'Murder probe' as Briton dies in Bali

24 May 2014 Last updated at 20:47

The Foreign Office has confirmed the death of a British national on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Reports have named her as Anne-Marie Drozdz, who is thought to be in her forties.

Indonesian police suspect the woman was murdered, according to the AFP news agency.

The agency quoted police as saying she was found dead by the owner of a villa where she was staying in the tourist district of Ubud.

Police say the door to the property the woman was damaged and she had a black cloth over her face, said AFP.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Bali on 22 May.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family."

A police spokesman told AFP: "She was found by the owner of the villa lying dead on the floor with a black cloth over her face.

"The door was damaged and there were dried up pools of blood on the floor."

Police also told the agency the woman had been renting the villa since 17 May.

Ida Bagus Putu Alitin, the head of forensics at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar on the island, told AFP that the woman's body showed bruises on the neck and around the mouth.

"But we will wait until permission from her family and police to carry out an autopsy," Alitin said.

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Tories 'lack clarity and courage'

25 May 2014 Last updated at 03:39

Conservatives lack clarity, rigour and courage in the eyes of voters, according to one of the party's most influential backbench MPs.

David Davis, who once stood against David Cameron for the Tory leadership, suggested the perceived deficiencies lay behind the popularity of UKIP.

He called on Mr Cameron to bring forward his promise of an in/out EU referendum to 2016.

The Conservatives are under pressure after UKIP's local election success.

Nigel Farage's anti-EU party picked up 161 extra councillors in Thursday's poll - taking seats from all three main Westminster parties.

He has predicted causing an "earthquake" in the European elections; results are due later on Sunday.

Writing in the Sunday Times Mr Davis said: "One of the reasons the 'anti-political class' movement is gathering such momentum is that voters do not believe we are facing up to issues with sufficient rigour, clarity or courage."

He said he could see the "UKIP resurgence carrying all the way through to the general election".

To see this off, the prime minister should "press the reset button" on European policy, Mr Davis wrote.

'Minimalist promises'

The Conservatives have promised to hold an in/out vote in three years' time after renegotiating back powers from the EU.

Mr Cameron has said he will then campaign for the UK to remain part of the European Union.

But Mr Davis attacked his leadership's stance, saying: "The government's insistence that it intends to recommend an "in" vote, without any clear conditions, has robbed its policy of both clarity and credibility."

He said the government appeared to be "moving crab-like towards a referendum" and had not articulated why the UK should stay in or what will happen if the country votes to leave.

The party needs to "grasp this nettle" to prevent UKIP's rise, he warned.

Explaining how Conservatives are perceived by voters, he said: "They see us making minimalist promises, often only when under pressure from a pending election or backbench revolt."

The Conservatives lost 231 seats and control of 11 councils in the English local elections, prompting some of its backbench MPs to renew calls for a general election pact with UKIP.

Mr Cameron rejected the idea, saying: "We don't do pacts and deals."

But Chancellor George Osborne said the Conservatives must "listen to people who voted UKIP".

"We have to listen to their anger and their anxiety," he said on Saturday.

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Lib Dem candidates want Clegg to go

25 May 2014 Last updated at 06:07 By Ross Hawkins Political correspondent

Two Lib Dem parliamentary candidates in key swing seats have called on party leader Nick Clegg to step down.

Jackie Porter, would-be MP for Winchester, said that after another poor local election showing, it was time to act in the party's best interests.

West Dorset candidate Ros Kayes said the public had lost trust in Mr Clegg.

But a party spokesman said its message should not be "distorted by needless infighting".

Both Winchester and West Dorset are currently held by the Conservatives but are seen as winnable.

Continue reading the main story

The abysmal loss of well over half our seats last Thursday... is mostly due to national unpopularity"

End Quote John Pugh Lib Dem MP

'Lovely bloke'

Ms Porter - a Lib Dem county councillor - said the party's leader had "allowed himself to be portrayed as just another pea out of the same pod" as David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

Speaking to the BBC she added: "We have to make decisions to save the party not the person."

She has signed an open later to Mr Clegg calling on him to stand down so a new leader can be chosen in the summer.

Ms Kayes, another of around 200 party figures to put their name to the letter, told BBC Radio 5 live: "If you were to ask the general public what it is they don't like, they wouldn't say they don't like the coalition; they would say they don't like Nick Clegg.

"As an individual he's a lovely bloke, I just don't think he's the right person to carry on leading the party."

Mr Clegg said he would "absolutely not" be quitting after his party suffered another bad night at the polls in Thursday's English local elections.

The Lib Dems lost more than 300 councillors and in the wards last contested before the coalition was formed in 2010, it was 14% down.

'Carnage inevitable'

Until now, despite suffering loss after loss, the party's MPs have been remarkably disciplined.

But in the wake of Thursday's results, one has given the gravest warning yet about Mr Clegg's future.

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"We have to save the party, not the person."

John Pugh told the BBC he had canvassed more than a dozen backbenchers.

"The high command is in danger of seeming like generals at the Somme - repeatedly sending others over the top while being safely ensconced in Westminster and claiming the carnage is all somehow sadly inevitable," he said.

The time had passed, he added, for a policy of "misguided stoicism".

Although falling short of demanding his leader stand down, Mr Pugh said MPs would now "review" the election performance, putting the "wider party and country first".

"Our good results are mostly the product of local popularity," he said.

"The abysmal loss of well over half our seats last Thursday though is mostly due to national unpopularity."

Another MP - backbencher John Hemming - said: "I'm not an enthusiastic fan of Nick's leadership, but whether any action is needed at this stage is an issue I will come to when I return to Parliament."

Mr Clegg could face a leadership contest if a majority of Lib Dems at Westminster approve a no confidence motion or 75 local associations formally demand one.

'Always disappointing'

A Lib Dem spokesman said it was right to take the concerns about the campaign seriously.

But he added: "We always knew these elections would be tough and it is always disappointing when valued, hard working and dedicated councillors lose their seats."

Senior party figures were "proud" of the party's campaign, he said.

"Nick Clegg stood up for our core values, made the positive case for Britain's place in Europe, and took on Nigel Farage's divisive politics.

"Now is a time to get our message across, and shout what we're doing in government, and not get distorted by needless infighting."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander urged his party to "work harder to sell the recovery as a Liberal Democrat achievement".

"People need to get on with that rather than muttering," he told the Sunday Times.

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US police confirm drive-by killer

25 May 2014 Last updated at 07:10

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Elliot Rodger had recently been interviewed by police, after he threatened violent actions in a YouTube post, as Alistair Leithead reports

US police have confirmed that a man who killed six people in a rampage in California was 22-year-old Elliot Rodger.

The student was the son of Hollywood filmmaker Peter Rodger, who was assistant director on The Hunger Games.

At a news conference, police said Elliot Rodger had stabbed three male room-mates to death at his apartment.

He later went on a rampage through Isla Vista in a black BMW, shooting at people at random.

After exchanging gunfire with police, Rodger was found dead inside his crashed vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

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Sheriff Bill Brown: "All of these weapons were legally purchased...and were all registered to the suspect"

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Rodger apparently killed himself during a shoot-out with police officers.

At a press conference, he called it a "chaotic, rapidly unfolding convoluted incident" that involved multiple crime scenes.

Investigators are analysing a YouTube video in which a young man who identifies himself as Elliot Rodger sits in a car and says he is going to take his revenge against humanity.

In a so-called manifesto published online, Rodger said he was born in London and spent the first five years of his life in Sussex.

"This was a time of discovery, excitement, and fun. I had just entered this new world, and I knew nothing of the pain it would bring me later on," he wrote.

Sheriff Brown said that after leaving his apartment, Rodger had gone to a sorority house, which houses female students, and hammered loudly on the door.

They did not open the door but Rodger had then shot three women in the street, killing two of them, Sheriff Brown said.

Rodger then drove his car through the beachside community - which is near the University of California-Santa Barbara campus - targeting people at random, and the sixth victim was shot dead in a delicatessen.

Seven other people were wounded.

Sheriff Brown said it was "very apparent" that the gunman was "severely mentally disturbed", adding: "It's obviously the work of a madman."

He said authorities had recovered three semi-automatic handguns after Friday's shooting.

All the weapons were bought legally and were registered to Rodger, he said.

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Ricardo Martinez: "[Christopher's] death has left our family lost and broken"

Earlier, Peter Rodger's lawyer, Alan Shifman, said that the "family believes the child was the perpetrator".

He said Mr Rodger's son had Asperger syndrome, had trouble making friends and had been receiving professional help.

Mr Shifman added that the family had contacted police about "recent posts on YouTube" by Elliot "regarding suicide and the killing of people".

The family is "devastated" and co-operating with police, he said.

"We offer our deepest, compassionate sympathy to the families involved in this terrible tragedy," Mr Shifman told reporters outside the family home in Los Angeles,

Ricardo Martinez, whose 20-year-old son Christopher was one of the victims, spoke of his grief.

"When will this insanity stop? Too many have died. We should say to ourselves 'Not one more'," he said.

The University of California-Santa Barbara said it was "shocked and saddened'' by the shootings and confirmed that several of its students had been taken to hospital.

Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome is a form of autism - a condition which affects how people make sense of the world, and interact with other people.

People with Asperger syndrome tend to have particular difficulty in communicating and interacting socially.

They can also have problems understanding or interpreting other people's thoughts, feelings and actions.

For instance, they have trouble picking up subtle meanings contained in facial expressions and body language.

They tend to like routines, and can sometimes develop obsessive interests.

However, they are often of above average intelligence, and do not have the learning difficulties associated with autism.

It is thought a combination of genetic and environmental factors cause Asperger syndrome, which together impact on brain development.

There is no cure for the condition, but therapy can provide significant help.

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Interest rate 'to settle at 3%'

25 May 2014 Last updated at 08:46

The official UK interest rate will settle at an average of 3% in a few years, the outgoing deputy governor of the Bank of England has predicted.

Charlie Bean suggested it was likely to reach that level between 2017 and 2019.

The rate has been at the historic low of 0.5% since March 2009 and the Bank's governor has indicated it will not start rising before next spring.

But Mr Bean told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend there were economic advantages to beginning earlier.

Mr Bean is a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, which sets interest rates.

The UK interest rate fell to 0.5% in the wake of the worldwide financial crisis in 2008. It has been kept at that level amid concerns that the finances of many individuals and businesses remain too weak to withstand a rise.

But recent worries about rising house prices in parts of the UK and evidence that the economy is strengthening have intensified the debate over when rates might start to increase.

BBC News business correspondent Andrew Verity said Mr Bean's comments shed light on the views of the members of the committee, whose opinions on raising rates are reported to be becoming "more balanced".

An interest rate of 3% would be two points below the average before the banking crisis but at the top end of the range previously indicated by Mr Bean and the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney.

Mr Bean told the BBC: "There's a case for moving gradually because we won't be quite certain about the impact of tightening the bank rate given everything that has happened to the economy.

"It might not operate in quite the same way as before the crisis. So that's an argument if you like for being a bit cautious, moving in baby steps to avoid making mistakes.

"If you want to pursue that strategy you need to start taking those baby steps a bit earlier, otherwise you end up being behind the curve."

He added that his worry now was that financial markets were being complacent, failing to factor in risks to the global economy, from instability in the Ukraine to rate rises in the US.

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Art school destruction 'prevented'

23 May 2014 Last updated at 22:03

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Chief Fire Officer Alasdair Hay: "We took a roll call and we are as confident as we can be that nobody has been injured in this fire"

Firefighters battling the blaze at Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building say they have prevented the destruction of both the structure and the majority of its contents.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews are continuing work to fully extinguish the fire and save artworks.

The fire service said more than 90% of the structure was viable and they had protected up to 70% of the contents.

Fire broke out at the A-listed building at about 12:30.

Eyewitnesses said the fire appeared to have started when a projector exploded in the basement of the building on Renfrew Street in the city centre.

Everyone who had been in the packed building was said to have escaped safely.

Final year students had been preparing for their end-of-year degree show in the building when the blaze broke out.

The main blaze was extinguished by about 17:00 but there were still pockets of fire within the building.

The Mackintosh building, completed in 1909, is "unique" in that it is a working art school as well as a work of art.

From the facade to the fixtures and fittings every detail shows the craft of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scotland's most-lauded designer.

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Students watched on in horror as the iconic building went up in flames

In a statement issued at 21:30, Assistant Chief Officer Dave Boyle said crews had been working "absolutely flat out" in an effort to save "this treasured building and many of the items it housed".

He said: "While the priority from the outset was to save life we have also been working closely with Glasgow School of Art staff to ensure firefighters conducted an effective salvage operation.

"We are of course very conscious the Mackintosh is a world renowned building that is a key feature of this great city, and that the artworks it stores are not only valuable but also cherished."

ACO Boyle added: "We are acutely aware this period is the culmination of years of endeavour for students and that their irreplaceable work is inside the Mackintosh.

"Work to save everything that can be saved is ongoing and we will continue to work closely with GSA staff and students throughout this operation."

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Eyewitness Yusuf Masood took this video during the evacuation of the building at about 12:30.

Fire crews arrived on the scene within four minutes of the alarm being raised.

Search and rescue teams entered the building wearing breathing apparatus and led a number of people to safety. There were no reports of any casualties.

Police cordoned off Renfrew Street, and smoke was also drifting across the M8. Large crowds of students and onlookers gathered near the scene, with several people in tears as they watched the events unfold.

Fire appliances from across Glasgow were joined by specialist crews from other areas of Scotland, with firefighters seen pouring water on the building from a high ladder as flames blew windows out.

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 didn't think it was anything but we had to go out and then we saw smoke coming out and realised that it was really bad. It got to the point where flames were coming out of the top floor.

"All that effort is gone, everyone's work on that side of the building is ruined. Even if it didn't catch fire it will be damaged extensively.

"The degree show next month is pretty much a bust now, it's sad."

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

Ms Gray told BBC Scotland she was "heartbroken" to see the "most amazing building in Glasgow" go up in flames.

Speaking later, she added: "It has been a devastating day for everybody involved in Glasgow School of Art. We want to make it clear we are so grateful to the fire service. It's a very black day."

Asked how the building could be restored, Ms Gray said: "We don't know what's been destroyed. It's a waiting game."

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said on Twitter: "Thoughts with staff & students at @GSofA - awful to see destruction of this iconic building and students work."

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Archive: In April 2013 the BBC got a close-up look at the school's Rennie Mackintosh clocks, which took a year to restore to their former glory

Austin Yuill, who works as a chef at the art school, told the BBC: "I was moved two streets away from the Mackintosh building but before we left the place was completely ablaze all down the west side of the building.

"I'm told it started in the basement and it's worked its way all the way up through the five floors.

"As far as I know it started from a spark which has gone on to foam, expanding foam."

Asked how busy the art school was, he said: "It would be very busy because we're working up to the end-of-year assessments, so all the students were installing their work today all over the Mackintosh building. There are a lot of very upset students here."

He added: "Quite apart from it being voted the best building of the last 175 years, it is a major tourist draw and has an incredible reputation as an art school. This is really terrible."

Charles Rennie Mackintosh is lauded as Scotland's most influential architect and designer, with the art school building which bears his name considered by many to be his greatest masterpiece.

Mackintosh was a 28-year-old junior draughtsman at a Glasgow architecture firm when he drew up the designs for the building, which features distinctive heavy sandstone walls and large windows.

The dramatic art nouveau design took about 12 years to be completed, opening in 1909, but it signalled the birth of a new style in 20th Century European architecture.

The president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Iain Connelly, said the value of the building "goes well beyond Glasgow or even Scotland".

He added: "It is a work of architectural heritage of world renown and its influence on 20th century architecture is immeasurable. Scotland has seen the loss of an international treasure which reflects the genius of one of our greatest ever architects."

In recent years, Glasgow School of Art has produced many of the UK's leading contemporary artists such as Douglas Gordon and David Shrigley and three recent Turner Prize winners: Simon Starling in 2005, Richard Wright in 2009 and Martin Boyce in 2011.

Other former students include actors Robbie Coltrane and Peter Capaldi and artist Peter Howson.

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Call for cap on fuel bill surcharges

23 May 2014 Last updated at 22:30 By Brian Milligan Personal Finance Reporter, BBC News

Pressure is mounting on energy suppliers to cut the amount they charge customers who do not pay their bills by direct debit.

Twelve million people currently pay an average surcharge of £80 a year if they pay quarterly, or via a pre-payment meter.

One MP said the amount was extortionate and should be capped at £24.

However the regulator, Ofgem, said there was no evidence that suppliers were over-charging their customers.

Nevertheless, it is planning a summit in a few weeks' time to discuss whether such charges are fair.

At the moment, customers will not find these charges mentioned on their bills.

Indeed, many consumers the BBC spoke to were unaware they are even paying them.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

It is an extortionate amount of money, and completely unnecessary."

End Quote Robert Halfon MP Conservative, Harlow

"£80? Is it really? I didn't know that," said one pensioner.

'Completely unnecessary'

The energy suppliers prefer to describe the payments as discounts for those who pay by direct debit.

But Robert Halfon, a Conservative MP who is leading a campaign, insists they do amount to a surcharge.

"This is not a discount for people who pay by direct debit. This is a premium on the 46% of the country who prefer to pay by direct debit," he told the BBC.

"It is an extortionate amount of money, and completely unnecessary," he said.

Of the big six suppliers, Npower charges the most - £94. However two smaller suppliers, Ecotricity and Green Star Energy make no charge at all.

Earlier this year First Utility cuts its charge from £96 to £24.

In his blog, "The Great Energy Rip-off", Robert Halfon also reports that many water companies charge £5 or less for a standard payment method.

Highly charged: What you pay without a direct debit
Rank	Supplier	Charge
1.	Npower	£94
2.	Scottish Power	£85
3.	Marks and Spencer	£80
4,	SSE	£80
5.	Sainsburys	£72.39
6.	British Gas	£72
7.	E.On	£71
8.	Co-operative Energy	£63
9.	EDF	£63
10.	First Utility	£24
11.	Ecotricity	£0
12.	Green Star Energy	£0
Source: uSwitch Base: Dual fuel, average annual charges

Changes

The suppliers say the extra charges are to cover the cost of chasing up those who do not pay their bills on time, or who have to be pursued for non-payment.

The average £80 surcharge applies both to those who pay their individual bills quarterly, as well as to those who pay via a pre-payment meter.

"Companies provide a range of options to suit their customers," said a spokesperson for Energy UK, which represents the industry.

"Companies only charge customers more when their chosen payment method costs more to run," she said.

That assertion was backed by the regulator, Ofgem, this week, which demands that companies only charge what it actually costs them to collect the money.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

A lot of questions are being asked about the fairness of these additional charges."

End Quote Rachel Fletcher Ofgem

"We found no evidence to suggest that costs are being unjustifiably added to the bills of typical prepayment and standard credit customers," Ofgem concluded.

Nevertheless, it is planning a round-table discussion with MPs and consumer bodies later this summer, to consider possible changes.

Tricky move

In a BBC interview, Rachel Fletcher, Ofgem's senior partner for markets, also conceded that surcharging is now a matter of public concern.

"A lot of questions are being asked about the fairness of these additional charges," she said.

"One of the things we want to do is to wrestle this issue to the ground," she added.

One option now being considered is to share the costs of debt collection with direct debit customers as well.

But while that might cut bills for 12 million consumers, frequently the poorest or most vulnerable, it would inevitably increase them for the 14 million direct debit payers.

And that would be a justifiable change perhaps, but a tricky move to advocate.

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Parents fail to block gay adoption

24 May 2014 Last updated at 02:20 By Sanchia Berg Today programme

Two Slovakian parents have failed to block the adoption of two of their sons by a same sex couple in Kent.

The Catholic couple, who are of Roma origin, argued their two young children would grow up alienated from their family and community.

Taking the case to the High Court, they accused the local authority of social engineering by attempting to turn the children white and middle class.

An earlier hearing heard evidence they had neglected their children.

'Over-chastised'

In what the judge described as a "very sad case", the boys - aged two and four - were put up for adoption because of concerns about the couple's parenting.

Mrs Justice Theis had found them unwilling to acknowledge the criticisms or to change how they parented their children.

The court heard the boys' older siblings' school attendance was poor, that they were left alone and "over-chastised" - the father admitted he had beaten them - and sometimes appeared dirty and unkempt.

The judge had ruled the younger boys should be adopted, for their long-term welfare.

She said that any adoption placement should be "sensitive to their needs and identity".

But the parents argued the current plan - to place them with a gay couple - did not fulfil this.

At the High Court earlier this month the parents accused Kent County Council of a "conscious deliberate effort... to transform our children from Slovak Roma children to English middle-class children".

They claimed homosexuality was not recognised by the Roma community. Gay marriage has been condemned by Catholic bishops in Slovakia.

Continue reading the main story

The father is hardworking, well-educated; he wanted the best for his children"

End Quote Lucie Boddington Děti Patří Rodičům

Adoption by a same sex couple could cause their children psychological harm in the future, they argued.

"If as expected our children will try to find us and their siblings and roots, then they will discover huge differences between our culture and the way they've been brought up," they said in statements to the court.

"This is likely to cause them great upset and to suffer a conflict within themselves such as to set them against their adoptive parents."

However in his judgement - made public on Friday - Sir James Munby, the most senior judge in the Family Court, said the couple had no grounds in law to appeal.

He added that while any judge should "respect the opinions of those who come here from a foreign land", he had to judge matters according to English law and by reference to "the standards of reasonable men and women in contemporary English society".

'Cultural misunderstanding'

The parents are appealing to the European Court of Human Rights, although it is likely it will take months before their case is heard.

Lucie Boddington, from Děti Patří Rodičům - or Children Belong to Parents - a Slovakian charity which has been supporting the couple, said she hoped the Slovak government would request the case be heard more quickly.

She told the BBC the parents were "desperate" and had cried openly when they heard the judge's decision.

"This is I think in some way a cultural misunderstanding," she said.

"In Slovakia, they were a model family - very different from the way some Roma live. The father is hard-working, well-educated; he wanted the best for his children."

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Life raft 'still on capsized yacht'

24 May 2014 Last updated at 09:15

The wreckage of the yacht crewed by four UK sailors missing in the North Atlantic was found with its life raft still onboard, the US Coast Guard says.

The upturned hull of the 40ft Cheeki Rafiki was found on Friday but there was no sign of the crew. Their families have been told.

The men have been missing since they began taking on water as they sailed to the UK from a regatta in Antigua.

The US search ended at midnight local time and the RAF will no longer go out.

Earlier, a US Navy helicopter crew discovered the wreckage about 1,000 miles (1,600km) east of Massachusetts after the search for the missing men was resumed on Tuesday.

The four-strong crew got into difficulties in the same area on 15 May.

They were Paul Goslin, 56, from West Camel, Somerset; Steve Warren, 52, from Bridgwater, Somerset; skipper Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham, Surrey; and 22-year-old James Male, from Romsey, Hampshire.

Mr Warren's uncle, Albert Davey, told the BBC: "Prior to setting off on this return trip to Southampton, the Cheeki Rafiki had won its class in the Antigua Yachting Regatta.

"It's not the ending we would want but we have got to gain some small consolation that Steve was doing what he thoroughly enjoyed doing and I think we have got to cling on to that."

No sign

A Navy boat crew was deployed after the sighting, the US Coast Guard said. A surface swimmer identified the name on the back of the boat and knocked on the hull but there was no response.

A spokesman said: "The US Coast Guard has confirmed the life raft aboard the capsized sailing vessel Cheeki Rafiki was secured in its storage space in the aft portion of the boat, Friday, indicating it was not used for emergency purposes."

There was no sign of the men and there are no further indications as to their whereabouts.

It added it did not perform salvage operations as a matter of policy.

Last Thursday, the yacht contacted Cheeki Rafiki's owners in Southampton to say they were taking on water and diverting to the Azores.

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Hopes for the four men had rested on the yacht's life raft

Contact was lost the following day and it is thought the yacht may have capsized. Locator beacons were activated by the crew on the morning of Friday 16 May.

'Cabin flooded'

When rescuers arrived on the scene on 23 May they found the cabin of the yacht was flooded and the windows shattered.

The yacht's keel was also broken, which had caused a breach in the hull, a US Coast Guard spokesman added.

An image showing the life raft still in position had been "shared with and acknowledged by the [men's] families", the Coast Guard said on Friday night.

Foreign Office Minister Hugh Robertson expressed his "sincere condolences" to the men's families.

"The UK government is grateful to the US Coast Guard and the Canadian search and rescue services for their efforts to locate the men," he added.

"Their dedication has been unwavering, and they have done everything they could during the course of the search."

Mr Warren's family said in a statement: "We are very sad that the US has now suspended the search for Stephen and his friends.

"From the beginning we, together with the other families involved, have continued to hold out hope that he would be found alive."

Jeremy Wyatt from the World Cruising Club sailing organisation said the chain of events was still "all speculation".

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the yacht would have become unstable after the keel came off and it would have capsized "very quickly" and the crew may not have had time to launch the lifeboat.

RAF search

They paid tribute to the US Coast Guard for leading an "exceptional search", adding: "This is now an incredibly difficult time for all the family.

"We would therefore request that we are given privacy to come to terms with today's decision."

An RAF Hercules C-130 plane operating from the Azores had been due to keep looking for the yachtsmen on Saturday.

But following the US Coast Guard announcement the Foreign Office said it would no longer search for the missing Cheeki Rafiki yachtsmen.

"In light of the US Coast Guard's decision to suspend their search for the crew following photographic confirmation that the life raft is in the hull of the boat, the C-130 will now return to the UK," it said.

Tuesday's decision to resume the search followed an official request from the UK government.

An online petition, set up to put pressure on the US Coast Guard, had attracted more than 200,000 signatures.

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I respect Farage, says Osborne

24 May 2014 Last updated at 09:17

Chancellor George Osborne has said he "respects" Nigel Farage, but added that the UKIP leader did not have "answers to the country's future".

UKIP gained 155 seats in Thursday's council elections and some Tory MPs have suggested a pact between the parties at the next general election.

Mr Osborne told the BBC UKIP's vote had been due to public "anger and anxiety".

But the next general election would be a choice between Labour and the Conservatives, he added.

He promised that his party would work "incredibly hard" to win an outright parliamentary majority in 2015.

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