MH370 wreckage claim downplayed

30 April 2014 Last updated at 04:42

Australian officials co-ordinating the search for the missing Malaysian plane have played down a company's claim it has identified possible debris.

Australia-based marine survey company GeoResonance said on Tuesday it might have located the wreckage of a plane.

But the agency leading the search said the area was not consistent with satellite data showing MH370's likely flight path.

MH370 went missing on 8 March as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Carrying 239 people, it disappeared off radar over the South China Sea. Based on satellite data, investigators believe it ended its journey in the sea far off the Australian city of Perth.

It is still not known why the plane went so far off course. Finding the "black box" flight recorders is seen as key to explaining what happened.

'Should be investigated'

Search efforts so far have focussed on a "southern corridor" that the plane could have flown, based on calculations derived from "pings" the aircraft emitted after it disappeared off radar.

A robotic submersible has been scouring the sea floor in an area north-west of Perth after acoustic signals consistent with flight recorders were heard.

The possible wreckage identified by the private company, however, was in the Bay of Bengal to the south of Bangladesh.

The company said it had used proven technology to search for a seafloor location where all the elements that comprise a Boeing 777 - such as titanium, copper, jet fuel residue - were present.

"The company is not declaring this is MH370, however it should be investigated," it said.

It said it had passed the information on to relevant authorities in late March and early April.

In a statement, Australia's Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre (JACC) said the Bay of Bengal location was not within the data-indicated search area.

"The joint international team is satisfied that the final resting place of the missing aircraft is in the southerly portion of the search arc," it said.

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said his country was "working with its international partners to assess the credibility of this information''.

Meanwhile, the search for the plane off Perth is continuing. The Bluefin-21, the robotic submersible, was due to embark on another underwater search mission when weather conditions eased, JACC said.

The air search for surface debris has ended, however. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday that wreckage would most likely have sunk by now.

A "new phase" of the operation involving a more intensive underwater search was the planned strategy for the weeks ahead, Mr Abbott said.

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Thailand to hold fresh election

30 April 2014 Last updated at 12:37

Thailand has announced that it will hold a fresh election, after the Constitutional Court invalidated its 2 February poll last month.

The new polls will be conducted on 20 July, in an agreement reached between the Election Commission (EC) and the prime minister, officials said.

PM Yingluck Shinawatra called the snap election in February amid major anti-government protests in Bangkok.

Her ruling party was expected to win, but the opposition boycotted the polls.

The protesters disrupted voting and last month the court declared the election unconstitutional because it did not take place on the same day across the country.

Political paralysis

"We agreed that the most suitable election day is 20 July and the EC will draft the royal decree for the prime minister to submit to the king for royal endorsement," EC secretary Puchong Nutrawong said.

Continue reading the main story

• Sep 2006: Army ousts Thaksin Shinawatra
• Dec 2007: Pro-Thaksin party wins election
• Aug 2008: Thaksin flees Thailand
• Dec 2008: Huge anti-Thaksin protests; court bans ruling party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to power
• Mar-May 2010: Huge pro-Thaksin protests; dozens killed in army crackdown
• Jul 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of Thaksin, elected PM
• Nov 2013: Anti-government protests
• Dec 2013: Ms Yingluck calls election
• Jan 2014: Ms Yingluck declares state of emergency
• 2 Feb 2014: Election, with 90% of polling stations operating normally
• 21 Mar: Constitutional Court voids election

It is not clear yet whether the anti-government movement will attempt to sabotage the July election or whether the main opposition Democrat Party will take part.

The deal between the government and the Election Commission to hold a new poll offers a possible way out of Thailand's political paralysis, although there are still many obstacles, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

Ms Yingluck is also facing judgements in the next few weeks on two legal cases, which can result in a five-year ban from political office.

Thailand's political system has been paralysed since anti-government protests began in Bangkok in November 2013.

At the height of the demonstrations, protesters shut down key road junctions and blockaded government ministries. Their number has since declined.

The protesters, who are mainly urban and middle class, want Ms Yingluck's government replaced by an unelected "people's council".

They allege that her brother, ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, controls her administration and say Thailand's democracy has been corrupted by money.

Ms Yingluck and Pheu Thai remain very popular in rural areas, however, leaving Thailand deeply polarised.

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Heavy security as Iraq goes to polls

30 April 2014 Last updated at 11:56

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The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Baghdad: "The capital is in lockdown"

There is heavy security across Iraq as the country votes in its first parliamentary elections since US troops withdrew three years ago.

Polling began at 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT) and closes at 18:00.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping to win a third term in office amid a growing insurgency in the west of the country.

Iraq is experiencing its worst unrest since 2008, with 160 people killed in the past week alone.

Some 22 million Iraqis are registered to vote, with almost 50,000 polling stations open across the country.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Baghdad says the streets of the capital are almost empty because it is in lockdown.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Iraq's government sees its ability to conduct these elections successfully as a test of the credibility of democracy here and of the ability of the security forces to deliver enough safety to get the vote out.

In Baghdad that means a huge security operation, with the airport and main highways in and out of the capital closed. There's so little traffic that birdsong can be heard in the city centre and children are playing football on main roads.

In the capital - so far - it's working. We have no reports of fatalities in Baghdad at 13:00 local time. There have been deaths elsewhere but people are coming out to vote. In what quantities we can't yet judge.

He says that many of the voters will have to go on foot - the authorities have banned cars for the day in an effort to stop suicide attacks and car bombers.

Some voters face multiple searches before being allowed into polling stations.

The first incidence of violence reported on Wednesday was in the town of Dibis, near Kirkuk in the north, where police said a roadside bomb had killed two women walking to a polling station.

Wave of attacks

While it is difficult to predict the outcome of the poll, Mr Maliki is still expected to be a pivotal figure in the coalition-building process which will follow the election.

His State of Law alliance, a Shia coalition, has largely avoided the fragmentation seen by other political blocs since the last election.

Our correspondent says that a result should not be expected any time soon. It took nearly 10 months to assemble a government after the last election, he says, and it is likely to take quite a lot of horse trading this time.

There were some queues reported at Baghdad polling stations early on, although the voting appeared to slow later in the morning.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Unlike in the rest of Iraq, the election campaign here has not been badly marred by violence. The Kurdish region has been enjoying an unprecedented degree of self rule, stability and economic prosperity since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

But it is not all rosy. Kurdish parties failed to form a government after last September's regional elections, from which no single party emerged as an outright winner.

For the Kurds these national elections will be another chance to assert their role in the politics of Iraq. As two voters in traditional Kurdish clothing cast their ballots early in the morning, they told me they were voting for a democratic and federal Iraq. For them that means significant representation for the Kurds in the central government and recognition for the distinct Kurdish identity.

Baghdad voter Essam Shukr, whose son died in a suicide bombing last month, told Associated Press: "We want a better life for our sons and grandchildren who cannot even go to playing areas or amusement parks because of the bad security situation. We want a better life for all Iraqis."

Abu Ashraf, who voted in west Baghdad, told Agence France-Presse: "It is necessary to change most of the politicians because they have done nothing, and they spend years on private conflicts."

The campaign has so far been a violent one, with 50 people killed on Monday when soldiers, police and overseas citizens cast their votes.

One bomb struck a Kurdish political rally in the town Khanaqin, killing 30 people and wounding at least 50 others.

On Friday, at least 31 people were killed as a series of blasts targeted a Shia election rally in Baghdad. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - an al-Qaeda offshoot - said it had carried out the attacks.

However, the BBC's Rafid Jaboori says he has travelled to various places in Iraq over the past few days and people have been telling him the violence will not put them off voting, particularly in the Shia heartland of the south and the autonomous Kurdistan region.

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What you need to know about the election - in 60 seconds

More than 9,000 candidates are competing for 328 parliamentary seats.

There will be no voting in parts of Sunni-dominated Anbar province, where security forces still battle Islamist and tribal militants for control of the provincial capital Ramadi and nearby Falluja.

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Clippers owner race row ban welcomed

30 April 2014 Last updated at 05:03

The ban imposed on the LA Clippers basketball team owner over racist remarks has received widespread praise.

Team coach Doc Rivers said the lifetime ban and fine for Donald Sterling was the "start of a healing process".

Several civil rights organisations and stars of the game, past and present, have applauded the National Basketball Association for taking swift action.

Mr Sterling was recorded asking a woman not to associate in public with black people or bring them to games.

His remarks have earned him a lifetime ban from the NBA, whose commissioner Adam Silver urged the Board of Governors - the other team owners - to force Mr Sterling into selling.

Continue reading the main story

• "Way to go, Commissioner Silver! The NBA stands for everybody!" - retired star Shaquille O'Neal
• "Commissioner Silver thank you for protecting our beautiful and powerful league!! Great leader!!" - Miami Heat star LeBron James (pictured)
• "Current and former NBA players now know that in Commissioner Adam Silver we have a great leader leading our league" - Magic Johnson
• "We are a single team here today, a team not only speaking out for what we're against - racism, hatred, bigotry, intolerance - but what we're for" - LA Mayor Eric Garcetti
• "Next up for Silver? Putin" - comedian and Clippers fan Billy Crystal

Mr Silver told reporters that Mr Sterling's "hateful opinions... simply have no place in the NBA".

The league has also fined Mr Sterling $2.5m (£1.5m), the maximum allowed, in a package of measures that have been described as the harshest punishment in the history of the NBA.

Mr Rivers said: "I thought Adam Silver today was fantastic.

"He made a decision that really was the right one, that had to be made. I don't think this is something that we rejoice in or anything like that."

The players were happy that there was a resolution, he said, adding: "I think we're all in a better place because of this."

In a joint statement, the National Urban League, the National Action Network, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation supported Mr Silver's announcement.

That decision, the statement said, was "a bold, courageous and resolute message".

Some sponsors had dumped the team as the race row deepened but following the ban, electronics company Samsung said it would resume advertising, starting with Tuesday evening's play-off game against the Golden State Warriors.

Former players also commended the swift action.

"I believe that today stands as one of those great moments where sports, once again, transcends, where sports provides a place for fundamental change on how our country should think and act," said Kevin Johnson, former NBA star and mayor of Sacramento, who has acted as an adviser to the NBA players' union.

But others said they believed the punishment was too harsh, given the fact it was a private conversation.

The ban means Mr Sterling will be unable to participate in all team business or attend any NBA practices or games.

Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather has expressed an interest in buying the team, according to ESPN.

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A US sports writer considers the wider implications

The row erupted on Friday when celebrity news website TMZ published a 10-minute audio recording in which Mr Sterling criticised a woman, believed to be his girlfriend, for posting photographs of herself with black friends at Clippers games.

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you are associating with black people. Do you have to?" the man says.

The remarks caused an immediate uproar among basketball fans across the country, and drew condemnation from President Barack Obama.

The players staged a silent protest, going through a pre-match warm-up with shirts on inside-out to hide the team's logo.

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Inmate dies in 'botched' execution

30 April 2014 Last updated at 11:53

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Execution of Clayton Lockett (pictured): Journalist and witness Courtney Francisco describes what she saw - some may find this audio distressing.

A US death row inmate in Oklahoma died of a heart attack after his execution was halted because the lethal injection of three drugs failed to work properly.

The execution of Clayton Lockett, 38, was stopped after 20 minutes, when one of his veins ruptured, preventing the drugs from taking full effect.

The execution of a fellow inmate, due two hours later, was postponed.

Both men had unsuccessfully challenged a state law that shields the identities of companies supplying the drugs.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Since it was first used in Texas in 1982, "the triple-drug cocktail" has become the standard execution method in US states that have the death penalty. It was designed by anaesthesiologist Stanley Deutsch as an "extremely humane" way to end life.

The first drug, a barbiturate, "shuts down" the central nervous system, rendering the prisoner unconscious. The second paralyses the muscles and stops the person breathing. The third, potassium chloride, stops the heart.

But critics suggest that the method may well be painful. One suggestion is that people could be too sedated by the first drug to cry out, or that they might be in pain but paralysed by the second drug.

Another complication, as appears to have been the case with Clayton Lockett, is that intravenous drug use is common among death row inmates, meaning many prisoners have damaged veins that are difficult to inject.

Problems sourcing some of the drugs in the official protocol have also led to claims that states are using untested drugs in their executions.

The problems surrounding Lockett's execution come amid a wider debate over the legality of the three-drug method and whether its use violates guarantees in the US constitution "against cruel and unusual punishment".

Lockett was sentenced to death for the 1999 shooting of a 19-year-old woman.

'Botched'

Lockett writhed and shook uncontrollably after the drugs were administered, witnesses said.

"We believe that a vein was blown and the drugs weren't working as they were designed to. The director ordered a halt to the execution," Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said.

But Lockett's lawyer, David Autry, questioned the remarks, insisting his client "had large arms and very prominent veins," according to the Associated Press.

The prisoner was moving his arms and legs and straining his head, mumbling "as if he was trying to talk", Courtney Francisco, a local journalist present at the execution, told the BBC.

Prison officials pulled a curtain across the view of witnesses when it became apparent that something had gone wrong.

"It was a horrible thing to witness. This was totally botched," Mr Autry said.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said in a statement that she had ordered a full review of the state's execution procedures.

Calls for investigation

Fellow inmate Charles Warner, 46, had been scheduled to be put to death in the same room two hours later in a rare double execution.

Warner's lawyer, Madeline Cohen, who witnessed Lockett's execution, said he had been "tortured to death" and called for an investigation.

"The state must disclose complete information about the drugs, including their purity, efficacy, source and the results of any testing," she said.‏

Warner was convicted of the 1997 murder and rape of an 11-month-old girl.

Continue reading the main story

Lockett's last moments

• 18:23 - Sedative administered
• 18:33 - Doctor declares Lockett unconscious
• 18:36 - Lockett is restless and a doctor discovers a ruptured vein
• Curtain drawn
• Execution halted
• 19:06 - Lockett dies from a heart attack

All times local - Central Time

He and Lockett had unsuccessfully challenged an Oklahoma state law that blocks officials from revealing - even in court - the identities of the companies supplying the drugs.

The state maintains the law is necessary to protect the suppliers from legal action and harassment.

Lockett and Warner argued they needed to know the names of the suppliers in order to ensure the quality of the drugs that would be used to kill them and to be certain that they had been obtained legally.

In March, a trial court ruled in their favour, but the state's highest court reversed that decision last week, ruling that "the plaintiffs have no more right to the information they requested than if they were being executed in the electric chair".

US states have encountered increasing problems in obtaining the drugs for lethal injections, amid an embargo by European pharmaceutical firms.

Some have turned to untried combinations of drugs or have sought to obtain the drugs custom-made from compounding pharmacies.

The triple-drug cocktail, first used in Texas in 1982, has become the standard execution method in the US.

It was presented as a more humane replacement for lethal gas and the electric chair, but critics of the three-drug protocol say it could cause unnecessary suffering.

Several US states that still have the death penalty have since switched to a single-drug method.

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Nigeria march over girls' abductions

30 April 2014 Last updated at 12:06

Demonstrators are to march through the Nigerian capital Abuja to press for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by militants two weeks ago.

They say they will march to the National Assembly and demand more action from the government, which has been criticised for not doing enough.

The Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for abducting the girls from their school in Chibok, Borno state.

Boko Haram has not yet made any response to the accusation.

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The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has been blamed for 1,500 deaths in attacks this year alone.

'Million-woman march'

A "million-woman protest march" has been called by the Women for Peace and Justice organisation on Wednesday to demand more resources for securing the girls' release.

Continue reading the main story

March organiser Hadiza Bala Usman tells the BBC about the protesters' concerns:

It is not clear why the rescue operation is not making headway considering the fact that there's a clear idea of the perimeter area where these kids were taken in the first week: to the Sambisa forest. And the camps of the insurgents are within the Sambisa forests.

Information is coming out that our own soldiers are not well equipped, that they do not have the ammunition required to do this - how come our soldiers are having some of these challenges in the field?

What matters is you're having 200 young girls abducted so people need to rise above politicising an issue like this. We need to understand that these are lives we are talking about.

When you look at the north-east and when you look at girls' education there, it's very low. Parents are going to be very apprehensive about allowing their girls to go to school. Indeed there will be a whole generation of girls who will not be educated within that region.

Anger has mounted in recent days. Parents have criticised the government's search and rescue efforts and the number of missing girls has been disputed.

March organiser Hadiza Bala Usman told the BBC that the women wanted to know why soldiers seemed so ill-equipped to find the girls.

She warned that the abductions would discourage parents from sending their daughters to school in an area where few girls are given an education.

Saruta, a woman from Chibok, told the BBC's Newsday that the community was desperate for help.

"For how long are we going to wait for the government to help us? We can't bear it anymore. We can't," she said, breaking down in tears.

"We just want the government to help us, we want the whole world to hear this and help us," she said.

On Tuesday, a local official said some of the girls may have been taken to neighbouring states and forced to marry the militants.

Mr Bitrus, a Chibok community leader, said 43 of the girls had "regained their freedom" after escaping, while 230 were still in captivity. He was adamant that this figure - higher than previous estimates - was correct.

Swathes of north-eastern Nigeria are, in effect, off limits to the military, allowing the militants to move the girls towards, or perhaps even across, the country's borders with impunity, says the BBC's Will Ross in Abuja.

On Tuesday, dozens of women from Borno state staged a demonstration outside Nigeria's parliament, calling for the rescue of their daughters, AFP reports.

"Our grievance is this: for the past two weeks and this is the third week, we have not heard anybody talking to us," protest leader Naomi Mutah was quoted as saying.

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A 60-second guide to Boko Haram

The government has said the security forces are searching for the girls, but its critics believe more could have been done.

The students were about to sit their final year exam and so are mostly aged between 16 and 18.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau first threatened to treat captured women and girls as slaves in a video released in May 2013.

It fuelled concern at the time that the group was adhering to the ancient Islamic belief that women captured during war are slaves with whom their "masters" can have sex, correspondents say.

Are you taking part in the protests? Do you have further information on this story? Send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Chibok abductions'.

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Afghans 'repel big attack on base'

30 April 2014 Last updated at 12:47

Afghan forces backed by Nato air power have repelled an assault by more than 300 militants including foreign fighters on an army base close to the Pakistani border, officials say.

They say that the fighting took place in south-eastern Afghanistan, close to Pakistan's Waziristan region.

The Nato-led force has not commented on the clashes, although local people told the BBC that its aircraft took part.

Scores of militants from the Haqqani network were killed, officials say.

Officials said as many as 60 militants from the Taliban-linked network were killed, but there is no independent confirmation of this.

Five Afghan National Army soldiers were also killed, six wounded and one taken prisoner, they added.

No militant group has commented on the fighting, but defence ministry officials say those orchestrating the attack were Pakistan-based militants. The target of the attack was an army base in the remote border district of Zirkuk in Paktika province, they said.

The restive district lies 12km (7 miles) from the Pakistani town of Miramshah in North Waziristan. The region is a stronghold of the Haqqani network, which also has links to al-Qaeda and has carried out a series of high-profile attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan.

An army commander in the area told the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul that Wednesday's fighting was some of "the bloodiest" he had experienced for a long time.

He said the militants used rocket-propelled guns, heavy machine guns and mortars.

Our correspondent says that Zirkuk is a strategic district for the militants and serves as a gateway into Afghanistan.

The group has used the area to transport fighters and weapons from Waziristan into Afghanistan in the past.

Earlier this year, an insurgent attack on an army checkpoint in the eastern province of Kunar killed 21 soldiers. Later it emerged that three soldiers were in collusion with the insurgents and had facilitated the attack.

The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones says that the high levels of distrust between the governments in Kabul and Islamabad have resulted in the Pakistani Taliban leadership sheltering in Afghanistan while the Afghan Taliban leadership shelters in Pakistan.

The militants have been able to exploit a situation that allows them to move freely across the border between the two countries, while the American, Afghan and Pakistani armies cannot, our correspondent adds.

After the November 2013 death of then Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone strike, the organisation selected a jihadi from Swat, Maulana Fazlullah, as his successor. Pakistani media reports say he is currently based in Afghanistan, close to the Pakistani border.

It was the first time since its creation that the Pakistani Taliban was not being led by a member of the Mehsud tribe, and some Mehsuds are unhappy being under Maulana Fazlullah's leadership.

The Pakistani government believes if it can split the Mehsuds, the Taliban and its allies will be considerably weakened.

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Kiev 'helpless' in east Ukraine

30 April 2014 Last updated at 12:59

Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov has admitted his forces are "helpless" to quell unrest driven by pro-Russian activists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Mr Turchynov said the goal was now to prevent the unrest spreading.

Activists have seized scores of government buildings and taken hostages including international monitors.

Mr Turchynov also said Ukraine was on "full combat alert", amid fears Russian troops could invade.

"I would like to say frankly that at the moment the security structures are unable to swiftly take the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions back under control," he said during a meeting with regional governors.

He admitted security personnel "tasked with the protection of citizens" were "helpless".

"More than that, some of these units either aid or co-operate with terrorist groups," he said.

Mr Turchynov added: "Our task is to stop the spread of the terrorist threat first of all in the Kharkiv and Odessa regions."

IMF warning

The acting president said that the tens of thousands of Russian troops stationed just over the border meant that "the threat of Russia starting a war against mainland Ukraine is real".

Russia, which annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine last month, has consistently said it has no plans to invade the east.

President Vladimir Putin also insists there are "neither Russian instructors, nor special units nor troops" inside Ukraine.

Eastern Ukraine, which has a large Russian-speaking population, was a stronghold for former President Viktor Yanukovych before he was overthrown by protesters in February.

Pro-Russian activists there continue to detain some 40 people, including seven military observers linked to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) seized last week.

Activists continue to storm buildings in the east - on Wednesday they took the regional police building and town hall in the city of Horlivka, local officials said.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry warns Russia over Ukraine

The US and EU have accused Russia of failing to implement the terms of a deal agreed in Geneva aimed at defusing the crisis by disarming illegal militias.

They have both stepped up sanctions against Russia this week, naming more individuals and companies facing travel bans and asset freezes.

Moscow blames Kiev for the unrest and has condemned the sanctions.

Separately on Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Russia was "experiencing recession now" because of damage caused by the Ukraine crisis.

It predicts $100bn (£59bn) will leave the country this year. Russia's central bank said recently that foreign investors had withdrawn $64bn in the first three months of 2014.

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'Iron Curtain' sanctions rile Russia

29 April 2014 Last updated at 12:09

Russia has condemned new US and EU sanctions that have been imposed over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said "Iron Curtain"-style US sanctions could harm its hi-tech sector.

Moscow also said the EU should be ashamed of extending its sanctions and was "under Washington's thumb".

Russia repeated it had no intention of invading east Ukraine, where pro-Russia activists have seized buildings in more than a dozen towns.

'Washington's bidding'

Mr Ryabkov told the online newspaper Gazeta.ru that the US sanctions were "a blow to our hi-tech enterprises and industries".

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Russia's claims of an "unprecedented" Nato military build-up on its borders are part of an ongoing information war.

Nato insists its deployments are simply to reassure worried members. Company-size groups of around 150 US paratroopers are being deployed for exercises in Poland and the three Baltic republics. So that's about 600 men. Around a dozen additional fast jets have been deployed to Poland and to reinforce air patrols in the Baltic air-space.

The three Baltic republics - all Nato members - have no jet fighters of their own. And to cap Nato's "build-up" a small flotilla of mine-hunters - almost as small a vessel as you can get in naval terms - have been sent to the Baltic Sea.

The US has reinforced its naval presence in the Black Sea, but again this is a question of showing presence. By contrast Russia has some 40,000 armoured and mechanised troops on Ukraine's border, which Nato says are ready to advance at short notice.

He added: "This is a revival of a system created in 1949 when Western countries essentially lowered an 'Iron Curtain', cutting off supplies of hi-tech goods to the USSR and other countries."

A Russian foreign ministry statement said the EU was "doing Washington's bidding with new unfriendly gestures towards Russia".

It added: "If that is how someone in Brussels is hoping to stabilise the situation in Ukraine, then it is a clear indication of a complete lack of understanding of the interior political situation in the country... Are you not ashamed?"

On Monday, the US announced new sanctions targeting seven Russian individuals and 17 companies which Washington says are linked to President Vladimir Putin's "inner circle".

On Tuesday, the European Union published a fresh list of 15 individuals facing travel bans and asset freezes.

The European Union's list includes Gen Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, and Lt Gen Igor Sergun, identified as the head of the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU.

It also includes Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and pro-Russian separatist leaders in Crimea and in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Luhansk and Donetsk.

The BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels says this list does not appear to follow the US line in targeting President Putin's associates, but rather those involved in events on the ground in Ukraine.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The most significant effect of the sanctions so far has been on business confidence"

End Quote

Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-styled "mayor" of Sloviansk, which is controlled by pro-Russian activists, said the imposition of the sanctions "does not aid dialogue but only aggravates the situation".

The activists continue to detain some 40 people, including seven military observers linked to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe who were seized last week.

The US and EU first imposed visa bans and asset freezes on a number of senior Russian officials and companies after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine last month.

In his interview, Mr Ryabkov insisted that Moscow was "not at all inclined to repeat the so-called Crimea scenario in south-eastern Ukraine. There are no grounds to fear this".

On Monday, the US said that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had also told American counterpart Chuck Hagel in a phone call that "Moscow has no plans to invade Ukraine".

Mr Shoigu announced that Russian troops had returned to their "permanent positions" after conducting military exercises on the border with Ukraine.

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Sarah Rainsford saw pro-Russians clash with united Ukraine protesters

However, Nato said on Tuesday it had "no information that indicates a withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian border".

Moscow has expressed concern over an "unprecedented" increase in US and Nato military activity near Russia's borders.

Name	Position	Sanctioned by
Putin's 'inner circle'
Gennady Timchenko	Founder of Gunvor (oil and energy market trading)	US
Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg	Co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group	US
Yuri Kovalchuk	Largest single shareholder of Bank Rossiya	US
Igor Sechin	Head of Rosneft (petroleum company)	US
Government officials
Sergei Ivanov	Chief of staff for Presidential Executive Office	US
Oleg Belaventsev	Russian presidential envoy to Crimea	US and EU
Vladimir Yakunin	Chairman of Russian Railways	US
Igor Sergun	Director of GRU	US and EU
Valery Gerasimov	Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces	EU
Vladimir Kozhin	Head of administration	US
Viktor Ivanov	Director of Federal Drug Control Service	US
Sergei Naryshkin	Speaker of the lower house of parliament	US and EU
Vladislav Surkov	Presidential aide and election adviser	US and EU
Dmitry Rogozin	Deputy Prime Minister	US and EU
Sergei Glazyev	Adviser on Ukraine policy	US and EU
Sergei Mironov	Member of Russian Parliament	US
Dmitry Kozak	Deputy Prime Minister	US and EU
Ludmila Shvetsova	Deputy Chair State Duma	EU
Sergei Chemezov	Director of Rostec (state high-technologies division)	US
Others
Bank Rossiya	Russian bank	US
Dmitry Kiselyov	State television news anchor	EU

The US has sent 600 troops to Poland and the Baltic states. Washington says it has deployed the extra troops to reassure Nato allies.

Mr Shoigu condemned the US and Nato for "provocative" statements about the need to "contain" Russia.

In other developments on Tuesday:

• The EU announces it will meet Russia and Ukraine on Friday to discuss gas supplies
• The mayor of Kharkiv, Gennady Kernes, is stable in hospital in Israel, where he was flown after being shot in the back on Monday
• Forum begins in London to start process of trying to recover stolen Ukrainian assets
• German government distances itself from ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder after he reportedly partied with Mr Putin in St Petersburg on Monday

Are you in the region? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Ukraine crisis' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

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Backers withdraw LA Clippers support

Financial backers of the Los Angeles Clippers have been withdrawing their support after the basketball club's owner allegedly made racist comments.

The National Basketball Association is investigating remarks reportedly made by Donald Sterling, 80.

Sterling has owned the Clippers since 1981

Four firms, including Mercedes Benz USA, have cut sponsorship, while energy drink maker Red Bull is among companies to have suspended advertising.

The NBA has called a news conference for 18:30 BST on Tuesday.

In a 10-minute taped recording posted online by celebrity news website TMZ,  a man, alleged to be Sterling, can be heard criticising a woman for posting photographs of herself with black friends attending Clippers' matches on a social media website.

Sterling, who has owned the Clippers since 1981, has told TMZ the recording "does not reflect his views".

"This is a man in a powerful position and a man who should be embracing minorities not discriminating against them"

Magic Johnson

On Sunday, Clippers players staged a silent protest, going through their pre-match routine for their NBA play-off game against Golden State Warriors with shirts on inside-out to hide the team's logo.

The players also wore black wristbands or armbands and all wore black socks with their normal jerseys.

The Clippers, who lost the game 118-97, play their first home game on Tuesday since the racist remarks became public.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers says he has declined to speak to Sterling and urged fans to support the players.

"We need unbelievable support and I hope that's what we are going to get from our fans," he said.

"I was asked if I needed to talk to Donald. I passed. I don't think now is the right time, for me at least.

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NBA rocked by LA Clippers race row

"I believe he said those things but I want to make sure it hasn't been doctored.

"I heard what he said. Until someone tells me differently, you usually believe what people say. I will wait for that further judgment."

NBA star Magic Johnson urged NBA commissioner Adam Silver to act quickly over the allegation.

"There's no room for racism and discrimination," he said.

"Unfortunately, this is a man in a powerful position and a man who should be embracing minorities not discriminating against them."

San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks players wear black socks in support of Clippers colleagues

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North Korea conducts live-fire drill

29 April 2014 Last updated at 09:54

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John Sudworth reports on the second such exercise to be held in a month

North Korea has conducted a live-fire drill near the disputed maritime border, Seoul officials say, but no shells fell in South Korean waters.

It is the second time in a month that Pyongyang has carried out such drills.

Last time, the exercises led to an exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea.

But on this occasion, North Korea's live rounds fell short of the disputed western sea border and so South Korea did not respond.

"The North's shells fell in waters about 3km (2 miles) north of the NLL [Northern Limit Line, the disputed border]," Yonhap news agency quoted a spokesman from the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.

"The South Korean military is currently monitoring North Korean artillery units, while maintaining high military readiness."

South Korea's defence ministry said it was notified early on Tuesday that drills would take place near islands west of the Korean peninsula.

Firing began around 14:00 (05:00GMT), with around 50 shells fired at two locations, Yonhap said.

Warship sunk

The western sea border has long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas. The UN drew the border after the Korean War, but North Korea has never recognised it.

A similar North Korean exercise at the end of March resulted in the two sides exchanging hundreds of rounds of artillery fire, after South Korea said rounds landed in its territory.

Border islands in the area where the exercises took place are also hotspots.

In November 2010, North Korea fired shells at Yeonpyeong, killing two marines and two civilians, in what it said was a response to South Korean military exercises.

Earlier that year, a South Korean warship sank near Baengnyeong island with the loss of 46 lives. Seoul says Pyongyang torpedoed the vessel but North Korea denies any role in the incident.

Residents on all five islands were told to move to evacuation centres during the drill, Yonhap said.

Test fears

This latest move from North Korea comes as satellite images suggest Pyongyang could be preparing to carry out a nuclear test.

South Korea's military said it had recently detected "a lot of activity" at the North's Punggye-ri test site.

The test, if it went ahead, would be Pyongyang's fourth, after tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

UN Security Council resolution 1718, passed in October 2006 after the first nuclear test, bans North Korea from nuclear and missile tests.

The live-fire drill also follows President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea last week, which was strongly opposed by North Korea.

Washington has led calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

In a statement on Monday, North Korea launched one of its strongest attacks on the South Korean leader, President Park Geun-hye, calling her a "despicable prostitute" who pandered to her "pimp", Mr Obama.

South Korea described the comments as "foul words".

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Tornadoes claim more lives in US

29 April 2014 Last updated at 07:09

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One man described Monday's tornadoes like "a roaring freight train"

Powerful storms are barrelling down on the southern US for a second night, raising the death toll above 20.

Six deaths were reported in Alabama and seven in Mississippi after tornadoes struck on Monday evening, although not all these fatalities were confirmed.

Several tornadoes flattened buildings, overturned vehicles and brought down utility lines on a second consecutive night of devastation.

At least 16 people died in Arkansas, Iowa and Oklahoma on Sunday night.

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Aerial footage captured by a drone shows emergency vehicles and debris on a highway south of Mayflower, Arkansas

In Limestone County, Alabama, two deaths were confirmed by the coroner's office and four deaths were reported, although unconfirmed, elsewhere in the county.

In Mississippi, a woman died when driving her car during the storm in Verona, south of Tupelo. Officials said seven people were killed in total across the state but coroners had yet to confirm that number.

The mayor of Tupelo, Jason Shelton, told CNN the damage from the storms was widespread and "devastating". A 21:00 local time curfew was in place on Monday.

Power went out in much of the city as lines went down and trees were torn up by the storm, the US National Weather Service reported.

Giles Ward huddled in a bathroom with his wife and four other relatives as a tornado destroyed his brick house and overturned his son-in-law's four-wheel-drive parked outside his home in Louisville, Winston County, Mississippi.

"For about 30 seconds, it was unbelievable,'' said Mr Ward, a Republican state senator. "It's about as awful as anything we've gone through."

Meanwhile, emergency crews are continuing to search through rubble for survivors of the severe storms which struck one day earlier.

Of the 16 people who died on Sunday night, 14 of them were in the towns surrounding Little Rock, Arkansas. A preliminary death toll there was 16 but it was later amended.

But the number may yet rise as crews search the wreckage of destroyed buildings.

"We're trying to make sure everyone is accounted for," Brandon Morris, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, told the Associated Press news agency.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said the storm "may be one of the strongest we have seen".

President Barack Obama, on a trip to the Philippines, offered his deepest condolences to those affected on Sunday and said federal emergency officials would be on the ground to help.

"Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild, as long as it takes," he said.

Mayflower and Vilonia, two small towns in Faulkner County, appear to have borne the brunt of the damage on Sunday.

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Scientists in Oklahoma are working on implementing new technologies to study tornadoes

The Arkansas tornado touched down about 10 miles (16km) west of the city of Little Rock and left a 40-mile (65km) path of destruction.

It is said to have passed through several northern suburbs - including Mayflower where a witness described a twister half a mile wide crossing Interstate 40 on Sunday evening, the National Weather Service said.

Congressman Tim Griffin told Reuters news agency an "entire neighbourhood of 50 homes or so" in Faulkner County had been destroyed, with many "completely gone except the foundation".

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A fierce storm blew a freight train off its tracks in Illinois

Many homes and businesses, including a new secondary school worth $14m (£8.3m), were left in ruins in Vilonia after the storm.

"There's just really nothing there anymore. We're probably going to have to start all over again," said Vilonia schools chief Frank Mitchell after inspecting the wreckage of the school.

Are you in the US? Are you affected by the tornadoes? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject title 'US tornadoes'. Or send your photos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Olympic preparations 'worst ever'

Preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics are the "worst" ever seen, according to International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates.

The Australian said the IOC has taken "unprecedented" action by placing experts in the local organising committee to ensure the Games go ahead.

"The situation is critical on the ground," he said. 

The news comes as Brazil faces a race to be ready in time for the Fifa World Cup, which starts in 44 days.

"No-one is able to give answers at the moment"

John Coates IOC vice-president

Coates, who has been involved in the Olympics for nearly 40 years, has made six trips to Rio as part of the commission responsible for overseeing the preparations.

He added that one of the experts embedded in the local committee was a construction project manager.

"The IOC has adopted a more hands-on role," said Coates. "It is unprecedented for the IOC but there is no Plan B. We are going to Rio."

He said that, in his opinion, this was "a worse situation" than in 2004, when there were concerns about preparations for the Athens Games.

"It's the worst that I've experienced," he added. "We have become very concerned. They are not ready in many, many ways. We have to make it happen and that is the IOC approach. You can't walk away from this."

Organisers of the 2004 Athens Games were warned several times by the IOC about their preparations, with then IOC president Juan Samaranch even threatening to take the Olympics away at one stage

Preparations for the 2004 Athens Games were marred by delays in construction and service delivery, but the venues and infrastructure was ultimately delivered in time.

Coates said that construction has not even started on some venues in Rio, which will host South America's first Olympics, while infrastructure is significantly delayed and the city has "social issues that need to be addressed".

He added that Rio organisers have the same number of staff - 600 - as London did at the same stage in their preparations for 2012, but did not have the necessary experience.

Coates, who was involved in the organisation of the Sydney 2000 Games as head of the Australian Olympic Committee. said it was proving difficult for the IOC to get the answers they needed.

"No-one is able to give answers at the moment," he said.

"Can they use the car parks in the village for recovery centres? What will be the time to take from this venue to this venue?

"All of those things, they're being fobbed off."

Coates also claimed that only two people were working in Rio's test event department with tournaments scheduled to start this year.

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Deadly mortar attack in Damascus

29 April 2014 Last updated at 10:29

Twelve people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a mortar attack on a technical institute in central Damascus, Syrian state media say.

Four mortar shells struck the mainly Shia Shaghour neighbourhood of the city, police told the Sana news agency.

Two of the shells hit the Badr al-Din al-Hussein technical institute.

The attack comes a day after President Bashar al-Assad registered to stand for re-election defying calls to step down as a way of ending Syria's civil war.

The president's forces have pushed back rebels from many of their strongholds around the capital, but residents say they have responded by increasing the number of rocket and mortar attacks in the centre of the city.

"Twelve citizens were killed and 50 others wounded by terrorists who targeted the Shaghour neighbourhood," Sana reported.

The word "terrorists" is used by the Syrian authorities to describe all those seeking to depose President Assad's government.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also reported the mortar attack, saying that the number of fatalities is expected to rise.

It says that the Badr al-Din al-Hussein technical institute is an Islamic law studies centre, with students as young as 14.

More than 150,000 people are believed to have been killed in the three-year civil war.

Millions of people have fled their homes as fighting shows no sign of easing. The UN says that almost 3.5 million civilians are being denied vital aid, including medicine and medical care.

A group of prominent lawyers and academics has urged the UN in an open letter to deliver aid into Syria with or without the government's consent.

The letter, signed by 35 legal experts, says permission for aid is being arbitrarily withheld.

A UN resolution adopted in February called for all sides in the conflict to allow unrestricted humanitarian access.

Since March 2011, Syria has descended into civil war as rebel brigades - including Islamists and jihadists linked to al-Qaeda - battle with government forces and among themselves.

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Oil giant BP reports $3.2bn profits

29 April 2014 Last updated at 11:21

Oil giant BP has reported a 23% drop in profits to $3.22bn (£1.92bn) for the first quarter of 2014.

The underlying replacement cost profit figure, which strips out the effect of oil price movements, compared to profits of $4.22bn recorded in the same period in 2013.

But the latest figure was still ahead of analyst forecasts.

BP also said it would increase its dividend by 8% to 9.75 cents a share - the second increase in six months.

BP said its first quarter results had been affected by lower production and write-offs in its exploration activity, including $521m from a decision not to proceed with a shale project in Utica, in the U.S.

The company said it expects production to edge even lower in the second quarter.

Compensation and legal costs relating to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had not risen in the quarter and remained at $42.7bn, BP added.

Russia sanctions

BP's profits, compared to the previous quarter, were also hit by a falling contribution from its 20% stake in Russia's Rosneft.

On Monday BP said it would not sever its ties with the Russian energy firm, despite Rosneft's chief executive being the target of another round of US sanctions.

Igor Sechin is on a list of individuals thought to be in Vladimir Putin's "inner circle", whose assets will be blocked in the US, following Russia's intervention in Crimea and Ukraine.

But BP said it would continue to work with the company, despite the sanctions, which prevent US companies from engaging with those named.

Mr Sechin has said sanctions imposed on him will not affect Rosneft.

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Turkey to seek cleric's extradition

29 April 2014 Last updated at 12:34

Turkey is to start extradition proceedings against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Mr Gulen, a former ally of the prime minister, has been accused by Mr Erdogan of using his supporters to try to topple him.

The cleric denies mounting a campaign against him.

Turkey's government has faced a string of corruption scandals and rights groups accuse it of authoritarianism.

Speaking at parliament after meeting with deputies from his Justice and Development Party (AKP) party on Tuesday, Mr Erdogan confirmed the extradition process "will begin", reports say.

'Model partner'

The Turkish PM was speaking hours after an interview with US broadcaster PBS, in which he said he hoped the US would deport Mr Gulen and send him back to Turkey.

It was his first interview with foreign media since his party claimed victory in local elections last month.

Continue reading the main story

• Hizmet ("service") is the Turkish name of what is commonly known as the Gulen movement
• The movement is inspired by the teachings of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the US
• Gulen is a mainstream Sunni Hanafi Muslim scholar, influenced by Anatolian Sufism
• There is no formal structure but Hizmet followers are numbered in the millions, spread across more than 150 countries
• First expanded into Central Asia after the USSR's demise in 1991

In the interview, Mr Erdogan said he hoped Washington, as a "model partner", would deliver on the issue.

"At least they should deport him," he added.

Mr Gulen, 74, has lived in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1997.

He has many supporters in the police and judiciary, and has denounced moves to shut down an investigation into corruption allegations levelled against several of the prime minister's allies.

His teachings have inspired the Hizmet ("Service") movement, which is believed to have millions of followers spread across over 150 countries.

Hizmet promotes a tolerant form of Islam, emphasising education, altruism and hard work.

Mr Erdogan has accused the movement of being behind a series of wiretaps and social media leaks allegedly exposing major corruption of figures with ties to the government.

Thousands of alleged Hizmet sympathisers in the police and judiciary have since been demoted or reassigned to other jobs.

Over the past year, Turkey has been convulsed by mass protests against Mr Erdogan's ten-year rule and the corruption allegations.

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Russia rehab centre fire kills eight

27 April 2014 Last updated at 09:37

Eight people have been killed after fire swept through a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Russia's eastern Altai region, officials say.

Six people were injured in the Chisty List centre near the Krasilovo lake.

The officials say the blaze caused the collapse of the roof of the building.

A criminal investigation into suspected safety rules violations in now under way. Similar tragedies in the past have raised questions over safety standards in Russia's medical centres.

Last September, 37 people died in a fire that engulfed a psychiatric hospital in the north-western Novgorod region.

Several months earlier, a blaze at another psychiatric hospital near Moscow killed 38 people.

In 2009, 23 people died at an old people's home in the north-west Komi region, while in 2007, 63 were killed at a home in Krasnodar, southern Russia.

In 2006, a fire at a Moscow drug rehabilitation clinic killed 45 women.

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Vatican declares two popes saints

27 April 2014 Last updated at 13:09

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Pope Francis declares John Paul II and John XXIII as new saints

Pope Francis has declared Popes John Paul II and John XXIII saints, in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands.

He praised his two predecessors as "men of courage" at the Vatican service, the first time in history that two popes have been canonised at the same time.

The Mass was attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict, who quit as pope last year, and roughly 100 foreign delegations.

Analysts say Francis is trying to balance the conservative legacy of John Paul with the reforming zeal of John.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

The ancient rite of canonisation unfolded under grey skies in a packed St Peter's Square. In keeping with tradition, Pope Francis, was approached and requested to add his two predecessors to the long list of Catholic saints. And at the third time of asking, he granted that request.

Then ornate, silver containers holding holy relics of new saints were shown: a trace of blood from John Paul II, and sliver of skin taken from the body of John XXlll. Both men were hugely influential figures in the story of modern Catholicism.

The Italian Pontiff, John XXlll, is seen very much as a liberal, reforming figure. The Polish Pope, John Paul, on the other hand, was much more conservative. And their elevation to the sainthood on the same day is being seen as an attempt to draw together the liberal and the more traditional wings of the Church.

At the climax of the service, Pope Francis said in Latin: "We declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II to be saints and we enrol them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church."

Relics of each man - a container of blood from John Paul and a piece of skin from John - were placed near the altar.

Pope Francis paid tribute to the two new saints as "priests, bishops and popes of the 20th Century".

"They lived through the tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them. For them, God was more powerful," he said.

The Vatican estimated some 800,000 pilgrims had poured into Rome to see the two-hour ceremony first-hand.

For those unable to make it into St Peter's Square, giant screens were set up in nearby streets and elsewhere in the city.

"Four popes in one ceremony is a fantastic thing to see and to be at, because it is history being written in our sight," said Polish pilgrim Dawid Halfar.

The Vatican confirmed on Saturday that 87-year-old Benedict XVI - now officially titled Pope Emeritus - would make a rare public appearance alongside his successor.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

"We've been counting down the days. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience"

End Quote Polish pilgrim in Rome

Benedict XVI became the first pope to resign for 600 years when he quit for health reasons a year ago.

Papal politics

The process of saint-making is usually long and very costly.

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The BBC's Robert Pigott in the crowd: "This has been a majestic, a solemn and a moving ceremony"

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Cormac Murphy-O'Connor talks about Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II

But John Paul II, whose 26-year reign ended in 2005, has been fast-tracked to sainthood in just nine years.

Many among the huge crowds that gathered as he lay dying cried out "santo subito", which means "sainthood now".

By contrast Italian-born John XXIII, known as the Good Pope after his 1958-63 papacy, had his promotion to full sainthood decided suddenly and very recently by Pope Francis.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says there was a political dimension to this.

By canonising both John XXIII - the pope who set off the reform movement - and John Paul II - the pope who applied the brakes - Francis has skilfully deflected any possible criticism that he could be taking sides.

Are you in Rome? Are you attending the ceremony? Tell us what is happening by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject heading 'Rome'. Or send your photos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk.

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South Korean PM resigns over ferry

27 April 2014 Last updated at 06:01

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Chung Hong-won said resignation was "the right thing to do"

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has resigned amid criticism of the government's handling of the sinking of a passenger ferry.

He said the "cries of the families of those missing still keep me up at night". Mr Chung will stay in his post until the disaster is under control.

The Sewol ferry with 476 people aboard - most of them students and teachers - sank off South Korea on 16 April.

Officials have confirmed 187 died, but scores are missing presumed drowned.

Continue reading the main story

On behalf of the government, I apologise for many problems from the prevention of the accident to the early handling of the disaster"

End Quote South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won

Furious relatives have repeatedly criticised what they see as the slowness of the recovery operation.

"The right thing for me to do is to take responsibility and resign as a person who is in charge of the cabinet," Mr Chung said in a brief televised statement.

"On behalf of the government, I apologise for many problems from the prevention of the accident to the early handling of the disaster."

He added: "There have been so many varieties of irregularities that have continued in every corner of our society and practices that have gone wrong. I hope these deep-rooted evils get corrected this time and this kind of accident never happens again."

President Park Geun-hye accepted her prime minister's resignation but did not set a last day in office. The PM would leave his post once the ferry disaster was under control, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

An opposition party spokesman described it as "thoroughly irresponsible" and a "cowardly evasion" of responsibility.

The day after the disaster, Mr Chung was booed and someone threw a water bottle at him when he visited grieving parents.

Divers were battling atrocious weather conditions on Sunday as they tried to retrieve more bodies trapped in the sunken ferry.

A coastguard spokesman said heavy seas whipped up by strong winds were badly complicating recovery efforts.

"The situation is very difficult due to the weather, but we are continuing search efforts, using the occasional calmer periods," the spokesman said, adding that 93 divers would take part in Sunday's operation.

All 15 crew members involved in the navigation of the ferry are now in custody, facing criminal negligence charges.

Reasons unclear

On Friday, divers found 48 bodies of students wearing lifejackets in a single room on the vessel meant to accommodate just over 30 people.

The group was crammed into a dormitory and all were wearing lifejackets, a South Korean Navy officer said.

The presence of so many victims in the cabin suggested many had run into the room when the ship tilted, correspondents said.

The reason for the disaster is still unclear.

But prosecutors are said to be investigating whether modifications made to the ferry made it more unstable.

Factors under consideration include a turn made at about the time the ship began to list, as well as wind, ocean currents and the freight it was carrying.

Reports have emerged indicating that the ship's sleeping cabins were refitted some time between 2012 and 2013, which experts say may have inadvertently affected the balance of the vessel.

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Egypt court jails Morsi supporters

27 April 2014 Last updated at 00:54

A court in Egypt has sentenced 11 supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi to prison terms ranging from five to 88 years for rioting.

The defendants were arrested during a wave of protests that followed the ousting of Mr Morsi last year.

In March more than 500 Morsi supporters were sentenced to death in the same court in Minya, south of Cairo.

The case comes amid a continuing crackdown against Islamists by Egypt's military-backed government.

Five of the 11 people sentenced on Saturday were tried in absentia.

The charges against all of the defendants were linked to demonstrations in the town of Samallout triggered by the violent crackdown on pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo.

Hundreds of people died and thousands were wounded in the operation by security forces.

All those convicted on Saturday are able to appeal against the verdicts.

Mr Morsi was ousted by the military last July following mass street protests against his government. He is facing four separate trials.

There has since been a severe crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood group, as well as on other activists seen as hostile to the military-backed government.

The Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organisation and authorities have punished any public show of support for it.

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