Air India plane crash kills scores

Up to 159 people killed in southern India after plane overshoots runway and crashes in gorge

David Batty and agencies

Nearly 160 people were killed today when a plane overshot an airport runway and plunged into a gorge in southern India.

Of the 166 people on board the Air India airliner, 159 died when it appeared to skid off the hilltop runway at Bajpe airport in Mangalore in heavy rain.

Seven people survived the crash, which happened at 6.30am, and were being treated in nearby hospitals, according to local officials.

One survivor, Pradeep G Kotian, 28, said: "As soon as the plane touched the runway, it started vibrating and before we could realise what was happening, we heard a loud sound and the plane broke into two pieces. Then there was smoke and fire on the plane.

"Nobody could do anything. Luckily, I saw the opening where the plane had split into two, and I jumped out of it. I could see three others who had also jumped out from the same opening".

Kotain, who injured his hand and suffered burns to his feet, told CNN-IBN TV that the fire on the plane was small at first, but an explosion sparked a bigger blaze.

Another survivor, 47-year-old Krishnan K, said: "It happened all of a sudden and I considered myself really lucky to have survived this crash. I thank God for my survival".

Mayan Kutty, 48, who escaped the crash, said: "I consider myself really lucky. As soon as I jumped out of the plane, I spoke to my wife thinking she might be worried. But she was shocked to hear the news".

The Boeing 737-800, carrying 160 passengers and six crew members, crashed during heavy rains that also hampered the rescue effort. It is believed that cloudy conditions and reduced visibility may have contributed to the incident.

The crash is believed to be the worst in India since the November 1996 mid-air collision between a Saudi airliner and a Kazakh cargo plane near New Delhi that killed 349 people. Link

Russians and Chinese "spying on German firms wholesale"

Germany is full of Russian and Chinese spies working to get information about top business and technology developments, according to the country’s domestic intelligence service.

Studies show that the German economy loses around €50 billion a year as a consequence, Burkhard Even, head of the spy defence section of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, told the audience at a recent security forum in Bonn.

The spying is a mix of official, intelligence service agents, and unofficial business sneaks, he said. 

Even estimated that of the 500 registered staff of the Russian embassy in Berlin, at least 150 were working as intelligence agents, disguised as diplomats or journalists. 

He said that more than four million Russians live in the country as a whole, leaving him unable to guess at how many agents might be hidden amongst them.

Russian intelligence services have been instructed by the government to supply their industry with the most modern know-how to save money developing Russian products, one German official told the forum. 

Russian firms doing deals with foreign companies have to contact intelligence services before making firm agreements, the forum heard, giving the government agencies control over investments and businesses deals.

Both Russian and Chinese intelligence services are particularly focussing on German companies experiencing financial difficulties, sending agents posing as businessmen to offer sweet deals to firms operating in high-tech areas. 

There are around 80,000 Chinese people living in Germany, Even said, many of whom are commercial spies. China is also buying into, or taking over companies completely, in order to get access to new technological developments. 

He also described more underhand methods which he said were often employed by agents posing as visiting business delegations or even trainees who might use mini cameras to take pictures in factories, or secretly copy data. 

He said the Chinese were mostly active in the electronic sector. Some reports suggest the Chinese intelligence services have up to a million agents across the world collecting technical and business data to support their industries. 

Small and medium-sized companies in Germany are the worst protected against such efforts, particularly when they come via the internet, said Even. But the weakest link is always the innocence of staff, he stressed, calling for companies who suspect a spy attack to contact his office. Link

Somaliland-Ethiopia border clash 'kills 13'

At least 13 people have died in a clash between Somalis and Ethiopian forces who had crossed the border, village elders told the BBC.

Elders said three Ethiopian soldiers and at least 10 residents of Buhoodle district in Somaliland were killed in a shoot-out after a dispute at a checkpoint.

Residents say Ethiopia troops regularly cross into southern and central Somalia and fight Islamists controlling their towns, according to Reuters news agency.

But it is believed to be the first time that they have sought to do this in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, which is generally seen as more stable than Somalia. Link

Ex-Madagascar president denies backing mutiny plot

By Peroshni Govender

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Madagascar's ex-president Marc Ravalomanana said an interview on Saturday he had nothing to do with a military rebellion earlier this week in his homeland and remained committed to power-sharing talks.

President Andry Rajoelina has accused Ravalomanana of backing Thursday's mutiny by a military police faction, saying he had thrown hundreds of thousands of dollars at military chiefs in an attempt to destabilise Madagascar.

"I ... deny any involvement in the clashes in Madagascar," Ravalomanana told Reuters by telephone from Pretoria in South Africa where he is in exile.

"I have nothing to do with the military leaders that are behind this and it is not in my interest to finance violent action in the army," he said.

But Ravalomanana said he remained committed to power-sharing talks and hoped a second round of negotiations in Pretoria would take place soon. "I am ready to work and support the people of Madagascar, if they need me," he said. Link

Facebook to simplify privacy settings

Responding to complaints, the social networking site plans to make it easier for users to opt out of some, though not all, data-sharing features

By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times

Facing growing protests over its handling of users' personal information, Facebook plans to make changes to the privacy settings available on the world's largest social networking website. But the steps, to be unveiled as early as next week, may not go as far as critics would like.

Lawmakers, regulators, privacy watchdogs and some Facebook users have unleashed a storm of criticism of the Internet company since it launched a program that shares user data with three third-party websites. A number of U.S. senators have called on Facebook to allow users to opt out of that program, which Facebook calls instant personalization.

The 6-year-old private company also has been assailed for technical glitches and loopholes that have exposed some personal data to third parties.

Facebook said Friday that it would simplify its privacy choices in response to complaints that the settings were confusing to navigate. It's expected that Facebook will offer users an easier way to dictate whether their information is shared with their friends only, with a broader group or with everyone.

But the company doesn't intend to end the instant personalization program, two people familiar with the plan said. They also said Facebook didn't plan to get explicit consent from its nearly 500 million users before adding new features. Link

9 killed in suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan

Nine people were killed Friday night when a suspected U.S. drone struck in Pakistan's North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan, two local officials said. 

The dead consisted of two children, two women and five men, Pakistani intelligence and administrative officials said. 

The U.S. military routinely offers no comment on reported drone attacks. However, it is the only country operating in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely. Link

At least 158 feared dead in India plane crash

(CNN) -- At least 158 people are feared dead after a passenger jet overshot a runway, crashed into a valley and burst into flames in southern India on Saturday morning, officials said.

Eight of the 166 people on board Air India Flight IX-812 were taken to hospitals after the crash outside Mangalore International Airport, the airline's director told reporters.

The Boeing 737 took off from Dubai and crashed while trying to make its scheduled landing in Mangalore at 6:30 a.m. Saturday (9 p.m. ET Friday), Air India Director Anup Srivastava said. Link

Casualties feared in Air India crash

(CNN) -- A plane crash in southern India early Saturday has killed more than 160 passengers, an Indian official said.

V.S. Acharya, the home minister of India's Karnataka state, told CNN-IBN he thought about five or or six people had survived the crash.

The Air India plane was carrying 165 passengers -- including four infants -- and went down around 6:30 a.m. (9 p.m. ET Friday) near the Mangalore airport, CNN-IBN reported, citing an airline spokesman.

The Boeing 737 burst into flames after overshooting the runway on a flight from Dubai, CNN-IBN reported.

Witnesses told CNN-IBN that the plane crashed through the airport's boundary wall and fell into a valley.

The network said that smoke from the plane and the hilly and wooded surrounding terrain were hampering rescue efforts, though about 25 to 30 ambulances were on the scene. Link