Edward Snowden Wants Asylum In Russia

Intelligence services whistleblower Edward Snowden plans to request asylum in Russia, accusing the US of trying to block him from travelling to other countries.

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday but appeared to make no headway on Washington's demand that Moscow send Snowden back to the US to face espionage charges.

Snowden's asylum remarks came in a statement after closed-door talks with human rights groups and lawyers at the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks.

In a statement released after the 45-minute meeting, Snowden said: "That moral decision to tell the public about spying that affects all of us has been costly, but it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets."

He said he had given up his family and a "home in paradise" to put an end to what he said was a "serious violation of the law".

Pic: Courtesy of Tatyana Lokshina/Human Rights Watch

"I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets. I did not partner with any foreign government to guarantee my safety," he said in the statement.

"Instead, I took what I knew to the public, so what affects all of us can be discussed by all of us in the light of day, and I asked the world for justice."

Snowden is wanted by the US over a series of leaks about spying programmes, with his most recent claims involving collaboration between Microsoft and American intelligence services.

Washington had previously criticised Moscow for giving Snowden a "propaganda platform", saying it was "disappointed" that Russia had allowed him to hold the meeting at Moscow airport.

The talks drew politicians, lawyers and activists including representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

A picture of Snowden at the meeting, taken by Human Rights Watch representative Tanya Lokshina, shows him with WikiLeaks representative Sarah Harrison on his right. 

Politician Vyacheslav Nikonov took part in the meeting

It was the first time that he had been seen since the scandal broke last month.

He seemed nervous, but in apparently good health, according to one of the participant, Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov.

The former NSA contractor, 30, accuses Washington of waging a campaign to stop him from leaving Russia and getting asylum.

"The government and intelligence services of the United States of America have attempted to make an example of me, a warning to all others who might speak out as I have."

"I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression," the statement said.

Protesters have shown their support for Snowden

Snowden said he was grateful for those countries, including Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, which offered support and asylum, saying he accepted all offers that had been extended and any future one.

But, he said, given the "unlawful threat" posed by the US and his inability to reach those countries, he planned to formally request asylum in Russia until he can legally travel to Latin America.

Austrian authorities last week searched the Bolivian president's plane when it was diverted to Vienna because the US suspected Snowden was on board.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mr Putin said Snowden might be allowed to stay in Russia if he stops releasing leaks that would damage the US or Russia-US relations, repeating conditions the Kremlin had set out earlier.

Both Mr Nikonov and Genri Reznik, a lawyer who participated in the meeting, said Snowden was willing to stop leaks.

"He said he was informed of this condition and that he can easily accept it. He does not intend to damage US interests given that he is a patriot of his country," Mr Nikonov said.

Snowden fled to Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23 and has been in limbo in Sheremetyevo airport's transit area despite the offers for asylum.

The US has revoked his passport, and doubts have also been raised about whether Snowden could fly from Moscow to any of those countries without passing through the airspace of the US or its allies.

The UN human rights chief has weighed in for the first time, giving guarded support for the fugitive ex-contractor.

Entrances were guarded during the meeting at the airport

"Snowden's case has shown the need to protect persons disclosing information on matters that have implications for human rights, as well as the importance of ensuring respect for the right to privacy," Navi Pillay said in a statement.

Snowden is seeking to avoid extradition after divulging embarrassing evidence about the activities of US spies, as well as the British eavesdropping agency GCHQ, to newspapers including The Guardian.

The latest files said Microsoft helped America's National Security Agency (NSA) to circumvent encryption so it could view web chats on the Outlook.com portal, which is replacing Hotmail.

Evidence seen by the paper said Microsoft also worked to give the NSA easier access to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which has more than 250 million users. And by July 2012, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the Prism intelligence programme was collecting triple the amount of Skype video calls.

Microsoft told the paper it only provides information about users when demanded to do so by the government.

Snowden's files have also revealed the NSA claimed to have access to the servers of web firms including Apple, Google, Facebook and Yahoo, while GCHQ scans vast amounts of internet traffic through a system of fibre-optic cables.

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Egypt: US Calls For Release Of Detained Morsi

The US has called for the release of Mohamed Morsi as tens of thousands of supporters of the ousted Egyptian president staged protests across the country.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US agrees with the German Foreign Ministry, which had called for an "end to all restrictive measures considering Morsi".

Mr Morsi, an Islamist who became the country's first freely elected leader, was ousted on July 3 by the military.

His removal followed a wave of protests calling on him to step down.

He has been kept at an undisclosed Defence Ministry facility since then, but no formal charges have been filed.

Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the Army in what many called a coup

Supporters vowed to continue their campaign of street rallies as long as necessary to force Mr Morsi's reinstitution.

At the main Islamist rally in Cairo, the crowd poured into a large boulevard in front of a main mosque where his supporters have been camped out for two weeks.

Some held up photos of Mr Morsi, others carried posters depicting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi with blood coming out of his mouth and emblazoned with the word "traitor".

"We are ready to stay for a month, two months, a year or even two years," an ultraconservative Salafi cleric, Safwat Hegazi, told protesters.

Friday prayers on the third day of Ramadan

The day of protests marked the first Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, which usually cuts down on activity during the day - particularly outdoors in warm summer temperatures.

During the daytime fast, some at the rally rested in their tents, reading the Quran or sleeping.

Similar rallies were held across the Nile River in Cairo's sister city Giza, in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and several other cities.

Clashes have broken out between Mr Morsi's supporters and his critics

A week of violence in a bitterly divided nation has left dozens of Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters dead.

The new military-backed administration has intensified its crackdown on the leadership of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, issuing several arrest warrants.

The administration is pushing ahead quickly with its transition plans, which the military said would include new elections.

However, the new prime minister Hazem el Beblawi said members of the Muslim Brotherhood would be offered cabinet posts.

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Paris Train Crash: Human Error 'Not To Blame'

Human error did not cause a packed train carrying hundreds of passengers to derail outside Paris in a crash that left at least six people dead, France's transport minister has said.

Frederic Cuvillier said Saturday that it was unclear what did cause the accident, but authorities are looking into a possible mechanical error in the points system as well as other possibilities.

The seven-carriage service was about 20 minutes into a three-hour journey to Limoges when it crashed 12 miles south of the capital at about 5.15pm local time on Friday.

Part of the metal roof over the platform was crushed as carriages slid towards and smashed into Bretigny-sur-Orge station.

The French interior minister has called it a 'catastrophe'

An investigation into the cause is under way after the train, with 385 passengers on board, came off the tracks.

Interior minister Manuel Valls said at least six people had been killed. He added that nine people were gravely injured, and warned the number of dead could rise. In all, nearly 200 people were hurt.

A large, heavyweight crane is expected to be brought in later to try to lift one of the carriages which toppled over.

Sky's Ian Woods, at the scene, said: "They don't know for certain, but there may well still be people underneath that carriage they haven't been able to get to.

It's unclear whether anyone at the station was hurt by the impact of the train and flying debris, or whether all of those injured were on the train," he added.

Seven carriages piled up

The Friday night crash was France's deadliest in years, but Mr Cuvillier said it could have been worse and praised the driver who sent out an alert quickly, preventing a pile up.

The head of the SNCF rail authority, Guillaume Pepy, said the third and fourth carriages initially came off the track, then knocked the others off.

He called it a "catastophe", adding: "Some cars simply derailed, others are leaning, others fell over."

Footage from the scene showed crushed metal on the platform and debris from the crash clogging up the stairs.

Emergency services went on red alert with 300 firefighters, 20 paramedic teams and eight helicopters deployed to the area.

All Paris regional hospitals were put on standby to deal with casualties.

Rescuers pull survivors from the wreckage. Pic: @aishakurdish

Within hours French President Francois Hollande was at the scene and said: "I want to express our solidarity to all the families.

"It will take a long time to identify the victims. Investigations are under way and as soon as possible we will name them and inform their families - I understand their anxiety and pain."

Briton Graham Hope, a passenger in the third carriage, told Sky News: "The carriage I was in was bouncing for several seconds before we came to a halt.

"Everyone was very calm. A couple of people were quite concerned, but we worked together to get out of the carriage.

"When I got out we could see the rest of the train was further up the line ... I would be very surprised if people got out of the front carriage unscathed."

The train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge

A witness in a nearby train, 19-year-old Bazgua El Mehdi told Le Parisien newspaper: "I heard a loud noise. A cloud of sand covered everything. Then the dust dissipated.

"I thought it was a freight train, but then we saw the first casualties ... many passengers on the (train) were crying."

A police source said: "The train arrived at the station at high speed. It split in two for an unknown reason. Part of the train continued to roll while the other was left on its side on the platform."

But a passenger speaking on France's BFM television said the train was going at a normal speed and was not meant to stop at Bretigny-sur-Orge.

The station is expected to remain closed for several days during the investigation and clear-up operation.

It comes as France prepares to celebrate its most important national holiday, Bastille Day, on Sunday.

Many people have been heading out of Paris and other big cities to see their families or to go on holiday.

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Malala Takes Education Battle To The UN

By Tom Parmenter, in New York

The Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban will mark her 16th birthday by addressing the United Nations in New York.

Malala Yousafzai will urge the world to give every child an education.

Her remarkable recovery has seen her become a high profile campaigner with her face being recognised all over the world.

Three million people have already signed a petition which Malala will present to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

Ahead of her first major public speech the teenager said: "This is an opportunity for every young person on the planet to get together and tell the world: 'We will get our education, be it at home, in school or any place'."

The schoolgirl was shot by the Taliban in 2012 while on her way to school in Swat Valley.

She was transferred to Birmingham in the UK and underwent extensive surgery to rebuild her skull at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Malala leaves Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham

Young people from 80 different countries have arrived in New York to hear Malala's speech and to support her cause.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said: "In far too many places, students like Malala and their teachers are threatened, assaulted, even killed.

"Through hate-filled actions, extremists have shown what frightens them the most: a girl with a book."

The event marks Malala Day and has been organised by former prime minister Gordon Brown, now the UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

"This frail young girl who was seriously injured has become such a powerful symbol not just for the girls' right to education, but for the demand that we do something about it immediately," Mr Brown told CBS News.

"There will be no compromise with any religious extremist who says girls should not go to school or stop going to school at 10."

The Malala Day petition can be found here.

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Edward Snowden Letter: US Blocking Asylum

Spy whistleblower Edward Snowden reportedly says US officials have been waging a campaign to stop him taking up offers of asylum.

The claim was made in a letter sent to a Human Rights Watch official, ahead of a meeting with human rights groups at the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks.

The letter said: "I have been extremely fortunate to enjoy and accept many offers of support and asylum from brave countries around the world. These nations have my gratitude ...

"Unfortunately, in recent weeks we have witnessed an unlawful campaign by officials in the US government to deny my right to seek and enjoy this asylum under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Demonstrations in support of Snowden include this one in Paris

"The scale of threatening behaviour is without precedent: never before in history have states conspired to force to the ground a sovereign President's plane to effect a search for a political refugee."

That remark appears to refer to how Austrian authorities last week searched the Bolivian president's plane when it was diverted to Vienna because the US suspected Snowden was on board.

The letter continues: "This dangerous escalation represents a threat not just to the dignity of Latin America or my own personal security, but to the basic right shared by every living person to live free from persecution."

Snowden is wanted by the US on espionage charges over a series of leaks about spying programmes, with his most recent claims involving collaboration between Microsoft and American intelligence services.

He fled to Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23 and has been in limbo in Sheremetyevo airport's transit area despite three countries - Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia - saying they would be willing to grant him asylum.

It is unclear whether Snowden could fly from Moscow to any of those countries without passing through the airspace of the US or its allies.

The head of Amnesty International in Russia, Sergei Nikitin, confirmed he had been invited to meet the former National Security Agency contractor there and said he planned to attend.

In the letter to Human Rights Watch he said he wanted to discuss the "next steps forward in my situation" at 2pm UK time. A top Moscow lawyer, Genri Reznik, said the meeting would be at 1.30pm UK time and that he expected Snowden wanted to explore the idea of getting asylum in Russia.

Snowden is seeking to avoid extradition after divulging embarrassing evidence about the activities of US spies, as well as the British eavesdropping agency GCHQ, to newspapers including The Guardian.

The latest files said Microsoft helped America's National Security Agency (NSA) to circumvent encryption so it could view web chats on the Outlook.com portal, which is replacing Hotmail.

Snowden's latest evidence concerns the NSA spying on Skype video calls

Evidence seen by the paper said Microsoft also worked to give the NSA easier access to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which has more than 250 million users. And by July 2012, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the Prism intelligence programme was collecting triple the amount of Skype video calls.

Major tech firms in Silicon Valley have been calling on the Obama administration to let them reveal more about their co-operation with the NSA, to alleviate customers' privacy concerns.

Microsoft told the paper it only provides information about users when demanded to do so by the government.

Snowden's files revealed the NSA claimed to have access to the servers of web firms including Apple, Google, Facebook and Yahoo, while GCHQ scans vast amounts of internet traffic through a system of fibre optic cables.

The US on Thursday told China it was "disappointed" that Snowden was not handed over before he had a chance to leave Hong Kong. He had fled to the Chinese territory after he began to leak documents.

President Barack Obama expressed his "concern" as he met with Chinese officials in Washington, a month after he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had agreed to co-operate more on "difficult issues".

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Indonesia: Prisoners Escape Amid Jail Riot

Security forces have retaken control of a crowded prison in western Indonesia where inmates started a massive riot that left five people dead and hundreds of prisoners, including convicted terrorists, on the loose.

About 500 policemen and 300 soldiers have been deployed around Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, where the riot broke out on Thursday night.

Fire brigades have also been battling fires started by prisoners which had engulfed the jail.

Prison directorate spokesman Akbar Hadi said the situation is now under control after soldiers entered the prison without resistance.

Prisoners stand inside the Tanjung Gusta prison amid the riot

Hundreds of policemen have blocked roads linking Medan to the provinces of Aceh, Jambi and West Sumatra while searching for inmates who escaped during the riot, which began after a protest over a lack of water and electricity turned violent.

Indonesian authorities said security forces had recaptured 64 out of 240 prisoners who fled the facility in the nation's third-largest city.

Inmates had been in control of the jail until early on Friday morning, casually chatting outside their cells while heavily armed security forces formed a cordon round the building.

Five people, three prisoners and two prison staff, were killed in the riots. Ten civilian guards had briefly been held hostage but were later released.

Police stand guard outside the jail, which was set ablaze by inmates

Prisoners still on the loose included five of the 14 terror convicts that were being held at the institution.

The terrorists are believed to have links to Toni Togar, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a separate prison for a series of church bombings in Sumatra in 2000, according to the Jakarta Post.

A spokesman for the justice and human rights ministry, Goncang Raharjo, said that, like many jails in Indonesia, Tanjung Gusta was overcrowded - holding more than double its official capacity.

"The prison capacity is only 1,054 but it now holds about 2,600 convicts and suspects on trials.

"Most prisons across the country have this problem," he said.

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San Francisco Crash Pilot 'Blinded By Light'

The pilot of a plane which crashed at San Francisco airport, killing two people, may have been temporarily blinded by a bright light as he came into land.

Lee Kang Kuk, who was making his first landing at the airport and had just 43 hours' experience at the controls of the Boeing 777, said he saw a bright flash as he approached the runway.

It happened around 35 seconds before impact when Asiana Airlines flight 214 was around 500ft (150m) off the ground - the point at which the aircraft began to slow down and drop steeply.

Deborah Hersman, who chairs the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said the use of lasers had not been ruled out.

Passenger Eugene Anthony Rah took this photo of the aftermath of the crash

It is not clear whether the flash of light caused the crash or whether other factors were to blame.

The pilot's claim came as phone calls to the emergency services made by passengers on board the plane were released, demonstrating the confusion caused when the Boeing 777 hit the runway.

Pleading for ambulances to be sent, one woman can be heard saying: "There are a lot of people that need help ... We have people over here who weren't found and they're burned really badly."

Meanwhile, it has emerged that passengers were initially told not to evacuate the aircraft.

The airline stewardesses at a press conference following the crash

The plane hit a sea wall as it came into land, causing its tail fin to break off and the rest of the fuselage to spin across the runway.

However, the NTSB found people did not begin leaving the plane until a fire erupted 90 seconds after impact.

"We don't know what the pilots were thinking, though I can tell you in previous accidents there have been crews that don't evacuate, they wait for other vehicles to come to be able to get the passengers out safely," Ms Hersman said.

She suggested that the pilots in the cockpit may not have been in a position to spot the fire outside the plane.

Air crash investigators at the site in San Francisco

At least one of the emergency escape slides opened inside the aircraft, pinning down two flight attendants.

Three other crew members were flung from the aircraft onto the runway but survived.

The NTSB is using pilot interviews, cockpit recordings and control tower communications to piece together the moments leading up to the crash.

They found both Mr Lee and his co-pilot, Lee Jung Min, who was on his first flight as an instructor, both thought the aircraft's speed was being controlled by an autothrottle, which was set to 157mph.

Wreckage from Asiana Airlines flight 214 was strewn across the runway

When they realised the plane was approaching the waterfront runway too low and too slow, they both reached for the throttle.

Passengers heard a loud roar as the pilots made a desperate attempt to abort the landing.

Two Chinese students were killed in the crash, which left 180 people injured. The students, who began their journey to the US in Shanghai, were on their way to a 15 day camp to study English.

Families of around 20 survivors who remain in hospital have begun arriving to care for their loved ones.

Flight 214 was a direct flight from Incheon in South Korea to San Francisco.

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Canada Train Blast: Engineer Blamed For Crash

Fifty people have now been confirmed dead or are presumed dead after a runaway freight train derailed and exploded in Canada.

Twenty bodies have already been found and officials are telling the families of 30 other people missing that all are believed to have been killed.

A railway boss has blamed an employee for failing to set the brakes properly.

Edward Burkhardt, chief executive of Rail World, made his comments during his first visit to the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic.

Mr Burkhardt, who arrived with a police escort and was heckled by angry residents, said a train engineer had been suspended without pay.

The boss said: "I think he did something wrong. It's hard to explain why someone didn't do something.

"We think he applied some hand brakes but the question is did he apply enough of them.

"He said he applied 11 hand brakes, we think that's not true. Initially we believed him but now we don't."

Edward Burkhardt, chief executive of Rail World visited Lac-Megantic

Mr Burkhardt does not suspect sabotage was involved.

An area of Lac-Megantic was flattened in the inferno caused by the crash, as a wall of fire tore through homes and businesses.

Some parts of the devastated scene have been too hot and dangerous to enter and find bodies even days after the disaster.

The blaze forced about 2,000 residents to flee their homes in the town, which has a population of 6,000. Most residents started returning on Tuesday.

The train, operated by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway and carrying crude oil, had been stopped for a crew change in the nearby town of Nantes when it broke loose and hurtled downhill without a conductor towards Lac-Megantic.

It travelled for nearly seven miles before derailing at a curve in the tracks at 63mph and several wagons exploded.

Investigators are looking closely at a fire that happened on the train less than an hour before it became loose while stationary in Nantes.

The train's engine was shut down - standard operating procedure but one that might have disabled the brakes.

Police said a range of possibilities remain under investigation, including criminal negligence.

Some officials have raised the possibility the train was tampered with before the crash.

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Magnitsky Trial: Dead Lawyer Guilty Of Tax Fraud

A Moscow court has found the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion three years after his death.

The investment fund lawyer, who died while in prison in 2009, was convicted in Russia's first ever posthumous trial - branded a "show trial" by his supporters.

The Tverskoy District Court also found Magnitsky's former boss, the London-based investor William Browder, guilty of tax evasion. He was tried in absentia after declining to return to Russia.

Browder's sentence will be announced later but the case against Magnitsky ends with his verdict.

Magnitsky was jailed in 2008 soon after accusing Russian law enforcement officers of corruption. The lawyer was held on charges of tax evasion after accusing officials of conspiring to claim $230m (£150m) in tax rebates through Browder's Hermitage Capital investment company.

Magnitsky died on his 358th day in custody in a Moscow detention centre

A year later, the 37-year-old died in jail of pancreatitis, after what supporters claim was a systematic torture campaign. A report by Russia's presidential human rights council found in July 2011 that he had been repeatedly beaten and deliberately denied medical treatment.

His death sparked widespread condemnation and a US law named for Magnitsky calls for sanctions on Russians identified as human rights violators.

Browder, a US born British citizen, has dismissed the trial as a politically motivated effort to discredit him and Magnitsky and punish him for lobbying for US legislation intended to target Russians he blames for the lawyer's death.

Magnitsky, a 37-year-old father, kept a diary in which he documented the conditions he was being held in and his deteriorating health.

Entries recorded in the months before he died describe excruciating pain from his untreated pancreatitis, raw sewage flooding prison cells and the sound of rats running through the prison at night.

Friends and relatives attend Magnitsky's funeral ceremony

Shortly before his death, Magnitsky wrote: "I'm being subjected to punishment only for trying to defend the interests of my client and my country."

Campaigners say the fraud was committed by state officials who subsequently had him framed and arrested for the crime.

The Kremlin's own human rights council has said there was evidence suggesting Magnitsky was beaten to death, but President Vladimir Putin has dismissed allegations of torture or foul play and told the nation last year that he died of heart failure.

Russian authorities closed the case against Magnitsky after his death but reopened it in 2011, in a move former colleagues say was illegal because they did not have the consent of his relatives.

"This show trial confirms that Vladimir Putin is ready to sacrifice his international credibility to protect corrupt officials who murdered an innocent lawyer and stole $230m from the Russian state," Hermitage Capital said in a statement.

More follows...

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Canada Train Explosion: Criminal Probe Starts

A criminal investigation has been launched after a train carrying crude oil came off the rails and exploded, killing 15 people.

The mangled remains of the train after the explosion in Lac-Megantic

The death toll rose as police gained access to the centre of the crash site in Lac-Megantic, near Quebec in Canada, for the first time.

Many of the dozens of people still missing are feared buried in the blackened remains of buildings destroyed by the blast.

The blast destroyed around 30 buildings in the small Canadian town

Inspector Michel Forget, of Quebec Provincial Police, said investigators had discovered "elements" that may point to criminal involvement.

They are examining whether a fire on the train a few hours before the disaster set off the deadly chain of events.

The train travelled downhill for nearly seven miles before derailing

The engine was shut down after the blaze - a standard procedure but one that might have disabled the brakes.

The train broke loose and hurtled down a hill for nearly seven miles before jumping the tracks at 63mph, causing at least five of the 73 cars to explode.

Axle gear was strewn across the town of Lac-Megantic

The blast destroyed around 30 buildings, including a popular nightspot that was packed with people.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper likened the scene to a "war zone" and said the country had witnessed an "unbelievable disaster".

At least five of the freight train's 73 wagons exploded

Local resident Gilles Fluet, who saw the train just before it derailed, said: "It was moving at a hellish speed.

"(There were) no lights, no signals, nothing at all. There was no warning. It was a black blob that came out of nowhere."

Barriers have been placed on rivers to contain the oil spill

Meanwhile, authorities battled to stop waves of crude oil from the disaster reaching the St Lawrence River, an important supply of water for the region.

Yves-Francois Blanchet, the environment and wildlife minister, said the chances of containing the spill were "very slim".

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San Francisco Plane Crash: Crew Were Ejected

Survivors Tell Of Plane Horror

Updated: 12:53pm UK, Monday 08 July 2013

Survivors have spoken of the terrifying moment a pilot tried to abort a landing seconds before it crashed onto the runway in San Francisco.

Two Chinese teenagers died after the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 struck the runway shortly after the jet reportedly hit a sea wall.

Benjamin Levy said: "The nose of the plane, as you know, goes up a little bit. And then full throttle starts hitting hard and then we felt that we were going up again, so that's why I said maybe the guy is about to pull one of those almost mislandings and go back up.

"But it didn't happen, we just crashed back. So as I say - if we flipped, none of us would be here to talk about it."

Xu Da, a product manager from China, was sitting with his wife and teenage son near the back of the plane.

He stood up and saw a gaping hole through the back of the plane where its galley was torn away along with the tail.

Xu and his family escaped through the opening. Once on the tarmac, they watched the plane catch fire, and firefighters hose it down.

In the chaotic moments after the landing, Wen Zhang grabbed her four-year-old son, who hit the seat in front of him and broke his leg.

Spotting a hole at the back of the jumbo jet where the bathroom had been, she carried her boy to safety.

"I had no time to be scared," she said.

Eugene Rah said: "The seat I was sitting in, it has one more strap coming across my chest here in addition to the one that goes around the waist because It was a sleeper seat. If I did not have that, I would have hit the ceiling: that's how hard the impact was."

Fred Hayes filmed the crash from around a mile away "I was watching it come in and I did notice that nose being up in the air. My initial reaction was that it was trying to abort the landing and go back up," he told CNN.

"There was big boom and then it pitched forward and bounced off its nose."

One of the flight attendants described the chaos as she and her colleagues began their evacuation of more than 300 people.

Sky's Asia correspondent Mark Stone said Lee Yoon Hae told South Korean media that she first went to the cockpit to see if the pilots were alive. She then made three announcements telling the 291 passengers to remain calm and prepare to evacuate.

There were four pilots on the plane: two in the cockpit and two more reserve pilots in the main cabin. One of the reserve pilots opened the front door with an axe and ordered the evacuation.

Stone said Mrs Lee, 40, explained how one of her colleagues had a leg trapped. She helped to release her leg and at the same time tried to calm the passengers, some of whom were panicking.

Mrs Lee said that many of the passengers were confused and disorientated.

She shouted to the Chinese passengers to evacuate immediately. Many of them tried to take their hand baggage with them, but she said she was forced to order them not to.

Mrs Lee said several fires broke out within the cabin and she was not aware that the tail of the plane had broken off because the ceiling between her and the rear of the aircraft had collapsed.

She helped one badly injured female passenger to the emergency slide and then returned back into the aircraft to help others and was one of the last to leave the aircraft.

Mrs Lee, who has already been given 14 awards for her work at Asiana Airlines, broke her coccyx in the accident, but was unaware of her injuries until she arrived at the hospital.

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Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Spurns Cabinet Offer

The Islamist group of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi is to reject an offer to join a new interim government.

Amid reports that the Muslim Brotherhood is to be offered positions in the transitional cabinet, a spokesman for the movement said: "We do not deal with putschists. We reject all that comes from this coup."

Egypt's new interim prime minister Hazem el Beblawi said he would start work on forming his new cabinet on Wednesday, first meeting liberal leaders Mohamed ElBaradei and Ziad Bahaa-Eldin.

The new leader said he accepted that it would be difficult to win the unanimous support of Egyptians for his new government.

Interim PM Hazem el Beblawi is trying to put together a cabinet

The ousting of Mr Morsi a week ago by the military, after mass protests calling for his resignation, has prompted widespread violence in the divided country, with dozens of lives already claimed.

Mr Beblawi, a liberal economist and former finance minister, was appointed prime minister by interim president Adly Mansour on Tuesday. He also made Nobel peace laureate Mr ElBaradei interim vice president responsible for foreign affairs.

Mr Mansour has set a timetable to hold elections early next year as part of a new charter to try to halt the unrest.

However, the plan has since been shunned by the Muslim Brotherhood, while the National Salvation Front, the main liberal coalition that called for Mr Morsi's overthrow, has demanded amendments - stopping short of rejecting the decree outright. 

Violent clashes have erupted between Morsi supporters and opponents

Tamarod, the movement that spearheaded the grassroots campaign against the former president, complained that it had not been consulted on the transition plan announced by Mr Mansour and would also make proposals for changes to the blueprint.

The decree, outlining the interim president's new powers, gives the country five months to amend the Islamist-drafted constitution suspended on Mr Morsi's ouster and ratify it in a referendum.

Parliamentary elections will then be held by early 2014 and Mr Mansour will announce a date for a presidential election once the new parliament has convened.

The continued standoff with Mr Morsi's loyalists, who demand the reinstatement of Egypt's first democratically elected leader, has exacerbated fears of further bloodshed after his overthrow.

In the worst incident on July 3, at least 51 people, most of them supporters of the ousted Islamist, died in clashes outside a military barracks in Cairo.

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Ohio Kidnap Victims In 'Thank You' Video

Three women abducted and held captive in a house in Cleveland, Ohio for a decade have thanked the public for their support in a YouTube video.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight broke their silence in the video, saying the encouragement of family, friends and the public had allowed them to restart their lives.

Former bus driver Ariel Castro is alleged to have kidnapped the women off the streets between 2002 and 2004.

Ariel Castro is charged with 329 crimes and could face the death penalty

He has pleaded not guilty to 329 charges, including 139 counts of rape, and aggravated murder over the death of an unborn child.

The women were rescued in May when Ms Berry broke through a door at the home and yelled to neighbours for help.

"I'm getting stronger each day and having my privacy has helped immensely," she said in the video.

"I want everyone to know how happy I am to be home with my family and my friends. It's been unbelievable.

"I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal."

Ms Berry, now 27, was reportedly forced to give birth to daughter Jocelyn in an inflatable children's paddling pool, with fellow captive Michelle Knight giving the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In the video, Ms Knight said she had "been through hell and back" but that she was doing well and didn't want to be "consumed by hatred".

Taken at aged 20 and the eldest of three women, she spoke of how her faith in God had helped her deal with the situation.

The three women before they were taken between 2002 and 2004

"I have no problems expressing how I feel inside," she said.

"Be positive; learn that it is important to give than to receive. Thank you for all your prayers. I'm looking forward to my brand-new life."

The three victims' rehabilitation has been helped by more than $1m (£670,000) of public donations to the Cleveland Courage Fund.

Gina DeJesus, now 23 and the youngest of the kidnapped women, spoke briefly only to say "thank you for the support."

The three women were apparently held at Ariel Castro's home

However, her father, Felix DeJesus, and aunt Nancy Ruiz, also spoke in the video to thank people for being "awesome".

Castro, 52, was last week refused a visit with the six-year-old girl he fathered with Amanda Berry, with a judge calling the request "inappropriate".

An upcoming meeting will discuss the possibility of seeking the death penalty for the alleged crimes.

Castro's lawyers have previously hinted that he might plead guilty if talk of capital punishment was taken off the table.

A trial is scheduled for August 5, but the judge said it could be delayed.

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'Several Dead' In South Beirut Explosion

A large explosion has hit a shopping centre in southern Beirut, with initial reports from the scene saying several people have been killed and others injured.

Southern Beirut is a stronghold for the Lebanese pro-Syrian Shi'ite Hizbollah militant group.

The group claims that the blast, in the Bir el-Abed area, was caused by a car bomb.

Hizbollah's Al-Manar TV station broadcast pictures of black smoke rising into the sky and people rushing to help the wounded.

Tensions have been high following the intervention of Hizbollah fighters in the Syrian war where Sunni Muslim rebels are trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Hizbollah fighters were vital in a recent  victory when government forces regained control of the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanese border.

Some Syrian rebel groups, which are mainly Sunni, have threatened to strike in Lebanon.

In May, two rockets hit southern Beirut and injured four people.

The attack came hours after Hizbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah promised to help the Syrian regime defeat rebel forces.

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Egypt: Timetable For Elections Set By Mansour

Egypt: Timeline Of Morsi's Reign

Updated: 9:23am UK, Tuesday 09 July 2013

Key developments over the year since Mohamed Morsi became Egypt's first democratically elected president.

:: 2012

June 30: Mr Morsi, elected with 51.7% of the vote, is sworn and becomes Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president.

August 12: The new president scraps a constitutional document that gave sweeping powers to the military and sacks Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who ruled after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, 2011.

November 22: Mr Morsi announces sweeping new powers for himself.

November 30: Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts a draft constitution despite a boycott by liberals and Christians.

December 8: The president annuls the decree giving himself increased powers.

December 15 and 22: 64% of voters in a two-round referendum back the new constitution. Egypt plunges into political crisis, with demonstrations by Morsi supporters and opponents sometimes turning deadly.

:: 2013

January 24: There is violence between demonstrators and police on the eve of the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak. Nearly 60 people die in a week.

April 5: Four Christians and a Muslim are killed in sectarian violence.

May 7: President Morsi's cabinet reshuffle falls short of opposition demands.

May 16: Gunmen kidnap three policemen and four soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. They are freed on May 22.

June 2: Egypt's highest court invalidates the Islamist-dominated senate, which assumed a legislative role when parliament was dissolved, and a panel that drafted the constitution.

June 15: Mr Morsi announces "definitive" severing of ties with Syria.

June 21: Tens of thousands of Islamists gather ahead of planned opposition protests.

June 23: Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al Sisi warns the army will intervene if violence erupts.

June 28: The US says non-essential embassy staff can leave after an American is killed during the protests.

June 29: The Tamarod (Rebellion) campaign which called rallies for June 30 says more than 22 million have signed a petition demanding Mr Morsi's resignation and a snap election.

June 30: Tens of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets nationwide determined to oust the president on the anniversary of his turbulent first year in power. At least 16 people die in protests across the country.

July 1: The opposition gives President Morsi a day to quit or face civil disobedience. The Tamarod calls on "the army, the police and the judiciary to clearly side with the popular will as represented by the crowds".

Egypt's armed forces warn they will intervene if the people's demands are not met within 48 hours.

July 2: The presidency rejects the army's ultimatum, saying it will pursue its own plans for national reconciliation.

Foreign minister Kamel Amr becomes the sixth member of Mr Morsi's cabinet to resign.

US President Barack Obama calls on Mr Morsi to respond to the protests and resolve the crisis through the "political process".

July 3: A day of drama as tanks and troops deploy near the presidential palace, with a military deadline for Mr Morsi to yield power passing.

He is overthrown late in the day as the country's most senior army official announces the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a "road map" for a return to democratic rule to stop the bloodshed.

July 4: As Mr Morsi is held by the army, the head of the constitutional court is sworn in as the interim president.

July 6: Fierce street battles between supporters of Morsi and their opponents leave at least 36 people dead.

July 8: Some 35 people are shot dead in clashes between Morsi supporters and the Egyptian army outside the Republican Guard's headquarters in Cairo.

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San Francisco Plane Crash Pilot Was Training

The pilot who was flying a Boeing 777 when it crashed in San Francisco had just 43 hours' experience flying the plane, aviation officials have said.

Two teenagers were killed and around 180 people were injured, many of them seriously, when Asiana Airlines flight 214 slammed into the runway.

Air crash investigators said the crew tried to abort the landing less than two seconds before impact.

Although the captain had spent nearly 10,000 hours at the controls of other planes, he had never landed at San Francisco before.

The plane spun as it hit the ground. Pic: CNN/Fred Hayes

He was sitting alongside another pilot who had flown 3,200 hours in 777s and around 12,000 hours in total.

Meanwhile, officials are looking at whether one of the two teenagers killed in the crash was run over by a rescue vehicle.

It is not clear whether she died during the crash or whether she was knocked down as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

As air crash investigators continue to look for the cause of the crash, they published a series of pictures, including one taken inside the wreckage of the plane, showing oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling of the cabin and seats bent at various angles.

The mangled interior of the Boeing 777. Pic: NTSB/Twitter

They have recovered both black boxes from the 777, which should reveal exactly why the aircraft came down.

Deborah Hersman, head of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane was travelling well below its target speed of 157mph.

She said a piece of safety equipment that warns pilots of an impending stall went off moments before the crash.

The plane's landing gear was separated from the fuselage. Pic: NTSB/Twitter

Cockpit voice recordings revealed the crew's desperate attempts to climb back into the sky but did not suggest any mechanical problems.

No warnings were issued to air traffic controllers until seven seconds before impact.

Although the cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed, one theory is that the plane clipped a sea wall at the end of the runway as it came in to land.

Investigators study the aircraft's tail fin. Pic: NTSB/Twitter

Amateur video obtained by CNN shows the plane landing on the runway and then appearing to spin counter-clockwise before crashing down again with black smoke billowing from its tail.

Meanwhile, further tales from those on the flight from Shanghai, which travelled to San Francisco via a stop-off in Seoul, have emerged.

Fei Xiong, who was taking her eight-year-old son on a trip to Disneyland, said: "My son told me, 'The plane will fall down, it's too close to the sea.' I told him, 'Baby, it's OK, we'll be fine.'"

Xu Da, who was sitting near the back of the plane with his wife and teenage son, described seeing sparks - possibly from exposed electrical wires - and a gaping hole through which he could see the runway.

Wen Zhang climbed from the wreckage with her four-year-old son, who hit the seat in front of him and broke his leg in the crash.

"I had no time to be scared," she said.

The two pilots - part of a crew of 16 - had more than 10,000 flying hours between them.

There were 291 passengers on board, many of whom were Chinese.

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Nine Killed And 21 Injured In Spain Bus Crash

Nine people have died and five are seriously injured after a bus careered off the road near the town of Avila, central Spain.

Local news reports say the bus rolled over after travelling at excessive speed on a bend along the N-403 highway south of Avila.

Paramedic crews who arrived on the scene rescued several passengers who had become trapped in the wreckage. 

"We confirm nine dead, five seriously injured and more than 10 slightly injured in the bus crash," said an emergency services spokesman for the region of Castile and Leon.

The commuter bus, from a local company called Cevesa, was serving the route Serranillos-Ávila, from South to the North of the province of Avila.

Several drivers passing by alerted the authorities around 8.30 am about the accident. Pictures of the scene show the bus lying by the side of the road with the front windscreen smashed and most of the windows missing.

The families of the victims have been taken to Avila, to the Carlos Sastre Sports Center, where a team of social workers and psycologists are providing medical attention and support.

There is no information about the nationalities of the victims but early indications are the passengers are from the villages located along the bus route.

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Egypt: Morsi Supporters Shot Dead At Barracks

Egypt: Timeline Of Morsi's Reign

Updated: 8:21am UK, Monday 08 July 2013

Key developments over the year since Mohamed Morsi became Egypt's first democratically elected president.

:: 2012

June 30: Mr Morsi, elected with 51.7% of the vote, is sworn and becomes Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president.

August 12: The new president scraps a constitutional document that gave sweeping powers to the military and sacks Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi who ruled after Hosni Mubarak's ousting in February, 2011.

November 22: Mr Morsi decrees sweeping new powers for himself.

November 30: Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts a draft constitution despite boycott by liberals, Christians.

December 8: The president annuls the decree giving himself increased powers.

December 15 and 22: 64% of voters in a two-round referendum back the new constitution. Egypt plunges into political crisis, with demonstrations by Morsi supporters and opponents sometimes turning deadly.

:: 2013

January 24: There is violence between demonstrators and police on the eve of the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak. Nearly 60 people die in a week.

April 5: Four Christians and a Muslims are killed in sectarian violence.

May 7: President Morsi's cabinet reshuffle falls short of opposition demands.

May 16: Gunmen kidnap three policemen and four soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. They are freed on May 22.

June 2: Egypt's highest court invalidates the Islamist-dominated Senate, which assumed a legislative role when parliament was dissolved, and a panel that drafted the constitution.

June 15: Morsi announces "definitive" severing of ties with Syria.

June 21: Tens of thousands of Islamists gather ahead of planned opposition protests.

June 23: Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warns the army will intervene if violence erupts.

June 28: The US says non-essential embassy staff can leave after an American is killed during protests.

June 29: The Tamarod ('rebellion') campaign which called rallies for June 30 says more than 22 million have signed a petition demanding Mr Morsi's resignation and a snap election.

June 30: Tens of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets nationwide determined to oust the president on the anniversary of his turbulent first year in power. At least 16 people die in protests across the country.

July 1: The opposition gives President Morsi a day to quit or face civil disobedience. The Tamarod calls on "the army, the police and the judiciary to clearly side with the popular will as represented by the crowds".

Egypt's armed forces warn that it will intervene if the people's demands are not met within 48 hours.

July 2: The presidency rejects the army's ultimatum, saying it will pursue his own plans for national reconciliation.

Foreign minister Kamel Amr becomes the sixth member of Mr Morsi's cabinet to resign.

US President Barack Obama calls on Mr Morsi to respond to the protests and resolve the crisis through "political process".

July 3: A day of drama as tanks and troops deploy near the presidential palace, with a military deadline for Mr Morsi to yield power passing.

He is overthrown late in the day as the country's most senior army official announces the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a "road map" for a return to democratic rule to stop "bloodshed".

July 4: As Mr Morsi is held by the army, the head of the constitutional court is sworn in as the interim president.

July 6: Fierce street battles between supporters of Morsi and their opponents leave at least 36 people dead.

July 8: Some 35 people are shot dead in clashes between Morsi supporters and the Egyptian army, outside the Republican Guard headquarters.

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Canada Explosion: Oil Train Derails In Quebec

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A fireball has engulfed a Canadian town after a train carrying crude oil derailed, sparking several explosions.

One person has been killed, according to police, but several people were reported missing.

The crash happened as the unmanned 73-car freight train travelled through the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic, a lakeside town with a population of 6,000, on Saturday morning.

Fires continued burning nearly 24 hours after the accident and up to 2,000 people were forced from their homes.

The train's operator confirmed it had been parked out of town, but they are unsure how it "got released".

More than 1,000 residents were told to leave the area (Pic: Quebec police)

Massive flames and thick smoke could be seen. The derailment caused several tanker rail cars to explode in the downtown area.

Lieutenant Guy Lapointe, a spokesman with Quebec provincial police, said: "I don't want to get into numbers, what I will say is we do expect we'll have other people who will be found deceased unfortunately.

"We also expect that down the line the number of people who are reported missing with regards to people who have actually lost their lives will be much higher."

No one was on board the train when it rolled into the town, according to the operator the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMAR) company.

Edward Burkhardt, president and CEO of Rail World Inc, the parent company of MMAR, said: "If brakes aren't properly applied on a train, it's going to run away.

"But we think the brakes were properly applied on this train.

A train wagon burning after the explosion

"We've had a very good safety record for these 10 years. Well, I think we've blown it here."

Mayor Colette Roy-LaRoche was nearly in tears as she addressed the media, according to the Montreal Gazette.

"When you see the downtown of your city almost destroyed you think, how are we going to get through this? But I can assure everyone here that all the authorities and ministries have been very supportive," she said.

"We've deployed all the resources possible."

Four tanker cars blew up after the train, which had 73 cars in all, came off the rails shortly after 1am local time.

Environmental experts have also arrived in the town to assess how much oil may have spilled into the Chaudiere River.

Environment Quebec spokesman Christian Blanchette said: "Right now, there is big smoke in the air, so we have a mobile laboratory here to monitor the quality of the air.

"We also have a spill on the lake and the river that is concerning us.

"We have advised the local municipalities downstream to be careful if they take their water from the Chaudiere River."

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Egypt Protests Continue As New PM Put On Hold

Supporters of Egypt's ousted leader have vowed to continue their protests as the new president backed away from an announcement of a new interim prime minister.

Protesters have gathered across the country in support of Mohammed Morsi, who was ousted by the army this week in a move that has led to further chaos.

Mr ElBaradei is a Nobel prize winner

In Cairo's Nasr City district, lines of fighters brandished homemade weapons and body armour at road blocks affixed with Mr Morsi's picture.

They have vowed to take to the streets until the toppled Muslim Brotherhood leader is reinstated.

At least 36 people are known to have died in street battles that took place in the capital and across the country overnight.

The violence came as reports said Mohamed ElBaradei, who is a main rival of Mr Morsi, would be sworn in by Egypt's new interim president Adli Mansour.

But the presidency later appeared to backtrack.

"Interim president Adly Mansour met today with Dr ElBaradei but so far there has been no official appointment," presidential advisor Ahmed al-Muslimani told reporters.

However, he added that Mr ElBaradei was "the logical choice" among a list of names being considered.

Mourners attended funerals for five protesters killed overnight

Mr ElBaradei won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work as former director of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency.

He also led the protests against Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring uprising that ended his autocratic rule in February 2011.

Friday night's street battles took the overall death toll to at least 75 in the past week.

Hundreds of people gathered at a mosque in the Manyal neighbourhood of Cairo to attend funerals for five anti-Morsi protesters who were killed overnight.

Earlier, the president held talks with the army chief and interior minister in apparent attempts to work out strategies to contain another round of violence.

More than 75 people have been killed in the past week

Meanwhile, lawyers for Mubarak entered a not guilty plea as his retrial for alleged complicity in the killings of protesters in 2011 resumed.

The 85-year-old former leader appeared in the dock behind bars, wearing dark sunglasses and a white prison uniform.

During the televised hearing, Cairo's criminal court heard submissions by the defence before proceedings were adjourned until August 17.

It comes as US President Barack Obama insisted America was not aligned with any political party or group in Egypt.

A White House statement said: "The US categorically rejects the false claims propagated by some in Egypt that we are working with specific political parties or movements to dictate how Egypt's transition should proceed.

"We remain committed to the Egyptian people and their aspirations for democracy, economic opportunity and dignity.

"But the future path of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people."

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Boeing Plane Crash Lands In San Francisco

Two people have been killed and more than 150 others injured after a plane crash landed at San Francisco International Airport, according to the city fire department.

The Asiana Airlines flight, from Seoul, South Korea, was believed to be carrying 291 passengers and 16 crew members.

The San Francisco Fire Department, said 181 people have been taken to various hospitals - 49 of whom are in a serious condition.

Terrorism had been ruled out as a cause of the accident, the FBI confirmed.

The debris of the aircraft's tail is seen on the runway after the crash

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane's tail section break off during the crash. South Korea's transportation ministry said the tail of the plane hit the runway before it crashed.

A fire started when the plane landed and passengers were forced to use emergency inflatable slides to escape the aircraft, witnesses added.

Parts of the plane's tail and the landing gear were strewn across the runway. TV footage showed the top of the fuselage had been burned away and one engine appeared to have broken off.

David Eun, believed to be a passenger on the aircraft, posted on Twitter: "I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I'm ok. Surreal."

He added: "Fire and rescue people all over the place. They're evacuating the injured."

A plume of smoke rose from the plane after the crash landing

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said the Boeing 777 was supposed to land on runway 28 left at San Francisco International Airport.

She said the sequence of events was still unclear, but it appeared the plane landed and then crashed.

Sky News Correspondent Tom Parmenter said: "There were large plumes of smoke coming from this plane.

"The tail seems to be the initial problem on landing, and then the fire seems to have started once the plane was on the runway.

"People have been pictured walking away from the wreckage."

Flights have been diverted to other airports, including Los Angeles.

The wreckage is visible next to one of the runways at the airport

Debbie Hersman, chairman of the Transport Safety Board, said: "Teams are going to be focused on operations, human performance, survival factors, the airport, airport operations and they are going to be focussing on the aircraft - the systems, the structures and the power plants.

"It's still too early for us to tell (what happened).

A statement from San Francisco General Hospital said 10 patients from the crash - eight adults and two children - were in a critical condition.

Asiana is a South Korean airline, second in size to the national carrier Korean Air. 

It has recently tried to expand its presence in the United States, and joined the oneWorld alliance, anchored by American Airlines and British Airways.

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