S Korean Navy ship sinks possibly caused by mine explosion: YTN-Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

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A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea's Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010.



This undated picture shows South Korea's Cheonan naval ship in South Korea, Friday, March 26, 2010. South Korea's military scrambled Cheonan naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said.


Members of South Korean Navy's Ship Salvage Unit (front) on a rubber boat and a naval patrol ship patrol to rescue possible survivors from sunken naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeongdo, an island near the border with North Korea, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)




South Korean Navy's Ship Salvage Unit members on a rubber boat patrol to rescue possible survivors from sunken naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeongdo, an island near the border with North Korea March 27, 2010.


South Korean Navy's Ship Salvage Unit members return from their search for possible survivors from sunken naval ship 'Cheonan' as a Marine (front) stands guard at the seashore on Baengnyeongdo March 27, 2010.



South Korean President Lee Myung-bak presides over a national security-related ministerial meeting regarding the sinking of a South Korean naval ship at the presidential Blue House in Seoul March 26, 2010. Several South Korean sailors were killed and one of its naval ships with more than 100 aboard was sinking on Friday after possibly being hit by a North Korean torpedo, South Korean media reported.


South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (C, seated at table) presides over a national security-related ministerial meeting after receiving news of a sinking naval ship at the presidential Blue House in Seoul March 26, 2010. Several South Korean sailors were killed and one of its naval ships with more than 100 aboard was sinking on Friday after possibly being hit by a North Korean torpedo, South Korean media reported.



A mother of one of the 46 missing navy sailors shouts next to navy military policemen who were trying to stop media attending a briefing by Choi Won-il, captain of the sunken ship Cheonan, in Pyeongtaek south of Seoul March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)




Military divers plunged into the waters near South Korea's tense maritime border with North Korea on Saturday to search for 46 missing marines from a naval ship that exploded and sank, officials said. Families voiced their anger as hopes faded for the missing crew after the ship sank in one of South Korea's worst naval disasters. Divers tried twice to get to the wreckage, Rear Adm. Lee Ki-sik of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told lawmakers.

Friday's Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted Cheong Wa Dae sources as saying on Saturday.

General of the South Korean Navy Lee Ki-shik said later Friday that the 1,200-ton warship Cheonan went down after the unexplained explosion ripped a hole in the ship's bottom.

But both the government and the military authorities said the exact cause of the incident cannot be pinpointed yet.

South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in the incident.

Likelihood of the DPRK's involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday, citing multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae.

"It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related," a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation has been stepped up on Saturday. Military divers arrived at the scene of the warship sinking to go underwater to search the sunken vessel. But Yonhap said that they had to delay the operation due to inclement weather.

There were a total of 104 sailors onboard when the ship sank. Fifty-eight have been rescued later Friday, and other 46 crew members still remain missing.

President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday, demanding for a "quick and thorough" investigation, and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six- party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.

The cause for the sinking is unknown yet. President Lee Myung- bak demanded at the second emergency meeting with security officials earlier in the day a "quick and thorough" investigation and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered related nations engaged in the six-party talks be informed of proper information about the incident while urging the government agencies to take measures to reassure the public, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after the meeting.

Kim added that there are no special movements by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) so far.

The ship "Cheonan" went down off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (12:45 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response.

Navy and the National Maritime Police Agency has dispatched nine ships and a helicopter to the waters near the Baehryeongdo, and pledged to mobilize Navy's all rescue force to search the missing.

The military authorities will also send divers into the waters to find out whether the ship-based artillery shells or external attack caused the explosion, but it said the final conclusion cannot be made only after the sunken ship is dragged out of the water.

Yonhap also quoted unnamed official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as saying that it is too early to tell whether the DPRK played a role in the incident.

Local media reported later Friday that the incident might be caused by a possible torpedo attack from an unidentified DPRK vessel, citing military sources.

Find a Job Dating Wine E-Editions Feedback My Stories czwartek, mar 25 2010 3PM 11°C 6PM 11°C 5-Day Forecast Pictured: The moment RAF jets intercepted Russian bombers flying in British airspace

We're on to you: An RAF Tornado intercepts a Russian Blackjack bomber near Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis

The incidents have revived memories of the Cold War, when cat-and-mouse games in the sky were common

Emblazoned in red Cyrillic letters on the fuselage is the name Vasily Reshetnikov, a World War II bomber pilot who flew 307 sorties behind German lines and earned the title Hero of the Soviet Union

The Russian jets were involved in a four hour stand-off before they left UK airspace

Streaking through the dawn sky, a deadly Russian Blackjack nuclear bomber buzzes British airspace in a dramatic picture released by the RAF.

It was taken by the crew of a Tornado jet scrambled to intercept the supersonic invader as it headed for Scotland earlier this month.

Yesterday defence chiefs revealed the RAF has been scrambled no fewer than 20 times in the last year to repel Russian warplanes.
Analysts said it was part of a growing tendency for the Kremlin to flex its military muscles in the post-Cold War era. The Russian 'Bear' has been testing Western response times to its increasingly aggressive incursions.

In this instance, on March 10, radar picked up two of the Tu160 Blackjack bombers flying at high speed towards the Outer Hebrides.

Nicknamed the White Swan by its Russian pilots, the Tu160 is capable of travelling at 1,380mph and can carry up to 88,000lbs of ordnance including either cruise or short-range nuclear missiles.

Two RAF Tornado F3 fighters from 111 Squadron were immediately scrambled from RAF Leuchars in Fife.

They intercepted the Russian warplanes in international airspace near Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, and took photographs of the bombers glinting in the early morning sunshine against a clear blue sky.

Emblazoned in red on the silver fuselage was the name 'Vasily Reshetnikov', who was a legendary World War II Russian bomber pilot who flew 307 sorties behind enemy lines on the Eastern Front and earned the title 'Hero of the Soviet Union'.
The Tornados closely shadowed the bombers as they flew south, before they eventually turned north just short of the Northern Ireland coast.

Eventually the Russians left the borders of UK airspace behind and, after four hours, the Tornado crews stood down and returned to Leuchars.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was suspected of being responsible for ordering the show of strength.

'He wants to test us. They come right up to the edge of international airspace and turn away at the last moment. They can get information about our response times,' said a Ministry of Defence spokesman.

Wing Commander Mark Gorringe, commander of 111 Squadron, added: 'This is not an unusual incident and people may be surprised to know that our crews have successfully scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft on more than 20 occasions since the start of 2009.

'Our pilots, navigators and indeed all the support personnel at RAF Leuchars work very hard to deliver the UK Quick Reaction Alert Force 24 hours a day, which can be scrambled in minutes, to defend the UK from unidentified aircraft entering our airspace, or aircraft in distress.

The real Hurt Locker hero: Medal for British bomb expert who defused 93 devices survives.

Decorated: Captain Wayne Owers with his medals - the Queen's Gallantry Medal is on the left.Brave: Captain Owers, who has spent 20 years in the Army, at his base today

Painstaking: Captain Wayne Owers uncovers an IED during his tour in Afghanistan

Badlands: British troops face constant attacks in Helmand Province (file image)

A lonely job: Captain Owers makes safe a live bomb in Afghanistan

When two-year-old Poppy Owers asks her father what he did in Afghanistan, his answer will make her very proud.

Despite seeing colleagues suffer dreadful injuries, Captain Wayne Owers risked his life 93 times to defuse Taliban bombs, saving countless lives in a remarkable six-month tour.

Relying on his wits and courage, rather than protective gear and specialist equipment, Capt Owers's bravery in Afghanistan makes him the most prolific bomb destroyer in the history of the Army.
His average of one improvised explosive device (IED) defused every two days between March and August last year is the highest strike rate recorded by the Ministry of Defence.

Now Capt Owers, 39, who lives in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, with his wife Sukie, 37, and their daughter Poppy, will receive the Queen's Gallantry Medal later this year for his bravery.

Capt Owers, who has served in the Army for 20 years, including tours in Iraq, Bosnia, Oman, Kosovo and Northern Ireland, said his job had pushed him 'to the limit', both mentally and physically.

He said: 'Everything is down to luck and to me numbers aren't significant.

'The best bomb disposal officer in the world could stand on an undetected bomb and it would be game over.

'The only way numbers are relevant is in the feeling that the more bombs you defuse, the more likely it seems that something could go horribly wrong.
But you have to be confident, and not let yourself think about what could happen.

'People ask me how I managed to get up every day and do that job, but it's different when you're actually out in Afghanistan and in that situation.

'You just have to get on with it and be as confident as possible. We all just had to knuckle down.
I used to enjoy the job when I first went out. But when that first bomb went off, I started to get a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

'It really hit me when I saw my comrades get injured.'

During his tour of duty with the Royal Logistic Corps, Capt Owers saw comrades suffer horrendous

injuries. An explosion in May led to a colleague losing two legs and an arm. Two months later, Capt Owers was standing next to Corporal Jonny Wallace as he had his leg ripped open after stepping on a device.

Capt Owers said: 'He was handing me a piece of equipment - that's how close I was. It just went bang and I flew backwards. I didn't break a fingernail - I was very lucky.'

Lance Corporal Davie Timmins, Capt Owers's bodyguard, lost his right eye and hearing in his right ear in the explosion, in which he swallowed his own tongue.

L/Cpl Timmins, himself a Queen's Gallantry Medal recipient, said: 'I was losing a lot of blood but Capt Owers pulled my tongue out of my mouth, sat me up and whacked me on the back several times, saying, "don't die on me".'

Only 600 Queen's Gallantry Medals have been awarded since 1974.

An MoD spokesman said: 'This officer often took greater risks than normally permitted - relying on his wits and courage instead of a protective suit and specialist equipment.'

He added that Capt Owers's 'inspirational actions' had 'enabled countless missions to succeed and directly saved innumerable lives. His courage and gallantry is worthy of the very highest level of formal recognition.'

Capt Owers is now based in Britain and teaches others how to become bomb disposal experts.

Almost a quarter of Republicans think Obama 'may be the Antichrist' as 14 states sue over healthcare reforms

Just another boys' club: Barack Obama, centre on the phone, is surrounded by male aides at the White House as they plot healthcare reform this week in a new image released today. The President has been compared to the Antichrist

'A big f****** deal': Mr Biden (second left) gaffed as the president signed the historic healthcare reform bill

Americans who suggest Barack Obama should rot in hell are apparently deadly serious.

Nearly a quarter of Republicans believe the Democrat president 'may be the Antichrist', according to a survey.

An even greater number compared him to Hitler.
Mr Obama was jubilant this week after securing his £626billion healthcare reform plan.

But his triumph seems only to have inflamed his critics among the evangelical Christians from America's heartland who kept George Bush in power for eight years and have demonised his successor.
More than half of the Republicans quizzed by Harris Poll, 57 per cent, believed the president was secretly Muslim, something he has consistently denied.

And 67 per cent of Republicans who responded believed Obama was a socialist, despite his central leanings.

The startling results came as lawyers representing 14 U.S. states filed lawsuits yesterday challenging an overhaul of the country's $2.5trillion healthcare system, minutes after President Barack Obama signed the landmark legislation.

One joint lawsuit by a dozen Republican attorneys general and a Democrat claims the sweeping reforms violate state-government rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments.

Virginia went to court separately, while Missouri Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said he would like to join the suit.
The joint suit, led by Florida, was filed with a federal court in Pensacola, according to the office of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum.

In addition to McCollum, the Republican attorneys general from Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington joined the suit.

The lawsuit says the law - which expands government health plans for the poor, imposes new taxes on the wealthy and requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions - violates the Constitution's commerce clause by requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance.

Mr McCollum said: 'It forces people to do something - in the sense of buying a healthcare policy or paying a penalty, a tax or a fine - that simply the Constitution does not allow Congress to do.'

Mr McCollum, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Florida governor, said the healthcare reforms would add $1.6billion to Florida's spending on the Medicaid health program for the poor.

The Justice Department, which is responsible for defending U.S. law in court, pledged to vigorously fight any challenges to the new healthcare law.

'We are confident that this statute is constitutional and we will prevail,' said Justice spokesman Charles Miller.

The White House agreed the suits would fail.

'There have been hearings about the constitutionality of the law, and I think there's pretty much widespread agreement that it is constitutional,' Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, said.

'I think we have governors who might be aiming for higher office who are starting to just send a message.'

The suits were filed just moments after Mr Obama signed the healthcare reforms into law.

But on the most historic occasion of his presidency so far, vice-president Joe Biden managed to put his foot in it.

Gaffe-prone Mr Biden inadvertently broadcast the F-word to America after he introduced the President to sign his much vaunted health reform bill into law yesterday.

After hugging Mr Obama at a a ceremony in the White House, Mr Biden leaned in and whispered in the President's ear: 'This is a big f****** deal.'

The remark was caught on microphones recording the event that was shown live across the country. By last night, the clip was being replayed all over the internet.

White House aides seemed to be unembarrassed, with press secretary Robert Gibbs later tweeting: 'Yes, Mr Vice-President, you're right.'

'I played dead': British soldier tells how he survived gun attack by rogue Afghan policeman who killed five of his comrades

Survivors: Guardsman Steve Loader, left, Lance Corporal Peniasi Namarua, centre, and Guardsman Pete Lyons, right, consider themselves extremely lucky not to be dead.'He only managed to hit me six times. Thank God': Lance Corporal Liam Culverhouse describes that fateful day when a rogue Afghan policeman opened fire

Rare insight: The Cutting Edge documentary features footage of the critical care air support team treating the Grenadier Guards injured in the gun attack

Saviours: The critical care air support team unload stretchers and medical supplies at Camp Bastion after the horrific gun attack

Wounded: Doctors attend to one of the soldiers lying on an air ambulance stretcher

Race against time: Medics treat one of the injured soldiers inside the RAF's C17 Globemaster

Air hospital: The Globemaster at RAF Brize Norton as it prepares to leave for Camp Bastion

To the rescue: The Globemaster arrives at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan to evacuate the wounded

A British soldier wounded when a rogue Afghan policeman gunned down five of his comrades has spoken for the first time about his miraculous survival.

Lance Corporal Liam Culverhouse played dead after the rampaging gunman shot him six times in his face and both arms and legs as he tried to escape.

He described the terrifying moment he heard the footsteps of the gunman pacing over to him to make sure he was dead.

In an interview for a Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary to be broadcast tonight, Lance Corporal Culverhouse said: 'The guy came and checked that I was dead. I heard his footsteps and I could hear dust being kicked away from his feet.

'And then it stopped, and then it went back, so I don't know what he was doing at the time. I know he must have been checking I was dead because he stood over me.

'When I was playing dead, I was thinking he's going to shoot me again, he's going to shoot me again. But he didn't. So, I'm lucky, very lucky indeed.'

The shootings at an Afghan National Police checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province on November 3 last year sent shockwaves through the Nato mission in Afghanistan.

In rare footage, the documentary shows the six soldiers wounded in the incident being flown back to Britain for treatment on board an RAF C-17 Globemaster.

Lance Corporal Culverhouse, who lost his right eye in the attack, said he and his colleagues picked up a 'funny atmosphere' at the checkpoint before the shooting but could not have predicted what happened.

The soldier revealed that the troops were having a competition to see who could catch the most mice when the policeman opened fire.

He said: 'I remember getting hit in the face with something and I remember shouting and swearing.

'I remember saying, "f***ing hell, what was that?" and I covered my face and turned around to see the back of an Afghan, one of the police officers, shooting the lads.'
He added: 'It just all went so fast, and then when he saw me he just basically unloaded a magazine firing at me. He only managed to hit me six times. Thank God.'

Those killed in the shooting were Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, and Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, of the Grenadier Guards, and Corporal Steven Boote, 22, and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24, of the Royal Military Police.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killings but British military sources suggested it was more likely that the incident was a one-off and unconnected to insurgents. The rogue gunman has never been caught.

The British soldiers had been living and working at the police checkpoint as part of a 16-man team mentoring Afghan officers.
On November 3 they had just returned from a patrol, and had taken off their body armour and were drinking tea with their Afghan colleagues when the policeman - who has been named only as Gulbuddin - opened fire with an automatic weapon.

Another of the wounded British soldiers, Guardsman Steve Loader, of the Grenadier Guards, recalled the horrific scenes.

He said: 'I have never, ever seen so much blood in my entire life, all over the floor, all over me, all over my legs, all over my hands.

'It's lumps of blood. I've never seen lumps of blood before like I did then.
I don't know how we managed to get out of that situation and still manage to be here, all right, talking and walking,' Guardsman Loader said.

'It's hard to explain, I just really do not know how we did it, someone must have been watching over us.

'Because I thought that was it. So many times, at so many points, I thought that was it. I've never been so scared in my life.'

Speaking of his terror as the policeman continued shooting, Guardsman Loader said: 'Every single move that I made, the thought before it was, "what if I do this and I run into him?".
I mean so many thoughts of, "what if I do this, and because of this is the reason that I die today?"

'So there was so much going through my head, my whole body was in overload. I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do.'

Fijian-born Lance Corporal Peniasi Namarua, of the Grenadier Guards, known as 'Nammers', said he pretended he was dead as the policeman ran around shooting.

The soldier recalled: 'That's when my mind started going about my little one and my wife, and have I done enough you know, with the insurance.'

He added: 'I was the last one to get shot, it's like my fault for not getting the bloke. I feel guilty for not doing anything.

'You know, I should have killed him. I should have killed him that day.'

Guardsman Pete Lyons, also of the Grenadier Guards, who was shot in the hand, said: 'You know it's just luck of the draw, whether it's you or not. And this time I got lucky.'

Vanishing island solves India-Bangladesh dispute

A tiny island at the centre of a territorial dispute between India and Bangladesh has disappeared beneath the waves due to rising sea levels and erosion, scientists say.

The uninhabited outcrop -- called New Moore island by India and South Talpatti by Bangladesh -- was 3.5 kilometres (about two miles) long and 3.0 kilometres wide before it was swallowed up by the Bay of Bengal.

"There's no trace of the island anymore. After studying satellite images, I confirmed this from fishermen," Sugata Hazra, a professor from the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, told reporters.

Hazra said global warming and erosion were responsible for solving a point of contention in the sometimes fractious relations between India and Bangladesh, which both claimed the island.

"Climate change has obliterated the source of dispute," he said.

Hazra said temperatures in the region had been rising at an annual rate of 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

In 1981, the Indian navy planted its national flag on the island, but no permanent settlement was established.


The island sat in the Sundarbans mangrove delta

The island, which is thought to have been created by a cyclone only about 40 years ago, sat in the Sundarbans mangrove delta in the mouth of the Hariabhanga River that divides India and Bangladesh.

At its height, it was never more than two metres (about six feet) above sea level.

Hazra said a larger island, called Lohachara, disappeared in the Bay of Bengal in 1996 after 4,000 inhabitants had fled.

At least five other islands in the region are also threatened, he said.

Bangladesh is one of the countries worst affected by climate change with some scientists predicting 20 million people will be displaced by 2050 because of rising sea levels.

Powerful quake felt in Philippine capital

Map locating the epicentre of a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that was felt in the Philippine capital Manila on Thursday


People run out of a building as an earthquake rocking Metro Manila, the Philippines, March 25, 2010. A strong earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit Metro Manila on Thursday afternoon


A powerful earthquake was felt in the Philippine capital Manila on Thursday, causing office workers to rush out of buildings, but authorities said there were no immediate reports of damage.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake struck in the ocean about 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of Manila at 1:29 pm (0529 GMT) with a magnitude of 6.0.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.1, with its epicentre located 137 kilometres (85 miles) southwest of Manila and at a depth of 72 kilometres.

Office workers rushed out of their buildings in Manila's Makati financial district, while government employees across town hid under their tables, radio reports said.

"It felt very strong. We're on the 10th floor of the building, and we felt we were being rocked for about a minute," said Elaine Francisco, an executive with an advertising company in Makati.

"We opened the door and prepared to go out, but it ended just when about we were going to go."

Francisco said others in the lower floors of the building fled their offices, but returned when it became clear the structure was safe.

Government seismology institute chief Renato Solidum said the quake was felt in varying intensities in suburbs around the capital of 12 million people as well as in nearby provinces.

But more than an hour after the quake, Manila's Office of Civil Defence and police said there had not yet been any reports of damage.

A strong earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale hit Metro Manila and surrounding provinces in Luzon on Thursday afternoon, but there were no reports of mass damage or casualties.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said earlier that the quake was measured at 6.2 on the Richter scale but revised it later to magnitude 6.

In its latest bulletin published on its website, the institute said the quake's epicenter was at sea, 27 kilometers west of Lubang island in the province of Occidental Mindoro, northern Philippines.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the earthquake at 6.1 magnitude and at a depth of 72 kilometers, revising its earlier estimate of 33 km.

The Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the quake did not cause significant damage to affected areas.

Glenn Rabonza, NDCC executive officer and Office of the Civil Defense administrator, said that initial reports showed that the intensity 6 earthquake didn't cause any serious damages to property and no one was reported killed or injured.

But the quake was strongly felt in Manila as many people rushed out of buildings.

Police in Australia investigated over 'racist' e-mail

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Victoria police have been criticised over attacks on Indian students

Up to 100 police officers are being investigated in the Australian state of Victoria for sharing a racist e-mail.

The message reportedly shows a non-white man being tortured. Officers being investigated could face dismissal for circulating it on police computers.

The Victoria police force has been criticised for failing to respond adequately to a series of attacks against Indian students in Melbourne.

Earlier this month the police chief admitted some officers were racist.

Computer experts tracking the e-mail found that several had added racist comments before forwarding it on to colleagues, the Melbourne newspaper The Age reports.

It was one of a series of e-mails that were either racist or pornographic in nature, according to the Victoria Police chief Simon Overland.

"It's offensive and my view is that it would cause significant concern and alarm in the community if the nature of the material was made public," he said.

Earlier this month, Mr Overland was forced to concede there were racial bigots within the ranks of his force.

This followed a damning report that accused police officers of taunting and beating up an African youth.

Thailand likely to extend security law during protests

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Thailand will likely extend a tough security law on Tuesday for another week after opposition protest leaders called for a "historic rally" this weekend to paralyse Bangkok in their campaign to force elections.

Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets in the capital's historic heart in their trademark red shirts, calling for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament as their protest enters a second week.

Their leaders, allied with toppled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have not revealed details of their plans for the rally on Saturday and whether they plan to fan out across the city as 65,000 did last Saturday.

"Since the protest continues and they are calling for another mass gathering, security advisers have recommended that the cabinet extend the use of the Internal Security Act," said Panitan Watanayagorn, an acting government spokesman.

The cabinet will formally decide later on Tuesday at its weekly meeting whether the law will be extended until March 30.

The rally has so far been orderly and Abhisit still maintains the support of the majority in parliament and the backing of the powerful military.

These factors have encouraged continued fund flows into Thai assets, pushing Thai stocks .SETI to around a 20-month on Tuesday, drawn by cheap share prices and high dividend yields. [ID:nSGE62H09S]

"Foreign funds should continue to flow into the market. Thai politics is still not a big worry," Thanachart Securities said in a note to clients.

Abhisit has given no indication he would bow to the protesters' demands for early elections, which the opposition is well placed to win.

He insists the deep political divisions would undermine any chance of peaceful polls if an election were held now. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ Scenarios of possible outcomes, click [ID:nSGE62L0 1S] Q+A about the "red shirts", click [ID:nSGE62D00D] Analysis on the protests, click [ID:nSGE62F040] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The ISA gives the country's top security agency, the Internal Security Operations Command, an option to impose curfews, operate checkpoints and restricts movements if protests turn violent.

Political analysts say the longer the protesters are on the streets, the greater the risk a frustrated minority could break ranks and spark sporadic unrest, as they did in April 2008 and Thailand's image as a safe tourist destination took a hit.

Such concerns were raised by two attacks on Saturday night on what authorities said were symbolic targets -- one grenade landed near the Defence Ministry, wounding two people, while an explosive device was hurled at the headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in a province bordering Bangkok.

Neither attack has been linked to the "red shirts" and there has been no sign of violence at the main protest site.

On Tuesday, protesters gave alms to dozens of Buddhist monks who chanted and blessed them on the rally stage. They later plan to ride up to 2,000 motorcycles around Bangkok to give out leaflets, urging city residents to join the rally.

Protesters promised not to disrupt the cabinet meeting which has been moved to the Ministry of Public Health in a province bordering Bangkok instead of the usual Government House because of the protests.

Abhisit has not entered his office, his private home, or the parliament since March 12, instead working out of a military base which also doubles as a safe house.

Obama Twitter account 'hacked by Frenchman'

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It is not clear if the hacker posted anything on Mr Obama's Twitter page




President Barack Obama talks on the phone en route to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, in this handout picture taken on March 19, 2010

A Frenchman who police say hacked Twitter accounts belonging to US President Barack Obama and celebrities could face jail.

The unemployed 25-year-old was arrested on Tuesday after an operation lasting several months, conducted by French police with agents from the FBI.

The 25-year-old is said to have hacked into the micro-blogging website, by simply guessing users' passwords.

The suspect reportedly targeted other celebrities, including Britney Spears.

After being questioned by police, he was ordered to appear at court in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand on 24 June.

Hacking into a database in France is a crime which can carry a two-year jail term.

The suspect, who used the pseudonym "Hacker Croll", had no specialist training, Adeline Champagnat, head of the French central office against online fraud, told Reuters news agency.

He gained access to Twitter accounts by simply working out the answers to password reminder questions on targets' e-mail accounts, according to investigators.


An unemployed Frenchman has been arrested for targeting the Twitter accounts of President Barack Obama and singer Britney Spears, French police said on Wednesday.


Captain Adeline Champagnat, a senior member of the police cyber crimes unit, said the 25-year-old man gained access to passwords of Twitter administrators and used them to try to break into the accounts of U.S. politicians and stars.

"He didn't get as far as their personal accounts. But he had gained control of Twitter," she told Reuters Television in an interview.

She said the FBI had tipped off the French police in July last year that one or more people were trying to get access to Twitter and had gained control of the social network.

That enabled them to create and delete accounts and steal confidential information.

The hacker, who went by the online name of HackerCroll, is under arrest in the central French town of Clermont Ferrand.

He was known to have carried out minor internet fraud but in this case was driven by the thrill of the challenge and appeared to be more interested in the private life of his victims than on obtaining sensitive data, Champagnat said.

"His aim wasn't to make money. It was simply to show that he was able to access accounts of Twitter members. And the best proof of that is that he did screen grabs of certain confidential data which he tried to post on blogs that are reserved for pirates or hackers," she said.

She said several FBI agents were currently in France to help their French counterparts carry out searches.

"The collaboration was very good with the FBI and it's always very good with the FBI, because there's a real exchange of information. It's good cooperation to arrest the offender," she said.