Thousands Missing As Landslide Buries Village

As many as 2,500 people could be dead after a landslide buried part of a village in Afghanistan, according to officials.

Three hundred homes in the village of Hobo Barik were buried after heavy rains caused part of a hill to collapse at around 1pm local time on Friday.

Governor Shah Waliullah Adeeb said around a third of the village had been hit by the landslide and appealed for equipment for rescue teams.

He said: "Our initial findings, based on local people's reports, show around 2,500 people including women and children might be dead as a result of these landslides.

Three hundred homes have been buried by the landslide

"It's physically impossible right now. We don't have enough shovels, we need more machinery."

Mr Adeeb added authorities had evacuated a nearby village over fears of more landslides.

Ahmad Reza, an Afghan journalist, told Sky News: "They say they have warned another 700 homes to evacuate because of rock falls that might happen at any time.

"They are searching for survivors, but rescuers say this disaster is huge. Up until now only eight survivors have been found."

Weeks of heavy rain caused part of a hillslide to slip

Ari Gaitanis, from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said at least 350 people have died in the landslide.

Faziluddin Hayar, police chief in Badakshan province, said seven people have been rescued and search crews were looking for more survivors.

Badakshan province is located in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges and is one of the most remote areas in the country.

The area, which borders Tajikistan and China, has seen few attacks from insurgents following the 2001 US-led military action in the country.

It comes after severe flooding left 150 people dead and thousands affected in Jowzjan, Faryab and Sar-e-Pul provinces in the north of the country.

Avalanches are also common in the mountains of northern Afghanistan. In February 2010, more than 170 people were killed in an avalanche in Salang Pass, which connects the capital Kabul with the north of the country.

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Ukraine: Clashes After Deadly Odessa Fire

Ukraine has launched a dawn military operation against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country as bloody clashes between the two sides show no sign of letting up.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Ukrainian forces had seized control of a television tower in Kramatorsk, near the rebel stronghold of Slavyansk where there was heavy fighting on Friday.

"We are not stopping," Mr Avakov wrote on his Facebook page, but gave no information on casualties.

The violence came hours after 31 people died after a building in Odessa was set on fire during clashes between protesters.

A pro-Russian activist fires a gun during clashes with rivals

Police said some people inside the trade union building were overcome by smoke and others were killed jumping from windows as they tried to escape.

Pro-Russian and pro-Kiev activists fought running battles as the southern port city saw some of its worst violence since President Victor Yanukovych was ousted in February.

The fire started as the Kiev government began a major offensive against pro-Russian activists who have seized government buildings in the east of the country.

Russia said it was "outraged" by the day's events in Odessa and denounced the "criminal irresponsibility" of the pro-Western authorities in Kiev.

A protester throws a petrol bomb at the trade union building in Odessa

Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement that it called on Ukraine and its "Western backers to end the anarchy and take responsibility for the Ukranian people".

It added that Moscow viewed the "tragic events" as a sign of Kiev's "criminal irresponsibility".

At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, the UK accused Moscow of "breathtaking" hypocrisy over the latest clashes.

People wait for rescue on an upper-storey ledge during the fire

The UK's ambassador to the UN Sir Mark Lyall Grant said Russia had "funded, equipped and directed" some of those involved in the insurgency.

"Many" pro-Russian separatists were said to have been killed as the Ukrainian army took control of checkpoints around Slavyansk.

Two Ukrainian soldiers - from the airborne brigade - were also killed as two military helicopters were shot down, acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said.

Russia said Kiev's offensive against the insurgents had "destroyed" the two-week-old Geneva agreement on cooling Ukraine's crisis.

The Ukrainian Security Service said one of the helicopters was shot down with a surface-to-air missile, adding that the sophisticated weapon undermined Russia's claims that Slavyansk was simply under the control of armed locals.

Russia has tens of thousands of troops in areas near Ukraine's border, and Kiev claims it neighbouring country is preparing to invade and that it is stoking the unrest in the east.

Moscow denies the allegations, but has warned Russia would respond to attacks on Russian citizens or interests in the east, where insurgents have seized government buildings in around a dozen cities in towns.

Unlike eastern Ukraine, Odessa had remained largely untroubled since Mr Yanukovych was toppled.

But clashes erupted late on Friday between pro-Russians and government supporters in the key port on the Black Sea coast, 330 miles from the turmoil in the east.

Police said the deadly fire broke out in a trade union building Friday, but did not give details on how it started. Earlier, police said at least three people had died in a clash between the two sides.

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British Fighters Filmed In Syria 'War Crime'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

Video has emerged implicating British fighters in Syria in an apparent war crime.

Footage uncovered by researchers at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) shows jihadist rebels executing a prisoner, said to be a loyalist of President Assad.

The incident is thought to have happened in the last two weeks, near Raqqa in northern Syria.

The footage was posted on the Instagram account of a man believed be from London.

The caption accompanying the video describes the prisoner as one of "Bashar [Assad's] dogs" and says the execution was retribution for the deaths of four fellow rebels and the rape of a woman.

The ICSR monitors the social media accounts of hundreds of foreign fighters inside Syria.

They believe the man that posted the video is part of a group of British fighters, known as Rahat Al Tawheed, an affiliate of the Sunni jihadi movement ISIS, which controls large swathes of northern Syria.

Researchers say one of the executioners is a Briton seen in other videos

"The execution of prisoners is a war crime in international law... it's incredibly serious" said Shiraz Maher, a senior ICSR researcher based at King's College London

"We believe the main characters involved with Rahat al Tawheed come from London."

"We have deduced this based on our discussions with foreign fighters, our extensive record-keeping of foreign fighter activity in Syria, and our maintenance of social network maps which allows us to plot activity and associations in a visual form", Mr. Maher added.

Although no audible English is spoken in the execution video itself, analysts from the ICSR believe they have identified one of the gunmen as being a British citizen.

A man is seen in the video firing shots into the body of the prisoner in the seconds after the initial bullet was fired by the main executioner.

In one video a British fighter says a bullet is 'the pen of the mujahid'

Analysis of the gunman's physical build, wrist watch and balaclava led the ICSR to conclude he is the same man seen speaking English with a London accent in other videos posted by the group.

"We don't know if the prisoner was alive or dead when he fired, but he did partake in the execution, he did fire shots at the individual from his weapon, and we believe he is a British citizen" said ICSR researcher Joseph Carter.

On two separate videos posted on YouTube, the man identified as the gunman by the ICSR is heard berating the British Muslim community for failing to provide sufficient financial support for the jihad, or the families the fighters have left behind.

"You know who you are, from the capital, the midlands, up north, wherever you may be… it's a disgrace, that brothers know where these wives are, where these families are, and yet you are buying your nephew or your child a PlayStation 4 or taking them out to Nandos," he says.

The group lobbies for donations to buy more weapons and ammunition

The Government's counter-terrorism programme last week launched a campaign urging the families of young men planning to travel to Syria to intervene.

It is estimated that up to 400 Britons have travelled to fight or train in Syria in the last two years. 

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "This demonstrates why we have consistently called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

"Horrific atrocities have been committed by both the Assad regime and by extremists. The international community must ensure that all those responsible are held to account.

"Our priority is to dissuade people from travelling, but any extremists should know we are prepared to take action to protect national security, and intelligence agencies and police are working to identify potential threats."

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Ukraine 'In Military Assault On Slavyansk'

Ukrainian forces have launched a "large-scale operation" to retake the town of Slavyansk, according to pro-Russian separatists.

A Reuters photographer said he saw a military helicopter open fire on the outskirts of the town and a reporter heard gunfire.

Separatists said one military helicopter has been shot down.

In Kiev, an aide to Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said he could not comment.

"Until it's over, no one will say anything," he said.

Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the insurgency-appointed mayor of Slavyansk, said self-defence forces had shot down two helicopters and taken one pilot hostage.

He said no Ukrainian troops could be seen in the city.

An APTN cameraman reported seeing black plumes of smoke on the edge of the city.

Ukrainian officials have been criticised for being slow to act to stop the rebels seizing swathes of its Donbass coal and steel belt.

They launched an "anti-terrorist" operation in early April but have resisted large-scale measures so far.

Armed groups seeking union with Russia have seized a number of government buildings in towns in eastern Ukraine.

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Ukraine On Full Combat Alert Over 'Invasion'

Ukraine's military is "on full combat alert" over a possible invasion by Russian troops massed on the border, Kiev's acting leader has said.

Interim president Oleksandr Turchynov told a ministerial meeting: "Our armed forces are on full combat alert. The threat of Russia starting a war against mainland Ukraine is real."

Ukraine's government later announced the country's armed forces would hold military exercises in central Kiev on Wednesday night.

The Russian Foreign Ministry responded by demanding Ukraine halt such "militaristic statements".

Ukraine's acting president Oleksander Turchinov at the cabinet meeting

"We insist that Kiev immediately ceases the bellicose rhetoric, which is aimed at intimidating its own population," the ministry said.

The increasing tension came as Downing Street confirmed that David Cameron had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

A statement from the Kremlin said the two leaders agreed that the crisis could only be solved through "peaceful means".

Russia has denied it has any plans to invade eastern Ukraine after its annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March.

Kiev, however, has accused Moscow of orchestrating an armed uprising in the industrial east by Russian-speaking separatists, who have seized government buildings in a number of towns and cities.

Ukraine's army and police appear to be making little progress in a high-profile operation to prevent the rebels expanding their grip over towns in the east.

It came as the International Monetary Fund said Russia was already in recession, while citing the effect of the ongoing crisis on investment in the country.

IMF economist Antonio Spilimbergo was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "If we define recession as negative growth in two quarters in a row, then Russia from that point of view is experiencing recession."

The IMF has lowered its 2014 growth forecast for Russia to 0.2% from the 1.3% figure it issued on April 8, Mr Spilimbergo added.

Russia deployed around 40,000 troops to its shared border with Ukraine in March. Moscow initially claimed they were sent for exercises but later said they were ready to respond to Kiev's military offensive against pro-Kremlin rebels.

President Putin insists he has a "right" to send his forces into Ukraine, but has not yet done so.

Kiev and the US say Russian special forces are already active in the insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

Mr  Turchynov told the cabinet meeting: "Our number one task is to prevent terrorism spreading from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to other Ukrainian regions".

He underlined moves announced a day earlier to set up armed civilian "territorial volunteer militia" units to help beleaguered police and troops in the east.

In a separate development, Britain is to send a prosecutor to Ukraine to help local law enforcement authorities in the hunt for billions of pounds.

The money is believed to have been siphoned out of the country by ousted former president Viktor Yanukovych and his inner circle.

In America, 19 Republican senators introduced legislation on Wednesday proposing broader and tougher measures to punish Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

The measures included sanctions on major banks and energy companies, as well as $100m (£59m) in military aid for Kiev.

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Ukraine: Militia Controls A Million Weapons

At the end of a completely anonymous road on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Artemivsk is the village of Paraskoviyevka.

It has two claims to fame: one of the few still functioning salt mines in the region, and, more importantly, the largest cache of weapons in Europe - over a million of them and they are under the control of separatists.

Outside the gates of the mine, a cluster of tents mark the pro-Russian checkpoint guarding the entrance to this enormous supply of weapons.

The militia say they started guarding the mine in March when efforts were made to move some of the weapons. They say they will not allow anyone to get their hands on them.

But military experts and government sources in Kiev have warned that such a ready supply should not be guarded by groups who wish to separate from the country.

The storage facility was created in the 1950s by the Soviet Union.

About 150 metres below ground and stretching horizontally for kilometres the weapons age back to World War Two but in the 1990s huge numbers of Kalashnikov machine guns were stored in the facility as well.

The men guarding the store say the conditions underground are dry and perfect for storage.

The weapons are held in a storage facility at a salt mine

They say that the armaments, particularly the newer ones, are in perfect working order.

"If anyone got in there they could arm everyone in Ukraine," a masked separatist told me.

He added: "There are rifles, machine guns, heavy weapons and millions and millions of rounds of ammunition. We are here to stop the forces of the west and anyone else for that matter from getting their hands on them.

"For certain the fascists from Kiev won't get them."

The real point of this is that there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to take control of the store from the pro-Russia group.

Soldiers at a nearby camp are powerless here; their authority has gone and do nothing to move the blockade outside the mine.

To a degree this is a perfect microcosm example of what is happening across the east of the country.

Government institutions and police stations in virtually all the main towns and cities have fallen to the pro-Russia militia.

Tents mark the pro-Russian checkpoint guarding the entrance

It is an extremely well-organised takeover. Armed and masked men arrive and disarm police before moving to town halls and regional buildings.

At gunpoint, they impose their authority before civilian activists move in and start building barricades.

Asked who the enemy are, the usual reply is "Fascists from Kiev".

The truth is there isn't a fascist horde wending its way out here.

It is a myth that has been propagated by self-appointed regional leaders with the help of Russian media, whose reporting of events is watched by most people here.

And it is a cross between hysterical warnings of armageddon and comic manipulation of facts and events; comic if people were not dying as a result, which they are.

This is getting increasingly nasty and once again there is nothing anyone can do about it.

A pro-Russian separatist in Ukraine

In Donestsk, where pro-Kiev supporters have staged rallies of support, people have been beaten senseless and in one instance knifed to death by pro-Russian thugs.

The police do nothing to stop the attacks happening and, worse, there is more than a suspicion that they are in cahoots with the mob.

I have seen riot police clad in full protective gear hugging men who minutes earlier were beating an old man.

The Kiev administration admits its forces in the east are not able to intervene or are failing to do their jobs.

But the police themselves say they are getting no orders or guidance from Kiev.

Even if they don't like what is going on here, and many admit they do, they have no intention of taking a beating, or worse, by stick-wielding groups and armed masked men.

From Kiev, they are warning of an imminent invasion by Russian forces and have put their troops on full alert.

But these soldiers are in truth utterly incapable of resistance to an army, or, as we have seen, even a militia.

Eastern Ukraine is drifting away and it seems there is nothing anyone can do to stop it - just like Crimea.

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Ukraine: US And Nato Build-Up 'Worries' Russia

Who's Who On Latest Sanctions US And EU List

Updated: 11:00am UK, Tuesday 29 April 2014

The US has targeted seven of President Vladimir Putin's "cronies" in a new round of sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian and Ukrainian individuals have been hit with visa bans and freezing of any US assets.

Some 17 companies were also named by the US Treasury.

Igor Sechin - President Putin's friend and head of oil giant Rosneft.

Oleg Belavencev - Mr Putin's presidential envoy to Crimea

Dmitry Kozak - Deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation, responsible for overseeing the integration of the annexed Crimea into Russia

Evgeniy Murov - Director of Russia's federal protective service

Aleksei Pushkov - A state Duma deputy

Vyacheslav Volodin - A Putin adviser

Sergei Chemezov - A Putin ally and head of Rostec, a Russian state-owned high-tech products company.

The European Union has also released a list of 15 politicians and military leaders that will be subject to asset freezes and travel bans.

The EU had already sanctioned 33 Russians and Ukrainians in protest at Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in March.

The 15 new names are:

Dmitry Kozak

Oleg Belavencev

Oleg Savelyev - Minister for Crimean Affairs responsible for the integration of Crimea into Russia

Sergei Menyailo - Acting governor of the Ukrainian annexed city of Sevastopol

Olga Kovatidi - Member of the Russian Federation Council from Crimea

Lyudmila Shvetsova - Deputy chairman of the State Duma, responsible for initiating legislation to integrate Crimea into Russia

Sergei Neverov - Deputy chairman of the state Duma, responsible for law to integrate Crimea into Russia

Igor Sergun - Director of GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate), deputy Chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces. He is responsible for GRU officers in Eastern  Ukraine

Valery Gerasimov - Chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces, first deputy minister of defence, army general responsible for "massive deployment" of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine

German Prokopiv - Active leader of the Lugansk Guard who took part in the seizure of the building of the Lugansk regional office of the Security Service

Valeriy Bolotov - One of the leaders of the separatist group Army of the South-East, which occupied the building of the Security Service in the Lugansk region

Andriy Purgin - Head of the "Donetsk Republic", active organiser of separatist actions, co-ordinator of actions of the "Russian tourists" in Donetsk.

Denys Pushylin - One of the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic. Participated in the seizure and occupation of the regional administration. Spokesman for the separatists

Tsyplakov Gennadevich - One of the leaders of "ideologically radical organisation", the People's Militia of Donbass. He took part in the seizure of state buildings in the Donetsk region

Igor Strelkov - From the main intelligence directorate of the general staff of Russia's armed forces. He was involved in incidents in Sloviansk. He is an assistant on security issues to Sergey Aksionov, self-proclaimed prime-minister of Crimea.

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Clippers Fans Demand Owner Sterling Sells Team

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Fans of the Los Angeles Clippers have demanded that disgraced owner Donald Sterling be forced to sell the team over his racist comment shame.

Civil rights groups joined Clippers fans before the team's home match last night to welcome the NBA's decision to ban Sterling for life.

The protest was staged to show that "Donald Sterling's comments do not represent Los Angeles and the millions of collective voices of minorities who call Los Angeles home".

There was widespread support for the call by the NBA administrator Adam Silver for Sterling to be forced to sell.

"He might be banned from the games, but he is sitting at home counting the money," said one fan.

Fans hold signs before the Clippers' game against the Golden State Warriors

The fury at Sterling's comments, in which he asked his then-girlfriend not to bring black people to games, has reached everywhere from the White House to rappers and sports stars, and even the Clippers' city rivals the LA Lakers.

Outside of the Clippers' Staples Center home, Michael Smith, a long-time Lakers fan who used to perform in half-time shows, held up a sign asking: "What about black people who have given their lives in the service of this country?"

He told Sky News: "Obviously he was ranting, but what is bad is that he didn't make any distinction. There are good and bad people of all colours. We have black police officers in this city, good people."

Another fan was more blunt: "Why aren't the Clippers players out here protesting with us? They are the ones he's insulting as well."

Joe Crew arrived for the Clippers game with a black shirt and team jersey inside out.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life from the NBA

He told Sky News: "I felt a hundred different emotions when I heard that recording. Did they do the right thing in banning him? You bet. 100%."

Basketball chiefs have said they will attempt to force him to sell the team but Sterling, who is the longest standing owner in the sport, has reportedly told friends that the Clippers are "not for sale".

Potential buyers for the Clippers, who are valued at $575m, include basketball legend Magic Johnson and entertainment mogul David Geffen. Both have expressed their interest.

Throughout the day the Clippers website featured a black page and the message: "We are one".

Former NBA star Kevin Johnson, now of the mayor of California's capital city Sacramento, said: "I believe that today stands as one of those great moments where sports once again transcends, where sports provides a place for fundamental change on how our country should think and act."

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Ukraine: Russia Denounces New US Sanctions

Russia has denounced new sanctions imposed by the United States over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, accusing Washington of using Cold War tactics from a "bygone era".

Allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin have been subjected to visa bans and asset freezes, including his friend Igor Sechin, head of oil giant Rosneft.

Officials said the penalties, which affect seven individuals and 17 companies, were aimed at "cronies" of the Russian leader.

President Barack Obama said: "The goal is not to go after Mr Putin personally.

"The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he's engaging in Ukraine could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul."

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the sanctions as illegitimate, uncivilised and in breach of international law.

"Washington is in effect reviving ... an old method of restricting normal cooperation, from Cold War times, essentially chasing itself into a dark, dusty closet of a bygone era," he said.

The European Union has added 15 more Russians and Ukrainians to its blacklist and will reveal the names on Tuesday.

The latest round of sanctions comes as violence continues in the east of Ukraine.

A child looks at pro-Russian militants standing guard in Konstantinovka

Doctors are battling to save the life of Gennady Kernes, the mayor of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, who was shot in the back while exercising.

Several people have been injured in Donetsk after dozens of men in military fatigues, carrying baseball bats and throwing firecrackers, tried to break up a pro-Ukraine demonstration.

Pro-Russian separatists in Slavyansk continue to hold seven monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The self-declared mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, has given the OSCE a list of detainees his movement wants released by the government in Kiev for the observers he is holding.

Russia has been accused by the US of fermenting unrest in Ukraine, allegations Moscow rejects.

In the face of calls to pull back troops massed near Ukraine's border, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it has "deep concern about soldiers Kiev has sent to the area, suggesting Ukrainian troops might be getting ready for "the destruction of entire cities".

In London, a two-day meeting will begin on Tuesday aimed at recovering Ukrainian assets looted under the regime of the country's deposed president, Viktor Yanukovych.

His decision to spurn a trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia sparked the current crisis.

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Severe Storms Kill Nine People In US South

Violent storms across southern America have killed at least nine people, as tornadoes and severe weather systems continue to lash the US.

Officials say up to seven people died in Mississippi when further wild weather tore through the state.

In Alabama, a further two deaths have been confirmed after a tornado caused major damage to the city of Athens.

Emergency Director Rita White said more victims may be trapped in the wreckage of damaged buildings. Rescuers are yet to reach some areas due to downed power lines.

The severe weather comes after a series of tornadoes and violent storms lashed central and mid-western states on Sunday.

Volunteers begin to clear trees off cars in Tupelo, Mississippi

Seventeen people have so far been confirmed dead from the weekend storms.

The storms saw more than a dozen tornadoes damage buildings, overturn trucks and bring down trees.

National Guard troops have been mobilised in the worst-hit areas and rescue crews continue to search debris for victims.

The tornadoes struck Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Louisiana.

Maggie Caro, her husband and two children were among some of the last people reach safely inside a fortified school gymnasium as a tornado ripped through Vilonia, Arkansas.

She said: "They were screaming, 'Run! Run! It's coming!'"

Severe storms have struck many US states in recent days

The half-mile-wide tornado carved an 80-mile path of destruction through the small community just north of Little Rock, killing at least 14 people and flattening homes.

Officials said they expect the overall death toll to rise as crews continue to sift through debris.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said officials did not yet have a count of the missing.

Vilonia Mayor James Firestone said: "It's chaos right now."

A separate twister killed one person in Quapaw, Oklahoma, on Sunday evening, before crossing into Kansas, where it destroyed more than 100 homes and businesses and injured 25 people in the city of Baxter Springs.

President Barack Obama, who is currently in the Philippines, pledged federal assistance to the hard-hit communities.

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

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MH370: 'Highly Unlikely' Debris Will Be Found

The Australian prime minister says it is "highly unlikely" debris from missing flight MH370 will be found on the ocean surface.

Speaking from the Australian capital Canberra, Tony Abbott said the hunt for the Malaysia Airlines flight will now focus on underwater search operations.

"I am now required to say to you that it is highly unlikely at this stage that we will find any aircraft debris on the ocean surface," Mr Abbott said.

He added that the US Navy's Bluefin 21 has finished scouring the initial search area off Australia's western coast, and has not yet found anything.

"I want the families to know, I want the world to know, that Australia will not shirk its responsibilities in this area. We will do everything we humanly can ... to solve this mystery," he said.

"We will not let people down and while the search will be moving to a new phase in coming weeks, it certainly is not ending."

Radar and satellite data show the jet - which was carrying 239 passengers and crew - veered off course on March 8 for unknown reasons.

Analysis indicates it would have run out of fuel in a remote section of the Indian Ocean.

More follows...

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Dozen Killed As Tornadoes Strike Central US

Twelve people have been killed in central America after a powerful storm system saw tornadoes rip through Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Arkansas Emergency Management official Brandon Morris told Sky News the death toll from a large tornado which ripped through the state stands at 11 people.

The tornado formed outside Little Rock and travelled north-east for 30 miles, carving a destructive path.

Television footage from the scene showed badly-damaged buildings and cars.

An earlier tornado in the town of Quapaw, in Oklahoma, also left one person dead and at least six people injured.

Joe Dan Morgan from Ottawa County Emergency Management said there was heavy damage in the town.

"Looks like about half of (the) town got extensive damage as well as the fire department," he said.

Six people were treated for injuries at the Baptist Regional Health Center, said hospital spokeswoman Kristie Wallace.

Authorities said earlier that two people were killed in Quapaw.

More follows...

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Ukraine: 'Observers To Be Used As Human Shield'

It Is No Longer A Game For Separatist Militia

Updated: 12:32am UK, Saturday 26 April 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor in Slavyansk

Their rifles were cocked. The safety catches off. Triggers were fingered. The car lurched to a stop.

Shrill nervous orders were barked in Russian. Men in an assortment of camouflage uniforms lay spread eagled on the roadside glaring down their sights.

A quick search followed. Then a man with a new AK74, probably nicked from the local police station, squinted, his face covered with a balaclava, perhaps attempting a faceless smile.

"Sorry for any inconvenience," he said and waved the car through.

The mixed messages of their behaviour, both aggression and politeness, both bravado and fear, point to a wider conundrum - do they really understand what they're getting in to?

One of their comrades had been shot dead that morning about a mile away on the road out of Slavyansk by an Ukrainian army patrol - probably probing the outer defences of these pro-Russian separatist militants.

Four more, the government said, had been killed in other clashes around the town.

They stand accused of kidnapping the city's elected mayor.

They have taken over city hall and are sandbagging it against an attack and yet they often appear to be no more than young or old boys playing at soldiers.

Occasionally one comes across a trained soldier. Fit and quiet they slink in the background of the occupied buildings.

They may be Russian agents, or former Ukrainian police from the disbanded Berkut who were responsible for sniper attacks on revolutionaries in Kiev.

But the ordinary militants, who are led by local politicians and allegedly funded either by Moscow or allied oligarchs, are clearly being used.

They are the teaspoons the Kremlin is using to keep the east of Ukraine swirling with dark rumours of anti-Russian ethnic cleansing.

Allegations of persecution of pro-Russian groups are entirely false.

But while the militants swagger about the streets, take over government buildings and harass their political opponents, they face a crack down from Kiev.

The nervous men at the road block feared an Ukrainian government attack on the bases in Slavyansk.

They were also facing the reality that what may have felt like a nationalistic camping trip with the added spice of gun play, may no longer be a game.

They may fold under a professional attack by Ukrainian troops.

But if they do not, there will be blood.

And if it flows from Putin's local pawns then so may Russian troops pour in from the east.

He may win, but they will not be around to see his victory.

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South Korean PM Resigns Over Ferry Disaster

South Korea's Prime Minister has resigned over the government's handling of the ferry disaster that has left more than 300 people dead or missing.

Chung Hong-won said: "As I saw grieving families suffering with the pain of losing their loved ones and the sadness and resentment of the public, I thought I should take all responsibility as prime minister.

"There have been so many varieties of irregularities that have continued in every corner of our society and practices that have gone wrong.

"I hope these deep-rooted evils get corrected this time and this kind of accident never happens again."

A total of 115 passengers remain missing after the Sewol ferry sank on a trip from the port on Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju on April 16.

More than 100 passengers remain missing

The death toll stands at 187.

The resignation has to be accepted by President Park Geun-hye.

Executive power largely rests with the president, so Mr Chung's offer appears to be largely symbolic.

Mr Chung was booed and had a water bottle thrown at him when he visited distraught parents the day after the tragedy.

There has been anger at the slow pace of the recovery mission and the frequent changes in information provided by the government.

A relative of one of those on board cries as she waits for news

There have also been several reports in the South Korean media of bodies going to the wrong families, with the error sometimes being identified only after remains had been taken to a funeral home.

A total of 325 out of the 476 people on board were high school students. Around 250 are either confirmed or presumed dead.

The children on board were told to stay put in their cabins while they waited for further orders.

Divers are continuing to search for bodies believed to be trapped in the sunken vessel, but poor weather conditions and a powerful swell are complicating efforts.

Despite waves of up to nine feet (three metres) and near gale-force winds, 93 divers are trying to get into the ferry.

Search teams are battling harsh conditions in the hunt for bodies

A coastguard spokesman said: "The situation is very difficult due to the weather, but we are continuing search efforts, using the occasional calmer periods."

Around a quarter of the bodies recovered have been found in waters outside the vessel, and there are fears some of those who are missing might have drifted from the wreck.

On Saturday four more crew members were arrested.

All 15 members of the crew are in custody and face charges ranging from criminal negligence to abandoning passengers.

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