Obama Lands in South Korea amid Concern over North's Nuclear Activity

US President Barack Obama lands in South Korea amid nuclear test concernsReuters

US President Barack Obama has arrived in South Korea amid heightened tensions in the region over North Korea's hectic activity at its nuclear test site.

Obama, who is on the second leg of his Asia tour, will hold talks with South Korean president Park Geun-hye. The talks are likely to be dominated by the tensions in the Korean peninsula.

The US leader is also expected to express grief over the ferry tragedy in South Korea in which at least 300 people are either dead or missing.

This is Obama's fourth visit to Seoul making the Asian country his most visited foreign country. The American president who flew in from Japan will proceed to Malaysia and the Philippines after his two-day visit to South Korea.

In Japan, Obama said Pyongyang's revival of activity, widely interpreted as North Korea's preparation for its fourth nuclear test, at its test site Punggye-ri is "the most destabilising and dangerous" situation in the Asia-Pacific region.

"North Korea has engaged in provocative actions for the last several decades. It's been an irresponsible actor on the international stage for the last several decades. They are the most isolated country in the world. They are subject to more international sanctions and international condemnation than any country in the world."

He added that China's role in the geopolitical game involving North Korea is "critically important".

After bilateral discussions between the US and South Korea, the two leaders are expected to hold a press conference voicing strong criticism against North Korea over its nuclear activities.

The reclusive nation had carried out three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 prompting strong international condemnation.

According to the latest report released by the US-Korea Institute at John Hopkins University's 38 North, which specialises in North Korean affairs, Pyongyang's increased activity at its nuclear test site is "probably related to preparations for a detonation".

China: Recycled Concrete Houses 3D-Printed in 24 Hours

A 3D-printed house in China. 10 of these houses have been built within 24 hoursWinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co.

A Chinese construction firm based in Shanghai has succeeded in building 10 houses each measuring 200 square metres in 24 hours by using an enormous 3D printer.

A 3D-printed house being built using a material made from construction waste mixed with cementWinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co.

The houses are all eco-friendly and constructed from 3D-printed building blocks made from layers of recycled construction waste and glass fibre and mixed with cement.

Each home costs less than £3,000 to build.

WinSun Decoration Design Engineering spent 20 million Yuan (£1.9m) and 12 years to develop a 3D printer 6.6 metres tall, 10 metres wide and 150 metres long.

Large 3D printers have been in existence for several years and have been used to make plane parts and prototypes.

"We purchased parts for the printer overseas, and assembled the machine in a factory in Suzhou. Such a new type of 3D-printed structure is environment-friendly and cost-effective," said the 3D-printer's inventor, Winsun CEO Ma Yihe.

Each 3D-printed house measures 200 square metresWinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co.

Winsun used architectural design software AutoCAD Architecture to not only plan the building but also to calculate tracing paths that took into account plumbing, electrical lining, insulation materials and windows, that would be added once the main structure was built.

The company holds 77 national patents for its construction materials.

Ma's office building, which covers an area of 10,000 square metres, was also constructed with 3D-printed walls and took a month to build from an assembly line of four 3D printers.

"Industrial waste from demolished buildings is damaging our environment, but with 3D-printing, we are able to recycle construction waste and turn it into new building materials," said Ma.

"This would create a much safer environment for construction workers and greatly reduce construction costs."

The finished product - a 3D printed houseWinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co.

Israel Freezes Peace Talks Over Hamas-Fatah Reconciliation Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and US Secretary of State John KerryReuters

The Israeli cabinet has voted unanimously to freeze peace talks with the Palestinians in response to the reconciliation agreement signed by rival political factions Hamas and Fatah.

The security meeting, which lasted five hours, ended with the decision to halt the peace process until the new Palestinian government is formed and to impose economic sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement:

Instead of choosing peace, Abu Mazen [Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas] formed an alliance with a murderous terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of Israel.

Abu Mazen has formed an alliance with an organization whose covenant calls for Muslims to fight and kill Jews. Hamas has fired more than 10,000 missiles and rockets at Israeli territory and has not halted terrorist actions against Israel even for a minute.

The agreement between Abu Mazen and Hamas was signed even as Israel is making efforts to advance the negotiations with the Palestinians. It is the direct continuation of the Palestinians' refusal to advance the negotiations. Only last month Abu Mazen rejected the framework principles proposed by the United States. Abu Mazen has refused to even discuss recognizing Israel as the national state of the Jewish People. He violated existing agreements by unilaterally applying to accede to international treaties and then formed an alliance with Hamas.

Whoever chooses the terrorism of Hamas does not want peace.

The deal between the radical Hamas militant group, which controls the Gaza Strip, and the moderate Fatah faction led by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, outlines a unity government to be formed in the coming weeks and national elections six months later.

Fatah broke ties with Hamas when factional fighting exploded after the militant group's victory in Gaza's Palestinian legislative council elections in 2006.

Hamas, which refuses to recognise Israel's legitimacy and is blamed for allowing rocket attacks on Israel, is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, on Thursday, that the move made a peace agreement "impossible".

Washington said it may reconsider its assistance to the Palestinians if the agreement is implemented.

This Israeli move appears to end the nine-month attempt by US secretary of State John Kerry to revive Middle East peace talks between the two sides.

Nigeria: HIV Positive Paedophile Ubale Sa'idu Dotsa to be Stoned to Death For Raping and Infecting Girl

Sharia is a divine law as expressed in the Quran and Muhammad's example (Sunnah)Wikimedia Commons

A Sharia court has sentenced a Nigerian man to death by stoning for raping a girl of 10 and infecting her with HIV in Kano, Northern Nigeria.

Ubale Sa'idu Dotsa, 63, confessed he raped the girl but claimed he had been incited by the devil to carry out the molestation, AP news agency reported.

The man added he did not know he was infected with HIV and argued that the child tempted him by visiting his shop often at night.

But Justice Khadi Faruq Ahmed ignored his plea for mercy and said Dotsa was a married man who had committed adultery, which is punishable by stoning.

Faruq Ahmed ordered the man to pay a sum of 36 million Nigerian naira (£1,3m) as compensation to the parents, should their daughter die.

The judgement will now be passed to the Governor of the state Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for approval.

Dotsa is believed to have contracted HIV over two years ago. He reportedly lost his first and second wives to AIDS-related diseases in 2011, with the two women dying within six months of each other.

The defendant was standing another trial for molesting a 12-year-old girl when he committed raped the 10-year-old.

Kano state's commissioner of justice Maliki Kuliya told the BBC Hausa service that Dotsa has the right to appeal to the federal Supreme Court, but the process could take years.

Several people have been sentenced to death by stoning in northern Nigeria's Islamic courts, but none have been carried out.

Sharia law was first introduced in Nigeria in 1999. The institution of strict Islamic laws in Nigeria has sparked protests in the country.

South Korea Ferry Disaster: Police Raid 'Salvation Sect' Linked to Sewol Owner Yoo Byeong-eon

People attend at a candlelight vigil in Ansan, to commemorate the victims of capsized passenger ship Sewol and to wish for the safe return of missing passengers.Reuters

A possible link between the owner of the boat involved in the Sewol ferry disaster and a creepy sect involved in pyramid selling schemes is being investigated by police.

Officers in Seoul have carried out raids on a religious group called the Salvation Sect which is headed up by Yoo Byeong-eon, thought to be the owner of the shipping line.

According to the Korean Herald, many members of the sect work for Chonghaejin Marine, the company which owns the Sewol ferry.

There could even be links to the sect on board the ferry, with the vessel's disgraced captain rumoured to be a member.

The Salvation Sect reportedly helps members get jobs in connected companies while donations made by those members were used by Yoo as collateral for loans.

Local media have speculated that the sect was a financial vehicle for high-ranking members and associated companies. It was reported the sect has 60 branches spread out across South Korea and around 200,000 members across the world. The organisation appears to be mainly non-religious.

Rumours of a pyramid sales scheme operating at the Salvation Sect are now "rife" with another police raid taking place at an associated office.

Suspected member captain Lee Joon-seok has apologised for the disaster which has left 300 people – many of them children - missing or dead. He abandoned ship and was among those rescued early on.

He said: "I am sorry to the people of South Korea for causing a disturbance and I bow my head in apology to the families of the victims. I gave instructions regarding the route, then I briefly went to the bedroom and then it happened."

Two crew members have been arrested for failing in their duty to assist passengers.

Some 325 of the passengers were students from Danwon High School near Seoul, who were on a field trip to the holiday island of Jeju. An enormous group memorial altar has opened near the school.

A wall of white and yellow flowers has been erected in Ansan, the city which is home to Danwon High School. The wall surrounds photos of 47 students and teachers whose bodies have been recovered from the ferry and identified.

Frenemies Reunited: Turkey-Israel Gas Deal On Horizon

An officer points as he stands on a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas in the Mediterranean(Reuters)

Turkish energy holding company Turcas Petrol has announced that it has opened negotiations to purchase natural gas from Israel's Leviathan field.

In a filing with the Istanbul stock exchange, Turcas said the gas would be used to serve Turkish markets.

Turcas gave no further details and the other partners in the deal are yet to comment, but the company said they have been joined in negotiations by Enerjisa, another Turkish firm, as well as the German energy giant E.ON.

The Leviathan gas field is thought to boast reserves of 528 billion cubic metres and is eager to find international customers. While it has an agreement in place with a Palestinian company, Turkey offers a much larger and more prosperous market.

Political tensions between the two countries have deescalated in recent months, after Israel's Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu apologised to the Turkish PM over the raid on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza that left eight Turks and one American-Turk dead. The vessel had been boarded by Israeli commandos while attempting to break the blockade on Gaza.

The incident sparked a deep freeze in relations between the eastern Mediterranean powers. Since Netanyahu's apology, Israel has sought to seal a deal that would see Turkey taking gas from its massive Leviathan field.

The project is mooted to include an undersea pipeline from Leviathan and could cost somewhere between $2.5bn and $4bn and would be financed by buyers, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Turkey's Central Bank Defies Political Pressure and Holds Interest Rates

Turkey's central bank governor Erdem Basci addresses the general assembly of the bank in Ankara(Reuters)

Turkey's central bank defied political pressure and held interest rates at the same level for another month, in a move that boosted the lira.

Following a meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee, the bank said that its overnight lending rate will be 12%, its one-week repo rate will be 10% and its overnight borrowing rate will remain 8%.

"Inflation expectations and pricing behaviour will be closely monitored and the tight monetary policy stance will be maintained until there is a significant improvement in the inflation outlook," the bank said in a statement.

The bank has come under pressure from the Turkish Prime Minister Recap Tayyip Erdogan, who called for an interest rate cut in the wake of his party's local election victory.

He claimed that the victory for his AK Party had reduced political uncertainty in the country and that the bank could now afford to reduce interest rates.

Erdogan's comments temporarily heightened fears over the independence of the central bank although Thursday's decision would suggest that independence is still intact.

Analysts believe that rate cuts could be on the cards in the coming months as the presidential elections approach, while the Turkish lira remains susceptible to political risk.

Turkey's decade of economic growth has slowed sharply, with the country missing targets on inflation and consumer confidence.

"Inflation expectations and pricing behaviour will be closely monitored and the tight monetary policy stance will be maintained until there is a significant improvement in the inflation outlook," the central bank said in a statement.

The bank had previously attempted to defend the lira by selling off foreign currency reserves but it resorted to interest rate hikes in January as the pressure on the currency increased.

Following Thursday's announcement, the lira strengthened to 1.3 to the dollar at 1123 GMT, down from 1.4 before the announcement.

China Revises 25-Year Environment Law as Pollution Chokes Nation

The Shanghai World Financial Center (L), Shanghai Tower (R) and Jin Mao Tower (top) are seen during Earth Hour in Shanghai, on 29 March 2014.Reuters

Beijing has passed amendments to China's 25-year old environmental protection law that will now target polluters in the world's biggest carbon emitter with tougher penalties.

The amendments go into effect on 1 January 2015, the official Xinhua news agency said on 24 April.

The highly-anticipated amendments come in response to public angst over pervasive pollution that has stifled China, the world's second-largest economy.

Media reports had previously stated that revisions to China's 1989 environmental law would give more powers to the environment ministry, and pave the way for regulators to shut down repeat offenders.

Pollution Headache

Employees have been reluctant to move to China owing to the country's higher pollution rates.

Japanese electronics major Panasonic announced in March 2014 it will pay a wage premium to its employees working in China, compensating them for suffering China's pollution.

Panasonic is believed to be the first firm to announce a premium that compensates for polluted air.

Air pollution monitors in Beijing said in March that particulate readings increased to 15 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Earlier, in March, Premier Li Keqiang declared a "war on pollution" during the country's annual parliamentary session.

Several cities in China, the world's largest auto market, have decided to restrict the sale of new vehicles this year. Accelerating deliveries have forced municipalities to step up efforts to combat air pollution.

In December 2013, a deputy minister of the Ministry of Land and Resources, Wang Shiyuan, said over eight million acres of land in China was too polluted to be used as farmland.

Land pollution is becoming increasingly prevalent as news of tainted rice and other crops emerges.

Rana Plaza Disaster Anniversary: Bangladesh Garment Factory Collapse and Miracle Survivor

On April 24, 2013, thousands of garment workers were toiling inside the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh. A violent jolt shook the floors around 9am. Then the eight-storey building gave a deafening groan, the pillars gave way and the entire structure went down in a heap with terrifying speed. The final death toll was 1,135 people.

Investigators say a host of factors contributed to its collapse: it was overloaded with machines and generators, constructed on swampy land, and the owner added floors in violation of the original building plan. The owner of the building is behind bars, pending an investigation, but there has been no word on when he will be put on trial.

April 24, 2013: Crowds gather at the site of the Rana Plaza building after the eight-storey block housing garment factories and a shopping centre collapsedReuters

April 24, 2013: A rescue worker tries to enter a hole in the rubbleReuters

April 24, 2013: A garment worker who was trapped under the rubble is rescuedReuters

April 26, 2013: Rescue workers continue to search for trapped garment workersReuters

April 26, 2013: Rescue workers, army personnel, police and members of media run after someone shouted that a building next to Rana Plaza was collapsingReuters

April 26, 2013: Relatives hold a picture of a garment worker believed to be trapped under the rubbleReuters

April 27, 2013: Rescue workers carry a garment worker who was pulled alive from the rubble three days after Rana Plaza collapsedReuters

April 28, 2013: Rescue workers search for garment workers trapped under the rubbleReuters

April 28, 2013: Mohammed Sohel Rana, the owner of the collapsed building, is presented to the media after he was arrested by the elite Rapid Action Battalion in the border town of Benapole, ending a four-day manhuntReuters

April 28, 2013: Rescue workers pull a garment worker from the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza as hopes fade for the more than 900 people still counted as missingReuters

April 28, 2013: Relatives hold up photos of some of the more than 900 garment workers still missing, believed to be trapped under the rubbleReuters

April 29, 2013: Members of Border Guards of Bangladesh inspect the collapsed building. Officials said they were unlikely to find more survivors in the rubbleReuters

May 1, 2013: People cover their noses as they gather in front of mass graves during the burial of unidentified garment workersReuters

May 1, 2013: Workers dig graves during a mass burial of unidentified garment workers who died in the collapse of the Rana Plaza buildingReuters

May 2, 2013: The remaining standing part of the Rana Plaza building collapses as the army continues to search the rubble for bodiesReuters

May 4, 2013: Two men sleep with a portrait of their relative as they wait for newsReuters

May 10, 2013: Miracle survivor Reshma is pulled from the rubble, 17 days after the building collapsed, astonishing workmen who had been searching for bodiesReuters

Rescuers found Reshma 17 days after the collapse, and authorities say her survival was miraculous. When the building began crumble around her, she said she raced down a stairwell into the basement, where she became trapped near a wide pocket that allowed her to survive. She found some dried food and bottles of water that saved her life.

Although her story has a happy ending — she now works in an international hotel in Dhaka's upmarket Gulshan area — she is still haunted by the disaster. "I can't tolerate darkness in my room at night. The light is switched on always," she said. "If the light is turned off, I start panicking. It feels like ... What I can say? Like I am still there."

Reshma, who says she is either 18 or 19 years old, is waiting for the day that the factory owners face justice. "So many people have died because of them," she said. "I want to see them executed."

April 23, 2014: Reshma Akter, who was rescued after spending 17 days under the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza, poses for a photograph on the first anniversary of the tragedyAFP

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South Korea Records Steady Economic Growth on Strong Exports

The South Korean economy grew 3.9% year-on-year in the first quarterReuters

The South Korean economy has continued its steady expansion in the first quarter, as the country's exports increased in line with the ongoing recovery in the US and Europe, despite a slowdown in China.

Asia's fourth-largest economy expanded by 3.9% in the first quarter from a year earlier, beating analysts' forecast for a rate of 3.7%. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, the gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.9%, unchanged from the pace recorded in the previous quarter.

Contributing to the growth, exports rose 1.7% from the previous quarter on the back of firm external demand. Investments rose 3.5%, while private consumption rose at disappointing rate of 0.3%.

Analysts expect that the country will continue to grow in subsequent quarters of 2014 helped by loose monetary policy and strong export demand.

"We believe the economy will continue to expand at a more or less the same pace in subsequent quarters on a proactive fiscal policy alongside the global economic recovery," said economists at ANZ Bank.

They added that the government's proactive fiscal policy will play a crucial role in the growth. The government earlier announced that it would spend more than half of the 2014 budget in the first half.

"The external demand will stay firm given the recovery of advanced economies and an earlier-than-expected pick up of the Chinese economy," they said.

"With exports the equivalent to around 50% of the economy, the prospects for global demand will play a large part in determining how Korea performs over the next couple of years," said Gareth Leather of Capital Economics.

"Overall, we expect the export sector to do fairly well amid stronger growth in the US and an improvement in the euro-zone. Better prospects for these two economies should more than offset weakness in China, which remains Korea's largest trading partner."

Earlier in April, the Bank of Korea (BoK) raised the 2014 GDP growth forecast to 4.0% following its monetary policy committee meeting. The central bank also cut its 2014 consumer price inflation forecast to 2.1% from 2.3%, due to soft agricultural prices and freezing college tuition fees.

ANZ economists expect a gradual increase in inflation rates in the second half of 2014, adding pressure on the central bank to lift the benchmark interest rate in the fourth quarter.

India: Woman Donates Kidney as Dowry, Then Kills Herself

In a fresh case of dowry death in India, a 28-year-old mother of two has allegedly killed herself.stock.xchng

A 28-year-old woman in eastern India is reported to have committed suicide in what appears to be a case of dowry death.

According to reports, Poonam Devi, mother of two, from Hazaribagh district in the state of Jharkhand, allegedly set herself on fire on 16 April.

She died as a result of her burn injuries at a hospital in the state capital Ranchi a week later, The Times of India reported.

District superintendent of police, Manoj Kaushik, said: "I have taken up the matter and action will be taken against the guilty after investigation."

Kidney as dowry

Devi donated one of her kidneys to her ailing husband Sudama Giri in a dowry deal with her in-laws about six months ago.

Devi's parents gave Rs 1.31 lakh (approximately £1,280) in dowry at the time of her marriage to Giri in 2006. But, according to Devi's family, her in-laws had been a constant nag asking for another Rs 25,000 as dowry from her father.

They were even torturing Devi for money, according to an FIR report filed by Devi's father.

Devi's in-laws reportedly put it in writing that they would treat her well if she donated her kidney for their son. Devi eventually agreed and donated a kidney to her husband.

However, the pestering for dowry money and torture continued, Devi's father alleged in his FIR report.

Police are yet to make any arrests in the case.

Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Want US to Drop Solar Trade Case Against India

A worker cleans photovoltaic solar panels at a solar power plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat.Reuters

US environmental groups want their government to drop a challenge to India's massive solar programme and said the World Trade Organization (WTO) case would hamper the growth of renewable energy resources.

The US dragged India to the WTO over alleged protectionist measures in the latter's solar programme, which aims to double the country's solar energy capacity by 2017 and plug the acute energy deficit in Asia's third-largest economy.

The US has said that New Delhi's rules forcing Indian solar developers to use locally made equipment, discriminates against US equipment manufacturers, and is in breach of WTO rules. This could impede the spread of solar power globally by making equipment more expensive.

The US wants a dispute settlement panel at the WTO on 25 April, the next step in a dispute process that can result in trade sanctions.

However, green groups including the Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA and Friends of the Earth US said supporting American industry should not come at the expense of India's drive to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and build a feasible domestic renewables industry, which would in turn help global efforts battling climate change.

"The US should not compromise the long-term growth of the solar market just so that it can achieve limited near-term gain," a coalition of 15 environmental groups wrote in a letter to US Trade Representative Michael Froman, reported Reuters.

India Could Retaliate

India is investigating American policies supporting solar panel makers.

In February 2014, New Delhi said it will respond to any US trade action regarding its solar energy programme, after Washington decided to take India to the WTO over alleged protectionist measures.

Indian solar power developers import equipment from the US, China, Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Earlier, in 2013, New Delhi invited bids from firms to set up solar power projects with a capacity of 750 megawatts, amid persistent electricity shortages. The government said locally-made equipment had to be used to generate half of that capacity.

Hot Shots Photos of the Day: Medieval Skull, Obama Robot, Cat Cafe

The skull and crown of Swedish 12th century king Erik Jedvardsson, called Erik the Saint, are displayed after his relic shrine was opened in Uppsala Cathedral. Erik, who led the first Swedish Crusade to evangelise Finland, was beheaded by rebel noblemen outside the church in Uppsala in 1160Reuters

Dondon Awa works on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II at his workshop in Tayuman, the Philippines. Pope John XXIII, who reigned from 1958 to 1963, and Pope John Paul II, who reigned for nearly 27 years before his death in 2005, will be declared saints by Pope Francis on SundayReuters

An effigy of Private John Steele in his uniform hangs from the steeple of the Sainte-Mere-Eglise church, in Normandy. Private Steele was one of the American paratroopers who landed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first village in Normandy liberated by the Americans on D-Day, June 6, 1944Reuters

US President Barack Obama bows to Honda's humanoid robot Asimo at the Miraikan Science Expo in TokyoAFP

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone arrives at court in Munich to stand trial for bribery. Prosecutors have charged Ecclestone, 83, with bribing jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky to smooth the sale of a stake in F1 to private equity firm CVCReuters

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi leaves a court in Milan after agreeing to help the elderly for four hours per week as part of his punishment for a tax fraud convictionAFP

Ukip leader Nigel Farage shares a joke with his party's candidates Mandy Boylett and Mark Chatburn during a visit to Yarm, Stockton-on-TeesGetty

EDL supporters chant before a meeting where the UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage spoke at the Sage building in GatesheadGetty

Justine Pearson of The Knights of the Damned Jousting team commemorates St George's Day on Thomas Telford's famous iron bridge in Ironbridge, ShropshireGetty

A fiery depiction of William Shakespeare is seen during a firework display at the Royal Shakespeare Company marking the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth in Stratford-upon-AvonReuters

People hold a candlelit vigil in Ansan for passengers who were travelling aboard the South Korean ferry that sank off the coast of JindoGetty

LeBron James of the Miami Heat looks on during the 2014 NBA playoffs against the Charlotte Bobcats at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FloridaGetty

Jayson Werth of the Washington Nationals is doused with water by team-mates during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Washington, DCGetty

Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos jumps to block a pass from Bayern Munich's Frank Ribery as Pepe watches during their Champions League semi-final first leg match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in MadridReuters

Bayern Munich's Mario Mandzukic challenges Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos as team mate Pepe looks on during their Champions League semi-final first leg match at Santiago-Bernabeu stadium in MadridReuters

A TV cameraman films at the cat café in New YorkReuters

A golden pheasant walks among bluebells at Kew Gardens in LondonReuters

South Africa: Illegal Mining Booms as Regular Industry Falls Into Decline

Rescue officials move a rock removed from an abandoned gold shaft as they work to rescue trapped suspected illegal miners in Benoni, east of Johannesburg(Reuters)

The countryside surrounding Johannesburg is marked by clusters of small apparently normal hills but beneath them hides a deadly and booming industry.

Known in Zulu as eGoli, the City of Gold, Johannesburg and its locality boast a wealth of untapped riches that draw thousands of men and women every day.

They work illegally, in unsafe conditions, often spending weeks at a time underground inhaling the poisonous gases that circulate the once-abandoned shafts.

The South African government estimates that 14,000 people are involved in illegal mining throughout the country, as the regulated industry endures a period of crisis and decline.

Costs in the regular mining sector have escalated over decades, while the gold itself has become harder to reach and extract.

The past two years have been marked by ad-hoc miners' strikes, including the now infamous strike at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana which resulted in the authorities shooting dead 34 people.

Mining represents 60% of South Africa's exports but clashes between mining companies and unions over wages have created instability that caused enough concern for ratings agencies to downgrade the entire country's debt in 2012.

This decline in the regular industry has fuelled the illegal mining sector, now booming under the hills that ring Johannesburg.

Speaking in February, South Africa's resources minister said that illegal mining has mutated into a mature criminal industry, worth 6 billion rand ($566m, £337m, €409m) annually. The government has vowed to crackdown on the practice by blocking up mine shafts and prosecute those caught working illegally.

The plan was put in to action in a high profile manner in February 2014, after 20 miners were rescued from an old mine east of Johannesburg. After the dramatic rescue, captured by the world's media, all were arrested for mining illegally.

But the threat of arrest is not stopping thousands of men seeking their fortune in the abandoned mines around the city.

Migrants arrive from across South Africa, where unemployment stubbornly hovers around 25%, and from neighbours like Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. While they can earn around $5 a day, the prospect of striking a rich seam is the big draw that keeps the jobless heading underground.

The government estimates that 6,000 are involved in mining illegally underground, while a further 8,000 work above the surface. If the figure is accurate, these illegal miners make up around 10% of the entire workforce in the industry proper.

Life in the unregulated industry is beset by daily risks including rock falls, lack of safety equipment and the threat of robbery and violence, as gangs compete to control the mineral wealth that's left. Police say murders and prostitution are rife in the underground tunnels.

South Africa's Chamber of Mines said in a statement that "poverty, unemployment and large numbers of illegal immigrants in South Africa", are fuelling the illegal mining boom.

The body is working to introduce a fingerprinting system that can trace the origins of precious metals, while working with the international community to track down the buyers of illegally-gotten gold and platinum.

Those changes will take months, if not years to enforce. Meanwhile, thousands of men and women will continue to risk their lives under the hills around eGoli.