Ukraine: Russia Warns US Over More Sanctions

The US has warned Russia it will face further sanctions if pro-Russia militia in eastern Ukraine do not disarm, as the Kremlin admits reinforcement troops have been sent to the border.

Barack Obama said the US could take further economic and diplomatic action against Moscow if an international agreement to calm tensions in Ukraine is not implemented.

Russia, Ukraine, the US and the European Union agreed on Thursday to a series of steps to "de-escalate" the crisis in Ukraine.

But many of the groups that took over government buildings in a bid to declare independence in the largely Russian-speaking part of eastern Ukraine have yet to leave, saying they will only do so if Ukraine's government steps down too.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian foreign secretary Sergei Lavrov late on Friday that the "the next few days would be a pivotal period".

The EU has also indicated it will meet to discuss further sanctions if Russia does not act to make the militias disarm.

But earlier, the Kremlin had indicated Russia was not going to be bossed around, issuing a veiled threat.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian television: "Our Western colleagues are trying to push responsibility towards our side. But it must be underlined: it is a collective responsibility."

"We have troops in different regions, and there are troops close to the Ukrainian border.

"Some are based there, others have been sent as reinforcements due to the situation in Ukraine," he added.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

The White House said it was watching Moscow to see if it is holding up its end of the deal.

US National Security Advisory Susan Rice said: "We expect and we will be watching whether Russia does or does not uphold its responsibility to use its very considerable influence to restrain and withdraw those irregular militia from the buildings and spaces that they've occupied." 

Pro-Russians occupying public buildings in 10 eastern Ukrainian cities have been told to leave in the next few days or face "more concrete actions" from the interim government.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia gave no details of the likely actions, but said: "Hopefully, if those people are ready to leave the buildings, to surrender weapons, today, tomorrow, so we can encourage the OSCE (European security) mission to negotiate, to mediate and implement this.

"But if this will not start in a few days, I think that after Easter there will more concrete actions."

Kiev had previously declared the separatists as terrorists and sent troops to remove them, but had been unable to.

The separatists want a referendum on union with Russia, similar to the one held in Crimea that ultimately led to its annexation by Russia. 

Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-appointed Donetsk People's Republic, said insurgents do not recognise the Ukrainian government as legitimate.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Donetsk, said there was no sign of anyone there acting on the deal reached in Geneva at talks attended by the US, Russia, the European Union and Ukraine.

She added: "None of those at the talks directly represented those on the ground, particularly those occupying the buildings."

Meanwhile, Europe's Baltic states are in talks to set up their own Russian-language television channel in a bid to counter the deluge of propaganda aimed at their ethnic Russian populations by Moscow-backed media.

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Missing Plane Search 'Could Take 5 to 7 Days'

By Nick Martin, News Correspondent, in Perth

Australian officials supervising the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have said that an underwater search for the black box recorder based on "pings" possibly from the device could be completed in five to seven days.

It comes as search teams say the submarine currently scanning the ocean floor remains "the best lead" in finding the plane.

The US Navy-operated Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has now covered an area of 82 square miles (133 sq km) and has completed six missions.

But its sonar scanners have detected nothing, Sky News understands.

The Bluefin-21 submersible has already carried out six descents

After nearly six weeks without any sign of the plane, the current underwater search has been narrowed to a circular 6.2-mile (10km) area around the location where one of the pings thought to come from the missing flight's black box was detected earlier this month.

The submersible is likely to take up to a week to cover the refined search area.

The Bluefin-21 has now started its seventh descent to the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

It takes two hours for the unmanned submersible to travel more than 4,500m to the seabed where it spends 16 hours at a time using sonar scanners to map the ocean floor. Data is then downloaded at the surface.

The Chinese ship Hai Xin 01 conducts a search in the southern Indian Ocean

No sign of the plane has been picked up, said search officials based in Perth, Australia.

"Overnight, Bluefin-21 AUV completed mission six in the underwater search area. Data from the sixth mission is currently under analysis. No contacts of interest have been found to date," said an official.

"This is the best lead we have in the search for missing flight MH370."

Hishammuddin Hussein, acting Malaysia Transport Minister, told a news conference on Saturday: "The immediate search area that the Bluefin-21 is scouring should be completed within the next week.

"All efforts will be intensified in the next few days in regards to the search."

The underwater hunt is complicated by the depth of the largely unexplored sea floor. The US Navy's unmanned sub has already gone beyond its recommended limit of 4,500 meters (15,000 feet).

Malaysia flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 bound for Beijing. But an hour into the flight it disappeared from radar. There were 239 people on board, mostly Chinese citizens.

Some families of those on board refuse to believe the aircraft crashed into the sea and have instead denounced the search effort as a cover-up.

Up to 11 military aircraft and 12 ships are assisting the search over the long Easter bank holiday weekend. The total search area is 31,000 square miles (50,200 sq km), across three areas.

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South Korea Ferry Disaster Captain's Apology

S Korea Ferry: Final Contact From Doomed Vessel

Updated: 11:59am UK, Friday 18 April 2014

A transcript of communications between the stricken Sewol ferry and the coastguard has lifted the lid on the final minutes before the order was given to abandon ship.

The conversations show panic setting in on board the vessel, with officers asking for help to "please come quickly" as it began to tilt to the left, three hours from its destination of Jeju Island.

The transcript also appears to back up claims that the evacuation order may have come too late for some passengers as officers said the ship was tilting so much it was "impossible to move" to check on them.

The communication, which begins with the first distress call made by the ferry on Wednesday morning, has been translated by The Associated Press.

It reads:

8.55am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of The Sewol?

Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Centre (VTS): Yes, Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Please notify the coastguard. Our ship is in danger. It's listing right now.

8.56am

Jeju VTS: Where's your ship? Yes, got it. We will notify the coastguard.

Sewol: This ship has listed a lot. Can't move. Please come quickly. We're next to Byeongpung Island.

Jeju VTS: Yes, we got it.

8.58am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Do you have reception? Sewol, harbour affairs Jeju.

8.59am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, this is Sewol.

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Channel 21, please.

9.00am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Jeju, Sewol here.

Jeju VTS: What's the current situation?

Sewol: Currently the body of the ship has listed to the left. The containers have listed as well.

Jeju VTS: OK. Any damage of the human life?

Sewol: It's impossible to check right now. The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, OK. Please wear life jackets and prepare as the people might have to abandon ship. 

Sewol: It's hard for people to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, got it.

9.05am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of Sewol?

Jeju VTS: Yes, this is harbour affairs Jeju, Sewol.

Sewol: What's going on with the coastguard?

Jeju VTS: Yes, we have notified the coastguard. Currently we are calling Jindo VTS and Wando VTS. Please hold for a moment.

After this, Jeju VTS notified other ships and Wando VTS.

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Obama's Warning To Russia Over Ukraine Deal

Putin Finds Time For A Laugh During Phone-In

Updated: 1:39pm UK, Thursday 17 April 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior News Correspondent

Even in the midst of a crisis, with Russia on the brink of a conflict with Ukraine, there was a chance for some Vladimir Putin humour.

About a quarter of the way through his marathon question-and-answer session, with more than two million phone calls, emails and texts logged, came a question from a pensioner about his plans to push beyond Russia's borders.

"Does the President want to take Alaska as well?"

Mr Putin laughed and said: "What do we want with Alaska? We have enough cold territory."

Sarah Palin can sleep easier in her bed. The former vice-presidential candidate once said her expertise in foreign affairs came from having the Russians as her neighbours.

The exchange lightened the mood of a television marathon which was dominated by Ukraine and Crimea.

The Direct Line with Putin is an annual event in Russia and this was his 12th.

But it was pointed out that in his previous five-hour long session last year, he had not mentioned annexing Crimea as one of his policies.

Mr Putin said it was never a plan. He was simply responding to the wishes of the people of Crimea, he claimed.

The questions about the takeover of Crimea were not all supportive of the President.

Many Russians fretted about the cost to the economy and some wondered whether it would change the character of Crimea.

They were reassured it would not and that no social programmes would be cut to pay for Crimea's return to Kremlin control.

But the questions from an outside broadcast in the Crimean port of Sevastopol were unmistakably in support of Mr Putin.

At one point the crowd who had gathered to take part in the show chanted: "Russia, Russia."

Mr Putin said the situation had allowed Russians to rediscover patriotism.

As for the situation in eastern Ukraine, Mr Putin's answers were familiar.

He denied the Russian military had crossed the border in support of ethnic Russians.

He questioned the legitimacy of the interim government in Kiev, as well as the presidential elections on May 25, which are designed to confer legitimacy on the winner.

He said that when candidates from the East were being beaten up, it could never be a fair election.

And he attacked Nato expansion, saying: "When people move towards our borders, it makes us take steps to respond."

One of the questions came from a former member of the Berkut, the now disbanded Ukrainian special police force, who said he had confronted protesters in Kiev and some of his colleagues had been injured.

He called the deposed President Viktor Yanukovych a "slacker and a traitor" for not ordering tougher action.

Mr Putin defended his former ally, saying the two of them had discussed the dilemma and Mr Yanokovych had been unwilling to sign an order to open fire on his own citizens.

After three hours, just when you thought it might be getting a little boring, up popped a special guest via video-link from an undisclosed location.

Former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden had been invited to ask a question, which he did so in English, though the President confessed he found it hard to understand his American accent.

Snowden, who was granted in asylum in Russia after fleeing the United States to leak the secrets of America's mass electronic eavesdropping programme, asked if Russia had a similar programme.

Mr Putin, a former KGB officer, spoke to him as one professional to another. And, of course, he said such an operation was impossible because Russian agencies were strictly controlled.

It was an impressive performance from the Russian president, talking fluently and peppering his answers with statistics.

He was supremely confident, as well he might be.

His opinion poll ratings are rising. The number of Russians who say they totally trust Mr Putin has increased from 7% to 16%, and the number of those who are "more likely to trust him" has grown from 50% to 55% over the past year.

The number who say they do not trust him is down from 35% a year ago to 20% now, and 37% of the 1,600 people questioned said they like and even admire him.

But even after the hours of answers, the West is still unsure about Mr Putin's ultimate goal.

How far does he want to push his luck, knowing the response from Europe and America will be limited to diplomatic and economic posturing?

Perhaps we will find out the answer to that question at next year's marathon phone-in.

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Captain 'Not At The Helm When Ferry Capsized'

The captain of the South Korean ferry with 475 passengers on board was not at the helm of the ship when it capsized, according to investigators.

The third officer was understood to be piloting the ship when the tragedy occurred, an investigating prosecutor told a news conference, and the captain may not even have been on the bridge at the time.

Investigators are also looking at whether the third officer ordered the vessel to make an abrupt turn, which caused it to tilt severely and take on water, according to prosecutor Park Jae-Eok.

"He may have been off the bridge... and the person at the helm at the time was the third officer," the investigator said.

"The captain was not in command when the accident took place," he added.

Family members of missing passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo

It has also been revealed the captain, Lee Joon-Seok, 68, delayed evacuation for half an hour after the distress signal was sent, leading some to suggest more lives could have been saved had he acted sooner.

Oh Yong-Seok, a helmsman on the ferry with 10 years of shipping experience, said when the crew gathered on the bridge and sent a distress call, the ship was already listing more than five degrees - the critical angle at which a vessel can be brought back to even keel.

A crane arrives at the scene

About half an hour after passengers were told to stay where they were, Mr Lee finally gave the order to abandon ship, according to Mr Oh.

He added he was unsure in the confusion on the bridge if the order was relayed to the passengers.

Several survivors have said they did not hear any evacuation orders.

By the time the order was given, it was impossible for crew members to move to passengers' rooms to help them because the ship was tilted at an impossibly acute angle, he said.

Lee Joon-Seok was not at the helm when the ship began listing

It has been suggested the evacuation delay also prevented lifeboats from being deployed in time.

Meanwhile, a crane that will be used to try to salvage the ferry has arrived at the accident site.

The confirmed death toll from the sinking of the Sewol is 25, but that number is expected to rise sharply with about 270 people still missing. Officials have so far confirmed only 179 survivors.

Some 325 of the passengers were students from Danwon High School near Seoul.

Anxious relatives take part in a Buddhist ritual

Of the 29 crew members, 20 people including Mr Lee survived.

After the tragedy, he made a brief, videotaped appearance, although his face was hidden by a grey hoodie.

He said: "I am really sorry and deeply ashamed. I don't know what to say."

Divers are working in shifts to try get into the upturned ship to pump oxygen into the vessel to help any survivors, but their attempts are being hampered by strong currents and freezing temperatures.

The 146-metre (480ft) ship had left Incheon on the northwestern coast of South Korea on Tuesday for the overnight journey to the southern resort island of Jeju.

It was three hours from its destination on Wednesday morning when it began to list for reasons unknown.

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Vice-Principal Rescued From Ferry Found Hanged

A high school vice-principal rescued from the capsized South Korean ferry has been found hanged, according to police.

Kang Min-Kyu, 52, was one of more than 300 teachers and students on board the Sewol ferry and was reported missing on Thursday night.

His body was found near the school gymnasium on Jindo island where many of the relatives and rescued people have been staying, according to Yonhap news agency.

One police official told AFP: "The precise cause of death is still under investigation."

The group from Danwon High School, in Ansan city south of Seoul, were going on an excursion to the resort island of Jeju.

Fourteen students and teachers from the school have been found dead and 247 are still missing in what could be South Korea's worst maritime accident in 21 years.

Friends and family have been staying at the school awaiting news as they watch live coverage of the accident on a projector. The school itself is closed until April 23.

Fellow students have left messages for classmates on desks, blackboards and windows.

Major TV stations in South Korea have stopped showing prime-time soap operas and popular entertainment shows as the country reacts to the disaster.

The country's two main parties have imposed a temporary ban on political campaigning ahead of local elections in June.

Provincial governments have suspended festivals, concerts and firework shows and dozens of K-pop stars have postponed the scheduled release of new albums as people mourn.

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Oscar Pistorius Trial: Judge Warns About Booing

Oscar Pistorius was "wrong" in his version of events about what happened on the night he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the prosecution has claimed.

During cross-examination by lawyer Gerrie Nel, forensic expert Roger Dixon appeared to contradict what the athlete told the court about the position of a magazine rack in the bathroom.

In a graphic photograph showing a pool of Ms Steenkamp's blood around the toilet bowl, the witness pointed out a rectangular-shaped mark.

He claimed this shows the magazine rack was in the position it appeared in in a police photograph, something Pistorius rejects.

Mr Nel, who grilled Pistorius for five days, is quizzing a forensic expert

The athlete's murder trial is now in its 25th day - the last before the start of a two-week Easter break.

The day's proceedings started with a stark warning from Judge Thokozile Masipa to people watching the case in an adjoining 'overspill' room, who she said climb over benches and "cheer, boo and do what they like".

"Something disturbing has come to my attention," she said.

The continued cross-examination of Mr Dixon comes after he was branded "irresponsible" by Mr Nel during a dramatic day of evidence on Wednesday.

The witness was accused of addressing the court without having properly read a post-mortem report about Ms Steenkamp's death.

Pistorius, 27, admits shooting his girlfriend but denies a charge of premeditated murder, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

Ms Steenkamp was shot dead at Pistorius' home on Valentine's Day last year

He lowered his head and clasped his hands around his ears as further details about Ms Steenkamp's injuries were read to the court.

Mr Dixon said the shock of the first bullet fired through the bathroom door may have caused her to twist and fall.

He told the court a further bullet hit Ms Steenkamp's head as she slumped to the floor, hitting her back on the magazine rack as she did so.

On Wednesday, Mr Dixon said a bullet that struck the model's arm caused such serious damage it was like "an instant amputation".

As well as premeditated murder, Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012, denies two further counts related to shooting a gun in public on separate occasions prior to the killing.

More follows...

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Tanks Doing Stunts Mask Fear In Ukraine

We arrived in Slavyansk to find an armoured personnel carrier (APC) performing stunts outside the mayor's office in the centre of town, to cheers and applause from the crowd.

The lead vehicle was flying a Russian flag, another: "Donbass self-defence."

At first they were greeted as heroes. 

A couple of hundred people gathered to watch, many bringing their children with them, posing for photos in front of tanks and APCs.

Some had brought flowers, which they laid on the vehicles, while others shook the men's hands and said "well done".

But not everyone here supports what is happening here. 

Several people approached us to make it clear that these men do not speak for all of the residents of Slavyansk.

One man told us he was sad to see the military hardware.

"Nobody wants this," he said.

Another woman, pushing a baby in a pram, said they were afraid to walk around with the children.

An armed personnel carrier in Slavyansk

"They say they are peaceful, but we can't see any peace here," she said.

One of the APCs is parked around 20 metres from a children's playground.

There are masked men, carrying loaded automatic weapons, within sight of the children's swings.

But families are still coming to the playground, and life seems to be going on as normal, all around.

You have to negotiate two checkpoints to get into the town.

But once you get into the centre, people are still going to work, going to the shops, taking their children to school.

It does not feel like a town under siege.

But the situation is precariously poised.

As we filmed, a report came through on the activists' radios of a sniper near the outskirts of town.

They piled onto one of the APCs and roared off towards it - hardly the behaviour of professional soldiers - and clearly enjoying the attention.

But the Ukrainian Army position is 25 miles outside the town and it would not take much here to spark a very dangerous confrontation.

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Ukraine Separatists Killed Ahead Of Talks

Three pro-Russian separatists have reportedly been shot dead at a Black Sea military base ahead of talks between Ukraine, Russia, the US and the European Union on the deepening crisis.

The circumstances of the shooting overnight, at a base of the Ukrainian National Guard in Mariupol, are not yet known.

In a post on Facebook, interior minister Arsen Avakov said: "According to preliminary data, three attackers were killed, 13 wounded and 63 detained."

He said the separatists had thrown Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices during the clashes.

Earlier, Barack Obama threatened Moscow with further sanctions if they continued to support the pro-Russia militia destabilising Ukraine.

The US President warned his counterpart: "Mr Putin's decisions are not just bad for Ukraine, over the long term they're going to be bad for Russia.

"What I have said consistently is that each time Russia takes these kinds of steps that are designed to destabilise Ukraine and violate their sovereignty, that there are going to be consequences."

US President Barack Obama has threatened Russia with further sanctions

Mr Obama added: "They are not interested in any kind of military confrontation with us, understanding that our conventional forces are significantly superior to the Russians."

His warning came ahead of the Geneva summit, where US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia and the EU foreign chief Catherine Ashton.

According to a senior US official, the diplomatic meeting in the Swiss city will mark Kiev's final attempt to engage with Russia before Moscow is hit with additional economic sanctions.

Armed men stand guard outside a building occupied by pro-Russia militia

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin's annual televised phone-in with the nation got under way during which he rejected the presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine as "nonsense", and welcomed the diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation "through dialogue, not force".

However, he admitted for the first time the presence of Russian forces in Crimea - before and during the referendum to join Russia.

He said: "Our goal was to ensure the conditons for a free vote ... behind the local defence forces were our soldiers. They acted correctly, but decisively and professionally. We had to protect people from possible use of weapons."

John Kerry meets with Catherine Ashton in Geneva

In recent days tensions have increased with pro-Russian separatists stepping up activities in the east of Ukraine.

The well-armed militias have seized armoured vehicles and weapons from Ukrainian forces and occupied a number of government buildings in towns and cities.

Nato has said it is taking immediate steps to boost its military presence in eastern Europe in response to what it calls Russian "aggression" in Ukraine.

With tens of thousands of Russian troops deployed along the border with Ukraine, Nato has also agreed to deploy more air and sea forces, as well as increase the readiness of land forces, in the Baltic and eastern Mediterranean.

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Ukraine: Russia Risks 'Serious Consequences'

Ukraine Pro-Russia Protesters Want Self-Rule

Updated: 5:08pm UK, Tuesday 15 April 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor in Makiivka

Brimming with self-importance and decked out in skateboard armour they bustled up glaring through the gaps in their balaclava hats.

"You need security," they snapped.

It was difficult to guess whether this was an instruction or an offer.

But the pro-Russian militants of Makiivka, an industrial city in the centre of the eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk, were on a charm offensive.

Politely and with puffed up chests they hastened us past ordinary civilians trying to get through the ordinary bureaucracy of the city hall, into the presence of Sergei Novakovski.

He didn't wear a mask but wore a splendid moustache instead.

"You can't film here. Not here," he commanded as we blundered into what appeared to be a semi-military operations room, crowded with thickset men in black and wrapped in cigarette smoke.

He pointed to a smaller chamber: "This is our medical clinic.

"People are going about their everyday business, we are just providing security against the gangsters in Kiev - they are Nazis, racists," he insisted.

Elsewhere in Ukraine's east, his comrades, who have taken over at least a dozen police and other government buildings in towns and cities across this industrial heartland, were reported to be digging in and building barricades.

They were reacting to the Kiev government warning that it had launched a "counter-terrorism" operation to chuck them out.

But here there were just a few tyres and wooden pallets tossed to each side of the building.

Curious onlookers came to watch the teenagers in masks and their older leadership, who had adopted a more conciliatory message than the hard line Russian separatists who provided much of the energy on the street, which led to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"We are not separatists. We are Ukrainian. We want regional autonomy within the state of Ukraine," Mr Novakovski insisted.

"We don't want anything to do with the government in Kiev. They came to power illegally and are just being paid by the Europeans. We have nothing in common with them."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned he reserves the "right" to send troops into Ukraine if the Russian speaking population is threatened.

He has been accused by the US, UK and UN, of deliberately destabilising the region as a prelude to invasion or to foment greater pro-Russian federalism.

The eastern oblasts (provinces) have become fractious.

A sudden bout of blood-letting during an attempt to clear government buildings of pro-Russian militia, some of them heavily armed, could spark Russian intervention.

But Mr Novakovski and his followers in Makiivka know they must tread more carefully.

Donetsk maybe a hotbed of pro-Russian dissent.

It may have a population that is more than 50% Russian speaking - but less than 40% are ethnically actually Russian.

The Ukrainian has been replaced with the Russian colours above City Hall - but it flaps defiantly on many other buildings.

Any attempt to repeat a Crimean-style takeover operation would be met with resistance from a large minority or even a majority of local people.

Perhaps that's why Mr Novakovski shrugged.

"What's a flag anyway," he said.

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South Korea: 295 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 - a male student and a female crew member.

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 6,825-ton ship left Incheon port, west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Administration.

The ship, Sewol

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

A total of 18 helicopters, 34 rescue boats and a team of elite navy divers have been sent to the area.

The US Navy has dispatched its amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard to aid the operation.

459 people were on the ship when it started to sink

Fishing and other commercial vessels appeared to rescue many passengers before emergency teams arrived at the scene.

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.

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

Rescued passengers are wrapped in blankets

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

The rescue operation is being carried out in difficult conditions.

"There is so much mud in the sea water and the visibility is very low," Lee Gyeong-Og, the vice minister of security and public administration, told a press briefing in Seoul.

34 rescue boats are at the scene

Parents of the children on board have gathered at their high school in Ansan.

"I talked to my daughter," one mother told YTN. "She said she had been rescued along with 10 other students.

"They said they had jumped into the water before getting rescued."

A mother reacts to seeing her son on the list of those rescued

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 Trial: Reeva Bullet Wound Evidence

Pistorius' Team To Highlight Police 'Errors'

Updated: 2:42am UK, Wednesday 16 April 2014

By Emma Hurd, Sky News Correspondent, in Pretoria

It felt like a dramatic climax to the murder trial, but Oscar Pistorius' testimony and cross examination in the witness box was just the start of the defence's case.

The athlete's lawyers still have about a dozen witnesses to call as they try to challenge the prosecution's charge that the runner shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, deliberately.

Already, we have seen one expert witness, Roger Dixon, who has suggested the neighbours who gave evidence for the prosecution were mistaken in what they heard. 

A recording of a cricket bat hitting a door was played in the courtroom, the bangs ringing out like bullets as Pistorius covered his ears.

The defence wants to show that the neighbours who said they heard a woman screaming as shots were fired must have heard the athlete screaming as he broke down the toilet door to reach Ms Steenkamp after shooting her by mistake.

The defence is expected to call other neighbours - who lived closer to Pistorius - to show they heard noises consistent with the runner's account of the shooting.

We can also expect an array of experts in the field of crimescene investigation to argue the police misinterpreted and contaminated evidence. 

The "unreliability" of the state's forensic evidence is a key part of Oscar Pistorius' defence.

Unlike the prosecution, the defence does not have to provide a full list of potential witnesses, so we do not yet know if the athlete's friends or relatives will be called to testify about his character or his relationship with Ms Steenkamp. 

Both issues were stressed repeatedly by the defence during his time in the witness box. 

Defence advocate Barry Roux has been keen to portray Pistorius as a man with an overwhelming fear of crime whose disability added to his sense of vulnerability. 

This is important as the athlete has used his "fear" as his explanation for the shooting - saying he was convinced an intruder or intruders had broken into his house. 

The state of his relationship is also a crucial element in the defence's case, particularly after the prosecution claimed Ms Steenkamp was scared of Pistorius and he shot her deliberately after an argument.

The state prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, whose fierce cross examination of Pistorius caused the athlete to contradict and confuse his account of the shooting, will have the opportunity to interrogate all of the defence witnesses.

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Interrogation Pokes Holes In Pistorius Defence

By Emma Hurd, Sky Correspondent, in Pretoria

After a weekend of respite, Oscar Pistorius will return to the witness box on Monday to face more questions under cross-examination in his murder trial.

His account of the shooting that left his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead has already been challenged in three days of tough interrogation.

This has exposed some of the weaknesses in his defence and posed questions that could prove crucial to judge Thokozile Masipa's eventual verdict.

:: Where was Reeva?

The crucial issue of why the athlete failed to realise his girlfriend was not in the bed when he went with his gun to investigate a noise coming from the bathroom was the focus of many of prosecutor Gerrie Nel's questions.

Oscar Pistorius said he had spoken to Reeva Steenkamp in the bedroom and asked her to call the police when he heard what he thought was an intruder.

Gerrie Nel has appeared incredulous at some of Pistorius' evidence

He said he was "fixated on the noise" and did not think it was strange that she had not replied.

Mr Nel insisted that it was "unreasonable" to believe that, given that Ms Steenkamp was in the toilet, she would not have shouted out to the runner who had been screaming "at intruders" just metres away.

The prosecution also pressed the athlete on whether he had heard Ms Steenkamp screaming when he fired shots into the toilet door.

The runner said he was sure she had not screamed but was forced to admit that he might not have heard her because of the sound of the shots.

:: Did he intend to shoot?

The issue of intent is vital in a murder trial and the prosecution has attempted to show Oscar Pistorius shot to kill that night - whoever he thought he was firing at.

The athlete insisted he "fired out of fear" after hearing a noise from the toilet. His said he did not have time to think and that it was "a mistake".

The prosecution repeatedly stressed that Pistorius approached the toilet with his gun held out and the safety catch off ready to shoot, even "wanting to shoot".

He knew someone might be in the small, enclosed space of the toilet, Mr Nel claimed, and the shooting was a deliberate act.

:: Why did he go towards the threat?

Another difficult moment for Oscar Pistorius came when Gerrie Nel asked him why he went towards the danger of the noise in the bathroom.

The athlete could not explain why - if he thought there was an intruder - he had not taken Reeva Steenkamp and escaped out into the safety of the rest of the house through the bedroom door.

Pistorius admitted he had to walk right past the exit from the bedroom to get to the bathroom.

"It is my personality not to run away," he insisted, while re-iterating that he wanted to protect Ms Steenkamp.

The prosecution has declared his whole defence "a lie".

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Ukraine: 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' Under Way

Kiev Faces 'Difficult Decisions' Over Protests

Updated: 11:04pm UK, Thursday 10 April 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Donetsk

Support for the protests in Donetsk, Ukraine, depends largely on the question you ask.

This may seem like a blindingly obvious point, but the immediate demands are not quite what they seemed.

The self-appointed People's Council of Deputies, in session inside the occupied administration building, told Sky News they want a referendum on the region's sovereignty, not on joining Russia.

The council's leader insisted they have had no official contact with the Russian government so far, although they have just voted unanimously to create a foreign affairs committee, to make exactly that possible.

And he did go on to say Russian peacekeeping troops could help to secure a referendum here.

Another deputy told us joining Russia would be "like coming home", but it would not be on the ballot paper.

Outside, we were surrounded by a crowd of people, demanding to know which channel we were working for (there are deep suspicions here about Western media, and even more so Ukrainian TV).

Satisfied that we were from the Moscow bureau, and that our producer and cameraman are Russian and therefore apparently not susceptible to 'Western lies', they started showing us their passports - to prove that they are Ukrainian, not hired Russian stooges as has been claimed.

Many feel passionately about what is happening here, but by no means all dream of joining Russia.

Over and over they told us they want sovereignty and federalisation - they see Russia as potential guarantors, and protection from the fascists and extremists they believe control the government in Kiev.

Forced to choose, one woman told us, between Russia and the EU, she would of course vote for Russia, but she would prefer an autonomous region in Eastern Ukraine.

In the city centre, away from the protests around the administration building and the watchful eyes of the "self-defence" volunteers patrolling outside, we spoke to a variety of people to try to gauge opinion.

Of 20 people asked, all but one supported federalisation. Support for joining Russia is less emphatic, but still preferable to the majority over the new government in Kiev.

The Kremlin strategists seem to have assessed the mood astutely - protesters shown on state-controlled TV channels in Russia are being described as "supporters of federalism" now, not separatists or pro-Russian.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has talked several times about the appetite for federalism in Ukraine.

Of course, an autonomous, sovereign eastern Ukraine, would also be open to overtures from Moscow, and likely easily persuaded to remain within its sphere of influence.

If that region went on to join the Russian Federation in time, so be it, but if at least then would not move towards the EU, that would still be a form of victory for the Kremlin.

It's a precarious situation for the government in Kiev and there are difficult decisions ahead.

Crack down on the protests in the east and risk galvanising a broader uprising against an administration many already associate with extremists and fascists, and give Russia the pretext it needs to show Russian lives are in danger and it must act to protect them.

Accede to demands for a referendum and risk losing the east, and the country's economic backbone, to Russia's influence, and perhaps ultimately to Russia itself.

Refuse to recognise any referendum that does take place (not a successful tactic in Crimea) or hope that turnout is too low to validate it, or the self-appointed people's councils are unable to organise it - none of which are really much of a plan.

Meanwhile Russia's military continues to mass on the border - nothing for the US or Ukraine to worry about, they insisted earlier this week, which will have reassured no-one.

The protests here are not huge, but the emotions that sparked them run deep, and it is difficult to see an easy way out.

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Mini-Sub To Be Used As Plane Search Narrows

The commander of the Royal Navy ship searching for flight MH370 has told Sky News they are getting close to sending down a mini-submarine to hunt for wreckage.

HMS Echo is working with Australian vessel Ocean Shield to locate the Boeing 777-200's black box before it runs out of power.

The plane carrying 239 people vanished from radar on March 8 and is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, around 1,500 miles off Australia's west coast.

Ocean Shield, towing a US Navy device to detect signals from the plane's fading beacons, first picked up two underwater "pings" consistent with those from a black box on April 5.

This was followed by two more in the same area three days later.

HMS Echo is searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing jet

The crew of HMS Echo are analysing the signals by looking at the currents and ocean depth of around 2.8 miles (4.5km) to try to pin-point the plane's wreckage.

The underwater search zone has been narrowed to around 500 square miles (1,300 square km) - roughly the size of Los Angeles.

Phillip Newell, commanding officer of HMS Echo, told Sky News: "We believe we have come close to that point now where we can move to the next stage and deploy a remote vehicle which can go down to the correct depth and search the sea bed."

The Bluefin-21 can search between 20 and 40 square miles a day

The crew will use Bluefin-21, a mini-submarine used to find the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, to search the sea bed for debris.

But major hindrances still remain, and it could be years before the Malaysia Airlines jet is found, radar expert Professor David Stupples told Sky News.

The search is also set to be hampered by bad weather this week.

Sunday's planned search area

Eleven military aircraft, one civil aircraft and 14 ships are taking part in today's search, said the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, the international body leading the hunt.

It said there have been no confirmed acoustic detections over the past 24 hours.

The batteries that power signals from the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders last only about a month and it has been more than five weeks since the plane disappeared.

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