German police seize weapons and chemicals in raid

Two people arrested and a pipe bomb, assault rifle and chemicals seized during raid near Frankfurt. 

 

German police have arrested two people after recovering a pipe bomb, assault rifle and chemicals that could be used to make explosives, during a raid near Frankfurt.
Officials said on Thursday that the device, found at the suspects' home in Oberursel near the city of Frankfurt, was "ready for use."
"According to our current information we have prevented an attack," Stefan Mueller, the chief of police for western Hesse state said.
Prosecutors said the raid came after security officials learned that three litres of hydrogen peroxide had been purchased at a hardware store by someone using a false name.
"This hydrogen peroxide triggered an alert," Stefan Rojczyk, Frankfurt's deputy chief prosecutor told the AP news agency. "Police figured out who had bought it and it was decided to act fast."
Germany's Die Welt daily newspaper said the couple had been under observation by a special police unit for several days.
Hydrogen peroxide has been used by to build improvised explosive devices in the past, including by the "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, who tried to detonate a bomb in his shoe during a trans-Atlantic flight.
"Three litres is completely unusual," Rojczyk said. "You can use it to clear algae from your pond, but you can also use it to build bombs."
In addition to the hydrogen peroxide, pipe bomb and rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition were also recovered.
"We are of course still trying to determine what was going on. We have the devices, we have the owners of these devices, but now we need to find out what was planned," Rojczyk said.
"Everything is being evaluated and this may take some time."
Authorities in Germany say the country is at high risk of an attack, including by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

NASA spacecraft smashes into Mercury

Collision of Messenger spacecraft with the planet brings an end to one of the space agency's most productive missions.

 

NASA's Messenger spacecraft has crashed into the planet Mercury after running out of fuel, in an incident expected by the US space agency.
On Thursday, Messenger - which stands for 'Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging' - slipped out of orbit following a successful four-year tour of the rocky planet.
NASA said it was powerless to stop gravity from dragging the spacecraft towards the planet.
Its collision at a speed of more than 14,000kph added another small crater to Mercury's already-pitted surface.
Mercury is only slightly bigger than our moon and is the closest planet to the Sun, but until the $450m spacecraft arrived in Mercury's orbit in 2011, little was known about the planet.
Since then, the 485kg spacecraft has been using its seven scientific instruments to scan and feed back to Earth volumes of data.
"The material that Messenger has sent is enormous," says Francisco Diego, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London.
"There are a lot of spectroscopic measurements, different gamma ray, x-ray spectrometers that characterised different depths of the soil of Mercury."

Technicians from the Johns Hopkins University prepare the Messenger spacecraft [NASA via AP]

Messenger sent back images of Mercury's moon-like surface in unprecedented detail.
Scarred by the collision of asteroids and meteorites, these pictures also revealed the presence of ancient lava flows, suggesting the planet may have had a large ocean of magma early in its history, after its formation about 4.5bn years ago.
"It has a very massive solid core or iron," says Diego. "Similar to the Earth but much bigger – proportionately bigger.
"It is almost sure now that there is a liquid core also there, producing that magnetic field that is similar to the magnetic field of the Earth."
Messenger recorded surface temperatures on Mercury which fluctuate between minus 170 and plus 420 degrees Celsius. It also discovered ice at the planet's poles, covered by a layer of dark matter.
"The team has put forward the hypothesis that this dark material is in fact organic carbonaceous material delivered to Mercury by the same objects that brought the water ice," said Sean Solomon, Principal Investigator of the Messenger mission.
"[They were] probably from the outer solar system, what on our planet were once some of the building blocks of organic chemistry and life."
The next science mission to Mercury is planned by a joint European and Japanese team.
It is not expected to arrive there until 2024. Until then, scientists will be kept busy working through the huge volume of data from Messenger, hoping to further transform our understanding of the planet and how the solar system was formed.

French soldiers accused of raping CAR children

President Hollande vows to show "no mercy" if troops are found guilty of abusing children they were sent to protect.

 

France is investigating allegations that its peacekeepers sexually abused children in the Central African Republic after a leaked UN report said victims as young as eight were raped in exchange for food and money.
The French government "was made aware at the end of July 2014 by the UN's high commissioner for human rights of accusations by children that they had been sexually abused by French soldiers", the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
An investigation was opened shortly after by Paris prosecutors, it said.
French President Francois Hollande vowed to "show no mercy" if the troops were found guilty.

"If some soldiers have behaved badly, I will show no mercy," he told reporters.
The abuse was alleged by around 10 children, the ministry said, and reportedly took place at a centre for displaced people near the airport of the capital Bangui between December 2013 and June 2014.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed that UN rights investigators had conducted a probe last year following "serious allegations" of child abuse and sexual exploitation by French troops, and had suspended a staff member for leaking the report in July.
The report was given to Britain's The Guardian newspaper by the US-based advocacy group AIDS-Free World, which is calling for a commission of inquiry to be set up on sexual misconduct by peacekeepers.
Al Jazeera's Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said that even though the French military said an investigation was under way on their behalf, the incident is potentially embarrassing for the UN.
"Until now, the one person who has been punished for anything is that UN human rights official who raised the alarm," he said.
Children searching for food
Paula Donovan, co-director of AIDS-Free World, said the report detailed interviews with six children, aged eight to 15, who approached the French soldiers to ask for food.
"The children were saying that they were hungry and they thought that they could get some food from the soldiers. The answer was 'if you do this, then I will give you food'," Donovan told AFP news agency.
"Different kids used different language."
The report by the UN human rights office was commissioned amid fears of sexual abuse against children last year as tens of thousands were displaced by fighting and unrest in the country.
The UN employee accused of the leak, Swedish national Anders Kompass, is based in Geneva and turned the report over to French authorities because his bosses had failed to take action, The Guardian reported.
He has been suspended and faces dismissal for breaching protocol, the paper said.
But UN officials said Kompass passed on the confidential document before it was presented to senior officials in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, suggesting that senior UN officials were not even aware of the report's findings when it was leaked.
"This constitutes a serious breach of protocol, which, as is well known to all OHCHR officials, requires redaction of any information that could endanger victims, witnesses and investigators," said Haq.
While the UN did not identify the source of the leak, it asserted that "such conduct does not constitute whistleblowing".

Source: Al Jazeera And AFP

North Korean soldiers suspected of China killings

Three people dead in area not far from where North Korean border guards reportedly killed seven villagers last year.

 

The 1,400km border runs through mountainous and often-remote terrain from the Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan [EPA]

China said it was investigating the killings of three villagers in a border town where North Korean guards have been accused of crossing over to commit thefts and slayings

The killings were under investigation and border security troops will "assist police in handling border security related issues and ensure stability along the China-North Korean border," defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said on Thursday.
The Helong city government said a 55-year-old man, his 26-year-old daughter and another man aged 67 were killed on Saturday. It said in a statement on Thursday that police from the provincial level down were investigating.
The killings took place in Longcheng township along the North Korean border. The location is not far from where at least seven villagers were reported killed last year by border guards who had crossed the Tumen River, which separates the countries, in search of money and food, the AP news agency reported.
China is North Korea's chief source of trade and aid, but the North's desperate economic situation is testing the traditionally close relationship. Underpaid and underfed border guards have reportedly been terrorising Chinese villagers in recent years, especially in winter when the frozen river makes crossing over easy.
More than 1 million North Koreans are believed to have died in a famine in the 1990s and the country remains heavily dependent on food aid, although the political elite and military receive preferential rations.
Border attacks are believed to have grown over the past two years after a crackdown on crossings by ordinary North Koreans deprived guards of income from bribes. Chinese fishermen have also been held for ransom after being seized by North Korean boats in the Yellow Sea dividing the countries.
The incidents underscore a substantial cooling of ties since Kim Jong-un took over as supreme leader of North Korea in 2012.
China has been repeatedly rebuffed in its attempts to convince the North to rejoin multinational talks on its nuclear programmes, exposing it to criticism for supporting the government in Pyongyang. Beijing also was shocked by the 2013 execution of Kim's uncle Jang Song-thaek, who had been a key proponent of North Korea-China relations.
The 1,400km border between the sides runs through mountainous and often-remote terrain from the Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan.

Saudi king appoints nephew as crown prince

Reshuffle sees King Salman naming Mohammed bin Nayef as heir and replacing the world's longest-serving foreign minister.

 

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has named his powerful interior minister as heir in a major reshuffle that also saw the world's longest-serving foreign minister replaced.
A royal decree removed Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud as next in line to the throne and replaced him with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, who headed a crackdown on al-Qaeda in the country a decade ago.
"We have decided to respond to his highness and what he had expressed about his desire to be relieved from the position of crown prince," said a statement from the royal court, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The decree named "Prince Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince" as well as deputy prime minister and said he would continue in his position of interior minister and head of the political and security council, a coordinating body.
Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Jizan in the country's south, said the moves represented a major change in Saudi Arabia.
"This is the first time that a grandson of the founder of the country [King Abdulaziz], rather than a son, is appointed crown prince," our correspondent said.
Assassination attempt
Nayef narrowly escaped an attempt on his life six years ago, while he was Saudi Arabia's security chief.
Since then he has remained tough on internal security. There have been many arrests of suspected al-Qaeda and more recently ISIL members since then.

A separate decree on Wednesday said King Salman's son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is in his early 30s, will be deputy crown prince. He retains his position of defence minister.
The new deputy crown prince has played a key role in the Saudi-led coalition's aerial campaign in Yemen to try and stop the advance of Houthi fighters, backed by Iran.
Khalil Jahshan, the executive director for the Arab Centre of Washington from Fairfax, Virginia, said that the reshuffle constitutes a "political earthquake of the greatest magnitude".
"The Saudi Arabia we knew a few hours ago is no longer," Jahshan told Al Jazeera, adding: "These are serious changes that will have repercussions not only domestically but also internationally.

"This is a very decisive answer by King Salman to the doubts that many experts have expressed since he came into power with regards to his health, his decisiveness and his control over political matters in the kingdom. And this is his unequivocal answer."

Foreign minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal, was replaced with the kingdom's Washington ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.
Faisal was first named in 1975, making him the world's longest-serving foreign minister.
Faisal "asked to be relieved from his duties due to his health conditions," said the royal decree published on the official Saudi Press Agency, adding that he was appointed as an adviser and a special envoy of King Salman, as well as a supervisor on foreign affairs.
The latest nominations, part of King's Salman second cabinet reshuffle since he acceded the throne on January 23.
King Salman, 79, came to power in January after the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah, at the age of 90.

Baltimore hit by clashes for second night

Tear gas and pepper spray used as police try to quell riots sparked by the death of a black man in custody.

 

At least 2,000 National Guard members were deployed to the city to enforce the curfew [AP]

Demonstrators and police clashed briefly in a second night of protests in the US city of Baltimore, where a curfew has been imposed to quell rioting triggered by the death of a black man in police custody.
Police used tear gas canisters and pepper balls against at least 200 protesters on Tuesday night in order to enforce the citywide curfew from 10pm to 5am.
But Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from the city in Maryland state, said that there was little incidence after the brief clashes.
"There were very brief clashes with police and about 200-300 protesters that refused to listen to police orders to disperse. Some tear gas was used but it was fairly minor overall," he said.
He added that most residents in the city did obey the curfew.
Larry Hogan, the governor of the state, said 2,000 National Guard members and 1,000 police officers would be in place overnight.

Gray's death has become the latest touchstone in a national debate over police use of force [AP]

Violent protests erupted on Monday, shortly after the funeral for a black man who died on April 19 after he was injured in police custody a week earlier.
So far, at least 20 officers have been hurt in the clashes. One person was critically injured in a fire, more than 200 adults and 34 juveniles were arrested, and nearly 150 cars were burned, police said.
Renewed national debate
The death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray renewed a national debate on law enforcement and race that was sparked by the killing of unarmed black men by police last year in Ferguson, Missouri; New York and others.
But rioting and looting in a pocket of Baltimore's west on Monday prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency, deploying the National Guard - the first time in Baltimore since the unrest that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968.

President Barack Obama said that the group of youth who stole from businesses and burned buildings and cars should be treated as criminals.

He condemned the group for the "counterproductive" riots, but stressed the need for soul searching in the country.
Demonstrators threw bottles at police and picked up the canisters and hurled them back at officers. But the crowd rapidly dispersed and was down to just a few dozen people within minutes.
Gray was arrested April 12 after running away at the sight of police, authorities said. He was held down, handcuffed and loaded into a police van. Leg cuffs were put on him when he became irate inside. He died a week later after incurring a spinal injury.
Authorities said they are still investigating how and when he suffered the spinal injury - during the arrest or while he was in the van, where authorities say he was riding without being belted in, a violation of department policy.
Six officers have been suspended with pay in the meantime.

Saudi Arabia arrests scores of suspected ISIL members

State news agency says 93 people, including 65 Saudi nationals, detained, with several plots across the country foiled.

 

The USsuspended consular services in the kingdom for two days in March due to "heightened security concerns" [Getty Images]

Saudi Arabia says it has arrested 93 people, including 65 Saudi nationals, on suspicion of belonging to the armed group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The kingdom's official Saudi Press news agency said on Tuesday that it had foiled several plots across the country, including an attack on the US embassy in the capital, Riyadh.
It said a cell involving two Syrians and a Saudi citizen planned a suicide car bombing against the embassy but the plot was detected in March.
US officials halted all consular services for a week starting March 15 at the embassy and two other diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia over security fears, it said.
Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Jizan in the south of the country, said some of those arrested were in possession of weapons and caches of ammunition.
An important ally for Western countries battling ISIL, the kingdom has come under attack at least four times since October, after joining a broad coalition bombing the group's targets in Syria and Iraq.
In November, ISIL was blamed for the deaths of seven Shia Muslims, including children, in the country's Eastern Province.
Saudi Arabia has taken several steps to stop its citizens joining fighters in Syria or Iraq, with the country's highest religious authority condeming the armed group as "apostates" and labelling them the "number one enemy of Islam".
ISIL, which according to reports has recruited thousands of foreign fighters, still controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, where it has been accused of committing mass atrocities against civilians and minority groups.

Indonesia executes drug smugglers by firing squad

Executions of eight out of nine convicts carried out despite plea by Australia to investigate judicial corruption.

 

Indonesia has executed eight out of nine drug convicts by firing squad despite last-ditch appeals by Australia's foreign minister for a stay of execution so that claims of corruption during the trials of two Australian prisoners could be investigated.
The executions were carried out after midnight (17:30 GMT) at Besi prison on Nusakambangan Island on Tuesday, after the inmates were given 72-hours notice.
Over the weekend, authorities had asked the nine convicts, which included two Australians, four Nigerian men, one man each from Brazil and Indonesia and a Filipino woman for their last wishes.
However, the execution of the Filipina, Mary Jane Veloso, was spared at the last minute after someone suspected of recruiting her surrendered to police in the Philippines, the attorney general's spokesman told the Reuters news agency late on Tuesday.
"The execution of Mary Jane Veloso has been postponed because there was a request from the Philippine president related to a perpetrator suspected of human trafficking who surrendered herself in the Philippines," Tony Spontana, spokesman for the attorney general said.
"Mary Jane has been asked to testify."
Earlier, Filipino migrants had rallied in Hong Kong on behalf of Velose - a 30-year-old mother of two whose  supporters said was tricked into carrying a suitcase loaded with heroin.
Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen, reporting from Cilacap in Indonesia, said while there was an outpouring of joy among Filipinos that Velose had been spared, there would be a different reaction from Australia after Jakarta rejected last-ditch pleas for clemency.
"The executions could cause a diplomatic fallout between Australia and Indonesia similar toearlier this year when the Netherlands and Brazil recalled their ambassadors after their nationals were killed," she said.
Australia had mounted a sustained campaign to save its citizens, who have been on death row for almost a decade.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were the Australian ringleaders of the so-called "Bali Nine" heroin trafficking group whoe were arrested at the main airport on the holiday island in April 2005 for trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin to Australia.
The seven other members of the Bali Nine, all Australians, were jailed in Indonesia and did not face the death penalty.
White coffins
The families of the Australian convicts had paid an anguished final visit to their loved ones earlier on Tuesday, wailing in grief as ambulances carrying empty white coffins arrived at the prison.
Julie Bishop, Australia's foreign minister, told media earlier in the day that she had asked for a stay in their executions, saying allegations in the Australian media that their judges had requested money to commute the death sentences were "very serious".
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that such concerns should have been conveyed a decade ago when the case went through the courts.
A former lawyer of the prisoners, Muhammad Rifan, told Australia's Fairfax Media on Monday that Indonesian judges had requested more than $100,000 in return for prison terms of less than 20 years.
But Rifan said the judges later told him they had been ordered by senior legal and government members in Jakarta to impose a death penalty, so the deal fell through.
Among the condemned on Tuesday was Brazilian, Rodrigo Gularte, who had been diagnosed by Indonesian medics with schizophrenia.
Gularte, 42, was arrested in 2004 at a Jakarta airport after trying to enter the country with 6kg of cocaine hidden in a surfboard.
He was also sentenced to death in 2005.
Amnesty International condemned the executions saying they showed a "complete disregard for due process and human rights safeguards."
"Some of the prisoners were reportedly not provided access to competent lawyers or interpreters during their arrest and initial trial, in violation of their right to a fair trial which is recognized under international and national law," Rupert Abbott, Amnesty's Research Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific said.
"Gularte, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and international law clearly prohibits the use of the death penalty against those with mental disabilities," Abbott added.
Fourteen people have now been put to death in Indonesia this year, and the government has announced plans for further executions this year.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Nepal quake death toll could reach 10,000

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala warns that number of people confirmed dead could soar as rescue teams reach remote areas.

 

Nepal's prime minister has warned that the number of people killed in the country's worst earthquake in decades could reach 10,000.
Sushil Koirala's comment on Tuesday came as rescuers in Nepal were struggling to reach remote communities.
With the UN estimating eight million people have been hit by the disaster, Koirala said getting help to some of the worst affected areas was a "major challenge".
He said authorities were overwhelmed by appeals for help from remote Himalayan villages left devastated by Saturday's 7.8-magnitude quake.
Mass cremations took place overnight after the government ordered the continuous burning of the bodies to prevent the spread of diseases.
Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, home ministry spokesperson, said on Tuesday the official death toll had risen to about 4,700, with more than 9,000 known to have been injured.

Infographic: Indian plate UPDATED [Al Jazeera]

In places like Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbar Square, rescue teams were scrambling to clear the debris to find bodies and possibly survivors trapped underneath.
Heavy rain in Kathmandu was hampering rescue efforts and also adding to the suffering of those made homeless by the quake or sleeping out in the open in fear of aftershocks.
Al Jazeera's Annette Ekin, reporting from Kathmandu, said many locals were camping out in Nagpuri Park, huddling under blankets. But despite the loss of life and property around them, most people remained calm.
"There's no one they can blame for this, so people are in pretty good spirits," she said.
"Some musicians are camped out in the park, playing the guitar."
Many spent the night in tents, returning only briefly to their homes to pick up supplies.
With fears rising of food and water shortages, Nepalis were rushing to stores and petrol stations to stock up on essential supplies in Kathmandu.
Major hurdle
The size of Kathmandu's airport is a major hurdle to bring in aid, as only planes of a certain size can land on the single runway.
Three days after the quake hit, rescue teams have still not reached some of the worst-affected areas of Lamjung, the site of the quake's epicentre, around 77km west of Kathmandu.
"The situation here is not good. So many have lost their homes. They don't have enough water or food," said Udav Prasad Timilsina, head official in the neighbouring district of Gorkha.

"We haven't even been able to treat the injured. We are in urgent need of essentials like food, water ... and medicines and tents. Rescuers are coming in, but we need help."
In Kathmandu, hospitals were working non-stop, running dangerously low on blood.
Youths were volunteering in hospitals and also as first-aid responders and to clear debris.
In another development, mountaineers reporting from the Everest base camp said on Tuesday all of the climbers who had been stranded at camps by avalanches had been removed to safety.
Taking advantage of Monday's clear weather, three helicopters shuttled climbers all day from camp 1, above the impassable Khumbu glacier, while others trekked back from camp 2 to be airlifted out.
Around half of the tents at the base camp were destroyed by an avalanche unleashed by Saturday's earthquake, killing between 17 and 22 climbers, according to separate accounts.
Around 350 foreign climbers, and double the number of local sherpa guides, had been on the 29,035ft mountain when the worst ever disaster on the world's tallest peak struck.
Three helicopters shuttled 170 climbers from camp 1 to the base camp on Monday. Because of the high altitude and thin air, the aircraft were only able to carry two climbers at a time.
Outside of Nepal, 73 people died in India. The toll in China's far western region of Tibet, which neighbours Nepal, rose to 25, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the area's disaster relief headquarters.
With additional reporting by Juliette Rousselot in Kathmandu.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Poland denies Russia 'Night Wolves' bikers entry

Border guards prevent 10 pro-Putin bikers from crossing to mark Soviet victory in World War Two amid rows over Ukraine.

 

Polish border guards have blocked a group of 10 Russian bikers, who are known for their support for Russia's President Vladimir Putin, from entering Poland as part of a ride to commemorate the Soviet Red Army's victory over Nazi Germany 70 years ago.
Border guard spokesman Dariusz Sienicki announced the decision after members of the Night Wolves, which has stirred controversy with its support for Russia's annexation of Crimea, approached the border and tried to enter the country.
"These people will not cross into Poland," Sienicki said.
The incident came amid deep tensions between the West and Russia over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
Poland, which was under Moscow's control for most of the past two and a half centuries, has been one of the most outspoken European voices in favour of sanctions on Russia.
The Night Wolves had wanted to travel across Eastern Europe to honour the Red Army soldiers who died as they and Western Allies defeated Hitler's Germany, visiting their graves and other war sites.
Their aim was to arrive in Berlin for ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 9.
Polish authorities last week said they would not let he bikers enter the country. They insisted the move was not political, but Poland's Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz and other leaders have described the bikers' plans as a "provocation".
The leaders have not explained why they see the bikers as provocative. Polish activists who also oppose their entry into the country say they object to the bikers' strong support for the Russian annexation of Crimea and alleged support for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.
'Not a normal bike club'
"This is not a normal bike club. They are tools in the hand of Vladimir Putin to make propaganda," said Tomasz Czuwara, a spokesman for the Open Dialog Foundation, a Polish group that supports Ukraine.
The Night Wolves vowed to try to enter Poland despite the ban and 15 leather-clad bikers approached the border crossing between Brest, Belarus, and Terespol, Poland, on Monday morning. Five did not have visas and said they were just there to see their colleagues off.
Belarusian guards let them pass but they were then held in a hangar by Polish officials for a couple of hours before being turned back.
One of the bikers, Andrei Bobrovsky, said they were "thoroughly searched, to the last sock".
Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of the Night Wolves, said they will make the run to Berlin anyway.
"Other people who won't say they are Night Wolves will take this route and accomplish this mission that we were planning to do for the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory," he said on LifeNews, a Russian TV channel.
Not all Poles are opposed to the Night Wolves. The head of a Polish bikers' group, Wiktor Wegrzyn, called the Polish opposition to the bikers "anti-Russia hysteria".
After the Russian bikers were denied entry, about 100 Polish bikers on the Polish side of the border honked their horns and flashed their lights in protest. They had gathered earlier Monday hoping to escort the Russians through Poland.
The Russian bikers left Russia on Saturday and on Sunday they paid homage in Russia at a memorial to Polish prisoners of war killed in the Katyn massacres by the Soviet Union during World War Two.

UN blames Israel for school attacks during Gaza war

Inquiry says military responsible for the deaths of at least 44 Palestinians who sought refuge at UN sites last year.

 

Israel's offensive in Gaza last year killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians [AP]

A UN inquiry has blamed Israeli security forces for seven deadly attacks on UN schools in Gaza that were used as shelters for safety during last year's offensive.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Monday that he deplored the attacks that killed at least 44 Palestinians and injured at least 227 others at the UN sites.
"It is a matter of the utmost gravity that those who looked to them for protection and who sought and were granted shelter there had their hopes and trust denied," Ban added.
The independent board of inquiry also found that weaponry was found at three empty UN scools in Gaza and that in two cases Palestinian fighters "probably" fired at Israeli forces from schools. Ban also called that "unacceptable".
The 2014 war in the occupied Palestinian territory was the most devastating for Gaza's 1.8 million people, killing more than 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to UN figures. About 72 people were killed on the Israeli side, including 66 soldiers.
In one case, the new inquiry found that a UN girls' school was hit by 88 mortar rounds fired by the Israeli forces. Another girls' school was also hit by direct fire from Israeli soldiers with an anti-tank projectile.
A third girls' school was hit by an Israeli missile.
'No warning'
At a fourth girls' school, the inquiry said, "no prior warning had been given by the government of Israel of the firing of 155 MM high explosive projectiles on, or in the surrounding area of the school".
The UN released its summary of the report but said the full 207-page report is private. The inquiry looked at 10 incidents. Ban's statement stressed that the board of inquiry "does not make legal findings" and was not tasked with addressing the wider issues of the Gaza conflict.
Ban ordered the inquiry in November after thousands of buildings were destroyed and at least 223 Gaza schools, either run by the UN refugee agency or the Hamas government, were hit in the fighting.
When Ban visited Gaza in October, he said the destruction was "beyond description" and "much more serious" than what he witnessed in the Palestinian territory in 2009 in the aftermath of a previous Israel-Hamas war.
Ban said on Monday he had established a group of senior managers to look into the inquiry's recommendations.

More aftershocks in Nepal as death toll soars

Aid agencies prepare 'massive' operations in quake-hit Nepal as death toll rose to at least 4,000.

 

Nepal has been rocked by aftershocks as the death toll from the magnitude 7.8 quake rose to at least 4,000, and as aid agencies prepare "massive" humanitarian operations.
Nepal police said on their Facebook page late on Monday evening that over 3,904 deaths had been counted so far, and 7,180 more were reported injured.
In addition, an an avalanche caused by the earthquake killed 18 people at Mount Everest's base camp, 61 people were killed in neighbouring India, and China reported 25 people died in Tibet.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, who is reporting from Bhaktapur, said that more people are feared dead in the ancient city, and residents are struggling to dig through the rubble with limited help from the government.
He also reported sporadic fighting among residents of Bhaktapur over supplies of food, water and tents.
Al Jazeera's Sohail Rahman, who is reporting from the capital Kathmandu, also said that "the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours and days," as rescuers try to reach remote villages that have been inaccessible since the quake hit.
"Many thousands have been left homeless, and people are sleeping out in the open, and it's chilly when the sun sets across the country," he said.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts have intensified in Nepal amid a stream of foreign aid reaching the capital Kathmandu.
The first nations to respond were Nepal's neighbours - India, China, and Pakistan, all of which have been jockeying for influence over the landlocked nation.
Nepal remains closest to India, with which it shares deep political, cultural and religious ties.
Aid experts said disruptions at the airport are likely to continue, slowing the arrival and distribution of vitally needed supplies.
Kipp Branch, senior medical supply officer for the MAP International charity, said the group is putting together an extensive medical supply shipment that will only be sent once it has clearance to land and distribute emergency health supplies intended to support 10,000 people for three months.


Military cargo planes from India and Pakistan have landed at Kathmandu airport, which has been struggling to handle the volume of cargo and civilian planes flying in.
"Kathmandu has a very small airport, therefore they are making a priority that miliatry aircraft with rescue personnel are allowed first. Also they are trying to get in NGOs," Al Jazeera's Rahman said.
"India and Pakistan are coming to the forefront, as they have a lot of experience in this sort of catastrophe.
"I saw military aircraft from China, Japan as well as Sri Lanka."
Base camp avalanche
The magnitude 7.8 quake also touched off an avalanche at the base camp of Mount Everest in which 17 people were killed.

Scores of people are still stuck in the mountains and a rescue operation is under way to lift them from the frozen frontiers.
Other countries involved in aid efforts are UAE, Israel, the US and members of the European Union.
They have sent or pledged money or supplies - including medicines, a mobile hospital and rescue teams.
Al Jazeera's Rahman said a senior Dutch diplomat is part of a combined EU aid effort, "organising and trying to sort out a large contingent of Dutch rescue and recovery personnel".
Ek Narayan Aryal, Kathmandu district chief administrator, said tents and water were being handed out on Monday at 10 locations in the capital, but that aftershocks were leaving everyone jittery.
The largest, on Sunday, was magnitude 6.7. Four large aftershocks were felt overnight and into Monday morning.
"There have been nearly 100 earthquakes and aftershocks, which is making rescue work difficult. Even the rescuers are scared and running because of them," Aryal told AP news agency.

Shortage of food and water
In Kathmandu, tens of thousands of people spent the night sleeping in parks or on a golf course.

"We don't feel safe at all. There have been so many aftershocks. It doesn't stop," said Rajendra Dhungana, 34, who spent Sunday with his niece's family for her cremation at the Pashuputi Nath Temple.
Aid workers have warned that the situation could be far worse near the epicentre.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred near Lamjung, a district about 80km northwest of Kathmandu. While not far away, poor roads and steep mountains make Lamjung difficult to reach.
Overwhelmed authorities were trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food, as well as the threat of disease. There were reports of water and vegetables being sold at inflated prices.
The sick and wounded were lying out in the open in Kathmandu, unable to find beds in the devastated city's hospitals. Surgeons set up an operating theatre inside a tent on the grounds of Kathmandu Medical College.
"We are overwhelmed with rescue and assistance requests from all across the country," said Deepak Panda, a member of the country's disaster management.
Most shops in Kathmandu, where more than 1,000 people have died, were closed after the government declared a weeklong period of recovery.
Anurag Acharya, a Kathmandu-based journalist, said that "people are furious and not allowing journalists in the devastated area [Darbar Square]".
"Kathmandu's heritage buildings are almost completely lost," he told Al Jazeera.

Overwhelmed authorities in Nepal are trying to cope with a shortage of drinking water and food [Reuters]

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Russian hackers read Obama's emails: report

New York Times says breach in US security by Russian hackers was more intrusive than has been publicly acknowledged. 

 

The US president's communications were among those retrieved by Russian hackers last year [Getty Images]

Russian hackers who penetrated sensitive parts of the White House computer system last year read President Barack Obama's unclassified emails, the New York Times has reported.
"There is no evidence that the president's email account itself was hacked, White House officials said. Still, the fact that some of Mr Obama's communications were among those retrieved by hackers has been one of the most closely held findings of the inquiry," the paper reported on Saturday, quoting US officials.
A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the report but the White House earlier this month confirmed the breach, saying it took place last year and that it did not affect classified information.
The New York Times said the breach had been "far more intrusive and worrisome than has been publicly acknowledged".
It said that although no classified networks had been compromised, officials conceded that the unclassified system still contained highly sensitive information such as email exchanges with diplomats, exchanges about personnel moves and legislation, presidential schedules and discussion about policy.
Officials did not disclose the number of Obama's emails that were read by the hackers nor the sensitivity of their content, the newspaper said.
It added that the president's email account itself was apparently not hacked.
The paper said that senior White House officials had known for months about the depth of the intrusion.

Toll mounts as Nepal searches for earthquake survivors

Rescuers dig through rubble as aid efforts kick in, a day after magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated Himalayan nation.

 

Rescuers in Nepal are searching for survivors of a magnitude 7.8 quake that killed nearly 2,000, including 17 on Everest, digging through rubble in the devastated capital, Kathmandu.
Residents of Kathmandu were jolted by a fresh magnitude 6.7 aftershocks on Sunday that compounded the worst disaster to hit the impoverished Himalayan nation in more than 80 years.
Overnight tremors had forced residents spent the night trying to sleep out on the streets and open ground in makeshift tents.
Relief agencies have already warned that as many as six million people might be affected in Nepal by Saturday's disaster.

Hospitals in the Kathmandu valley, the quake-affected region with 2.5 million people, were overcrowded, running out of emergency supplies and space to store corpses, the UN said in a statement.

At overstretched hospitals, where medics were also treating patients in hastily erected tents, staff were forced to flee from buildings for fear of further collapses.
There was a little more order on Sunday as rescue teams fanned out across Kathmandu.
International aid groups and governments have sent emergency crews to reinforce those trying to find survivors in Kathmandu, and in rural areas cut off by blocked roads and patchy phone networks.
The Red Cross said it was concerned about the fate of rural villages close to the epicentre of the quake northwest of Kathmandu.
"Roads have been damaged or blocked by landslides and communication lines are down preventing us from reaching local Red Cross branches to get accurate information," Jagan Chapagain, Red Cross Asia Pacific director, said.
Most areas are without power and water, but with Kathamandu airport reopened, rescue flights began arriving. Workers are sending out tents and relief goods in lorries and helicopters.
"We have deployed all our resources for search and rescues. Helicopters have been sent to remote areas. We are sifting through the rubble where buildings have collapsed to see if we can find anyone," Kamal Singh Bam, national police spokesperson, told AFP news agency.

Authorities said at least 1,899 people had died, including 721 in Kathmandu alone. The number of casualties is expected to climb as reports come in from far-flung areas, Laxmi Dhakal, a Home Ministry official, said.
Among the dead are 17 who were struck by an avalanche on Mount Everest that buried part of the base camp packed with foreign climbers preparing to make their summit attempts.
At least 5,000 people were injured across Nepal.
Snowfalls on Saturday had thwarted efforts to remove survivors from the Everest base camp, where about 100 mountaineers are believed to be stuck. Rescue planes and helicopters began removing the injured to Kathmandu on Sunday.

"Knowing the geology and the lay of the land there, to facilitate the medical care required and to try to medivac people out of there is going to be extremely difficult, especially considering the weather conditions there right now," Kenton Cool, a British mountaineer, told Al Jazeera.
Heritage buildings destroyed
The quake destroyed expanses of the oldest neighbourhoods of Kathmandu, and was strong enough to be felt all across parts of India, Bangladesh, China's region of Tibet and Pakistan.
At least 50 people were killed in India mostly in eastern Bihar state.
Al Jazeera's Maher Sattar, reporting from Dhaka, said at least three people were killed in Bangladesh, including one who was killed following a stampede arising from the quake.
Kathmandu's historic nine-storey Dharahara tower, a major tourist attraction and a UNESCO-recognised historical monument, was among the buildings toppled by Saturday's earthquake, with at least a dozen bodies were taken away from the ruins of the 19th-century tower.
The disaster is likely to put a huge strain on the resources of this poor country best known for Everest, the highest mountain in the world. The economy of Nepal, a nation of 27.8 million people, relies heavily on tourism.
The world reacted quickly to the disaster, offering money, relief materials, equipment, expertise and rescue teams.

The powerful quake also triggered an avalanche that swept across Everest Base Camp [AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT

Among the first to move in was Nepal's neighbour India, with which it has close political, cultural and religious ties.
Indian air force planes landed on Sunday with 43 tonnes of relief material, including tents and food, and nearly 200 rescuers, Vikas Swarup, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman, said.
Offers of help poured in from governments around the world, with the US and EU announcing they were sending in disaster response teams.
Chinese state media said 17 people had also been killed in Tibet as authorities sent a team of 62 rescuers, accompanied by sniffer dogs, to help emergency workers there.
Weather forecasters warned that rain was on the way, with dark clouds looming over Kathmandu that promised more misery for displaced survivors.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 11:56am local time (06:11 GMT) on Saturday.

ISIL fighters make gains in Iraq's Anbar province

Fighters took partial control of a dam and base guarding it, as group's advance on Ramadi forces civilians to flee city.

 

A video posted online purported to show fighters walking around the dam and nearby base unimpeded [YouTube]

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have taken partial control of a water dam and the military barracks guarding it in western Anbar province, security sources and witnesses said.
The armed group launched an offensive on the dam late on Friday with explosive-laden vehicles, and engaged in gun battles with Iraqi soldiers that continued through to Saturday.
Dozens of Iraqi troops were killed in the fighting, with poor communications making it difficult to confirm the precise number, Athal al-Fahdawi, an official in Anbar told the Reuters news agency. Army sources said two senior officers were among the dead.
A video posted on YouTube purported to show fighters from the group walking around the dam and the base nearby with no Iraqi soldiers in sight. The bodies of several Iraqi soldiers were seen lying on a road leading in to the encampment.
The latest gains by ISIL come amid a new Iraqi government offensive to recapture parts of Anbar from the group. The armed group seized large parts of the mainly Sunni Arab province, during its summer offensive in 2014.
Iraqi government has had successes, clearing Tikrit in neighbouring Salahuddin province of ISIL fighters, but the group has hit back by attacking Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar.
Border attack
ISIL has also claimed responsibility for multiple suicide car bombings at a border crossing between Iraq and Jordan, killing four soldiers.
The group admitted it was behind the attacks in a video released on Saturday, saying it had targeted a government complex, border crossing control point, and army patrol, according to monitoring group SITE.
A Jordanian official said his government had responded by stepping up security measures at the Tureibil crossing, while an Iraqi defence ministry spokesman said Baghdad would investigate the assault.

Nepal declares state of emergency after killer quake

Magnitude 7.8 quake east of Pokhara kills at least 1,341 people and is felt as far away as Delhi and Dhaka.

 

The government of Nepal has declared a state of emergency after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country and killed hundreds of people, and touched off a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.
Police said that at least 1,341 people were killed on Saturday in the powerful quake that shook 80km east of Pokhara, about half way between the town and the capital Kathmandu.
Of the total, 634 were reported dead in the Kathmandu Valley and at least 300 more in the capital, a police spokesman told Reuters news agency.
A further 36 fatalities were reported in northern India, 12 in Tibet and four in Bangladesh.
Photos posted on Twitter showed buildings left in rubble, large cracks along roads and worried residents on the streets.

The earthquake destroyed many historical landmarks, including the UNESCO World Heritage temples at Basantapur Durbar Square and the Dharara tower, both in central Kathmandu.
It has been reported that around 250 people may have been in the Dharara tower when it collapsed. At least 50 people are believed to be trapped under an ancient tower in Kathmandu which collapsed in the quake.
Emergency workers and army and police personnel, with the help of residents and bystanders, continued to work tirelessly early Saturday afternoon to clear the rubble from these sites and to rescue any survivors from under the debris, although bodies were mostly being pulled out.
As night falls in the country, thousands of people are staying outdoors and have found refuge in Kathmandu’s open spaces, in fear that subsequent aftershocks may cause further damage.

The epicentre was 80km northwest of Kathmandu. The Kathmandu valley is densely populated with nearly 2.5 million people and poorly enforced building regulations.
The Associated Press news agency cited a senior guide as saying that an avalanche swept a mountain near the Everest base camp. Al Jazeera has learned that at least 10 people were killed in the incident, which also left many climbers trapped.
British mountaineer Kenton Cool told Al Jazeera that the quake couldn't have come at a worse time, as it was peak climbing season at the base camp and "there's probably 1,000 people or so there". Cool said conditions for rescuers would also be difficult in poor weather conditions.
"This terrible, terrible situation has occurred at exactly the wrong time in terms of human fatality," Cool said.
"Knowing the geology and the lay of the land there, to facilitate the medical care required and to try to medivac people out of there is going to be extremely difficult, especially considering the weather conditions there right now."
Al Jazeera's Subina Shrestha, reporting from Kathmandu, confirmed reports of damage to buildings there. Some ancient temples were also reportedly damaged.
As night fell in the country, tens of thousands of people have camped out, fearful of going back to their homes in case of another earthquake. Already, more than two dozen aftershocks had followed the quake.

The powerful quake also triggered an avalanche that swept across Everest Base Camp [AzimAfif/AP]

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 11:56am local time (06:11 GMT). It initially reported a magnitude of 7.7 before revising its calculation to 7.5, 7.9 and then later, 7.8.
The USGS initally reported the epicentre to be 11km deep but later revised it to 2km.
Tremors were felt in a number of India's northern cities, witnesses said. Al Jazeera's reporters in New Delhi said the tremors were also felt across the Indian capital.
Al Jazeera's Faiz Jamil said that the first tremor in New Delhi lasted for 20 seconds and a second one followed shortly after.
Indian officials told the Associated Press news agency that at least 34 people were killed in the Bihar state and Uttar Pradesh state.
Al Jazeera's Maher Sattar in Dhaka, Bangladesh, reported that at least three people were killed there, including one who was killed following stampede triggered by the quake.
Laxman Singh Rathore, director-general of the Indian Meteorological Department, said that the impact had been felt across large swathes of northern India.
"The intensity was felt in entire north India. More intense shocks were felt in eastern UP (Uttar Pradesh) and Bihar, equally strong in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim," he said.
(Additional reporting by Juliette Rousselot in Kathmandu)

Volunteers help with rescue work at the site of a building that collapsed after an earthquake in Kathmandu [AP Photo]

Obama regrets deaths of two hostages in US drone strike

American and Italian hostages accidentally killed in January strike targeting al-Qaeda base on Afghan-Pakistan border.

 

The US government has said it is " tremendously sorry"  for killing two hostages held by al-Qaeda during a counterterrorism operation in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan earlier this year.
The White House said on Thursday that American Warren Weinstein and Italian Giovanni Lo Porto were killed in a drone strike in January in an operation targeting an al-Qaeda-associated compound.

Officials said US-born senior al-Qaeda figure Adam Gadahn was also killed in a January air strike.

US President Barack Obama said Washington had worked with Italy to retrieve Weinstein and Lo Porto and the mission was "fully consistent" with guidelines for conducting counterterrorism missions in the region.
"Based on the information and intelligence we have obtained, during a counter-terrorism operation we accidently killed Warren and Giovanni this January," Obama said.
"As president and as commander-in-chief, I take full responsibility for all our counter-terrorism operations, including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren and Giovanni.
"It is a cruel and bitter truth, during the fog of war mistakes happen."
Weinstein was abducted in August 2011 in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore after attackers broke into his home.

The 73-year-old was the country director in Pakistan for JE Austin Associates, a US-based firm that advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors.

He was seen in a video released in May 2012 asking for Obama to intervene on his behalf and in December that year, Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's leader, promised to free him if the US stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.
Wife expresses disappointment
Elaine Weinstein released a statement on Thursday saying that the ultimate responsibility for her husband's death laid at the hands of his captors - but also expressed disappointment in how the US and Pakistan governments had handled the situation.
"We were so hopeful that those in the US and Pakistani governments with the power to take action and secure his release would have done everything possible to do so and there are no words to do justice to the disappointment and heartbreak we are going through," her statement said.
"Unfortunately, the assistance we received from other elements of the US Government was inconsistent and disappointing over the course of three and a half years.
"We hope that my husband's death and the others who have faced similar tragedies in recent months will finally prompt the US Government to take its responsibilities seriously and establish a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their families."

Italian aid worker Lo Porto, 39, had been missing in Pakistan since January 2012.
Lo Porto joined the German aid group Welthungerhilfe in October 2011 and was working as a project manager in Pakistan's Multan region when he was kidnapped together with German Bernd Muehlenbeck.
Muehlenbeck was freed last year.
Al-Qaeda leaders killed
The White House said that the strike resulted in the death of US al-Qaeda leader, Ahmed Farouq.
Officials also concluded that Adam Gadahn, an American who had served as a spokesman for the armed group, was killed in a separate US operation in January.
The US said Farouq and Gadhan were not "specifically targeted" in the January operations, nor did the US have information "indicating their presence at the sites".
Gadahn, who was also known as 'Azzam the American,' grew up in Los Angeles and moved to Pakistan after converting to Islam.
He had been involved in several propaganda campaigns for al-Qaeda, some of which threatened attacks against the US.

Google rolls out new U.S. wireless service

Google Inc on Wednesday launched a new U.S. wireless service that switches between Wi-Fi and cellular networks to curb data use and keep phone bills low.
The service, Google's first entry into the wireless industry, will work only on the company's Nexus 6 phones and be hosted through Sprint Corp and T-Mobile's networks, Google said in a statement.
The service, called Project Fi, will automatically switch between the two networks and more than 1 million open, free Wi-Fi spots, depending on which signal is strongest.
The service will cost $20 a month plus $10 per gigabyte of data used. Customers will get money back for unused data.
Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president of products, said at a Barcelona conference last month the company was preparing to experiment with a mobile network, but that it did not intend to disrupt the wireless industry.
The service will be available on only one device and has limited carrier coverage, so it will not make Google a major wireless industry player, said Brian Blau, research director at Gartner.
If successful, however, Google's service could pressure wireless providers to further lower prices and better adapt to the rise of tablets and wearable devices, Blau added. Though some carriers, such as T-Mobile and AT&T Inc, allow unused data to roll over, most mobile plans require customers to pay for a set amount of data each month.
But Google first has to "test out features they think are going to differentiate themselves," Blau said, such as being able to transition from network connectivity to Wi-Fi.
If Google is able to provide those features, "it's very possible they could become a major wireless player in the future," Blau said.
Phone numbers will live in the cloud so that consumers can talk and text on any connected tablet, Google said.
The company already has a strong presence in the mobile market through its Android operating system, which hosts some of the most popular apps, such as Gmail and Google Maps.
Google shares rose 1.27 percent to $549.81 at mid-afternoon.

Legacy of Agent Orange

As April 30 approaches, marking 40 years since the end of the Vietnam War, people in Vietnam with severe mental and physical disabilities still feel the lingering effects of Agent Orange.

Respiratory cancer and birth defects amongst both Vietnamese and U.S. veterans have been linked to exposure to the defoliant. The U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange onto Vietnam's jungles during the conflict to expose northern communist troops.

Reuters photographer Damir Sagolj travelled through Vietnam to meet the people affected, four decades on.

If you are on the plane taking off from Danang airport in Vietnam, look through the window on your right - between the departure building and the yellow wall separating the airport from densely populated neighbourhoods - you will see an ugly scar on the already not very pretty face of the Vietnam War.
This is where barrels of Agent Orange were kept in the airport U.S. military used to spray the defoliant across the country. Now, more than forty years later, the spot is finally being decontaminated.

When covering an anniversary, it’s easy to fall into the trap of a “before and after” cliché or, even worse, to try to do something different but irrelevant.
Even so, I wanted to do a story on the legacy of Agent Orange. There were several raised eyebrows around me, as colleagues asked: Couldn't I find something new instead of retelling a story told over and over already?

I can’t say where and when I heard it but I remember the advice well: no matter how many times the story has been done and how many people have done it, do it as if you are the first and only one to witness it. I listened to this advice so many times in the past and I listened to it now.
Such assignments have rules, among the most important being the longer you spend in the unknown, the more chance you have of getting strong pictures.
So a Vietnamese colleague and I set off to travel around Vietnam, a country stretching more than 1,500 kilometres from north to south, with a great many people still affected by Agent Orange.

The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) told Reuters that more than 4.8 million people in Vietnam have been exposed to the herbicide and over 3 million of them have been suffering from deadly diseases.

But soon after I started taking pictures and talking to victims and their relatives, I realised I would need to think again about how to do this story. My immediate and natural reaction was to get closer, almost into the face of a victim, to show what has happened to human bodies.
A forensic photography approach, almost. In a hospice outside Hanoi, after a few strong portraits of a kid born with no eyes and other victims whose bodies are horribly twisted, my original plan felt wrong. The faces and eyes in the pictures hurt; the focus is there but I may be missing things around, possibly even the story itself.

Former soldier Nguyen Hong Phuc, 63, sits on the bed with his son Nguyen Dinh Loc, 20.

I wanted to put it all in the context of today’s Vietnam, forty years on. To see victims of the second and third generations, where and how they live. To learn why children and grandchildren of people affected are still being born with disabilities, to find out if people know about the dangers, and if so when did they found out.
And to take pictures of all that.
As we got closer to the former front lines travelling from the north, the number of cases increased. We kept in touch with VAVA, the main association helping victims, and they gave us much needed information, including the number of victims and where they live.
Throughout the assignment, VAVA and other local officials together with family members confirmed that the health conditions of people we met and photographed are linked to Agent Orange as their parents or grandparents were exposed to it.

In yet another village, Le Van Dan, an ex South Vietnamese soldier, wearing a worn-out military jacket of the communists, his former enemy force, told me how he was sprayed directly from the U.S. planes not far from his home today.
As the tough man spoke through broken teeth, two of his grandsons in a room behind the kitchen were given milk provided by a government aid agency. Both kids were born severely disabled, doctors say because of Agent Orange.

In a small village in Thai Binh province, in a cold room empty of any furniture, Doan Thi Hong Gam shrank under a light blue blanket. The room’s dirty walls suggest anger and some sort of struggle. She’s been kept in isolation since the age of sixteen because of her aggressiveness and severe mental problems. She is 38 now.
I took pictures of the poor woman for about 15 minutes. They were possibly the strongest frames I have taken in a long time. Her father, a former soldier lying in the bed in a room next to hers, also very sick, was exposed to Agent Orange during the war.

Then another village and another picture. On a hill above his home, former soldier Do Duc Diu showed me the cemetery he built for his twelve children, who all died soon after being born disabled. There are a few extra plots next to the existing graves for where his daughters, who are still alive but very sick, will be buried.
The man was also a North Vietnamese soldier exposed to the toxic defoliant. For more than twenty years he and his wife were trying to have a healthy child. One by one their babies were dying and they thought it was a curse or bad luck, so they prayed and visited spiritual leaders but that didn’t help.
They found out about Agent Orange only after their fifteenth child was born, also sick. I took a picture of the youngest daughter. It was not an easy thing to do.

Lai Van Manh, who has physical and mental disabilities, rests in bed.

Village after village, strong pictures and even stronger stories emerge. My camera stayed at a distance. I shot through mosquito nets and against the light, I shot details and reflections. We took many notes trying not to miss any important details needed to build an accurate picture. Then we drove further south.
Back in Danang, next to its international airport, we visited a young couple who have lived and worked there since late 1990s. When they first moved there the man used to go fishing, collecting snails and vegetables to bring home to eat.
The family was poor and all food was welcomed. What he didn't know was that Agent Orange, which used to be stored nearby, had contaminated the waters and everything around the lake situated next to the airstrip.

His daughter was born sick in 2000 and died aged seven. Their son was born in 2008, also sick with the same symptoms as his late sister. I took pictures and then we drove the family to the hospital for the boy’s blood transfusion. The blind and very sick boy held my finger and later blew a kiss into the emptiness. I saw it from afar as I walked away.
The United States stopped spraying Agent Orange in 1971 and the war ended in 1975. Twenty years later, some people from villages and cities didn’t know all about it. Forty years later, today, children and their parents still suffer and a large part of the story remains untold. Agent Orange is one big tragedy made of many small tragedies, all man made.
There is not much I can do about it with my pictures except to retell the story, despite all the raised eyebrows. The pictures I took are not about the before and after, they are all about now. As for how poorly we read history and stories from the past, I’m afraid that is about our future, too.

US judge allows 'Muslims killing Jews' ads on buses

New York judge says ads are protected speech and similar campaigns have run in other cities without inciting violence.

 

 

Similar AFDI advertising campaigns have run in other US cities, including in Washington DC [File: AFP]

A United States federal judge has ordered New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to display on its buses a controversial ad that refers to Muslims killing Jews, rejecting the argument that the ad could incite "terrorism" or imminent violence.
In his ruling, published on Tuesday, US District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan said the ad from the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), which had previously run in Chicago and San Francisco, was protected speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Similar AFDI campaigns have also run elsewhere, including in Washington DC.
The ad portrays a menacing man wearing a scarf around his head and face, includes a quotation "Killing Jews is Worship that draws us close to Allah" attributed to "Hamas MTV", and then states, "That's His Jihad. What's yours?"
Koeltl said he was "sensitive" to security concerns, but noted that the MTA and Chairman Thomas Prendergast "underestimate the tolerant quality of New Yorkers and overestimate the potential impact of these fleeting advertisements. It strains credulity to believe that New Yorkers would be incited to violence by ads that did not incite residents of Chicago and San Francisco".
MTA buses and subways are often forums for policy debates. The agency has accepted other ads from the AFDI, which is characterised as an anti-Muslim group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg said the agency is disappointed in the ruling and is reviewing its options.
The judge suspended the effect of his order for a month to leave time for appeals.

Saudi-led coalition begins new phase in Yemen campaign

Saudi media says military goals have been achieved and operation "Restoration of Hope" to protect civilians has begun.

 

The WHO says at least 944 people have been killed and another 3,487 injured in Yemen since March 19 [Reuters]

The Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing Yemen for almost a month says its military operation 'Decisive Storm' will end at midnight local time and a new campaign aimed at protecting civilians and preventing Houthi fighters from operating will begin.
Brigadier-General Ahmed al-Assiri, the coalition's spokesperson, said on Tuesday that the coalition had achieved its military goals in Yemen and a new operation, called 'Restoration of Hope,' would aim to protect civilians and combat "terrorism."
A few hours after the coalition announcement, senior Houthi leaders said a political deal to end the conflict had almost been reached, the Reuters news agency reported.
Assiri hailed 'Decisive Storm,' a military campaign launched by Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Sunni-ruled Gulf countries on March 26, a "success," before saying it would cease at midnight (21:00 GMT), paving the way for operation 'Restoration of Hope' a "combination of political, diplomatic and military action."

"The coalition has completed the 'Decisive Storm' campaign at the request of the Yemeni government and the President of Yemen," Asseri said.
"The primary goals of the campaign have been achieved and sovereignty has been protected.
"We are able to confirm that the Houthis are no longer a threat to Yemenis or neighbouring countries.
"The Yemeni government will now undertake all necessary actions to start rebuilding the country."
However, Assiri did not rule out future airstrikes against the Houthis and said the coalition would continue to impose a naval blockade on Yemen.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence had earlier said that all heavy weapons and ballistic missiles belonging to the Houthis had been destroyed, that they had imposed restrictions over Yemen’s airspace, and that any possible threats on the kingdom and neighbouring countries had been removed.
Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Jizan on the Saudi-Yemen border, said their had been signs that a change in policy was on the horizon.
"Iranian officials were optimistic of a ceasefire earlier in the day with US naval ships arriving in the region and greater levels of contact between the US and the Saudi monarchy," Vall said.
"Most likely Iran, Saudi Arabia and others have come to some kind of agreement on the conflict."

The coalition announcement came hours after Riyadh said it was preparing to send its elite National Guard to reinforce its border with Yemen.
The National Guard is regarded as the country's best equipped military force, and until now has not been involved in the campaign.
Led by Miteb, the son of the late King Abdullah, the unit is recruited from tribes that have traditionally backed the Saudi royal family.
Earlier on Tuesday, the US defence department confirmed to Al Jazeera that it was sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt and Normandy to ensure vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe.
The narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait is a strategic passage separating Yemen from East Africa and serves as a key trade and oil route linking Europe to the east.
Meanwhile, fierce fighting was reported in the coastal city of Aden, with 21 people, including 13 civilians, killed in clashes between pro-Hadi forces and the Houthis, sources said.
Tribal sources reported several deaths in raids and fighting in Shabwa province as clashes also raged in the central province of Ibb, as several civilians were killed in a strike targeting rebel air defence missiles in a residential area, witnesses said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier reported on Tuesday that violence between March 19 and April 17 had killed 944 people and wounded 3,487, and warned that the impoverished nation's health services were on the brink of collapse.
"Major hospitals will soon be completely unable to provide humanitarian and emergency services or to perform operations and provide intensive care to needy patients," the WHO said in a statement.
"This increases the risk of communicable diseases such as measles, which is prevalent in Yemen, as well as polio, which has been eliminated but is now at risk of reappearing," it added.
The WHO said the number of patients able to access health facilities had plummeted since the escalation of hostilities, with a 40 percent drop in the number of daily consultations.
Prices of essential medicines have increased by more than 300 percent, and the shortage of water has increased the risk of diarrhoea and other diseases and is affecting basic hygiene in hospitals and clinics.

Morsi sentenced to 20 years in jail

Cairo court convicts toppled president of ordering the arrest and torture of protesters in 2012 clashes.

 

Morsi was overthrown and imprisoned by the military in 2013 [EPA]

A Cairo court has sentenced former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and 12 other defendants to 20 years in prison.
Morsi was convicted on Tuesday of ordering the arrest and torture of protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012. The court acquitted the former president of murder charges that could have seen him face the death penalty.
Morsi also faces serious charges in three other cases, including an accusation that he passed intelligence to Qatar.

Mohammed Soudan, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and an official within its affiliated Freedom and Justice Party, told Al Jazeera that the trial was a "political farce".
"The verdict is 100 percent a political verdict. Morsi, his advisers and supporters who are accused in this case were victims ... police and army officers watched as the opposition attacked the presidential palace," Soudan said.
"They killed 11 people and nine of them were supporters of Morsi. .. the verdict is a test for the protesters in the street, and also a test for the international community."
Amnesty International also condemned the trial as a "sham", and called for the release of Morsi and protesters.
"This verdict shatters any remaining illusion of independence and impartiality in Egypt’s criminal justice system," Amnesty's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said in a statement released after the verdict.
Egyptian journalist, Yehia Ghanem, told Al Jazeera the Egyptian government was sending a message that it would not tolerate any opposition.
"The whole thing was calculated politically from the start. It sends a message to Egyptians and the rest of the world that there's no future for any civil rule," Ghanem said.
Morsi was deposed by his then military chief and Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after mass protests against his rule in the summer of 2013.
Following the coup, the former president's supporters launched a series of protests and sit-ins across the country culminating in a crackdown by security forces that left hundreds dead.
In the deadliest incident, at least 817 protesters were killed in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square when security forces opened fire on a sit-in. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the killings likely amounted to "crimes against humanity".
Thousands have also been imprisoned, with many supporters of Morsi facing mass trials facing charges of involvement in violence.
At least 1,212 people have been sentenced to death since the start of 2014, including the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie.