Plane crash in Libya kills more than 100 on board

A passenger plane has crashed in Libya, killing more than 100 people on board, officials in the capital Tripoli say.

The Airbus 330 crashed on landing at Tripoli airport after a flight from Johannesburg, Afriqiyah Airways said.
Sixty-one Dutch nationals were among those killed, Dutch tourism board ANWB said. A Dutch boy was the sole known survivor, the Libyans say.

British and South African passengers are also thought to have been on board. The 11 crew were said to be Libyan.


Nicky Knapp, a spokeswoman for Airports Company South Africa, said seven passengers were booked to connect to London Gatwick airport, 32 to Brussels, 42 to Dusseldorf in Germany, and one to Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

"Nationalities and names won't be revealed at this stage," she said.

"A 24-hour helpline has been set up to assist families and relatives."
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende confirmed that "several dozen" Dutch nationals were killed.
Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Ad Meijer said the boy who survived was undergoing surgery in Tripoli for his injuries, including broken bones.

Afriqiyah Airways said on its website: "We are very sorry to announce the tragic loss of Afriqiyah Airways flight 8U771 from Johannesburg in an accident during landing at Tripoli International Airport at 04:00 UTC (06:00 am Tripoli time) today Wednesday 12 May.

"We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims. The search and rescue mission has now been completed."

Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zidan said 104 people had been on board the plane - 93 passengers and 11 crew.
He said that the remains of 96 victims had already been recovered.

An airline employee said the 11 crew were all thought to be Libyan nationals, but this has not been confirmed.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said said it was "aware of reports that there were British nationals on board the flight, but this has not been confirmed".

"We are urgently investigating. A consular team from the British Embassy are on their way to the airport. Consular staff in Tripoli are urgently seeking further details," it said.

Libya's state TV showed footage of a field scattered with pieces of plane debris, and police and rescuers walking with surgical masks and gloves.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Some reports suggest the plane crashed very close to the runway.

"It exploded on landing and totally disintegrated," a Libyan security official told news agency AFP.


A flight recorder has already been recovered, and officials hope this will provide some clues as to what caused the disaster.

However, Mr Zidan ruled out terrorism as the cause of the crash.

The airport is currently sealed off and ambulances have been going back and forth to the airport.
Our correspondent adds that the weather has been sunny and clear over the past few days.


Afriqiyah Airways is a low-cost Libyan airline founded nine years ago and operates a relatively new fleet of Airbus aircraft.


It flies many routes between Africa and Europe with passengers often transiting through Tripoli, our correspondent adds.


Daniel Hoeltgen, spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency, said the airline had undergone 10 recent safety inspections at European airports, with no significant safety findings, the Associated Press reports.

He added that a team of French crash investigators was already on its way to Tripoli to help Libyan officials determine the cause of the crash.

Mexican drug violence claims 24 lives in 24 hours

Drug violence in the Mexican state of Chihuahua left 24 people dead in the span of 24 hours this weekend, the state attorney general's office said Sunday.
The killings were scattered over four locations throughout the state, with eight dead in Juarez, 10 killed in the capital of Chihuahua, five killed in Cuauhtemuc and one killed in Parral.



All the slayings occurred in public places, with the killings in Cuauhtemuc occurring in a bar, said Carlos Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general.
The killings took place between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, Gonzalez said.
The victims -- all male -- ranged in age between 18 and 25 years old.
No other details about the killings or the victims were immediately available.
"This is an indicator of the incrementally increasing war between the two cartels battling for Juarez Plaza, the state's drug trafficking corridor," Gonzalez said, referring to an ongoing battle between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels for dominance in the area. Juarez Plaza is a major thoroughfare through the area.
"I can't give you a reason why the violence is picking up the last week of April going into this month," Gonzalez added.
Some Mexican news organizations have reported that the Sinaloa Cartel had defeated the rival Juarez organization but Gonzalez said, "There is no winner to this war."
The spate of weekend killings followed another bloody week in the Ciudad Juarez area.
On Wednesday, at least 15 people were killed in drug-related violence in Juarez, authorities said.
The slayings included four people whose bodies were found at one location, another three -- one of them a woman -- who were found slain at a second location, and another eight victims who were killed at a bar, police spokesman Jacinto Seguro said.
On Tuesday, 10 people were killed, Seguro said, including three who were shot outside a supermarket. Another victim was killed outside a shopping mall.
In all, 25 people were killed between Tuesday and Wednesday, Seguro said.
Ciudad Juarez is the most violent city in Mexico, with more than 2,600 drug-related deaths in 2009. No official numbers are available for this year, but more than 500 killings have been reported by local media. Some reports have the figures as high as 810 in Juarez this year.

According to a report released in April by the Mexican government, Chihuahua state is Mexico's hardest-hit state by drug violence, with 6,757 people killed since the start of the drug war at the end of 2006.

NYC cops hunt man caught on film in bombing

US police have made "substantial progress" in investigating an attempted car bomb attack in New York city, US Attorney General Eric Holder said.

Mr Holder said police had established "good leads" into who parked the vehicle in Times Square on Saturday.

City Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier cast doubt on a claim by the Pakistani Taliban that it was behind the attempt.


Police have released CCTV footage of a white man seen removing his shirt near the scene and putting it in a bag.

Mr Holder told reporters he was confident the investigation would be successful "and the people responsible for that attempt will be found and brought to justice".

"We have some good leads," he said, referring to the CCTV images. "We are following a number of other leads as well."

He was also cautious about linking the incident to international terrorism and claims of responsibility by the Pakistani Taliban.

"I know that group in the past has claimed responsibility for incidents that [they] ultimately were not connected to," he said.

Experts say the device would have caused mayhem had it exploded.
Times Square was packed with tourists and theatregoers when a street vendor raised the alarm.
Investigators released a video of a man taking off his shirt, stuffing it into his bag and them walking off, looking in the direction of the car.

Although police are keen to find the man, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly declined to call him a suspect.

Mr Bloomberg, speaking on ABC's Good Morning America programme, warned that the person on the tape may not become a suspect.

"There are millions of people that come through Times Square," he said.
"This person happened to be in a position in which a camera got a good shot of him, and maybe he had something to do with it but there's a very good chance that he did not. We're exploring a lot of leads."
He reiterated that there was "no legitimate evidence" of a link to al-Qaeda, the Taliban or any other militant group.

But he said he believed there was a good chance that the perpetrators would be caught.
"Working with the White House, working with Homeland Security, working with the FBI, all city agencies working together, there's a high probability that we will find out who did this and apprehend them," he said.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the FBI are examining hundreds of hours of security videotape from around Times Square, officials said on Monday.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told that nothing had so far been ruled out.

"Right now, every lead has to be pursued," she said. "I caution against premature decisions one way or another."

Investigators are still poring over evidence from the Nissan Pathfinder in which the homemade petrol and propane bomb was found.

The SUV's engine was still running and its hazard lights flashing when the alarm was raised.
Police evacuated a wide area of the district and closed subway lines, while a controlled explosion was carried out.

Officials said the bomb was crude, but could have sparked a "significant fireball".
Investigators said on Monday they had spoken to the registered owner of the SUV, but would not give details.

The car's registration plates did not match the Nissan and belonged to a car owner in the state of Connecticut. He told officers he had sent the plates to a scrap-yard.

The NYPD has been on constant alert since the 9/11 attacks of 2001.
Earlier this year, two men, one an Afghan immigrant, pleaded guilty to a plot to set off suicide bombs in the city's subway system.

And last year four New Yorkers went on trial accused of plotting to bomb synagogues in the city and fire missiles at military aircraft.

New York police defuse 'car bomb' in Times Square

New York City police have defused an improvised car bomb parked in Times Square, one of the city's busiest tourist areas, officials say.

They say propane tanks, fireworks, petrol, and a clock device were removed from a parked sports utility vehicle.

Part of the district - where many theatres are sited - was sealed off.
Both US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the quick response by the New York Police Department.

"We are very lucky," Mr Bloomberg told reporters. "Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event."

He said the bomb "looked amateurish" but could have exploded, adding that the incident was a "reminder of the dangers that we face".


Correspondents say the New York City Police Department is on constant alert after a series of alleged terror plots in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"The NYPD bomb squad has rendered safe an improvised car bomb," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The alert was triggered when a street vendor saw smoke coming from a Nissan Pathfinder parked on 45th Street and Seventh Avenue at about 1830 (2230 GMT) on Saturday.


The vehicle had its engine running and hazard lights flashing, officials said.
Police shut down several blocks of Times Square, as well as subway lines, while a robotic arm broke windows of the vehicle.

"There were explosive elements, including powder, gasoline, propane and some kind of electrical wires attached to a clock," police spokesman Paul Browne told reporters early on Sunday.
"No motive has been identified," he added.

Security footage is being reviewed after reports that a person was seen running away from the vehicle.
The car's plates do not match the registration, the spokesman said.


Jerry Brown, one of the tourists evacuated from the nearby Marriot Marquis hotel, told the BBC: "Guests are sitting on the street and there is considerable chaos... There is talk about moving us to another hotel but I am not sure how this is going to happen."

Most Broadway shows went ahead despite the alert.
FBI agents have joined NYPD investigators at the scene.
The White House said President Obama was being kept up to date on the investigation.

The most recent terror alert in New York City involved a plot to set off suicide bombs in the subway system.
Earlier this year an Afghan immigrant, Najibullah Zazi, and an associate, Zarein Ahmedzay, both pleaded guilty in connection with the attempt.

Last year four New Yorkers went on trial accused of plotting to bomb synagogues in the city and fire missiles at military aircraft.

Five children hurt in fresh attack on school in China

Five young children have been hurt at a school in north-eastern China after a man attacked them with a hammer before killing himself.

It was the third such incident in China in as many days.
The man, said to be a local farmer, grabbed two children before setting himself on fire at the pre-school in Shandong province's Weifang city.



The children were pulled to safety, and all five - plus an injured teacher - were said to be stable in hospital.
China is reeling from a spate of apparent copy-cat attacks in schools.


On Thursday, 28 children - most of them aged around four - and three adults were attacked by an unemployed man wielding a knife at a nursery school in Jiangsu province, eastern China. Five of the children were taken to hospital in a critical condition.

And a day earlier, some 15 pupils and a teacher were wounded by a former teacher - who was on sick leave - at their primary school in Guangdong province.


Earlier on Wednesday, a doctor convicted of stabbing eight children to death in Fujian province in March was executed.


Friday's attacker was a local farmer identified as Wang Yonglai, Xinhua news agency reports.

He used a motorcycle to break down the gates in to Shangzhuang primary school, striking a teacher who tried to stop him and then turning the hammer on the children.

He grabbed two of the children before dousing himself in petrol and setting himself alight. Teachers seized the two children from him in time.

The motive of the attack is not yet known.
The attacks are unsettling in a country where such violent attacks are rare.
Since a spate of attacks in 2004, many schools in China have employed professional guards but the latest incidents have led to public calls for increased security in schools.

The education ministry ordered all schools to upgrade their security facilities earlier this month, as well as teach students about safety and ensure young children are escorted home, state media has reported.

But such measures are expensive, says our correspondent, and in reality there is little that can be done to prevent such acts of violence.

The incidents have also sparked a debate about the motives of the killers, with some suggesting that rapid social change and growing unemployment has led to an increase in psychiatric illnesses.

China opens World Expo 2010 in Shanghai

 The 2010 World Expo has opened in the city of Shanghai in what China hopes will be further proof of its rising global influence.

Almost 250 countries and international organizations are showcasing their culture in an event themed around sustainable development.


Many are doing so in pavilions with radical architecture.
World leaders, including France's President Sarkozy, are attending the lavish opening ceremony.
"Expo 2010 Shanghai is now open!" Chinese President Hu Jintao declared during the gala opening, in which 2,300 performers and musicians from all over the world took part.

They were celebrating the Expo slogan: "Better city, better life in music and dance".
Tens of thousands of fireworks and lasers then lit up the city's riverfront - in what organizers promised would be the biggest-ever multimedia event.


Some 70 million visitors - mostly Chinese - are expected to visit the Expo, which will be open for the next six months.

Chinese local media report that the cost of staging the event could be as much as $58bn (£38bn) - more than was spent on the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Some estimates say this figure could eventually be even higher.
Shanghai has increased security measures drastically in preparation for the event.

An additional 8,000 police officers have been brought in to help Shanghai's 46,000-strong police force to patrol the city, Chinese state media says.


Residents living near the Expo site have complained about oppressive security measures.
"It's just not convenient to get in and out any more," Dong, a local resident, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Markets have been closed down to build Expo car parks, he added.
Six people who protested about having their homes destroyed to make room for the Expo have been sent to labour camps, the Hong-Kong based Chinese Human Rights Defenders were quoted as saying by AP.

Last week police seized four computers belonging to activist Feng Zhenghu, who had been trying to set up an alternative online Expo, highlighting alleged miscarriages of justice, our correspondent says.

The Expo is seen as an opportunity for countries to try to win favor with the Chinese, he adds.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, President Sarkozy - whose relationship with China has been testy after he criticized a Chinese security crackdown in Tibet in 2008 - said France and China would "think and work together".

Election 2010, A dozen things to watch for in final TV debate

Two down, one to go. Thursday's third and final election debate is important.
It is the closest to polling day and will be watched by many people who have yet to decide how to vote.
What the three party leaders say and how they perform will influence the decision that these voters make. In other words, this debate could make all the difference. At the same time, the nation will be transfixed as Gordon Brown eats humble pie - again - for being rude about a woman, Gillian Duffy, who has fast become the media's favourite granny. It will be excruciating.
Here are a few general thoughts:
1. Duffygate - or bigotgate - will hang over the debate but will not dominate it.
Gordon Brown will have to deal with the encounter but Messrs Cameron and Clegg will be quite happy to let him squirm without being seen to add to his distress. They know how easily the taunting of Mr Brown over bullying allegations and ill-scripted condolence letters engendered public sympathy rather than opprobrium.
2. The novelty factor will be less salient this time.
The first debate was historic and its outcome utterly unpredicted. The second, though, was less surprising. So there might be less focus on the body language, the format, the clothes, and perhaps a little more on what the leaders actually say.
3. The debate is important because the subject is the economy, arguably the most significant policy issue of the election.
Many voters will want the leaders to cut to the chase. All three will be asked what must now be known as the Institute for Fiscal Studies question: namely, what are you going to cut and when? They will not answer to the satisfaction of some. There will be an inconclusive debate about the dangers of a Greek-style financial meltdown taking place in Britain.
4. This is Gordon Brown's last chance to get Labour's campaign back on track.
The economy is his strongest card. This is his moment to seek redemption. He will argue that public spending must be maintained this year to protect the recovery and that government must intervene to support new industries. He has to hope that voters think his plans for the economy are more important than the sincerity of his penitence.
5. Voters who have been impressed by Nick Clegg will watch and consider whether they should now vote for him as well.
The Lib Dem leader needs to maintain momentum into the last week of campaigning. Many voters told the opinion pollsters after the first two debates that they liked the cut of his jib. Mr Clegg's task now is to persuade those people that they should stick with him and give them their vote - without appearing as if he was taking them for granted. He has admitted already that voters will be more "demanding" this time around.
6. Nick Clegg will have to clear up what he would do in a hung parliament.
He said initially that he would not support Labour if it won most seats but had fewer votes than the Lib Dems or Tories. He then suggested that he might support Labour in those circumstances - but only if the party ditched Gordon Brown. He then pulled back a bit and said he would work with the man on the moon if he delivered greater fairness. David Cameron will push him hard on this, claiming that if you vote Clegg, you could get Brown. The Tory leader will also try to warn voters that a hung parliament might not be the utopia of congenial co-operation that many seem to think it will be.
7. This is David Cameron's last chance to try to explain what he means by a "big society".
It is a radical programme that would in theory transform huge swathes of public life but many voters are still struggling to understand what the phrase means. His challenge is to boil it all down into something that makes an impact and excites the public as much as the policy wonks. This is a tough ask in the context of a debate.
8. Immigration has come up in the previous two debates and Gillian Duffy has ensured that it will come up again.
This will not help Gordon Brown. He will have to persuade voters that it is not bigoted to be concerned about immigration, despite what he said about Mrs Duffy. Nor will it help Nick Clegg. He has appeared vulnerable at times when explaining his policy of granting an amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who have been in the country for more than ten years and speak good English.
9. Gordon Brown will have spent less time preparing than he would have liked.
An unexpected trip to Rochdale will have eaten into some of his prep-time. Maybe there will be fewer rehearsed lines. This could help rather than hinder.
10. David Cameron and Nick Clegg will be tempted to try some unfunny gags about Peppa Pig.
These will be incomprehensible to millions of voters who do not have young children or who did not catch Labour's clumsy attempt earlier this week to inveigle the children's television character into their campaign.
11. How many people will watch?
Nine million people tuned in for the first debate, some four million for the second. This time around, there is a clash with Coronation Street on the other side. Who watches what will perhaps tell us a little about the state of British politics.
12.A member of the audience may be tempted to break their silence.
This is the third debate. It is the last before polling. People are getting used to the format. The ban on audience response is clearly frustrating. The temptation to clap or disagree noisily must be huge. Will anyone have the guts to break the rules?

Pakistan Taliban militants 'reappear' in Swat valley

Taliban militants have resumed targeted killings of local leaders in Pakistan's troubled Swat valley, officials have told.

Pakistan's army declared the Swat valley free of militants after carrying out an anti-Taliban operation in 2009.
A Pakistani army spokesman said three people had died in attacks over the last 10 days. Local journalists say that seven have died in 15 days.


The militants were effectively in control of the region from 2007.
In 2009, they started to expand their power across North West Frontier Province, prompting the army to launch its offensive.


"There have been three incidents of targeted killings," Col Akhtar Abbas, head of the army public relations in Swat, told.
 
"But these incidents do not mean that the Taliban can return in any organized form to the Swat valley. The army is confident of this."

Some of those killed are members of a local peace committee, which is supported by the military.
Col Abbas said that the militants involved in the attacks "have been dealt with".
"We carried out an operation after a tip-off and killed the four of them," he said.
However, there are differing accounts of the incidents.

Several local people said at least one militant had escaped after a prolonged gun battle.
They say that fears remain about the level of security provided by the army.
"Things have not improved and business is not good," said a local restaurant owner known as Mr Khalid.
"We cannot even imagine that tourists will come here.

"How can things be better if there are still suicide bombings and people are being killed every few days?"
But despite these concerns, conditions have improved considerably in Swat since the military operation ended in July 2009.

Hotels and businesses are slowly starting to re-open.
But fear and uncertainty - heightened by the recent killings - still prevail.

Dating by blood type in Japan

People in most parts of the world do not think about their blood group much, unless they have an operation or an accident and need a transfusion.

But in Japan, whether someone is A, B, O or AB is a topic of everyday conversation.

There is a widespread belief that blood type determines personality, with implications for life, work and love.

It is Saturday night and a speed dating session is under way in a small building in the backstreets of Tokyo.


Men and women are sitting nervously at tables hoping to find that special someone.

The room is brightly painted in red and white, the staff upbeat and enthusiastic, but the conversations are rather stilted.

The couples have just a few minutes to try to sound each other out before a bell rings and they have to move on to the next lonely single.

It is a scene repeated in cities across the world but this speed dating session in Japan has a twist.
It is for women who want to meet men with blood group A or AB.

One says she decided to narrow down her search for a boyfriend after a bad experience with a man with type B.

"Looking back it seems trivial," she said. "But I couldn't help getting annoyed by how disorganized he was."
"I really would like someone with type A blood," added her friend. "My image is of someone who is down to earth, something like that."



Interest in blood type is widespread in Japan, particularly which combinations are best for romance.

Women's magazines run scores of articles on the subject, which has also inspired best-selling self-help books.
The received wisdom is that As are dependable and self sacrificing, but reserved and prone to worry.
Decisive and confident - that is people with type O.

ABs are well balanced, clear-sighted and logical, but also high-maintenance and distant.
The black sheep though seem to be blood group B - flamboyant free-thinkers, but selfish.
"At the interview for my first job they asked me about my blood type," said a man with blood group B, who wanted to identify himself only as Kouichi.

"The surprise was written on my face. Why? It turned out the company president really cared. She'd obviously had a bad experience with a B type blood person. But somehow I got the job anyway."

Later, though, the issue of his blood came up again.
"The president was the kind of person who couldn't take her drink and at one company party she got drunk. So she sent B people home before the others. 'You are blood type B,' she said. 'Get out.'"

There is even a term for such behavior in Japan, burahara, which translates as blood group harassment.
The preoccupation with blood ultimately dates back to theories of eugenics during the inter-war years.

One study compared the blood of people in Taiwan, who had rebelled against Japanese colonial rule, with the Ainu from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, thought to be more peaceable.
Stripped of its racial overtones, the idea emerged again in the 1970s.

Now, blood typecasting is as common as horoscopes in the West, with the whiff of science - although dubious - giving it added credibility.

Some firms organize work teams by blood type to try to ensure office harmony.
And people going on a date or meeting someone for the first time are liable to be asked: "What is your blood group?"

"This particular thing about blood types is a clever way of telling people what you think about them, but indirectly," said Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian Studies at Temple University in Japan
.
"Here people don't like to be upfront and open about their opinions. So if you can hide behind blood types you can then tell someone indirectly what you think about them."

Scientists regularly debunk the blood group theory but it retains its hold - some believe because, in a largely homogenous society, it provides an easy framework to divide people up into easily recognizable groups.

The last Prime Minister, Taro Aso, even put the fact that he was a type A in his official profile on the internet.
If he had hoped that having a favored blood group would give him a boost at the polls he was disappointed.
When the election came around, he lost.

Fists fly in Ukraine parliament punch up

Lawmakers in Ukraine scuffled with each other, throwing punches and eggs, as parliament met Tuesday to ratify a treaty with Russia that extends the latter's navy presence in the Ukraine's Crimean peninsula until 2042.
The ruling Regions party eventually ratified the treaty but not before howls of protest from the opposition.
Someone set off a smoke bomb inside the building, while Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn sought refuge behind an umbrella as he was pelted with eggs.
During a rally attended by thousands on Saturday, opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko -- the former prime minister who lost to Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential election run-off in February -- said the ratification must be prevented at all costs.
She claimed that Yanukovych is "selling out" Ukraine, has "openly embarked on the path of destruction of (Ukraine's) national interests, and has actually begun the process of eliminating the state's sovereignty."
The deal was signed last week by Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Tymoshenko said it violated part of the Ukrainian Constitution, which forbids the country from hosting foreign military bases after 2017.
The deal extends Russia's lease of a major naval base in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol for an additional 25 years, in exchange for a 30 percent cut in the price of natural gas that Russia sells to Ukraine.
The agreement may bring an end to years of disputes over natural gas prices, which culminated in Russia turning off the pipeline to Ukraine.
The dispute affected not only Ukrainians, but many Europeans who depend on Russian gas pumped through Ukraine.
The two countries had been at odds ever since the "Orange Revolution" swept Yanukovych's fiercely anti-Russian predecessor Viktor Yushchenko to power in 2005.
Throughout his time in office, Yushchenko repeatedly threatened to expel Russia's Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol. The Russian military lease there was scheduled to expire in 2017.
Yanukovych said the new deal added a "concrete and pragmatic dimension" to centuries of relations between Ukrainians and Russians.

Opposition groups in Ukraine, however, were quick to denounce the agreement. Yuschenko's "Our Ukraine" party said the treaty would lead to the "Russification" of Ukraine.

Thai king speaks for first time in political crisis

For the first time amid the political upheaval raging in Thailand, the nation's revered king spoke out Monday, calling on new judges to help stabilize the country.

Speaking from the hospital where he has been since last year, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 82, addressed a group of newly appointed judges.


"I would like all you to preserve honesty," he said, adding that "it will be a way to help the country to be progressing and stabilized at the same time."

He told the judges they could "be seen as model" for people who work in all sorts of jobs.
The king added that in performing their duties, the judges "would help to uphold justice and order of the country, and this is very important. If you do follow your oath strictly, it will help bring order to the country, certainly."

King Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning monarch, wields little political power, but is revered and enjoys immense popularity.

He was admitted to the hospital last September after complaining of fever and fatigue.

Meanwhile, the political crisis in the country shows no immediate sign of abating. Negotiations between the government and the anti-government protesters, known as "red shirts," are stuck, and tensions are mounting. Another group of protesters, called the "multi-colored shirts," are urging the government to take tougher action against the red shirts.

On Sunday the country's prime minister acknowledged he did not expect protesters would use weapons and apply violence toward authority.

Speaking on national television, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made the admission a day after he rejected a call from anti-government protesters to dissolve the country's parliament in 30 days. Abhisit said other groups' political opinions must be taken into consideration before any such action is taken.

More than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died since protesters began occupying key tourism and shopping areas in Thailand's capital.

Red Shirt leaders offered Friday to return to the negotiating table -- but only if the government meets certain demands, including lifting a state of emergency and accepting responsibility for the deaths of protesters earlier this month, said Weng Tojirakarn, a co-leader of the group.

On the government's side, spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told on Saturday that there was no counter-proposal to get the negotiations back on track.

"We need to make sure negotiations take place under a conducive environment," Panitan said, explaining that previous attempts to talk to opposition leaders had been derailed due to threats against government officials.
Other conditions that must be met before any negotiations could take place include having protest leaders make sure there will be no further expansion of demonstrations into other districts and no threats to government officers, the government spokesman said.

"These conditions are very critical for peaceful negotiations," Panitan explained. "Negotiation is the only way out in the end, but... we need to stabilize the situation first."

He cited the fact that several demonstrations were taking place "by different 'shirts' and colors," and said that all demonstrators must observe the rule of law and "peace and civility will be restored first."

His remarks came as tension remained high on the streets of Bangkok, where a political standoff has gripped the country for several weeks. The Red Shirts have been clashing with the Thai military in a Bangkok area that serves as a financial hub. Another co-leader of the Red Shirts, Veera Muskapong, met with foreign diplomats Friday and told them he might meet with the government if it meets certain conditions.

Abhisit, meanwhile, huddled with the chiefs of the country's armed forces early Friday after a string of grenade attacks killed at least one person and wounded dozens of others.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said in a televised address that the grenades were launched from the area where the Red Shirts have been encamped for weeks, but the protesters denied any responsibility for the attacks.

British ambassador survives attack in Yemen

The British ambassador to Yemen survived an apparent suicide bomb attack Monday on his convoy in the capital, Sanaa, the British government and Yemen Embassy in Washington said.


"There was (a) small explosion beside the British ambassador's car. He was unhurt. No other embassy staff or British nationals were injured," said a statement by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In a separate statement, the spokesman for Yemen's U.S. Embassy, Mohammed al-Basha, said the lone fatality of the morning attack was the alleged suicide bomber, described as a man dressed in sports gear with explosives strapped to his body.

In Yemen, an Interior Ministry statement identified the alleged suicide bomber as Othman Ali al Salwi, 22, from Taiz province.

Initial reports said two Yemenis -- a man and a woman -- were injured in the attack and taken to a hospital, but a Yemeni government official said three bystanders were rushed to the hospital.

The official asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the news media. government or the Yemeni Embassy.

There was no confirmation of those reported injuries in the statements from the British government or the Yemeni Embassy.

The convoy carrying Ambassador Tim Torlot, 52, was a short distance from the British Embassy at the time of the blast. Yemeni security forces sealed off the area and began an investigation.

Torlot was appointed ambassador to Yemen in July 2007.
"The embassy will remain closed to the public for the time being," the Foreign Office said. "We advise all British nationals in Yemen to keep a low profile and remain vigilant. We are working urgently with the Yemeni authorities to investigate what happened."

Al-Basha's statement said the attack occurred at 8 a.m. in Noqom in the eastern district of Sanaa.
"Following the attack, the Yemeni Interior Ministry deployed police units and dispatched additional crime scene investigators to assist with the investigation," al-Basha's statement said. It quoted an unnamed senior Yemeni security official as saying the attack "bore the hallmarks" of al Qaeda.

The statement noted Yemeni security forces killed two suspected al Qaeda operatives and arrested a third in the western coastal city of Hodeidah on April 18, and said the government has increased security measures around vital installations and foreign missions for fear of retaliation.

Landslide buries cars, cuts highway in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan - An certified says rescuers are searching over travelers juice three cars swamped by a massive landslide when a hillside collapsed in northern Taiwan.

Firefighter Tang Cheng-yu says the Sunday landslide buried a makin's of a three-lane highway in rubble about the size of two soccer stadiums.


A motorist capital reported the act in Keelung. He verbal he made a sharp turn to narrowly avoid the massive mud cascading down significance splendor of his car.

Tang says hundreds of workers are digging around the flash with bulldozers Monday but posit yet to locate the cars.

He says the landslide followed days of rain. scoop reports say four kin are believed to have been buried command the cars.

First Iraqi flight to London in 20 years lands at Gatwick

The first commercial flight from Iraq to the United Kingdom in 20 years landed at London's Gatwick Airport late Sunday night and took off for Baghdad Monday morning.


Commercial air links were cut after the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iraq for invading Kuwait in 1990.


Iraqi Minister of Transportation Karim Mahdi Salih and other ministry officials were on the first flight, the ministry said.

Flight service between Baghdad and London was originally scheduled to kick off on April 17, but was delayed by a cloud of volcanic ash which shut down much of Europe's airspace, said Amar Naser of IKB Travel.

The agency is handling British bookings for the Iraqi Airways flights.
The first flight was full, with commercial passengers joining the ministry officials, Naser said.
Iraqi Airways plans two flights a week between Baghdad and London, the ministry said.

The flights are due to run on Mondays and Saturdays, with a stopover for security checks in Malmo, Sweden, according to IKB Travel. The layover lasts three hours.

Round-trip economy tickets cost 580 British pounds ($895), while business class costs 1,280 pounds ($1,976).

The resumption of commercial flights between Iraq and the United Kingdom comes almost a year after the launch of air links between Afghanistan and Europe.

Safi Airlines flies between Kabul and Frankfurt, Germany, three times a week.

South Africans battle baboons in city streets

As natural habitats disappear in South Africa, baboons and humans are increasingly coming into close contact, and conflict.

In South Africa's Cape Peninsula there has been a large-scale transformation of wild baboons' natural habitat into land for housing, industry and agriculture, according to the University of Cape Town Baboon Research Unit.

The result is that wild baboons are surrounded by humans, which the researchers say is causing human-baboon conflict to escalate.

But the problem isn't confined only to the Cape, as baboons are increasingly venturing into towns and villages across southern Africa in search of food, often leaving a trail of damage in their wake.

In the farming village of Barrydale, a four-hour drive from Cape Town, baboons are a growing problem. While some local farmers say they want to shoot baboons found in the village, others favor a more sustainable solution.


Jenny Trethowan, of advocacy group Baboon Matters, is known as the "Baboon Lady" back in Cape Town. She has spent her career trying to protect the primates in the Cape Peninsula, of which there are more than 400.

In Barrydale, she sees an opportunity to tackle the problem before it gets out of hand.
"What is so exciting about the Barrydale scenario is the fact that they are being extremely proactive," Trethowan told.

"In many of the other areas it's been a long time, where baboons have become habituated and trained. Now in Barrydale they are saying 'let's stop this behavior quickly before it gets started,' and that's enormously exciting for me."

Trethowan has pinned her hopes on implementing a baboon-monitoring program in the village. At the Joshua Baboon Rehabilitation Project, just outside Barrydale, Baboon Matters is training locals to be baboon monitors.

The monitors are tasked with patrolling Barrydale and herding baboons away from homes and farms.
"If we can get the monitoring program going quickly before the baboons are habituated I believe we stand a good chance of success here," said Trethowan.

Nola Frazier runs the Joshua Baboon Rehabilitation Project and supports the village's monitoring program. "I don't think the baboon problem is going to go away," Frazier told. "It's a learning curve. It's something that's happening here; it's happening all over South Africa."

An existing monitoring program on the Cape is yielding benefits. Statistics from the Baboon Research Unit show human-induced injuries to baboons are at their lowest for five years. Deaths are also down, and the baboon population is up, which means encounters with humans are more likely.

When she's not helping to run monitoring programs, Trethowan takes tourists on walks around the Cape Peninsula to see baboons in what she hopes will be their natural habitat.

But despite the monitors' best efforts, the baboons sometimes stray from their natural environment. The smell of cooking, and windows left open, are practically an invitation to hungry baboons, whose food raids can result in damage to property.

"When I take people to walk, I never describe baboons as something they are not," said Trethowan. "They do cause incredible damage, and the ideal thing would be for them to be on the mountain and not in the village.

"The monitors can struggle without a doubt. What's frustrating to me is to see the residents make little effort to help the monitors. If they were working with the monitors more, the monitors would be more efficient."
When it comes to taking on one of the continent's most opportunistic animals, researchers and advocates say there are no easy answers.

"Baboons are definitely incredibly opportunistic and incredibly adaptable, so from a management point of view it makes it incredibly difficult," said Trethowan. But she said it's these same characteristics that drew her into a life of advocacy for baboons.

"It is hugely amazing to watch how these baboons will adapt to a situation and will seize an opportunity and work with whatever they've got," she told.

"I think we've got a lot to learn from them, in hopes of showing more people the positives in an animal so often labeled a problem."

Explosions heard in Bangkok stand-off

At least four explosions have been heard in the Thai capital Bangkok, where police are in a tense stand-off with anti-government protesters.

Witnesses say at least six people have been wounded, including a foreigner.

Earlier, a military spokesman warned protesters who have been camped out in Bangkok for six weeks that time for them to leave was running out.

The government is under pressure to crack down on the red-shirt protesters, who say they want new elections.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately known, although a police spokesman said at least the first three had been caused by grenades.

One report citing hospital officials said at least 40 people had been injured, but this could not be confirmed.
Witnesses said at least one blast occurred at an elevated train station in the heart of the capital's business district.

Thai leaders have said they want a negotiated, peaceful end to the dispute, but observers say a non-violent solution is increasingly unlikely.

Protesters and police have been in entrenched positions, waiting to see what will happen next.
The latest explosions could be the catalyst for a confrontation that both sides have been trying to avoid, she adds.

Tense standoff continues in Thailand

Tensions spiked in the commercial center of the Thai capital as a volatile standoff continued Thursday between anti-government protesters and large numbers of combat-gear-clad troops on the streets.
The protesters, known as the "Red Shirts," used tires and sharpened bamboo canes as barricades and taunted soldiers.

The Red Shirts are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. They are demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve the government, hold new elections and leave the country.

For weeks, they have occupied blocks of the city, spurring a political crisis in Thailand. Last week, Abhisit declared a state of emergency in Bangkok.

Fed up with the unrest gripping their city, some residents emerged on the streets as the "Multicolored Shirts," hurling rocks and verbal abuse at the Red Shirts.

Leaders of the group urged businesses and residents to boycott the Red Shirts, not sell them goods or allow them to use toilet facilities in the area of the demonstrations, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

The Multicolored Shirts group was formed mainly by middle-class Bangkok residents, academics, the business community and members of the social network Facebook. They marched across Bangkok -- some of the women wearing high heels -- to show support for Abhisit.

Holger Bauer, a 56-year-old German man who is in Bangkok, told that about 300 protesters carrying Thai flags yelled: "Reds go home" and "long live Abhisit."

Earlier in the week, the Thai military had stationed about 1,500 troops along a financial hub on Silom Road in anticipation of renewed clashes with protesters.

At least 25 people have been killed and more than 850 others injured in the political battle that has unfolded on Bangkok's streets. The explosive situation has given rise to fears of a deepening crisis and perhaps even civil war.

Meanwhile, Thailand's crisis spread Thursday outside of Bangkok as Red Shirt supporters blocked a military train by lying down on the tracks. They said the troops were reinforcements heading to Bangkok, TNA said. The military said they were headed elsewhere.

Cloud computing: Privacy and trust up in the cloud

Fifteen years ago people carried their documents around on floppy discs, then many people switched to memory sticks, and now a few are turning to the cloud.

Cloud computing means the ability to access, change and interact with data on any platform with a net connection, including on smart phones.

These online services require no software purchase and installation and most run via a browser. Users can pick from the growing number of cloud-based offerings, such as Google Docs and Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2).

Ever note is another system where various pieces of information, such as web pages, business cards and text notes can be collected into virtual and searchable notebooks.


But there are concerns that storing personal data on a server somewhere in cyberspace could pose a major threat to the privacy of individuals.

Phil Libin, Evernote's boss, said his firm offers a two-tiered approach to security.

"Premium users have all of their data go over SSL [encryption], kind of like an online banking site. Free users currently are sending data back and forth just over http - the standard way that the web operates," he said.
"Your username and password is always kept encrypted. We don't see what your password is, we can't unencrypt it - no one will ever ask for it," he added.


Dropbox has more than four million customers who can upload digital content which is permanently synced across a number of their devices.
Adam Gross, senior vice president of marketing for the storage service said the cloud needs the trust of users.

"I think with any cloud computing service, it's important that the provider have a trusted relationship with those people using the service," he said.


He believes the cloud is "helping people keep their files backed up and safe and secure, rather than the old model where each individual PC user had to be responsible for it alone."

Mike Elgan from Computerworld.com warned users against being too trusting.
"Services say give us all your data and use the applications from the internet, and don't worry about anything, we'll take care of the security. It's a value proposition based on you trusting the provider," he said.
"What we've learned recently is that no matter how trustworthy the provider is, it's never as secure or bullet proof as you might think it is," he added.


Unlike Dropbox and Ever note, some services do not synchronize data to personal computers and are based solely in the cloud.


An internet connection failure, or infrastructure downtime, is enough to cut people off from their files on these systems.

Many students have become heavy users of the free collaborative online tools that are based in the cloud. This has prompted some colleges to go as far as banning cloud computing completely.

Others like the University of San Francisco have to send out constant reminders that trouble on the net is unacceptable as a classroom excuse.


Chris Brooks, an associate professor at the University of San Francisco, said: "I'll tell students 'this [site] may go down, don't do your homework at the last minute. Just like the library might be closed at 2am on Saturday morning when you want to do your homework'".

"It's another way of learning responsibility," he said. "But I do think you have to be explicit with them that this is not always a 24/7 thing, so plan ahead."


Not relying on the cloud entirely is one concern, but critics advise students to ponder on the physical location of their work, issues over ownership, and the rising fees for accessing it.

These factors may have to be taken into account by governments too in the future, and legislation could be needed to define new parameters for consumers.

Moving information to a virtual computer puts someone else in control of security, and there is an ever-present risk from hackers.

Mr Elgan from Computerworld.com said there was a lack of options.
"Keeping data locally or to manage all of its backup and maintenance yourself is also fraught with hazards. The hackers are going to go wherever the data is including on your own system," he said.

"The problems of managing an increasingly complex body of data is very daunting and that's one of the appealing things about cloud computing," he added.

China quake bodies burnt on pyres in Jiegu

About 700 people who died in a massive earthquake in north-west China on Wednesday have been cremated outside the worst-hit town, Jiegu.

After being blessed by chanting Buddhist monks, the bodies were placed in a trench and set alight.
The number of people known to have died in Qinghai province has risen to 1,339, with 322 missing, officials say.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has said he would like to visit his birthplace to comfort survivors.
The Dalai Lama was born in Qinghai but has not set foot in China since a failed Tibetan uprising more than 50 years ago.


Tibetans traditionally perform sky burials, which involve chopping a body into pieces and leaving it on a platform to be devoured by vultures.

But the authorities have decided to cremate victims because of fears that disease may spread rapidly.
"The vultures can't eat them all," said one local man.


Local monks constructed a huge funeral pyre near Jiegu township.


After the earthquake, many residents of the largely-Tibetan town turned to the monks and their traditions for help, rather than a central authority dominated by the majority Han Chinese.

Thousands of people have been left homeless, with many having to sleep outdoors in freezing temperatures.

The rescue effort is continuing, but it is four days since the earthquake hit, the chances of finding more people alive under the rubble of Jiegu are growing slim.


Many of those who survived the quake have endured days without proper shelter or food. The town lies high in the mountains of Qinghai, the air is thin and the temperature often drops below freezing at night.

There has been no response yet from Beijing to the Dalai Lama's statement on visiting the victims.
In the statement, issued from his home-in-exile in northern India, the Dalai Lama said: "Because of the physical distance between us, at present I am unable to comfort those directly affected, but I would like them to know I am praying for them."

The Dalai Lama also praised Chinese officials for their quick response to the quake.
China has despatched 10,000 troops and doctors to help, but the scale of the devastation is so large, they are struggling to cope.

But the authorities in Beijing have pledged to do everything they can to help the victims of the earthquake, and eventually, to rebuild the shattered town.

Premier Wen Jiabao has promised "all-out effort" to rebuild the area.

Heavy-lifting equipment has been arriving in the remote Himalayan region by road from hundreds of kilometres away.

Food, tents and medical supplies are arriving too but rescue workers say there is a critical need for further supplies.

Rescuers in Yushu, which lies at about 4,000m (13,000ft), are facing freezing weather and high altitude.
Ninety-seven percent of Yushu's population is ethnic Tibetan, and state media said that 500 interpreters were being sent to aid rescuers.

The quake, which struck on Wednesday morning at the shallow depth of 10km (six miles), knocked out phone and power lines, and triggered landslides, blocking vital roads.

Mr Wen visited the affected area on Thursday and Friday.
He said the people would "overcome the disaster and improve national unity in fighting the calamity".

Hundreds feared dead in Chinese earthquake

Nearly 400 people are feared dead after a rapid series of strong earthquakes hit a mountainous and impoverished area of China's Qinghai province early Wednesday, state-run media said.


At least 10,000 others were injured, the Xinhua news agency reported, and many victims, including school children, were buried under debris. Rescuers were struggling to clear debris with their hands and save those trapped below.

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake, as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 7:49 a.m. local time (7:49 p.m. ET Tuesday), when many citizens were still at home and schools were beginning the day. The USGS also recorded several strong aftershocks -- one of magnitude 5.8 -- all within hours of the initial quake.

The epicenter was located in remote and rugged terrain, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Qamdo, Tibet. Qinghai borders the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xingjiang and the provinces of Gansu and Sichuan.

Karsum Nyima, deputy director of news at local Yushu TV, told Xinhua that most of the houses in the area were made of wood with earthen walls. He said some had come tumbling down, including a Buddhist pagoda in a park.

The temblors "have toppled houses, temples, gas stations and electric poles, triggered landslides, damaged roads, cut power supplies and disrupted telecommunications," Xinhua said. "A reservoir was also cracked, where workers are trying to prevent the outflow of water."


Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered local authorities to "go all out to save the disaster-stricken people," Xinhua said. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu was dispatched to the region.

About 700 soldiers were working to clear rubble and rescue buried quake victims, according to Xinhua. More than 5,000 others, including soldiers and medical workers, were sent to the area, the Qinghai provincial government told reporters in a news conference, Xinhua said.

The news agency reported panic on the streets as crews launched rescue efforts in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

"We have to mainly rely on our hands to clear away the debris as we have no large excavating machines," police officer Shi Huajie said. "We have no medical equipment, either."

A Chinese military official told Xinhua that the death toll was expected to rise, given the damage to homes.

He said dispatched soldiers were setting up tents and transporting oxygen for the injured but affected roads leading to the airport could hamper relief efforts.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs plans to distribute 5,000 tents, 50,000 coats and 50,000 quilts to the earthquake zone, Xinhua said.

The Hong Kong Red Cross said it had mobilized 200,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $27,700) to support the relief operation through providing tents, quilts, clothes and food to victims.

The headquarters of the Red Cross Society of China was also sending relief supplies and had dispatched a team to the area for assessment, the organization said in a statement.


"Our top priority is to save students," Kang Zifu, an army officer in the town of Gyegu, told Xinhua. "Schools are always places that have many people."

Gyegu is the seat of government in the Yushu prefecture, a Tibetan region of Qinghai, the news agency said, and has a population of about 100,000.

More than 85 percent of houses in Gyegu had collapsed, a prefecture official told Xinhua.

"Many are buried in the collapsed houses, and there are still lots of others who are injured and being treated at local hospitals," he said.

The Hong Kong Red Cross said 90 percent of houses throughout Yushu had collapsed. Temperatures in the area are forecast to be around the freezing mark at night, the Red Cross said, so "provision of emergency shelters for the victims remains a high priority."

Many ethnic Tibetans live in Gyegu, said. One resident told that when his house began to shake, he grabbed his family and ran outside. There was another quake, and his house collapsed, he said. His family was currently housed outside in tents, he said, but he had managed to buy water. He said they had seen no government assistance.

People were living in fear, the man said, and some were headed up into the mountains to escape the threat of flooding, should the reservoir break.

The region is relatively poor and located in the foothills of the Himalayas at a relatively high altitude, Vause said. Many buildings are not well-constructed and unlikely to hold up well in a quake.

Given the landscape, rescue efforts are sure to be "challenging," said Francis Markus, of the International Federation of the Red Cross. He spoke from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, which experienced its own tragedy in May, 2008, when a magnitude-7.9 earthquake killed roughly 70,000 people.

"But China does have a lot of experience and a lot of resources," he said. "The capability is there. It's just a question of getting it to this remote spot."

Forecasters said Yushu would see strong winds and sleet in the coming days, which will hamper rescue efforts, Xinhua said.

Some Twitter users were outraged that Chinese television, did not feature the quake as its top story, instead headlining the U.S. nuclear summit in Washington that Hu is attending. Others blamed officials for failing to predict the quake.

"Of course this earthquake has been the headline for all the Chinese media," CCTV correspondent Fung Jinchao told . He said his network had sent a large group of reporters to the region.