Ex-Philippine president recovering after surgery

File picture : Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo speaks to the media after receiving a medal from the government at the national palace in Santo Domingo May 4, 2011. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

MANILA, Philippines, Juli 31, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — A spokeswoman says former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been moved to a regular hospital room following a delicate cervical spine surgery last week, The Associated Press reported.

Maite Defensor says the 64-year-old Arroyo was transferred to a room at a hospital in the Philippine capital, Manila, on Sunday from an intensive-care unit, where she was taken after Friday’s five-hour surgery.

Defensor says Arroyo needs about three weeks to recover from the surgery, which was done to correct damage to her cervical spine. Doctors have discouraged visitors to allow her to rest.

Arroyo has been hounded by allegations of massive corruption during her nine-year presidency, which ended last year. Opposition Senator Benigno Aquino III succeeded Arroyo, who has denied any wrongdoing.  (*)

 

 

SOURCE : The Associated Press

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s message for Ramadan

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron

 

London, July 31, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — British Prime Minister David Cameron has sent his best wishes to all Muslim communities in Britain and around the world at the start of the month of Ramadan.

Mr Cameron said Ramadan was a time to remind us of our duties and responsibilities and the importance of charity.

In a statement released by his office, Mr David Cameron said :

“To all Muslim communities in the United Kingdom and around the world, I send you my warmest wishes at this time of Ramadan.

“This is a time for Muslims all over the world to put aside thoughts of themselves, and think of others. The terrible scenes of famine and suffering in the Horn of Africa cry out to all of us. They remind us of our duties and responsibilities to those beyond our shores.

“The importance of charity at this time is clear and I am proud that many different communities in the United Kingdom continue to come together to support many thousands – indeed millions – in desperate need.

“As the holy month of Ramadan begins I wish you all peace and happiness.”  (*)

 

 

SOURCE : NUMBER 10 GOV.UK

Turkish President Vows No Military Power Vacuum

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (R) meets with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) and General Necdet Ozel, commander of gendarmerie paramilitary force, at the Presidential Palace of Cankaya in Ankara July 29, 2011. Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Friday approved the appointment of General Necdet Ozel as the new commander of Turkey's ground forces, TV channels reported after the top four commanders said they were taking retirement. Ozel was subsequently expected to be appointed the chief of the General Staff in place of the retiring General Isik Kosaner. Tradition dictates that only the ground forces chief can take over the armed forces. REUTERS/Presidential Press Office/Handout

 

ISTANBUL, July 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — Turkish President Abdullah Gul says the resignation of Turkey’s entire military command Friday will not cause a crisis, VOA reported.

Mr. Gul spoke to reporters Saturday in Ankara. He said the resignations were “extraordinary,” but said there will be no power vacuum.

General Necdet Ozel is expected to be appointed Turkey’s top military commander Saturday.

The head of the armed forces, General Isik Kosaner,and the army, naval and air commanders resigned amid escalating tensions between the secularist military and Islamic-rooted government.

The resignations came after Kosaner met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Gul to discuss key promotions of military staff at a meeting of the Supreme Military Council next week. Mr. Erdogan is reported to have signaled he would block promotions for officers he believed were part of a conspiracy to bring down his government.

Authorities have detained more than 300 people as part of a wide-reaching investigation into alleged plots to undermine the government. Some 200 active and retired military officers, including 30 generals, have been charged in the probe. Most of the officers who have been charged are being held in prison.

Kosaner said in his resignation statement that he cannot defend the rights of those military men who are unfairly imprisoned.  (*)

SOURCE : VOA

Turkey’s Gul says no crisis as top generals quit

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul meets with General Necdet Ozel, commander of gendarmerie paramilitary force, at the Presidential Palace of Cankaya in Ankara July 29, 2011. Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Friday approved the appointment of General Necdet Ozel as the new commander of Turkey's ground forces, TV channels reported after the top four commanders said they were taking retirement. Ozel was subsequently expected to be appointed the chief of the General Staff in place of the retiring General Isik Kosaner. Tradition dictates that only the ground forces chief can take over the armed forces. REUTERS/Presidential Press Office/Handout

 

ISTANBUL, July 30, 2011  (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters) – President Abdullah Gul denied on Saturday that Turkey faced a crisis after the resignation of the country’s four most senior military commanders, but acknowledged this had created an “extraordinary” situation.

The departure of the generals has caused turmoil in the military, giving Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to extend his authority over the once-dominant armed forces, the second biggest in NATO.

Chief of General Staff General Isik Kosaner stepped down on Friday evening along with the army, navy and air force commanders in protest over the detention of 250 officers on charges of conspiring against Erdogan’s government.

In a farewell message to “brothers in arms,” Kosaner said it was impossible to continue in his job as he could not defend the rights of men who had been detained as a consequence of a flawed judicial process.

Relations between the secularist military and Erdogan’s socially conservative Justice and Development Party (AK) have been fraught since it first won power in 2002, due to mistrust of the AK’s Islamist roots.

While the departures are embarrassing, they could give Erdogan a decisive victory over a military that sees itself as guardian of the secularist state envisioned by the soldier statesman and founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Analysts perceive little political threat to Erdogan’s supremacy. AK won a third consecutive term, taking 50 percent of the vote, in a parliamentary election in June.

“Nobody should view this as any sort of crisis or continuing problem in Turkey,” Gul, a former top AK member, told reporters on Saturday. “Undoubtedly events yesterday were an extraordinary situation in themselves, but everything is on course.”

Erdogan designated Kosaner’s successor on Friday, as his office put out a statement naming paramilitary Gendarmerie commander General Necdet Ozel as new head of land forces and acting deputy chief of general staff, effectively making him next in line when Kosaner handed over the baton.

In years gone by, Turkey’s generals were more likely to seize power than quit. They have staged three coups since 1960 and pushed an Islamist-led government from power in 1997.

Some founders of AK, including Erdogan, were members of the Welfare Party, an Islamist party whose coalition was forced out 14 years ago. But as prime minister, Erdogan has ended the military’s dominance through a series of reforms aimed at advancing Turkey’s chances of joining the European Union.

FOUR-STAR EARTHQUAKE

“Four-star earthquake,” a headline in Sabah newspaper said of the generals’ decision, while papers also highlighted Kosaner’s criticism of media reporting on the military.

“They tried to create the impression that the Turkish Armed Forces were a criminal organization and … the biased media encouraged this with all kinds of false stories, smears and allegations,” Kosaner’s statement said.

On Istanbul’s streets, views of the issue reflected Turkey’s polarization between government supporters and opponents.

“This is a move to place AK Party supporters in the army. There was only the army to protect secularism but they took that as well,” said retired 54-year-old Perihan Guclu.

“This has been a good development. We have got one of the biggest numbers of generals in the world but we are becoming a democracy slowly,” said a 52-year-old who gave his name only as

Dursun.

The latter-day subordination of the generals was starkly demonstrated last year when police began detaining scores of officers over “Operation Sledgehammer,” an alleged plot against Erdogan’s government discussed at a military seminar in 2003.

The officers say Sledgehammer was just a war game exercise and the evidence against them has been fabricated. About 250 military personnel are in jail, including 173 serving and 77 retired staff. Most are charged in relation to Sledgehammer.

MILITARY MORALE SAPPED

A court accepted on Friday an indictment over another alleged military plot, known as the “Internet Memorandum” case, and prosecutors asked for the arrest of 22 people including the Aegean army commander and six other serving generals and admirals.

Aksam newspaper described this as “the indictment which triggered a crisis” in a case where the military is accused of setting up anti-government websites. Papers said disagreements over senior appointments also prompted the generals to quit.

The detentions have sapped morale and spread mistrust and suspicion among the officer corps, and many had been looking for Kosaner to take a stand since his appointment last August.

More than 40 serving generals, almost a tenth of Turkey’s commanders, are under arrest, accused of a various plots to bring down the AKP.

The main opposition CHP said the army should stay out of politics but warned against the AKP exploiting its power.

“It is not right to draw soldiers into politics but there is no benefit in vilifying, smearing or undermining their dignity day and night,” senior CHP deputy Emine Tarhan told a news conference.

The government statement said the four commanders had retired and made no mention of the reasons why. It said a meeting of the Supreme Military Council, which meets twice-yearly to make top appointments, would go ahead as planned on Monday, showing Erdogan is in a hurry to restore the chain of command and present an image of business as usual.

The announcement dampened sentiment on Turkey’s financial markets on Friday, weakening the lira and pushing bond yields higher over concerns about increased political risk.  (*)

SOURCE : REUTERS

Aung San Suu Kyi calls for Myanmar ceasefire

Aung San Suu Kyi

YANGON, July 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / CHANNEL NEWS ASIA ) — Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday called on the army and ethnic insurgents to end a decades-long civil conflict in her first direct letter to the country’s new president.
Suu Kyi, who held her first talks with a minister in the new government on Monday, said reconciliation between state forces and armed ethnic minority rebel groups could not be achieved by “military means”.

“I would like to earnestly call for an immediate ceasefire and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts for the benefit of all ethnicities in the Union of Myanmar,” she said in the letter, also addressed to ethnic groups.

Myanmar – where power was handed to a nominally civilian government in March after almost 50 years of military rule – has been plagued by decades of civil war. Fighting has intensified in the north and east of the country in recent months.

Suu Kyi was released from house arrest days after the controversial election last November and has since been warned to stay out of politics.

In her letter, she said she was willing to get involved in halting the unrest.

“I am ready to do as much as I can to support the ceasefire and the peace process,” she said.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner addressed the letter directly to Myanmar president Thein Sein, a former general who took power after the poll, having previously communicated only through her National League for Democracy (NLD).

She has shown increasing confidence in recent weeks, testing the limits of her freedom with her first trip outside Yangon earlier this month and leading hundreds of people in a memorial to her father on her return to the city.

A source from the NLD said Suu Kyi is planning another trip at the beginning of next month, although the outing has not been finalised and it is not clear whether the visit will be political or personal.

“She will go to meditate at a monastery in Yangon for about three days, after that she is likely to go to Bago,” the source said, referring to a region north of Yangon. The NLD was not able to officially confirm any details.

Suu Kyi has spent much of the last two decades in detention, and some observers believe the government would be quick to limit her freedom again if she is perceived as a threat to their rule.

She refrained from overt political activities that might have antagonised the government during her four-day excursion to Bagan, following warnings that “chaos and riots” could ensue if she went ahead with a planned political tour.

Suu Kyi spent more than an hour with labour minister Aung Kyi on Monday in what he described as the “first step towards many things to be worked on in the future”.

The meeting came just days after the US called for “concrete” progress towards democracy.  (*)

SOURCE : CHANNEL NEWS ASIA

New Peruvian President: Peru’s poor my priority

Peru's President Ollanta Humala waves from the back of a vehicle as he rides from Congress to the presidential palace in Lima, July 28, 2011. Humala promised on Thursday to include the poor in the country's economic boom. REUTERS/Janine Costa

 

LIMA, Peru, July 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — Ollanta Humala, the leftist military man who won Peru’s presidency after abandoning a radical platform, promised in his inaugural address Thursday to make his priority the one in three Peruvians still mired in poverty, The Associated Press reported.

In an impassioned speech, the 49-year-old former army lieutenant colonel charted a plan for spreading the wealth from Peru’s mineral boom beyond Lima, where it has long been concentrated among a small elite, to long-neglected hinterlands.

“Peru’s peasants and the poor in the countryside in general will be the priority,” Humala said in remarks before a newly installed Congress and dignitaries who included 11 presidents, almost all from South America.

He quoted South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero and former president, Nelson Mandela, in arguing there can be no democracy where misery and “social asymmetry” persist.

Humala’s will be a daunting juggling act: He also signaled his intention to maintain the business status quo and honor all international pacts, including a raft of free-trade agreements enacted by his predecessors.

To reassure foreign investors, Humala retained the incumbent central bank chief, Julio Velarde, and named as finance ministerLuis Miguel Castilla, a deputy finance minister for the past year and a half in the outgoing government of President Alan Garcia.

The Cabinet is dominated by moderate technocrats but also includes, as culture minister, the renowned singer Susana Baca. She is Peru’s first black Cabinet minister.

Humala didn’t explain how he planned to pay for the generous social programs he catalogued on Thursday, most of which he promised during the campaign, though he has said he intends to seek taxes on windfall mining profits.

The pledges include guaranteeing old-age pensions for all Peruvians at age 65; raising the minimum monthly wage to $270 by next year; and building hospitals in 50 cities where they’re lacking.

The president also has promised to invest more in public transportation in the traffic-choked capital of Lima; to expand highways and railways; to rebuild Peru’s merchant marine, and to re-establish a national airline. Aeroperu went bankrupt in 1999.

He also said he would dedicate more natural gas from the Camisea field for domestic use rather than export, and has promised to lower natural gas prices, although he wouldn’t offer a target price Thursday.

Humala won’t have an easy time in Congress, where his party has just 47 of 130 seats and will have to depend on lawmakers from the Peru Posible party of former President Alejandro Toledo for a majority.

The main opposition in Congress comes from the Fujimori camp, the second-biggest voting bloc. Humala narrowly defeated Keiko Fujimori, daughter of imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, in a June 5 runoff.

The Fujimoristas tried to shout down Humala when, during his swearing-in, he said he was assuming power in the spirit of the 1979 constitution. That was a snub to the 1993 magna carta passed under the autocratic regime of Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year prison term for authorizing death squads and corruption.

The 1993 constitution specifies a reduced state role in the economy, justifying Fujimori’s wave of privatizations of state-owned companies.

Humala received warm greetings from fellow leftist Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia, Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Cristina Fernandez of Argentina. The United States sent Dan Restrepo, the top Western Hemisphere official in the White House.

The nascent UNASUR defense bloc of South American nations was to hold a brief meeting Thursday afternoon. The presidents of Colombia, Brazil and Chile, all in attendance, are key players in that group.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who closely supported Humala in his failed presidential bid in 2006, did not make the trip. He is recuperating from chemotherapy after having a cancerous tumor removed last month from his pelvic region. Chavez sent his congratulations in a Tweet from Caracas.

Garcia, who narrowly defeated Humala in the 2006 race, broke with tradition and opted not to attend Thursday’s inauguration. He quit the presidential palace more than an hour before his successor’s swearing-in, getting into a black SUV with tinted windows and departing without any applause from onlookers.

The 62-year-old, pro-business Garcia had announced several days earlier that he didn’t expect to attend. He said it wasn’t out of disrespect for Humala but to prevent a recurrence of the unpleasantness of 1990, when his first term ended.

At the time, Congress erupted in catcalls when Garcia handed over power to Alberto Fujimori. His first term had been a disaster. Peru was in the throes of hyperinflation and bleeding from a fanatical leftist insurgency.

Garcia left Peru in considerably better shape this time, with economic growth averaging 7 percent during his five years in office, low inflation and $47 billion in international reserves. Peru’s poverty rate dropped from 48 percent to 31 percent on Garcia’s watch, according to government figures.

But the numbers don’t illustrate the great disparity of wealth between those on Peru’s coast and in the interior, and critics complained of rampant corruption.

The World Bank says that in Peru’s rural highlands, where support for Humala was strongest, the poverty rate is as high as 66 percent. Humala won more than 70 percent of the vote in several highland states in the June 5 election.  (*)

SOURCE : AP

Peru Swears In New President

Peru's new President Ollanta Humala (R) recites the oath of office with one hand on the Bible, next to the Congress President Daniel Abugattas (L), in Congress in Lima July 28, 2011. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

 

PERU, July 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — Ollanta Humala has taken office as Peru’s president, pledging in his inaugural address to ensure that all Peruvians will benefit from the country’s economic growth, VOA reported.

Addressing Congress after being sworn in Thursday in Lima, President Humala said “economic progress” and “social inclusion” must work together.

Mr. Humala was elected on promises he would more evenly distribute the country’s mining wealth and the profits of the country’s recent economic growth. Thirty percent of Peruvians currently live below the poverty line.

In the campaign, however, Mr. Humala downplayed his former leftist economic stance. He has sought to reassure foreign investors he will govern as a moderate, retaining two members from the administration of his predecessor, Alan Garcia. Julio Velarde stays on as central bank chief. A deputy finance minister, Luis Miguel Castilla, has been named finance minister. Both men are seen as closely tied to Peru’s recent economic growth.

A number of South American leaders attended Thursday’s inauguration ceremony, including the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. The secretary-general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, and the U.S. ambassador to Peru were also expected to attend.

Mr. Humala’s former mentor, Venezuela’s leftist President Hugo Chavez, currently undergoing treatment for cancer, did not attend the ceremony.

Mr. Humala was elected this past June in a runoff, defeating Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori.

Mr. Humala made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2006. At the time, he opposed a free trade agreement with the United States and pledged to limit foreign investment in Peru. Mr. Humala has since moderated his political discourse and pledged to follow Brazil’s market-friendly model.

President Humala is a leftist former army officer who launched a failed military coup in 2000 against then-president Fujimori. Mr. Humala’s inauguration coincided with Peru’s Independence Day.  (*)

SOURCE : VOA

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s message of support for World Hepatitis Day

British Prime Minister David Cameron written a message of support for World Hepatitis Day on 28 July 2011

 

London, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / NUMBER 10 GOV.UK) — World Hepatitis Day is an annual event that provides international focus for patient groups and people living with hepatitis.

Mr Cameron said it was critical that those who could be at risk continue to be tested.

In a statement released by his office, Mr David Cameron said :

“With more people being tested for Hepatitis C, and treatments improving all the time, an early diagnosis can make a real difference. But its critical that people who could be at risk continue to be tested, as it’s a disease which can go undetected for years. We are looking at how we can strengthen efforts to prevent and control hepatitis C in the future, as part of the our strategy for combating liver disease.

“But today, on World Hepatitis day, I urge everyone who could be at risk to go and get checked out.”  (*)

SOURCE : NUMBER 10 GOV.UK

Photostream : Prime Minister of Slovenia Borut Pahor meets Palestinian, Israeli Leaders

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with Prime Minister of Slovenia Borut Pahor on July 27, 2011 in Ramallah, West Bank. (Photo by Mufeed Abu Hasnah/PPO via Getty Images)

Slovenia's Prime Minister Borut Pahor (L) and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad shake hands during their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah July 27, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor (L) greet each other at the end of their joint statement following their meeting in Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on July 25, 2011. AFP PHOTO/POOL/MENAHEM KAHANA

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman shakes hand with Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor on July 25, 2011 in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/GALI TIBBON

Troops join South Korea clean-up after storms kill 44

South Korean army soldiers remove debris on the street after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 28, 2011. Thousands of rescuers used heavy machinery and shovels Thursday to clear mud and search for survivors after huge landslides and flooding killed more than 40 people in South Korea.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

 

SOUTH KOREA, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AFP) — Tens of thousands of South Korean troops joined a massive clean-up Thursday after record-breaking rainfall killed at least 44 people, flooded hundreds of homes and turned main roads into muddy rivers, AFP reported.

Some 40,000 soldiers with heavy equipment have joined more than 4,000 police in recovery efforts, the defence ministry said.

“Since this is such a big disaster… we will deploy as many as possible as long as it does not hamper normal military operations,” a spokesman told AFP.

The capital Seoul, where some 10 million people live, was hit by 473.5 millimetres (nearly 19 inches) of rain on Tuesday, Wednesday and early Thursday.

Wednesday’s deluge of 301.5 mm was the highest July daily figure since records began and turned main roads in Seoul into rivers of churning, muddy water dotted with the roofs of submerged cars. Drivers abandoned vehicles to run to safety.

Sixteen people were killed in southern Seoul after landslides from Mount Umyeon hit nearby leafy residential areas, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

Thirteen people including 10 student volunteers died in the Chuncheon area, 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the capital, early Wednesday after mudslides from a nearby mountain hit an inn and several homes.

Landslides and a swollen river killed 15 people in Gyeonggi province, which surrounds the capital. Five people were still missing in Seoul and nearby regions, NEMA said.

About 1,370 homes and 645 hectares (1,593 acres) of farmland were inundated, forcing more than 4,900 people to flee their homes. More than 1,000 of them spent Wednesday night in schools and churches.

Most roads were reopened Thursday as the deluge turned to drizzle. But 32 roads and bridges in and around Seoul were still closed as the clean-up began.

 

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak surveys the flooded Han river on a bridge in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 28, 2011. Thousands of rescuers used heavy machinery and shovels Thursday to clear mud and search for survivors after huge landslides and flooding killed more than 40 people in South Korea. (AP Photo/ Yonhap)

 

Mechanical diggers clawed away at a mass of fallen branches and mud while soldiers and others hauled debris away, TV pictures showed.

The defence ministry said it was still searching for about 10 land mines that had been planted to protect an air defence artillery unit on Mount Umyeon, but which were dislodged by the landslide.

Local media focused on the 10 young students whose lives were cut short by the landslide in Chuncheon.

The students, from a science club at Inha University in the western city of Incheon, were engaged in volunteer work with local schoolchildren.

“We heard a big thundering sound and the mud suddenly broke the window and slammed into our room in a few seconds,” one of the survivors at a hospital told MBC TV.

Local resident Kim Hyeong-Woo, who lives near the inn where the students were staying, escaped by seconds after feeling a tremor in his backyard.

“Right after we escaped, the landslide swept our home away,” he told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Amid the pandemonium, he heard students shouting out in pain and screaming for help. “Please help! Please!” he heard. “I can’t find my arm!”

Kim jumped into the mud and rescued two of the students. Grieving students and staff at Inha University have erected a memorial altar at the campus for those who did not survive.  (*)

 

 

SOURCE : AFP

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao Promises Full Probe of Deadly Train Crash

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) delivers a speech at a news conference held at the site of the train accident in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province July 28, 2011. Wen said on Thursday that his visit to the site of the weekend crash of two high-speed trains in eastern China that killed 39 people was delayed due to his medical problems. REUTERS/Royston Chan

 

CHINA, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised Thursday a complete and open investigation into the nation’s deadliest train accident since 2008, saying anyone found to have been at fault will be punished severely.

Mr. Wen also said the government’s top priority is to protect peoples’ lives during a visit Thursday to the site of Saturday’s train wreck, which killed 39 people and injured almost 200.

Earlier Thursday, railway officials said the crash was caused by a severe flaw in the design of signaling equipment which prevented a green light from turning to red after a lightning strike halted a train on a high-speed line south of Shanghai. That caused a second train to smash into the rear of the first, toppling several carriages off of a bridge.

The officials also said dispatchers at a station in Wenzhou should have intervened manually after the Chinese-made signaling equipment failed.

Chinese websites and newspapers have carried unusually harsh criticism of the nation’s railway officials since the accident, blaming it in part on the breakneck pace of China’s industrial development.

More than 100 relatives of the victims gathered at the railway station in Wenzhou on Wednesday to demand an explanation for the accident. Stung by the criticism, the government has ordered a two-month safety campaign for the rail system and launched an intensive investigation. Three rail officials have already been fired.

Internet users exploded in outrage when it was revealed that authorities had buried some of the wreckage at the scene of the crash, rather than removing it for examination. Officials said it was done to facilitate rescue efforts.

There were also complaints that authorities were too quick to call off the search for survivors. A two-year-old girl was found alive hours after the search was ordered to be ended.  (*)

Official: Missing South Korean pilot reported fire

Members of the Jeju Coast Guard retrieve part of the debris from an Asiana Airlines cargo plane from the sea off Jeju island July 28, 2011. An Asiana Airlines cargo plane crashed into the sea off Jeju island off the southern tip of South Korea on Thursday after experiencing a mechanical problem, officials and media reported. The Boeing 747 cargo plane, with two people on board, was bound for China from Seoul's Incheon airport. Yonhap news agency said the plane was returning to Jeju island due to mechanical problems. Police say no survivors have been found. REUTERS/Jeju Coast Guard/Yonhap

 

SEOUL, South Korea, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — A pilot aboard an Asiana Airlines cargo plane that crashed Thursday in waters off a southern South Korean resort island reported a fire just before losing contact with air traffic workers, an official said, The Associated Press reported.

The pilot yelled “Cargo fire!” and “Emergency!” about 10 minutes before the plane disappeared from radar screens, according to an air traffic official who declined to be named because the investigation was ongoing.

The plane also signaled an emergency to Jeju International Airport on the resort island, where it was trying to land, the official said.

The South Korean pilot, identified by the airline as Choi Sang-ki, was flying a Boeing-747 with a co-pilot, transporting computers, semiconductors, resin solution and paint among other items to Pudong in China, the airline said.

Asiana Airlines said the cargo had been loaded in line with international air transport regulations.

Five coast guard patrol boats and four helicopters searched the area for signs of the pilot and the co-pilot, Jeju coast guard spokesman Choi Kyu-mo said.

The coast guard recovered part of a wing with an Asiana Airlines logo on it, life jackets and parts of a pilot seat, the coast guard said in a statement.

The plane took off from South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, according to the airline.

Asiana officials got a report early Thursday morning from the pilot that the plane was having mechanical difficulties and would try to make its way to the Jeju island’s airport, said Jason Kim, a spokesman for Asiana.

Officials then lost contact with the plane and asked the South Korean coast guard to investigate, Kim said. The airline also sent its own emergency specialists to the area.

South Korea has been lashed with extraordinarily heavy rain this week, with landslides and floods killing dozens and causing havoc. Kim said it was unclear whether the weather was a factor.

Coast guard officials said there was no rain in the area but stronger-than-normal wind.

North and South Korea are in a tense military standoff across their heavily armed border, but there was nothing to indicate that the crash had any military connection.

Asiana Airlines was in the news last month when two South Korean marines fired rifles at an Asiana plane carrying 119 people.

South Korea’s military later apologized, saying the marines mistook the plane for a North Korean military aircraft. The military said it planned to strengthen training so troops can better distinguish civilian planes. Officials said the plane wasn’t in range of the rifle fire.  (*)

SOURCE : The Associated Press

France provides Jordan with 600m euro financial assistance package

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) shakes hand with Jordan's King Abdullah II as he leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris July 27, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

 

AMMAN, July 18, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Jordan TIMES) — Jordan and France on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), under which France will provide the Kingdom with 600 million euros ($900 million) to finance development projects for the period 2011-2013.

The memo, signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Jafar Hassan and Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD) Dov Zerah, will finance projects within the coming three years in priority sectors, including water, energy, sanitation, transport and environment, in addition to supporting small and medium enterprises.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of a meeting between His Majesty King Abdullah and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris, during which the two leaders held talks on Middle East developments and several regional and international issues of mutual concern, a Royal Court statement said.

In a separate statement, the planning ministry elaborated that in addition to the 600 million euros, the French agency will supply the Kingdom with 40 million euros as loan guarantees for small and medium enterprises.

The ministry said AFD is particularly interested in a project to build a national railway, adding that a large slice of the financial package can be used to fund such projects without the need for the government to guarantee the loans obtained in the process. The other part of the package can be used as soft loans to support the state budget, which would lessen government dependence on internal borrowing.

Detailed agreements governing the aspects of cooperation between Jordan and France will be signed later, the statement said.

Talks also focused on efforts to achieve peace in the region as well as means to boost cooperation between the two countries, especially in economic fields.

At the meeting, attended by top officials from both sides, the King underlined the French role in supporting the Middle East to address the challenges facing it, particularly in enhancing the opportunity to bring about peace in the region and resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.

Discussions also covered bilateral cooperation in several mega-projects Jordan is carrying out, particularly in telecommunications, transport and infrastructure fields as well as the possibility for the Kingdom to benefit from the French experience in the nuclear energy sector.

The two sides voiced satisfaction over the level of the Jordanian-French relations, underlining prospects of furthering these ties in various fields.

The Monarch briefed Sarkozy on reform and development efforts Jordan is carrying out in various fields in order to meet the aspirations of Jordanian people.

During the discussions, which continued over a lunch banquet held in honour of the King and the accompanying delegation, Sarkozy highlighted His Majesty’s efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East as well as his efforts to achieve comprehensive reform and development in the Kingdom.

The King also met with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, during which the two sides reviewed the latest developments in the Arab and regional arenas and efforts to achieve peace, which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the statement.

Fillon expressed his willingness to continue coordination and consultation between the two countries regarding the current events in the region

The meetings were attended by Royal Court Chief Khalid Karaki, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh, Hassan, Jordan’s Ambassador to France Dina Kawar as well as several senior officials.  (*)

SOURCE : JORDAN TIMES

Photostream : French President Nicolas Sarkozy meets Jordan’s King Abdullah II

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) waits for a guest at the Elysee Palace in Paris July 27, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, welcomes King Abdullah II of Jordan at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) accompanies King of Jordan Abdallah II after a working lunch at the Elysee presidential palace on July 27, 2011 in Paris. AFP PHOTO ERIC FEFERBERG

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, centre, bids farewell to King Abdullah II of Jordan, right, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Jordan's King Abdullah II leaves the Elysee Palace after a meeting with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris July 27, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Humala to be sworn in as Peru’s president

Leftist ex-military officer Ollanta Humala, pictured July 18 in Mexico, will be sworn in Thursday as the next president of Peru aiming to confront the high poverty plaguing his Andean nation despite its solid economic growth.

 

PERU, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / FRANCE 24 / AFP ) - Leftist ex-military officer Ollanta Humala will be sworn in Thursday as the next president of Peru aiming to confront the high poverty plaguing his Andean nation despite its solid economic growth.

Humala, 49, starts his five-year term having pledged to work hard to change the daily lives of some 30 percent of Peru’s 28 million people who live below the poverty line.

In years past, Humala, who has not held elective office, aligned himself rhetorically with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the United States.

Now Humala portrays his policy preference as more of the moderate left, saying he is inspired by Brazil’s ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula was successful at reducing poverty while fostering economic growth.

“Right now, the fear (of how he will govern) has decreased. But there is no euphoria. Humala has succeeded at easing fears, but now he has to respond to widespread high public expectations,” said political analyst Aldo Panfichi.

“I think he is going to follow the trend of Brazil and also of Uruguay, of running (his campaign) to the left, but then governing more from the center,” to protect the economy, Panfichi said.

He said it was clear that Chavez’s initiatives “have lost some momentum. It is clear that he has not solved Venezuela’s problems. Latin American politics are more complex and nuanced than the black or white Chavez painted things.”

Humala was elected in a second round run-off in June when he defeated Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Peru’s disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori.

He has since met leaders from Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on a tour to forge ties and reassure investors in one of Latin America’s fastest growing economies.

Humala’s election promises centered on a fairer redistribution of the Andean nation’s rich mineral deposits and drew support from many poor, indigenous and rural inhabitants of southern regions of Peru.

But he has brought together liberals and moderate leftists for his first cabinet, including leftist writer and sociologist Rafael Roncagliolo as foreign minister and millionaire businessman Salomon Lerner as his cabinet chief.

Analysts say Humala has managed to allay fears, which inflated during the election campaign, that he would follow the “20th century socialist” path of Venezuela’s firebrand Chavez, such as nationalizing key industries.

Humala was openly backed by Chavez in 2006 presidential polls, which he narrowly lost to outgoing President Alan Garcia.

But as Humala takes over from Garcia on Peru’s independence day he will inherit dozens of social conflicts set to test the strength of his eclectic cabinet.

He will face a “baptism of fire” on issues such as a windfall tax on wealthy mining companies, which was one of his election promises.

Humala led a failed revolt in 2000 against Alberto Fujimori just before the latter fled into exile, for which he was jailed and then received a congressional pardon.

He has long been plagued by the antics of his family, including radical nationalist outbursts from his father, a 2005 rebellion by one of his brothers, who is now in jail, and a recent visit to Russia by another brother who conducted rogue gas deal talks without his consent.

While his party is the largest minority in the legislature, Humala will have to build a coalition to get much legislative work done.  (*)

SOURCE : FRANCE 24 & AFP

EU warns against growing tensions in Kosovo

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Serbs set fire to a border crossing in northern Kosovo after Kosovo police captured it in a police operation [Reuters

KOSOVO, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / ALJAZZERA / REUTERS) — The European Union has issued a stern warning against a deadly flare-up of violence in Kosovo’s Serb-run north, reports Reuters news agency.

Ethnic Serbs set fire to a border crossing post in northern Kosovo on Wednesday, after Kosovo’s government regained control of the post and a second one late on Monday night.

Catherine Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, said in a statement: “I strongly condemn the violence that has taken place in northern Kosovo. These latest developments are unacceptable”.

She said that it is the responsibility of the governments in Belgrade and Pristina to restore peace between the two nations.

Armed Kosovo police units crossed into the ethnic Serb-dominated north on Monday in an effort to station troops in a region that takes its orders from Serbia, news agencies said.

A Kosovo police officer was shot in the head and died on Tuesday and four others were injured during an exchange of gunfire between police and local Serbs opposing Kosovo’s efforts to take control of its border posts.

The same border post was burned down in 2008 by local Serbs after Kosovo declared independence.

 

A border crossing between Serbia and Kosovo is set ablaze by hundreds of Serb youths, in Jarinje, on July 27, 2011. Kosovo special police units on July 25 took control of the Brnjak and Jarinje border crossings to enforce a new ban on imports from Serbia in a tit-for-tat move against the embargo imposed by Belgrade since 2008, when Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence. One officer was subsequently killed and four others were hurt in a clash with angry local Serbs and on July 27 most of these elite forces withdrew. AFP PHOTO / STRINGER

 

Serbian explanation

The Reuters news agency quoted Serbian negotiators for Kosovo, who are attempting to negotiate a solution to the violence with Kosovo officials and NATO peacekeepers, as saying that Wednesday’s fire was set by criminals trying to undermine talks.

Borko Stefanovic, the chief Serb negotiator, said: “This violent act, an act of criminals and extremists, represents a clear attempt to undermine the process we are pursuing and the attempts to resolve all the issues in a peaceful manner.

“This greatly aggravates the position of Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and is not contributing to the resolution of the problems which had brought us here in the past couple of days.”

Oliver Ivanovic, Serbia’s state secretary for Kosovo, also voiced concerns about further violence.

“One act of violence produces more violence. I am afraid we are entering a spiral of violence,” he said.

Armed ethnic Serbs fired at NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo on Wednesday in the north.

“The situation deteriorated at the customs post Jarinje and it was confirmed that an act of arson was committed against that position,” NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) said in a statement.

“There have also been confirmed reports of shots fired at KFOR personnel in the vicinity.”

The NATO statement did not say whether anyone was injured in the attack or whether KFOR troops returned fire, but said reinforcements had been sent to the border.

 

A border crossing burns it in the village of Jarinje, on the Serbia-Kosovo border, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. A mob of about 200 Serbs hurled firebombs and a customs post was set ablaze on Kosovo's northernmost border with Serbia on Wednesday, hours after Kosovo's special police withdrew from the area. The attacks follow days of mounting tension between ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs after Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci ordered special police units to take over two disputed border posts that were previously manned by Serb members of the police under EU supervision. The European Union has condemned the police action and NATO peacekeepers have been deployed to try and ease tensions. (AP Photo/Zveki)

 

Raid defended

Hashim Thaci, the prime minister of Kosovo, justified the police operation on Tuesday, saying it was a “concrete step in establishing the rule of law” in the north.

He said co-operation with the international community was important, but that “the constitution and the sovereignty of my country are sacred for myself and for my countrymen and go beyond any partnership or loyalty”.

At a news briefing, Maja Kocijancic, an EU commission spokesperson described Kosovo’s unilateral action in the region as “not helpful”.

“It was not done in consultation neither with the European Union nor the international community and we do not approve it,” she said.

In Washington, President Barack Obama echoed Kocijancic’s sentiments, but stopped short of condemning Kosovo.

Though Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008, Serbia does not recognise its independence.

To undermine Kosovo’s claim of sovereignty, Serbia has stationed its troops in the northern region and enforced a boycott against goods from Kosovo.

Kosovo wants to assert control over the north and enforce a similar ban on Serbian goods.  (*)

SOURCE : ALJAZEERA & REUTERS

South Korean rescuers search for landslide victims

South Korean rescue workers carry a survivor who was rescued from a collapsed house as a midnight landslide caused by torrential rains swept away several houses in Chuncheon, South Korea, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Heavy rain sent the landslide barreling into a resort in a northern South Korean town Wednesday. (AP Photo/Lee Sang-hak)

 

SEOUL, South Korea, July 28, 2011  (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — Thousands of rescuers used heavy machinery and shovels Thursday to clear mud and search for survivors after huge landslides and flooding killed at least 44 people in South Korea, The Associated Press reported.

Five others were reported missing in the wake of the massive rains that have pounded Seoul and surrounding areas since Tuesday. It was the heaviest rainfall in South Korea this year.

Among the dead were 10 college students who were engulfed by a landslide while sleeping in a resort cabin in Chuncheon, north of Seoul. The students from Inha University in Incheon, just west of Seoul, were volunteering at a local elementary school.

Hundreds of firefighters and others rushed to rescue those believed trapped and pull the dead from the mud and wreckage in Chuncheon, but they stopped their rescue work on Wednesday evening after it became apparent no one else was missing. On Friday, about 970 workers were cleaning up the mud in the area, where 24 others were also injured and several buildings destroyed by the landslide, officials said.

A South Korean firefighter carries an injured woman on his back after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. A quick blast of heavy rain sent landslides barreling through South Korea's capital and a northern town Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

At least 16 people died after mud crashed through homes at the foot of a mountain in southern Seoul. The National Emergency Management Agency reported 15 more deaths due to a stream flooding and landslides in towns near Seoul.

On Thursday, about 5,000 firefighters, soldiers, police officers and others mobilized to try to find any survivors and clean walls of mud piled in residential areas near Seoul’s Womyeon Mountain, emergency official Kim Wu-min said.

About 7,500 others were working in Dongducheon, a city just north of Seoul, for a similar rescue and clean-up mission, he said.

Footage by YTN television network showed excavators removing a mass of mud and fallen tree parts and rescuers in raincoats shoveling up the dirt piled up near a Seoul apartment. Uniformed soldiers and firefighters wearing cotton gloves used their hands to pull out rocks and tree branches from the mud.

The rainfall left about 4,940 people homeless, flooded about 1,380 houses and caused power outage in 126,280 houses throughout South Korea, the National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement Thursday.

Fast-moving, muddy water filled the streets in Seoul on Wednesday, sending residents scrambling to the roofs of their partially submerged cars.

The village is covered by flood water during a torrential rain storm hit the capital city on July 27, 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea issued a national crisis warning on as torrential rain caused flooding in parts of the country, killing over 35 with at least ten missing. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Water filled some subway stations and spewed from sewers. TV images showed people in one flooded subway station using shovels, brooms and a wooden board in an effort to keep more rain from coming in.

Footage showed officials rescuing hikers stranded on mountainsides. People plodded down streets covered with knee-deep water, many barefoot, their pants rolled up. In Seoul’s center, cars were restricted from entering the lower part of a submerged two-level bridge.

About 17 inches (440 millimeters) of rain fell on Seoul and more than 13 inches (340 millimeters) on Chuncheon on Tuesday and Wednesday, about 15 times more than the average two-day rainfall at this time of year, according to the state-run Korea Meteorological Administration.

Rainfall stopped or decreased in many parts of Seoul and its surrounding areas on Thursday, but weather officials said South Korea would receive more rain until Friday morning.  (*)

SOURCE : The Associated Press

NATO peacekeepers attacked in northern Kosovo

KFOR peacekeepers. Files

 

KOSOVO, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / RIA NOVOSTI) — Unknown gunmen attacked NATO peacekeepers in northern Kosovo for the second time in the past few hours, the Kosovo Force (KFOR) said in a statement, RIA NOVOSTI reported on Thursday.

NATO peacekeepers have been deployed to Kosovo’s Serb-dominated north after clashes broke out in the area on Monday following the Kosovo authorities’ decision to send special police forces to the border to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia, a move opposed by local Serbs.

Kosovo officials later said they ordered the withdrawal from the border posts after government customs officers had been installed at the sites.

Late on Wednesday, a group of several dozen people in masks were reported to have attacked the Jarine border crossing post in northern Kosovo with Molotov cocktails. The attackers reportedly approached the checkpoint from the north (Serbian-controlled territory).

There have been no reports of victims of injuries.

Earlier on Wednesday, some media reports said the Brnyak border crossing post was attacked and set on fire by a group of Kosovo Serbs. The reports have not been confirmed, but KFOR said security was strengthened at both border crossings.

Several hours before the attack of the Jarine checkpoint, two Mil Mi-171 (Hip) helicopters carrying Croatian peacekeepers were attacked by unknown gunmen in the area, the Croatian Defense Ministry said. No one was wounded in the attack.

KFOR Commander Gen. Erhard Buehler has been negotiating with representatives of Kosovo Albanians and Serbs to settle the situation, the KFOR statement said.

Serbian President Boris Tadic has condemned the attacks on peacekeepers. He said, however, that Belgrade “will not go to war” in response to Kosovo attempts to seize border checkpoints and will use only diplomatic means to resolve the conflict.

Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has blamed the violence on the Serbian side.

Kosovo, which unilaterally proclaimed its independence from Serbia in 2008, has been recognized by a total of 76 out of 192 UN member states.

Serbs account for up to 10 percent of Kosovo’s population, making up the biggest non-Albanian community remaining in the breakaway region following the 1998-99 Kosovan war of independence.  (*)

SOURCE : RIA NOVOSTI

Photostream : Britain Begins One-Year Countdown to London Olympics

London's Mayor Boris Johnson speaks, alongside Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (R), the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge (L), Chairman of the IOC Co-ordination Commission Denis Oswald (2nd L) and Princess Anne, during the one year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games, at an Olympic event in Trafalgar Square in central London July 27, 2011. As reported by VOA in Wednesday, Britain launched the one-year countdown to the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London Wednesday with a day of festivities in the British capital and other cities around the globe. A huge countdown clock was unveiled in central London. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge issued a formal invitation to all 202 nations with teams to send their athletes to Britain. World champion swimmer Tom Daley inaugurated the aquatics center with the first dive into the swimming pool. In New York, nine-time Olympic gold medalist Olympic track and field star Carl Lewis unveiled a countdown clock at the United Nations. Countdown clocks were also dedicated in New Delhi and Beijing. Britons and Canadians in Washington ran a ceremonial Olympic torch relay six kilometers from the Canadian embassy to the British embassy. In Pakistan, the British High Commission's tennis team competed in a mixed doubles match with top Pakistani players. The British Embassy in Romania threw a street party in Bucharest. British diplomats In Uzbekistan staged a mini-Olympics for teenagers, and in Brazil they held a tea party at the official residence in Brazilia. REUTERS/Luke McGregor

British Prime Minister David Cameron, right, addresses the crowd as President of International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, left looks on during the London 2012 Olympic one year to go ceremony at Trafalgar Square in London, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Britain's Princess Anne and British Prime Minister David Cameron look on before the unveiling of the London 2012 gold, silver and bronze medals, during a ceremony to mark the one-year countdown to the Olympics began in central London on July 27, 2011. AFP PHOTO / CARL COURT

Princess Anne and Lor Coe stand by the box containing the London 2012 medals during the unveiling ceremony. -- The Princess Royal unveiled the London 2012 medals at a ceremony in Trafalgar Square. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister David Cameron, Mayor Boris Johnson, Lord Coe and IOC President Jacques Rogge. London, UK. 27th July 2011. Photo : Getty Images

Britain's Princess Anne and Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, hold the newly designed medals for the London 2012 Olympic Games, at an Olympic event in Trafalgar Square in central London July 27, 2011. The London Olympics entered its final year countdown on Wednesday with diver Tom Daley poised to make a splash in the newly-opened Aquatics Centre before the call goes out to the world to come and join the party. REUTERS/Luke McGregor

Former Olympic gold medallists Kelly Holmes and Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, hold up the newly designed medals for the London 2012 Olympic Games, at an Olympic event in Trafalgar Square in central London July 27, 2011. The London Olympics entered its final year countdown on Wednesday with diver Tom Daley poised to make a splash in the newly-opened Aquatics Centre before the call goes out to the world to come and join the party. REUTERS/Luke McGregor

The Olympic flag hangs in Trafalgar Square. -- The Princess Royal unveiled the London 2012 medals at a ceremony in Trafalgar Square. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister David Cameron, Mayor Boris Johnson, Lord Coe and IOC President Jacques Rogge. London, UK. 26th July 2011. Photo : Getty Images

UK Minister for Sport and Olympics Hugh Robertson, Chairman of the London Organising Commitee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Lord Coe and British Olympian Colin Jackson celebrate 'One year to Go' by getting their footprints cast to mark the first steps on the way to London 2012 in front of Eurostar at St Pancras Station on July 27, 2011 in London, England. Eurostar is the Official International Rail Service Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images for Eurostar)

Two pilots missing after Asiana cargo plane crashes off Jeju

July 28, JEJU, South Korea -- The Jeju Maritime Police retrieves the wreckage of the Asiana Airlines Boeing-744 cargo plane that crashed in the sea off South Korea's southernmost island of Jeju on the morning of July 28, killing one pilot and one crewman. (Photo courtesy of Jeju Maritime Police) (Yonhap)

 

JEJU, South Korea, July 28, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Yonhap) — A cargo plane operated by Asiana Airlines, South Korea’s second-largest flagship carrier, crashed into the sea off Jeju Island early Thursday, leaving its two pilots missing, the Coast Guard said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Debris of the Boeing-747 aircraft, which departed from Incheon International Airport at 3:05 a.m. heading for China’s Pudong, was found in waters about 107 kilometers west of the city of Jeju by a Coast Guard patrol boat at 6:40 a.m., the Coast Guard said.  (*)

SOURCE : YONHAP