Nine killed in Turkey train crash

At least nine people have been killed after a passenger train crashed into a minibus carrying people to work in Turkey, local media say.
The accident happened at a level crossing near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin.
It appeared all the dead – and a further five people who were injured – had been aboard the bus, and that train passengers were not hurt.
Local media suggested the level crossing barrier may have been open.
Basri Guzeloglu, the local governor, said the cause of the accident would be investigated.
The minibus was carrying the workers to an industrial zone on the edge of Mersin when it was hit.
Video footage showed the destroyed minibus lying by the side of the railway line and emergency services trying to reach the victims.

Ukraine proposes demilitarised zone in Crimea

Ukraine has proposed that Crimea, scene of a Russian-backed armed takeover, be declared a demilitarised zone by the United Nations with a pull-out by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.
“The Ukrainian government will immediately appeal to the United Nations to recognise Crimea as a demilitarised zone and take necessary measures for Russian forces to leave Crimea and prepare conditions for redeployment of Ukrainian forces,” security chief Andriy Parubiy said on Wednesday.
Earlier, several men in civilian clothing, later joined by military-looking personnel believed to be Russian, had seized the Ukrainian naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
Parubiy told journalists that in the face of the growing likelihood of military confrontation with Russia, the Ukrainian foreign ministry had been given the task of introducing visas for Russians visiting the former Soviet republic.
Referring to his demilitarisation proposal, Parubiy, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, said he hoped the UN would support the idea.
“This formula is the best for de-escalation … We hope that common sense will prevail,” he said.
‘Self-defence’ units
A naval spokesman on Wednesday said there had been no violence during the takeover of the base and that he believed the men belonged to so-called “self-defence” units, mainly made up of volunteers who have supported Crimea’s transition from Ukrainian to Russian control, the Reuters news agency reported.
Dozens of despondent Ukrainian soldiers, one of them in tears, filed out of the base.
“We have been temporarily disbanded,” a Ukrainian lieutenant who identified himself only as Vlad told the AFP news agency.
“I was born here and I grew up here and I have been serving for 20 years,” he said as a Russian flag went up over the base without a single shot being fired in its defence. Where am I going to go?”
Sergiy Gayduk, the Ukraine navy commander appointed after his predecessor switched allegiance in favour of Crimea’s pro-Kremlin authorities at the start of the month, was detained.
Three Russian flags were later seen flying at one of the entrances to the base.
Ukraine’s acting president on Wednesday said Crimea’s separatist leaders had three hours to release Gayduk or face “an adequate response”.
Oleksandr Turchynov said in a statement that “unless Admiral Gayduk and all the other hostages – both military and civilians ones – are released, the authorities will carry out an adequate response … of a technical and technological nature.”
As tensions continued to rise, the AP news agency reported that Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh had been denied entry to Crimea.
Earlier, at a cabinet meeting in the capital Kiev, acting Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had asked his first vice PM Vitaliy Yarema and Tenyukh to fly to Crimea immediately to de-escalate the crisis and try to prevent the conflict from turning into a military one. The officials immediately left for the airport.

Kuwait gives Sh85bn for Africa's growth

Foreign affairs cabinet secretary Amina Mohammed

THE Kuwait government yesterday granted African countries Sh85 billion as a soft loan. The Amir (King) of the country, Sheikh Al- Sabah, said the money, which will be given out through the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development will help African countries boost its food security among other development projects.

He was speaking during the Third Africa- Arab Summit at Bayan Palace where he hosted 34 heads of states including President Uhuru.

The function was also attended by Cabinet Secretaries Amina Mohammed (Foreign Affairs) and Najib Balala (Mining). Al-Sabah said Africa’s capacity to provide food security should be enhanced. “The Almighty has bestowed upon us arable land, skilled workforce, raw materials and wealth that can be invested to achieve food security,” he said.

Al-Sabah said efforts need to be put in place to ensure food insecurity becomes a thing of the past in Africa The money is among the incentives African Presidents were offered including Sh85 million to be used as grant for research. The Summit is the third to be held after 36 years. The first one was held in 1977 and the second in 2010.

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