Egypt's Sisi vows Muslim Brotherhood 'will not exist'

 
In his first interview with Egyptian TV, he added that two assassination plots against him had been uncovered.Mr Sisi removed Egypt's first democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi from power last July.He is widely expected to win the presidential election on 26-27 May.
Mr Sisi had denied he had any political ambitions when he ousted President Morsi and launched a crackdown on the Brotherhood - which supported him - last year.In a joint interview with Egypt's privately owned CBC and ONTV television channels on Monday, he said: "I want to tell you that it is not me that finished (the Brotherhood). You, the Egyptians, are the ones who finished it."
Asked whether the Brotherhood would cease to exist if he should gain the presidency, the former military leader - dressed in a suit - answered: "Yes. That's right."

Egyptians gathered in the streets in parts of Cairo to watch the pre-recorded interview

He said there had been two attempts to assassinate him, but added: "I believe in fate, I am not afraid."
He did not provide details of who was behind the alleged plots or how advanced they were.
Mr Sisi also denied being the candidate of the army, saying "the army would not have a role in ruling Egypt", and he defended a controversial new law that puts severe restrictions on the right to protest.
A second part of the interview is due to be broadcast on Tuesday.
The BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo says power cuts in parts of the capital interrupted Mr Sisi's lengthy broadcast.

Keeping the lights on will be one of the first challenges if - as is widely forecast - he is elected president later this month, she adds.Military rulersIf he does become president, Mr Sisi will be the latest in a line of Egyptian rulers drawn from the military, going back to the 1950s - a line only briefly broken during President Morsi's year in office.Human rights groups say the military-backed authorities have displayed increasing hostility to independent media and to political opponents.
Since Mr Morsi's overthrow more than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands of members of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood detained by the interim authorities, who have designated the Islamist movement a terrorist group.Mr Sisi's supporters, however, view him as a strong figure who can stabilise a country plagued by protests and political violence since the army-backed popular uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The largest temple in Southeast Asia viewed from flying cameras

About Vesak Day
Siddhartha Gautama, also commonly known as Buddha (enlightened one), lived in Nepal between the sixth and fourth century BCE. His teachings focused on messages about compassion, peace and goodwill. Millions around the world follow the teachings of the Buddha today. The Day of Vesak commemorates Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death.
In 1999 the UN recognized internationally Vesak Day to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over 2500 years. This day is commemorated annually at the UN Headquarters and other UN offices and missions.

Bai Dinh Temple was built in 2003. It is located in Ninh Binh Province, in the Gia Sinh Commune of Gia Vien District. The Bai Dinh pagoda complex is situated in an area of 539 hectares, and includes 27 hectares occupied by the ancient Bai Dinh pagoda and 80 hectares devoted to the new Bai Dinh Pagoda. Many other works are under construction.
 
Bai Dinh is the largest temple in Southeast Asia. On May 7, the Vesak 2014 will be held here. Currently, the flags of nearly 100 participating countries are flying outside the entrance.
 
A 4-star hotel with 56 rooms for monks and heads of state (on the left of the main temple) is ready to welcome guests.
 
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, Ninh Binh’s Party Secretary, said the scale of Vesak 2014 is much larger than that of the Vesak 2008 in Hanoi, in terms of participants, participating countries and duration (4 days).
 
The opening ceremony will have the participation of many leaders, heads of state, ambassadors and senior monks from many countries.
 
The opening ceremony will have the participation of many leaders, heads of state, ambassadors and senior monks from many countries.
 
Chosen as the place to host the world's largest Vesak in May 2014, Ninh Binh is rushing to complete the last steps to welcome delegations.
 
During the celebration, many cultural activities will be organized here. Many other cultural activities will also be held in Hanoi, Ha Nam and Thanh Hoa.
 
Vesak 2014 is an opportunity to promote the image of Ninh Binh in particular and Vietnam in general.
 
 A meeting hall with 3,500 seats was built in one month.

Military parade on the streets of Dien Bien

On the morning of 3/5, the armed forces performed their first parade rehearsal on the streets of the city of Dien Bien to prepare for the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
Dien Bien ready for its celebration of 60 years of victory

Leading the parade is the symbol of Dien Bien Phu Victory and the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh, along with the flag carriers and guards of honor.   The five military flags representing the five brigades in the Dien Bien Phu campaign go first, followed by the victorious army.   The uniforms and weapons of the Dien Bien Phu campaign army are exactly the same as those used by the army of 60 years ago.   The guards of honors.     The land forces.   The Special Forces.   The marine police. This is the newest of the armed forces of Vietnam, responsible for security at sea and the continental shelf of the country.   The female information soldiers.       Mobile police also participated in the parade, representing the People's Police force.   Female ethnic minority militia members.   Southern female militia members. Thousands of people stood along the roadside to watch the parade rehearsal.

Migrants die as two boats capsize off Greek island

 

At least 22 people have drowned and 10 more are missing after two boats carrying migrants capsized off the Greek island of Samos, a coast guard official said Monday.Thirty-six survivors have been rescued from the Aegean Sea, and the search is continuing, Katherine Tenta of the Greek coast guard told CNN by phone.The two vessels foundered about 4 nautical miles off Samos, Tenta said, adding that authorities did not yet know their nationalities.

Thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East pack into often unsafe boats to get into the European Union through Greece, Italy, Malta and other coastal states. The numbers have increased since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings triggered unrest across North Africa and civil war in Syria.

"A 3-year-old child, in a bad condition, has been transferred to a hospital in Athens," Tenta said.

Two search and rescue helicopters -- with help from two coast guard vessels, a navy warship and a cruise liner -- were searching for the missing.Tenta said the coast guard towed the vessels -- a 10-meter long boat and a smaller vessel -- to Samos. She said 18 bodies were on one: 10 women, five men and three children.It is not yet clear what caused the boats to capsize, she said.

Charges in Beerdsen murder

 
A suspect arrested last week for the murder of Dutch national Daphna Beerdsen was charged on Saturday in Phnom Penh Municipal Court, a court official has said.The suspect, 35-year-old Chea Pin, was charged with intentional murder with aggravating circumstances at the court of first instance, Heang Sopheak, the court’s vice prosecutor, said on Saturday.Pin has since been remanded in custody and is awaiting trial at Prey Sar prison after the investigating judge issued a detention warrant for him.

“I have charged him with intentional murder with aggravated circumstances. He has now been sent to Prey Sar prison,” Sopheak said.The suspect – a homeless man living in Wat Than pagoda near the house where Beerdsen, 31, was killed on April 28 – was arrested on Tuesday.
Pin stands accused of entering Beerdsen’s home in Chamkarmon district and attempting to steal a bicycle.When Beerdsen shouted for help, the suspect lashed out with a screwdriver, fatally stabbing her six times, officials say.
Her 19-month-old daughter, Dana, was seriously injured in the attack and was airlifted to Bangkok on April 29.

The child was still under observation following at least three operations aimed at reducing swelling in her brain, according to a spokesman for Bangkok General, where she is being treated.
“She is still in the intensive care unit,” a hospital spokesman said yesterday, adding that he could not divulge further information.Police, meanwhile, countered suggestions that there may be more behind the murder by pointing to property belonging to Beerdsen they say was stolen by the suspect.
“[Pin] was arrested based on real proof – after police saw the victim’s property, and confiscated the victim’s laptop [Pin] had sold to a pawn shop in Phnom Penh,” said Brigadier General Chuon Narin, deputy chief of Phnom Penh municipal police. “And he has also confessed about his crime.

CNRP holds a citywide rolling rally

 

Days after authorities repeatedly cracked down on demonstrations, opposition party supporters staged a rolling rally across Phnom Penh yesterday, filling up roads for hours and blocking major intersections.About 500 people with tuk-tuks and motorbikes gathered at the Cambodia National Rescue Party headquarters in the capital’s Meanchey district in the afternoon before taking to their vehicles, from which they blasted the party’s anthem and shouted slogans over megaphones. Thousands of CNRP supporters also marched in Kampong Cham province earlier in the day.

“Change or no change?” members in Phnom Penh shouted as they rolled down the streets of several districts yesterday. “Change number four to number seven,” they said, referencing the CPP and CNRP’s respective numbers on election ballots last July.Opposition party members held the rallies less than a week after public gatherings were banned in the capital during the May 1-16 council election campaign.A mass of CNRP supporters in Phnom Penh followed lawmaker Yim Sovann, as members physically blocked people at major intersections from breaking up the rally and the group sped through traffic lights and snarled traffic.

“The public is not content; they don’t like it because traffic is always heavy,” Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said. “But in some cases, [CNRP members] don’t respect that.”

Siphan last night said the demonstration was allowed to occur because it did not interfere with public order.

Only a handful of police were seen on the streets during the roughly four-hour rally, a stark contrast to the reaction to demonstrations held last Thursday and Friday, when Daun Penh district security guards beat a number of people. The municipality notified the public of the ban via its website on Tuesday. An announcement on the site said city Governor Pa Socheatvong informed officials from all of Phnom Penh’s nine districts that public assemblies were banned.

After CNRP president Sam Rainsy and vice president Kem Sokha held an International Labour Day demonstration, where about 1,500 gathered at the Naga Bridge, across from Freedom Park, helmeted Daun Penh security guards seemingly picked people out at random and beat them with clubs. At least five people were injured.

Several people, including at least two journalists, were injured the next day after security guards and riot police cracked down on a gathering at the same location for a planned opposition party demonstration.

Rainsy and Sokha both attended the rally in Kampong Cham yesterday, where supporters took a similar approach to campaigning for the council election, despite what was described as a large number of military police blocking them from entering market areas.

“The Cambodia National Rescue Party will rule the government soon,” Sokha said at the Kampong Cham march. “During the election in 2013, the National Rescue Party won in Phnom Penh, so a Cambodia National Rescue Party member should be Phnom Penh municipality’s governor.”

Addressing the crowd in Kampong Cham, Rainsy brought up the issue of land grabbing.

“Our past disputes are not important; now we must join to save our nation,” Rainsy said. “People’s farmland is being grabbed and we must solve that. Our forests are also being destroyed, people’s lives are being ruined.”