Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/300708
By Yuras Karmanau The Associated Press D O N E T S K , U K r a i N E » Ukraine's highly publi- cized goal to recapture po- lice stations and govern- ment buildings seized by pro-Russia forces in the east produced little action on the ground Wednes - day but ignited foreboding words from Moscow. Russian Foreign Minis- ter Sergey Lavrov warned that Russia would mount a firm response if its citizens or interests come under at - tack in Ukraine. Although he did not specifically say Russia would launch a mil- itary attack, his comments bolstered wide concern that Russia could use any violence in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for sending in troops. Separately, the Russian foreign ministry issued a statement demanding that Ukraine pull its armed forces out of the crisis-rid - den region. Russia, mean- while, has tens of thousands of troops stationed in areas near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine's interim gov - ernment has accused Rus- sia of orchestrating the un- rest in eastern Ukraine. The Interior Ministry said police forced a group of armed insurgents out of the eastern village of Svya - togorsk on Wednesday, but did not give details of the ac- tion other than to say there were no injuries. Still, it's unclear how much capacity Ukraine's interim government in Kiev has against the insurgents. A previous operation to reclaimed seized buildings showed few results before it was suspended last week following international talks in Geneva that produced an agreement to de-escalate the crisis. Ukrainian forces claimed to have regained control of one small airport, but insurgents also seized ar - mored vehicles and reports said some Ukrainian soldiers had switched sides. "Security forces are in a state of disorganization and demoralization," said Kiev- based political analyst Volody - myr Fesenko. "Today, most of them don't want to fight for anyone because they don't know who is going to win to - morrow and how all of this will end." The army is underfunded and poorly equipped after years of corruption and mis - management under Vik- tor Yanukovych, the Russia- friendly president who fled the country in February after months of protests. Ya nukov ych's ouster sparked wide anger in his support base in Ukraine's east. The insurgents, who claim Ukraine's post-Yanu - kovych government consists of nationalists who will sup- press the east's large Russian- speaking population, are de- manding regional autonomy or even annexation by Rus- sia, like the Black Sea pen- insula of Crimea last month. EaSTErN EUrOpE Ukraine's in a security bind as it attempts to recapture facilities By asif Shahzad The Associated Press iSLaMaBaD » Pakistan's powerful army has asked a government regulator to shut down a leading private news channel over what the military calls "false" reports that the country's intelli - gence service shot one of its top anchors. Press freedom advocates on Wednesday decried the move against Geo News TV, whose popular talk show host Hamid Mir suffered multiple gunshot in the at - tack last Saturday. M i r 's s h o o t i n g h a s sparked protests by journal- ists in Pakistan, a country considered one of the world's most dangerous postings for reporters and where its mil - itary and intelligence ser- vices still hold tremendous power despite its transition to democracy. The complaint, posted on the website of the Commit - tee to Protect Journalists, said the army wanted the station closed because of its "false and scandalous cam - paign" against Pakistan's In- ter-Services Intelligence, or the ISI. Mir's brother, Amir Mir, appeared on the sta- tion after the shooting and blamed the ISI for trying to kill his brother, saying he told his family about threats made by the service against him. Since then, the station re - peatedly aired the accusa- tions against the spy agency, blaming it for the "assassi- nation attempt" against Mir. The ISI, which has no pub- lic spokesman, has not com- ment publicly about the alle- gations. However, the defense min- istry filed the complaint late Tuesday against Geo to the Pakistan Electronic Me- dia Regulation Authority, spokesman Fakhruddin Mu- ghal said. The complaint ac- cuses the station of "under- mining the integrity and tar- nishing the image of (a) state institution and its officers and falsely linking it with the terrorist outfits." "T he r ep or ti ng m ad e an d the programs aired cannot be viewed as a single event," the complaint reads. "Geo Network has a history of act - ing illegally in furtherance of the anti-Pakistan agenda." The complaint asks the authority to revoke Geo's li - censes. Mughal said the authori- ty's legal team issued a no- tice Wednesday to Geo about the complaint, seeking a re- ply in 14 days. He said Geo representatives have been ordered to appear May 6 be- fore the authority. Late Wednesday, Geo re- ported on air that it believed authorities blocked their signal in some parts of the country. Officials could not be immediately reached for comment about the claim. Mir suffered six gunshot wounds to the stomach and legs in the attack in the port city of Karachi. Last year, authorities found a bomb un - der Mir's car but he escaped unharmed. In recent weeks, Mir's show gave prominent cov - erage to a group campaign- ing against the disappear- ances and torture of insur- gents and their supporters in southwestern Baluch- istan province — allegedly at the hands of ISI. Both the military and the ISI wield tremendous power in Pakistan, even af - ter a successful transition of civilian power last year. The ISI has been accused of harassing and even kill - ing journalists in the past, including Saleem Shahzad in 2011. U.S. officials have said Pakistan's militar y and intelligence service au - thorized Shahzad's torture and murder. Pakistani offi- cials have denied involve- ment in Shahzad's death. The Committee to Pro- tect Journalists, which re- cently urged the govern- ment in Islamabad to do more to protect journal- ists, warned Wednesday the complaint against Geo amounted to censorship. paKiSTaN By Foster Klug The Associated Press MOKpO, SOUTh KOrEa » A colleague calls Capt. Lee Joon-seok the nicest person on the ship. With more than 40 years' experience at sea, Lee could speak with elo - quence about the romance and danger of a life spent on ships. But his reputation now hinges on the moments last week when he delayed an evacuation and apparently abandoned the ferry Se - wol as it went down, leav- ing more than 300 people missing or dead, most of them teenagers. "He was generous, a re - a lly nice g uy," said Oh Yong-seok, a 57-year-old helmsman, adding that the captain always asked about his wife and kids and was happy to dispense per - sonal and professional ad- vice. "He was probably the nicest person on the ship." Still, there is no get- ting away from a video of Lee — on the day his ferry sank with hundreds of peo- ple trapped inside — being treated onshore after alleg- edly landing on one of the first rescue boats. Lee and eight members of his crew have been ar- rested on suspicion of neg- ligence and abandoning people in need. On Satur- day, the handcuffed cap- tain was paraded before f lashing cameras, his face hidden beneath the dark hood of a w indbrea ker. He brusquely denied f lee- ing the ship, without elabo- rating, and said he delayed evacuation because of wor- ries about sending passen- gers into cold waters and fast currents before rescu- ers arrived. T he fa l l f rom g race stands in stark contrast to Lee's striking portrayal, in interviews given to lo - cal media over the last de- cade, of a resilient and ad- venturous life spent at sea. It gives a chilling irony to his appearance on a 2010 travel show aired on cable broadcaster OBS, where he captained the Ohamana, another ferry that traveled the same Incheon-to-Jeju route plied by the Sewol. "For those who are using our Incheon-to-Jeju ferry, I can tell you that the next time you return, it will be a safe and pleasant" expe - rience, Lee said, dressed in a white captain's uni- form with gold epaulets on the shoulders. "If you fol- low the instructions of our crew members, it will be safer than any other means of transportation." Lee, 68, began his life at sea by chance, landing a job on a ship in his mid-20s. He worked on ocean freighters for the next 20 years before becoming a ferry captain, he said in a 2004 interview with Jeju Today, a Web- based news organization. He was then captain of an - other Incheon-to-Jeju ferry. "The first ship I sailed on was a hardwood ship that flipped over in waters near Okinawa, Japan. The Jap - anese Self-Defense Forces saved me with their heli- copters," Lee recalled. "If I hadn't been saved then, I wouldn't be here today." L ee sa id there were times he thought about giv - ing up sailing. "When I got caught in a storm at sea, I told my- self I would never get on a ship again. But the human mind is cunning. After get- ting over one crisis, I would forget about such thoughts, and I've been sailing on ships until this day," he told Jeju Today. With a poetic flair, Lee spoke of the countless sun - rises and sunsets he'd seen at sea. "When the sun rises, the sea seems to bubble up and roar, but at sunset it's calm and quiet," Lee said. "I be - come solemn, and I think about past memories." Lee also spoke of his pride in his work, even if it meant time away from his own fam - ily. "I take comfort in car- rying people on the ferry who are visiting their home- towns, helping them so they can spend happy times with their family, something that's not granted to me," Lee told Jeju Today. "Today or tomorrow, I will be with the ship." SOUTh KOrEa Captain who le doomed ferry had 40 years at sea The AssociATed Press Lee Joon-seok, center, the captain of the sunken ferry boat sewol in the water off the southern coast, arrives saturday at the headquarters of a joint investigation team of prosecutors and police in Mokpo, south Korea. B.K. BAngAsh — The AssociATed Press Pakistani journalists protest Wednesday for their colleague hamid Mir, who was shot and injured by gunmen in Karachi. Army wants TV news st at io n sh ut d ow n ALexAnder ZeMLiAnichenKo — The AssociATed Press Women read a leaflet distributed by pro-russian activists Wednesday behind barricades in front of a regional administration building that was seized by pro-russian activists earlier in donetsk, Ukraine. By ibrahim Barzak The Associated Press GaZa CiTY, GaZa STrip » Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed Wednesday to form a unity government and hold new elections — a potentially his - toric step toward mending the rift that has split their people between two sets of rulers for seven years. Following the announce - ment of the deal, hundreds of people took to the streets in Gaza to celebrate. Crowds hoisted Palestinian flags and posters. "I hope it will be real this time," said Asma Rad - wan, a 33-year-old school- teacher who came with her two young sons. "I came to say 'thank you' to the lead- ers. But don't disappoint us like the past. Seven years of division is enough." It remained unclear how the plan would succeed where past attempts have re - peatedly failed. It also added new complications to U.S. ef- forts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Pal- estinians. Both the U.S. and Israel condemned the agree- ment. In an initial response, the office of Israeli Prime Min- ister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned meeting for Wednesday evening be- tween Israeli and Palestin- ian peace negotiators. Israel and the West con- sider Hamas a terrorist group. Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruc- tion, has killed hundreds of Israelis in bombings and shootings over the past two decades. Abbas "needs to choose between peace with Israel and an agreement with Hamas, a murderous ter - ror organization that calls for the destruction of Is- rael," Netanyahu said. In a statement, Abbas said "there is no contradic- tion" between reconcilia- tion and his efforts to reach a "just peace" with Israel. He said Wednesday's deal would help Palestinian negotiators achieve a two-state solution. Hamas seized Gaza from Abbas' forces in 2007, leav - ing him with only parts of the West Bank. Both sides have become entrenched in their territories, setting up sepa - rate governments and their own security forces. pEaCE TaLKS Palestinian rivals to try again for unity deal AdeL hAnA — The AssociATed Press senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad, le, gaza's hamas Prime Minister ismail haniyeh, center, and senior hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk, who is based in egypt, aer the Wednesday announcement of an agreement between the two rival Palestinian groups, hamas and Fatah, at haniyeh's residence in shati refugee camp, gaza strip. Servicing your disposal needs in Tehama County, and the City of Red Bluff including Residential, Commercial, and Temporary bin services. GREEN WASTE OF TEHAMA A WASTE CONNECTIONS COMPANY 530-528-8500 1805 AIRPORT BLVD. RED BLUFF, CA GreenWaste is a proud supporter of local events. Deli-Tasty Burgers-Wraps New To-Go Section Thursday, Friday & Saturday Lunch & Dinner Buffet Happy Hour with Cocktails, Food & Entertainment 3pm-7pm Saigon Bistro 723 Walnut St. Red Bluff • 528-9670 RUNNINGS ROOFING Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Owner is on site on every job Serving Tehama County 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. LIC#829089 Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K Members Welcome STOVE JUNCTION The The North State's premier supplier of stoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat 9am-5pm • Closed Sun & Mon Now Carrying! Green Mountain Grills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties When it comes to finding the perfect home, make sure you have the right realtor on your side. Meet Your Dream Team Stromer Realty (530) 527-3100 590 Antelope Blvd. Bldg. A, Suites 10 & 20 Red Bluff ~ Specializing in residential to ranches ~ http://redbluff.stromerrealty.com ThUrsdAy, APriL 24, 2014 redBLUFFdAiLyneWs.coM | NEWS | 3 B