongoing legal battle over the publication of letters he has sent to politicians, with the attorney general concerned their release could compromise the Prince's neutrality and create constitutional problems.

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Rory McIlroy Calls Off Wozniacki Wedding

Golfer Rory McIlroy has called off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki just days after posting wedding invitations.

The former world number one said he ended the relationship after realising he was not ready for marriage.

McIlroy, a two-time major winner, issued a statement after talking to Wozniacki - and was later pressed on the split by reporters.

"The problem is mine," read the Northern Irishman's statement.

Pictures posted by McIlroy on January 1. Credit: @McIlroyRory/Twitter

"The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn't ready for all that marriage entails.

"There is no right way to end a relationship that has been so important to two people.

"I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we've had. I will not be saying anything more about our relationship in any setting."

McIlroy was then asked about the break-up as he prepared for the BMW PGA Championship.

He said: "I think I'm no different than anyone else. Everyone has been through break-ups and it's obviously very, very difficult.

"I'm not going to lie. It's going to be very difficult. But you know, at least when I get inside the ropes I can just try and concentrate on the shot at hand."

Wozniacki shows off her engagement ring at the Australian Open

McIlroy, 25, had announced his engagement to the 23-year-old via Twitter on January 1, 2014. 

At the time McIlroy tweeted: "I have a feeling it is going to be a great year."

Wozniacki later revealed the golfer asked her parents for permission before popping the question.

She then flaunted her diamond ring - reportedly worth well over £100,000 - at the Australian Open.

There was no hint of trouble in the relationship on Sunday when McIlroy tweeted a picture while the couple were having dinner at Nobu restaurant in Monte Carlo.

Wozniacki, who was born in Denmark to Polish parents, reached world number one in her own sport in 2012 but has yet to win a Grand Slam.

A tweet posted by McIlroy on Sunday. Credit: @McIlroyRory/Twitter

The couple - dubbed Wozzilroy in some circles after he gave her a golf wedge engraved with the moniker - had reportedly been an item for more than two years.

And they were arguably the most successful and richest pair in modern sport.

McIlory has a £12m-a-year contract with Nike, while deals with companies like Turkish Airlines supplemented Wozniacki's tennis earnings.

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Rolf Harris 'Victim' Gets Timeline Wrong

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A woman who claims she was indecently assaulted by entertainer Rolf Harris in a pub has told a court she got her "timeline wrong".

Tonya Lee, 43, had said the veteran entertainer molested her twice just hours after she arrived in Britain on a youth theatre tour from Australia.

She claimed the incident happened in a London pub in 1986 on her first day in the country when she was 15, but defence barrister Sonia Woodley QC produced an itinerary that suggested she was wrong.

Ms Woodley read out to Southwark Crown Court details of the tour which started in London and went on to Birmingham, Liverpool and Scotland.

She added that at the end of the tour there was a "celebration" dinner with Harris in a Greenwich pub just before the party returned to Australia.

Ms Woodley said the itinerary proved Ms Lee was wrong in saying she had been assaulted by him in the pub at the start of her six-week visit.

The alleged victim, a mother of three, responded: "I know the incident happened. This happened almost 28 years ago. There is fault about my timeline but what happened, happened.

"My dates are wrong but I know what happened."

She added the incidents remained "clear" in her mind.

A photo of Tonya Lee released by the Metropolitan Police

Ms Woodley asked her how she could have said in her evidence the tour was "tainted" by what she claimed took place and that she "threw up for the rest of the trip".

After a long pause Ms Lee, 43, said: "I don't know, maybe I was nervous about being away from home."

Ms Woodley suggested that she was ill and lost weight because she "didn't like English food".

The witness also admitted that at the time she sold her story to the Australian media for $60,000 (£33,000), she owed $10,000 (£5,500) to the tax authorities.

But she insisted "money was not the motivating factor", adding she just wanted to tell police what she claimed happened to her with Harris.

She denied prosecution suggestions that she "spiced up" her story in order to secure a more lucrative deal with Australian media.

Finally, Ms Lee was asked why she had given evidence and said she was "forever grateful for the opportunity" to speak.

In tears, she added: "It takes people like myself to speak out, to help others that have suffered, to give strength to others.

"What I do know is that nobody has a right, no matter who they are, to subject something to somebody that is unlawful, wrong. There is an age of consent for a reason."

Harris, 84, is accused of three indecent assault charges against Ms Lee and nine other allegations, all of which he denies.

As she gave evidence Harris, who lives in Bray, Berkshire, listened and occasionally passed notes to his defence team.

Harris has had a 50-year career in entertainment and was again supported in the public gallery by his wife Alwen and other family and friends.

The trial continues.

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Home Secretary Cuts Police Federation Funding

The Home Secretary has said the public can no longer continue to fund the Police Federation when it has vast reserves of its own.

Theresa May told the Police Federation annual conference that funding would be cut from August because it was "not acceptable" for it to continue when the organisation had tens of millions of pounds in its reserves.

Mrs May had already said spending would be reduced from £320,000 to £190,000 each year but has now said it will be cut completely.

In a bruising speech, Mrs May listed a string of controversies faced by the police, including the Plebgate row, involving misconduct over the investigation into the Downing Street incident involving the former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell, and the Hillsborough report.

She said: "If there's anybody in this hall who doubts that our model of policing is at risk, if there is anybody who underestimates the damage recent events and revelations have done to the relationship between the public and the police, if anybody here questions the need for the police to change, I am here to tell you that it's time to face up to reality."

The Plebgate affair has damaged the police, said Mrs May

Mrs May said that if the Police Federation did not accept reforms recommended by Sir David Normington then "we will impose change on you."

Her speech was greeted by silence from officers.

During a question and answer session that followed one officer, who had served for 21 years, told the Home Secretary: "I've never had such an attack and a personal kicking from what you said there.

"You're threatening to bully us."

Mrs May told the Federation a third of the public no longer trusted officers to tell the truth as a result of a number of high-profile scandals.

She added that it was "not enough to mouth platitudes about a few bad apples".

In January, a report commissioned by the former chief civil servant at the Home Office, Sir David Normington, found the organisation was riven by deep divisions between leaders.

It also found there was "a culture of secrecy" over finances with £64.5m held in reserve and a number of local branches refusing to give details of accounts where funds were held.

Police Federation chairman Steve Williams

The report warned that the organisation, which represents 124,000 rank and file officers, must reform.

As well as cutting funding, Mrs May said officers would no longer automatically become members of the Police Federation but would now have to actively opt in.

Outgoing chairman of the Police Federation Steve Williams blamed the media for the increasing hostility to the Police Federation, saying there had been "negative story after negative story".

He told officers: "And while the good deeds of our members are occasionally rightly reflected in the local media, a focus on your efforts and the efforts of Fed reps across the country has become difficult in the haze of negativity and media furore."

Mr Williams also called for a guarantee that police killers would be given whole-life sentences.

He also warned about the falling number of officers next to the increasing number of those employed by police watchdogs and added: "If this trend continues we will have more people watching those policing, than those actually doing it."

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Ebay Users Urged To Change Their Passwords

By Tom Cheshire, Sky Technology Correspondent

Ebay has asked its users to change their passwords following a cyberattack that compromised the site's database.

The database, which was compromised between late February and early March, involved hackers infiltrating the database by accessing the log-in details of eBay employees.

The database included eBay customers' names, encrypted password, email address, physical addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. 

However, the company says extensive tests carried out on its networks confirmed the breach had not resulted in any unauthorised activity for its users or compromise of their financial data. 

Ebay said it was "best practice" for users to change their passwords as it would "help enhance security for eBay users".

The company first learnt of the initial break-in two weeks ago, and a subsequent forensic analysis confirmed that a customer database had also been compromised.

The company said it has seen no increase in fraudulent activity since the hack. Paypal - which eBay owns - is unaffected, and it runs from a different database, according to the company.

"Working with law enforcement and leading security experts, the company is aggressively investigating the matter and applying the best forensics tools and practices to protect customers," eBay said in a statement.

Customers of eBay who use the same password for other websites should change their passwords on all sites.

The new cyberattack is only the latest in a recent string of high profile incidents. In February, the details of 2,200 Tesco clubcards were leaked online. Last year, US retailer Target lost the credit card details of 40 million customers.

A recent Verizon report found 1,367 serious data breaches in 2013, dubbed "the year of the retailer breach", saying it was a year of "large-scale attacks on payment card systems."

David Emm, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said:  "It's difficult to quantify the danger customers may be in following the eBay cyberattack, but of course any personal data in the wrong hands is bad news and it appears that the attackers have gained access to customers' names, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth, as well as encrypted passwords.

"The fact that this attack took place two to three months ago means the attackers have had additional time with which to attempt to decrypt the stolen passwords as well as make use of the other personal data.

"On the face of it, it looks as though eBay has been slow to respond, but if the company has only just discovered the full extent of the attack it is now doing the right thing by notifying customers in a timely manner."

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CCTV Appeal As 'Hugger Mugger' Steals Watch

Police have released CCTV video as they hunt a "hugger mugger" who squeezed a student's throat, causing him to pass out, and then stole his £5,000 watch.

The crime began when the pair began chatting in a central London street and the attacker talked about martial arts and acting out restraint moves.

The victim, who was described as a "bit worse for wear after a night out and alone", turned around and the suspect put his arm across the man's throat and squeezed.

This led to the student briefly losing consciousness as he fell to the ground.

Police said the attacker then ripped a Rolex Submariner with a silver bracelet and black face off the victim's wrist and fled.

The man was "badly shaken" and officers said if the suspect had applied more pressure he could have been far more seriously injured.

They are also concerned as the method of mugging was not one they have seen before in their area.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened on Heddon Street, near Regents Street, at around 3.35am on Saturday, May 10.

Scotland Yard said the attacker told the victim he was Algerian.

He was wearing a dark baseball-type jacket, dark blue jeans and a black baseball cap. He was described as bald with stubble, 5ft 8ins and of muscular build.

Investigating officer DC Michael Heaney said: "The suspect targeted his victim carefully, choosing someone who was a bit the worse for wear after a night out, alone and smartly dressed.

"The method he uses is not something we have seen before in this area and is a concern.

"Had the suspect applied more pressure the victim could have been far more seriously injured. As it was, he was just badly shaken."

Witnesses are asked to call police on 0207 321 7513 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Missing Yachtsmen: Coastguard Steps Up Search

The sister of one of the four sailors missing after their yacht capsized in the Atlantic Ocean believes there is every chance he will be found alive.

Kay Coombes, the sister of Steve Warren, also spoke of her relief that the search for the crew of the Cheeki Rafiki, which was returning to the UK from a regatta in Antigua, had resumed after a public campaign.

She was speaking as the US Coastguard stepped up the hunt, which now involves four ships and three planes.

The US Coastguard in Boston is coordinating the hunt. Pic: US Coast Guard

A further three vessels and an aircraft are en route to the search area, about 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

An RAF Hercules has arrived to join the hunt.

Air crews on the scene have scoured a total of 2,878 square miles since the search resumed.

Speaking from Somerset, Ms Coombes told Sky News: "We are all sticking together at this point. We are amazed by the public support we have had.

"We are very thankful to the US Coastguard that they have started searching again.

"We are being realistic about what's happening but we are still hopeful at this point.

"Knowing my brother like I do - he's very very strong, physically strong, mentally strong - there's every chance he's still alive.

"We also are realistic. All we can do is hope and pray, and keep everything crossed that we can that we have a positive outcome.

"People are out there now looking for them, so if they are out there there's a good chance they are going to be found now."

The overturned hull of a yacht spotted by a cargo ship

Mr Warren's daughter Laura Carpenter said: "Obviously we are so pleased the search is back on again now."

The RAF Hercules plane will begin combing the ocean on Thursday and will be able to search for up to four hours at a time.

It will support two US and two Canadian aircraft which have also been deployed.

Mr Warren, 52, Andrew Bridge, 22, James Male, 23, and Paul Goslin, 56, were on board the 40ft yacht when it ran into difficulties.

Rear Admiral Dan Abel discusses the search operation. Pic: US Coastguard

The US Coastguard called off the search for them last weekend after two days, but the decision was reversed after more than 150,000 people signed an online petition.

A sailor who survived for five days after being shipwrecked in the mid-Atlantic told Sky News he believes the crew are still alive.

Rory Nugent told US Correspondent Amanda Walker: "I was declared dead twice by the US Coastguard and the US Navy and eventually got apology letters from both.

"I think human nature and these guys' desire to live will keep them alive and keep them going."

Rory Nugent was declared dead twice

The Cheeki Rafiki's crew had sent out locator beacons 1,000 miles east of Massachusetts and the Coastguard estimated the survival time for the Britons was 20 hours after "the time of distress".

The capsized hull of a yacht was spotted by the crew of cargo ship Maersk Kure, which was assisting in the search.

But they did not attempt to climb down to the stricken vessel and insisted there were no signs of life on board and no life raft.

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Hunt For Two More On-The-Run Prisoners

Police are hunting two inmates, including a convicted robber, who have fled from an open jail.

It is the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents in recent days where prisoners have absconded from custody.

In the latest case, Anthony Peloe and John Arnold, both from the Liverpool area, were reported missing around 10.30am on Tuesday by staff at Thorn Cross prison in Warrington, Cheshire.

Police are warning people not to approach the pair.

Arnold, 30, was convicted of robbery in May 2006 and jailed for two years. He is described as a white, around 5ft 11in tall and slimly built.

He has brown hair and brown eyes and may be wearing prison issue green trousers.

Peloe, 43, was convicted of possession of firearms with intent to commit harm in December 2005 and was sentenced to three years in jail.

Dean Jackson (L) and Damien Burns also absconded this week

He is described as white, 5ft 8in and of proportionate build. He has brown hair and blue eyes and may also be wearing green prison issue trousers.

Superintendent Martin Cleworth of Warrington Police said: "Cheshire Police are making every effort to locate these two men including liaising with colleagues in other forces.

"They may be travelling together or separately."

If anyone sees them, they are urged to call police using the non-emergency number 101 and quoting incident 306 of 20 May 2014.

Sky News Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White said: "Things are just going from bad to worse for the Ministry of Justice. Peloe and Arnold are the seventh prisoners in less than three weeks to go missing from open prison environments."

Both Michael Wheatley (L) and Thomas Moffett are back in custody

On Tuesday, it emerged an armed robber had absconded from an open prison in Doncaster along with another inmate.

Police are also warning the public not to approach Damien Burns or Dean Jackson, who went missing from Hatfield Prison in South Yorkshire on Monday evening.

Burns, 39, originally from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was serving an indeterminate sentence handed to him in 2007 for a knifepoint robbery.

Jackson, 27, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was on remand awaiting sentencing for what police described as "a theft-related matter".

Their escape came a day after a murderer who stabbed a blind man to death was arrested after going on the run from prison.

Arnold Pickering has also been arrested after going on the run

Arnold Pickering, who was jailed for life in 1991 for killing a man he wrongly thought to be a paedophile, was tracked down to an address in Oldham.

The 44-year-old had failed to return to HMP Kennet in Merseyside after leaving the Category C jail on day release on Saturday.

Another inmate, swastika-tattooed Thomas Moffett, 51, who is serving an indeterminate sentence for a number of robberies, also failed to return from day release on Saturday but was arrested on Monday night.

The series of escapes comes weeks after notorious armed robber Michael Wheatley - known as the Skullcracker - absconded from Standford Hill open prison on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, while on temporary release.

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