Ukraine Jews Told To 'Register' In Mystery Flyer

The chief rabbi in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk has told Sky News of his distress at the distribution of a leaflet suggesting Jewish people must "register" with the government.

The leaflet, written in Russian, was apparently signed by Denis Pushilin, a leader of Donetsk People's Republic, but he has denied his organisation is behind it.

Its existence was first reported by Israeli website Ynet, which says 17,000 Jews live in the city.

US Secretary Of State John Kerry branded the leaflet as "grotesque".

The offending leaflet. Pic: The Coordination for Countering AntiSemitism

Rabbi Pinkhas Vishedksi told Sky News he was given the leaflets to distribute earlier this week.

He said: "I am asking all the political leaders in Ukraine - please leave us alone."

On the website of the Donetsk Jewish community, he said: "What happened of course smells of a provocation. As to who is behind it - that is an open question."

The flyer calls for all Jews over 16 to register and supply a list of all property they own.

It suggests if they do not, they will have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated.

The leaflet carries Russia's national symbol, as well as the Donetsk People's Republic insignia.

It tells Jewish citizens: "ID and passport are required to register your Jewish religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles."

It also demands a $50 (£30) registration fee.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Mr Kerry said: "Just in the last couple of days, notices were sent to Jews in one city indicating that they have to identify themselves as Jews.

John Kerry said the leaflet was 'grotesque'

"In the year 2014, after all of the miles travelled and all of the journey of history, this is not just intolerable - it's grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable."

Russia has repeatedly accused the new authorities in Kiev of being dominated by anti-Semites and fascists following the ousting of Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in February.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Separatists Stay Put Despite Deal

Pro-Russians occupying public buildings in 10 eastern Ukrainian cities have been told to leave in the next few days or face "more concrete actions" from the interim government.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia gave no details of the likely actions, but  said: "Hopefully, if those people are ready to leave the buildings, to surrender weapons, today, tomorrow, so we can encourage the OSCE (European security) mission to negotiate, to mediate and implement this.

"But if this will not start in a few days, I think that after Easter there will more concrete actions."

Separatists occupying government buildings in eastern Ukraine say they will only leave if the interim government in Kiev resigns.

Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-appointed Donetsk People's Republic, said insurgents do not recognise the Ukrainian government as legitimate.

Ukraine and Russia agreed on Thursday to take tentative steps toward calming tensions along their shared border after more than a month of bloodshed.

But Mr Pushilin said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "did not sign anything for us, he signed on behalf of the Russian Federation".

He said because the deal specifies all illegally-seized buildings should be vacated, the government in Kiev - which replaced democratically-elected President Viktor Yanukovich - is occupying public buildings illegally.

Acting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told parliament a law offering amnesty to all those willing to lay down their arms and leave occupied buildings had been drafted.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Donetsk, said there was no sign of anyone there acting on the deal reached in Geneva at talks attended by the US, Russia, the European Union and Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

She added: "None of those at the talks directly represented those on the ground, particularly those occupying the buildings."

In Slavyansk, a city that has become a flashpoint in the crisis after armed men took control last weekend, leaders of the pro-Russian gunmen held a meeting on how to respond to the agreement.

On the street, there was little change. In front of the Slavyansk mayor's office, men armed with Kalashnikovs peered over sandbags which had been piled higher overnight.

Separatists remained in control of the city's main streets, searching cars at checkpoints around the city.

In the capital, Kiev, people in Independence Square, which was the centre of protests that eventually toppled President Yanukovich, said barricades would not come down until the May 25 presidential election.

"The people gave their word to stay until the presidential elections so that nobody will be able to rig the result. Then after the election we'll go of our own accord," said 56-year-old Viktor Palamaryuk from the western town of Chernivtsi.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez Dies In Mexico

Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has died aged 87.

The Colombian writer was best known for his 1967 novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, which sold more than 50 million copies around the world.

His novels and short stories, detailing Latin America's superstition, violence and inequality, outsold everything published in Spanish except the Bible.

Garcia Marquez with former Cuban President Fidel Castro (centre) in 1986

Garcia Marquez passed away at his home in Mexico City with his wife and two sons by his side.

He had returned home from hospital last week after being treated for pneumonia.

The former newspaper reporter - known to friends and fans as "Gabo" - won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

His other famous works included Autumn of the Patriarch, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Captain 'Not At The Helm When Ferry Capsized'

The captain of the South Korean ferry that capsized with 475 passengers on board was not at helm of the ship when it capsized, according to investigators.

The third officer was understood to be piloting the ship when the tragedy occurred, an investigating prosecutor has told a news conference, and the captain may not even have been on the bridge at the time.

"He may have been off the bridge ... and the person at the helm at the time was the third officer," the investigator said.

"The captain was not in command when the accident took place," he added.

It has also been revealed that the captain, Lee Joon-seok, 68, delayed evacuation for half an hour after the distress signal ws sent, leading some to suggest more lives could have been saved had he acted sooner.

Family members of missing passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo

Oh Yong-seok, a helmsman on the ferry with 10 years of shipping experience, said that when the crew gathered on the bridge and sent a distress call, the ship was already listing more than five degrees, the critical angle at which a vessel can be brought back to even keel.

About half and hour after passengers were told to stay where they were, Lee finally gave the order to abandon ship, Oh said, adding that he wasn't sure that in the confusion and chaos on the bridge if the order was relayed to the passengers.

Several survivors have said they did not hear any evacuation orders.

By the time the order was given, it was impossible for crew members to move to passengers' rooms to help them because the ship was tilted at an impossibly acute angle, he said.

Relatives wait for news from the rescue teams in Jindo

It has been suggested the evacuation delay also prevented lifeboats from being deployed in time.

The confirmed death toll from the sinking off the Sewol is 25, but that number is expected to rise sharply with about 270 people still missing. Officials have so far confirmed only 179 survivors.

Some 325 of the passengers were students from Danwon High School near Seoul.

Out of 29 crewmembers, 20 people including Lee, survived. After the tragedy, Lee made a brief, videotaped appearance, although his face was hidden by a gray hoodie.

"I am really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said. "I don't know what to say."

Divers are working in shifts to try get into the upturned ship to pump oxygen into the vessel to help any survivors. But their attempts are being hampered by strong currents and freezing temperatures.

The 146-metre (480ft) ship had left Incheon on the northwestern coast of South Korea on Tuesday for the overnight journey to the southern resort island of Jeju.

It was three hours from its destination on Wednesday morning when it began to list for reasons unknown.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Digging For The Truth Over Russia And Ukraine

Trying to separate fact from fiction is part of a journalist's job, but in Moscow you have to learn to treat some reports with a large dose of scepticism.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Russian state news channel Rossiya 24 reported that between four and 11 people had been killed when Ukrainian government forces recaptured control of an airfield in Kramatorsk, which had earlier been controlled by pro-Russian protesters. 

Other Russian news agencies reported several deaths.

It seemed as if it might be a watershed moment, likely to trigger a military response from the Kremlin which has pledged to protect ethnic Russians.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing deep concern and saying events were developing into a "worst case scenario."

But later reports filed by international news organisations such as Reuters and the Associated Press revealed a much less serious incident.

True, Ukrainian soldiers had arrived at the scene and took some verbal abuse from protesters.

Warning shots may have been fired and an officer had his hat knocked off in scuffles.

Tension remains and it is always a worrying development when a country's military confronts its own citizens.

But it still seems some way short of the civil war that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Ukraine was on the brink of.

Armed men stand near armoured personnel carriers in Slavyansk

Equally, those who suggest that everyone who has manned a barricade or occupied a government office in eastern Ukraine is either a Russian agent or cajoled by the Kremlin is also exaggerating.

Yes, there appear to be many examples of men taking charge who display some form of military training, but recent video footage of people forcing a Ukrainian tank to turn around suggests they were angry locals rather than crack troops. 

When the West cries too loudly about Russian influence it can drown out the genuine voices of those Ukrainians in the East who don't like the western-leaning interim government in Kiev. 

The Russian media ridicules the EU and the US for lauding the civil protests which forced elected President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country, and yet the same governments condemn Russian-speaking Ukrainians supporters for being angry about what they view as an illegitimate coup.

The truth is out there, and the UN has published a version of it, which found claims of attacks on ethnic Russians had been deliberately exaggerated to justify Russian intervention in Crimea last month.

A woman takes a picture of potentially pro-Russian soldiers

The UN Human Rights report said assaults were not widespread and that reports of nationalist extremists "coming armed to persecute ethnic Russians in Crimea were systematically used to create a climate of fear and insecurity that reflected on support to integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation".

The Russian foreign ministry said the UN report was "one-sided, politicised and not objective", adding: "One gets the impression that the report was fabricated to correspond with conclusions formed in advance."

The annexation of Crimea was popular in Russia because it returned a territory which was historically Russian, but which was ceded to Ukraine during the Soviet era when Moscow still retained overall control.

But there appears to be little appetite among ordinary Russians for trying to seize chunks of eastern Ukraine, even if many of those who live there speak Russian.

Lisa Zelaney, a student at Moscow State University, told Sky News she had friends in Ukraine and, although she supported Crimea returning to Russian control, the current situation was different, and she was dubious about Russian media reports.  

Armed men drive military vehicles outside Kramatorsk

"When you hear people say, 'Yes, we want Russian people to get here and help us get rid of this government, that we don't like it,'  that's not usually the truth.

"I think we should leave this country alone and let them themselves decide what they need."

Pensioner Vladimir Pantileymonovich told us: "By no means should Russia interfere in the eastern Ukraine situation. It's their own business."

And Dina Boulatova added: "We should definitely not get into it, otherwise there will be huge problems for Russia. The two sides there should take a step towards each other."

But another man was more sympathetic to Kremlin policy.

Ukrainian soldiers clash in a field with pro-Russian protesters

Elizarov Leonid Mikhailovich said: "For me personally everything is very clear. The majority of the population expressed their opinion. They said what they wanted and how they wanted it.

"The methods that the Kiev authorities are using now are horrible. They were elected in a barbarous way.

"I think the majority in Ukraine understand this government does not have a future.

"I may not support Putin or like him but on this issue I completely support him. Russia is strong enough now to support its people."

As for criticism of a foreign government meddling in the affairs of another, the Russian media reported on evidence to confirm their suspicions the interim government in Kiev came to power as the result of an American-backed coup. 

The confirmation by the White House that CIA director John Brennan was a visitor to Kiev at the weekend fuelled Moscow suspicions of the agency's involvement in supporting the Maidan protesters.

The White House said his arrival in Ukraine was simply part of a wider European tour.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Crisis: 'Putin's Moves Bad For Russia'

Barack Obama has threatened Moscow with further sanctions if they continue to support the pro-Russia militia destabilising Ukraine.

The US President warned his counterpart: "Mr Putin's decisions are not just bad for Ukraine, over the long term they're going to be bad for Russia."

"What I have said consistently is that each time Russia takes these kinds of steps that are designed to destabilise Ukraine and violate their sovereignty, that there are going to be consequences."

Mr Obama's warning comes ahead of talks between Ukraine, Russia, the US and the European Union later in Geneva.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deschytsia and the EU foreign chief Catherine Ashton.

According to a senior US official, the diplomatic meeting in the Swiss city will mark Kiev's final attempt to engage with Russia before Moscow is hit with additional economic sanctions.

In recent days tensions have increased with pro-Russian separatists stepping up activities in the east of Ukraine.

Armed men stand guard outside a building occupied by pro-Russia militia

The well-armed militia has seized armored vehicles and weapons from Ukrainian forces and occupied a number of government buildings.

Nato has said it is taking immediate steps to boost its military presence in eastern Europe in response to what it calls Russian "aggression" in Ukraine.

With tens of thousands of Russian troops deployed along the border with Ukraine, Nato has also agreed to deploy more air and sea forces, as well as increase the readiness of land forces, in the Baltic and eastern Mediterranean.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five Killed In University House Party Stabbing

Five people have been killed at a house party in Calgary in what has been described as the city's "worst mass murder".

The son of a veteran Canadian police officer has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Police Chief Rick Hanson said: "We have never seen five people killed at one scene. The scene was horrific."

The students were celebrating the last day of classes

At least 20 people were at the party which was being held to celebrate the end of classes at the University of Calgary.

Police said the suspect was invited to the party and shortly after arriving picked up a large knife and began stabbing the victims one by one. 

The house where the incident happened is on a quiet residential street

Chief Hanson said the victims ages range from 22 to 27 and described them all as "good kids".

Three men were found dead at the home. A man and a woman died at a local hospital.

Hanson said the suspect brought a weapon, but used a knife from the house. He said there was nothing to indicate the suspect was drunk or had been doing drugs.

Three died at the scene while two died later in hospital

He was arrested with the help of the police canine unit around 40 minutes after the incident.

Local resident Doug Jones said about a dozen students had been drinking beer around a firepit in the back garden of the house earlier in the night, but they were not rowdy.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said her prayers were with families of victims

He said they all went inside by 9pm and he heard nothing after that.

University of Calgary President Elizabeth Cannon said "It's young people who have lost their lives at a very critical point in their lifetimes. It's a huge impact on all of us."

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hundreds Rescued From Ferry Off South Korea

Dozens of rescue boats and helicopters are scrambling to save the passengers of a ferry that is sinking off the coast of South Korea.

At least one person has been confirmed dead.

According to reports 338 people have been rescued - including many school students.

The ferry, with 476 people on board, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call as it began leaning to one side.

The students are from a high school in Ansan city near Seoul and were on their way to the island for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi Province.

The ship left Incheon port, just west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs And Port Administration.

A total of 18 helicopters and 34 rescue boats have been sent to the area.

More follows...

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius Weeps 'For Himself' In Court

Oscar Pistorius has been accused of weeping for himself, not his tragic girlfriend, during another emotional day at his murder trial.

Pistorius broke down several times, leading to court adjournments, as he was asked to explain alleged inconsistencies in his story. 

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel put it to Pistorius that Reeva Steenkamp "fled for her life" as Pistorius "shouted and screamed" at her before shooting her dead. 

As he began his sixth day of evidence, the athlete was accused of lying in court and using his emotional state as "an escape".

A woman hugs Pistorius as he enters court

Mr Nel told Pistorius: "Today I'm going to prove your version of events is untrue. That you tailored your version, concocted your story.

"Your version is so improbable that it cannot reasonably possibly be true."

Referring to the moment Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp dead after "hearing a noise" in the toilet, Mr Nel asked: "What is your defence?"

"I heard the noise and I did not have time to interpret it and fired out of fear," Pistorius said.

Mr Nel replied: "You know exactly what you were doing, you fired at Reeva. You fired at her."

Pistorius broke down as he replied: "It's not true my lady."

Mr Nel interrupted: "Why are you getting emotional now?"

"I did not fire at Reeva," Pistorius wept.

After a short break Pistorius returned to the witness box.

Mr Nel said: "I'm going to argue that you got emotional because you got your defences mixed up."

A photograph shows the bullet holes in the toilet door

"No," Pistorius said.

"Getting your defences mixed up - that's why you get emotional," Mr Nel said. 

Just before lunch, the prosecutor once again questioned the motivation for an emotional outburst by the defendant.

Responding to Mr Nel's claims he had been "lucky" not to be hit by a ricochet, Pistorius sobbed: "Why would that be lucky, she lost her life, my lady?"

Mr Nel replied: "Now, you are getting emotional again - it's not worth it." 

After lunch, Pistorius denied he shot Ms Steenkamp dead as she spoke to him, hiding behind the toilet door.

Mr Nel said: "Reeva would only have been with her right hip at the door if she was standing behind the door talking to you."

He continued: "All the screams and shouts were at her and she fled for her life.

"Why would she be there if she was not talking to you? My case is that he knows that he shot her while she was talking to him."

Reeva Steenkamp was shot in the toilet of Pistorius' home

Earlier, Pistorius raised his voice in the witness box when asked to explain what he had said to the "intruders" in his bathroom on the night of the shooting. 

Breaking down into more sobs, he shouted: "I said 'get the **** out of my house, I said get the **** out of my house'."

Pistorius, 27, spoke softly and appeared low in energy as he responded to the prosecutor's questions. 

Mr Nel asked: "Today I pick up that you are not sure about things. Is there anything wrong?"

Pistorius replied: "No."

On another occasion, Mr Nel asked: "Is there something wrong with you? You are touching your eyes."

Pistorius replied: "My eyes are sore."

Mr Nel said: "Why are you touching your eyes now?"

The judge then interrupted Mr Nel, to stop his line of questioning. 

Pistorius admits shooting his 29-year-old girlfriend dead on Valentine's Day last year - but says he believed that she was an intruder.

This morning, Pistorius denied there had been an argument before the shooting and the model was planning to leave the flat. 

Pistorius is surrounded by security as he enters the court

On several occasions, Pistorius was questioned over alleged inconsistencies in his evidence.

The prosecutor focused on Pistorius' court account that he had heard a door closing in the toilet - making him believe intruders may be in there.

Mr Nel said: "There's not a single word of the door shutting in your bail statement, why not?"

"I'm not sure - I don't know why," Pistorius replied.

"It's even more devastating that it's not in your plea statement," Mr Nel continued.

"I don't know why," Pistorius replied.

"It's because you invented it," Mr Nel asserted.

Reeva Steenkamp was a model and minor TV celebrity

Pistorius conceded he "made a mistake" when he said last week that he "whispered" to Ms Steenkamp to stay low on the night of the shooting.

He admitted that he "spoke in a low tone", rather than whispered. Mr Nel accused Pistorius of "tailoring his evidence".

Pistorius replied: "I don't understand why I would be tailoring my evidence by saying 'whisper'."

He was also asked why he had initially said he "heard a noise" on the night of the shooting but later changed that to "hearing a window sliding open".

Pistorius explained: "When my bail was done, I was in a holding cell, I was on medication, I was traumatised - it was not made clear to me that it was exhaustive."

Earlier, the athlete was mobbed outside the court by supporters with white balloons and Christians, playing and singing music.

One of the supporters clung to his hand for several seconds, while another appeared to hug him, as he walked into the high court in Pretoria.

Some held banners which read "Ozzy, we love you" and "hero".

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition in relation to Ms Steenkamp's death.

He also denies two further counts related to shooting a gun in public on separate occasions prior to the killing.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius' Tears: Genuine Or Contrived?

By Emma Hurd, Sky News Correspondent, in Pretoria

At times Oscar Pistorius has been strident, almost argumentative in the witness box under cross examination, but more often his voice has trembled with emotion and he has frequently broken down in tears.

The debate has been raging for days in South Africa over whether his breakdowns are genuine, and for the first time the prosecution has suggested it is all an act.

Gerrie Nel, the lead prosecutor, accused the athlete of using his emotional distress "as an escape", after another bout of sobbing during tough questioning caused a pause in the proceedings.

"Why are you emotional now?" Mr Nel asked.

"We're not even talking about Reeva," he said, referring to Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend the athlete is accused of deliberately shooting dead.

The implication was clear - Pistorius has resorted to crocodile tears as a way of disrupting the barrage of questions which have poked holes in his defence.

Those reporters inside the court - who are able to see the athlete's face as he gives evidence, not just hear the audio feed - have also questioned the timing of his emotional outbursts.

One reporter said that at the start of the trial, when Pistorius was frequently retching and vomiting as well as sobbing, his body language was so tormented that it could not have been faked.

But the same journalist said that his tears in the witness box have seemed "more convenient" and much harder to interpret.

There is little doubt that the athlete is under a huge amount of pressure in this trial and his memories of the night he shot his girlfriend have to be traumatic.

Lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel is suggesting Pistorius' tears are an act

But if we assume that his emotional outbursts are real and not a tactic, the question remains for many: is he weeping because he killed Ms Steenkamp by accident as he claims - or because he regrets shooting her in a rage as the prosecution says?

South Africans are divided as the trial goes on.

Aubrey Masango, a talk show host for Radio 702, said his "phone ins" about the case have shown that the population is largely split by gender, not race or social class, with women most likely to consider the athlete guilty and doubt his sincerity in the witness box.

"He deserves at Oscar for his crying," is something Masango says he has heard from female callers again and again.     

The sudden changes in his demeanour under cross examination have also confused those watching the trial.

Reeva's mother June Steenkamp (left) has been in court throughout

Pistorius has often been pedantic and combative in his responses to Gerrie Nel's questions, pointing out tiny details that the prosecutor has got wrong.

His remarkable composure during those exchanges - when he has sounded more like a defence lawyer than a defendant - is in stark contrast to his moments gulping back the tears.

In the absence of a jury, his emotional outbursts - real or otherwise - should not influence the verdict. Judge Thokozile Masipa is trained to disregard the tears of the accused and focus on his words.

But her assessment of his true emotional state is still important because she needs to ensure that Pistorius is in a fit state to give evidence in his defence. 

Several times she has halted proceedings to give the athlete time to compose himself, always asking whether he is ready to continue before resuming the trial.

Pistorius denies intentionally killing Reeva Steenkamp

Sky's legal analyst in Pretoria, Llewellyn Curlewis says the judge's "reading" of his sobbing could also play a role much later in the case, during sentencing.

"It clearly creates a possible mitigating argument regarding remorse," Curlewis says.

"After so many emotional outbursts, any human being - including the judge - might accept he was remorseful for what transpired," he adds. 

But that brings us back to the question at the heart of the debate over the trial in South Africa - is the athlete crying for Reeva or for himself?

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mini-Sub To Be Used As Plane Search Narrows

The commander of the Royal Navy ship searching for flight MH370 has told Sky News they are getting close to sending down a mini-submarine to hunt for wreckage.

HMS Echo is working with Australian vessel Ocean Shield to locate the Boeing 777-200's black box before it runs out of power.

The plane carrying 239 people vanished from radar on March 8 and is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, around 1,500 miles off Australia's west coast.

Ocean Shield, towing a US Navy device to detect signals from the plane's fading beacons, first picked up two underwater "pings" consistent with those from a black box on April 5.

This was followed by two more in the same area three days later.

HMS Echo is searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing jet

The crew of HMS Echo are analysing the signals by looking at the currents and ocean depth of around 2.8 miles (4.5km) to try to pin-point the plane's wreckage.

The underwater search zone has been narrowed to around 500 square miles (1,300 square km) - roughly the size of Los Angeles.

Phillip Newell, commanding officer of HMS Echo, told Sky News: "We believe we have come close to that point now where we can move to the next stage and deploy a remote vehicle which can go down to the correct depth and search the sea bed."

The Bluefin-21 can search between 20 and 40 square miles a day

The crew will use Bluefin-21, a mini-submarine used to find the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, to search the sea bed for debris.

But major hindrances still remain, and it could be years before the Malaysia Airlines jet is found, radar expert Professor David Stupples told Sky News.

The search is also set to be hampered by bad weather this week.

Sunday's planned search area

Eleven military aircraft, one civil aircraft and 14 ships are taking part in today's search, said the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, the international body leading the hunt.

It said there have been no confirmed acoustic detections over the past 24 hours.

The batteries that power signals from the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders last only about a month and it has been more than five weeks since the plane disappeared.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Dangerous Escalation' In Ukraine Crisis

World leaders have warned of a "dangerous escalation" in the Ukraine crisis as fatal clashes broke out in the east of the country.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York after at least two people were killed and several injured when pro-Russian fighters seized government buildings in the city of Slavyansk.

Armed men that Western leaders claim are Russian forces have set up checkpoints and barricades in six towns in the area.

Ukraine's new government has set a deadline of 7am UK time for pro-Russian forces to put down their weapons and leave occupied buildings.

Pro-Russian forces detain a man in eastern Ukraine

The UK's ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, told the Security Council Sunday's bloodshed was a "dangerous escalation of an already dangerous situation".

He said satellite images show between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops are massed near the Ukraine border, in addition to the 25,000 "illegally" in Crimea.

Sir Mark said there are increasing signs of Russian involvement in orchestrating the violence.

Burning tyres at a checkpoint in Slaviansk

"We want to use this Security Council meeting to expose that but also warn Russia against using events in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for further military escalation in the region," he said.

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the meeting he is alarmed by Ukraine's announcement of a "full-scale anti-terror operation" to seize back occupied areas.

He denied Western claims that Moscow is behind the violence, and said Kiev has been using neo-Nazi forces to destabilise its eastern region.

Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are among the latest cities to be hit by unrest

"It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine," he said.

"Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on. Enough. That is enough."

He said Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine are "concerned about their future" and "don't want radicals to impose their will on them".

Pro-Russian protesters detain a man in Luhansk

Sky's Hannah Thomas-Peter, outside the UN headquarters, said: "There's more than a little irritation on the part of Western diplomats that Russia, having used its veto position within the Security Council to paralyse that body over any meaningful action on Ukraine, has now decided to call an emergency meeting to put forward its point of view on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

"But unilaterally America is prepared to act. The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power has said that sanctions against Russia are already beginning to bite.

"And the White House is willing to tighten those sanctions and to extend them to include sanctions against sectors like the mining sector, financial and energy sectors."

Hundreds of civilians have come out in support of the activists

European Union foreign ministers are holding talks later today to discuss how to toughen sanctions against Russia without losing the support of EU governments worried about Moscow switching off the gas to Europe.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement: "The Russian Federation is urged to call back its troops from the Ukrainian border and to cease any further actions aimed at destabilising Ukraine."

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Russia Accused Of 'Act Of Aggression'

Kiev Faces 'Difficult Decisions' Over Protests

Updated: 11:04pm UK, Thursday 10 April 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Donetsk

Support for the protests in Donetsk, Ukraine, depends largely on the question you ask.

This may seem like a blindingly obvious point, but the immediate demands are not quite what they seemed.

The self-appointed People's Council of Deputies, in session inside the occupied administration building, told Sky News they want a referendum on the region's sovereignty, not on joining Russia.

The council's leader insisted they have had no official contact with the Russian government so far, although they have just voted unanimously to create a foreign affairs committee, to make exactly that possible.

And he did go on to say Russian peacekeeping troops could help to secure a referendum here.

Another deputy told us joining Russia would be "like coming home", but it would not be on the ballot paper.

Outside, we were surrounded by a crowd of people, demanding to know which channel we were working for (there are deep suspicions here about Western media, and even more so Ukrainian TV).

Satisfied that we were from the Moscow bureau, and that our producer and cameraman are Russian and therefore apparently not susceptible to 'Western lies', they started showing us their passports - to prove that they are Ukrainian, not hired Russian stooges as has been claimed.

Many feel passionately about what is happening here, but by no means all dream of joining Russia.

Over and over they told us they want sovereignty and federalisation - they see Russia as potential guarantors, and protection from the fascists and extremists they believe control the government in Kiev.

Forced to choose, one woman told us, between Russia and the EU, she would of course vote for Russia, but she would prefer an autonomous region in Eastern Ukraine.

In the city centre, away from the protests around the administration building and the watchful eyes of the "self-defence" volunteers patrolling outside, we spoke to a variety of people to try to gauge opinion.

Of 20 people asked, all but one supported federalisation. Support for joining Russia is less emphatic, but still preferable to the majority over the new government in Kiev.

The Kremlin strategists seem to have assessed the mood astutely - protesters shown on state-controlled TV channels in Russia are being described as "supporters of federalism" now, not separatists or pro-Russian.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has talked several times about the appetite for federalism in Ukraine.

Of course, an autonomous, sovereign eastern Ukraine, would also be open to overtures from Moscow, and likely easily persuaded to remain within its sphere of influence.

If that region went on to join the Russian Federation in time, so be it, but if at least then would not move towards the EU, that would still be a form of victory for the Kremlin.

It's a precarious situation for the government in Kiev and there are difficult decisions ahead.

Crack down on the protests in the east and risk galvanising a broader uprising against an administration many already associate with extremists and fascists, and give Russia the pretext it needs to show Russian lives are in danger and it must act to protect them.

Accede to demands for a referendum and risk losing the east, and the country's economic backbone, to Russia's influence, and perhaps ultimately to Russia itself.

Refuse to recognise any referendum that does take place (not a successful tactic in Crimea) or hope that turnout is too low to validate it, or the self-appointed people's councils are unable to organise it - none of which are really much of a plan.

Meanwhile Russia's military continues to mass on the border - nothing for the US or Ukraine to worry about, they insisted earlier this week, which will have reassured no-one.

The protests here are not huge, but the emotions that sparked them run deep, and it is difficult to see an easy way out.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mini-Sub To Be Used As Plane Search Narrows

The commander of the Royal Navy ship searching for flight MH370 has told Sky News they are getting close to sending down a mini-submarine to hunt for wreckage.

HMS Echo is working with Australian vessel Ocean Shield to locate the Boeing 777-200's black box before it runs out of power.

The plane carrying 239 people vanished from radar on March 8 and is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, around 1,500 miles off Australia's west coast.

Ocean Shield, towing a US Navy device to detect signals from the plane's fading beacons, first picked up two underwater "pings" consistent with those from a black box on April 5.

This was followed by two more in the same area three days later.

HMS Echo is searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing jet

The crew of HMS Echo are analysing the signals by looking at the currents and ocean depth of around 2.8 miles (4.5km) to try to pin-point the plane's wreckage.

The underwater search zone has been narrowed to around 500 square miles (1,300 square km) - roughly the size of Los Angeles.

Phillip Newell, commanding officer of HMS Echo, told Sky News: "We believe we have come close to that point now where we can move to the next stage and deploy a remote vehicle which can go down to the correct depth and search the sea bed."

The Bluefin-21 can search between 20 and 40 square miles a day

The crew will use Bluefin-21, a mini-submarine used to find the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, to search the sea bed for debris.

But major hindrances still remain, and it could be years before the Malaysia Airlines jet is found, radar expert Professor David Stupples told Sky News.

The search is also set to be hampered by bad weather this week.

Sunday's planned search area

Eleven military aircraft, one civil aircraft and 14 ships are taking part in today's search, said the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, the international body leading the hunt.

It said there have been no confirmed acoustic detections over the past 24 hours.

The batteries that power signals from the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders last only about a month and it has been more than five weeks since the plane disappeared.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More