'Blood Moon' lunar eclipse seen in Americas and E Asia

Footage from Sydney and Tokyo shows the lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse has been visible across much of the Americas and Asia, resulting in a dramatic "Blood Moon".

The eclipse began at 08:00 GMT on the east US coast and was visible in Asia at about 10:00 GMT.

During the eclipse - which is the second to occur this year - our only natural satellite was fully covered by the Earth's shadow.

The Moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off our atmosphere, hence the name Blood Moon.

Weather permitting, skywatchers in North America, Australia, western South America and parts of East Asia have been able to see the spectacle.

The Hong Kong Space Museum set up free viewing locations on a harbour-side promenade while in Tokyo, yoga enthusiasts gathered to perform exercises under the Blood Moon.

In Australia, the Sydney Observatory also arranged a live video feed of the event.

Australian astronomer Geoff Sims watched the event from the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

"The moon is very very orange, it's very very obvious," he said.

"On the other side of the sky the Milky Way is starting to appear because the rest of the sky has darkened. It's a very serene, kind of surreal experience actually."

However, Europe, Africa and the eastern part of Brazil missed out on the show.

The last total lunar eclipse occurred on 15 April, and the next is expected to take place on 4 April 2015.

There will be two full lunar eclipses again next year.

Riders on a Ferris wheel watch the eclipse beginning in Tokyo

A plane on approach to Reagan National Airport flies past the full moon in Washington DC

The shadow starts to fall across the Moon as seen from behind a galleon-shaped weather vane in Miami

The Moon assumes its red hue as seen from Milwaulkee in the US

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Twitter sues US government over spying

Twitter is fighting US government regulations regarding surveillance disclosures

Twitter has sued the US government over surveillance laws.

Under current regulations, Twitter cannot reveal certain information about government requests for users' data relating to national security.

Twitter argues that this violates the right to free speech, as defined by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

The firm said it brought the case in an effort to force the government to be more transparent about personal data requests.

"It's our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users' concerns and to the statements of US government officials by providing information about the scope of US government surveillance," Twitter's lawyer, Ben Lee, wrote in a blog post.

Twitter brought the action against the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a northern California court on Tuesday.

In April, Twitter submitted a Transparency Report to the US government for publication; however, so far officials have denied the firm's request to share the full report with the public.

That report includes specific information about the nature and number of requests for Twitter user information relating to national security.

"The US government engages in extensive but incomplete speech about the scope of its national security surveillance activities as they pertain to US communications providers, while at the same time prohibiting service providers such as Twitter from providing their own informed perspective as potential recipients of various national security-related requests," wrote Twitter.

'Obligation to protect'

Although Twitter receives significantly fewer government requests than rival technology firms such as Google, the American Civil Liberties Union said the suit might spur others to act.

"We hope that other technology companies will now follow Twitter's lead," said Jameel Jaffer, American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director, in a statement.

"Technology companies have an obligation to protect their customers' sensitive information against overbroad government surveillance, and to be candid with their customers about how their information is being used and shared."

Several of the largest US tech firms have been fighting government requests for their users' private data, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Dropbox.

Others, such as Apple, have taken steps to circumvent US government requests by encrypting user data in a manner that puts it beyond the reach of law enforcement.

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Snapchat: Yahoo 'set to invest millions'

Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegal is reported to have rejected a $3bn takeover offer from Facebook

Yahoo is close to investing millions of dollars in mobile messaging service Snapchat, which may value the start-up at about $10bn (£6.2bn), reports say.

Snapchat allows users to send images and videos that "disappear" seconds after being viewed.

The company is said to have rejected a $3bn takeover offer from Facebook and other tech behemoths, including China's ALIBABA and Tencent groups in recent years.

Yahoo and Snapchat refused to comment.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo may invest about $20m in Snapchat's next funding round after cashing in from its stake in e-commerce giant ALIBABA.

In 2005, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang bought a 40% stake in Alibaba for about $1bn. It sold part of that stake during last month's initial public offering, earning more than $9bn before taxes.

Online shopping

Yahoo has been on an acquisition spree under chief executive Marissa Mayer, who has been looking to move it away from its reliance on search and make it more of a content provider.

Since joining in 2012, Ms Mayer has overseen more than two dozen deals aimed at turning the company around.

However, she has recently come under pressure from activist investor Starboard Value. The firm has been calling on Yahoo to halt its spending and consider combining with online rival AOL.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has overseen more than two dozen deals since joining in July 2012

Last week, it bought mobile-chat application MessageMe, which allows users to ping one or many friends on their smartphone using emoticons and stickers.

Ms Mayer also acquired blogging service Tumblr for about $1bn last year.

MessageMe has said it will shut down in November, so that its eight-person team can work on mobile products for Yahoo.

Snapchat was created by a group of students at Stanford University in 2011 and quickly became popular among teens.

Social network Facebook is now testing a similar feature that allows users to schedule the automatic deletion of their posts ranging from one hour to seven days.

Snapchat, which has little to no revenue, reportedly rejected Facebook's $3bn offer last year for being too low.

However, a tech boom in Silicon Valley has seen several privately owned start-ups receive eleven-digit valuations, including house-sharing company Airbnb and private car-booking application Uber.

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Hewlett-Packard 'to split into two companies'

Hewlett-Packard has struggled to adapt to the new era of mobile and online computing

Technology giant Hewlett-Packard, known as HP, plans to split itself into two companies, reports say.

The US firm will separate its better-performing computer and printer business from its corporate hardware and services operations.

HP is in the midst of a restructuring plan and has announced tens of thousands of job cuts in recent years.

In August, it reported a sharp fall in profit despite a rise in revenue, helped by improved PC sales.

Chief executive Meg Whitman, who has the job of reviving the fortunes of the 75-year-old firm, acknowledged at the time that demand for PCs was "coming back", but that it was still "a declining business".

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the split plans on Sunday, saying HP had been looking to focus on its faster-growing businesses.

It says the move could be announced as early as Monday, and one of its sources said Ms Whitman would head the new spin-off, enterprise company.

She will also reportedly be chairman of HP's printing and PC business, which last quarter accounted for about half its revenue and profit.

Business pressures

HP has also been involved in a continuing legal dispute with Autonomy, a British company it bought for $11.1bn (£7bn) in 2011.

A year later, HP said the firm was worth $8.8bn less, accusing Autonomy of misleading them over the true value of the company.

HP recently called for Autonomy's founder and former boss, Michael Lynch, to "be held accountable for fraud".

The division of HP's businesses comes at a time when other large tech firms are being urged to break up.

Last week, online auction site eBay announced it was splitting off its payments system PayPal into a separate company.

HP has been under pressure from newer rivals such as Chinese firm Lenovo, which overtook HP as the world's largest PC maker in 2012. Third-ranked US rival Dell was taken private last year.

Founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP helped usher in the PC revolution and now has more than 300,000 employees globally.

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US unemployment rate hit a six-year low in September

The US unemployment rate dipped to 5.9% in September, a six-year low, official figures have shown.

The rate fell from 6.1% in August and is the lowest recorded since July 2008.

US Labor Department also said that employers added 248,000 jobs last month, and the job growth figures for August and July were revised upwards.

The jobs figures are seen as a significant gauge of the health of the economy and there has been much debate over when US interest rates will rise.

The US Federal Reserve has kept interest rates close to zero since the financial crisis in 2008.

Rate watch

US markets cheered the news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising over 100 points.

The US dollar was pushed higher as expectations rose that interest rates would go up sooner than previously predicted.

"The most important item in this report is the drop in the unemployment rate below 6%. (Fed Chair Janet) Yellen has said there is only so much slack if the unemployment rate falls below 6%," said Christopher Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York.

The Federal Reserve's stimulus programme, known as "quantitative easing", is due to end this month. Its aim was to keep long-term interest rates low using the purchase of bonds, and thus to boost spending.

The Federal Reserve has indicated it will raise short term interest rates if the economy continues to grow. Janet Yellen has given no firm date for the rise, but the Fed has said the move will come a "considerable time" after the stimulus programme ends.

"This (jobless) number will continue to support the notion that the economy is growing," said Paul Nolte at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago, "and it isn't so strong that the Fed will raise rates anytime soon".

The Labor Department said 69,000 more jobs were created in July and August than previously estimated. It also said nearly 100,000 jobseekers stopped looking for work in September.

The largest rise in employment was in professional and business services, including management and legal services, which saw an increase of 81,000 jobs in September.

The retail sector added 35,000 jobs compared with the previous month. Employment in the health care, construction and leisure and hospitality sectors also continued to increase.

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Australia orders inquiry into Nauru abuse claims

Refugees resettled on Nauru staged a protest march to the Australian High Commission on Monday

Australia has ordered an inquiry into claims that asylum seekers have been abused at its Nauru detention camp.

The allegations include claims of staff sexually abusing women and children, and incidents of self-harm.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the independent inquiry would also look into reports aid workers were inventing such incidents or encouraging asylum seekers to self harm.

Australia has attracted intense criticism for its immigration policies.

Asylum seekers it intercepts as they are trying to reach its shores are sent to centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Anyone deemed to be a refugee will be ultimately resettled in those countries or Cambodia, not Australia.

Earlier this week, opposition Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young alleged that female asylum seekers were regularly required to strip and exchange sexual favours with guards so they could shower.

She had also brought up allegations that children were being forced to perform sexual acts in front of guards, and that young people were attempting self-harm and suicide.

The Greens and Labour called for an investigation, according to theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation.

Australia and asylum

• Asylum seekers - mainly from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq and Iran - travel to Australia's Christmas Island by boat from Indonesia
• The number of boats rose sharply in 2012 and early 2013. Scores of people have died making the journey
• To stop the influx, the government has adopted hard-line measures intended as a deterrent
• Everyone who arrives is detained. Under a new policy, they are processed in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Those found to be refugees will be resettled in PNG, Nauru or Cambodia
• Tony Abbot's government has also adopted a policy of tow-backs, or turning boats around
• Rights groups and the UN have voiced serious concerns about the policies and accuse Australia of shirking international obligations

Mr Morrison said the reports of sexual misconduct were "abhorrent and I would be horrified to think that things of that nature have taken place".

But he said he had also seen reports indicating that staff from one of the service providers on Nauru had been engaging in a "broader campaign with external advocates to seek to cast doubt on the government's border protection policies".

He did not name the service providers.

The allegations are that aid workers doctored reports and encouraged camp residents to harm themselves so they could leave the island.

"If people want to be political activists that's their choice but they don't get to do it on the taxpayers dollar and working in a sensitive place like Nauru," said Mr Morrison.

He also said he had ordered 10 members of the charity Save the Children off Nauru, adding that these removals had nothing to do with suspected misconduct.

Save the Children has strongly denied that their staff fabricated stories of abuse or encouraged self-harm.

The charity's head in Australia, Paul Ronalds, said incidents of children self-harming on Nauru were "a reality and have been well documented".

The inquiry comes after a series of protests on Nauru by asylum seekers and resettled refugees over a range of issues, including their living conditions and the recent agreement with Cambodia to resettle refugees in the South East Asian country.

Rights groups say that since last week some asylum seekers have drunk detergent, cut their own throats, and sewn their lips together in protest.

Asylum seekers in the Nauru centre's family residential compound demonstrated last week

The Australian government has been heavily criticised for its hard line on immigration and for the allegedly deteriorating conditions in asylum seeker processing centres.

Earlier this year Australia's top human rights official Gillian Triggs claimed that children had been self-harming in the centre on Christmas Island, while the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce accuses the government of not doing enough to protect child detainees.

The government has rejected such claims saying that it provides adequate healthcare, and has argued that the number of children in detention has declined.

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Facebook admits failings over emotion manipulation study

Facebook says it will change the way it conducts research on users of the social network

Facebook said it will change the way it does research, but stopped short of apologising for a controversial experiment it conducted this year.

In June, the site was criticised for manipulating the news feeds of nearly 700,000 users without their consent.

The network said it was "unprepared" for the backlash it received.

"[We] have taken to heart the comments and criticism. It is clear now that there are things we should have done differently," Facebook said.

In a blog, chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer said the company should have "considered other non-experimental ways to do this research".

He added: "In releasing the study, we failed to communicate clearly why and how we did it."

The social network controlled the news feed of users over a one-week period in 2012 without their knowledge to manage which emotional expressions they were exposed to.

Study sparks furore

The experiment was part of a study by Facebook and two US universities. The social network said at the time it was to gauge whether "exposure to emotions led people to change their own posting behaviours".

However, the company was widely criticised for manipulating material from people's personal lives in order to play with user emotions or make them sad.

In response on Thursday, Facebook said that it was introducing new rules for conducting research on users with clearer guidelines, better training for researchers and a stricter review process.

But, it did not state whether or not it would notify users - or seek their consent - before starting a study.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in London, which supports data privacy for individuals, said Facebook's comments were "a step in the right direction", but it hoped to hear more about how the social network intends to improve transparency.

"Organisations who want to process people's personal information without explicitly asking for their permission, for instance to carry out research, always need to proceed with caution," an ICO spokesman said.

Should Facebook apologise?

IDC research analyst Jan van Vonno said it was Facebook's responsibility to notify users of any studies they were partaking in.

"They're going to continue that research and what they should do is make users aware of what they're doing and that's not really what they're doing right now," Mr van Vonno said.

An apology would be a sign of regret and they obviously don't regret any of their actions because they think it's for the benefit of their own platform."

It was still important for Facebook to study consumer behaviour so it could maximize the impact advertisers had on the platform, which remains a huge source of revenue for the company, Mr van Vonno added.

The company's mobile advertising revenue jumped 151% in the second quarter of this year from 2013 and accounted for more than 60% of its overall ad revenue.

Just this week, Facebook relaunched Atlas, an advertising platform it bought from Microsoft last year, to improve the effectiveness of its ads.

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Prince George 'harassment' warning to photographer

The royal couple have posed for a number of official photographs with their son

Lawyers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked a photographer to "cease harassing" Prince George and his nanny.

A Kensington Palace statement said they were prompted to take action after the man was spotted near the 14-month-old in a central London park.

It said: "No parent would tolerate the suspicion of someone pursuing and harassing their child and carer."

The couple are not taking legal action at this stage.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said palace officials believe the photographer's actions amounted to "stalking" and that lawyers were seeking an assurance he would desist.

"If they do not receive these assurances that this behaviour will stop, they will then consider options of legal action," he said.

Our correspondent added that the man had been warned off last week by royal protection officers and that he had also been spoken to "over a number of years" about his behaviour.

AnalysisBy Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent

There is a low-level battle between the royals and the media who are bound together in a complex symbiotic relationship.

The one side needs coverage of what they do and wants to exercise control; the other seeks greater access and better pictures.

In this latest incident, the focus is less on the individual's job as a photographer and more on what the royals see as his actions - pursuit, surveillance and harassment.

Not for the first time, Prince William is attempting to draw a line and establish what is, in his view, beyond the pale.

There is a global market for unauthorised photographs of Prince George.

William can't close down such a market, but he can go after one of the suppliers of these images.

He is taking such action and he will go to court, if necessary, so that the toddler future king can play untroubled in a public park.

'Ordinary life'

The palace statement added: "There is reason to suspect that the individual may have been placing Prince George under surveillance and monitoring his daily routines for a period of time.

"The duke and duchess understand the particular public role that Prince George will one day inherit but while he is young, he must be permitted to lead as ordinary a life as possible."

Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo was named as the prince's nanny in March when the palace appealed for her privacy to be respected.

The prince was photographed on a royal visit to New Zealand in April

Since his birth in July 2013, the royal couple have posed for a number of official photographs with Prince George.

He has also been pictured accompanying his parents on state visits and with the palace's consent at other events.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) editors' code of practice states that young children "must not be interviewed or photographed on issues involving their own or another child's welfare unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents".

IPSO replaced the defunct Press Complaints Commission last month.

Before the royal couple married, the Middleton family raised privacy concerns about alleged harassment by press agency photographers.

And in 2012, lawyers for the pair also took action against French gossip magazine Closer for publishing topless photos of the duchess.

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Venezuelan lawmaker Robert Serra shot dead in Caracas

Robert Serra was one of the youngest members of Venezuela's National Assembly

A lawmaker from Venezuela's governing party has been killed in the capital, Caracas.

Robert Serra, 27, and his partner Maria Herrera were found shot dead at their home on Wednesday night.

Mr Serra was a member of the National Assembly for the Socialist Party (PSUV) and well known for delivering passionate speeches.

According to UN figures, Venezuela has the second highest peacetime murder rate in the world after Honduras.

'Immense pain'

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said the two were "vilely killed here in their house, a two-storied house, on the ground floor lay the woman and on the upper floor lay Robert Serra".

He said the motive behind the killing was not clear.

"I call on members of the PSUV, on youth in political parties... on all citizens, to remain calm as we'll investigate this fully," he said.

President Nicolas Maduro wrote on Twitter that an "immense pain hits us with the killing of Robert Serra", who was considered one of the party's most promising young leaders.

"Robert, we'll follow your example, always true and firm on the path of the revolution, which you defended with such passion," Mr Maduro wrote.

His killing comes 10 days after President Maduro announced he would expand a plan to disarm civilians.

Most of the murders in Venezuela are committed using firearms.

Last year, the president introduced tough penalties for illegal weapons possession, with sentences of up to 20 years in jail.

But despite these new laws, the perception of insecurity among Venezuelan citizens remains high, correspondents say.

Earlier this year, many took part in a series of mass anti-government protests demanding increased security as well as measures to improve the economy.

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Bulgaria explosives factory blast kills 15

Bulgarian emergency services at the scene near Gorni Lom

A blast at an explosives factory north of the Bulgarian capital Sofia has killed 15 people, prompting the government to declare Friday a day of national mourning.

Thirteen men and two women were killed, and three other women employees hurt, at the factory near Gorni Lom.

"The blast was so powerful that it left craters," civil defence force director Nikolay Nikolov said.

He said the cause of the explosion was probably "human error".

With the country holding a general election on Sunday, one leading politician said his party was muting its campaign as a sign of respect.

Former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, whose Gerb party is tipped to win against the outgoing Socialists, told Bulgarian TV station 24 Hours that concerts and other events would be called off.

The explosion occurred at around 17:00 (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday with a big secondary blast reported at 21:45.

The factory, some 120km (75 miles) north of Sofia, destroys stockpiles of obsolete munitions for the Bulgarian army and Dnes daily newspaper quoted an expert as saying it had been handling explosives from Greece.

Some 10 tonnes of highly explosive chemicals were being stored at the plant.

"The factory has been reduced to ashes," an interior ministry spokesman said.

There were explosions at the factory in 2007 and 2010, in which several people were hurt.

Two units of the plant were flattened in the 2010 blast.

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Angry Birds maker Rovio to lay off 130 staff

The Angry Birds movie is expected to hit theatres in 2016

The maker of hit mobile video game Angry Birds, Rovio, will lay off 130 staff, it announced on Thursday.

The job cuts in Finland, which account for 16% of its workforce, will happen "sooner rather than later," said chief executive Mikael Hed on its website.

"We have been building our team on assumptions of faster growth than have materialised," he added.

Angry Birds is the number one paid mobile application of all time, according to Rovio.

The company has expanded the brand into a TV series, toys, clothing and an animated movie, which is expected to premiere in cinemas in the summer of 2016.

However, the firm has faced scrutiny after it reported its net profit had more than halved in 2013 compared to the previous year.

In August, Rovio said a former Nokia executive Pekka Rantala would become its next chief executive at the beginning of 2015.

News of the job cuts prompted a series of tweets from European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes, who is responsible for the commission's digital agenda.

She called the move "sad news," saying such decisions were tough for all, but part of the "entrepreneurial challenge".

European Commisson vice-president Neelie Kroes tweets about Rovio's job cuts

'Exploit' Angry Birds

Technology research firm IHS mobile analyst Jack Kent said Rovio might have trouble replicating the success it had enjoyed in the past.

"What we've seen from Rovio over the last few years is that it's very reliant on the Angry Birds brand.

"It hasn't really had much success with titles that don't use Angry Birds," Mr Kent said. "So, what it's really been doing is trying to exploit the Angry Birds success as much as possible."

The company, however, has had trouble retaining players for its Angry Birds titles.

In April, it said sales had stalled in 2013, growing just 2.6% from the previous year after three years of strong growth.

In June, it tried a new format for the brand with the launch of Angry Birds Epic - a role-playing adventure with turn-based battles rather than its traditional slingshot-themed gameplay.

It currently sits 83rd in Google Play's bestselling games chart, below the original Angry Birds title and the more recent Angry Birds Stella, which returned to catapult mechanic.

Mr Kent added that it could be difficult for Rovio to break back into the top of the industry now dominated by competitors like Finland's Supercell, maker of Clash of Clans, and London-based King, which develops Candy Crush Saga.

"The hits-driven nature of the mobile games business and that concentration at the top makes it hard for anyone else to reach the top of the charts," Mr Kent said.

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Sense of smell 'may predict lifespan'

People who did well on smell tests were most likely to be alive five years later

By Smitha MundasadHealth reporter, BBC News

Measuring people's sense of smell in later life could help doctors predict how likely they are to be alive in five years' time, a PLOS One study suggests.

A survey of 3,000 adults found 39% with the poorest sense of smell were dead within five years - compared to just 10% who identified odours correctly.

Scientists say the loss of smell sense does not cause death directly, but may be an early warning sign.

They say anyone with long-lasting changes should seek medical advice.

Five odours

Researchers from the University of Chicago asked a representative sample of adults between the ages of 57-85 to take part in a quick smell test.

The assessment involved identifying distinct odours encased on the tips of felt-tip pens.

The smells included peppermint, fish, orange, rose and leather.

Five years later some 39% of adults who had the lowest scores (4-5 errors) had passed away, compared with 19% with moderate smell loss and just 10% with a healthy sense of smell (0-1 errors).

And despite taking issues such as age, nutrition, smoking habits, poverty and overall health into account, researchers found those with the poorest sense of smell were still at greatest risk.

The odour of orange was considered harder to identify than the smell of peppermint

Lead scientist, Prof Jayant Pinto, said: "We think loss of the sense of smell is like the canary in the coal mine.

"It doesn't directly cause death, but it is a harbinger, an early warning system that shows damage may have been done.

"Our findings could provide a useful clinical test, a quick inexpensive way to identify patients most at risk."

Exactly how smell loss contributes to lifespan remains unclear, but the researchers put forward a number of possible reasons behind the link.

They say a reduced ability to sniff out odours could signal less regeneration or repair of cells in the body overall, as a healthy sense of smell depends partly on a continual turnover of cells that line the nose.

And a worsening sense of smell may serve as a mirror for a lifetime's exposure to pollution and bugs, they say.

They are now doing more research to understand the reasons behind the link.

'Underappreciated sense'

Prof Pinto added: "The sense of smell is a little underappreciated - it plays a very important part in everyday life.

"But we don't want people to panic. A bad cold, allergies, and sinus problems, can all affect your sense of smell.

"People shouldn't be too worried, but if problems persist they should speak to their physicians.

"And perhaps this study shows we need to start paying more attention to sensory health overall."

Prof Tim Jacob of Cardiff University, who was not involved in the research, said: "This well-conducted study suggests the sense of smell is intimately linked to health and wellbeing.

"Smell lies at the interface between physiology and psychology, which is a battlefield of reciprocal interactions.

"For example, smell loss can result in depression, and depression can result in changes in the ability to smell."

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World Bank: Ukraine GDP to shrink 8% this year

The Ukrainian currency has reached historic lows against the dollar this year

Ukraine's economy is likely to suffer more than previously predicted because of the conflict in the east of the country, the World Bank has said.

It now says that GDP is likely to contract by 8% this year, compared with its previous prediction of 5%.

It also now expects a 1% contraction in 2015, instead of 2.5% growth.

The prediction comes as pro-Russian separatists and government forces vie for control of the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk.

The rebels say they occupy nearly all the airport, but the government disputes this.

The World Bank said the conflict had caused disruption in economic activity in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, leading to a sharper decline in GDP.

The bank's chief representative in Ukraine, Qimiao Fan, said the two regions accounted for about one-sixth of the country's GDP, including a quarter of industrial output.

The crisis in eastern Ukraine and Russia's annexation of Crimea have prompted the US and EU to impose an array of sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses.

But on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the sanctions as "unwarranted" and said they would not stop his country developing into a stronger economic power.

He told an audience of business leaders in Moscow that Russia would continue to develop as an open market economy.

He added that the government would not impose controls on the flow of money in and out of the country, nor would it seek to curb currency movements.

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