Australia military abuse may lead to payouts
By Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney
The statue of an Anzac soldier on the Anzac Bridge in Sydney, Australia Former service personnel have come forward with allegations of rape, sexual abuse and bullying
Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said compensation might have to be paid to victims of bullying and sexual abuse in the country's military.
The defence minister has set up a string of inquiries into the issue.
He says some of the claims against his department date back to the Vietnam War.
The country's military has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent months raising concerns about a culture of sexism, homophobia and bullying.
One such incident involved a page set up on Facebook vilifying allegedly gay members of the defences forces.
'Phenomenal costs'
Another which emerged earlier this month, known as the Skype scandal, involved a female cadet at the defence academy in Canberra.
The 18-year-old had consensual sex with a fellow cadet, which was secretly filmed and broadcast via webcam to a group of men in another room.
Since then, many former defence employees have come forward with allegations of rape, sexual abuse and bullying during their time in the military.
No collective law suit, known as a class action, has yet been mounted.
But the head of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia said the costs could be phenomenal were it to succeed.
Apr 17, 2011
Cuba President Raul Castro seeks 10-year term limits
Comments (19)
Click to play
Raul Castro realises Cuba's communists "made real mistakes out of idealism", the BBC's Michael Voss reports from Havana
Continue reading the main story
Changing Cuba
A last hurrah
Rubber-stamping exercise?
Market socialism?
Q&A: Economic changes
Cuban President Raul Castro has said top political positions should be limited to two five-year terms, and promised "systematic rejuvenation" of the government.
President Castro was speaking at the start of the first congress of Cuba's ruling Communist Party in 14 years.
He said the party leadership was in need of renewal and should subject itself to severe self-criticism.
The proposal is unprecedented under Cuban communism.
Mr Castro, 79, made clear the limits would apply to himself.
He took over from his brother Fidel in 2008 and between them they have ruled Cuba for 52 years.
He acknowledged that "the confidence of the majority of Cubans had been tested, with regard to the party and the revolution".
Cubans, he said, would have to overcome a "mentality of inertia" and said the only thing that could threaten the revolution was "our inability to rectify errors".
His brother and former leader Fidel Castro, now 84, missed the day's events. He said he regretted his absence but felt proud of the congress and the military parade that preceded it.
Economic change
In his speech, Raul Castro said the limit of two consecutive five-year terms would apply to "the current president of the Council of State and his ministers" - a reference to himself.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Michael Voss Michael Voss BBC News, Havana
There is no talk of political change inasmuch as Cuba's rulers are going to allow other parties or hold more open elections.
However, I think they have seen what has been happening around the Arab world and are thinking it is best to be pro-active.
Very clearly, allowing presidents to stand for just two terms is a way they see of helping people get used to the idea that change is on the way.
Much of what he said concerned his plans to reduce the role of the state in the economy and encourage private enterprise.
It would take at least five years to update Cuba's economic model, Mr Castro said.
Free education and healthcare would still be guaranteed, but mass subsidies of basic goods would be removed and social spending would be "rationalised".
Mr Castro said 200,000 people had already registered as self-employed since changes were announced last October, doubling the number of Cubans working for themselves.
But he insisted the socialist character of Cuba would be "irreversible" and accumulation of property would not be allowed.
The Communist Party Congress was preceded by a one of the largest military parades Cuba has seen in years, marking the 50th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by US-backed exile groups.
Troops and armoured vehicles paraded through Havana's Revolution Square, followed by hundreds of thousands of civilians waving flags and chanting slogans.
The parade and congress also celebrate 50 years since Fidel Castro proclaimed that his was a socialist revolution.
In 1961, Cuban exile groups armed and trained by the American CIA came ashore at the Bay of Pigs, 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Havana, in an attempt to overthrow him.
But after 72 hours of combat the invasion was defeated, in what Cuba celebrates as the "first great defeat for US imperialism in Latin America".
Raul Castro, who is a general, donned military fatigues for the parade.
Fidel Castro 'pride'
There was no sign of Raul Castro's brother, the revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro, who is now 84 years old.
But remarks attributed to him appeared later on the Cubadebate website, in which he spoke of a "feeling of pride" at the day's events.
"It's worth to have lived to see that show today and it's worth always to remember those who gave their life to make it possible," he was quoted as saying.
He said he could not have coped with the heat for more than an hour, but regretted being unable to attend.
"Believe me, I felt myself ashamed when I saw some of you looking for me," he said.
"I thought you would understand I can no longer do any more what I've done many times."
The four-day party congress is expected to see 1,000 delegates back all or part of a package of nearly 300 reforms.
Graphic
It will also elect a new 100-member central committee, a 19-member politburo and a 10-member secretariat.
Comments (19)
Click to play
Raul Castro realises Cuba's communists "made real mistakes out of idealism", the BBC's Michael Voss reports from Havana
Continue reading the main story
Changing Cuba
A last hurrah
Rubber-stamping exercise?
Market socialism?
Q&A: Economic changes
Cuban President Raul Castro has said top political positions should be limited to two five-year terms, and promised "systematic rejuvenation" of the government.
President Castro was speaking at the start of the first congress of Cuba's ruling Communist Party in 14 years.
He said the party leadership was in need of renewal and should subject itself to severe self-criticism.
The proposal is unprecedented under Cuban communism.
Mr Castro, 79, made clear the limits would apply to himself.
He took over from his brother Fidel in 2008 and between them they have ruled Cuba for 52 years.
He acknowledged that "the confidence of the majority of Cubans had been tested, with regard to the party and the revolution".
Cubans, he said, would have to overcome a "mentality of inertia" and said the only thing that could threaten the revolution was "our inability to rectify errors".
His brother and former leader Fidel Castro, now 84, missed the day's events. He said he regretted his absence but felt proud of the congress and the military parade that preceded it.
Economic change
In his speech, Raul Castro said the limit of two consecutive five-year terms would apply to "the current president of the Council of State and his ministers" - a reference to himself.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Michael Voss Michael Voss BBC News, Havana
There is no talk of political change inasmuch as Cuba's rulers are going to allow other parties or hold more open elections.
However, I think they have seen what has been happening around the Arab world and are thinking it is best to be pro-active.
Very clearly, allowing presidents to stand for just two terms is a way they see of helping people get used to the idea that change is on the way.
Much of what he said concerned his plans to reduce the role of the state in the economy and encourage private enterprise.
It would take at least five years to update Cuba's economic model, Mr Castro said.
Free education and healthcare would still be guaranteed, but mass subsidies of basic goods would be removed and social spending would be "rationalised".
Mr Castro said 200,000 people had already registered as self-employed since changes were announced last October, doubling the number of Cubans working for themselves.
But he insisted the socialist character of Cuba would be "irreversible" and accumulation of property would not be allowed.
The Communist Party Congress was preceded by a one of the largest military parades Cuba has seen in years, marking the 50th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by US-backed exile groups.
Troops and armoured vehicles paraded through Havana's Revolution Square, followed by hundreds of thousands of civilians waving flags and chanting slogans.
The parade and congress also celebrate 50 years since Fidel Castro proclaimed that his was a socialist revolution.
In 1961, Cuban exile groups armed and trained by the American CIA came ashore at the Bay of Pigs, 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Havana, in an attempt to overthrow him.
But after 72 hours of combat the invasion was defeated, in what Cuba celebrates as the "first great defeat for US imperialism in Latin America".
Raul Castro, who is a general, donned military fatigues for the parade.
Fidel Castro 'pride'
There was no sign of Raul Castro's brother, the revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro, who is now 84 years old.
But remarks attributed to him appeared later on the Cubadebate website, in which he spoke of a "feeling of pride" at the day's events.
"It's worth to have lived to see that show today and it's worth always to remember those who gave their life to make it possible," he was quoted as saying.
He said he could not have coped with the heat for more than an hour, but regretted being unable to attend.
"Believe me, I felt myself ashamed when I saw some of you looking for me," he said.
"I thought you would understand I can no longer do any more what I've done many times."
The four-day party congress is expected to see 1,000 delegates back all or part of a package of nearly 300 reforms.
Graphic
It will also elect a new 100-member central committee, a 19-member politburo and a 10-member secretariat.
Mutai and Keitany secure Kenyan London Marathon double
Emmaunel Mutai
Mutai breaks London Marathon record
Emmanuel Mutai and Mary Keitany completed a Kenyan double as they won the men's and women's races at the London Marathon on Sunday.
Mutai raced to a London record of two hours four minutes and 39 seconds, while Keitany won in 2:19.17, the fourth fastest women's marathon ever.
In the men's race Martin Lel sprinted to second place ahead of Patrick Makau as Kenyans filled the top three spots.
Russian defending champion Liliya Shobukhova was the women's runner-up.
Mutai told BBC Sport: "My dreams have come true, the day has come for me. My aim was just to win the race, I was not focusing on the time.
"I'm happy with the result, since I came to run in London, I was fourth twice and second once. It's a fantastic achievement for me personally."
Click to play
Mutai delighted with new record
Keitany, running only her second marathon, controlled the latter part of the women's race and the 29-year-old won by nearly a minute from Shobukhova.
The Russian world number one was a strong favourite to retain her London Marathon title and led from the beginning, but Keitany pulled ahead of the pack at mile 15 and increased her pace all the way to the line.
Kenya's Mary Keitany
Keitany wins women's marathon
"I am happy because I won the race. I decided to go at my own pace at 21k. I think I surprised myself as I was with last year's winner [Shobukhova]," said Keitany.
"I was scared at first but as we continued to move I believed in myself."
Edna Kiplagat, 31, finished third on her London marathon debut.
Great Britain's Jo Pavey came through in a time of 2:28.23, the seventh fastest time by a British female athlete and inside the British Olympic qualifying time.
Team-mate Louise Damen, the second British athlete across the line, was also inside the qualifying time in 2:29.59.
Pavey told BBC Sport: "The first half felt quite slow but the second half was awful really. I enjoyed it and I know I've got a lot to learn.
"From here I need to think about longer sustained runs, I know what I've got to do and I need to go away and do them. All in all I'm very pleased."
Britain's Andrew Lemoncello could not improve on last year's eighth-placed finish as he struggled in the later stages of the men's event.
London Marathon start
Watch the mass start of the London Marathon
Emmaunel Mutai
Mutai breaks London Marathon record
Emmanuel Mutai and Mary Keitany completed a Kenyan double as they won the men's and women's races at the London Marathon on Sunday.
Mutai raced to a London record of two hours four minutes and 39 seconds, while Keitany won in 2:19.17, the fourth fastest women's marathon ever.
In the men's race Martin Lel sprinted to second place ahead of Patrick Makau as Kenyans filled the top three spots.
Russian defending champion Liliya Shobukhova was the women's runner-up.
Mutai told BBC Sport: "My dreams have come true, the day has come for me. My aim was just to win the race, I was not focusing on the time.
"I'm happy with the result, since I came to run in London, I was fourth twice and second once. It's a fantastic achievement for me personally."
Click to play
Mutai delighted with new record
Keitany, running only her second marathon, controlled the latter part of the women's race and the 29-year-old won by nearly a minute from Shobukhova.
The Russian world number one was a strong favourite to retain her London Marathon title and led from the beginning, but Keitany pulled ahead of the pack at mile 15 and increased her pace all the way to the line.
Kenya's Mary Keitany
Keitany wins women's marathon
"I am happy because I won the race. I decided to go at my own pace at 21k. I think I surprised myself as I was with last year's winner [Shobukhova]," said Keitany.
"I was scared at first but as we continued to move I believed in myself."
Edna Kiplagat, 31, finished third on her London marathon debut.
Great Britain's Jo Pavey came through in a time of 2:28.23, the seventh fastest time by a British female athlete and inside the British Olympic qualifying time.
Team-mate Louise Damen, the second British athlete across the line, was also inside the qualifying time in 2:29.59.
Pavey told BBC Sport: "The first half felt quite slow but the second half was awful really. I enjoyed it and I know I've got a lot to learn.
"From here I need to think about longer sustained runs, I know what I've got to do and I need to go away and do them. All in all I'm very pleased."
Britain's Andrew Lemoncello could not improve on last year's eighth-placed finish as he struggled in the later stages of the men's event.
London Marathon start
Watch the mass start of the London Marathon
Cameron: Libya UN resolution makes mission 'difficult'
Rebel fighters are seen at the eastern entrance of Ajdabiyahh on 17 April There are reports rebels have come under fire on the outskirts of the eastern city of Ajdabiya
Continue reading the main story
Libya Crisis
Fearing massacre in Misrata
Letter on Libya: Full text
Layers of reality in Tripoli
Libya crisis mapped
The UK Prime Minister has said the terms of the UN resolution on Libya are a "restriction" on the coalition powers who have been trying to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly zone.
David Cameron said because under the resolution there would be no invasion or occupation in Libya the mission was made more difficult.
But he stressed the restrictions were the "right" ones.
It comes amid reports of fresh fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and rebels.
Opponents of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi say at least six people were killed and 47 wounded when his forces shelled the western town of Misrata on Sunday morning. Pro-government fighters are also said to have shelled Ajdabiya in the east.
Speaking to Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News, Mr Cameron said: "We're not occupying, we're not invading, that's not what we're about. And that is obviously a restriction on us, but I think it is the right restriction.
"It's because we've said we're not going to invade, we're not going to occupy, this is more difficult in many ways, because we can't fully determine the outcome with what we have available.
"But we're very clear we must stick to the terms of the UN Security Council resolution - and we must keep the support of the Arab world."
Mr Cameron went on to say enforcing the resolution meant bombing missions "to actually take out Gaddafi's tanks and artillery and command and control that are unleashing this hell on people in Misrata in Brega, and other towns up and down the Libyan coast".
Protecting civilians
He said it should also mean "things like helping, as we are, the interim transitional national council, assisting the rebels with non-lethal equipment, as we have done".
"We've given them body armour, we've given them communications equipment. But of course, clearly we should be doing things to help the protection of civilians," he said.
The UN resolution authorises "all necessary measures" to protect civilians under threat of attack - short of an occupying force. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's removal is not a specified military objective of the action.
On Saturday, the former head of the UK armed forces Lord Dannatt said the allies should seek United Nations approval to arm and train Libyan rebels
Lord Dannatt told the BBC: "We want to act within the law, within international agreement and therefore we should be arguing the case to not accept a stalemate, not to put our own boots on the ground, but to properly arm those boots that are on the ground.
"They are Libyan boots. Let the Libyan people have the wherewithal to choose a new government for themselves."
Renewed fighting
Meanwhile, there were fierce battles on the road between Ajdabiya and the strategic oil town of Brega, which has changed hands several times in recent weeks, on Saturday.
Elsewhere renewed fighting was also reported in Misrata, the embattled rebel holdout in the west of Libya.
Concern over the fate of civilians in the city has been growing in recent days, as evidence has emerged that pro-Gaddafi forces have been shelling and launching rocket attacks.
Human Rights Watch has alleged that the Libyan forces are using cluster bombs in Misrata. Libya's government has denied that suggestion.
Responding to the denial, Peter Bouckaert from Human Rights Watch told BBC News "extensive physical evidence" of the use of cluster munitions in Misrata had been found.
"We have no doubt that the Libyan army has used cluster bombs in Misrata, and continue to do so, despite their denials," he said.
Rebel fighters are seen at the eastern entrance of Ajdabiyahh on 17 April There are reports rebels have come under fire on the outskirts of the eastern city of Ajdabiya
Continue reading the main story
Libya Crisis
Fearing massacre in Misrata
Letter on Libya: Full text
Layers of reality in Tripoli
Libya crisis mapped
The UK Prime Minister has said the terms of the UN resolution on Libya are a "restriction" on the coalition powers who have been trying to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly zone.
David Cameron said because under the resolution there would be no invasion or occupation in Libya the mission was made more difficult.
But he stressed the restrictions were the "right" ones.
It comes amid reports of fresh fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and rebels.
Opponents of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi say at least six people were killed and 47 wounded when his forces shelled the western town of Misrata on Sunday morning. Pro-government fighters are also said to have shelled Ajdabiya in the east.
Speaking to Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News, Mr Cameron said: "We're not occupying, we're not invading, that's not what we're about. And that is obviously a restriction on us, but I think it is the right restriction.
"It's because we've said we're not going to invade, we're not going to occupy, this is more difficult in many ways, because we can't fully determine the outcome with what we have available.
"But we're very clear we must stick to the terms of the UN Security Council resolution - and we must keep the support of the Arab world."
Mr Cameron went on to say enforcing the resolution meant bombing missions "to actually take out Gaddafi's tanks and artillery and command and control that are unleashing this hell on people in Misrata in Brega, and other towns up and down the Libyan coast".
Protecting civilians
He said it should also mean "things like helping, as we are, the interim transitional national council, assisting the rebels with non-lethal equipment, as we have done".
"We've given them body armour, we've given them communications equipment. But of course, clearly we should be doing things to help the protection of civilians," he said.
The UN resolution authorises "all necessary measures" to protect civilians under threat of attack - short of an occupying force. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's removal is not a specified military objective of the action.
On Saturday, the former head of the UK armed forces Lord Dannatt said the allies should seek United Nations approval to arm and train Libyan rebels
Lord Dannatt told the BBC: "We want to act within the law, within international agreement and therefore we should be arguing the case to not accept a stalemate, not to put our own boots on the ground, but to properly arm those boots that are on the ground.
"They are Libyan boots. Let the Libyan people have the wherewithal to choose a new government for themselves."
Renewed fighting
Meanwhile, there were fierce battles on the road between Ajdabiya and the strategic oil town of Brega, which has changed hands several times in recent weeks, on Saturday.
Elsewhere renewed fighting was also reported in Misrata, the embattled rebel holdout in the west of Libya.
Concern over the fate of civilians in the city has been growing in recent days, as evidence has emerged that pro-Gaddafi forces have been shelling and launching rocket attacks.
Human Rights Watch has alleged that the Libyan forces are using cluster bombs in Misrata. Libya's government has denied that suggestion.
Responding to the denial, Peter Bouckaert from Human Rights Watch told BBC News "extensive physical evidence" of the use of cluster munitions in Misrata had been found.
"We have no doubt that the Libyan army has used cluster bombs in Misrata, and continue to do so, despite their denials," he said.
Tsunami: Death and survival at school swimming club
By Damian Grammaticas BBC News, Rikuzentakata, Japan
Click to play
A teacher, Yukiko Horie , prays for the students she could not save. Satellite imagery courtesy of GeoEye
Continue reading the main story
Japan quake
Fukushima v Chernobyl
Q&A: Health effects of radiation
Fukushima: What must be done?
Residents nervous
Standing outside Rikuzentakata's community hall, Yukiko Horie clasps her hands together and then touches them to her forehead. She bows and says a quiet prayer.
The three-storey building is still standing, but it has been completely wrecked by the tsunami that swept through just over a month ago.
Someone has placed a small bunch of artificial flowers on a smashed window ledge near what was the main door.
When Yukiko looks up she sighs with grief.
She tells me that in her prayer she was talking to her students. Six of them died here. One is still missing. "I kind of apologised to them, saying I'm sorry that on the day I was not with them, I felt very sorry."
One month on Yukiko Horie is wracked by guilt that she survived while the children died. They were all aged between 16 and 17, and were members of Takata High School's swimming club.
Yukiko, an English teacher, was also one of the two coaches in charge of the club. She was not with the team when the earthquake struck on 11 March but at school.
Hill climb
Of the 11 members of the club, nine had gone to practise at Rikuzentakata's B&G swimming centre down by the seafront. They had just got changed into their swimming costumes when the magnitude 9 quake hit.
Fearing a tsunami, the staff at B&G followed their established evacuation drill and took the nine children a mile or so to the town's community centre, right opposite Rikuzentakata's town hall.
Members of the swimming club before the tsunami hit Six members of the Takata High School swimming club died and one is missing
It was a fateful decision. Takata High School was closer, but the community hall was the designated tsunami shelter for anyone at the pool.
At the school, Yukiko Horie had started to evacuate several hundred children who were still in classes.
The second swimming teacher, 29-year-old Motoko Mori, hurried off towards the seaside to try to find the club members and bring them to safety. Ms Mori has not been seen since. She got married in March last year.
Yukiko Horie and the children in school all reached the top of the hill before the tsunami struck. They all survived.
But, down on lower ground, the community hall was swallowed by the waves. Along with the swimming team, many adults were also sheltering inside.
'Pushed them in'
As Yukiko steps into the ruined hall for the first time since the disaster, broken glass and splintered wood crunch underfoot. Torn wires and shredded cladding hang from the ceiling. Twisted panels lie everywhere.
One huge concrete wall and the giant steel girders that once held up the roof of the hall's concert auditorium have all caved in. Rows and rows of seats have been ripped from their mountings. Everything has been smashed to pieces.
The community hall in Rikuzentakata The community hall was a designated evacuation area in Rikuzentakata
Incredibly two girls from the swimming team managed, somehow, to survive this. With a mobile phone pressed to her ear, Yukiko is speaking to one of them, Honoka Sasaki, who is in hospital. She is guiding Yukiko through the building.
Yukiko is looking for the storeroom up on the third floor where the two girls clung to each other while the waters swirled around them.
She ends the call as we have to scramble under twisted pipes and then, suddenly, she sees the room. The door is ajar.
"This is the place. It's exactly here," Yukiko exclaims, "it must be. They couldn't open the door, but the wave pushed them in."
Honoka and the second girl, 16-year-old Chihiro Kanno, told Yukiko how they ran upstairs to escape the rising water. But it caught up with them. The water forced the door of the store open, and swept them inside.
"Ah, look," she says, pointing at the wall near the ceiling, "up there, it's very clear you can see the line on the wall where the water reached. It's just a few inches from the top. In that space they had air. They were swimming, just to keep breathing."
Yukiko is making a paddling motion with her hands as if re-enacting the way the girls struggled to keep their heads above the water.
The storeroom is small and dark. The tidemark where the water stopped rising is easily visible, about six inches below the ceiling, which must be 9ft (3m) up.
"How is it possible?" Yukiko says out loud. "The girls! Here! Amazing!"
Swept away
After the earthquake, 16-year-old Chihiro had been crying and panicking. But a third girl from the swimming club had calmed her, telling her not to worry, it would all be fine.
As the tsunami swept into the hall, Chihiro held the girl's hand while they fled upstairs. But when the water forced Chihiro into the storeroom she could not keep hold of her friend. They were pulled apart.
Chihiro Kanno Chihiro Kanno survived in a storage room where water did not quite reach the ceiling
Chihiro and Honoka watched as their teammate was swept across the hall, pressed against an elevator by the wave, then carried away.
"They saw it," says Yukiko. Then she turns. "Here's the elevator. The girl was struggling. The two of them, here, they were watching. But they couldn't help. Oh." And she raises her hands to her face again, sighs, and bows once more.
The two surviving girls were trapped in the storeroom, holding on to each other and struggling to breathe in their air pocket for 10 or 15 minutes until the tsunami receded.
Then, soaking wet, they spent a night trapped in the building in the freezing cold until they were found by a rescue team the next day.
'Find a door'
Honoka Sasaki is still in hospital. She cut her leg on a ventilation fan that was floating in the water and had to have an operation last week.
"Honoka remembers the terrible things and cannot sleep," says Yukiko, "though gradually she is sleeping a little more.
"I don't know how to help her," she adds, "I think the terrible experience will stay with the girls for their lives."
Blossom on a hill over-looking the destroyed city of Rikuzentakata The earthquake and tsunami killed one in 10 residents in Rikuzentakata
Chihiro Kanno was taken to an evacuation shelter. In the chaos after the disaster it took her three days to find her parents. They thought she had died.
Her home has been destroyed so she now lives in a tiny room in an old people's home, along with other evacuees.
Chihiro now has frequent nightmares. She tries to keep busy, to ward off the memories. She is polite and shy.
"We were in the hall on the 3rd floor when the wave came over us," she says in a soft, quiet voice. "I was holding my friend's hand, but we got separated, then she was swept away.
"I was washed into the storage room. I was underwater, my back touched the floor. Above me was wreckage. I dodged it and swam up. There was a small space between the ceiling and the water, I could breathe there.
"I heard Honoka say 'Are you there, Chihiro? Find a door.' We held each other and waited until the water drained away."
Chihiro wants to get back to school as soon as possible to be with her friends. But the tsunami destroyed her town of Rikuzentakata. Of its population of 23,000, one in 10 is dead or missing. Half have lost their homes.
'Can't sleep'
All around Rikuzentakata teams of soldiers are clearing up the broken buildings. They are depositing smashed wood, twisted metal and wreckage in neat piles. The fabric of an entire town is being carried away so Rikuzentakata can be rebuilt.
But the many, many broken lives here and in other towns for hundreds of miles along the coast may never be repaired.
Japan's Red Cross says up to one in 10 of all survivors from Japan's earthquake and tsunami might now suffer post traumatic stress disorder. That could be tens of thousands of people. The trauma may be the legacy that weighs the longest on Japan.
Takata High School is a wreck. The reinforced three-storey building is still standing. But the sports hall was picked up and rammed into one side of the school. Every classroom is full of debris.
Yukiko Horie, the swimming teacher, walks slowly through the building. She cannot escape her feelings of guilt that she could not save her students.
"At night I can't sleep," she says, "I imagine many things because I was not with them in that building. How horrible it was. The fear. How cold was the water. How scared [they were], the black water."
"I imagine I could see [how] they tried to struggle and they are good swimmers, maybe they tried to swim and go up, but I couldn't help them."
Now Yukiko is working with the other teachers to open a new, temporary school for the surviving children. She says she tries to be strong for her students.
"These days I am thinking if they were here, the swimming members, what they will tell me," Yukiko says. "I imagine, maybe they will ask me to try not to be so sad, to just stand up. I think they will tell me that. So that's my strength."
And then she adds, "sometimes the swimming members appear in my dream and they also make me laugh."
"I should step forward, so I try not to be thinking of the sad stories. I have a responsibility to step forward."
By Damian Grammaticas BBC News, Rikuzentakata, Japan
Click to play
A teacher, Yukiko Horie , prays for the students she could not save. Satellite imagery courtesy of GeoEye
Continue reading the main story
Japan quake
Fukushima v Chernobyl
Q&A: Health effects of radiation
Fukushima: What must be done?
Residents nervous
Standing outside Rikuzentakata's community hall, Yukiko Horie clasps her hands together and then touches them to her forehead. She bows and says a quiet prayer.
The three-storey building is still standing, but it has been completely wrecked by the tsunami that swept through just over a month ago.
Someone has placed a small bunch of artificial flowers on a smashed window ledge near what was the main door.
When Yukiko looks up she sighs with grief.
She tells me that in her prayer she was talking to her students. Six of them died here. One is still missing. "I kind of apologised to them, saying I'm sorry that on the day I was not with them, I felt very sorry."
One month on Yukiko Horie is wracked by guilt that she survived while the children died. They were all aged between 16 and 17, and were members of Takata High School's swimming club.
Yukiko, an English teacher, was also one of the two coaches in charge of the club. She was not with the team when the earthquake struck on 11 March but at school.
Hill climb
Of the 11 members of the club, nine had gone to practise at Rikuzentakata's B&G swimming centre down by the seafront. They had just got changed into their swimming costumes when the magnitude 9 quake hit.
Fearing a tsunami, the staff at B&G followed their established evacuation drill and took the nine children a mile or so to the town's community centre, right opposite Rikuzentakata's town hall.
Members of the swimming club before the tsunami hit Six members of the Takata High School swimming club died and one is missing
It was a fateful decision. Takata High School was closer, but the community hall was the designated tsunami shelter for anyone at the pool.
At the school, Yukiko Horie had started to evacuate several hundred children who were still in classes.
The second swimming teacher, 29-year-old Motoko Mori, hurried off towards the seaside to try to find the club members and bring them to safety. Ms Mori has not been seen since. She got married in March last year.
Yukiko Horie and the children in school all reached the top of the hill before the tsunami struck. They all survived.
But, down on lower ground, the community hall was swallowed by the waves. Along with the swimming team, many adults were also sheltering inside.
'Pushed them in'
As Yukiko steps into the ruined hall for the first time since the disaster, broken glass and splintered wood crunch underfoot. Torn wires and shredded cladding hang from the ceiling. Twisted panels lie everywhere.
One huge concrete wall and the giant steel girders that once held up the roof of the hall's concert auditorium have all caved in. Rows and rows of seats have been ripped from their mountings. Everything has been smashed to pieces.
The community hall in Rikuzentakata The community hall was a designated evacuation area in Rikuzentakata
Incredibly two girls from the swimming team managed, somehow, to survive this. With a mobile phone pressed to her ear, Yukiko is speaking to one of them, Honoka Sasaki, who is in hospital. She is guiding Yukiko through the building.
Yukiko is looking for the storeroom up on the third floor where the two girls clung to each other while the waters swirled around them.
She ends the call as we have to scramble under twisted pipes and then, suddenly, she sees the room. The door is ajar.
"This is the place. It's exactly here," Yukiko exclaims, "it must be. They couldn't open the door, but the wave pushed them in."
Honoka and the second girl, 16-year-old Chihiro Kanno, told Yukiko how they ran upstairs to escape the rising water. But it caught up with them. The water forced the door of the store open, and swept them inside.
"Ah, look," she says, pointing at the wall near the ceiling, "up there, it's very clear you can see the line on the wall where the water reached. It's just a few inches from the top. In that space they had air. They were swimming, just to keep breathing."
Yukiko is making a paddling motion with her hands as if re-enacting the way the girls struggled to keep their heads above the water.
The storeroom is small and dark. The tidemark where the water stopped rising is easily visible, about six inches below the ceiling, which must be 9ft (3m) up.
"How is it possible?" Yukiko says out loud. "The girls! Here! Amazing!"
Swept away
After the earthquake, 16-year-old Chihiro had been crying and panicking. But a third girl from the swimming club had calmed her, telling her not to worry, it would all be fine.
As the tsunami swept into the hall, Chihiro held the girl's hand while they fled upstairs. But when the water forced Chihiro into the storeroom she could not keep hold of her friend. They were pulled apart.
Chihiro Kanno Chihiro Kanno survived in a storage room where water did not quite reach the ceiling
Chihiro and Honoka watched as their teammate was swept across the hall, pressed against an elevator by the wave, then carried away.
"They saw it," says Yukiko. Then she turns. "Here's the elevator. The girl was struggling. The two of them, here, they were watching. But they couldn't help. Oh." And she raises her hands to her face again, sighs, and bows once more.
The two surviving girls were trapped in the storeroom, holding on to each other and struggling to breathe in their air pocket for 10 or 15 minutes until the tsunami receded.
Then, soaking wet, they spent a night trapped in the building in the freezing cold until they were found by a rescue team the next day.
'Find a door'
Honoka Sasaki is still in hospital. She cut her leg on a ventilation fan that was floating in the water and had to have an operation last week.
"Honoka remembers the terrible things and cannot sleep," says Yukiko, "though gradually she is sleeping a little more.
"I don't know how to help her," she adds, "I think the terrible experience will stay with the girls for their lives."
Blossom on a hill over-looking the destroyed city of Rikuzentakata The earthquake and tsunami killed one in 10 residents in Rikuzentakata
Chihiro Kanno was taken to an evacuation shelter. In the chaos after the disaster it took her three days to find her parents. They thought she had died.
Her home has been destroyed so she now lives in a tiny room in an old people's home, along with other evacuees.
Chihiro now has frequent nightmares. She tries to keep busy, to ward off the memories. She is polite and shy.
"We were in the hall on the 3rd floor when the wave came over us," she says in a soft, quiet voice. "I was holding my friend's hand, but we got separated, then she was swept away.
"I was washed into the storage room. I was underwater, my back touched the floor. Above me was wreckage. I dodged it and swam up. There was a small space between the ceiling and the water, I could breathe there.
"I heard Honoka say 'Are you there, Chihiro? Find a door.' We held each other and waited until the water drained away."
Chihiro wants to get back to school as soon as possible to be with her friends. But the tsunami destroyed her town of Rikuzentakata. Of its population of 23,000, one in 10 is dead or missing. Half have lost their homes.
'Can't sleep'
All around Rikuzentakata teams of soldiers are clearing up the broken buildings. They are depositing smashed wood, twisted metal and wreckage in neat piles. The fabric of an entire town is being carried away so Rikuzentakata can be rebuilt.
But the many, many broken lives here and in other towns for hundreds of miles along the coast may never be repaired.
Japan's Red Cross says up to one in 10 of all survivors from Japan's earthquake and tsunami might now suffer post traumatic stress disorder. That could be tens of thousands of people. The trauma may be the legacy that weighs the longest on Japan.
Takata High School is a wreck. The reinforced three-storey building is still standing. But the sports hall was picked up and rammed into one side of the school. Every classroom is full of debris.
Yukiko Horie, the swimming teacher, walks slowly through the building. She cannot escape her feelings of guilt that she could not save her students.
"At night I can't sleep," she says, "I imagine many things because I was not with them in that building. How horrible it was. The fear. How cold was the water. How scared [they were], the black water."
"I imagine I could see [how] they tried to struggle and they are good swimmers, maybe they tried to swim and go up, but I couldn't help them."
Now Yukiko is working with the other teachers to open a new, temporary school for the surviving children. She says she tries to be strong for her students.
"These days I am thinking if they were here, the swimming members, what they will tell me," Yukiko says. "I imagine, maybe they will ask me to try not to be so sad, to just stand up. I think they will tell me that. So that's my strength."
And then she adds, "sometimes the swimming members appear in my dream and they also make me laugh."
"I should step forward, so I try not to be thinking of the sad stories. I have a responsibility to step forward."
Japan nuclear crisis 'over in nine months'
Click to play
The BBC's Roland Buerk says that people are pleased that they have been given some idea of how long the crisis could last
Continue reading the main story
Japan quake
Death and survival at school
Fukushima v Chernobyl
Q&A: Health effects of radiation
Fukushima: What must be done?
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has said it expects to bring the crisis under control by the end of the year.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) aims to reduce radiation leaks in three months and to cool the reactors within nine months.
The utility said it also plans to cover the reactor building, which was hit by a huge quake and tsunami on 11 March.
Nearly 14,000 people died and another 14,000 are still unaccounted for.
Tepco unveiled its roadmap as Hillary Clinton briefly visited Tokyo to pledge America's "steadfast support" for Japan's reconstruction.
'Cold shutdown'
Radiation levels in the sea near reactor 2 rose to 6,500 times the legal limit on Friday, up from 1,100 times a day earlier, Tepco has said, raising fears of fresh radiation leaks.
Photo provided by QinetiQ A UK firm's robots, operated via a standard games console, will go into the reactor
Tsunehisa Katsumata, the chairman of Tepco, Asia's largest utility, told a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday they would need up to nine months to bring the power plant to ''cold shutdown''.
He said the plan would allow the tens of thousands of families evacuated from the area around the facility to return home as soon as possible.
"We sincerely apologise for causing troubles," Mr Katsumata said. "We are doing our utmost to prevent the crisis from further worsening."
Tepco said after cold shutdown it would focus on encasing the reactor buildings, cleaning up contaminated soil and removing nuclear fuel.
Japan's government had ordered Tepco to come up with a timetable to end the crisis, now rated on a par with the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
But the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says it is still not certain that the nine-month deadline can be achieved.
He says the immediate priority for Tepco is to stop radioactive water leaking into the Pacific Ocean.
The utility said it was sending remote-controlled robots into one of the reactors on Sunday to gauge radiation and temperature levels.
UK defence contractor QinetiQ said it had provided the machines, which are controlled using a standard games console.
The robots can carry out tasks such as rubble clearance, demolition and radiation testing.
Japan is a world leader in such technology, but its robots are not adapted for dirty work such as meltdowns at nuclear plants, experts say.
US thanked
Emergency workers have been unable to enter any reactor building since the disaster.
Japanese Emperor Akihito (L) and Empress Michiko (R) greet Hillary Clinton at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 17 April 2011 Before the disaster, Japan-US ties had been strained by a dispute over military bases
Our correspondent says Japan's recovery bill has been estimated at $300bn (£184bn) - already the most expensive disaster in history.
But the government said last week that figure might be an underestimate.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Clinton said in Japan she believed the country would emerge stronger from its worst crisis since World War II.
She met Prime Minister Naoto Kan and had tea with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace, said to be a rare privilege for a non-head of state on a Sunday.
America has won Japanese admiration for sending scores of US ships and aircraft as well as 20,000 troops to help the relief effort.
Operation Tomodachi, or Friend, was the biggest humanitarian mission the US has conducted in Japan.
Before the quake, the two nations' ties had been strained by a dispute over US military bases on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
Mr Kan's predecessor as premier quit last year after being accused of reneging on a promise to remove at least one of the bases.
Map
Click to play
The BBC's Roland Buerk says that people are pleased that they have been given some idea of how long the crisis could last
Continue reading the main story
Japan quake
Death and survival at school
Fukushima v Chernobyl
Q&A: Health effects of radiation
Fukushima: What must be done?
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has said it expects to bring the crisis under control by the end of the year.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) aims to reduce radiation leaks in three months and to cool the reactors within nine months.
The utility said it also plans to cover the reactor building, which was hit by a huge quake and tsunami on 11 March.
Nearly 14,000 people died and another 14,000 are still unaccounted for.
Tepco unveiled its roadmap as Hillary Clinton briefly visited Tokyo to pledge America's "steadfast support" for Japan's reconstruction.
'Cold shutdown'
Radiation levels in the sea near reactor 2 rose to 6,500 times the legal limit on Friday, up from 1,100 times a day earlier, Tepco has said, raising fears of fresh radiation leaks.
Photo provided by QinetiQ A UK firm's robots, operated via a standard games console, will go into the reactor
Tsunehisa Katsumata, the chairman of Tepco, Asia's largest utility, told a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday they would need up to nine months to bring the power plant to ''cold shutdown''.
He said the plan would allow the tens of thousands of families evacuated from the area around the facility to return home as soon as possible.
"We sincerely apologise for causing troubles," Mr Katsumata said. "We are doing our utmost to prevent the crisis from further worsening."
Tepco said after cold shutdown it would focus on encasing the reactor buildings, cleaning up contaminated soil and removing nuclear fuel.
Japan's government had ordered Tepco to come up with a timetable to end the crisis, now rated on a par with the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
But the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says it is still not certain that the nine-month deadline can be achieved.
He says the immediate priority for Tepco is to stop radioactive water leaking into the Pacific Ocean.
The utility said it was sending remote-controlled robots into one of the reactors on Sunday to gauge radiation and temperature levels.
UK defence contractor QinetiQ said it had provided the machines, which are controlled using a standard games console.
The robots can carry out tasks such as rubble clearance, demolition and radiation testing.
Japan is a world leader in such technology, but its robots are not adapted for dirty work such as meltdowns at nuclear plants, experts say.
US thanked
Emergency workers have been unable to enter any reactor building since the disaster.
Japanese Emperor Akihito (L) and Empress Michiko (R) greet Hillary Clinton at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 17 April 2011 Before the disaster, Japan-US ties had been strained by a dispute over military bases
Our correspondent says Japan's recovery bill has been estimated at $300bn (£184bn) - already the most expensive disaster in history.
But the government said last week that figure might be an underestimate.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Clinton said in Japan she believed the country would emerge stronger from its worst crisis since World War II.
She met Prime Minister Naoto Kan and had tea with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace, said to be a rare privilege for a non-head of state on a Sunday.
America has won Japanese admiration for sending scores of US ships and aircraft as well as 20,000 troops to help the relief effort.
Operation Tomodachi, or Friend, was the biggest humanitarian mission the US has conducted in Japan.
Before the quake, the two nations' ties had been strained by a dispute over US military bases on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
Mr Kan's predecessor as premier quit last year after being accused of reneging on a promise to remove at least one of the bases.
Map
Apr 16, 2011
Taiwan exchange aims alliances and no M&A plans
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A man walks past a full green board signifying a mass drop in Taiwan stocks inside a brokerage in Taipei May 21, 2010. REUTERS/Nicky Loh
By Shao Xiaoyi and Farah Master
BOAO, China | Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:34am EDT
(Reuters) - The Taiwan Stock Exchange aims to boost its alliances with other bourses in Asia by way of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and has no plans for mergers and acquisitions, its chairman said on Saturday.
"The global wave of exchange mergers has got nothing to do with us. So far, we don't really have the relevant regulations to allow that," Schive Chi, chairman of the exchange, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China's southern province of Hainan.
The Taiwan bourse, located in the landmark Taipei 101, is open to discussions with counterparts in Shanghai and Tokyo on cross-listings of ETFs, investment funds that are traded on stock exchanges, Schive said.
Exchanges around the world are chasing cross-border deals to build scale and cut costs as competition increases from dark pools, though not all have met with success.
Singapore's stock exchange (SGXL.SI) came close to buying Australia's ASX Ltd. (ASX.AX), but the Australian government rejected the $8 billion bid.
The Tokyo and Osaka exchanges are in talks; Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) is competing with a partnership of Nasdaq OMX Group (NDAQ.O) and IntercontinentalExchange (ICE.N) to buy NYSE Euronext (NYX.N); and London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) is looking to combine with Canada's TMX Group (X.TO).
In southeast Asia, exchanges announced plans to market themselves jointly to international investors and said they were confident a venture to allow trading between some of them would be ready before the end of the year.
For now, Taiwan's stock exchange will focus on organic growth, Schive said.
The exchange, which has a total market capitalization of $800 billion, aims to have 55 initial public offerings (IPOs) and Taiwan Depositary Receipts (TDR) issuances this year, up from 39 last year, Schive said.
"Taiwan's strength is in technology, manufacturing and food products. These are the areas we hope to attract companies to list," said Schive, who was formerly the vice chairman of Taiwan's planning commission.
(Writing by Lee Chyen Yee; Editing by Alison Birrane)
Share this
inShare
digg
Related News
China sovereign wealth fund eyeing Europe despite risks
3:45am EDT
Dow, S&P inch up as growth questioned, Google off late
Thu, Apr 14 2011
Glencore seeks up to $12.1 billion in IPO, names chair
Thu, Apr 14 2011
MGM to gain control of Macau casino in IPO
Wed, Apr 13 2011
No reason to boost bid for NYSE, says ICE CEO
Tue, Apr 12 2011
Analysis & Opinion
U.S. vs China: which economy is bigger, better?
Overheating China threatens global inflation
Related Topics
Deals »
Global Deals Data 2011 Q1 »
Inflows Outflows »
China »
Stocks
Singapore Exchange Ltd
SGXL.SI
$8.15
-0.06-0.73%
04/15/2011
ASX Ltd
ASX.AX
$32.75
-0.14-0.43%
04/15/2011
Deutsche Boerse AG
DB1Gn.DE
€54.10
-0.39-0.72%
04/15/2011
A man walks past a full green board signifying a mass drop in Taiwan stocks inside a brokerage in Taipei May 21, 2010. REUTERS/Nicky Loh
By Shao Xiaoyi and Farah Master
BOAO, China | Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:34am EDT
(Reuters) - The Taiwan Stock Exchange aims to boost its alliances with other bourses in Asia by way of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and has no plans for mergers and acquisitions, its chairman said on Saturday.
"The global wave of exchange mergers has got nothing to do with us. So far, we don't really have the relevant regulations to allow that," Schive Chi, chairman of the exchange, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China's southern province of Hainan.
The Taiwan bourse, located in the landmark Taipei 101, is open to discussions with counterparts in Shanghai and Tokyo on cross-listings of ETFs, investment funds that are traded on stock exchanges, Schive said.
Exchanges around the world are chasing cross-border deals to build scale and cut costs as competition increases from dark pools, though not all have met with success.
Singapore's stock exchange (SGXL.SI) came close to buying Australia's ASX Ltd. (ASX.AX), but the Australian government rejected the $8 billion bid.
The Tokyo and Osaka exchanges are in talks; Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) is competing with a partnership of Nasdaq OMX Group (NDAQ.O) and IntercontinentalExchange (ICE.N) to buy NYSE Euronext (NYX.N); and London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) is looking to combine with Canada's TMX Group (X.TO).
In southeast Asia, exchanges announced plans to market themselves jointly to international investors and said they were confident a venture to allow trading between some of them would be ready before the end of the year.
For now, Taiwan's stock exchange will focus on organic growth, Schive said.
The exchange, which has a total market capitalization of $800 billion, aims to have 55 initial public offerings (IPOs) and Taiwan Depositary Receipts (TDR) issuances this year, up from 39 last year, Schive said.
"Taiwan's strength is in technology, manufacturing and food products. These are the areas we hope to attract companies to list," said Schive, who was formerly the vice chairman of Taiwan's planning commission.
(Writing by Lee Chyen Yee; Editing by Alison Birrane)
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