Israel Guilty of Ethnic Cleansing and Apartheid, Says UN Rapporteur

United Nations Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine, Richard FalkReuters

A UN human rights investigator has accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and apartheid policies against Palestinians.

Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said Israel carried out a "systematic and continued effort to change the ethnic composition of East Jerusalem".

Falk, an 82-year-old American, said that in recent years Israel had made it more difficult for Palestinians to reside there while encouraging the building of new Jewish settlements, which are illegal under international law.

Falk, an emeritus law professor at Princeton University, said that more than 11,000 Palestinians had lost their right to live in Jerusalem since 1996.

"The 11,000 is just the tip of the iceberg because many more are faced with possible challenges to their residency rights," he said.

Falk, who is Jewish, described Israeli policies as bearing "unacceptable characteristics of colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing".

"What is called occupation is now more widely understood to be a form of annexation, the embodiment of apartheid in the sense that there's a discriminatory dual system of law, giving legal protection to the Israeli settlers and subjecting the Palestinian population under occupation to a continuing existence without rights," he said.

Falk said that the "realities on the ground" for the Palestinian people have worsened since he took up his post in 2008. He is due to step down later this month.

He said Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem hampered the outcome of deadlocked peace talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority.

"Every increment of enlarging the settlements or every incident of house demolition is a way of worsening the situation confronting the Palestinian people and reducing what prospects they might have as the outcome of supposed peace negotiations.

"There are other reasons for encouraging the idea that it's still possible to negotiate a settlement based on the two-state model, even though most informed observers regard it as highly implausible given the changes that have taken place during the period of occupation and given the outlook of the Netanyahu government," he said.

Malaysia Airlines Plane MH370: Final 54 Minutes of Communication Throws up Two More Puzzles

Vietnamese air crews join the MH370 search and rescue mission off Tho Chu islandReuters

The last 54 minutes of communication with Flight MH370 before it disappeared without trace has been revealed by the Daily Telegraph.

The transcript confirms previous reports that the final words to ground control of Malaysian Airlines passenger jet co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid were "Alright, good night".

On the face of it the two-way conversation between Hamid and air traffic controllers appeared "perfectly routine", the newspaper reported. But two elements have caused concern.

First, the message from the cockpit which said the plane was flying at an altitude of 35,000ft was sent to ground control at 1.07am. But that information had already been transmitted - six minutes earlier.

Secondly, the loss of communications and deliberate westward turn happened during the handover from air traffic controllers in Kuala Lumpur to those in Ho Chi Minh City.

Two minutes after the final message, the transponder was shut down.

Stephen Buzdygan, a former British Airways pilot who flew Boeing 777s, said: "There might be a bit of dead space between the air traffic controllers. It was the only time during the flight they would maybe not have been able to be seen from the ground."

Overall the communication between MH370 and ground control gave no sign that the plane was about to change course and disappear.

Buzdygan said: "The communication up until the plane went to the changeover to Vietnam sounds totally normal.

"That kind of banter – I've done it hundreds of times. It is perfectly normal."

FLIGHT MH370 FACTBOX

Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing at 00:41 on Saturday 8 March (16:41 GMT Friday).

About 50 minutes later, the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control.

No distress call was made.

On board, there were 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 14 countries. That included 153 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

Two Iranian male passengers, Pouria Nour Mohammad Mahread and Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza, were travelling on fake passports. Neither had any apparent links to terrorist groups.

No debris from the plane has been found in the international search.

Last confirmed communication with Indian Ocean satellite occurred at 08:11am, meaning plane continued to fly for seven hours after radar signal was lost.

At least 25 countries, including China, the US and Singapore, have now joined in the search for the missing plane.

Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Reiterates Doubts about Holocaust

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Holocaust is uncertainReuters

Iran's supreme leader has reiterated his doubts over the historic veracity of the Holocaust in his annual speech marking Persian New Year.

Addressing a large crowd in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that the systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Third Reich was not certain.

"The Holocaust is an event whose reality is uncertain and, if it happened, it's uncertain how it happened," said Khamenei, who has called the Holocaust a "myth" many times in the past.

The supreme leader used the reference to the Holocaust to criticise Western attacks on Iran's theocratic regime.

"In Europe no one dares to speak of the Holocaust," Khamenei said. "They passionately defend their red lines. How [do] they expect us to overlook our red lines that are based on our revolutionary and religious beliefs?"

“We should not be pinning [our] hopes on when the enemy will lift the sanctions. The hell with them; we should look into what we can do ourselves”

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Iran does not recognise Israel and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad infamously claimed the Shoah was fabrication.

Since the election of Hassan Rohani, a moderate, as president last year, however, some high profile officials have watered down their rhetoric against Tel Aviv.

In September, foreign minister Javad Zarif said that Iran had never denied the Holocaust.

"We never were against Jews. We oppose Zionists who are a minority," Zarif said. "We have condemned killing of Jews by Nazis as we condemn (the) killing and crackdown on Palestinians by Zionists."

The opening came as Tehran was about to start talks with western powers over its nuclear program and economic sanctions that have hit Iran's economy.

In his speech, which marks the beginning of the year 1393 on the Persian calendar, the supreme leader said that "Iran must strengthen itself" instead of waiting for the West to lift sanctions.

"We should not be pinning [our] hopes on when the enemy will lift the sanctions," Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters in Iran, said.

"The hell with them; we should look into what we can do ourselves."

In November an interim nuclear deal was reached, and some sanctions eased.

Iran and the so-called P5+1 group - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany - are now working on a comprehensive agreement envisaging long-term limits on the nuclear programs in exchange for an end to sanctions.

Afghan Journalist Family among Dead in Taliban Attack on Kabul Luxury Serena Hotel

Nine people were killed in a Taliban attack at the Serena Hotel in KabulReuters

An Afghan reporter, his wife and two of their three children were among the nine victims of a Taliban attack on a Hotel in Kabul.

Sardar Ahmad, a 40-year-old a staff reporter at the AFP news agency, was shot dead by gunmen who stormed the luxury Serena hotel, a popular accommodation for westerners visiting the Afghan capital because of its tight security.

A photographer with AFP said Ahmad's youngest son was also badly injured and was undergoing emergency treatment at a local hospital. Police said the other two children were shot in the head.

"Ahmad was a versatile journalist with an eye for unexpected stories that opened a window on life in Afghanistan away from the bombs and blast walls," AFP wrote of its late reporter.

"Outside AFP, Ahmad founded the successful Kabul Pressistan local news agency which provided fixing and translation services for numerous foreign reporters coming to Kabul."

Afghan authorities said the attack was carried out by four teenage gunmen who managed to breach hotel security with pistols hidden in their socks.

Once inside the hotel premises they reached a restaurant packed with Afghans celebrating the eve of the Persian New Year, Nowruz, as well as foreigners staying at the hotel, and opened fire.

A total of nine people including four foreigners were killed. The attackers, who authorities said appeared to be about 18 years old, were also shot dead by security forces at the end of a three-hour standoff.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. "Our people, if they decide to attack any place, they can do it," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamist group.

The Afghan Interior Ministry said the dead foreigners were nationals of Canada, India, New Zealand and Pakistan; however foreign ministries for the latter two countries have denied any of their citizens were among the victims.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird later said two Canadians development workers were among the dead.

Michelle Obama Visits Beijing [PHOTOS]

US first lady Michelle Obama (L) and Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, pose for a photograph as they visit Forbidden City in Beijing March 21, 2014.Reuters

US First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in Beijing on 20 March to begin her week-long trip to China.

Accompanied by her mother Marian Robinson and daughters Sasha and Malia, Michelle Obama began the first and longest leg of her trip with several engagements in Beijing on Friday.

She met Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, upon arrival for a visit to the Beijing Normal School, a school that prepares students for university abroad.

She interacted with students at the school, tried her hands on Chinese calligraphy and also played table tennis. The students described her as "amicable" and very approachable.

Later in the day, Michelle visited Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty in to the end of the Qing Dynasty (from 14th century to the early 20th century).

Mrs. Obama retires for a private stately dinner and performance to conclude her first day in Beijing.

She will be in Beijing until 23 March. The first lady will then visit Xi'an on 24 March and Chengdu on 25 and 26 March before flying back to the US.

On her first diplomatic trip to the country, Michelle Obama aims to meet the young people in China and hear about their challenges, hopes and dreams as well as foster greater educational and cultural exchanges between US and China.

On Saturday, the first lady will speak at Peking University and will answer questions submitted by classrooms around the US.

Have a look at some of the photos from day one.

Michelle Obama waves as she walks out the plane with her daughters Sasha (2nd R) and Malia (R) upon their arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, March 20, 2014.Reuters

Michelle Obama is greeted by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.Reuters

Michelle Obama, her daughters and Peng Liyuan watch students demonstrating a remote-controlled robot, at the Beijing Normal School.Reuters

Michelle Obama tries to write Chinese words with a brush as Peng Liyuan looks on.Reuters

Michelle Obama plays table tennis during her visit to Beijing Normal School.Reuters

Michelle Obama, her daughters and her mother Marian Robinson pose with Peng Liyuan at Forbidden City in Beijing.Reuters

Giant Cat Carries Sad Commuter to Work in Crazy Japanese Chewing Gum Advert

A new advert where a giant cat carries a man to work has been released in Japan.

In what is possibly one of the funniest and most bizarre adverts in Japan's recent history, the advert for Lotte Fit's chewing gum shows a huge cat catching the morning tube with a disgruntled commuter.

For commuters in Japan, the journey to work can be painfully long. The Lotte Fit advert is supposed to show how eating chewing gum can make travelling a much more fun experience .

Why the creators thought a giant cat carrying a man by his jacket would infer this is unknown, but as soon as the protagonist puts a Lotte Fit chewing gum in his mouth, the giant cat appears.

Instead of his usual boring and sad journey to work, the commuter is happy to be carried about by the cat.

After 50 minutes, the exact duration of Fit's gums effect, the cat disappears.

To get the cat back, the protagonist will have to eat another chewing gum.

China: Mass Rat Poisoning in Kindergarten Kills Two and Leaves Seven in Critical Condition

A doctor examines a child for signs of infection at a kindergarten in Hefei, Anhui provinceReuters

China's food security problems continue to grow after two children died and another 30 fell ill after poisoning at a kindergarten in southwestern China.

Investigators have identified the toxic substance as rat poison, a type that is banned because of its threat to human health but remains in circulation.

The poison is Tetramine, a banned neurotoxic rodenticide, and was found in snacks brought to the kindergarten by a student who shared them with other children, a local government official was quoted as saying.

Two girls, aged four and five, passed away from the poisoning while seven children remain in critical condition. The rest of the ill children have been discharged from hospital.

The Jiajia kindergarten in Yunnan province's rural Qiubei county had been accepting students last year despite not being fully licensed as an educational institution for children, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

It had earlier been claimed that the cause of ingestion by the children was unknown but the food served at the school was tested and found to be safe, a statement by the provincial government said.

The statement also said that it was unclear whether the poisoning was intentional or accidental, despite the local government official's claims.

Malaysia Airlines MH370 Debris Hunt: India Turns Down China's Request to enter its Waters to Prevent 'Sniffing Around'

Indian Navy ship INS Kesari, involved in search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, arrives at the naval base in Port Blair, the capital of India's Andaman and Nicobar islandsReuters

As international efforts are under way to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, India has turned down China's request to enter India's territorial waters to search for the aircraft.

New Delhi has said it does not want the Chinese warships to be "sniffing around" Indian maritime territories under the pretext of searching for the jetliner's wreckage.

The request made by Beijing to allow four of its warships, including two frigates and a salvage vessel, near the Andaman and Nicobar chain of islands, was "politely turned down" by New Delhi, reports the Times of India.

The archipelago has more than 500 tiny islands and shelters India's strategic military installations.

An Indian official said: "The Andaman and Nicobar command is our military outpost in the region, which overlooks the Malacca Strait and dominates the Six-Degree Channel. We don't want Chinese warships sniffing around in the area on the pretext of hunting for the missing jetliner or anti-piracy patrols."

Indian forces are already scouring the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea for the missing Malaysian jetliner.

The unnamed authority added: "Indian Navy already has four warships (INS Satpura, Sahyadari, Saryu and Batti Malv) deployed in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea in continuation of the search for the jetliner. Extensive air searches are also being conducted with three aircraft (P-8I, C-130J and Dornier-228) in the area."

"In addition to all this, the P-8I [long-range maritime reconnaissance jet] and C-130J [special operations jet] will be joining the international force in Malaysia by Friday afternoon. We are in continuous touch with the Royal Malaysian Navy and Air Force from our maritime operations centre at New Delhi to render all possible."

help."

Egypt: Video Shows Girl Heckled and Harassed on Cairo University Campus for 'Unconventional Attire'

The girl, dressed in pink and with long, blonde hair, is heckled while walking through Cairo UniversityYouTube / Asim Dief

A video has emerged of a female Cairo University student being heckled and whistled at by men as she walked through the campus.

The video has caused international condemnation of sexual harassment and the treatment of women in Egypt.

The girl is seen with long blonde hair, a pink shirt and pink shoes walking through the campus before a group of men gather around her and start whistling and shouting.

University guards had to escort the woman off of the premises for her own safety.

The Dean of Cairo University Law School, Gaber Nasser, said that the outfit the girl was wearing was "a bit unconventional" in an implication that her dress was to blame for the harassment.

"This girl entered the university wearing an abaya (loose cloak) and then took it off in the faculty, and appeared with those clothes, that caused, in reality - but this doesn't justify at all [the incident]," he told Egyptian channel ONTV.

Nasser later refuted the quotes attributed to him on Twitter, writing: "I assure that this is not true and I apologise for the misunderstanding and I repeat that those who (harassed the girl) will be severely punished."

India: Four Get Life Imprisonment for Rape of Call Centre Operator in Mumbai

Protesters wear black sashes around their mouths during a protest against the rape of a photo journalist by five men inside an abandoned textile mill in Mumbai.Reuters

A court in India's business capital Mumbai has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for gang rape of a call centre operator in July last year at an idle mill in the central part of the city, according to local news channels.

Three of the men have also been convicted of raping a photojournalist barely a month after assaulting the call centre employee at the same mill. Two minors, one in each case, are being tried at a juvenile court.

Under the amended law, life imprisonment would imply imprisonment till the "remaining part of a person's natural life".

A total of seven men including the two minors have been convicted of both the gang rapes.

Sentencing in the photojournalist rape incident which happened at the same place involving three of the men common to both the cases has been adjourned till 24 March.

In August 2013, the 22-year old photojournalist was gang raped by five men. The accused also reportedly made a clip of the victim during the assault.

Following media frenzy, a 19-year-old call centre operator came forward claiming that she too was earlier raped by three of the accused at the same location.

During the trial, the photojournalist fainted in the courtroom after identifying the rapists and had to be rushed to hospital.

The call centre worker is also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence of the assault, the judge said while pronouncing the sentence for the convicted men.

The defence lawyer of the accused pleaded with the judge to reduce their sentence in view of their social and economic background.

"They are not part of the society. See the kind of social economic conditions they come from ... their influences, friend circles. Even if death sentence is given, nothing is going to change society's point of view...must be given chance for reformation".

However, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam maintained that the "accused are shameless. All accused should be imprisonment for remainder of their life".

He said that this was a heinous crime that left a mental scar on the victims, and sought maximum punishment.

Nikam also pointed out that three of them were repeat offenders, and so deserved capital punishment.

The judge ruled that the "offence was pre-meditated, they are depraved", before sentencing them to life imprisonment.

Hot Shots Photos of the Day: Divine Comedy, Spring Wedding, Pharrell's New Hat

Vladimir Malakhov, Elisa Carrillio Cabrera and Mikhail Kaniskin perform 'Clear', with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, during a dress rehearsal at the Schiller theatre in BerlinReuters

Dancers perform at the opening of 'The Divine Comedy - Heaven, Hell and Purgatory From The Perspective Of Modern African Artists' at the MMK modern art museum in FrankfurtGetty

A couple pose for wedding pictures at a park in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, ChinaReuters

A man smokes at the window of an office building in Bucharest, RomaniaReuters

Actors perform during a dress rehearsal of 'Union', a play by Tim Barrow telling the story of the original Union of Scotland and England in 1707, at the Lyceum Theatre in EdinburghGetty

People visit the WWI Douaumont ossuary near Verdun, eastern FranceReuters

Muslims perform a special prayer for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque in Putrajaya, MalaysiaReuters

Royal Australian Air Force Loadmasters, Sergeant Adam Roberts and Flight Sergeant John Mancey, launch a 'Self Locating Data Marker Buoy' from a C-130J Hercules aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370Reuters

The US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, fly in a tight formation as they rehearse for the Los Angeles County Air ShowReuters

US First Lady Michelle Obama, her mother Marian Robinson, and daughters Sasha and Malia arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport for a six-day tour of ChinaGetty

US first lady Michelle Obama plays table tennis during her visit to Beijing Normal School, a school that prepares students for universities abroadGetty

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel looks through her car window as she arrives at a European Union leaders summit in BrusselsReuters

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama holds the hand of a leprosy sufferer during his visit to a leper colony in New DelhiReuters

Linda Ramone, Pharrell Williams and his wife Helen Lasichanh, and Barry Manilow arrive at the 2nd Annual Rebels With A Cause Gala at Paramount Studios in HollywoodGetty

Nick Hayek Jr, Swatch Group Chief Executive, lights a cigar during the Swiss watch maker's annual news conference in Plan-Les-Ouates near GenevaReuters

An anti-government protester takes cover from police water cannon behind a makeshift shield in CaracasReuters

People react around a woman crying after her family was killed in Angwan Gata village, Kaduna State. Gunmen shot, hacked and burned to death at least 100 people and razed homes in central NigeriaReuters

People queue to apply for Russian passports in the Crimean port of SevastopolReuters

Ukrainian servicemen carry bags and a computer while leaving a military base in Perevalnoye, near the Crimean city of SimferopolReuters

South Africa: Lion Killed and Beheaded for 'Muti' Purposes

A male lion was found beheaded in a South Africa national parkWilliam H. Majoros

A lion has been killed and beheaded in a South African national park in what conservationists believe is for traditional "muti" medicine.

Tembe, a male lion who was the pride of the KwaZulu-Natal National Elephant Park, was found dead by conservationists at the park.

He was one of the oldest lions at the park, which lies on the border between Zululand and Mozambique, South Africa's Independent Online reports.

Musa Mntambo, spokesman for the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the government organisation responsible for maintaining the conservation area, said staff had found the rotting carcass of Tembe along with the body of a lioness who had not been beheaded.

Both had been caught in snares – a row of six traps were found nearby and authorities believe they were set up by hunters. It is thought Tembe's head was sold or given to a nyanga – a traditional healer – to make medicine.

Mntambo said: "He was part of the heritage of the park and his killing is a great loss to the royal house and the people of Tembe, his people."

Tembe was brought to the park in 2002 to increase the wildlife diversity in the Elephant Park and to attract more tourism.

Mntambo said park rangers had increased foot patrols to try to catch those responsible who will likely return to the area to check their snares.

Muti is commonly used in the area where Tembe was killed. Most often, lion bones are used to make traditional medicine by grinding them and mixing them with other ingredients in the belief it is "guaranteed" to make people as strong as a lion, Silwane Gumede, a nyanga who practices in the area said.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: China Sends Naval Fleet to Indian Ocean in Hunt for Debris

China's largest patrol vessel in the South China Sea "Haixun 31" (C) is seen at a port before leaving for search and rescue operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in Sanya, Hainan province.Reuters

China is sending at least seven vessels to scour the southern Indian Ocean for debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 as the search intensifies after satellite images found two objects suspected to be wreckage of the plane.

Recue ships Haixun 01 and Nanhaijiu 101 have set sail for the search location, 3,000kms southwest off Perth, where the two objects were sighted.

Haixun 31 and Nanhaijiu 115 along with three other Chinese naval ships will also head to the waters shortly, an official Xinhua report said.

Besides, the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong aka Snow Dragon, which is currently anchored in Perth for replenishment, is also being sent to the remote stormy section of the southern Indian Ocean where the depth is 14,000 ft.

China has stepped up its operations following a telephone conversation between the country's President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The two leaders spoke on the ongoing search activities and Abbott updated the Chinese leader on the satellite findings.

"Since the plane lost contact, our hearts have been with the lives of the people from different countries on board the plane, including 154 Chinese and six Australians," said Xi.

Several aircraft and ships from Australia are already scouring the location for debris and the measures were briefly hampered by bad weather on Thursday (20 March).

As the hunt resumes, the first surveillance plane which conducted a search flew back unsuccessfully. The flights have fuel capacity to search for only two to three hours as it involves one of the remotest areas.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) which is coordinating the operations has said they are focusing on finding possibvle survivors.

The Kuala Lumpur-Beijing jetliner has been missing for nearly two weeks now.

Turkey's Erdogan Blocks Access to Twitter Accusing Gülen of Social Media Attacks

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a crowed ahead of local elections on 30 March.Reuters

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to "wipe out" Twitter from his country and imposed stiff curbs on the social media site.

Erdogan apparently did not take kindly to the voice recordings and documents, showing evidence of corruption in his party, posted on Twitter.

He said the recordings were "vile fakes", and fabricated to defame the government before the scheduled elections this month, according to Al Jazeera.

In one of the leaked recordings, Erdogan is heard asking his son to remove a large amount of cash from his house, as the prime minister is under investigation for corruption charges.

The government considers such recordings as illegal, and the state-run Anatolia news agency confirmed that the authorities have "technically blocked access to Twitter".

The Associated Press quoted Neelie Kores, Vice President European Commission, as saying that the restrictions on her Twitter account were "groundless, pointless, cowardly".

“The international community can say this, can say that. I don't care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the Republic of Turkey is”

- Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan

She said the "Turkish people and (international) community will see this as censorship. It is".

But Erdogan has made it clear that he will not bend regardless of what the "world may say".

"The international community can say this, can say that. I don't care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the Republic of Turkey is."

Turkish users trying to access Twitter were taken to a statement citing four court orders justifying the ban on the site.

Erdogan said Twitter had failed to pay heed to earlier Turkish court orders to take down the links seen as illegally discrediting his regime, forcing him to ban the social media site.

"If Twitter officials insist on not implementing court orders and rules of law ... there will be no other option but to prevent access to Twitter to help satisfy our citizens' grievances," said a government statement.

Two weeks ago, Erdogan said he was contemplating imposing bans on Facebook and YouTube, as these platforms were being used for anti-government propaganda.

"We are determined on the issue, regardless of what the world may say," Erdogan had said.

"We won't allow the people to be devoured by YouTube, Facebook or others. Whatever steps need to be taken we will take them without wavering."

He said the steps included banning these sites, "because these people or institutions are [using social media] for all kinds of immorality, all kinds of espionage and spying".

Erdogan sees Gülen hand

Erdogan has accused Fethullah Gülen, a US-based founder of the Gülen movement, a "pacifist and moderate" Islamic school of thought, of being behind the recent social media attacks on his government.

According to him, supporters of Gülen in the police and the judiciary carry out "espionage" activities against his party. The Gülen movement has denied any connection with the wire trapping and whistle-blowing attempts on Twitter.

Nu Wexler, Twitter spokesman, said the company was "looking into this now," without revealing any further details.

However, users in Turkey will be able to send tweets via SMS, and it appears that the government has not blocked the SMS service for the site.

Other countries including Iran, China and Egypt too have banned Twitter or its accounts at one point or another.

Thai Court Rules Snap Polls Unconstitutional

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (C) arrives on a wheelchair at the Royal Police Cadet Academy in Nakorn Pathom provinceReuters

In a fresh blow to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's Constitutional Court has declared as invalid the snap parliamentary elections held in February.

The verdict is likely to stoke new tensions in the protest-stricken southeast Asian nation.

The 6-3 ruling was made as polling did not take place on the same day all over the country.

The court took up the case following a complaint lodged by a law lecturer at a university and it was part of a string of legal challenges which the Shinawatra administration is facing.

The court also ordered the Election Commission to conduct fresh elections after discussions with the interim administration.

The snap polls were called by Yingluck following months-long anti-government protests, but the vote was boycotted by the opposition. Her party, Pheu Thai, was widely expected to win the elections.

On the eve of the court's outcome, the Democrat Party, the main opposition party, said they might boycott fresh elections as well.