NST Online Top Stories - Google News
NST Online Top Stories - Google News |
| Turkey coal mine disaster: Desperate search at Soma pit - BBC News Posted: 14 May 2014 09:09 AM PDT
14 May 2014
Last updated at 17:09
Mr Erdogan said the government would leave "no stone unturned" when investigating the cause of the disaster Rescuers are hunting desperately for scores of Turkish coal miners still missing after an explosion caused a pit to collapse, killing at least 245. Dozens escaped the pit in the western town of Soma, but officials say about 120 are still unaccounted for. On a visit to Soma, PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said every aspect of the tragedy would be investigated and "no stone would be left unturned". But protests erupted in the town, with crowds hurling abuse at the government. Frantic relatives have gathered at the mine, waiting for news of loved ones. As ambulances took away an increasing number of bodies, some of the bereaved wailed uncontrollably and were carried away by their families. Nearly 450 workers have been rescued, according to the mine operator. However, no survivors have been found in the last few hours. Mr Erdogan said 80 of those rescued had been treated for injuries, none of which were serious. Nineteen of these had already been discharged from hospital. "I just want everybody to know that the disaster will be investigated in every aspect and will continue to be investigated and we are not going to allow any negligence, or leave any stone unturned," he told journalists in Soma. Earlier he announced three days of mourning for the victims. The BBC's James Reynolds in Soma says family members of missing miners are gathered at the hospital. They told him they would not move from there until they got information about their loved ones. Meanwhile police fired tear gas and water cannon at about 800 protesters angered by the disaster as they tried to march from a university in Ankara to the energy ministry. 
The BBC's Rengin Arslan filmed the scene on the ground, with anxious relatives waiting close to the rescue operation There were also reports of a protest in Istanbul outside the headquarters of Soma Holding, the company that owns the mine. Far below groundEnergy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people had been inside the mine when an electrical fault triggered the blast. He added that carbon monoxide poisoning had claimed many lives. The electrical fault triggered a power cut, making the mine cages unusable. Those trapped are reported to be 2km (1.2 miles) below the surface and 4km from the mine entrance. The blast happened at about 12:30 GMT on Tuesday.   People still waiting for news of missing relatives gathered at the hospital in Soma, Manisa province
 An injured miner is rescued from the mine
 For some, such as this father reunited with his son, it is good news
 But the agonising wait continues for many others
TV footage overnight showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust. Some were carried on stretchers to waiting ambulances. But by mid-morning, reporters at the scene said only the dead were being recovered. Continue reading the main storyTurkish mining industry1,308 Fatal accidents since 2000
AP Emine Gulsen, one of a group of women sitting near the entrance to the mine, cried: "My son is gone, my Mehmet." Mehmet, 31, had been working there for five years. Coal mining is a major industry in the Soma area, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern. Nearly 40% of Turkey's electricity production depends on coal. The Soma mine was privatised in 2005. An MP with Turkey's opposition CHP party has accused the government of rejecting a recent proposal for a parliamentary inquiry into mine accidents in Soma. Ozgur Ozel told Today's Zaman newspaper that the motion had substantial support among opposition parties. Our correspondent says Prime Minister Erdogan will see this tragedy as a test of his reputation, and he will be aware that the previous government lost an election after being seen to have mishandled the 1999 earthquake. Turkey's worst mining disaster was in 1992, when 263 miners were killed near Zonguldak, on the Black Sea. Are you in Manisa? How have you been affected by the explosion? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, using the subject line 'Turkey'. Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
| Kate Middleton 'hacked 155 times' - BBC News Posted: 14 May 2014 09:06 AM PDT
14 May 2014
Last updated at 17:00
 The Old Bailey heard Kate Middleton's phone was hacked on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2005
Former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton's phone 155 times, a court has heard. The phone-hacking trial was told Mr Goodman first hacked the now-Duchess of Cambridge's voicemail in December 2005. He also hacked Prince William 35 times and Prince Harry on nine occasions. This is the first time the jury has heard of a royal's phone being hacked. Mr Goodman, who denies conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, previously said he only hacked aides. Mr Goodman is one of seven defendants, including ex-News of the World editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, on trial at the Old Bailey. They all deny the charges against them. He returned to the trial to resume giving evidence after a long period away due to illness. The court heard how Mr Goodman hacked Ms Middleton on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2005 - more than five years before she married Prince William. He also hacked her on 7 August 2006, the day before he was arrested over allegations of phone hacking.  Prince William, pictured here hosting a charity gala on Tuesday night, was first hacked in January 2006
Prince William's voicemail was first intercepted in late January 2006, the court heard. This was the first time that the jury has heard that a mobile belonging to Prince William was hacked. 'Semi-royal status'Mr Goodman, 56, denied he had "forgotten" about targeting the young royals when he said in evidence earlier in the trial that he had only hacked aides working for the royals. The jury was also told that Mr Goodman hacked Michael Fawcett, a trusted aide of Prince Charles, 35 times. Upon his return to the witness box, he was accused of being more heavily involved in phone hacking than was previously heard. Mr Goodman and private detective Glenn Mulcaire were convicted in 2006 of intercepting voicemails of royal aides. But jurors were told their activities went much further. Under cross-examination by Mr Coulson's lawyer Timothy Langdale QC asked him why Ms Middleton had been targeted. "She was a figure of increasing importance around the Royal Family," Mr Goodman said. "There were discussions about her and Prince William marrying, moving in, settling down. She started to receive semi-royal status and things were moving on." 'Open and honest'The witness said he had been assured by the Crown Prosecution Service he would face no more hacking charges. He told the court he was "not on trial for hacking" when he was presented with a list of victims, saying: "There has been no intention to deceive you or anybody else in relation to phone hacking." He said he had been as "open and honest" about hacking as possible and that no-one had asked him questions about hacking royals.  Mr Goodman says Ms Middleton was a "figure of increasing importance" when he began hacking her voicemail
Mr Langdale said: "You knew perfectly well you hacked Prince Harry and Prince William didn't you?" The defendant replied: "Nobody asked me." The former royal editor had not been in court since the end of March after he was declared unfit to carry on. The trial continued in his absence. The judge told the jury that Mr Goodman had been "ill", but the court was given a report from an independent medical expert declaring him "now fit" to continue. Mr Justice Saunders also told the jury that he had "no alternative" but to keep them waiting because medical assessments were continually being submitted. Mr Goodman will be allowed more time than usual to give the remainder of his evidence because medical experts have advised he may get tired more quickly. The jury previously heard that the former royal editor of the now-defunct tabloid had undergone a minor heart procedure during the trial. 'Wider scale hacking'Appearing on Wednesday in the witness box, with a small bandage over his left hand, he was asked what he knew about phone hacking before January 2005, when he said he had been told about it by a colleague.  Clive Goodman returned to court after illness
Before then, the News of the World colleague had passed pieces of information to Mr Goodman for stories. But the defendant said he never knew where it came from. Mr Langdale asked Mr Goodman what he had known about Mulcaire. He replied that the private detective was known at the newspaper as someone who "provided results to a story that could not be cracked". But he denied he had put two and two together. Mr Langdale said: "I'm going to suggest to you, you knew a great deal about phone hacking much earlier than you have told us." The defendant said he could not recall at this distance. Mr Langdale added: "I'm going to suggest you had direct contact with Glenn Mulcaire significantly before the time you have told us - that you yourself had been hacking on a much wider scale than you have told this court about." Later, Mr Goodman told the court just how "valuable" Mulcaire had been to the paper. "Like him or hate him - and people can make their own judgements about what we did - he was a valuable resource for the paper," he said. "Virtually every story on the paper ground through the Glenn Mulcaire mill." |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Top Stories - Google News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Or send us your experiences using the form below.