Ukraine crisis: Putin orders troops back from border

President Putin has made a similar statements in the past but Nato says it has not seen troops pulling back

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Ukraine crisis

• Putin intervention
• Q&A: Donetsk referendum
• Ukraine v Russia militaries in 60 secondsWatch
• Identity issues

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops near Ukraine's border to withdraw, the Kremlin says.

Units in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions should return to their permanent bases, a statement said.

Russia has made similar statements in the past, only for Nato to report no change.

Correspondents say the removal of some 40,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian border could help de-escalate the Ukraine crisis.

'Exercises'

The apparent build-up of Russian forces in the region has ratcheted up diplomatic tensions in recent weeks.

"In connection with the completion of the planned spring phase of military training... at ranges in Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, Putin ordered the defence minister to withdraw the troops that took part in the exercises," the Kremlin statement provided to Russian news agencies said.

Russia's military takeover in Crimea has added to the tensions in the region

Tensions between Russia and the West rose after the overthrow of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February, following months of street protests.

Russia's subsequent annexation of Crimea triggered a crisis in relations.

'Punitive operation'

Meanwhile clashes have continued between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia separatist militants in eastern Ukraine.

Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC Diplomatic correspondent

Some people may be wondering if there is a command and control problem in the Russian military. For this is actually the third time that Russian units have been ordered to pull back to their bases from their positions on Ukraine's border.

There was supposedly a partial withdrawal at the end of March. Only one battalion moved. A full withdrawal was ordered in early May but according to senior Nato military sources the troops are still very much there. Now a withdrawal order has come from the Kremlin again.

Of course there is nothing wrong with Russia's command system. President Vladimir Putin clearly decided that, whatever the public pronouncements, the threat of 40,000 troops on Ukraine's border was a powerful tool whether they were used or not.

This was by the way not the "planned spring phase of military training" as the Kremlin asserts but an unprecedented deployment of combat ready forces designed specifically to threaten the Kiev Government.

Russia called for an "immediate end to the punitive operation and violent actions" of Ukrainian government forces, demanding "the withdrawal of troops".

The statement also said Mr Putin "welcomes the first contacts between Kiev and the supporters of federalisation".

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and one injured on Monday in attack by separatists on a checkpoint near Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine's Interfax news agency quoted the country's defence ministry as saying.

Pro-Russia separatists have taken control of government buildings across cities in south-eastern and southern Ukraine.

Violence between the two sides has left dozens of people dead in recent weeks, but the rebels have not taken part in EU-brokered talks to defuse the crisis.

On Saturday, the separatists appointed a prime minister for what they call the People's Republic of Donetsk.

Ratko Mladic war crime defence begins

Ratko Mladic has been highly critical of The Hague proceedings against him

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The defence in the trial of former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity has opened in The Hague.

The first witness, a former Serb army officer, says he was never ordered to fire on civilians in the besieged Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

Mr Mladic, 72, is one of the most high-profile suspects to appear before the Hague tribunal.

Mr Mladic denies 11 charges dating to the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Mile Sladoje, a former assistant commander of a Serb battalion in Sarajevo, was the first witness called by Mr Mladic on Monday in the trial.

In a summary of his testimony read at the hearing, he denies ever being ordered by Mr Mladic to target civilians in a sniping campaign during the three-year siege of the city in which approximately 10,000 people were killed - most of them Muslims.

Ratko Mladic's forces are accused of conducting a prolonged campaign of shelling and sniping, designed to kill and spread terror among the civilians of Sarajevo.

Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic in Pale in 1993. Both men are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity

The Srebrenica massacre was the worst atrocity in Europe since the end of WW2

Mr Mladic is specifically accused of a role in the massacre of more than 7,000 Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica - Europe's worst atrocity since World War II.

Mr Mladic has denounced the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) tribunal as "satanic".

The defence argues that Gen Mladic was simply a soldier following orders.

His lawyers have described him as a self-proclaimed patriot who fought to defend his people.

The defence will also attempt to refute the prosecution's claim that the general led a targeted campaign to ethnically cleanse parts of Bosnia of non-Serbs and make them part of a greater Serbia.

But they are expected to point out that Mr Mladic suffers from a memory disorder that makes it hard for him to differentiate between truth and fiction.

The BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague says that although he denies the charges, many survivors consider Ratko Mladic to be one of those most responsible their suffering.

Our correspondent says that for them, the trial is a chance to hear the truth and experience some form of justice.

Continue reading the main story

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The defence has been given 207 hours to present its case, the same amount of time given to the prosecution.

There is no limit to the number of witnesses the defence can call.

In the Srebrenica enclave, Bosnian Serb forces overran the UN-defended safe area, killing Muslim men and boys in July 1995.

Ratko Mladic was the general in charge of the troops. He was on the run for 16 years before being arrested in 2011 in northern Serbia, where he had been living under an assumed name.

Also being tried in The Hague is former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who like Mr Mladic is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Russia's scramble for China energy deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting China this week, to boost economic ties with Beijing at a time of growing tension in Russia's relations with Europe.

The biggest deal on the table for Moscow is a multibillion dollar agreement to pump Russian gas to China. Russia's economy is heavily reliant on energy exports.

Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg looks at just how dependent Russia is on sales of oil and gas - from the comfort of his own kitchen.

10 killed, 70 injured in 2 blasts in Nairobi

The Associated Press

Security forces secure the scene at the site where two blasts detonated, one in a minivan used for public transportation, in a market area of Nairobi on Friday.

3:00 am, May 18, 2014

The Associated PressNAIROBI (AP)—Two bombs killed 10 people and wounded 70 others Friday at a market in Kenya’s capital, while hundreds of British tourists were evacuated from the coastal resort of Mombasa after warnings of an impending attack by Islamic extremists.

The U.S. ambassador has requested additional security and is reducing the number of people stationed at the embassy in Nairobi amid an increase in threats.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts, which went off minutes apart in the Gikomba market near downtown Nairobi.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, appearing at a previously planned news conference shortly after the bombings, offered his condolences.

But he dismissed the tourism warnings from the United States and Britain that led to the evacuations, saying that terrorism is a common problem and not unique to Kenya.

As ambulances and security forces responded to the market bombing, witnesses described a chaotic scene.

“I heard the first blast, then another one,” said Gikomba market trader Judy Njeri, who described crouching and crawling on hands and knees after the explosions that wounded some of her colleagues.

“I saw bodies being tossed in the air,” she added. “The whole place was thrown into darkness and a lot of dust.”

Police Chief Benson Kibue announced the casualty figures.

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden condemned the bombing as “the latest in a series of cowardly attacks on innocent civilians in Kenya, from the capital to the coast.”

Security concerns are high in Kenya because of its proximity to Somalia and the Al-Qaida-linked group, Al-Shabab, which operates there. In September, four Al-Shabab gunmen attacked the upscale Westgate Mall in Nairobi, killing at least 67 people.

On Thursday and Friday, TUI Travel, which owns the British tourism companies Thomson and First Choice, evacuated customers and canceled all flights to the coastal city of Mombasa until October. The British government had urged its citizens to leave Mombasa and nearby beach towns.

The United States and Britain were among several nations renewing warnings of possible terrorist attacks.

Earlier last week, the United States warned for the first time that its embassy is taking new steps to increase security “due to recent threat information regarding the international community in Kenya.”

On Friday, Ambassador Robert Godec sent a letter to his staff, saying he has requested assistance from the Kenyan police and State Department. Godec said additional police are patrolling the embassy vicinity and that more assets will arrive from Washington this week.

The embassy is also reducing its staffing numbers.

“Unfortunately, the security situation in Kenya, especially in Nairobi and Mombasa, continues to worsen. Since the tragic events of Westgate in September 2013, the number of attacks, threats, and warnings is deeply concerning,” Godec said, referring to the assault on the mall.

Thousands flee, 25 die in record Balkan floods

MAGLAJ, Bosnia (AP)—Packed into buses, boats and helicopters, carrying nothing but a handful of belongings, tens of thousands fled their homes Saturday in Bosnia and Serbia to escape the worst flooding in a century.

Rapidly rising rivers surged into homes, sometimes reaching up to the second floors, sending people climbing to rooftops for rescue.

Hundreds were also evacuated in Croatia.

Authorities said 25 people have died but warned the death toll could rise. Tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity or drinking water.

Landslides triggered by the floods also raised the risk of injury or death from land mines left over from Bosnia’s 1992-95 war.

The landslides swept away many of the carefully placed warning signs around the minefields.

Three months’ worth of rain has fallen on the region in three days last week, creating the worst floods since records began being kept 120 years ago.

Observed from the air, almost a third of Bosnia, mostly its northeast corner, resembled a huge muddy lake, with houses, roads and rail lines submerged. Admir Malagic, a spokesman for Bosnia’s Security Ministry, said about a million people—over a quarter of the country’s population—live in the affected area.

“Bosnia is facing a horrible catastrophe,” said Bakir Izetbegovic, the chairman of the Bosnian three-man presidency. “We are still not fully aware of actual dimensions of the catastrophe...we will have to take care of hundreds, thousands of people...”

Izetbegovic was touring Maglaj, hard hit by floods. As the waters mostly withdrew on Saturday, Maglaj was covered in mud and debris, with residents checking damage and bringing furniture out in the streets to dry.

“Everything is destroyed, but we are happy to be alive,” said Maglaj resident Zijad Omerovic.

In the eastern Bosnian town of Bijeljina, some 10,000 people were being evacuated Saturday after the rain-swollen Sava River pushed through flood defenses, endangering four villages outside the town. The peak of the Sava flood wave was expected in Bijeljina later Saturday, before advancing to Serbia.

“We need everything, we are underwater,” mayor Mico Micic exclaimed.

In eastern Croatia, the overflowing Sava spread over villages and farm land, sending hundreds fleeing.

The rain caused nearly 300 landslides in Bosnia, burying dozens of houses and cars and further complicating relief efforts.

“They come unannounced in just a few seconds,” said Fahrudin Solak, a Civil Protection official.

Officials in Bosnia say 17 people died and more bodies could be found as water recedes from dozens of cities. In some places, people had to be rescued by helicopter from their roofs.

Many in Bosnia lost homes they had only just rebuilt after the war, which claimed 100,000 lives and devastated the impoverished country.

In Serbia, eight deaths were reported and emergency crews and soldiers were using boats and helicopters to rescue thousands trapped in the town of Obrenovac, near Belgrade.

Oprah, Hillary help legend Barbara Walters say farewell

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)—Oprah Winfrey and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton surprised Barbara Walters as the legendary newswoman taped her final edition of “The View” to end a five-decade career on television.

Actor Michael Douglas, a longtime friend and frequent subject for Walters’ interviews, also dropped by for the tribute, which aired Friday on ABC at 11 a.m.

Looking smart in a cream-colored blazer and a black skirt, the 84-year-old Walters was presiding over a studio audience of friends, colleagues and fans on hand to witness a bit of history.

Although she will retain a behind-the-scenes role as executive producer of the talk show she created 17 years ago, she is ending her daily on-air involvement, while limiting ABC News appearances to the occasional story or interview.

“I can’t believe this day has come, and I can’t believe it’s for real,” Clinton told Walters, who began her career on NBC’s “Today” in 1962, then came to ABC in 1976, where her many duties ranged from co-anchoring “20/20” to hosting scores of specials as well as “The View.”

Typically, Walters couldn’t let Clinton get away without fielding the question on so many minds: Is she running for president in 2016?

“I am running,” smiled Clinton. “Around the park.”

A bit later, Douglas brought the subject up again with Walters.

“If Hillary runs,” he said, “I bet you’d be a great vice president.”

Some of the best moments happened during commercial breaks, never to be seen by viewers. Then, audience members could snap photos and interact with Walters and her co-panelists (Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy). At one point Walters, spying the New York Knicks basketball player J.R. Smith in the stands, broke up the room by telling him that, now, with retirement, “I just want you to know I’m buying the Clippers,” referring to the Los Angeles team whose owner is being forced out by the NBA for making racial comments that were recorded.

The audience erupted at the sight of Winfrey, who told Walters, “You’re the reason I wanted to be in television.”

“You shattered the glass ceiling for so many women,” said Winfrey, who then brought on a startling parade of them, some two dozen prominent on-air women including Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Robin Roberts, Gayle King, Connie Chung and Joan Lunden.

“You are my legacy,” Walters, visibly moved, said to them as they crowded around her onstage.

The hour had its comic twist: In a pre-taped segment, Walters (who, after all, has interviewed everybody else) lobbed some questions at herself, in the person of former “Saturday Night Live” player Cheri Oteri doing a spot-on Walters imitation.

Walters brought the hour to a close with a heartfelt statement looking back with amazement on her career, then signing off with a pledge to “take a deep breath and enjoy my ‘View.’”

But a more telling moment took place during a break, as the throng of women she had paved the way for posed with her for a group portrait. It was a remarkable tableau.

Running to your soul mate

The Yomiuri ShimbunSometimes running can not only bring you better health, it can also help you find your life partner.

Many factors can lead to successfully finding a partner through running.

For example, while running with a potential partner, considerately remaining aware of speed and ensuring that you keep the same pace can help bring you and your running mate closer together.

Matchmaking companies have recently been holding running events at various locations. These events are dubbed “Run-kon,” a name that combines the English word “run” and the Japanese word “kon-katsu,” which means seeking a marriage partner.

A considerable number of people have found potential partners at these events, and a wristwatch popular among joggers has served as a facilitator for bringing some of them together.

Haruhiko Noma, 43, of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, and his wife Keiko, 51, owe their marriage both to running and the wristwatch. Before marriage, Keiko was a company employee in Tokyo.

Noma, a native of Kobe, used to work for an optical shop. He moved to Shirahama in 2003 and started working at a local forestry association. He also began running to build up his physical strength.

In 2009, he bought a wristwatch manufactured by the U.S. company Garmin Corp. that comes equipped with a global positioning system to automatically record the courses and distances its wearer has run.

He also registered with a system to report his running records on his blog. He got to know Keiko, who also wears the wristwatch, through his blog.

The couple first met face-to-face at a gathering of bloggers in the autumn of 2011.

They then began communicating via blogs as they wanted to know what scenery the other saw every day when running. When Keiko participated in the Osaka Marathon that year, Noma attended the event to cheer her on. They married at the end of 2012.

They now make it a habit to run together on weekday evenings and during holidays.

“We lived really far away before—in Tokyo and Shirahama. I never would have imagined that we would meet and get married like this. Life works in mysterious ways,” Noma said.

“When we are running together, I feel like she is really considerate of me.” he added.

Keiko said she felt the same way.

Although such dramatic stories as Noma’s marriage are rare, participating in matchmaking running events has become increasingly popular.

Exeo Japan, a Yokohama company, has hosted about 120 Run-kon events in Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya and other places since 2012, attracting a total of about 2,000 runners in their mid-20s to mid-40s.

In these events, participants get to know each other first by chatting, and then they run for about an hour. Afterward, they change clothes and dine together. They get a chance to see different sides of each other, in running wear and ordinary clothing and before and after running.

According to the company, about 40 percent of the participants have met potential partners at the events.

“Our events attract many people as they feel they can meet each other in good mental and physical condition after running and feeling refreshed,” said an employee of the company in charge of publicity.

Junichi Taniguchi, associate professor at Tezukayama University’s Faculty of Psychology, who studies the psychology of love, said: “People who are interested in running can share values through the hobby. They also feel closer by sharing the process of reaching their respective goals such as running the whole distance and breaking their own records. Also, when our heart rates increase because of running, we develop a more positive mood that can help us find Mr. or Ms. Right.”

AT&T agrees to buy DirecTV in $48.5 billion deal

DALLAS (AP)—AT&T Inc. on Sunday agreed to buy satellite TV provider DirecTV for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share, a move that gives the telecommunications company a larger base of video subscribers and increases its ability to compete against rivals.

AT&T currently offers a high-speed Internet plan in a bundle with DirecTV television service. The acquisition would help it further reap the benefits of that alliance. AT&T could also use the deal to improve its Internet service by pushing its existing U-verse TV subscribers into DirecTV’s video-over-satellite service, freeing up bandwidth on its telecommunications network.

“This is a unique opportunity that will redefine the video entertainment industry and create a company able to offer new bundles and deliver content to consumers across multiple screens - mobile devices, TVs, laptops, cars and even airplanes,” AT&T’s Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said in a statement.

With 5.7 million U-verse TV customers and 20.3 million DirecTV customers in the U.S., the combined AT&T-DirecTV would serve 26 million. That would make it the second-largest pay TV operator behind a combined Comcast-Time Warner Cable, which would serve 30 million under a $45 billion merger proposed in February.

AT&T and DirecTV expect the deal to close within 12 months. Under the terms agreed to Sunday, DirecTV shareholders will receive $28.50 per share in cash and $66.50 per share in AT&T stock. The total transaction value is $67.1 billion, including DirecTV’s net debt.

The deal could face tough scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission and antitrust regulators at the Department of Justice.

Unlike Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable—which don’t compete in the same territory—AT&T’s U-verse, offered in 22 states, competes directly for TV customers with DirecTV, which is available nationwide.

The combination would reduce consumers’ options for pay TV providers from four to three for about 25 percent of U.S. households, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Ben Swinburne. Fewer competitors could result in higher prices, a situation that usually gives regulators cause for concern.

The deal is also subject to regulatory approval in Latin America, where DirecTV has more than 18 million customers. To facilitate approval there, AT&T said it will divest its interest in wireless provider America Movil.

Analysts question the strategic benefits of a deal that would give AT&T a larger presence in the mature market for pay TV.

Last year, pay TV subscribers in the U.S. fell for the first time, dipping 0.1 percent to 94.6 million, according to Leichtman Research Group.

While AT&T and DirecTV are doing better than cable companies at attracting TV subscribers, DirecTV’s growth in the U.S. has stalled while AT&T is growing the fastest of any TV provider.

Long term, the deal may offer little help to AT&T as viewers continue to watch more video online.

DirecTV offers neither fixed-line nor mobile Internet service, and its rights to airwave frequencies for satellite TV are not the kind that AT&T can use to improve its mobile phone network.

Still, Stephenson has talked exuberantly about how the growth of online video helps boost demand for its Internet and mobile services. Last month, AT&T entered a joint venture with the Chernin Group to invest in online video services.

DirecTV would continue to be based in El Segundo, Calif., following the merger, the companies said.

Watch out! Pan Parag back in new format

Edapal: The Pan Parag, which was banned by the state government last year, has returned to the market in a brand new format.

The new product, which resembles chewing gum, is flooding the market, say reports

The government had banned Pan Parag, a mixture of tobacco and areca nut, on finding that students and youth are falling prey to it in large numbers.

Once the ban came into effect, the shopkeepers keep away from displaying the product. Later, stacked in sacks, it was brought in huge quantities secretively.

On knowing this, the police and health officials launched a drive against it, which forced the drug mafia to adopt this new strategy.

24 detained over Turkey coal mine disaster

Istanbul: As any as 24 people, including coal mine executives, were detained in western Turkey Sunday as investigations continued into the causes of last week's tragic coal mine accident which claimed 301 lives, Xinhua reported.

The Soma Coal Mine Company's operating manager Ramazan Dogru and its chief engineer Akin Celik were among the detained company officials.

Prosecutors have sent five of the suspects to court, demanding their arrest, local report said.

The massive explosion in the Soma Coal Mine May 13 claimed 301 lives and is described as the worst mine accident in Turkey's history, according to Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.

Most deaths in the accident were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

The entrance of the mine was closed with a brick wall after the authorities ordered an end to rescue works. Only inspectors and prosecutors investigating the accident were now allowed to enter the mine vicinity.

All mining activity was also halted upon orders by the Turkish Labour Inspection Board.

IANS