'Hard drugs found' on Greenpeace ship seized by Russia

Russian investigators say they have found what appear to be hard drugs on board the Greenpeace ship seized during a protest in the Arctic last month.

"During a search of the ship, drugs (apparently poppy straw and morphine) were confiscated," Russia's Investigative Committee said.

Poppy straw, or raw opium, can be used to produce morphine or heroin.

Greenpeace said in a statement that any suggestion of illegal drugs being found was a "smear".

"We can only assume the Russian authorities are referring to the medical supplies that our ships are obliged to carry under maritime law," it said.

Watch footage of the activists trying to haul themselves on to the rig

Thirty people are being held on suspicion of "piracy" after activists attempted to scale a Russian oil rig.

The head of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo, has written to Russian President Vladimir Putin, offering himself as a guarantee for the detainees.

There is widespread international concern for the crew of the Arctic Sunrise, who hail from 18 nations.

The Netherlands has demanded the immediate release of the detainees, who are being held in the northern port of Murmansk pending trial, as well as the release of their the Dutch-flagged ship.

Six Britons are among those arrested, and UK Foreign Office officials have discussed the case with Russia's ambassador in the UK, it was reported on Wednesday.

'Charges may change'

In its statement, the Investigative Committee said charges against some of the detainees might change in the light of evidence gathered from the ship.

Apart from the suspected drugs, "dual-purpose" equipment was found on the Arctic Sunrise, it said, adding that this "could be used not only for ecological purposes".

Russia's Arctic offshore oil platform defended - BBC's Daniel Sandford reports

Investigators would seek to determine who among the detainees was responsible for "deliberately ramming" Russian border guard boats, endangering their lives, it said.

Greenpeace replied: "There is a strict policy against recreational drugs on board Greenpeace ships, and any claim that something other than medical supplies were found should be regarded with great suspicion.

"Before leaving Norway for the Russian Arctic, the ship was searched with a sniffer dog by the Norwegian authorities, as is standard. The laws in Norway are amongst the strictest in the world, and nothing was found because nothing illegal was on the ship."

"Any claim that illegal drugs were found is a smear, it's a fabrication, pure and simple," Greenpeace said.

The organisation went on to dismiss the allegation of ramming as a "fantasy".

'Bogus' claim

In a statement, it released a slow-motion video of its launch and the coast guard boats to show the moment they had touched.

"The Greenpeace boat sails towards the middle of the port side of the security forces boat and then only briefly touches it with the nose, immediately turning away and making a 180° turn to the left," Greenpeace said.

"The film clearly demonstrates that the official claims are entirely bogus."

In his letter, Mr Naidoo wrote: "I would offer myself as a guarantor for the good conduct of the Greenpeace activists, were they to be released on bail."

Speaking from Amsterdam, he told BBC News: "We are trying everything that's available to us and that's why we have taken this gesture in the hope that at least they will be granted bail, even if they have to stay in Russia for the court case itself."

In his native South Africa in the 1980s, Mr Naidoo campaigned against apartheid and was arrested on several occasions.

Check out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24461644 for some videos

Higgs boson scientists win Nobel prize in physics accolade for the boson, discovered at Cern in 2012

Two scientists have won the Nobel prize in physics for their work on the theory of the Higgs boson.

Peter Higgs, from the UK, and Francois Englert from Belgium, shared the prize.

In the 1960s they were among several physicists who proposed a mechanism to explain why the most basic building blocks of the Universe have mass.
The mechanism predicts a particle - the Higgs boson - which was finally discovered in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, in Switzerland.

“Start Quote

"I am overwhelmed to receive this award... I would also like to congratulate all those who have contributed to the discovery of this new particle”

Peter Higgs Emeritus professor of theoretical physics, University of Edinburgh

"This year's prize is about something small that makes all the difference," said Staffan Normark, permanent secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

'On holiday' Professor Higgs is renowned for shying away from the limelight, and he could not be located for interview in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.
"He's gone on holiday without a phone to avoid the media storm," his Edinburgh University physics colleague Alan Walker told UK media, adding that Higgs had also been unwell.
But the university released a prepared statement from Higgs, who is emeritus professor of theoretical physics:
"I am overwhelmed to receive this award and thank the Royal Swedish Academy.

The BBC's David Shukman explains exactly what the Higgs boson is

"I would also like to congratulate all those who have contributed to the discovery of this new particle and to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their support.
"I hope this recognition of fundamental science will help raise awareness of the value of blue-sky research."
Francois Englert said he was "very happy" to win the award, speaking at the ceremony via phone link.
"At first I thought I didn't have it [the prize] because I didn't see the announcement," he told the committee, after their news conference was delayed by more than an hour.
The Nobel Prizes - which also cover chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics - are valued at 10m Swedish Krona. Laureates also receive a medal and a diploma.
The official citation for Englert and Higgs read: "For the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the Atlas and CMS experiments at Cern's Large Hadron Collider".
Cern director general Rolf Heuer said he was "thrilled" that this year's prize had gone to particle physics.
"The discovery of the Higgs boson at Cern last year, which validates the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism, marks the culmination of decades of intellectual effort by many people around the world," he said.