Six In The Morning Monday April 7

Ukraine officer shot dead by Russian soldier in Crimea

Naval officer dies after altercation in Novofyodorovka as prime minister accuses Russia of trying to destabilise eastern Ukraine

• Agencies in Kiev
• theguardian.com, Monday 7 April 2014 09.54 BST

A Russian soldier has shot dead a Ukrainian naval officer in eastern Crimea,Ukraine's defence ministry has claimed, in one of the few fatalities reported since Russia took control of the Black Sea peninsula.

Russian media reports said a group of Ukrainian soldiers in the village of Novofedorivka had been drinking and were on their way home when they passed Russian soldiers guarding an entry to the military base where they previously worked, and an argument broke out between the two groups.

"We confirm the death of a Ukrainian officer in the village of Novofedorivka in Crimea," the ministry's press service told Interfax-Ukraine. According to the news agency, the Russian serviceman shot dead the Ukrainian officer near the hostel where the latter lived.

India goes to the polls in massive general election as campaign turns bitter

ANDREW BUNCOMBE 

 

AGARTALA

 

Monday 07 April 2014

India today embarked on the start of a massive, month-long series of polls after the leaders of the two main parties heaped further attacks on one another.

People in parts of the north-eastern states of Assam and Tripura went and cast their ballots in the first of nine days that have been set aside for voting by election officials.

Among the very first to vote in the quiet town of Argatala, state capital of Tripura, were Putul Dass, 71, and her husband, 78-year-old Mohanda. At a polling station at the Bijay Kumar secondary school Mrs Dass was first in the women's line while her husband was second to vote among the men.

"The idea was to get here early and to get it done. Then you can spend the rest of the day like a holiday," said Mrs Dass, displaying a purple ink mark on her thumb.

Resort that inspired escape from Shawshank prison declared a health risk

The Las Salinas lagoon is now brown in colour due to the dumping of waste from the village

Alasdair Baverstock, Mexico City

8:00AM BST 07 Apr 2014

Made famous as the inspiration for Andy Dufresne's daring escape from Shawshank prison, a glance at the current state of popular Mexican resort Zihuatanejo would have the escapee crawling straight back up the penitentiary's sewer pipes.

The waters of the popular Pacific coast resort have been declared a public health risk by local authorities following tests which show the area's water contains almost double the amount of dangerous bacteria declared safe for swimming by the Mexican Ministry of Health.

"People who swim regularly here develop skin problems", local businessman Benjamin Armenta told national newspaper La Reforma. "It's worse now than ever before, something has to be done about it as it's bad for the town".

Swaziland editor, lawyer released from prison

07 APR 2014 09:04 SAPA

A lawyer and editor - arrested after an article was published about the detention of a government vehicle inspector - have been released from jail.

A Swaziland editor and a rights lawyer who were arrested last month over an article said to be in contempt of court were freed on Sunday after a judge nullified their arrest.

Judge Mumcy Dlamini rejected a warrant of arrest for Bheki Makhubu, the editor of the Nation magazine, and lawyer Thulani Maseko, who is a columnist at the magazine, saying it was not in line with the law.

The two were arrested on March 18, after the independent magazine published a report questioning the detention of a government vehicle inspector who was detained for a week without being charged.

The inspector allegedly stopped a government vehicle driver who was driving a car without official documents.

In its February issue, the magazine criticised the arrest as an abuse of authority.

China warns US against 'interference' in Hong Kong

 

Beijing warned the United States on Monday against interfering in Hong Kong's affairs after US Vice President Joe Biden met with two of the city's outspoken pro-democracy campaigners last week.

In an unusually high sign of support, Biden attended talks at the White House on Friday with Martin Lee, a founder of Hong Kong's opposition Democratic Party, and Anson Chan, former number two in the city's government.

Biden "underscored our long-standing support for democracy in Hong Kong", the White House said in a statement.

In the first official response from Beijing, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua quoted an official as saying that the US should "proceed discreetly" to prevent damaging China-US relations.

Hong Kong -- a former British colony which is now a special administrative region of China -- is at a critical time of political reform and Beijing opposes interference by any country in China's internal affairs, a foreign ministry spokesman in Hong Kong said, according to Xinhua's dispatch.

Meet Singapore's coffee king Adrin Loi

By Kim GittlesonBBC reporter, Singapore

Adrin Loi, 59, executive chairman of Ya Kun Coffee International, never set out to be Singapore's coffee king.

The youngest of seven in a close-knit Chinese-Singaporean family, Mr Loi grew up working with his brothers and sisters in his father Ah Koon's humble coffee stall.

"I was very good at making toast," he says with a laugh.

Mr Loi's father, known as Ya Kun, a bastardisation of his Chinese name, operated from Telok Ayer Square and later the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre, serving the classic Singapore breakfast offering: runny eggs, coffee and toast spread with kaya, a jam made of coconut milk and flavoured with pandan leaves.

But when Mr Koon fell ill, after serving hungry crowds for more than 60 years, Mr Loi felt that it would be a shame if the family business disappeared. Most of his siblings were all older - his eldest sister is 20 years his senior - and did not want to take over the stand.