South Korea ferry: Death toll passes 100

The confirmed death toll from the South Korean ferry that capsized last week has passed 100, as divers recovered more bodies from the sunken hull. A total of 104 people are now known to have died, but another 198 are missing, presumed trapped inside the vessel. The ferry tipped over and sank within two hours, but it is not yet clear why. Seven crew members have been detained, however, amid intense criticism of their failure to evacuate all passengers as the ship listed. Passengers were told to remain in rooms and cabin, reports suggest, amid confusion on the bridge over whether to order them to abandon ship. Rescue team members work to rescue passengers believed to have been trapped in the sunken ferry Sewol near the buoys which were installed to mark the vessel in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea on 21 April 2014 Teams of divers have been searching the sunken ferry for the bodies of those who died The bodies of a passengers aboard the Sewol, a South Korean ferry which sank in the water off the southern coast, are carried by rescue workers upon its arrival at a port in Jindo, South Korea, on 21 April 2014 Bodies are being brought to shore - where many relatives wait for news of their loved ones An altar with prayer offerings for missing passengers onboard South Korean ferry Sewol, which capsized on Wednesday, is seen next to the sea at a port where family members of missing passengers are waiting for news on 22 April 2014 The accident - involving so many teenagers - has led to immense shock and grief in South Korea South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday condemned the conduct of some of the crew, calling it "akin to murder". Robot ready A total of 174 passengers were rescued from the Sewol, which capsized as it sailed from Incheon in the north-west to the southern island of Jeju. But there were 476 people on board, including 339 children and teachers on a school trip. Many were trapped inside the ship as it listed to one side and then sank. Military divers have been searching the ship for those who died. Bodies of victims are being brought back to the port on Jindo island at a steady rate now, reports the BBC's Jonathan Head, who is in Jindo. Lucy Williamson on the traumatised town that lost its students Divers have managed to reach many of the cabins in the hull of the upturned ferry, although they are still trying to get into the ship's restaurant, where they believe many of the passengers were trapped. They have also loaded an underwater robot at the port this morning, ready to be used in the operation to bring the hull to the surface, our correspondent adds. Rescue officials say they will keep searching with divers for another two days, but that the families of the victims have agreed that the salvage operation can begin after that. Investigations are focusing on whether the ferry took too sharp a turn - perhaps destabilising the vessel - before it started listing and whether an earlier evacuation order could have saved lives. Captain Lee Joon-seok was not on the bridge when the ferry began listing. It was being steered by a third mate who had never navigated the waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors say. The captain and two other crew members have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law. Four more crew members were detained on Monday. Graphic showing location of sunken ferry and timeline of events bbc graphic Are you in the area? Do you have any information you would like to share? Please send us your comments. You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'South Korea ferry'. Or get in touch using the form below. Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Ukraine crisis: Biden to meet Kiev leaders in show of support

US Vice-President Joe Biden is to meet Ukraine's new leaders in a show of support for the pro-Western government. Mr Biden is due to discuss the upcoming elections with the country's interim prime minister and president during his visit to Kiev. A phone conversation between the US secretary of state and Russia's foreign minister earlier led to both sides blaming the other over the crisis. Meanwhile, funerals are due to take place for three men shot on Sunday. The men were killed during a raid on a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near the town of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine. The circumstances remain unclear. The local separatists said the attack was carried out by ultra-nationalist Right Sector militants. Kiev called it a "provocation" staged by Russian special forces. 'Hotheads' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Kiev authorities on Monday of breaking last week's Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis. A pro-Russian militant looks out from the barricaded entrance of the city council building on 21 April 2014 in Sloviansk Pro-Russian militants are still holding official buildings in at least nine towns and cities in the Donetsk region Flowers lay in the road as a memorial to three men shot on Easter Sunday at a checkpoint near Sloviansk Flowers lie on the road near the site of Sunday's fatal shooting on the edge of Sloviansk He said the Kiev government - not recognised by Moscow - had not moved to disarm illegal groups, especially the Right Sector. The authorities in Kiev say they were surprised by Mr Lavrov's remarks and blame Russia for the instability. In a phone call, Mr Lavrov urged US Secretary of State John Kerry "to influence Kiev, to prevent hotheads there from provoking a bloody conflict," according to the Kremlin. Meanwhile, the US state department said Mr Kerry "urged Russia to take concrete steps to help implement the Geneva agreement, including publicly calling on separatists to vacate illegal buildings and checkpoints". Judging by the contrasting accounts of its contents, the conversation simply led to both sides blaming the other for the fact that very little has changed in Ukraine since agreement was reached last Thursday, says the BBC's David Willis in Washington. The US has drawn up plans for further economic sanctions should Russia fail to make good on its Geneva commitments, our correspondent adds. Appeals for unity The 17 April Geneva accord was agreed at talks between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and US. It demanded an immediate end to violence in eastern Ukraine and called on illegal armed groups to surrender their weapons and leave official buildings. Sergei Lavrov: "All signs show that Kiev can't, and maybe doesn't want to, control the extremists who continue to call the shots" Pro-Russian militants are still holding official buildings in at least nine towns and cities in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. The interim authorities in Kiev said they had suspended operations against pro-Russian militants over Easter, and appealed for national unity. They promised to meet some of the demands of pro-Russian protesters, which include the decentralisation of power and guarantees for the status of the Russian language. Technical assistance The US State Department released a series of photos of soldiers in eastern Ukraine on Monday, which it says show that some of the fighters are Russian special forces. The US vice-president will meet Ukraine's interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk and acting President Olexander Turchynov on Tuesday. Mr Biden is expected to announce technical support to the Kiev government, including economic and energy-related assistance. The White House said President Barack Obama agreed Mr Biden should make the two-day visit to Ukraine's capital to send a high-level signal of support for reform efforts being pushed the new pro-Western government. The elections on 25 May are seen as a crucial step in leading Ukraine out of the country's deepest political crisis since its independence in 1991. East Ukraine map Ukraine has been in turmoil since last November, when Kiev was gripped by protests against President Viktor Yanukovych over his rejection of an economic pact with the EU. He was toppled in February and fled to Russia. Russia then annexed Crimea following a regional referendum that approved joining the Russian federation. The annexation provoked international outrage. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday submitted a bill to parliament to establish a gambling zone in Crimea. The president approved a law making it easier for people in former Soviet republics to apply for Russian citizenship. He also signed a decree to rehabilitate Crimea's Muslim Tatars and other ethnic minorities who suffered during the rule of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The 300,000-strong Tatar community - which makes up 15% of Crimea's population - opposed the peninsula's incorporation into Russia last month. Are you in eastern Ukraine or the wider region? How have you been affected by recent events? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Ukraine". Or you can get in touch by using the form below.