BBC News Sue Montgomery

Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said a referendum planned by the pro-Russian regional parliament in Crimea on joining Russia was illegitimate. Mr. Turchynov called the plan as a farce, organized by the Russian military. The interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said only the government in Kiev had the right to decide Crimea's future.

“This is illegitimate decision. And this so-called referendum has no legal grounds at all. Crimea was, is and will be an integral part of Ukraine.”

The Crimean parliament voted overwhelmingly to split from Ukraine and hold a referendum in ten days. President Barack Obama has issued a warning to Russia over Ukraine, insisting that US and its allies are determined to oppose any actions that violate International Law. President Obama announced a number of measures against Russia.

“This morning, I signed an executive order that authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or for stealing the assets of the Ukrainian people. According to my guidance, the State Department has also put in place restrictions on the travel of certain individuals and officials. These decisions continue our efforts to impose a cost on Russia, and those responsible for the situation in Crimea.”

The Nato Secretary-General earlier described Russia's actions in Ukraine as the gravest threat to European securities since the Cold War. European Union leaders have threatened serious consequences if Russia did not act to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine. But some east European leaders called for stronger measures. This report by Chris Morris.

European leaders united with the interim government of Ukraine to declare the idea of a referendum in Crimea illegal and unconstitutional. So in tougher languages that many expected, the summit ended with a warning for Russia, change course or face the prospect of real economic sanctions. The measures announced so far are pretty symbolic, putting talks on various issues on hold. But the EU has now said publicly that there will be severe and far-reaching consequences for relations with Russia if its policy in Ukraine doesn't change.

The top prosecutor for sexual assault cases in the US army has been suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct made by female army lawyer. Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Morse is accused of groping and trying to kiss the woman who worked for him at a conference on sexual assault. No charges have been filed yet. There has been a dramatic rise in reported cases of sex crimes in the US military over the last two years.

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The British Home Secretary Theresa May has announced a new offence of police corruption and promised a public inquiry into the work of undercover officers. Her statement followed a damning review of the way police investigated the murder of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993 by gang of white youths which suggested that at least one detective was corrupt.

The leader of Venezuela's National Assembly has said an officer of the country's national guard and a government supporter have been shot dead by gunmen in eastern Caracas. Diosdado Cabello told reporters that authorities already had suspects for the crimes which would take the number of people killed in nearly a month of protests to at least 21. The victims were allegedly killed as a roadblock in an opposition stronghold. The government accuses the United States and other countries of orchestrating the recent anti-government protests.

Security forces in Algeria have arrested some 40 people, protesting against the ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, it's the second such a protest be broken up in the past week. Sebastian Usher reports.

The demonstrators in the capital Algiers were swiftly hemmed in, silenced and detained by the security forces. They'd defied a ban on protest, chants, slogans against Mr. Bouteflika who's been in power for 15 years. In their eyes, Mr. Bouteflika who's 77 and visibly weakened by a minor stroke last year symbolizes a political system that's outlived its purpose.

Scientists say they've captured the first images of an asteroid breaking up. The astronomer said the Hubble Space Telescope had filmed the asteroid splitting into smaller fragments over a period of three months. The pieces then drifted away from other, at a rate of around 1mile/h.

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