Home Blog Page 594

Reddit in censorship row

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Reddit in censorship row

Reddit has downgraded the status of its “technology” section after a censorship row.

Technology category is no longer a “default subreddit” on the social news site, meaning it stops being one of two dozen communities promoted to new account holders.

The move follows a report by the Daily Dot that revealed headlines posted to the area had been secretly deleted if they featured certain words.

The subreddit’s own moderators now acknowledge that this was a “disaster”.

Reddit describes itself as “the front page of the internet”.

It had about 115 million unique visitors last month, according to its own data, and more than 6,500 active subreddit communities, all moderated by independent volunteers.

Members can submit links to articles to each community, for which they provide their own headlines.

Other members then up-vote or down-vote the links, which determines how prominently they feature both in each individual section and on a core list of the most popular posts. Users can also submit comments, leading to lively discussions.

Reddit has downgraded the status of its "technology" section after a censorship row
Reddit has downgraded the status of its “technology” section after a censorship row

Reddit is majority-owned by media group Conde Nast’s parent Advanced Publications, and has proven particularly popular with 18-30 year-old males.

This audience-profile closely matches that of many of the major tech blogs and, as such, articles that have attracted interest on the technology subreddit have helped drive traffic to these third-party sites.

However, the section will now be much less visible to people who either have not edited their “subscriptions” to include it or have visited Reddit without logging in.

After a similar action was taken against Reddit‘s “politics” community last year it experienced a steep decline in activity.

Reddit said that it had acted because the technology community’s moderators had become distracted by “petty squabbles”.

The issue was brought to light by a Reddit user nicknamed Creq who posted a message to the site a week ago suggesting that 20 terms had been banned.

He said the list of censored words included: “National Security Agency”, “GCHQ”, “Anonymous”, “anti-piracy”, “Bitcoin”, “Snowden” and “net neutrality”.

It later became clear that other terms, including “EU Court”, “startup” and “Assange” had also been blocked.

When the Daily Dot questioned one of the section’s volunteer moderators about this, he confirmed that software was being used to automatically delete posts that featured “politicized” words in order to avoid the links making it to the core list of most popular topics.

The news caused controversy with those users, prompting a U-turn.

“As many of you are aware the moderators of this subreddit have failed you,” the volunteers wrote in a message to Reddit visitors over the weekend.

“While the intent of this system was, to the extent of my knowledge, not malicious it ended up being a disaster. We messed up, and we are sorry.

“The mods directly responsible for this system are no longer a part of the team and the new team is committed to maintaining a transparent style of moderation.”

One of the changes taken, they added, was to allow the general population to view a configuration page that listed banned materials.

While links to petitions remain blocked, it reveals that most of the censored headline words can now be used again.

However, the move has failed to placate several of the subreddit’s visitors who are now calling for a further two of the section’s surviving moderators to resign.

[youtube sUCvBSIRf5I 650]

 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez memorials held in Mexico and Colombia

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Gabriel Garcia Marquez memorials held in Mexico and Colombia

Public memorials to Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who died on Thursday in Mexico City aged 87, are being hold in Mexico and Colombia.

The presidents of Colombia and Mexico are due to attend a formal ceremony with funeral cortege in Mexico City, where Garcia Marquez lived for decades.

At the same time residents in his home town of Aracataca in northern Colombia will hold a symbolic funeral.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was considered the finest writer of the Spanish language since Cervantes.

The author was cremated at a private family ceremony in Mexico City last week.

A funeral cortege is taking Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ashes from his house to the historic centre of Mexican City for the memorial ceremony.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was considered the finest writer of the Spanish language since Cervantes
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was considered the finest writer of the Spanish language since Cervantes (photo EPA)

The event in the majestic Palace of Fine Arts will be attended by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto and the author’s wife, Mercedes Barcha, and sons, Rodrigo and Gonzalo.

Thousands of members of the public who are mourning his loss will also say goodbye to Gabriel Garcia Marquez at the cultural venue, which is where Mexico pays tribute to its late artistic icons.

It has been adorned with yellow flowers, the author’s favorite, and a string quartet will perform music by the Hungarian Bela Bartok, among other composers.

In Colombia, residents are holding a ceremony of their own in his birth place of Aracataca, the inspiration for Macondo, the setting for his 1967 seminal masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude, which sold millions of copies around the world.

On Tuesday, the Colombian government will hold a formal ceremony at the main cathedral in the capital Bogota, which will be televised.

Then on Wednesday, Colombians will have readings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel No One Writes to the Colonel in hundreds of libraries, parks and universities across the country.

There may be an element of disappointment in Colombia that the first main event to commemorate Gabriel Garcia Marquez is taking place in Mexico rather than his country of origin.

But rather than a diplomatic spat, it simply reflects the degree to which both countries – indeed all Latin Americans – considered Gabriel Garcia Marquez to be their own.

One solution being posited is that Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ashes be divided between Mexico and Colombia, but his family has not yet revealed its wishes.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez fled Colombia in 1981 after learning that the country’s military wanted to question him over links to left-wing guerrillas.

[youtube HSw-iU7MGjQ 650]

Syria announces presidential election for June 3

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Syria announces presidential election for June 3

The Syrian plan to hold a presidential election on June 3 has been dismissed by the US as a “parody of democracy”.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plan, saying it could torpedo efforts to broker a deal to end the three-year civil war, which has killed 150,000.

Syrian government forces have made gains recently, but rebels still control vast territories. It is unlikely that voting would be held in those areas.

President Bashar al-Assad is expected to seek a third seven-year term.

The government recently framed an election law that stipulated all candidates must have lived in Syria for the past 10 years.

Most opposition leaders have fled the country, so are in effect barred from standing.

Syrian parliament announced the presidential election will be held on June 3
Syrian parliament announced the presidential election will be held on June 3 (photo Reuters)

Opposition activist Ahmad Alqusair accused Bashar al-Assad of “holding elections over the blood of Syrians” and said only the president’s supporters would vote.

“If we are being blockaded from even eating bread, how can I vote,” he told the Associated Press.

One government lawmaker said there would be no voting in rebel-held areas, but no official announcement has yet been made.

The US, EU and UN were united in condemning the planned vote.

“Calling for a de-facto referendum rings especially hollow now as the regime continues to massacre the very electorate it purports to represent,” said state department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki.

Ban Ki-moon warned that it would “damage the political process and hamper the prospects for a political solution”.

And both the EU and the US labeled it a “parody of democracy”.

Parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Lahham announced the election, and said overseas Syrians would be able to vote from May 28.

It is unclear how the government plans to organize voting in contested areas, or how the six million people who have fled their homes could register.

Also, more than 2.7 million Syrians are living as refugees in neighboring countries, and many other expatriates live in countries where Syrian embassies have been closed since 2011.

The announcement came just hours after mortar shells exploded about 300ft from the parliament building in central Damascus, killing five people, according to state TV.

President Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father Hafez al-Assad in 2000 and was re-elected in 2007, taking 98% of the vote in a referendum.

He has not said publicly whether he will stand, however, no-one doubts that he will seek a third term.

Amendments to the constitution approved in a widely criticized referendum in 2012 mean that there can be multiple candidates in the election.

However, it is unlikely that anyone will seriously challenge Bashar al-Assad.

[youtube NN6-W5_bASw 650]

Boston Marathon 2014: Bomb attack victims honored before race

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Boston Marathon 2014: Bomb attack victims honored before race

Boston honored three killed and more than 260 injured in the last year’s bomb attack as thousands of marathoners took to the city’s streets for this year’s race.

Dignitaries, spectators and more than 36,000 runners observed a moment of silence before the race began.

The heavy security operation included a ban on rucksacks and screening at checkpoints.

US runner Meb Keflezighi and Rita Jeptoo from Kenya won the men’s and women’s races.

Athletes with disabilities were the first competitors to set off, at 08:50 local time.

The elite women’s race started at 09:32, with the elite men setting off half an hour later, followed by thousands of other runners.

Boston honored three killed and more than 260 injured in the last year's bomb attack as thousands of marathoners took to the city’s streets
Boston honored three killed and more than 260 injured in the last year’s bomb attack as thousands of marathoners took to the city’s streets

Meb Keflezighi won the men’s race, clocking in at 2 hours, 8 minutes and 37 seconds.

He is the first US runner to take the title since 1985.

Rita Jeptoo was the first to cross the finish line in the women’s race, marking her third win in the competition.

She finished the course in a record 2 hours, 18 minutes and 57 seconds.

The 26.2-mile (42.2 km) route was tightly guarded in a massive mobilization of law enforcement agencies, including police units, bomb squads and tactical assault teams from other states.

The Boston police department erected 8,000 steel barricades, 1,200 more than last year.

Many people in the city have been wearing “Boston Strong” T-shirts.

Last year’s winner of the men’s elite race, Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa, was competing again and met several victims of the blast.

Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, is due to stand trial in November. He has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges, including 17 that carry the death penalty.

[youtube 834L8FnLDl0 650]

[youtube Pw_ro8aLzxA 650]

[youtube UHqZT8rhLow 650]

Russia accuses Kiev of violating Geneva accord

Roy Siemens
-
0
Russia accuses Kiev of violating Geneva accord

Russia has accused the Kiev authorities of breaking last week’s Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kiev government – not recognized by Moscow – had not moved to disarm illegal groups, especially the ultra-nationalist Right Sector.

“Extremists are calling the tune,” he alleged, condemning a fatal shooting near Sloviansk, in eastern Ukraine.

Sergei Lavrov also condemned the continuing Maidan street protests in Kiev.

He said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that the Ukrainian authorities had failed to end what he called the illegal protests in the capital.

However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said he was “surprised” Sergei Lavrov did “not know what is being done in Ukraine regarding the Geneva agreements”, Kiev-based news agency Unian reported.

Sergei Lavrov has accused the Kiev authorities of breaking last week's Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis
Sergei Lavrov has accused the Kiev authorities of breaking last week’s Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis

The government had been having regular consultations with the parties to the agreement in an attempt to find “ways of de-escalating the situation in the east of Ukraine”, Andriy Deshchytsya was reported to have said.

Early on Sunday at least three people were killed in a shooting at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near Sloviansk.

The circumstances remain unclear. The local separatists said the attack was carried out by Right Sector militants. Kiev called it a “provocation” staged by Russian special forces.

Sergei Lavrov said the incident proved Kiev did not want to control “extremists”.

He said that the most important demand of the Geneva deal was to “prevent any violence”, and it was not being implemented.

“Steps are being taken – above all by those who seized power in Kiev – which crudely violate the accords reached in Geneva,” Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow.

The April 17 accord was agreed at talks between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and US. It demanded an immediate end to violence in eastern Ukraine and called on illegal armed groups to surrender their weapons and leave official buildings.

Pro-Russian militants are still holding official buildings in at least nine towns and cities in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The interim authorities in Kiev said they had suspended operations against pro-Russian militants over Easter, and appealed for national unity.

They promised to meet some of the demands of pro-Russian protesters, which include the decentralization of power and guarantees for the status of the Russian language.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has deployed around 100 monitors across 10 cities in Ukraine to explain the details of the Geneva accord to each side.

Spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said they were having a “mixed experience dealing with checkpoints and so forth and there is a varying reaction to teams”.

He said they were facing a “hardened attitude” in places such as Donetsk and Slaviansk, but other, smaller, areas are “more accommodating”.

Meanwhile, US has warned the next few days will be pivotal and has threatened more sanctions against Russia if it fails to abide by the Geneva accord.

[youtube KSBCwJJNg5g 650]

Peaches Geldof funeral: Coffin adorned with her family’s painted pictures

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Peaches Geldof funeral: Coffin adorned with her family’s painted pictures

Family and friends have paid their last respects to Peaches Geldof, at her funeral in Kent.

Mourners included Sarah Ferguson, Nick Grimshaw, Bill Wyman and Kate Moss.

Peaches Geldof’s father, Sir Bob Geldof, was due to give a eulogy during the service, in the church where she was married two years ago.

It is also where the funeral was held for her mother Paula Yates in 2000.

Peaches Geldof, 25, died suddenly two weeks ago at her home.

Flowers were laid outside the St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence Church in Davington, near Faversham, on Monday morning.

Located next to Bob Geldof’s Davington Priory country estate, where Peaches grew up, the streets were lined with well-wishers and photographers ahead of the service.

A hearse carrying her sky blue coffin drew into the estate shortly before 13:00 BST. It was adorned with a painted picture of Peaches Geldof, her husband Thomas Cohen, their two young sons and pet dogs.

Peaches Geldof’s blue coffin was adorned with a painted picture of herself, her husband, their two young sons and pet dogs
Peaches Geldof’s blue coffin was adorned with a painted picture of herself, her husband, their two young sons and pet dogs

The funeral, at which Peaches Geldof’s younger sister Pixie had also been expected to speak, was private.

Peaches Geldof’s ashes are expected to be scattered in the estate’s garden.

Her body was found on April 7 at the home she shared with her husband, musician Thomas Cohen and their sons, Astala, 23 months, and 11-month-old Phaedra, in Wrotham, Kent.

Peaches Geldof’s cause of death is not yet known as a post-mortem test was inconclusive.

The results of toxicology tests are expected in the coming weeks, after which an inquest is expected to be opened.

Police have said the death is being treated as a “non-suspicious, unexplained sudden death”.

Bob Geldof, the former frontman of The Boomtown Rats, previously described his daughter as the “wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us”.

St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence Church is also where Bob Geldof and television presenter Paula Yates married in 1986.

[youtube uO3OxUF4-nc 650]

Captain America: The Winter Soldier tops US box office for third week

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Captain America: The Winter Soldier tops US box office for third week

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has topped the US box office for a third week.

Starring Chris Evans, Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson, Captain America: The Winter Soldier made $26.2 million, beating avian animation Rio 2 into second place.

Heaven is for Real, the story of a young boy who claims to have visited heaven during a near-death experience, was number three over Easter weekend.

But Johnny Depp’s new sci-fi thriller Transcendence fared poorly.

Directed by Batman cinematographer Wally Pfister, Transcendence sees Johnny Depp playing a dying computer genius, who uploads his consciousness to a supercomputer and achieves a problematic digital afterlife.

After suffering poor reviews, the movie opened in fourth place, taking $11 million, a fraction of its $100 million production budget.

It is Johnny Depp’s third movie in a row to stumble at the box office, following last summer’s The Lone Ranger and Tim Burton’s comedy misfire Dark Shadows.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has topped the US box office for a third week
Captain America: The Winter Soldier has topped the US box office for a third week

“As we approach the summer movie season, box-office drawing power becomes more about the concept of the movie rather than its star,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak.

“It may not have been so much (about) Johnny Depp, but audiences right now like brands that they know.”

The US top 10 also contained three movies with a religious theme. Following Heaven is for Real came biblical epic Noah at 9, and God’s Not Dead at 10.

God’s Not Dead, about a religious freshman college student who debates with his professor on the existence of God, has made $48 million over the last five weeks, even though it is playing in far fewer venues than the blockbuster fare at the top of the chart.

North American box office Top 10:

  1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($26.6 million)
  2. Rio 2 ($22.5 million)
  3. Heaven is for Real ($21.5 million)
  4. Transcendence ($11.2 million)
  5. A Haunted House 2 ($9.1 million)
  6. Draft Day ($5.9 million)
  7. Divergent ($5.75 million)
  8. Oculus ($5.2 million)
  9. Noah ($5 million)
  10. God’s Not Dead ($4.8 million)    Source: Rentrak  [youtube 7SlILk2WMTI 650]

Jack White claims world record after recording, cutting and selling single in 4 hours

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Jack White claims world record after recording, cutting and selling single in 4 hours

Former White Stripes frontman Jack White has recorded, cut and sold a seven-inch single in four hours, as part of the celebrations for Record Store Day.

Jack White took to the stage at his Third Man Records’ store in Nashville at 10:00 on Saturday and played two songs.

They were cut directly to an acetate disc, which was rushed to a pressing plant. The finished records were on sale within three hours and 55 minutes.

Jack White claimed to have set a world record as a result.

Guinness World Records says Swiss polka trio Vollgas Kompanie currently hold the title for “fastest album release”, having issued their album Live on August 16, 2008, the day after it was recorded.

Jack White has recorded, cut and sold a seven-inch single in four hours, as part of the celebrations for Record Store Day
Jack White has recorded, cut and sold a seven-inch single in four hours, as part of the celebrations for Record Store Day

Marillion has the record for “fastest music DVD release”, taking just 10 hours to film, edit and press copies of their concert movie Clocks Already Ticking.

However, there is no current record for fastest single release – possibly because the iTunes era allows songs to go on sale within minutes of being completed.

Paul McCartney and U2 are believed to have set a record in 2005, when their Live 8 performance of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was purchased 45 minutes after being performed on stage in London’s Hyde Park.

“I never even looked into who has the fastest record,” Jack White admitted to reporters during a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

Jack White said he was more concerned with making sure the record got made at all.

“I woke up at about four in the morning last night, and I thought, <<Wow. I think there’s about 12 or 13 things that could really go wrong tomorrow>>,” he told The Tennessean.

“I just thought how difficult it was going to be to explain to people if we didn’t pull it off, so thank God we did.”

The single comprised Lazaretto, the title track to Jack White’s forthcoming album, and a cover of Elvis Presley’s 1969 song Power of My Love.

“Originally, we were just gonna do this record and go back to sleep,” Jack White told the audience.

Instead, Jack White played an hour-long set, including a mix of new songs and White Stripes favorites such as Hotel Yorba and Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.

Green Destiny: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon prequel filming to start in July

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Green Destiny: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon prequel filming to start in July

Filming on The Green Destiny – a prequel to Oscar-winning martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – will start in July.

The Green Destiny will see Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as female warrior Yu Shu Lien.

Pre-production is believed to have begun. Filming is due to start in Auckland, New Zealand, with two further weeks of shooting in China.

Yuen Woo-ping, who co-ordinated the action scenes in the original, will step behind the camera for the prequel.

The Green Destiny will see Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as female warrior Yu Shu Lien
The Green Destiny will see Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as female warrior Yu Shu Lien

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remains the most successful Chinese-language film of all time, making $213.5 million on its release in 2000.

The movie won the best foreign-language Oscar the following year, with three more awards in the technical categories.

Part of the reason for the film’s success was that it operated on many different levels. It was a love story, a martial arts fantasy with a feminist twist and an historical epic set against a backdrop of spectacular locations in China.

Director Ang Lee also employed sophisticated technology that enabled the characters to perform gravity-defying stunts, drawing in fans of the previous year’s box office hit, The Matrix.

But plans for a prequel were delayed by a row over the film rights to Wang Du Lu’s novels, on which the film was based.

Columbia Pictures claimed it had struck a deal with the late writer’s son in 2005. He denied this, and said he had signed an agreement with The Weinstein Company, another US studio.

With the case resolved, The Weinstein Company is pushing ahead with the prequel, choosing New Zealand as a location thanks to a generous production incentive that offers filmmakers a 20% rebate on money spent in the country.

The Green Destiny draws on the fifth book in Wang Du Lu’s series, Silver Vase, Iron Night.

“This introduces a new generation of star-crossed lovers, and a new series of antagonists in a battle of good and evil,” screenwriter John Fusco told movie website Deadline last year.

Although John Fusco is known for US blockbusters such as Young Guns I and II, he also penned The Forbidden Kingdom for Jet Li and Jackie Chan in 2008.

[youtube iv_ed5VmoD8 650]

Peaches Geldof funeral: Bob Geldof to pay tribute to his daughter

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Peaches Geldof funeral: Bob Geldof to pay tribute to his daughter

Bob Geldof will pay tribute to his daughter Peaches later at her funeral.

Peaches Geldof funeral takes place at the same church where she married.

It is also the same church, in Davington, near Faversham, in Kent, where the funeral was held for Peaches Geldof’s mother Paula Yates in 2000.

The 25-year-old television presenter, model and socialite, died suddenly two weeks ago at her home.

Peaches Geldof funeral takes place at the same church where she married
Peaches Geldof funeral takes place at the same church where she married (photo Getty Images)

Peaches Geldof’s cause of death is not yet known as a post-mortem test was inconclusive.

The results of toxicology tests are expected in the coming weeks, after which, an inquest is expected to be opened.

Peaches Geldof’s body was found at the home she shared with her husband, musician Thomas Cohen and their sons, Astala, 23 months, and 11-month-old Phaedra, in Wrotham, Kent.

Police have said the death is being treated as a “non-suspicious, unexplained sudden death”.

The Geldof family said the service would be private.

Sir Bob Geldof, the former Boomtown Rats singer, has described his daughter as the “wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us”.

The church is also where Bob Geldof and television presenter Paul Yates married in 1986.

Peaches Geldof’s mother died in 2000 from a heroin overdose.

[youtube nJL0nBAcoDA 650]

Boy survives 5-hour flight in jet’s wheel well

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Boy survives 5-hour flight in jet’s wheel well

A 16-year-old boy has survived an extraordinary journey hidden in the wheel well of a five-hour flight from California to Hawaii, FBI officials say.

The boy is “lucky to be alive” and unharmed after flying for more than 5 hours in the plane’s wheel well, surviving cold temperatures at 38,000 feet and a lack of oxygen.

“Doesn’t even remember the flight,” FBI spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu told The Associated Press on Sunday night.

“It’s amazing he survived that.”

The boy was questioned by the FBI after being discovered on the tarmac at the Maui airport Sunday morning with no identification, Tom Simon said.

“Kid’s lucky to be alive,” Tom Simon said.

A 16-year-old boy has survived an extraordinary journey hidden in the wheel well of a five-hour flight from California to Hawaii
A 16-year-old boy has survived an extraordinary journey hidden in the wheel well of a five-hour flight from California to Hawaii

The FBI spokesman said security footage from the San Jose airport verified that the boy from Santa Clara, California, hopped a fence to get to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 on Sunday morning. The child had run away from his family after an argument, Tom Simon said.

Tom Simon said when the Boeing 767 landed in Maui, the boy hopped down from the wheel well and started wandering around the airport grounds.

“He was unconscious for the lion’s share of the flight,” he said.

The flight lasted about 5½ hours.

Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said airline personnel noticed the boy on the ramp after the flight arrived and immediately notified airport security.

“Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived,” Alison Croyle said.

[youtube YTQFS4N5cr8 650]

Tom Simon said the boy was medically screened and found to be unharmed.

His misadventure immediately raised security questions. A Congressman who serves on the Homeland Security committee wondered how the teen could have snuck onto the airfield at San Jose unnoticed.

“I have long been concerned about security at our airport perimeters. #Stowaway teen demonstrates vulnerabilities that need to be addressed,” tweeted Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who represents the San Francisco Bay Area’s eastern cities and suburbs.

A Mineta San Jose International Airport spokeswoman said airport police were working with the FBI and the Transportation Security Agency to review security at the facility as part of an investigation.

“Our concern is with this young boy and his family. Thank God he survived and we hope his health is OK,” spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said.

Officials at Kahului Airport referred questions to the State Department of Transportation, which did not return a phone call seeking comment. A Transportation Security Agency spokesman who declined to be named referred questions to the FBI and airport authorities.

The boy was released to child protective services and not charged with a crime, Tom Simon said.

Duck Dynasty Look-a-Like Contest at IMAX Theater in Branson

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Duck Dynasty Look-a-Like Contest at IMAX Theater in Branson

About 60 bearded men participated at the Duck Dynasty Look-a-Like Contest at the IMAX Theater in Branson, Missouri, on April 19.

Activities at the IMAX’s Duck Day were going on from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. including kids games and food from McFarlains.

About 60 bearded men participated at the Duck Dynasty Look-a-Like Contest at the IMAX Theater in Branson
About 60 bearded men participated at the Duck Dynasty Look-a-Like Contest at the IMAX Theater in Branson

Kids enjoyed games favorites like the “Duck Egg Hunt”, “Duck Walk”, “Chuck-a-Duck” and the ever popular “Duck Egg Spoon Race”.

Celebrity judges Lindsay Clein, Tom Trtan and Clay Cooper were there to pick the winners.

Judging was based on similar physical features, similar essence of Duck Dynasty character and imagination.

There was a first place, second place and third place.

The first place winner won $400, dinner for two at McFarlains and a $100 Camo Country gift card.

[youtube iQctl25jr0c 650]

Sewol ferry: President Park Geun-hye condemns crew actions

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Sewol ferry: President Park Geun-hye condemns crew actions

South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has condemned the conduct of some of the crew of the Sewol ferry that sank last week, calling it “akin to murder”.

Park Geun-hye said that those to blame would have to take “criminal and civil” responsibility for their actions.

Divers are continuing to recover bodies from the ferry, as they gain access to more of the submerged hull.

The death toll now stands at 64, with 238 people still missing, most of them students from a school near Seoul.

Bodies are being brought two or three at a time back to Jindo, a southern island close to where the ferry sank.

Police, meanwhile, have been given access to hundreds of messages sent by passengers and crew so they can construct a detailed chronology of the ferry’s last hour.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye met the families of the Sewol ferry missing passengers
South Korean President Park Geun-hye met the families of the Sewol ferry missing passengers

Park Geun-hye, whose government has faced criticism over its initial response to the disaster, told aides that the actions of the captain and some of the crew “were utterly incomprehensible, unacceptable and tantamount to murder”, the presidential office said.

A total of 174 passengers were rescued from the Sewol, which capsized as it sailed from Incheon in the north-west to the southern island of Jeju.

But there were 476 people on board – including 339 children and teachers on a school trip. Many were trapped inside the ship as it listed to one side and then sank.

Investigations are focusing on whether the vessel took too sharp a turn – perhaps destabilizing the vessel – before it started listing and whether an earlier evacuation order could have saved lives.

Details of the panic and indecision on the bridge emerged on Sunday, when the coastguard released a transcript of the last communications between the crew and controllers.

In the transcript, a crew member repeatedly asks if vessels are on hand to rescue passengers if evacuation is ordered.

Sewol captain, Lee Joon-seok, has said he delayed the move for fear people would drift away.

Lee Joon-seok, 69, was not on the bridge when the ferry began listing. It was steered by a third mate who had never navigated the waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors said on Saturday.

Sewol captain and two other crew members have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

Four more crew members were reported to have been detained on Monday over allegations they failed to protect passengers.

It has since emerged that Lee Joon-seok appeared in a promotional video for the journey four years ago describing the ferry journey as safe as long as the passengers followed the crew’s instructions.

Over the weekend, there were angry confrontations between relatives of those on board and police, after a group began a protest march.

The relatives say they want more information both about what happened and about how soon the remains of their loved ones can be recovered.

[youtube G4EM93pQC-g 650]

Boston Marathon 2014: Tight security a year after bombings

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Boston Marathon 2014: Tight security a year after bombings

Thousands of participants are preparing to take part at this year’s Boston Marathon amid tight security following last year’s bombings.

In last year’s race two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and wounding more than 260.

But the attack has not deterred runners from Monday’s event. More than 36,000 will start – 9,000 more than normal.

Half a million spectators are expected to turn out. They will pass through checkpoints and will not be allowed to bring rucksacks – only clear bags.

Never before has the marathon been run amid so many layers of security.

Thousands of participants are preparing to take part at this year’s Boston Marathon amid tight security following last year’s bombings
Thousands of participants are preparing to take part at this year’s Boston Marathon amid tight security following last year’s bombings

Protecting the 26.2 mile route has involved a massive mobilization of law enforcement agencies, including police units, bomb squads and Swat teams from other states.

The Boston police department has erected 8,000 steel barricades, 1,200 more than last year.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told CBS television on Sunday that the added security measures would assure a “very safe” atmosphere.

Runners and their families posed at the finish line on Sunday, determined to take part in the event.

Many people in the city have been wearing “Boston Strong” T-shirts.

Last year’s winner, Lelisa Desisa, returns to compete again. He has met several victims of the blast, calling them “an inspiration”.

The event will begin with a moment’s silence at the start line at 08:45.

Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, is due to stand trial in November. He has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges, including 17 that carry the death penalty.

Prosecutors allege that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set off two pressure cooker bombs with his older brother Tamerlan, 26, who later died in a police shoot-out.

[youtube I3f0lkqlO1g 650]

[youtube wS35TyQKZyg 650]

[youtube hDDMys5W_T0 650]

Sadie Robertson and Blake Coward attend Madison Academy Junior/Senior Banquet

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Sadie Robertson and Blake Coward attend Madison Academy Junior/Senior Banquet

Sadie Robertson, daughter of Duck Dynasty’s Willie and Korie Robertson, attended the Madison Academy Junior/Senior Banquet at Burritt on the Mountain with Madison Academy student Blake Coward.

Sadie Robertson tweeted a photo of herself and Blake Coward at the Alabama banquet.

Sadie Robertson and Blake Coward attended the Madison Academy Junior Senior Banquet
Sadie Robertson and Blake Coward attended the Madison Academy Junior Senior Banquet

“I got the privilege to take Sadie to Jr/Sr last night,” said Blake Coward via Facebook message.

Blake Coward is a junior, and plays football and baseball for the Madison Academy Mustangs.

Sadie Robertson, 16, has cousins who attend Madison Academy, and she met Blake Coward while attending one of their softball games.

“I asked her on a date later,” said Blake Coward.

“It went great and then I visited her in Louisiana about a month later and we have been dating for three months now.”

Who is Chanel West Coast?

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Who is Chanel West Coast?

Chelsea Chanel Dudley, aka Chanel West Coast, rose to celebrity as the rapping secretary on Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.

Chelsea Chanel Dudley, aka Chanel West Coast, rose to celebrity as the rapping secretary on Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory
Chelsea Chanel Dudley, aka Chanel West Coast, rose to celebrity as the rapping secretary on Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory

Since then, Chanel West Coast did some modeling for Maxim as well as Rob Dyrdek’s “Reckless” clothing brand.

Chanel West Coast, 25, has also become a co-host on Rob Dyrdek’s internet video spoof show Ridiculousness and has begun a musical career rapping on tracks with various artists.

Chanel West Coast unlikely popularity has stemmed largely from the reality show juggernaut that Rob Dyrdek has somehow become.

Finland plane crash kills eight skydivers near Jamijarvi

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Finland plane crash kills eight skydivers near Jamijarvi

A Finnish plane crashed near the town of Jamijarvi killing eight skydivers.

Three people, including the pilot, jumped to safety before the plane crashed and they are currently in hospital.

The Finnish plane crashed near the town of Jamijarvi killing eight skydivers
The Finnish plane crashed near the town of Jamijarvi killing eight skydivers

Witnesses said the aircraft appeared to run into engine trouble before it came down.

Jamijarvi airport is one the most popular in Finland for leisure and training flights.

The skydivers were all residents of the area, police said.

Kuwait newspapers suspended for breaking news blackout about coup plot

Roy Siemens
-
0
Kuwait newspapers suspended for breaking news blackout about coup plot

Two Kuwaiti newspapers have been temporary suspended for breaking a news blackout about an alleged coup plot, a judge has ruled today.

The independent newspapers, Al Watan and Alam Al Yawm, published details of a videotape said to show former senior officials planning the overthrow of the Gulf state’s leadership.

Both papers have been ordered to stop printing for two weeks.

The editor of Al Watan said it would appeal against the suspension.

Kuwaiti independent newspapers, Al Watan and Alam Al Yawm, published details of a videotape said to show former senior officials planning the overthrow of the Gulf state's leadership
Kuwaiti independent newspapers, Al Watan and Alam Al Yawm, published details of a videotape said to show former senior officials planning the overthrow of the Gulf state’s leadership

He told Reuters news agency: “I do not think we talked about the tape more than any other newspaper.”

The videotape purportedly contains allegations of a plot to topple the government of the Western-backed emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah.

Reports about the tape have featured extensively in local media since the start of the year, prompting a recent call from the emir’s office to stop discussing the topic.

Earlier this month the Kuwaiti prosecutor’s office ordered a media blackout of the investigation. Last week Kuwait’s lawmakers discussed the tape behind closed doors.

Kuwait’s parliament is one of the few elected bodies in the Gulf.

Kuwait is home to about a dozen daily newspapers, which often include criticism of government ministers including some ruling family members.

Sewol ferry transcript reveals crew panic over evacuation

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Sewol ferry transcript reveals crew panic over evacuation

The transcript of the last communications between South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday and traffic services reveal panic and indecision by the crew.

In the newly released transcript, a crew member repeatedly asks if there were vessels on hand to rescue passengers if evacuation was ordered.

The captain has said he delayed the move for fear people would drift away.

After three days, divers have now entered the ferry and retrieved 26 bodies, bringing the death toll to 58.

However, another 244 people are still missing. Some 174 passengers were rescued.

The Sewol capsized during a journey from Incheon in the north-west to the southern island of Jeju. There were 476 people on board – including 339 children and teachers on a school trip,

Investigations are focusing on whether the vessel took too sharp a turn before it started listing and whether an earlier evacuation order could have saved lives.

Some experts believe the turn could have dislodged heavy cargo and destabilized the vessel.

Messages and phone calls from those inside paint a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the sharply-listing ferry.

Sewol ferry capsized during a journey from Incheon in the north-west to the southern island of Jeju
Sewol ferry capsized during a journey from Incheon in the north-west to the southern island of Jeju

Details of the panic on the bridge emerged on Sunday, when the coastguard released a transcript of the last communications between the crew and controllers.

At 09:24 – 29 minutes after the Sewol issued its first distress call – a controller says: “Please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing.”

The unidentified crew member says: “If this ferry evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?”

“At least make them wear life rings and make them escape,” the controller from the Jindo Vessel Traffic Services Centre replies.

As he continues to urge the crew to prepare for evacuation, the crew member twice asks if passengers would be “rescued straight away”.

It was not until 09:37 – a few seconds before the last communication – that it became clear to controllers that evacuation had been ordered.

On Saturday the captain, Lee Joon-seok, appeared on TV saying: “I bow my head in apology to the families of the victims.

“The current was very strong, the temperature of the ocean water was cold, and I thought that if people left the ferry without proper judgement, if they were not wearing a life jacket, and even if they were, they would drift away and face many other difficulties.”

Lee Joon-seok, 69, was not on the bridge when the ferry began listing. It was steered inexperienced by a third mate who had never navigated the waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors said on Saturday.

The captain and two other crew members have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

Since the capsize, many of the relatives of those on board have been on Jindo island, near the site of the accident. Some have protested over the rescue operation.

Boats carrying 13 of the recently retrieved bodies arrived at Paengmok Port on Jindo on Sunday.

About 200 ships, 34 aircraft and 600 divers have been taking part in the search operation. Fishing boats with powerful lights have been brought in to help the divers operate at night.

But the currents are still strong and the visibility remains challenging.

Sewol communications excerpt:

Controller: “Please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing.”

Crew member: “If this ferry evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?”

Controller: “At least make them wear life rings and make them escape.”

Crew member: “If this ferry evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?”

Controller: “Don’t let them go bare. At least make them wear life rings and make them escape… We don’t know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you’re going to evacuate passengers or not.”

Crew member: “I’m not talking about that. I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?”

[youtube IS3D3-th1k8 650]

Hateful Eight: Quentin Tarantino and stars read leaked script

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Hateful Eight: Quentin Tarantino and stars read leaked script

Quentin Tarantino was joined by Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Dern and Michael Madsen in Los Angeles for a reading of his leaked script, Hateful Eight.

Once due to be the follow-up to Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino cancelled the film in January after the script spread around Hollywood and film websites.

At the time, the director said he was “very, very depressed” by the leak.

However, Quentin Tarantino, 51, was in better spirits for the one-off live reading and hinted his movie may yet see the light of day.

“I’m working on a second draft and I will do a third draft but we’re reading from the first draft,” he told the audience at Los Angeles’ Theatre at the Ace Hotel.

He also suggested the script would be changed substantially in future drafts – in particular the final act, which he described as the “fifth chapter”.

“The chapter five here will not be the chapter five later so this will be the only time it is seen, ever,” he said.

Quentin Tarantino was joined by Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Dern and Michael Madsen in Los Angeles for a reading of his leaked script, Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarantino was joined by Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Dern and Michael Madsen in Los Angeles for a reading of his leaked script, Hateful Eight

Set in post-civil war Wyoming, the Western drama takes place after a blizzard diverts a stagecoach from its route, stranding a mismatched group of outlaws in a “haberdashery”.

Among their number are a competing pair of bounty hunters, a renegade Confederate soldier and a female prisoner.

Four of the five “chapters” take place almost entirely within one room, said the Hollywood Reporter, which described the plot as an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit, albeit with added violence.

Several of Quentin Tarantino’s old cast-members took part in the reading, with Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction), Kurt Russell (Death Proof) and Amber Tamblyn (Django Unchained) all on stage.

“We’ve been rehearsing this for the last 3 days and we’re not bad,” said Quentin Tarantino.

Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell played the dueling bounty hunters, while Michael Madsen played cowboy John Gage and Quentin Tarantino narrated.

“Guys, you are starting to drift away from the dialogue on the page,” he told the ensemble at one point.

“No more co-writing!”

About 1,200 people attended the show, with tickets priced between $150 and $200.

Among the audience were film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has distributed several of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, and X-Men writer David Hayder.

Mobile phones were banned, and there was no live stream of the event.

Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino is suing gossip website Gawker for contributory copyright infringement after it posted a link to the leaked screenplay.

The trial is due to start on January 27, 2015.

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter dies aged 76

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Rubin “Hurricane” Carter dies aged 76

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, whose wrongful conviction for murder caused an international outcry, has died at the age of 76.

Rubin Carter died on Sunday at his home in Toronto, Canada, his friend and former co-defendant John Artis, confirmed.

The former boxer spent 19 years in prison for three murders in New Jersey in 1966.

The alleged racial motivations behind the incarceration became well-known in Bob Dylan’s song Hurricane, several books and a film.

John Artis said Rubin Carter had died in his sleep, following a battle with prostate cancer, AP news agency reported.

Rubin Hurricane Carter spent 19 years in prison for three murders in New Jersey in 1966
Rubin Hurricane Carter spent 19 years in prison for three murders in New Jersey in 1966

Rubin Carter was charged with the murder of three white people in New Jersey in 1966.

He was convicted on the evidence of two white prosecution witnesses, who were attempting to commit a burglary near the location of the murders.

The witnesses recanted their statements in 1974, and Rubin Carter was briefly freed in 1976 after the guilty verdicts were overturned.

The case made Rubin Carter a high-profile figure in the civil-rights movement, and famous campaigners including Bob Dylan and Muhammad Ali expressed their support for him.

However, he was retried and convicted again in 1976. One of the prosecution witnesses withdrew his recantation, the New York Times reported.

Rubin Hurricane Carter was freed for good in 1985, after a federal judge overturned his convictions.

Judge H Lee Sarokin said Rubin Carter’s convictions had been “predicated on an appeal to racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure”.

Following his release, Rubin Hurricane Carter moved to Toronto, and campaigned for the rights of those wrongfully convicted.

In an opinion piece for the New York Daily News in February this year, Rubin Carter thanked Judge H Lee Sarokin for freeing him.

“I lived in hell for the first 49 years, and have been in heaven for the past 28 years. To live in a world where truth matters and justice, however late, really happens, that world would be heaven enough for us all.”

[youtube FR_hYduM6E0 650]

Pope Francis leads his second Easter Sunday Mass

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Pope Francis leads his second Easter Sunday Mass

Pope Francis led his second Easter Mass and delivered the Urbi et Orbi message on Easter Sunday in front of tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

After leading the ceremony that marks the holiest day in the Christian calendar, Pope Francis delivered his traditional blessing and address.

The pontiff prayed for peace in Syria and Ukraine and “an end to all war and every conflict”.

And he also prayed for those people around the world suffering from hunger, poverty, disease and neglect.

This is the second Easter mass and “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message Pope Francis, 77, has delivered as Pope.

Pope Francis led his second Easter Mass in front of tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square
Pope Francis led his second Easter Mass in front of tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square

The avenue leading up to the Vatican was filled with 35,000 flowers donated by the Netherlands.

“Help us to overcome the scourge of hunger, aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible,” Pope Francis prayed.

He appealed for more medical attention for those suffering from the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa and also prayed for the protection of the most vulnerable members of society.

Pope Francis asked God to “enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine so that all those involved… will make every effort to prevent violence and, in a spirit of unity and dialogue, chart a path for the country’s future”.

“We pray in a particular way for Syria,” he said, expressing the hope that the “defenseless civil population” will be protected from the violence and get the aid they need.

In reference to Syria, Pope Francis urged the international community to “boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue”.

Pope Francis’ message came as Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad marked Easter by visiting the ancient Christian town of Maalula.

[youtube ilEA_jgkmmY 650]

French hostage journalists speak about Syrian ordeal

Roy Siemens
-
0
French hostage journalists speak about Syrian ordeal

The four French journalists released from captivity in Syria have been speaking about their ordeal at the hands of suspected Islamist rebels.

Didier Francois said the four men were chained to each other and kept in basements without natural light.

His colleague Nicolas Henin added that they were “not always well treated”.

Nicolas Henin and Didier Francois, along with Edouard Elias and Pierre Torres, were greeted by their families and President Francois Hollande on arrival in France.

They had been found by Turkish soldiers on the Syrian border late on Friday.

The jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has been accused of kidnapping them.

Television footage after their reappearance showed the men looking unkempt, with beards and long hair, but in good health.

Nicolas Henin and Didier Francois, along with Edouard Elias and Pierre Torres, were greeted by their families and President Francois Hollande on arrival in France
Nicolas Henin and Didier Francois, along with Edouard Elias and Pierre Torres, were greeted by their families and President Francois Hollande on arrival in France

Didier Francois, 53, said he was “very happy to be free… to see the sky, to be able to walk and to be able to speak freely”.

“We spent six whole months in basements without seeing daylight, and for two-and-a-half months we were chained to each other,” he told his own radio station, Europe 1.

“It was a long haul, but we never lost hope,” Didier Francois added.

“From time to time, we got snatches of information, we knew that the world was mobilized.”

The journalists were found blindfolded and handcuffed in a no-man’s land in Turkey’s border province of Sanliurfa and were taken by Turkish soldiers to a police station in the nearby town of Akcakale.

The men went missing in two separate incidents last June.

Didier Francois, a veteran war correspondent, and Edouard Elias, a photographer, were abducted in early June on their way to Aleppo.

Nicolas Henin, who was working for Le Point magazine, and Pierre Torres, reporting for French-German television channel Arte, were taken later that month near Raqqa.

Negotiations with their kidnappers had been going on for several weeks but it is not known if anything was offered to them in return for freeing the men.

Welcoming them at Villacoublay air base, south of Paris, President Francois Hollande called it a “day of great joy” both for the four journalists and for France.

“France is proud that these compatriots serve the freedom of the press and France is proud to have been able to secure their liberty,” he said.

Francois Hollande also denied that France had paid a ransom.

Syria has become one of the most dangerous places for journalists.

More than 60 journalists have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad three years ago.

[youtube KIPn2QsLkE0 650]

Pope Francis leads Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Pope Francis leads Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square

People have gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Easter Sunday Mass led by Pope Francis.

After leading the ceremony that marks the holiest day in the Christian calendar, Pope Francis will deliver his traditional blessing and address.

People have gathered in St Peter's Square for the Easter Sunday Mass led by Pope Francis
People have gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Easter Sunday Mass led by Pope Francis (photo Reuters)

Pope Francis is expected to use his message to highlight the suffering of people in areas of conflict, including Ukraine.

The avenue leading up to the Vatican has been decorated with 35,000 flowers donated by the Netherlands.

[youtube 0gUKccUS6n8 650]

Sewol ferry: South Korea families in angry protest over rescue operation

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Sewol ferry: South Korea families in angry protest over rescue operation

Families of passengers on sunken South Korean ferry Sewol have protested angrily over the rescue operation.

Police stopped up to 100 people trying to leave Jindo island intending to march to Seoul.

After more than three days, divers have now finally entered the ferry, retrieving 22 bodies and bringing the death toll to 54.

However, another 248 people are still missing from the Sewol ferry, which sank on Wednesday.

Some 174 passengers were rescued.

Since the capsize, many of the relatives of those on board have been on Jindo, in the south-west of the country.

Hundreds have been camping at a gymnasium on the island, awaiting news from the rescue operation.

Scuffles broke out when some family members tried to cross a bridge to the mainland, reportedly to march on the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, some 260 miles to the north.

Relatives are anxious for the bodies to be retrieved before they decompose.

Families of passengers on sunken South Korean ferry Sewol have protested angrily over the rescue operation
Families of passengers on sunken South Korean ferry Sewol have protested angrily over the rescue operation

Even the prime minister came down to try to dissuade the protesters from marching on Seoul, with officials worried that the controversy could turn into a national political issue and harm the government.

About 200 ships, 34 aircraft and 600 divers have been taking part in the search operation.

Squid fishing boats with powerful lights have been brought in to help the divers operate at night.

But the currents are still strong and the visibility remains challenging.

Coastguard official Koh Myung-seok told a briefing that divers had discovered a number of routes into the ferry, and found bodies in different locations.

Captain Lee Joon-seok and two other crew members are in custody and have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

Officials said on Saturday that the ferry was being steered by an inexperienced third mate in unfamiliar waters when it sank.

Lee Joon-seok, 69, was not initially on the bridge when the ship ran into trouble.

The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers and crew, capsized during a journey from the port of Incheon in the north-west to the southern holiday island of Jeju.

Investigations are focusing on a sharp turn the vessel took before it started listing and whether an evacuation order could have saved lives.

Some experts believe the ship’s tight turn could have dislodged heavy cargo and destabilized the vessel, while others suggest the sinking could have been caused by a collision with a rock.

Messages and phone calls from those inside painted a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the sharply-listing ferry.

Footage from the ship appeared to show instructions from crew members for passengers to remain on board even as it tilted dramatically to one side.

Some 350 of those on board were students from Danwon High School in Ansan, a suburb of Seoul, who were on a school outing when the ferry sank.

[youtube ixtPKsYUZ8Y 650]

1...593594595...1,235Page 594 of 1,235