Paedophile Teacher 'One Of The Worst Predators'

Child Predator: Husband And 'Popular Teacher'

Updated: 11:44am UK, Thursday 24 April 2014

The serial child predator at the centre of an FBI investigation had a wife and two adult children and was a popular teacher among his students, officials have said.

William James Vahey travelled the world for four decades before his suicide in a Minnesota motel last March.

While teaching, he also served as coach on various school sports teams.

The FBI said he was a "popular and highly respected teacher".

"He had access to children because of his position of trust," said FBI special agent Patrick Fransen.

"He created a system that gave him the opportunity and the means to molest children."

The FBI says he may have carried out child molestation on an unprecedented scale, often drugging his victims.

Vahey told investigators he suffered molestation as a child and went on to prey on boys.

The New York native graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, according to a resume cited by the FBI.

He received a master's degree in curriculum development from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.

At the time of his death, he was 64, approximately 6ft (182cm) tall, and weighed about 190 pounds (86kg).

He was teaching ninth-grade world history and geography at the American Nicaraguan School in Managua.

Vahey maintained two residences, one in London, where he had taught at an elite school, and another on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the FBI said.

In 1969, Vahey was arrested in California on six counts of child molestation.

He pled guilty to one count of child molestation and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, followed by five years' probation.

The conviction required Vahey to register with California's sex offender registry for the rest of his life.

However, Vahey eluded that requirement.

Officials said he had not renewed his registration as a sex offender since 1970. He went on to pursue his teaching career in Nicaragua, the UK, Venezuela, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Iran, Spain, and Lebanon.

His victims are believed to be multinational as many of those schools were attended by the children of American diplomats or military personnel stationed overseas.

Vahey coached boys on middle school, varsity boys' basketball, softball, flag football, and soccer, among other things.

He also served as activities director, student council adviser, cooking club adviser and forensics adviser. 

He often accompanied students on cultural studies or sports trips, the FBI said.

Vahey killed himself two days after agents in Houston sought a warrant to search a computer thumb drive belonging to him.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Father And Son Killed In Kabul Hospital Shooting

Two Americans who were killed by an Afghan security guard in a shooting at a Kabul hospital have been named.

Health clinic administrator Jon Gabel and his father Gary died, and Jon's wife was hurt, when the guard opened fire as the family entered the grounds of Cure International Hospital.

Dr Jerry Umanos. Pic courtesy cure.org

They were visiting paediatrician Dr Jerry Umanos from Chicago, who had worked in the capital for seven years and was also killed in last Thursday's attack.

Jon Gabel ran a clinic at Kabul University providing low-cost medicine and also volunteered to teach computer classes, as well as working for US charity Morning Star Development.

The attacker was a member of the Afghan Public Protection Force assigned to guard the hospital, according to District Police Chief Hafiz Khan. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

The 100-bed hospital specialises in children's and maternal care and is considered one of Afghanistan's leading hospitals.

It is run by the children's charity Cure International, based in Pennsylvania.

The group's chief financial officer Mark Knech told reporters the organisation "remains committed to serve the people of Afghanistan".

The facility is considered one of Afghanistan's leading hospitals

He also asked for prayers for "the families of the victims and those affected by the shooting, as well as the peace in Afghanistan".

Dr Bruce Rowell, from Chicago's Lawndale Christian Health Center, where Dr Umanos worked for more than 25 years, said his former colleague was "for many of us on staff, the paediatrician for our very own children".

He added: "This loss is a great loss for his family, for those of us he worked with as well as for the people of Afghanistan.

"He was a loving and caring physician who served all of his patients with the utmost of respect."

Dale Brantner, President and CEO of Cure International said: "Dr Jerry Umanos had faithfully served the Afghan people as a pediatrician at the hospital for more than seven years.

"My heart is deeply grieved for his wife and family, as well as the families of the other men killed."

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: 'Observers To Be Used As Human Shield'

It Is No Longer A Game For Separatist Militia

Updated: 12:32am UK, Saturday 26 April 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor in Slavyansk

Their rifles were cocked. The safety catches off. Triggers were fingered. The car lurched to a stop.

Shrill nervous orders were barked in Russian. Men in an assortment of camouflage uniforms lay spread eagled on the roadside glaring down their sights.

A quick search followed. Then a man with a new AK74, probably nicked from the local police station, squinted, his face covered with a balaclava, perhaps attempting a faceless smile.

"Sorry for any inconvenience," he said and waved the car through.

The mixed messages of their behaviour, both aggression and politeness, both bravado and fear, point to a wider conundrum - do they really understand what they're getting in to?

One of their comrades had been shot dead that morning about a mile away on the road out of Slavyansk by an Ukrainian army patrol - probably probing the outer defences of these pro-Russian separatist militants.

Four more, the government said, had been killed in other clashes around the town.

They stand accused of kidnapping the city's elected mayor.

They have taken over city hall and are sandbagging it against an attack and yet they often appear to be no more than young or old boys playing at soldiers.

Occasionally one comes across a trained soldier. Fit and quiet they slink in the background of the occupied buildings.

They may be Russian agents, or former Ukrainian police from the disbanded Berkut who were responsible for sniper attacks on revolutionaries in Kiev.

But the ordinary militants, who are led by local politicians and allegedly funded either by Moscow or allied oligarchs, are clearly being used.

They are the teaspoons the Kremlin is using to keep the east of Ukraine swirling with dark rumours of anti-Russian ethnic cleansing.

Allegations of persecution of pro-Russian groups are entirely false.

But while the militants swagger about the streets, take over government buildings and harass their political opponents, they face a crack down from Kiev.

The nervous men at the road block feared an Ukrainian government attack on the bases in Slavyansk.

They were also facing the reality that what may have felt like a nationalistic camping trip with the added spice of gun play, may no longer be a game.

They may fold under a professional attack by Ukrainian troops.

But if they do not, there will be blood.

And if it flows from Putin's local pawns then so may Russian troops pour in from the east.

He may win, but they will not be around to see his victory.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Al Qaeda Chief Calls For Kidnap Of Westerners

The leader of al Qaeda has reportedly called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners, particularly Americans, so they can be exchanged for militants being held in jails.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was previously the extremist movement's number two until the death of Osama bin Laden, said he hoped it would enable the freeing of an Egyptian convicted of attacking New York landmarks.

"I ask Allah the Glorious to help us set free Dr Omar Abdel-Rahman and the rest of the captive Muslims," Zawahiri said, according to the SITE website monitoring service.

"And I ask Allah to help us capture from among the Americans and the Westerners to enable us to exchange them for our captives." 

Abdel-Rahman, known as The Blind Sheikh, is serving a life term in the US after being convicted in 1995 of conspiring to attack several New York City landmarks, including the United Nations.

Among the offences he was convicted of was seditious conspiracy in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.

Zawahiri's interview was posted online. Reuters said it could not verify the authenticity of the Zawahiri tape, but that the voice resembled that of the al Qaeda leader.

Egyptian-born Zawahiri went on to express solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood which is facing a violent crackdown by the army-backed government in his home country.

Asked about the crackdown, Zawahiri answered: "The duty on every Muslims is to deter the aggressor by any means, and especially the oppressed Muslims."

Security forces in Egypt have killed hundreds of Brotherhood supporters and arrested thousands, after the government that replaced them designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation last year.

Zawahiri also urged "jihad and overthrowing the criminal al-Assad regime" in Syria.

In doing so, he renewed his call to end the growing amount of infighting among jihadists in that country.

As the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad has fragmented, the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had been fighting against rival rebels, as well as against the government.

He added: "The Ummah (Muslim world) must support this jihad with all that it can, and the mujahideen (Islamist militants) must unite around the word of Tawhid (unity).

"So everyone should prioritise the interest of Islam and the Ummah over his organisational or partisan interests, even if he gives up for his brothers what he sees as right."

The recording was said to be the second installment of an the interview, the first part of which was posted a week ago. In that excerpt, Zawahiri insisted that al Qaeda was holding strong and was "expanding".

Al Qaeda, which became world famous after 9/11, has been struggling to rebuild after the death of bin Laden who was killed in a US operation in Pakistan where he had been hiding out.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five Die As UK Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan

Five people have died after a British helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, with all those on board thought to be members of UK armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the victims of the suspected accident in the south of the country were military service personnel.

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of the incident but the MoD said it could not confirm the nationality of the troops who died.

A spokesman for the ministry said: "We can confirm that a UK helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan today.

"The incident is under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further until families have been notified."

Kandahar provincial police spokesman Zia Durrani said the helicopter went down in the Takhta Pul district, around 30 miles from the Pakistan border.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known but it was not believed to have involved any enemy action.

If the victims are confirmed to be British, it would be the worst UK air crash in Afghanistan since September 2006, when a Nimrod surveillance aircraft exploded in mid-air while supporting Nato ground operations near Kandahar.

All 14 servicemen on board that aircraft were killed.

Saturday's incident was the bloodiest day for international troops in Afghanistan this year.

It brings the number of foreign troops killed in the war-hit country in April to seven. A total of 23 have died in 2014.

Nato is preparing to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan at the end of this year, 13 years after the US-led invasion to topple the Taliban for sheltering al Qaeda leaders.

Concerned family members of military service personnel can contact the MoD on 08457 800 900.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Three US Doctors Shot Dead At Kabul Hospital

An Afghan security guard has opened fire on a group of foreign doctors at a Kabul hospital, killing three American physicians.

A US nurse was wounded in the attack, which took place at Cure International Hospital in the west of the Afghan capital.

Two of the three victims were a father and son who were visiting the facility; the third one was a doctor who had worked in Kabul for seven years, said Minister of Health Soraya Dalil.

The US Embassy in Afghanistan confirmed that three US citizens had been killed.

Afghan policemen keep watch after the attack

The attacker was a member of the Afghan Public Protection Force assigned to guard the hospital, according to District Police Chief Hafiz Khan.

He said the man's motive was not yet clear.

The gunman, who was wounded, had surgery at the same hospital and was in recovery.

The man, who is kept under police custody, will be questioned later.

Afghan policemen are reflected in a security mirror at the Cure Hospital

The 100-bed hospital specialises in children's and maternal care and is considered one of Afghanistan's leading hospitals. It is run by children's charity Cure.

The attack is the latest to target foreigners in the country.

Two Britons died in January when suicide attackers and gunmen killed a dozen people at a Kabul restaurant.

Nine people also died in March during an attack on an upmarket hotel restaurant in the city.

Earlier this month a man dressed as a policeman shot two Associated Press journalists, killing Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Anja Niedringhaus.

Attacks on Westerners, civilians and security services have increased this year as the country votes for a new president to replace Hamid Karzai.

Afghans voted on April 5 and preliminary results are expected this weekend.

A run-off is thought likely between former Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK School Confirms US Paedophile Abused Pupils

Child Predator: Husband And 'Popular Teacher'

Updated: 11:44am UK, Thursday 24 April 2014

The serial child predator at the centre of an FBI investigation had a wife and two adult children and was a popular teacher among his students, officials have said.

William James Vahey travelled the world for four decades before his suicide in a Minnesota motel last March.

While teaching, he also served as coach on various school sports teams.

The FBI said he was a "popular and highly respected teacher".

"He had access to children because of his position of trust," said FBI special agent Patrick Fransen.

"He created a system that gave him the opportunity and the means to molest children."

The FBI says he may have carried out child molestation on an unprecedented scale, often drugging his victims.

Vahey told investigators he suffered molestation as a child and went on to prey on boys.

The New York native graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, according to a resume cited by the FBI.

He received a master's degree in curriculum development from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.

At the time of his death, he was 64, approximately 6ft (182cm) tall, and weighed about 190 pounds (86kg).

He was teaching ninth-grade world history and geography at the American Nicaraguan School in Managua.

Vahey maintained two residences, one in London, where he had taught at an elite school, and another on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the FBI said.

In 1969, Vahey was arrested in California on six counts of child molestation.

He pled guilty to one count of child molestation and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, followed by five years' probation.

The conviction required Vahey to register with California's sex offender registry for the rest of his life.

However, Vahey eluded that requirement.

Officials said he had not renewed his registration as a sex offender since 1970. He went on to pursue his teaching career in Nicaragua, the UK, Venezuela, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Iran, Spain, and Lebanon.

His victims are believed to be multinational as many of those schools were attended by the children of American diplomats or military personnel stationed overseas.

Vahey coached boys on middle school, varsity boys' basketball, softball, flag football, and soccer, among other things.

He also served as activities director, student council adviser, cooking club adviser and forensics adviser. 

He often accompanied students on cultural studies or sports trips, the FBI said.

Vahey killed himself two days after agents in Houston sought a warrant to search a computer thumb drive belonging to him.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gazprom Turns Up Heat On Kiev With $11bn Bill

Russia Has Best Hand In Ukraine Poker Game

Updated: 6:58pm UK, Tuesday 22 April 2014

By By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor in Donetsk

If the Ukrainian crisis was a poker game, Russia holds a royal flush, the Kiev government and her allies not much more than a pair. And that's for every hand played, for now.

Since the annexation of Crimea it has been Vladimir Putin's choice as to whether to fold or call or raise and with every round his pot appears to be getting richer.

In the long term, though, Russia knows it could lose heavily.

The question is: When will the Kremlin decide to cash in its winnings and celebrate a return as a world power with a hearty round of chilled vodka at the bar?

US Vice President Joe Biden, on a visit to Kiev, said "time is short" for Russia to make progress on its commitment at Geneva last week to help defuse the crisis in Ukraine by signalling to its proxy militia (and the Russian commandos alongside them) to evacuate the buildings they have seized across the east of the country.

That isn't the view from Moscow - or from the sandbagged municipal centres, where the men in balaclavas, known locally as "the green men", are reinforcing their defences, not tearing them down.

Sure, Russia faces an increase in sanctions from Europe which may bite into an economy already suffering capital flight, inflation and reduced growth.

But Mr Putin knows that more sanctions are going to cut into Europe too - possibly slowing growth and the recovery from recession that in any case is looking fragile.

Individual countries in the 28-member European Union have been conducting analyses of how damaging broad sanctions against Russia would be.

The City of London will be anxious indeed - it runs on the fuel of  "few questions asked" capital injections from oligarchs who have gouged the countries of the former Soviet Union.

"Stop talking and start acting" said the US vice president.

In Donetsk the "meh" from the Kremlin was almost audible.

"No nation should threaten its neighbours by amassing troops along the border. We call on Russia to pull these forces," he said after meeting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.

"We have been clear that more provocative behaviour by Russia will lead to more costs and to greater isolation."

In Moscow, once senior officials had figured out who this "Mr Biden" was - a man without portfolio - minds have already been focussed on how to face down the European sanctions which have been threatened now for weeks.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister who channels Mr Putin as his avatar, said Russia was already looking for diversified markets for its gas, namely China, and that sanctions threats were a "bluff".

Mr Putin's popularity is soaring up to and over 90% since he grabbed Crimea amid red-faced blustering from the international community.

His generals have harnessed some of the finest chess minds in a game that has left his opponents gasping. The government now enjoys untrammelled authoritarian power.

In Russia the opposition press was silenced before the Crimean operations.

Now the media there and in the east of Ukraine pumps out lies about neo-Nazis running the Ukrainian government in league with the CIA - convincing enough people that backing the pro-Russian separatists, who now only admit to being "federalists", is an existential necessity.

Mr Yatseniuk said Russian special forces are operating in eastern Ukraine to undermine a presidential election due on May 25 and he called on Moscow to pull them out.

"Everything that is now happening in the east and which Russia is supporting is aimed at wrecking the presidential election," Mr Yatseniuk said.

And that is the Kremlin's ace.

In a month's time Ukraine will not be able to hold legitimate elections in the east of the country because the separatists and their Russian sponsors will not let them.

Instead they are threatening to hold referenda in the middle of May - just as in Crimea - which one can confidently predict will result in a huge pro-Russian majority for independence or annexation into the Russian Motherland.

By the end of the month the Kremlin will be able to step up the chaos and divisions - probably even revving the engines of tanks and mobile artillery on the borders to signal that it may rush to the "aid" of "persecuted" ethnic Russians in Ukrainian territory.

This is the point at which it will be in Russia's interests to cash in on the game it has been playing by forcing its own agenda on Kiev, and getting the West to turn its face away from Ukraine's flirtation with formal association with Nato and the EU.

The alternative will be a return to cold war and economic embargo. Ordinary Russian's won't like that – they have got used to Armani.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

South Korea Ferry: Families Attack Coastguard

Relatives of missing victims of the South Korea ferry disaster have forced their way into the office of the coastguard and attacked its Deputy Director, Choi Sang-Hwan.

The furious families accused him of overstating the scale of the recovery operation, claiming what they saw during a boat trip to the disaster area did not match his description of events.

Some 20 relatives pulled him outside and ripped his shirt before punching and slapping him around the face and neck.

Choi was held until other officials arrived who were then subjected to questioning on the recovery effort.

A government official who arrived was caught up in the melee

Some parents of the mostly teenage victims of the ferry disaster have also demanded post-mortem examinations that might show if their children had been alive inside the submerged vessel and only died because the emergency response was so slow.

The events came as prosecutors raided the offices of South Korea's shipping watchdog and have begun probing the assets of the operator of the sunken ferry.

Investigators are also searching the offices of some 20 companies affiliated to the operator, Cheonghaejin Marine Ltd.

The ship capsized off the coast of South Korea with 476 passengers and crew on board, some 300 of whom drowned or who are missing and presumed dead.

"The objective was to investigate malpractices and corruption in the entire shipping industry," Song In-taek, of the Incheon District Prosecution Service, told reporters.

Under investigation: Ferry captain Lee Joon-Seok

Prosecutors have also raided the home of Yoo Byung-un, the head of a family that owns the company, and are  looking into the assets of Yoo's family for any indications of fraud.

The move widens a criminal investigation which has seen the ferry's captain Lee Joon-Seok and six crew members arrested on suspicion of violating maritime law which requires crew to ensure passenger safety before abandoning ship.

On Thursday, four crew members, including the ship's engineer, were paraded on South Korean television with their heads bowed.

The engineer has told investigators he was not aware of any problems when the ship ran into trouble, following reports the ferry did not take on sufficient ballast to counter its cargo weight.

"I did not see any signs. There were no problems," he said when asked by investigators if there were any technical issues with the engine or the ship's ballast tanks.

Family members wait for news from the search at a port in Jindo

The engineer said he and six other crew members who were on the third deck had abandoned ship "right before it sank".

Another member wept and said she was "very sorry" for the families of the victims and the missing.

"What I did was really wrong. I am sorry," she said.

Diving teams are still searching the sunken vessel in pitch black conditions for the remaining bodies of those on board.

Meanwhile, the boy who first raised the alarm that the ferry was sinking has been found drowned in the wreckage of the vessel, his parents believe.

His parents said they had seen his body and clothes and identified his body, but he has not been formally identified with a DNA test.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Putin: Ukraine 'Crime' Will Have Consequences

Vladimir Putin has warned there will be "consequences" if Ukraine has used its army against pro-Russian activists.

Ukraine's interior ministry said "up to five terrorists" have been killed during an operation to clear checkpoints in the eastern town of Slavyansk.

In response to this, and increased Nato activity in the region, Russian troops have begun military exercises near its border with Ukraine.

"We are forced to react to such a development of the situation," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. "If this military machine is not stopped, it will lead to greater numbers of dead."

President Vladimir Putin has warned of consequences

Mr Putin, the Russian President, said Ukraine's actions in Slavyansk could amount to a "very serious crime against its own people".

He added: "It is simply a punitive measure that will without question have consequences."

There were reports of at least 10 Ukrainian armoured vehicles just north of Slavyansk.

There remains a heavy rebel presence in the city.

One activist, Stella Khorosheva, told The Associated Press: "We will defend ourselves to our last drop of blood. We are ready to repeat Stalingrad."

Ukrainian special forces at an abandoned roadblock in Slavyansk

Ukrainian forces have now withdrawn from the city, according to Reuters.

Ukraine has re-launched a campaign against pro-Russia insurgents occupying government buildings.

Troops liberated a town hall in eastern Mariupol without any casualties, according to interior minister Arsen Avakov.

He also claimed 70 people led by Russian soldiers raided a Ukrainian base at Artemivsk, wounding one soldier.

With tensions rising, all sides have ramped up their rhetoric.

Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused the West of instigating a "revolution" in Ukraine, culminating in the ousting of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych, as part of a "geopolitical game" against Moscow.

Ukrainian troops enter Slavyansk

"Our Western partners, first and foremost the United States, tried to behave as winners in the Cold War and pretend one can ignore Russia in European affairs," Interfax quoted Mr Lavrov as saying.

US President Barack Obama accused the Kremlin of not honouring an agreement aimed at defusing the Ukraine crisis.

The Geneva accord between Russia, Ukraine, the US and EU compelled armed groups to surrender weapons and leave official buildings.

Mr Obama said further sanctions were "teed up".

"We continue to see malicious, armed men destabilising the region, and we haven't seen Russia step out and discourage it," said Mr Obama.

Barack Obama issued a warning to Russia during a trip to Japan

The West has already issued asset freezes and visa bans targeting Russian officials but has ruled out military action.

Mr Putin admitted sanctions were hurting Russia - but claimed the West would also suffer.

"Overall they are causing (damage), because ratings are being reviewed, loans could become more expensive and so forth. But this is of no critical character," he said.

"They are harmful for everyone, they destroy the global economy and are dishonourable on the part of those who use those types of tools."

To add to the tensions, Russia's Gazprom has sent an $11.4bn (£6.7bn) gas bill to Ukraine energy firm Naftogaz - five times the original amount.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Battle For Control Of Net Kicks Off In Brazil

The battle for control of the internet enters a new phase today when 850 experts thrash out its future in Brazil.

Last month, the US announced it plans to give up oversight of the way net addresses are distributed.

Now hundreds of government officials, technical experts and academics are meeting at the NetMundial conference in Sao Paulo to discuss who should oversee the worldwide web in future.

China and Russia want the United Nations to have some say over how the internet is controlled, while the US and parts of Europe say it should be at arm's length from government control.

A draft outcome document has been drawn up for discussion, but the final text will not be binding.

The US currently oversees the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), but is willing to relinquish control by September 2015.

Officials from countries including China, the US and Great Britain will attend the two-day conference, which was due to be opened by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Organisers say every attendee - from academics to government officials - will have an equal voice.

The goal is to agree on principles that could form the basis of later internet governance discussions.

It is expected that despite the non-binding nature of the discussions, an accord will be hard to reach.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Airport Security Codes Lost Before Obama Visit

Security codes for Tokyo's main airport had to be changed just days before President Obama arrived, after an employee dropped a memo containing the top-secret details.

The Skymark Airlines employee mislaid the list of every security code on the departure lobby floor of Haneda Airport, an official revealed.

While the details were only missing for 30 minutes, it was deemed a big enough security threat that electronic security codes were changed.

The incident took place on Sunday evening, and was revealed by Japan's transport ministry.

Security in the capital was ramped up ahead of Mr Obama's visit, with 16,000 police officers deployed.

Japanese media said additional security cameras had been installed, and bins and public lockers swept for explosives then sealed.

Mr Obama touched down just before 8pm local time, marking the beginning of the first state visit by a US president for two decades.

Access to the airport's observation deck was restricted as Air Force One landed.

The president will hold a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, among other events.

He will leave Tokyo for South Korea on Friday morning.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Divers Smashing Ferry Walls To Recover Bodies

S Korea Ferry: Final Contact From Doomed Vessel

Updated: 11:11am UK, Sunday 20 April 2014

A transcript of communications between the stricken Sewol ferry and the coastguard has lifted the lid on the final minutes before the order was given to abandon ship.

The conversations show panic setting in on board the vessel, with officers asking for help to "please come quickly" as it began to tilt to the left, three hours from its destination of Jeju Island.

The transcript also appears to back up claims that the evacuation order may have come too late for some passengers as officers said the ship was tilting so much it was "impossible to move" to check on them.

The communication, which begins with the first distress call made by the ferry on Wednesday morning, has been translated by The Associated Press.

It reads:

8.55am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of The Sewol?

Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Centre (VTS): Yes, Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Please notify the coastguard. Our ship is in danger. It's listing right now.

8.56am

Jeju VTS: Where's your ship? Yes, got it. We will notify the coastguard.

Sewol: This ship has listed a lot. Can't move. Please come quickly. We're next to Byeongpung Island.

Jeju VTS: Yes, we got it.

8.58am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Do you have reception? Sewol, harbour affairs Jeju.

8.59am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, this is Sewol.

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Channel 21, please.

9.00am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Jeju, Sewol here.

Jeju VTS: What's the current situation?

Sewol: Currently the body of the ship has listed to the left. The containers have listed as well.

Jeju VTS: OK. Any damage of the human life?

Sewol: It's impossible to check right now. The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, OK. Please wear life jackets and prepare as the people might have to abandon ship. 

Sewol: It's hard for people to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, got it.

9.05am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of Sewol?

Jeju VTS: Yes, this is harbour affairs Jeju, Sewol.

Sewol: What's going on with the coastguard?

Jeju VTS: Yes, we have notified the coastguard. Currently we are calling Jindo VTS and Wando VTS. Please hold for a moment.

After this, Jeju VTS notified other ships and Wando VTS.

9.24am

Sewol: If this ferry evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?

Jeju VTS Even if it's impossible to broadcast, please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing. The rescue of human lives of Sewol ferry... the captain should make your own decision and evacuate them. We don't know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you're going to evacuate passengers or not.

Sewol: I'm not talking about that. I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?

Jeju VTS then said patrol boats would arrive in 10 minutes, but did not mention another civilian ship had already arrived near the scene.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: Material Washes Ashore In Oz

Officials searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane say material has washed ashore off the coast of Western Australia.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is now examining photographs of the objects, which have been secured by police in the region, to establish whether they are linked to flight MH370.

Authorities said the images had also been passed to investigators in Malaysia.

Relatives are urging governments not to give up the search

The development came after Australia pledged to keep searching for the plane despite no sign of wreckage after almost seven weeks.

Bad weather is continuing to hamper the search with aircraft grounded for the second day due to heavy rain, low clouds and rough seas.

An undersea drone is nearing the end of its first full mission and Australian PM Tony Abbott says the search strategy may change if seabed scans taken by the US Navy drone fails to find a trace of MH370, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board.

The deep search covers an area where sonar equipment picked up a signal

"We may well re-think the search but we will not rest until we have done everything we can to solve this mystery," he said.

"The only way we can get to the bottom of this is to keep searching the probable impact zone until we find something or until we have searched it as thoroughly as human ingenuity allows at this time."

The Bluefin-21 drone is a key component in the search after the detection of audio signals, or "pings", believed to be from the plane's black box flight .

Relatives are asking Mr Hussein to investigate old media reports

The search co-ordination centre said the robotic submarine had so far covered more than 80% of the 120 square mile (310 square kilometres) seabed search zone off the Australian west coast, creating a three-dimensional sonar map of the ocean floor, but failing to find anything of interest.

The 2.8 mile (4.5-kilometre) deep search area is a circle 12 miles (20 km) wide around an area where sonar equipment picked up a signal on April 8 consistent with a plane's black boxes. The batteries powering those signals are now dead.

Both Australia and Malaysia are under growing pressure to show what lengths they are prepared to go to in order to give closure to the grieving families of those on board.

In a sign of the families' growing desperation for answers, a group purporting to be relatives of the missing flight's passengers wrote a letter to Malaysian defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein, urging the government to investigate old media reports that the plane landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

"It is high time that the government should start thinking out of the box by exploring and re-examining all leads, new and old," said the letter, published on Facebook on Wednesday.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fears For 'Kidnapped' US Reporter In Ukraine

Ukraine Crisis: 600 US Troops 'Token Gesture'

Updated: 4:29pm UK, Wednesday 23 April 2014

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Washington's latest countermove in response to Moscow over the Ukraine crisis is a rather token gesture but in keeping with the pattern.

Moscow leads, Washington follows, Europe dithers and then does something which generally ends up as a diluted version of the American response.

The United States was the first to agree targeted sanctions against Russian individuals, the EU followed.

The Pentagon then expanded its Baltic air-policing operation by sending a few extra F-15s to Lithuania and F-16s to Poland and Romania.

Other Nato countries, including the UK, have since pledged their jets to take over when the US rotates its pilots out of that role later this month.

Washington's latest commitment has been to send 600 troops on training exercises in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Some 150 to each country. Not a lot.

It is meant as a show of commitment to Nato's eastern members. Will it make President Putin think twice before making any new move? Hardly.

If anything it will encourage him. If he can walk into Crimea, annexe it, and then shake things up in eastern Ukraine, suffering only that as the response, well can you blame him for feeling emboldened?

From Brussels to Washington, the buzzword has been "descalate". It is a made-up word, invented by diplomats and politicians.

Should it be hyphenated or written as one word? Who knows. But we get the point.

The problem with made-up words is that they have no agreed definition, but de-escalation broadly means an attempt to achieve a resolution through talks not by matching military action with military action.

Fine. If that is the policy then go for it and good luck. It is surely, by any sensible measure, the preferred method.

But when you start putting troops in eastern Europe and expanding your air capabilities in the region, you immediately change the approach. No argument.

If military action becomes a part of the response then diplomacy, on a certain level, has failed. 

But if there is a change in approach, then that too is fine, but if you're going to do it, then do it properly. Six hundred troops spread thinly between four states is not doing it properly.

Admittedly Nato is also sending some ships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but just to hang around there.

They have no defined tasking yet. And a small team of minesweepers will travel around the Baltic Sea.

But Nato stretches right to the Russian border. It is within the Alliance's right to hold military exercises within those boundaries. Just as it is Russia's right to hold exercise on the eastern Ukraine border. As long as neither side strays over.

So do it. But do it as an alliance. Thousands of troops, from multiple countries, on a well-defined, sensible exercise.

But 600 troops? Pah. Half measures never work.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abu Hamza: '9/11 Made Everybody Happy'

Islamic preacher Abu Hamza said the September 11 attacks left "everybody happy", according to a tape played at his terrorism trial in New York.

In the tape, Hamza can be heard speaking casually of the attacks in the undated interview with a Canadian broadcaster.

"Everybody was happy when the planes hit the World Trade Center," he said.

"Anybody who tell you he was not happy, they are hypocrites."

At another point he says: "All Muslims are happy, even non-Muslims are happy."

He said the World Trade Center was a legitimate target because "it's the centre of evil … political and financial evil for the whole world".

Hamza likened what al Qaeda did to a hero in an American movie.

"This is what you teach your people in cowboy films when you see the aggressors being, doing bad things, and then the hero comes and gives him a couple of punches in his face," he said during the interview.

The tape was played in a Manhattan federal court after Judge Katherine Forrest turned down a request by defence lawyers to exclude it from trial on the grounds that it would unfairly prejudice their client.

Abu Hamza praying at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London in 2004

"Expressing clear and unequivocal support for terrorism is no doubt prejudicial," the judge said.

"However, the defendant is charged with just those sorts of crimes."

Hamza is accused of conspiring to support al Qaeda by trying to set up a terrorist training camp in 1999 in Oregon.

He is also accused of helping to abduct two American tourists and 14 others in Yemen in 1998. Four hostages died.

The Egyptian-born cleric, 55, has pleaded not guilty.

His lawyers have argued that Hamza, known for his fiery sermons in London, is responsible only for using inflammatory words, not for any overt criminal acts.

Hamza, who was indicted under the name Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, was extradited from the UK in 2012 at the end of a protracted legal battle.

He is expected to testify in his own defence during the trial, which began last week and is expected to last about a month.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH370 Relatives In Death Certificate Fury

Relatives of flight MH370 passengers have expressed outrage after the Malaysian government suggested it was considering issuing death certificates for those on board the missing flight.

"We, the families of MH370, believe that until they have conclusive proof that the plane crashed with no survivors, they have no right to attempt to settle this case with the issuance of death certificates and final payoffs," said the statement from the United Families of MH370 group.

The statement, given in response to a briefing on Sunday from Malaysian officials, also called for a review of satellite data which, Malaysia says, indicates the plane probably crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

A South Korean aircraft takes off from Australia in the continuing search

Relatives have repeatedly accused the government and national airline of botching a response to the plane's disappearance and of withholding information.

They accuse Malaysian authorities of playing an agonising "cat-and-mouse game" over the fate of their loved ones.

"WE ARE IN UTTER OUTRAGE, DESPAIR AND SHOCK!" their statement said, in bold caps.

An unmanned mini-sub has already been sent down

The Boeing 777 went missing with 239 people aboard on March 8, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Malaysia, which denies it is withholding information, says satellite data indicates the plane crashed in the remote Indian Ocean although, despite an intensive multi-nation sea search, no evidence has been found.

Some relatives have repeatedly said they are unconvinced by Malaysia's conclusions on the data analysis, performed by British satellite communications firm Inmarsat, and want hard evidence to corroborate the claims.

"They have failed to share why they would accept a single source (Inmarsat) for analysis utilising a never-before-attempted method, as their sole grounds for determining that the plane is under the water and all lives lost," the families said.

A man whose son was on the flight cries as he asks a question

In the Sunday meeting, "not a single one of our questions was answered," it added.

The statement said the group had asked for an independent peer review, but that the request had been rejected because of data protection rules.

A public opinion poll published last week found that more than half of Malaysians believe their scandal-prone government - which has controlled the country for 57 years - is hiding the full truth about the plane's disappearance.

Meanwhile, an aerial search for the missing plane has been suspended because of a tropical cyclone.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ferry Disaster: Boy Was First To Raise Alarm

The first person to raise the alarm about the sinking South Korean ferry was a child who called a fire station three minutes after the boat made its final turn.

The boy's call was forwarded to the coastguard two minutes later and was followed by another 20 messages from children on board.

A fire official said the caller's voice sounded shaky and it took a while to identify the ship as the Sewol as the boy was panicking.

"Save us! We're on a ship and I think it's sinking," Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying.

The boy who made the call is among the missing. 

Nearly 200 people are still missing

The fire station official asked him to switch the phone to the captain, and the boy replied: "Do you mean teacher?"

The pronunciation of the words for "captain" and "teacher" is similar in Korean.

Officials say the confirmed death toll has reached 104, with nearly 200 people still missing.

Of the 476 passengers and crew on board, 339 were children and teachers on a school outing to the resort island of Jeju.

Meanwhile, one of the crew members arrested over the disaster said they had tried to launch the lifeboats, but could not due to the tilt of the ship.

Lee seen in a promotional video in 2010

Media reports have also claimed crew members tried to contact officers on the bridge around half an hour after the ferry began listing to ask if they should give the order to abandon ship - but there was no reply.

Public broadcaster KBS quoted one as saying: "At the time, we could not confirm what the situation was on the bridge.

"We kept trying to find out but ... since there was no instruction coming from the bridge, the crew on the third floor followed the instructions on the manual and kept making 'stay where you are' announcements - at least three times."

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has said the captain and some crew members of the sunken ferry committed "unforgivable, murderous acts" in the disaster.

Lee was arrested on Saturday along with a helmsman and the ship's relatively inexperienced third officer, who was in charge of the bridge when disaster struck.

He has been charged with negligence and failing to secure the safety of the passengers.

Senior prosecutor Ahn Sang-don has said four more crew members - two first mates, one second mate and a chief engineer - have been detained on allegations of failing to protect passengers and abandoning ship.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

William and Kate Battle Heat And Flies At Uluru

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited the Red Centre of Australia, battling the heat and flies to see the famous landmark Uluru for themselves.

The giant red sandstone rock, two miles long and a mile wide and previously known as Ayers Rock, is a must-see tourist destination in the middle of the harsh outback environment.

William and Kate walked up to the landmark and were given a guided tour where they were told the Aboriginal stories connected with it that have been passed down through generations.

The Royal couple earlier visited the National Indigenous Training Academy, where they handed certificates to young Aboriginal students.

The Royals gave out certificates at an indigenous training academy

Among them Bindi MacPherson, who has just passed a course in painting and decorating, chatted with the Duchess.

She said: "Kate noticed I was wearing my decorator's gear, which was because I'd just come from a job, and I said, 'if you need the nursery redecorating I know a good painter!'"

The Cambridges also watched traditional dancing, while the owners of Uluru, the Anangu, sang and beat clapping sticks.

The Royal couple were later given a basket of paper paintings made from the droppings of a mala - a type of small wallaby - and a carved wooden shield.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited Uluru in 1983

Then there was a photo opportunity in front of the rock, reminiscent of the pictures taken of Charles and Diana when they visited in 1983.

A schoolgirl who was lucky enough to witness the photo session joked about the flies that plague anything that moves.

The girl said: "You were both like magic when the photos were being taken. I was like 'How are they not swatting flies away?'"

Kate laughed: "I know. It was difficult", while William added: "They were all coming for us."

Afterwards the couple stood and watched as the sun set over Uluru, the colours and shadows constantly changing as the light faded.

Chief Minister for the Northern Territory Adam Giles said the whole region was "pumped" that the young couple had included the remote outback area on their itinerary.

Kate swats a fly as the couple are given a spear

"We've got schoolkids who've travelled long and far to see the Royals," he told Sky News.

The couple travelled without nine-month-old George to the dry 31C (88F) heat of the central desert region.

When some schoolgirls asked Kate and William about their son, they said he had changed a lot while they had been away, with the Duke admitting he was not looking forward to the long flight home.

"He can get a bit grumpy on the long flights," he said.

The couple will spend Tuesday night in a luxury outback retreat before heading to Adelaide on Wednesday.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Biden: 'Ukraine Must Remain One Country'

Vice President Joe Biden has reiterated US support for a unified Ukraine during a meeting with MPs in Kiev.

Mr Biden addressed politicians at the Ukraine parliament in a show of support for the interim government and announced new technical support measures for the government on energy and economic reforms.

He also warned Russia against further provocative action after an agreement in Geneva last week.

"There are some who are trying to pull Ukraine apart. Ukraine is in a struggle for its very future," he said.

"Ukraine is and must remain one country - one united Ukraine.

Mr Biden also met with interim president Oleksander Turchynov

"No nation has the right to simply grab land from another nation. We will never recognise Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea and neither will the world.

"More provocative behaviour by Russia will lead to more costs and greater isolation."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Russian special forces were operating in eastern Ukraine and urged Russia to withdraw troops in Crimea to "turn this shameful page".

Among the new support measures was an additional $50m (£39m) for political and economic reforms, and another $8m (£4.75m) for non-lethal aid to Ukraine including vehicles and radios.

US experts will also work on reducing Ukraine's dependence on Russian gas as well as fighting corruption.

A pro-Russian separatist guards the security service building in Slovyansk

Mr Biden also called on Russia to withdraw troops from its borders with Ukraine and to "stop talking and start acting" on the surrender of militants in the east of the country.

His visit comes as pro-Russian separatists show no sign of surrendering government buildings seized in the predominantly Russian speaking east.

US and EU officials have said they will impose new economic sanctions on Moscow if the separatists do not leave the premises seized during the last two weeks.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will discuss the Ukraine crisis and EU reform during a meeting with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy later on Tuesday.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "If they don't take steps in the coming days, there'll be consequences.

"Obviously, we would have to make a decision in the matter of if there are going to be consequences for inaction."

Jen Psaki also called for "separatists to vacate illegal buildings and checkpoints, accept amnesty and address their grievances politically".

But Russia hit back, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov calling for the US to "pressure Kiev to stop hotheads from provoking a bloody conflict and to encourage the Ukrainian authorities to strictly fulfil their obligations".

Visa bans and asset freezes on key Russian figures have already been imposed after Moscow's action in Ukraine last month.

On Easter Sunday, at least three people were killed at a checkpoint manned by armed separatists, with Russia blaming Ukrainian nationalist group Right Sector.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has deployed around 100 mediators in Ukraine to monitor the situation in the east of the country.

So far the separatists have refused to relinquish control of buildings.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Best Of British Gear Up For China Car Show

Some of Britain's most famous cars are on parade today at one of the most important days in the motoring calendar.

Ford cars on display at the 50 years celebration ceremony of Ford

UK brands such as Rolls-Royce, Jaguar and Land Rover are showing their new models at the China Motor Show in Beijing to help boost sales in an intensely competitive market.

An original 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible alongside today's model

More than 1,100 vehicles will be on display at the exhibition which will also be attended by General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai, along with SAIC and Dongfeng, China's domestic carmakers.

Although sales growth is forecast to slow from last year's 15.7% to 8 to 10% this year, China remains the world's biggest auto market with 17.9 million vehicles sold last year.

Car sales are expected to slow in China this year

The expo comes as a growing number of Chinese cities are restricting the number of cars on the road in a bid to battle pollution and congestion, moves that analysts warn could cut into purchases.

The eastern city of Hangzhou, a popular tourist destination, last month became the sixth major city to implement such a restriction, with some estimates placing the limit at 80,000 cars a year.

More than 1,100 vehicles will be on display at the exhibition

The boss of Mercedez-Benz in China told Sky News earlier this year that survival in the automotive industry is based largely on success in China.

German auto giant Daimler also announced recently it had signed a $1.4bn deal with Chinese partner Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation to expand production at their joint venture in Beijing.     

Among the cars on display at the exhibition will be one of the first 1965 Ford Mustang Convertibles.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prince George Goes Walkabout With Bilbies

Prince George made his first walkabout on the Australian leg of the royal tour when he met some indigenous animals at a zoo.

The youngster looked fascinated as he was shown a bilby - a rabbit-like type of marsupial.

At one point, as he was held by his father Prince William, he held out his hand to attempt to touch the creature which was being fed by a keeper who has named the animal George in his honour.

George, dressed in a blue and white striped collared t-shirt and royal blue shorts, looked a little frustrated and waved his arms as he was unable to reach the animal, which was about a third of his size when standing on its hind legs.

Just before he was brought out for the cameras, the Royal family had been shown round the nocturnal house where several of Australia's animals who are awake during darkness are housed.

Staff said George coped well and was interested in what he saw, reaching out to a feather tailed glider and staring intently at some hopping mice and an echidna.

He was later given a soft bilby toy, which he promptly threw on the floor.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who was wearing a lemon yellow Stella McCartney skater dress, were visiting Taronga Zoo in Sydney where the new bilby enclosure will be named after their son.

The Royal couple went on, without their son, to be shown a few of the zoo koalas.

The zoo keeper who showed them round the enclosure, Paul Davies, said afterwards about George: "He was brilliant. He was regal. It was amazing how he coped with the dark environment of the nocturnal house.

"They seemed comfortable feeding (the bilby). Kate let him get really close. At one point he tried to grab the bilby by the ears.

"He was like any other child. He had a short attention span and wanted to go and look at something else. It was just like meeting any family."

Earlier, thousands of well-wishers turned out to see the Duke and Duchess mark Easter Sunday by attending a traditional church service in Sydney.

The couple arrived at St Andrew's Cathedral in the centre of the city and were greeted - as they have been throughout their tour of Australia - by officials and cheering crowds.

Kate looked elegant in a stylish dove grey Alexander McQueen coat and Jane Taylor hat, while William was in a smart suit.

If a Sunday falls within a Royal tour, visiting members of the monarchy usually attend a church service joining local parishioners.

At the cathedral's steps, the Royal couple were met by the Most Reverend Dr Glenn Davies, Archbishop of Sydney, and the Very Reverend Phillip Jensen, Dean of Sydney, and chatted to the senior clerics before the service began.

The Easter service was private and the large group of media covering the event were not allowed inside.

A bilby is an endangered desert-dwelling marsupial, the name of which comes from an aboriginal language from New South Wales meaning long-nosed rat. There are only about 10,000 left in the wild.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

South Korean Ferry Families Clash With Police

S Korea Ferry: Final Contact From Doomed Vessel

Updated: 11:11am UK, Sunday 20 April 2014

A transcript of communications between the stricken Sewol ferry and the coastguard has lifted the lid on the final minutes before the order was given to abandon ship.

The conversations show panic setting in on board the vessel, with officers asking for help to "please come quickly" as it began to tilt to the left, three hours from its destination of Jeju Island.

The transcript also appears to back up claims that the evacuation order may have come too late for some passengers as officers said the ship was tilting so much it was "impossible to move" to check on them.

The communication, which begins with the first distress call made by the ferry on Wednesday morning, has been translated by The Associated Press.

It reads:

8.55am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of The Sewol?

Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Centre (VTS): Yes, Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Please notify the coastguard. Our ship is in danger. It's listing right now.

8.56am

Jeju VTS: Where's your ship? Yes, got it. We will notify the coastguard.

Sewol: This ship has listed a lot. Can't move. Please come quickly. We're next to Byeongpung Island.

Jeju VTS: Yes, we got it.

8.58am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Do you have reception? Sewol, harbour affairs Jeju.

8.59am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, this is Sewol.

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Channel 21, please.

9.00am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Jeju, Sewol here.

Jeju VTS: What's the current situation?

Sewol: Currently the body of the ship has listed to the left. The containers have listed as well.

Jeju VTS: OK. Any damage of the human life?

Sewol: It's impossible to check right now. The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, OK. Please wear life jackets and prepare as the people might have to abandon ship. 

Sewol: It's hard for people to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, got it.

9.05am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of Sewol?

Jeju VTS: Yes, this is harbour affairs Jeju, Sewol.

Sewol: What's going on with the coastguard?

Jeju VTS: Yes, we have notified the coastguard. Currently we are calling Jindo VTS and Wando VTS. Please hold for a moment.

After this, Jeju VTS notified other ships and Wando VTS.

9.24am

Sewol: If this ferry evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?

Jeju VTS Even if it's impossible to broadcast, please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing. The rescue of human lives of Sewol ferry... the captain should make your own decision and evacuate them. We don't know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you're going to evacuate passengers or not.

Sewol: I'm not talking about that. I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?

Jeju VTS then said patrol boats would arrive in 10 minutes, but did not mention another civilian ship had already arrived near the scene.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Farage 'Slandered' Front National, Le Pen Claims

The leader of the French Front National has claimed Nigel Farage slandered her party by calling it "anti-semitic".

Marine Le Pen, 45, told The Sunday Times Mr Farage had made "defamatory" and "extremely disagreeable" statements about her party.

Mr Farage has refused to join Ms Le Pen's right-wing alliance in the European parliament, siding with Nicolas Dupont-Aignan - a member of the EU Democrats party.

He claimed "anti-semitism is still embedded" in the FN and last week referred to the party's "compromising historic baggage", the newspaper reported.

Farage has sided UKIP with the EU Democrats led by Nicolas Dupont-Aignan

But Ms Le Pen has hit back, saying: "He is often reproached for the behaviour and comments of... his members.

"Slandering your neighbour to try and make yourself look whiter than white, it's not correct. He's doing it simply for electoral purposes."

Ms Le Pen was joined by UKIP founder Dr Alan Sked, who described Mr Farage as "alcoholic, dim and racist" in an interview with the think-tank Parliament Street.

He said: "He's got no idea. He can repeat things about how nasty the European Union is and how it's a threat to the working class but that's about it.

"Anything sophisticated is beyond his grasp."

It comes after two opinion polls showed UKIP was gaining ground ahead of European Parliament elections in May.

A poll for The Sunday Telegraph puts the party in second place in next month's European Parliament elections, three percentage points behind Labour on 30% and, crucially, pushing the Conservatives into third place.

Another, reported in The Mail On Sunday, reveals Nigel Farage could be on track to win a seat in the House of Commons. According to Survation, UKIP polled 32% in the Hampshire constituency of Eastleigh - four points ahead of the Conservatives - where the party narrowly lost out on winning in a by-election last year.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: 'Five Killed At Separatist Checkpoint'

A gun battle at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has left five dead, it has been claimed.

Russia's state-run Rossiya 24 news station said the five died when gunmen attacked the post near the city of Slavyansk, which is under separatist control.

A separatist interviewed by Reuters at the scene said three of the dead were with the pro-Russian militia.

The attack had happened at 2am local time, he said.

"We had three dead, four wounded," a fighter called Vladimir told the news agency at the checkpoint, where there were two burned-out jeeps.

But Sky's Katie Stallard, who has been to the scene, said there are inconsistencies in the separatists' accounts and there is no coherent evidence to back up what they are saying.

Reuters TV footage of the scene showed two bodies, one of which appeared to have gunshot wounds to the head and face.

Kiev's interior ministry said one person had been killed and three injured in an armed clash.

It said police were trying to establish more details about what happened.

A map showing the location of Slavyansk

The separatists claimed the attackers were members of Right Sector, a hard-right fringe group that was part of the anti-Russia movement whose protests in Kiev and western Ukraine forced the former president to leave office. 

Right Sector denied being involved, instead blaming Russian special forces in an illustration of the claim and counter claim that has been rife during the crisis.

The event prompted the self-declared leader of the pro-Russian faction in Slavyansk to appeal to Moscow to send in peacekeeping troops.

Ukraine and many in the West fear reports of clashes could provide a pretext for Russia to seize more Ukrainian territory.

Russia's foreign ministry said it was outraged by the shootout, describing it as a "provocation".

Pro-Russia separatist gunmen maintain a firm grip over a string of towns across eastern Ukraine, despite an international deal signed last week demanding they leave state buildings they are occupying.

On Sunday afternoon they declared a curfew in Slavyansk.

Russia, the US, the European Union and Ukraine struck a deal on Thursday aiming at de-escalating the crisis, part of which involves the separatists agreeing to lay down their arms.

Authorities in Kiev, who vowed to remove the separatists, said they have suspended military operations against the rebels until after Easter to give the militia time to comply with the agreement.

The deadline runs out on Monday, after which the US and the EU have said they will consider further sanctions against Russia.

Earlier, Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having "a dream to restore the Soviet Union".

Meanwhile, the heads of the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches traded barbs over the crisis in the country as believers flocked to church for Easter services.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More