Ferry Disaster: Parents Hire Own Rescue Boats

Parents of missing teenagers aboard the stricken ferry off the coast of South Korea have been hiring rescue boats to join the search overnight.

Many relatives stared out to sea, huddled in blankets, sobbing, as hopes their loved ones would be found alive faded.   

Others expressed their anger, claiming that the rescue operation was botched and choosing instead to go searching themselves. 

Nearly 340 of those aboard the Sewol ferry are believed to have been from the same high school near the capital Seoul, on their way to Jeju island for a field trip.

Relatives are angry that the school initially said all had been rescued

Rescue operations went on through the night, under the light of flares, but divers suspended attempts to find survivors inside the submerged ship until daylight.

"My tears have dried up," said a mother in Jindo, a town near the site of the disaster where many families have gathered.

"I am holding on to hope. I hope the government does everything to bring these kids back to their mothers."

At the dockside in Jindo, women sat and stared out at the black, calm sea before them.

The father of one missing child could not bear to wait.

Divers have suspended searches inside the boat until daylight

He and 10 other parents paid 61,000 won (£35) each to hire a boat to take them to the scene, along with a local reporter and a diver.

"There was no rescue operation going on," he said on his return to Jindo.

"We clearly saw there is none. What they were doing at the time was stopping the oil spill. I'm extremely angry.

"The media says the rescue operation is still going on. It's all a lie. It makes me so furious."

Anger was also aimed at the school, which at one point mistakenly announced that all 338 students and teachers on the field trip had been rescued.

Relatives huddled under blankets waiting for news

Adding to the misery, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration initially reported that 368 people had been rescued and that around 100 were missing.

It later described those figures as a miscalculation, turning what had at first appeared to be a largely successful rescue operation into a potentially major disaster.

For many parents, the agonising wait began at Danwon High School in Ansan, a Seoul suburb, where they gathered in the morning after news of the ferry disaster broke.

Park Seong-ho, father of a missing 17-year-old boy, said: "I have to go now.

"It's as if the world is falling apart. I really want to go now to see my son."

Hopes of finding the teenagers alive faded overnight

Jeong Kyung-mi, mother of another 17-year-old from the school, was more fortunate. She received a text message from her son saying he had been rescued.

"When I heard the news, it felt like my heart had stopped beating," she said.

Parents fought their way on to coaches provided to take them to Jindo, where some were reunited with their children.

Survivors there huddled on the floor of a gymnasium, wrapped in blankets and receiving medical aid.

One woman lay on a bed shaking uncontrollably, while a man across the room wailed loudly as he spoke on his mobile phone.

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Ferry Disaster: Hopes Of Finding Survivors Fade

Rescue teams are battling bad weather conditions as they search for around 290 people who remain missing after a South Korean ferry capsized and sank.

Nine people have already been confirmed dead and the death toll is expected to increase sharply in what could be the country's worst maritime accident in two decades.

The dead include a female teacher, a female member of the crew and three male school students.

Many of those on board the ferry were school students

The majority of those who remain unaccounted for are from the same school on a field trip. So far 179 people have been rescued.

A man identified by broadcaster YTN and news agency Yonhap as the ferry's captain has briefly appeared on television, his face covered by a grey hoodie.

"I'm really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said, as he was being questioned at the Mokpo Coast Guard.

Distraught relatives wait for news in a gym on Jindo Island

Video footage has emerged apparently showing passengers in life jackets as the boat began to sink.

Passenger Koo Bon-hee, 36, told reporters many people were trapped inside by windows that were too hard to break.

Grieving family members have gathered on the quay of Jindo Island, huddled in blankets against the cold as they wait for any news.

The ferry got into trouble on its journey to Jeju

"If I could teach myself to dive, I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter," Park Yung-suk told the Reuters news agency.

As coastguard officials arrived for the second day of searching relatives jeered at them, shouting: "The weather's nice, why aren't you starting the rescue."

Strong currents and bad visibility are hampering the search. Twenty divers tried to get inside the wreckage but could not because of the current.

Coast Guard and rescue teams searching for missing passengers

The ship set sail from the port of Incheon on Tuesday carrying 475 passengers, nearly 340 of them teenagers and teachers from the Danwon school near the capital Seoul.

Its destination was Jeju island around 60 miles (100km) south of the Korean peninsula.

It is not clear why the 6,586 tonne vessel, which was built in Japan 20 years ago, sank in apparently calm waters.

However, some survivors spoke of hearing a loud noise before disaster struck.

The captain and crew are being interviewed by authorities.

The registered owner of the ship, Chonghaejin Marine Co Ltd, has offered an apology but declined to comment further.

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Thousands To Miss Out On First Choice School

Thousands of children will miss out on their parents' preferred primary school place in the first National Offer Day.

Emails and letters will be sent to parents across England but increasing pressures on schools mean many will be left disappointed.

Education hotspots Bristol and London will be among the worst affected, with one in five children not being admitted to their school of choice.

"There is a shortage of primary school places throughout the country," said Lydia Gibbs, primary teaching and curriculum lead for the Reach Academy in Feltham, west London.

Last year the school had 160 applications for only 60 primary school places.

"There is a sense of competition that parents would love to have their children come to our school. I know that because we were oversubscribed for reception places," she added.

National Offer Day marks the first time councils across England will co-ordinate offers for primary school places.

Demand is believed to be increasing due to higher birth rates and immigration, with the number of children entering reception classes at primary schools this September among the highest in years.

According to the Local Government Authority some areas - Costessey in Norfolk, Central Croydon and Purfleet in Essex - will see 75% more pupils than school places by next year.

By 2016, councils across England will have to increase school capacity by at least 20% to ensure every child gets a school place.

Parents are now going to greater lengths to secure places at the most popular schools.

A poll by Netmums revealed more than a fifth of those questioned (21.2%) had bought a house closer to their preferred school, with a further 17% renting nearby.

Nearly half had put their children in a nursery linked to a school in an attempt to get their children a place, despite warnings from the schools adjudicator that children should not miss out because the did not attend the right nursery.

The survey also found around one in six (16.2%) parents had started thinking about primary schools when their child was still under one, with a further 9.3% considering it when they were expecting and 6.9% thinking about the issue before they fell pregnant.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said more needs to be done to ensure every child has a school place.

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South Korea: 293 Missing After Ferry Sinks

Almost 300 people are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of South Korea.

Two people have been confirmed dead so far, including a teenager.

The South Korean Coastguard says 164 people have been rescued and 295 remain unaccounted for.

Rescued passengers are brought ashore

The ferry, with 459 people and 150 vehicles on board, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call at 9am local time (1am UK time) on Wednesday morning as it began listing to one side.

Soon afterwards it had completely capsized, with only the front part of its hull visible above the water.

A South Korean government spokesman said 95% of the ferry is now submerged.

The ferry ran into difficulties 60 miles south of the Korean peninsula

There is no indication yet what caused the ship to list and roll onto its side, although one witness told television channel YTN there had been a "loud impact and noise" before it began sinking.

The 325 students on board are from a high school in Ansan, near Seoul, and were on their way to the island for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by officials in Gyeonggi province.

One student, Lim Hyung-min, told YTN he jumped into the ocean wearing a life jacket with other students and then swam to a rescue boat.

95% of the ship is now submerged

"As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," he said, adding some people were bleeding.

He said the ocean was "so cold", adding: "I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

The ship left Incheon port, west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Administration.

More than 470 people were on the ship when it started to sink

It ran into difficulties about 60 miles (100km) south of the Korean peninsula.

A total of 18 helicopters and 34 rescue boats have been sent to the area.

Passenger Kim Seong-mok told YTN he was "certain" people were trapped inside as water quickly rushed into the vessel, and the severe tilt of the ferry stopped them getting out.

Rescued passengers are wrapped in blankets

Some people yelled at those who could not get out, urging them to break windows, he said.

Mr Kim said he felt the ferry tilt and heard it crash into something before the ferry operator made an announcement asking passengers to wait and not move.

One of the dead was found inside the sinking ferry, while the other died soon after arriving at the Mokpo Hankook hospital on the mainland.

More follows...

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Pistorius Accused Of Concocting Evidence

Oscar Pistorius has been accused of concocting his evidence from the witness box to fit the prosecution case.

As he begun his fourth day in the witness box, Pistorius was immediately accused of lying in court as he was cross-examined by prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Mr Nel said: "Today I'm going to prove your version of events is untrue. That you tailored your version, concocted your story.

Pistorius spends his fourth day in the witness box today

"Your version is so improbable that it cannot reasonably possibly be true."

Earlier, Pistorius, 27, was greeted outside the court by supporters with white balloons and Christians, playing and singing music.

One of the supporters clung to his hand for several seconds as he walked into the Pretoria court.  

The athlete is due to answer more questions relating to the night he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29.

His account of the shooting has already been challenged in three days of tough interrogation.

On Friday, Pistorius said Ms Steenkamp did not scream or shout as he grabbed a gun and fired the shots that killed her.

The defendant said he could not explain why she had not shouted out, or screamed.

At one point on Friday the cross examination led an emotional Pistorius to admit he could be giving inconsistent answers because he was tired.

This prompted the judge, Thokozile Masipa, to ask if he was able to continue with his evidence.

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition in relation to Ms Steenkamp's death.

He also denies two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

More follows...

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Ukraine Crisis: Surrender Deadline Passes

World leaders have warned of a "dangerous escalation" in the Ukraine crisis as fatal clashes broke out in the east of the country.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York after at least two people were killed and several injured when pro-Russian fighters seized government buildings in the city of Slavyansk.

Armed men that Western leaders claim are Russian forces have set up checkpoints and barricades in six towns in the area.

Ukraine's new government set a deadline of 7am UK time for pro-Russian forces to put down their weapons and leave occupied buildings. The deadline passed with no sign of movement by separatist forces.

Pro-Russian forces detain a man in eastern Ukraine

The UK's ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, told the Security Council Sunday's bloodshed was a "dangerous escalation of an already dangerous situation".

He said satellite images show between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops are massed near the Ukraine border, in addition to the 25,000 "illegally" in Crimea.

Sir Mark said there are increasing signs of Russian involvement in orchestrating the violence.

Burning tyres at a checkpoint in Slaviansk

"We want to use this Security Council meeting to expose that but also warn Russia against using events in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for further military escalation in the region," he said.

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the meeting he is alarmed by Ukraine's announcement of a "full-scale anti-terror operation" to seize back occupied areas.

He denied Western claims that Moscow is behind the violence, and said Kiev has been using neo-Nazi forces to destabilise its eastern region.

Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are among the latest cities to be hit by unrest

"It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine," he said.

"Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on. Enough. That is enough."

He said Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine are "concerned about their future" and "don't want radicals to impose their will on them".

Pro-Russian protesters detain a man in Luhansk

Sky's Hannah Thomas-Peter, outside the UN headquarters, said: "There's more than a little irritation on the part of Western diplomats that Russia, having used its veto position within the Security Council to paralyse that body over any meaningful action on Ukraine, has now decided to call an emergency meeting to put forward its point of view on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

"But unilaterally America is prepared to act. The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power has said that sanctions against Russia are already beginning to bite.

"And the White House is willing to tighten those sanctions and to extend them to include sanctions against sectors like the mining sector, financial and energy sectors."

Hundreds of civilians have come out in support of the activists

European Union foreign ministers are holding talks later today to discuss how to toughen sanctions against Russia without losing the support of EU governments worried about Moscow switching off the gas to Europe.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement: "The Russian Federation is urged to call back its troops from the Ukrainian border and to cease any further actions aimed at destabilising Ukraine."

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MH370: 'Confidence' Over Black Box Search

Searchers are "very confident" that signals detected in the hunt for missing flight MH370 are from the plane's black box, Australia's prime minister says.

Tony Abbott told reporters during a visit to China that authorities have "very much narrowed down the search area" in the southern Indian Ocean.

"We are very confident that the signals that we are detecting are from the black box," Mr Abbott said.

"Nevertheless, we're getting into the stage where the signal from what we are very confident is the black box is starting to fade.

"We are hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires."

The search is currently focused on an 18,000 square mile search area after a fifth ping was detected around 1,400 miles off Perth, in western Australia.

The signal was captured on Thursday by an Australian Air Force P-3C Orion surveillance plane, which has been dropping sonar buoys into the ocean.

Zhang Zhiliang looks at photos of his fiancee, who was on board the flight

However, Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) chief Angus Houston says an initial assessment of the latest signal indicates it is not related to an aircraft's black box.

Speaking from Perth, Sky's Nick Martin said there were "mixed messages" from Australia this morning as the hunt for the plane continued.

Mr Abbott was first quoted as saying he was confident the black box had been found, and then later said he was confident signals picked up by search teams were from a black box.

"Either he's been misquoted or he has slightly jumped the gun," said Martin.

Twelve military aircraft, three civil planes and 13 ships have joined the search today. The Royal Navy vessel HMS Echo is also part of the operation.

Joint Agency Coordination Centre chief Angus Houston

Authorities have been racing to locate the plane's data and cockpit recorders, as the ping-emitting beacons are expected to fade.

No floating debris from the Malaysia Airlines aircraft has yet been found, despite the major multinational air and sea operation.

The renewed search operation comes as Malaysia's acting transport minister admitted that mistakes were made in how authorities treated the victims' families.

Hishammuddin Hussein said the missing plane had posed an "unprecedented situation without benchmark".

The Malaysia Airlines plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board.

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