MH17 Victims 'May Take Months To Identify'

A forensic expert has told Sky News it may take many months to formally identity the victims of the Malaysia Airlines plane attack.

Peter Vanezis, a professor of forensic medical sciences, said facial recognition could not be relied upon due to the conditions in which the bodies had been left.

Instead, teeth, which last a long time in poor conditions and are also resistant to heat, may prove vital.

Prof Vanezis was speaking as the bodies of some of the first victims recovered from the crash site in eastern Ukraine arrived in the Netherlands.

It is thought the remains of more than 80 of the 298 people killed in the disaster still remain at the scene.

There has been condemnation over the lack of dignity and respect with which the dead have been treated, with human remains left strewn across fields in the searing summer heat.

There has been criticism over the lack of dignity afforded the dead

This would add to the problems of identifying the bodies, according to Prof Vanezis.

"It can be extremely difficult," he said.

"Identification, even in the best circumstances, can take a number of months and it has to start once the bodies are actually found.

"Obviously, once the bodies are taken back to the mortuary and the doctors can do their investigations, they will have with them all the information about the deceased before they died to compare with what they find on the deceased.

"For example, they will be able to look at dental records, DNA tests and in some cases fingerprints or other medical implants that are present on the bodies.

"They will also need to look at any documentation or clothing that will help with identification.

Bodies of some of the first victims have now been flown to the Netherlands

"But of course if this isn't done properly from the beginning and things aren't collected in the correct manner, this makes the task very difficult indeed."

On the importance of dental records, Prof Vanezis said: "You cannot rely on facial identification.

"It's unreliable in these circumstances with the conditions in which the bodies are in.

"We know the teeth last a very long time in very poor conditions and also are very resistant to heat as well.

"They make an ideal method for identification in these circumstances.

"But of course one uses a number of other methods as well to confirm identity. You wouldn't just rely on one particular method."

The bodies cannot be returned to relatives for burial or cremation until each body has been identified correctly.

"The worst thing would be to give the wrong person to the wrong family," Prof Vanezis added.

"It's certainly a challenging task."

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chinese City Sealed Off Over Plague Death

A city in China has been sealed off after a man died of bubonic plague.

None of the tens of thousands of people who live in Yumen, in northwestern Gansu province, are allowed to leave.

More than 150 people are in quarantine, with police manning perimeter roadblocks and directing drivers away from the town, according to state broadcaster China Central Television.

The man who died reportedly found a dead marmot - a small, squirrel-like animal which lives on grasslands - and chopped it up to feed to his dog.

The man had earlier handled a dead marmot he found on the roadside

The 38-year-old developed a fever on the same day and was taken to hospital where he subsequently died.

No further cases have been reported and it is not known if the man's dog died.

According to CCTV, Yumen has enough rice, flour and oil to supply all its residents for up to one month.

Local residents and those in quarantine are all in a stable condition, it said.

Bubonic plague is a bacterial infection best known for the "Black Death", a virulent epidemic of the disease that killed tens of millions of people in Europe in the 14th century.

A more recent pandemic swept across China and moved on to Hong Kong in the 1800s.

It was spread by rats arriving in port cities and killed around 10 million people, according to the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

Bubonic plague is rare in humans and is usually successfully treated with antibiotics.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Major Airlines Suspend Flights To Israel

Major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada are refusing to fly to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

Delta and United Airlines suspended services between the US and Israel, while the UK's easyJet, Germany's Lufthansa, and Air France also grounded flights.

Delta Air Lines' chief executive said on CNBC on Wednesday its service into Israel would remain cancelled for now.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is meanwhile preparing to announce if its 24-hour ban on flights to Tel Aviv will be renewed.

The cancellations began on Tuesday after a Delta Air Lines flight to Tel Aviv was diverted to Paris because a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Israel's busiest air hub.

An Israeli military excavator searches for tunnels on the border with Gaza

The FAA cited in its ban the "potentially hazardous situation" caused by the ongoing conflict in the region.

The European Aviation Safety Agency then recommended all European airlines avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice".

Israel's Transportation Ministry insisted the airport was safe and the flight ban would "hand terror a prize".

Defiant former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he would fly into Tel Aviv with Israeli airline El Al on Tuesday night.

He said the FAA ban would deliver "Hamas an undeserved victory".

Not all airlines heeded the ban - British Airways said its twice-daily service to Tel Aviv would continue.

Despite the advisory, Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Israel's main airport to continue the push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

He is meeting Israel's prime minister, the Palestinian Authority's president and the United Nations chief in a day-long visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah.

United Airlines planes seen at Newark International Airport

The Palestinian leadership says it has proposed a truce to mediators aimed at halting the violence.

The flight cancellations came as Israel continued its offensive in Gaza.

Israel launched a major offensive on July 8 in Gaza to stop Hamas militants firing rockets over the border.

Palestinian militants have fired more than 2,000 missiles at Israel, but many have been intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome defence system.

More than 650 Palestinians, many of them women and children, as well as 29 Israeli soldiers and two civilians, have been killed in the conflict.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Montana Judge Suspended Over Rape Comments

A Montana judge has been suspended by the state's Supreme Court for controversial comments he made about a 14-year-old rape victim.

District Judge Todd Baugh sparked outrage last year when he ordered a former high school teacher to serve just 30 days of a 15-year sentence for raping a teenager in 2007.

At sentencing, Baugh also appeared to pin blame on the victim, who he said was "probably as much in control of the situation as the defendant" and "appeared older than her chronological age".

Stacey Rambold will be resentenced in September

The comments and lenient sentence led to protests and calls for Baugh's suspension.

The Billings judge later admitted he made a mistake and should be censured, but not removed from the bench.

On Tuesday, Baugh appeared before the Montana Supreme Court, where justices handed down a 31-day suspension, effective in December.

Cherice Moralez took her own life in 2010

Chief Justice Mike McGrath told Baugh that his actions and comments eroded the public's confidence in the court system.

Baugh, 72, refused to speak to reporters as he left the court in Helena.

In April, the Montana Supreme Court threw out Baugh's sentence for Stacey Rambold, the ex-teacher who pleaded guilty to having nonconsensual sexual intercourse with Cherice Moralez.

A new sentencing hearing is scheduled for September, when prosecutors hope to win a longer jail term.

Cherice committed suicide in 2010 before Rambold went to trial.

While awaiting censure, Baugh made headlines again in June when he suggested that a convicted 21-year-old vandal who worked at a fast food restaurant should "get a better job" to pay for the damages.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Starts Last Voyage

The wreck of the Costa Concordia is being towed away from the Italian island of Giglio, more than two and half years after it capsized killing 32 people on board.

The cruise liner, twice the size of the Titanic, has started its journey to a scrapyard in the port of Genoa where it will be broken up.

The ship began its final voyage after salvage crews refloated it with giant air tanks in a $2bn (£1.17bn) operation that was one of the biggest of its kind ever carried out.

The 114,500-tonne vessel is being towed from Giglio by two tugs, with another 12 boats sailing in convoy alongside, carrying divers, engineers and environmental experts.

Giant air tanks were used to refloat the 114,500-tonne vessel

South African salvage master Nick Sloane, who described removing the ship as the "biggest challenge" of his career, said he was ready to "wave goodbye to Giglio".

A 17-strong team of salvage workers are on Concordia for its journey.

Sensors attached to the sides of the ship will monitor for possible cracks in the crippled hull, while underwater cameras will watch for debris being washed out of the vessel amid fears toxic waste could spill into the sea.

Mr Rebello, second left, is the only victim whose body is still missing

Objects floating free such as suitcases, clothes and furniture will be caught in a huge net, while infrared sensors will be used to detect possible oil leaks at night.

The doomed vessel hit rocks off the Italian island in January 2012, tearing a massive gash in the ship's 290-metre-long hull and causing it to keel over.

Video footage shot by divers and released by police earlier this month showed twisted metalwork, broken furniture and discarded belongings left by the 4,200 people who were on board the ship when it crashed.

The ship's captain Francesco Schettino is accused of fleeing the vessel

The body of Indian waiter Russel Rebello is still missing and there will be a search for his remains when the ship is dismantled.

Francesco Schettino, the ship's captain, is on trial on several counts, including manslaughter.

The 53-year-old, who is fighting the charges, is accused of deliberately altering the course of the Concordia in order to carry out a sail-by salute of the island to impress local residents and passengers.

Schettino, who was allegedly on the bridge with his Moldovan lover Domnica Cemortan, claimed it was ''too dark to see anything'' and told investigators he had not fled but had ''tripped and fell into a lifeboat".

He was dubbed "Captain Coward" by some tabloid newspapers after reportedly refusing orders from the coastguard to return to the ship to help with the rescue operation.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Check-In Staff Haunted By Memories Of MH17

A ground steward who checked passengers onto the doomed Malaysia Airlines plane has posted a moving tribute to them on Facebook.

Renuka Manisha Virangna Birbal wrote the message after the Boeing 777 was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

In the note, which has been shared thousands of times, she describes grandmothers taking photos of their grandchildren, a newly married couple flying off on their honeymoon and a man who was about to start a new life in Malaysia.

She also mentioned a young girl with her mother, as well as colleagues from a ticket counter, boarding the flight at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Hundreds of bouquets have been left at the airport to remember the victims

"A beautiful little girl held by her mother, her father behind them pushing the stroller," she wrote.

"She is beautiful - half Dutch, half Malaysian, with beautiful big eyes. She smiled kindly at me.

"Suddenly I see a familiar face. It is our colleague from the MH ticket counter.

"He proudly shows me his son, wife and daughter. With a big smile he waved, 'See you soon.'"

A book of condolence has been opened inside the terminal building

Ms Birbal was one of the last people to see the passengers before they boarded flight MH17.

She described children waving and smiling at her and remembered one asking her mother: "When do we see our luggage again?"

She ended the message with: "The last time I saw them, talked to them and wished them a pleasant flight ... (I saw) one last smile, one last salute, a happy face.

"Rest in peace, dear passengers and crew. On behalf of the ground handling agents of flight MH17."

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel 'Could Be Guilty Of Gaza War Crimes'

There is a "strong possibility" Israel is violating international law in Gaza, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights has said.

Opening an emergency debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Navanethem Pillay said Israel's punitive house demolitions and killing of Palestinians raised serious concerns of excessive use of force by the Jewish state.

Ms Pillay also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars by Hamas into Israel.

Ms Pillay: 'Every one of these incidents must be investigated'

"Once again, the principles of distinction and precaution are clearly not being observed during such indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups," she said.

"Every one of these incidents must be properly and independently investigated." 

More than 650 Palestinians have been killed as well as 29 Israeli soldiers and two civilians as two weeks of airstrikes and rocket attacks were followed by an Israeli ground offensive inside Gaza.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people reportedly fled Khan Younis amid heavy fighting between Israeli troops and members of the armed wing of Hamas.

The Red Crescent said Hamas fighters were using rocket propelled grenades and light weapons, including machine guns, against the Israelis.

The Israeli military was said to be firing tank shells and missiles from drones into the area.

Ms Pillay's comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tel Aviv to push for ceasefire talks.

Mr Kerry said he was making "some steps forward" in the search for a cessation to the fighting but declined to provide any details.

A Palestinian doctor inspects a shell-damaged hospital in Gaza

Israel's UN representative said the debate was a knee-jerk reaction, adding that Israel's duty to defend itself was enshrined in International law and that it was Hamas that was committing war crimes.

Israel's ambassador also said Israel would destroy Hamas' military infrastructure, but added that Gaza residents themselves were "not our enemy".

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki claimed Israel was committing "a crime against humanity" and he urged world powers to end what he called Israel's impunity, adding: "Israel must be held accountable for its crimes." 

The Geneva rights forum convened the special one-day session at the request of the Palestinians, Egypt and Pakistan.

Israel, which accuses the council of bias, boycotted the Geneva forum for 20 months, resuming co-operation in October.

The United States, a member state, has also said Israel was being unfairly singled out.

Today's debate comes as major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada announced they are refusing to fly to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rebels' MH17 Site 'Sabotage Plan' Intercepted

Rebels planned to sabotage the investigation into Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by scattering parts of other planes at the crash site, according to Sky sources.

UK intelligence officials intercepted communications between pro-Russian separatists, seemingly discussing deliberate attempts to tamper with the scene of the disaster.

Evidence indicates rebels talked about removing victims' remains from the fields of Grabovo, where the plane was shot down.

Sky sources in Whitehall added that the rebels also considered sending the black boxes to Moscow.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the sources claimed the separatists wanted to confuse the situation further for investigators. 

He said: "I think this will play into the fears that many people have that not all of the bodies will be returned, that parts of the plane have been tampered with in order to try and hide any evidence.

Malaysian air crash investigators at the site in Grabovo

"It has been incredibly difficult for international monitors to gain access to the crash site.

"This is all a part of UK intelligence working with intelligence agencies around the world to try and build up a picture not only of what happened at the point of impact, but also what happened in the hours and days that followed on from that."

The news came as Ukraine said rebels had shot down two of its fighter jets.

A spokesman for the country's military operations said the aircraft were brought down near Savur Mogila in eastern Ukraine.

No information was given about those on board, but it is thought both planes were carrying up to two crew members each.

Fierce fighting between Ukrainian forces and separatists has continued in the Donetsk region since the MH17 disaster.

Wooden coffins are loaded onto an aircraft at Kharkiv Airport

The bodies of some of the victims have started being flown back to the Netherlands from the crash site.

Two military aircraft - one Dutch and the other Australian - left Kharkiv Airport for Eindhoven Airport this morning.

The rest are expected to be repatriated during the course of this week.

Some 200 bodies have been handed over by the rebels but 80 are still missing and are thought to be among the flight debris at the crash site.

All 298 people on board were killed when the jet was brought down in a region where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the air disaster.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taiwan Plane Crash Leaves 47 Feared Dead

A plane crashed outside an airport in Taiwan as it tried to land in stormy weather, leaving 47 people trapped and feared dead.

The TransAsia aircraft came down near the airport in Xixi village, in the island of Penghu, off the western coast of Taiwan.

Yeh Kuang-shih, the country's transport minister, was quoted by the government's Central News Agency as saying another 11 people were injured after the plane crashed and caught fire while making a second landing attempt.

The agency had earlier reported, citing a local fire brigade chief, that 51 people had been killed.

Flight GE 222 was flying a domestic route in stormy weather from the capital Taipei to the Penghu Islands, halfway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Reports said the pilot failed to land the ATR-72 aircraft at the first attempt, before he requested another attempt and air-traffic control lost contact with the plane.

Pictures on Taiwan television showed emergency services searching through twisted wreckage at the crash site.

Taiwan was battered by Typhoon Matmo early Tuesday morning, and the Central Weather Bureau was advising of heavy rain through the evening, even though the center of the storm was in mainland China.

Penghu is a lightly populated island that averages around two flights a day from Taiwan's capital, Taipei.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH17 Victims' Bodies Arrive In The Netherlands

The bodies of some of the first victims recovered from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have been brought to the Netherlands from the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

Two military aircraft - one Dutch and the other Australian - left Kharkiv Airport in northeastern Ukraine earlier carrying the bodies of 40 victims between them in wooden coffins.

The jets arrived at Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands where they were met by relatives, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and members of the Dutch royal family.

Bells were sounded across the country and the Last Post played at the airport as an eerie silence fell across the airbase.

A coffin of one victim is carried from a plane to a hearse

The coffins were carried off the planes by military personnel and each one put in a hearse.

Sky's Ian Woods, at the airport, said: "Around 1,000 relatives are watching from behind a screen, including members of two British families, even though they don't know if their loved ones are on board the planes."

A minute's silence was observed nationwide as a motorcade took the bodies to the Korporaal Van Oudheusdenkazerne military barracks in Hilversum, where the long process of identifying the remains will begin using DNA, dental records and finger prints.

Jean Fransman, a spokesman for the ministry of security in the Netherlands, told Sky News: "We have chosen this location because these facilities have everything that's needed to carry out the identification process as quickly as possible with respect and discretion."

A total of 40 hearses are at the airbase to take away the wooden coffins

The Dutch Prime Minister has warned it could take weeks or even months to formally identify the victims before their bodies are released for repatriation.

A team of nine disaster victim identification (DVI) personnel from Britain, including six police officers, a crime scene manager and forensic photographer, will assist the Dutch authorities.

There was a national day of mourning in the Netherlands for the 298 people killed, including 193 Dutch, which will include a silent march in Amsterdam this evening.

The bodies are the first of some 200 victims which are expected to be flown out of Ukraine during the course of this week.

A congregation at Eindhoven Airport gather for a sombre ceremony

It is thought more than 80 bodies still remain at the scene.

However, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has cast doubt over the numbers that have been recovered and handed over by pro-Russian separatists, and warned it is unclear how many bodies may have arrived in Kharkiv and been left behind.

"It's quite possible that many bodies are still out there in the open, in the European summer, subject to interference and subject to the ravages of heat and animals," he said.

Meanwhile, the black boxes from MH17 have now arrived in the UK, where they will be examined at the headquarters of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Investigators say it will take 24 hours to download the data from each machine before sending it to the Dutch for analysis.

23.11 | 0 komentar | Read More