Facebook launches mobile ads Audience Network

Facebook is to start serving ads to third-party mobile apps via a new advertising network.

It announced the move at the start of its F8 developers conference, which is being held in San Francisco.

The decision to launch the Audience Network has the potential to disrupt the ad sector thanks to the depth of knowledge the firm has about its users.

But one company watcher said the social network would need to be wary of privacy concerns.

"Facebook will have to make sure from the outset that it sets some stringent guidelines as to exactly the type of data that it shares with advertisers," Lara O'Reilly, senior reporter at MarketingWeek magazine, told the BBC.

"This is moving away from the Facebook platform, where people feel a little bit more comfortable with targeted advertising, onto mobile app screens, which people can feel are very personal."

The platform could become a huge money spinner. An industry study suggested more than £1bn was spent on mobile ads in the UK alone in 2013, a rise of 93% on the previous year.

Facebook suggested it would deliver better click-through rates than its rivals because it had a better chance of delivering "relevant and interesting" material to the public.

"The mobile ecosystem needs a way to deliver these kind of native, personalised ads to people, and I'm glad that we can deliver more than one million active advertisers to your apps," said Facebook's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg at the conference.
Facebook v Twitter

The social network is entering a competitive space. In addition to Google's AdMob and Apple's iAds platforms, several smaller firms are also competing to provide the adverts shown on mobile phones and tablets.

 

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Indian media: Crucial voting phase

Media feel the seventh phase of India's general election is "a make or break day" for many prominent politicians.

Voting is in progress on Wednesday in 89 constituencies spread across seven states and two union territories.

"The seventh phase is crucial for both the ruling Congress and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the two parties won 35 and 23 seats respectively from this lot in the last general elections," says The Deccan Chronicle.

"It is a make or break day for many political big guns... Round seven of the nine-phase polls has Congress president Sonia Gandhi and a number of BJP bigwigs, including prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, party patriarch LK Advani, chief Rajnath Singh, facing the voter test," the Hindustan Times reports.

Wednesday's voting will also decide the fate of regional leaders like Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir and Rashtriya Janata Dal's Sharad Yadav from Madhepura in the eastern state of Bihar.

Papers say the seventh phase will decide the role of these politicians in the formation of the next government.
War hero

Meanwhile, newspapers are highlighting a political controversy over the legacy of Indian war hero, Captain Vikram Batra.

Captain Batra died in the 1999 Kargil military conflict with Pakistan-backed forces which had infiltrated into the Kargil mountains in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Mr Modi on Tuesday used Captain Batra's name while appealing to the voters in the soldier's hometown of Palampur in the northern Himachal Pradesh state.

But Captain Batra's mother, Kamal Kanta, has criticised Mr Modi for using her son's name for political gains.

Mrs Batra is contesting from the state's Hamirpur constituency as a candidate of the the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party, The Times of India reports.

"We have never used Vikram's name or slogan in the election campaign as he belongs to the entire nation and wonder how Narendra Modi has used his name," the paper quotes Mrs Batra as saying.

Mr Modi denies using the martyr's name for political gains, reports say.

Elsewhere, The Times of India reports that about 17% of the nearly 1,300 candidates in the seventh-phase of voting have criminal charges pending against them.

"According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 222 candidates have criminal cases while 139 or 11% of these have serious criminal cases including murder and kidnapping against them," the paper says.

ADR is a Delhi-based civil society group that focuses on transparency in politics.

And finally, summer seems to have arrived in Delhi with temperature crossing the 40-degree Celsius mark on Tuesday, The Times of India reports.

The paper says that after "thundershowers that kept the city cool for most of April, the maximum temperature has finally started heading north"

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Vietnam border shoot-out raises Uighur questions

Last weekend Thai authorities said they had arrested a group of 16 suspected illegal migrants thought to be Uighurs from Xinjiang, China.

The arrests came days after a violent incident on the border between Vietnam and China in which seven people died. The 16 Chinese nationals involved in this clash were also believed to be Uighurs.

These events show South East Asia may have become a transit hub for Uighurs leaving China.

Bac Phong Sinh is a remote border crossing nestled in the hills between Vietnam's Quang Ninh province and China's Guangxi.

It awakes for only a few hours a day when Vietnamese and Chinese traders pull through their carts, loaded with fruits, vegetables, garments and other consumer goods.

What happened in the afternoon on 18 April was unexpected. A group of 16 Chinese nationals - 10 men, four women and two small children - had been brought to Bac Phong Sinh that morning after being detained for "illegally entering" Vietnam.

The Quang Ninh border guard said that while waiting to be transferred back to China, some of the men began attacking the guards, armed with wooden bars that they had broken off the furniture inside the interview room.

They also seized an AK-47 automatic rifle from one of the guards and opened fire, Colonel Le Tien Thanh told reporters.

Vietnamese soldiers from nearby border posts and policemen were sent in to deal with the incident. In a fight that lasted more than three hours, two Vietnamese border guards were killed. Five Chinese nationals also died - some shot dead and others killing themselves by jumping from the tall building, according to local media.

Newspapers reported that the Vietnamese quickly transferred the bodies, together with the remaining migrants, some injured, to the waiting Chinese special forces.

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Staff sacking and suspensions over poor elderly care

One staff member has been sacked and seven suspended from one of England's largest care homes after an undercover probe by BBC Panorama found poor care.

The filming at the Old Deanery in Essex showed some residents being taunted, roughly handled and one was slapped.

The home said it was "shocked and saddened by the allegations".

Exclusive Care Quality Commission (CQC) figures show over a third of homes that received warning notices in 2011 still do not meet basic standards.

Allegations of poor care and mistreatment at the 93-bed home in Braintree, where residents pay roughly £700 per week, were first raised by 11 whistleblowers in August 2012.

Essex County Council put it on special measures for three months until concerns were addressed.

But secret filming by Panorama's undercover reporter over 36 shifts found many of the same sorts of issues reported a year earlier, including:
 

A woman slapped by a care worker who had previously been complained about for her poor attitude towards residents
 

The same woman, who has dementia and is partially paralysed after a stroke, was also repeatedly mocked and taunted by other care workers

Cries for assistance from a resident suffering a terminal illness ignored as she sought help for the toilet, and her call bell for assistance left unplugged on one occasion
 

A resident bed-ridden with a chronic illness left lying in his own excrement after two care workers turned off his call bell without assisting him

Last November, while Panorama was undercover, the home was inspected by the regulator and passed for the first time in 18 months.

When the CQC revisited this February after being told about Panorama's findings, they found too few staff and some residents waiting an "unacceptably long time" for call bells to be answered.

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eBay to repatriate $9bn in cash to US

E-commerce giant eBay has said it is repatriating almost $9bn (£5.3bn) of its cash held overseas back to the US.

The firm said the move, which will see it paying taxes of $3bn on the cash, would help it access funds for any potential acquisitions in the country.

Many US firms have kept some of their cash overseas, a move widely seen as a way to avoid high US tax rates.

On Tuesday, Apple raised $12bn via a bond sale, rather than bring back some of the $159bn it holds offshore.

However, the chief executive of eBay said the company could utilise its cash in the US as it looks to expand its business.

"If you look at our last 15 acquisitions, my guess is ten have been inside the US, maybe 11," John Donahoe said.

"Just looking at that versus where our cash is located, you just say, alright it would make more sense to have more cash in the US for mergers and acquisitions."

The firm disclosed the move as it reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2014. Its revenues rose 14% compared with same period last year, to $4.3bn.

However, the tax charge over the repatriation of its overseas cash drove the firm into a net loss of $2.3bn.

eBay also issued a weaker-than-expected forecast for the current quarter.

It forecast a profit of between 67 cents and 69 cents per share in the second quarter. Many analysts were expecting a figure of 70 cents.

The weak outlook saw the firm's share fall nearly 4.5% in after-hours trading.

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Half of cancer sufferers 'live a decade or more'

Half of people in England and Wales now being diagnosed with cancer will survive at least a decade - double the rate in the early 1970s, figures show.

But Cancer Research UK, which carried out the research, said the progress showed there needed to be new, more ambitious aims.

It said it wanted to see 10-year survival hit 75% in the next 20 years.

And it promised to increase investment in research by half within the next decade to help achieve that.

Researchers said cancer need no longer be viewed as the "death sentence" it once was with the new figures suggesting a "tipping point" had been reached.
'Significant progress'

The analysis showed that in 1971-2, 50% of people diagnosed with cancer died within a year. Now 50% survive for at least a decade - up from 24% in 1971-2.

But the findings, based on the outcomes for more than 7 million patients, also showed that for some cancers, survival rates were still very low.

For example, just 1% of pancreatic cancer patients and 5% of lung cancer patients can expect to survive for 10 years.

Nonetheless, the overall figures showed there had been significant progress in the way cancer was treated.

The findings have been adjusted to take into account the changing profile of new cancer being diagnosed - there has been a shift away from the more deadly disease such as lung cancer to ones where survival rates tend to be better - so provide a measure of how the care of cancer patients has improved.

Cancer Research UK chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said: "I don't think we would ever have expected to achieve what we have. We're gradually reversing the tide on this devastating disease.

"But many people still do not survive - we must tackle that."

Researchers said there were a number of reasons for the success.

New treatments had played a role as well as earlier diagnosis and screening.

But if progress is going to continue - and the 75% target achieved - Cancer Research UK identified key areas to focus on. These included investment in personalised cancer treatment, reducing smoking rates and paying particular attention to the cancers with the lowest survival rates.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health, which has itself set targets to improve cancer survival rates in the coming years, said: "We share Cancer Research UK's aspirations for the UK to be the best place in the world to survive cancer.

"We have seen significant improvements in some cancer survival rates, with new and innovative research and earlier diagnosis at the heart of this upward trend."

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George Clooney is engaged his fiancee's firm confirms

Reports that George Clooney is to wed his girlfriend, lawyer Amal Alamuddin, have been confirmed by her law firm.

"The barristers and staff of Doughty Street Chambers offer their best wishes and congratulations... on their engagement to be married," the London firm said in a statement.

The 52-year-old actor and his 36-year-old fiancee have been dating since last October, according to reports.

Clooney was previously married to Talia Balsam, whom he divorced in 1993.

Since then, the Oscar-winning star has been seen as one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors.

Alamuddin was educated at Oxford and New York University and was recruited by her current firm in 2010.

The British human rights lawyer has represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in extradition proceedings and advised United Nations former secretary-general Kofi Annan on the Syrian crisis.

Doughty Street chief executive Robin Jackson said Alamuddin had been "utterly wonderful" since she joined the firm in 2010,

"She brings a bright light to everything she is involved in and I am so delighted at her happy news," he said.

A fluent French and Arabic speaker, Alamuddin is said to have spent time with the Ocean's Eleven star in New York, Tanzania and the Seychelles.

Speculation that Clooney was planning to remarry escalated over the weekend after his girlfriend was seen wearing a ring on her wedding finger at a Los Angeles restaurant.

The actor has been linked to a number of women in recent years, among them model and DJ Lisa Snowdon, Italian model Elisabetta Canalis and former professional wrestler Stacy Keibler.

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North Korea holds live-fire drill near disputed border

North Korea has begun a live-fire drill near the disputed inter-Korean western maritime border, South Korean officials say.

It is the second time in a month that Pyongyang has carried out such exercises.

South Korea's defence ministry said it was notified early on Tuesday that drills would take place near two islands west of the Korean peninsula.

A South Korean spokesman said its military was "fully prepared".

Firing began around 14:00 (05:00GMT), Reuters news agency quoted a military official as saying, and so far, no rounds had fallen south of the border.

That was the trigger last month for the South Koreans to return fire.
Warship sunk

The area has long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas. The UN drew the western border after the Korean War, but North Korea has never recognised it.

A similar North Korean exercise at the end of March resulted in the two sides exchanging hundreds of rounds of artillery fire.

"The North notified us there would be live-fire drills today north of the [border] near Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands," a defence ministry spokesman told AFP news agency.

Both islands are hotspots. In November 2010, North Korea fired shells at Yeonpyeong, killing two marines and two civilians, in what it said was a response to South Korean military exercises.

Earlier that year, a South Korean warship sank near Baengnyeong island with the loss of 46 lives.

Seoul says Pyongyang torpedoed the vessel but North Korea denies any role in the incident.
Test fears

This latest move from North Korea comes as satellite images suggest Pyongyang could be preparing to carry out a nuclear test.

South Korea's military said it had recently detected "a lot of activity" at the North's Punggye-ri test site.

The test, if it went ahead, would be Pyongyang's fourth, after tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

UN Security Council resolution 1718, passed in October 2006 after the first nuclear test, bans North Korea from nuclear and missile tests.

The latest live-fire drill also follows President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea last week, which was strongly opposed by North Korea.

Washington has led calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

In a statement on Monday, North Korea launched one of its strongest attacks on the South Korean leader, President Park Geun-hye, calling her a "despicable prostitute" who pandered to her "pimp", Mr Obama.

South Korea described the comments as "foul words".

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Russia complains of large Ukrainian troop buildup in east.

Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- A perilous face-off intensified Saturday when Russia state news complained that Ukraine had mobilized 15,000 troops in the suburbs of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine "in order to wipe out the city and its residents."

Quoting a Russian Defense Ministry source, RIA Novosti said satellite photos showed the force forming around the city that has become a friction point between the Ukraine military and pro-Russian militants.

The Defense Ministry source said the number of Ukraine troops put the pro-Russian militants at a disadvantage because the latter are "armed only with small amount of pistols and shotguns." Many eastern Ukraine residents have Russian roots and sympathize with Moscow.

The source said the photos showed about 160 tanks, 230 infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers, mine throwers and multiple-launch rocket systems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly criticized Kiev's use of force against Ukrainian civilians.

Developments in Ukraine have come at a rapid pace in recent days:

-- Russia, which already had 40,000 troops on its side of the border, started new military drills a few days ago after Ukrainian forces said they killed five pro-Russian militants. Ukraine launched the second stage of an "anti-terrorist operation" against militants in Slavyansk.

-- On Friday, a team of European and Ukrainian military observers were seized Friday by pro-Russian separatists in Slavyansk.

-- Russian military aircraft "crossed and violated" Ukrainian airspace seven times overnight, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters in Rome on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the accusation, according to the state news agency Itar-Tass.

-- Yatsenyuk met with Pope Francis while in Rome on Saturday. The meeting has been seen as a sigh of support from the Vatican for his government.

-- G7 leaders said they would impose new sanctions on Russia over its role in the crisis.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister urged Russia to pull back its security forces and not to support pro-Russian militants in eastern and southern Ukraine. "We urge Russia to leave us alone," he said in televised remarks.

Ukraine's government has promised constitutional reforms and protections for Russian speakers in a bid to ease the tensions in its eastern regions.

Inspectors seized in Slavyansk

On Saturday, the fate of the military inspectors preoccupied world leaders.

The inspectors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe were detained Friday as they entered Slavyansk, along with five Ukrainian military representatives and the driver of their bus, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said.

Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, said the group is being kept under "inhumane conditions" in the basement of a building held by the militants.

 

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Living in: The world’s top coffee cities.

In many of the world’s top coffee cities, the cafe is more than just a place to get a warm drink – it is also a hub of culture and conversation for locals and visitors alike. And while each city defines its coffee culture in a different way – whether it be by their classic drink style or by the sheer concentration of independently owned coffee houses – these six cities, taken from “best of” lists in publications including Travel and Leisure and the USA Today, have one thing in common: the cities are filled with people who live for the craft of coffee.

Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei residents are known for being extraordinarily friendly and extremely polite. Since the island was once a Japanese colony, it is not uncommon for shop employees to smile and bow in unison when someone walks through the doors. And nowhere is this friendliness more apparent than in the city’s surprisingly unique cafes. Topo Cafe, in northern Taipei’s Western-style Tianmu neighbourhood, is so offbeat it has a miniature, gold-fish filled river  running through the middle of it.

Alistair Chang, an American from the Washington DC area, lived in Taipei for a year, documenting his favourite coffee spots on his blog, Taipei Cafes. He said he especially loves the establishments near the Zhongxiao Dunhua transit station in southern Taipei’s Da’an district. “These cafes are a little bolder,” he explained in an e-mail. “Homey’s Cafe, for example, requires you to walk up two unmarked, sketchy cement stairs to find, while the Barbie Cafe is exactly what the title suggests: completely pink.”

Apartments near the station range from studios to three-bedrooms, and are modern with no extra frills, though they can still be on the expensive side. With no shortage of entertainment options, the Da’an district has lots of shopping, restaurants and is famous for the Tonghua and Shida night markets, where street vendors serve up budget-friendly snacks and gadgets.

There’s a particularly strong cafe culture near the National Taiwan University in Da’an. “This movement to create independent cafes in Taipei has really been driven by the younger generation,” Chang said. One of the district’s more popular spots is The Puzzle Cafe (022-362-0859; number 28, Lane 44, Tàishùn St), where friends can catch up over cappuccino and a 500-piece puzzle. Housing here caters to mostly students, so apartments tend to be on the smaller, simpler and more affordable side.

Melbourne, Australia
Australia’s second largest city has the reputation for being friendlier than Sydney or Perth, and offers plenty of activities without having the frenetic energy of many other big cities. “We don't chortle 'good morning' at each other, but we're not afraid to make eye contact either,” explained Lou Pardi, a writer for the Melbourne Review newspaper.

The city is broken up into areas called “villages”, each of which has its own vibe. “Fitzroy is traditionally edgy and grungy, Richmond has a Vietnamese and Greek influence, Coburg is Lebanese and Turkish and Brunswick is the hipster capital,” said Mike Dundon, owner of Seven Seeds Coffee in the village of Carlton.

No matter where you live, though, it is easy to find great coffee. Pardi recommended stopping by Sonido, a South American-themed cafe in Fitzroy, a village known for having cafes with highly skilled baristas. Housing in Fitzroy is as quirky as the district itself, and includes everything from traditional Victorian-style cottages to modern converted warehouse lofts.

Also filled with creative types, Collingwood is one of Melbourne’s oldest neighbourhoods, with many 19th-century buildings still in use as retail and apartment buildings. The village often puts an artistic spin on space, including the Collingwood Underground Theatre, which is housed in an abandoned car park underground.

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US storm triggers deadly tornadoes.

At least nine people have been killed by tornadoes as a huge storm system swept across the central and southern United States.

Eight of the victims were in the northern suburbs of Little Rock in Arkansas, a state official said.

One other person was killed in the town of Quapaw in the north-east of Oklahoma where officials said many buildings were badly damaged.

Tornadoes also struck in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.

Ottawa County Emergency Management director Joe Dan Morgan said Quapaw, which has a population of about 900, was badly damaged by the tornado.

"Looks like about half of town got extensive damage as well as the fire department," he said.

About six people in Quapaw were injured. First reports said two people had died there but officials later revised the figure.

The tornado then headed northwards into the state of Kansas where it struck Baxter Springs, injuring several people and causing extensive damage.

The Arkansas tornado touched down about 10 miles (16km) west of the city of Little Rock and left a 40 mile (65km) path of destruction.

It is said to have passed through several northern suburbs - including the town of Mayflower where it destroyed several buildings.

Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, said eight people had been killed north of Little Rock - four in Faulkner County, three in Pulaski County and one in White County.

A witness in Mayflower reported a tornado half a mile wide crossing Interstate 40 on Sunday evening, the National Weather Service said.

Over the weekend, storms struck the eastern part of the US, killing a child in North Carolina.

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Stephanie McMahon Vs Daniel Bryan – WWE’s ‘Feud of The Year’

Mr. McMahon is one of the most iconic heels in the WWE. Vince McMahon played being an abusive, dictatorial boss to perfection. Nobody really sympathizes for a billionaire. And every great villain needs a great hero. Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn’t your typical ethical virtuous hero. He had an attitude and a reputation for a being tough guy. He was a bald headed, bear drinking rebellious redneck. He went around saying, “Don’t Trust Anybody.” What made this feud special was the fact that these two characters represented two polar opposite positions in the existing social order.

For the audience, Austin represented a position of employees exploited and abused by their wealthy bosses.  Their rivalry remains one of the most defining ones in the WWE and it has kind of been recycled into the PG Era. For in the PG Era, Mr. McMahon’s role has been embodied more by Stephanie McMahon that Triple H and Daniel Bryan is their victim. Daniel Bryan is not Stone Cold Steve Austin or vice versa and that’s good. Apart from being an employee, he is also an underdog- something that Stone Cold Steve Austin was not because he was just badass.

 

 

The match at Extreme Rules may have been set as Kane Vs Daniel Bryan but in retrospect, it is not a feud between the former Anger management partners but a feud between the Billion Dollar Princess and Daniel Bryan. The stark similarity between the Mr. McMahon character and Stephanie McMahon’s character is that both of them are wealthy, abusive, dictatorial bosses and both of them are untrained wrestlers.

McMahon got the hell beaten out by Austin but Stephanie will never face that from Bryan and she shouldn’t either. That’ll be really distasteful. But Stephanie still gets away with slapping Bryan and that’s distasteful too and a heel is supposed to be disgusting. So here it is, while Vince McMahon had Stone Cold, Stephanie has Bryan. And if Kane loses, which he most probably will, she’ll find someone else to torment Bryan.

While Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were portrayed as equal haters of Daniel Bryan, Stephanie always came out looking like a better heel. As far as consistency goes The Shield, Wyatt Family, Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon are the ones to count on. Ever since she called Bryan a B+ player, the feud was set. A case has been made in the past of Brie Bella being the adversary for Stephanie as Triple H was set to take on Bryan. But thinking about it now seems like that would have been a bit..

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Ukraine crisis: Pentagon says Russian jets violated airspace

The US says Russian military aircraft have entered Ukrainian airspace on several occasions, amid rising tension in the east of the country.

A Pentagon spokesman called on Russia to "de-escalate the situation".

The statement came as the G7 group of industrialised countries agreed on Saturday to "swiftly" impose fresh sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.

Meanwhile, talks are under way to secure the release of international observers seized by separatists.

Russia has tens of thousands of troops deployed along its side of the border with Ukraine as pro-Moscow separatists continue to occupy official buildings in a dozen eastern towns, defying the government in Kiev.
'Dangerously destabilising'

Russia has accused the West of wanting to "seize" Ukraine.

In a statement on Friday, Pentagon spokesman Col Steven Warren said Russian aircraft had entered Ukrainian airspace several times in the past 24 hours.

He gave no further details, but called on Moscow to take "immediate steps to de-escalate the situation".

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel earlier described Russian activity along the Ukrainian border as "dangerously destabilising" and "very provocative".

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All parties in Syria blocking aid, say Ban Ki-moon

The UN Secretary General has accused all parties in Syria's civil war of "flagrant violations" of international law over the delivery of aid.

Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to act to implement a resolution passed in February demanding greater access.

In his second report to the council on the resolution, Mr Ban said almost 3.5m civilians were being denied vital aid, including medicine and medical care.

Activists say about 150,000 people have died in Syria's three-year civil war.

Millions of people have fled their homes as fighting shows no sign of easing.
No deal in sight

In report described by the BBC's Nick Bryant at the UN as a strong rebuke, Mr Ban wrote: "The Security Council must take action to deal with these flagrant violations of the basic principles of international law."

The report did not specify what measures the council should take.The resolution approved in February called on all parties to allow aid to cross conflict lines and borders.

However Mr Ban told the council that Syria remained "an extremely challenging environment in which to work".

He added that the situation was getting worse.

"Thousands of people are not getting the medical care, including life-saving medicines, that they need," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told Reuters news agency that hopes for a political deal to end Syria's war were fading and it was getting harder every day to send aid to trapped and displaced civilians.

Our correspondent says Britain, America and France are considering a further resolution taking punitive measures against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, but it would almost certainly be blocked by Russia.

The uprising in Syria began in March 2011 after security forces opened fire on protesters.

The country has since descended into civil war as rebel brigades - including Islamists and jihadists linked to al-Qaeda - battle government forces for control of cities, towns and the countryside.

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Russia risks further US sanctions over Ukraine, says Kerry

he US Secretary of State has warned of further sanctions on Russia if it does not de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.

In a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, John Kerry expressed "deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps".

Russia blames Kiev's leaders for the collapse of last week's Geneva accord.

Ukraine's acting president earlier ordered the relaunch of military operations against pro-Russian militants in the east of the country.

It came as President Oleksandr Turchynov said two men - including local politician Vladimir Rybak - had been found dead after being "brutally tortured".

"The terrorists who effectively took the whole Donetsk region hostage have now gone too far," he said.

In his conversation with Mr Lavrov on Tuesday, Mr Kerry "urged Russia to tone down escalatory rhetoric, engage diplomatically in the east... and issue public statements calling for those occupying buildings to disarm," according to a senior State Department official.

"Secretary Kerry also reiterated that the absence of measurable progress on implementing the Geneva agreement will result in increased sanctions on Russia," the official said.

The warning came after US Vice-President Joe Biden met Ukraine's new leaders in Kiev, and called on..
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Ukraine crisis: Biden to meet Kiev leaders in show of support

US Vice-President Joe Biden is to meet Ukraine's new leaders in a show of support for the pro-Western government.

Mr Biden is due to discuss the forthcoming elections with the country's interim prime minister and president during his visit to Kiev.

A phone conversation between the US secretary of state and Russia's foreign minister earlier led to both sides blaming the other over the crisis.

Meanwhile, funerals are due to take place for three men shot on Sunday.

The men were killed during a raid on a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near the town of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine.

The circumstances remain unclear. The local separatists said the attack was carried out by ultra-nationalist Right Sector militants. Kiev called it a "provocation" staged by Russian special forces.
'Hotheads'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Kiev authorities on Monday of breaking last week's Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis.

He said the Kiev government - not recognised by Moscow - had not moved to disarm illegal groups, especially the Right Sector.

The authorities in Kiev say they were surprised by Mr Lavrov's remarks and blame Russia for the instability.

In a phone call, Mr Lavrov urged US Secretary of State John Kerry "to influence Kiev, to prevent hotheads there from provoking a bloody conflict," according to the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, the US state department said Mr Kerry "urged Russia to take concrete steps to help implement the Geneva agreement, including publicly calling on separatists to vacate illegal buildings and checkpoints".

Judging by the contrasting accounts of its contents, the conversation simply led to both sides blaming the other for the fact that very little has changed in Ukraine since agreement was reached last Thursday, says the BBC's David Willis in Washington.

The US has drawn up plans for further economic sanctions should Russia fail to make good on its Geneva commitments, our correspondent adds.

Appeals for unity

The 17 April Geneva accord was agreed at talks between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and US. It demanded an immediate end to violence in eastern Ukraine and called on illegal armed groups to surrender their weapons and leave official buildings

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Vince Cable plans public register of company owners

The business secretary said the list, which could be used by tax authorities, would tackle the "darker side of capitalism".

The plans follow concerns that opaque UK corporate structures can be used to channel or hide illicit funds.

Campaigners called it an "historic step" in the fight against corruption.

'Smoke and mirrors' "For consumers, investors and the wider public to really trust a company they need to know who is really in charge," said Mr Cable.

"This is why I'm making sure we take tough action tackling the darker side of capitalism and the smoke and mirrors which have existed for too long.

Vince Cable MP: "We're not going to tolerate dodgy directors abusing the trust of investors and consumers"

"No longer will UK companies be able to use complex structures and trails of paperwork to hide information and keep the public in the dark."

The new rules, which need parliamentary approval, would force UK-registered firms to give details of anyone with an interest in more than 25% of its shares or voting rights.

These details, held by Companies House, would need to be updated every year.

'Historic step' There are also plans to abolish so-called 'bearer shares', which can be transferred untraceably, without the need to register ownership.

And the government also wants to limit the use of corporate directors - where companies, rather than people, are directors of other companies.

A public register of company owners was originally pledged by the chancellor last year, as part of Britain's chairmanship of the G8.

George Osborne said it would help unmask the owners of 'shell' companies, where firms keep money offshore to avoid tax.

"This is an historic step in the fight against corruption and tax evasion," said David McNair, of Save the Children, reacting to Mr Cable's announcement on Monday.

"For too long, shell companies have hidden vast profits behind bogus owners, while tax dodging has cheated the world's poorest countries out of billions of pounds every year."

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Liverpool opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after a hard-fought win at Norwich.

Sterling scored with a deflected shot before a Robert Snodgrass header gave the Canaries hope but the Reds held on.

It was a frantic finish at a boisterous Carrow Road and the home side almost salvaged a point only for Mignolet to save a Ricky van Wolfswinkel header.

Liverpool were given a scare by Norwich but managed to secure an 11th successive league win, which confirms their place in next season's Champions League, ahead of next Sunday's home game against Chelsea, a visit to Crystal Palace and a meeting with Newcastle at Anfield.

Chelsea's surprise defeat at home to Sunderland on Saturday had added to the expectancy surrounding the Reds at Carrow Road.

But following a storming start, they had to determinedly drag themselves over the line to earn a victory which brings closer a first title since 1990.

Norwich suffered a sixth defeat in eight outings, although they can take heart from a battling display. They are two points above the relegation zone with games at Manchester United and Chelsea to come before they play Arsenal at home.

The Canaries ultimately paid the price for a disappointing first half, which began with Sterling sidestepping Bradley Johnson and powering a 22-yard shot, which took a slight deflection off defender Michael Turner, past keeper John Ruddy.

Joe Allen had an angled drive fended away by Ruddy as Liverpool made a typically energetic start, with a second goal not taking long to arrive.

Sterling turned from scorer to provider as he bent a low right-wing ball into the path of Suarez, who guided a sidefoot home for his 30th league goal of the campaign.

Norwich rallied and striker Hooper latched on to a Turner knockdown but was denied the chance to get a shot away courtesy of two tigerish Allen tackles.

A swerving long range Nathan Redmond effort was also palmed away by Mignolet, with Norwich continuing to the apply the pressure after the break.  The home side received their reward for their efforts when Mignolet mistimed his attempt to punch away Steven Whittaker's cross and Hooper tapped in from eight yards.

Suarez could have eased Liverpool's nerves but sent a shot from just inside the box narrowly wide.

It was left to Sterling to restore the visiting side's two-goal advantage, with the Reds forward racing at the Norwich defence before his effort looped in following a deflection off Bradley Johnson.

The Canaries refused to be disheartened and Snodgrass had a shot palmed around the post, while a Redmond strike was diverted wide off the head of defender Martin Skrtel.

The home pressure eventually told again when Snodgrass headed in - but despite going close with Van Wolfswinkel's header, an equaliser eluded them. 

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South Korean Ferry Disaster: Captain of Sunken Ferry, 2 Crew Arrested

The captain of the ferry that sank off South Korea, leaving more than 300 missing or dead, was arrested early on Saturday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need — three of whom were seen lifeless in the drowned vessel by a diver who was unable to get them out.

Rescuers planned 40 dives Saturday in an attempt to enter the ferry and retrieve at least some of the more than 270 people missing. A civilian diver saw the three bodies inside the ship through windows but was unable to break the windows, said Kwon Yong-deok, a coast guard official. Strong currents and rain made it difficult to get inside the ferry, where most of the passengers are believed to have been trapped, coast guard spokesman Kim Jae-in said.

So far 29 bodies have been recovered since Wednesday’s disaster off the southern South Korea coast. As the last bit of the sunken ferry’s hull slipped Friday beneath the murky water off southern South Korea, there was a new victim: a vice principal of the high school whose students were among the passengers was found hanged, an apparent suicide.

Prosecutors said the ferry captain, Lee Joon-seok, 68, was arrested early Saturday along with the third mate, a 25-year-old woman identified only by her surname, Park, and helmsman Cho Joon-ki, 55. Lee faces five charges including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law, and the crew members each face three related charges, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Investigators said the accident came at a point where the ship had to make a turn, and prosecutor Park Jae-eok said investigators were looking at whether the third mate ordered a turn so sharp that it caused the vessel to list.

The sharp turn came between 8:48 a.m. and 8:49 a.m., but it’s not known whether it was done voluntarily or because of some external factor, said Nam Jae-heon, a spokesman for the Maritime Ministry.

Senior prosecutor Yang Jung-jin said earlier that Lee was not on the bridge when the ferry Sewol was passing through an area with many islands clustered closely together. Yang said the law requires the captain to be on the bridge in such situations to help the mate.

Yang said Lee also abandoned people in need of help and rescue, saying “The captain escaped before the passengers.” Video aired by Yonhap showed Lee among the first people to reach the shore by rescue boat.

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