South Korean Ferry Sewol Suffered Brief Power Cut before Capsizing

South Korean rescue workers travel in a boat near the site where capsized passenger ship Sewol sank last Wednesday, in the sea off JindoReuters

A new probe into the disaster that struck the South Korean ferry Sewol has found that there was a brief cut in power supply before the ship began to capsize off the southern coast of the country.

Although the cause of the blackout remains unascertained, authorities suspect the 36-second power cut could be behind the disaster.

"We need to investigate to determine why the ship veered sharply to the right after the blackout," an official from the ministry of oceans and fisheries told the South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo.

It was earlier revealed that the ship made an abrupt sharp turn before it capsized and the third mate was steering the vessel when the incident took place.

Meanwhile, the official death toll in the disaster has crossed 100 while nearly 200 passengers are still missing.

Divers continue to recover dozens of bodies from the sunken vessel in one of South Korea's worst maritime disasters.

With 17 more bodies retrieved on Tuesday (22 April), the death count has risen to 104 and the final toll is likely to be around 300.

"Underwater operations will focus on the third and fourth floors, while vessels will search waters to prevent bodies from drifting away. Search operations will go smoothly as waves in the rescue site are forecast to be about 0.5 metre high, and the speed of the currents is slow," a government spokesperson told a press conference.

The 6,825-tonne passenger ferry capsized last week and sank within two hours. Out of the 476 people on board, mostly students on a school trip, 174 were rescued while the ship was listing.

Although it is still unclear why the vessel capsized, seven of the crew members including the captain have been detained by authorities for negligence.

The rescue-turned-recovery operations are also hampered by bad weather and poor underwater visibility. However, the weather has improved in the last couple of hours and is likely to remain clear allowing authorities to step up measures.

As many as 212 boats, 34 aircraft and 550 trained personnel are involved in the recovery operations.

North Korean Nuclear Site Steps up Activities ahead of Obama's South Korea Visit

North Korean nuclear site steps up activities ahead of Obama’s South Korea visit

North Korea is believed to have stepped up activities at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site ahead of US President Barack Obama's two-day visit to South Korea from 26 April.

"The Punggye-ri nuclear test site has shown increased movement of vehicles and forces compared to the past. South Korean and US forces have been closely monitoring the latest development to detect signs of another test," a senior South Korean military official told Yonhap news agency.

North Korea had earlier threatened a "new form" of nuclear test in response to the US-South Korea joint military drill, which has now ended.

Earlier reports suggested that North Korea was ready to conduct a nuclear test barring final preparations. The country is prohibited from conducting such tests under UN sanctions.

Meanwhile, North Korea's foreign ministry has heaped scorn on Obama's upcoming Asia tour.

The ministry said Obama's trip would "escalate confrontation and bring the dark clouds of a nuclear arms race".

During his week-long tour, Obama will visit four Asian countries – Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines – in Washington's latest bid to reaffirm its commitment towards its allies in the region.

Japan's Trade Deficit Quadruples as Imports Surge Ahead of Sales Tax Hike

Japanese 10,000 yen notes line up in Tokyo.Reuters

Japan's trade deficit quadrupled from a year earlier in March, as export growth slowed while imports surged ahead of the sales tax hike.

The trade deficit widened to 1.45tn yen ($14bn, £8.4bn, €10bn) in March, up from 356.9bn yen in the same month last year, according to official data, thanks to the yen's weakness, which compounded surging imports.

Exports rose 1.8% to ¥6.38tn due to higher shipments of cars and processed fuel products. However, imports increased 18.1% to 7.83tn yen due to higher imports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

The country has raised its energy imports after it shut down all its nuclear reactors following the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that hit the Fukushima nuclear plant. Nuclear plants had been supplying a third of Japan's power demand.

Imports of liquefied petroleum gas rose more than 8% in March from the same month last year.

The rise in imports is attributed to an increase in demand ahead of the sales tax hike to 8% from 5% starting April; it will rise again to 10% in October 2015.

In addition, the continued depreciation in the yen boosted the cost of imports. While the decline in the yen is good for exporters with better profits, it would increase the cost of imports. The Japanese currency was an average 8.7% cheaper against the dollar in March, compared with the level a year ago.

Analysts noted that import volumes would come down due to the sales tax hike and possible reopening of a number of nuclear reactors.

"Consumers are likely to rein in spending in the wake of this month's consumption tax hike, which should reduce import demand," said Marcel Thieliant, Japan economist at Capital Economics.

"The trade shortfall is likely to narrow in the second quarter, which should provide some support to GDP growth even as domestic demand is set to plunge."