W O R L D

Laos defence minister killed in plane crash
Bangkok, May 17
A Laos air force plane carrying senior government officials crashed today, killing at least five persons on board, including the country's defence minister, Thai officials said.

A rescue worker makes his way past the wreckage of an air force plane at its crash site near Nadee village on Saturday. Reuters

Balkan floods claim 20 lives
Belgrade, May 17
Tens of thousands fled their homes today in Bosnia and Serbia, evacuated by boat or helicopter as rising waters surged into villages and towns. Authorities said the record flooding killed at least 20 persons and the death toll could rise further.

People stand on a terrace of their flooded house as the wait to be evacuated in the town of Obrenovac, southwest of Belgrade. Reuters

English voice of Soviet leaders dies at 81 Moscow, May 17 The legendary interpreter who served as the English-language voice of every Soviet leader from Nikita Khrushchev to Mikhail Gorbachev has died in Moscow aged 81. In a career spanning more than three decades, Viktor Sukhodrev was a fixture at Cold War-era summits and responsible for translating Khrushchev's famed phrase "We will bury you", a symbol of superpower rivalry.

US President Jimmy Carter (L) and USSR State and party chairman Leonid Brezhnev (R) wave, as the Soviet interpreter Viktor Sukhodrev (C) stands between them in Vienna. AFP file photo

Security fears mount over Ukraine vote Kiev, May 17 Ukraine's election body issued a stark warning today that it may be impossible to hold next week's crucial presidential election in the east, where a pro-Moscow insurgency is threatening to plunge the country into all-out civil war. Ukrainian businessman, politician and presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko (R) meets his supporters during his election rally in the city of Krivyi Rih on Saturday. Reuters

Thai leader sets May 27 deadline to oust govt
Bangkok, May 17
Thai protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban today set May 27 as deadline to oust the government and said he would surrender to the authorities if he did not succeed in his seven-month-old struggle.

Indians celebrate BJP’s victory in London on Friday. PTI

Mexican-US actress and producer Salma Hayek poses during a photocall “A Tribute to Animated Films at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. AFP

Laos defence minister killed in plane crash

Bangkok, May 17
A Laos air force plane carrying senior government officials crashed today, killing at least five persons on board, including the country's defence minister, Thai officials said.

The Russian-made plane, believed to have had about 20 persons on board, left from the capital, Vientiane, early this morning headed for an official ceremony in the northeastern province of Xiangkhoung, about 470 km away, said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.

It crashed in a forested area of Xiangkhoung province, near one of Laos' major archaeological sites, the Plain of Jars.

Among those confirmed killed in the crash were Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit and his wife, said Nipat Thonglek, the Thai defence ministry's permanent secretary.

Douangchay was also one of the country's deputy prime ministers and a high-ranking member of Laos' Politburo, the main decision-making body for the nation's ruling Communist Party.

Also killed were the governor of the capital of Vientiane, Sukhan Mahalad, and two other senior officials, Nipat said. He said he was given the information by authorities in neighbouring Laos who did not immediately release details of the other passengers. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

Laos National Television showed images of the aircraft in a wooded area with smoke rising from its badly charred remains.

Thailand's Thai Rath newspaper identified the plane as a Russian-made Antonov AN-74.

In October, a Lao Airlines ATR-72 turboprop crashed during a heavy storm as it approached Pakse Airport in southern Laos, killing all 49 people on board. — AP

Balkan floods claim 20 lives

Belgrade, May 17
Tens of thousands fled their homes today in Bosnia and Serbia, evacuated by boat or helicopter as rising waters surged into villages and towns. Authorities said the record flooding killed at least 20 persons and the death toll could rise further.

Meteorologists say the flooding is the worst since records began 120 years ago and is due to a three-month amount of rain that fell on the region in just three days. Goran Mihajlovic from Serbia's Weather Center told The Associated Press that such a rainfall happens once in 100 years.

In the eastern Bosnian town of Bijeljina, some 10,000 people were being evacuated today after the rain-swollen Sava River pushed through flood defences. Mayor Mico Micic appealed for help, saying "we need everything, we are under water."

Officials in Bosnia say 12 people died and more bodies could emerge as water recedes from the dozens of cities flooded in the past three days. In some places, floodwaters had reached the second floor of people's homes and they had to be rescued by helicopter from their roofs.

In Serbia, which saw eight deaths, emergency crews and soldiers were using boats and helicopters to rescue thousands trapped in the town of Obrenovac, near Belgrade. Officials said more than 15,000 people have been evacuated so far from the flood-hit regions, most of them finding shelter in schools and sports halls.

The flooding in Obrenovac is threatening the Nikola Tesla power plant, Serbia's biggest. Plant capacity had already been cut after a nearby coal mine was flooded. The rain eased in some parts today but Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a press conference that new flood wave on the Sava River will hit tomorrow evening. — AP

English voice of Soviet leaders dies at 81

Moscow, May 17
The legendary interpreter who served as the English-language voice of every Soviet leader from Nikita Khrushchev to Mikhail Gorbachev has died in Moscow aged 81. In a career spanning more than three decades, Viktor Sukhodrev was a fixture at Cold War-era summits and responsible for translating Khrushchev's famed phrase "We will bury you", a symbol of superpower rivalry.

He died yesterday and was described in a foreign ministry statement as a "prominent diplomat and translator" and "direct participant in the most important events in Soviet-American relations." He will be remembered, the ministry said, for "his depth, keen observations, humour and human warmth".

Born on December 12, 1932, Sukhodrev learned his impeccable British-accented English as a boy in London, where his mother worked at the Soviet trade mission. His father was a Soviet intelligence officer who worked in the United States.

After graduating in 1956 from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, Sukhodrev joined the foreign ministry, rising almost immediately through the ranks to become Khrushchev's official interpreter.

In a letter to Life magazine in 1959, a reader who had seen the young Sukhodrev translating for Khrushchev on a US visit said he had given "a dazzling performance" and had "a keen, lightning-fast mind". Sukhodrev stayed many years in the role, interpreting in the meetings of Soviet leaders with six US presidents.

Richard Nixon was so impressed with his skills that he dismissed the need for a US interpreter at a 1972 meeting with Leonid Brezhnev, leaving Sukhodrev alone with the two leaders.

In his memoirs, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger described Sukhodrev as "unflappable" and a "crack interpreter".

One of his last major assignments was during talks between Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan that eventually led the crucial Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that eliminated some nuclear weapons. — AFP

The legendary interpreter

• Viktor Sukhodrev was responsible for translating Khrushchev's famed phrase "We will bury you", a symbol of superpower rivalry.
• He served as the English-language voice of every Soviet leader from Nikita Khrushchev to Mikhail Gorbachev.

Security fears mount over Ukraine vote

Kiev, May 17
Ukraine's election body issued a stark warning today that it may be impossible to hold next week's crucial presidential election in the east, where a pro-Moscow insurgency is threatening to plunge the country into all-out civil war.

The Central Election Commission called for the authorities in Kiev to take urgent action to ensure security in the east, saying almost two million people could be prevented from voting on May 25 because of the rebellion.

Its warning came as Ukraine's embattled Western-backed government was preparing to hold a second round of "national unity" dialogue called for under an OSCE-sponsored peace plan.

The commission said it could not prepare for the vote in the east because of threats and "illegal actions" by separatists who have overrun more than a dozen towns and cities since early April.

Although the talks are taking place later today in the eastern city of Kharkiv, which has been rattled by violence since the rebellion erupted, no separatist leaders have been invited to the table to Russia's annoyance.

The West sees the election as crucial to defusing the crisis on Europe's eastern flank and preventing the former Soviet republic from disintegrating further after Russia's annexation of Crimea.

But despite a month-long offensive, the Ukrainian military has failed to wrest back control of the main industrial regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, where rebels have now declared their own independent republics in defiance of Kiev and the West.

In total, 36 million Ukrainians are eligible to vote on May 25 in an election expected to deliver victory to billionaire chocolate baron Petro Poroshenko. — AFP

Gunfire in Ukraine ahead of talks

Slovyansk: Sustained gunfire was heard throughout the night near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, the stronghold of pro-Russia fighters, ahead of a second round of European-brokered talks on Saturday aimed at resolving the crisis. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Ukrainian government of using the talks as cover for military operations against its citizens.

Thai leader sets May 27 deadline to oust govt

Bangkok, May 17
Thai protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban today set May 27 as deadline to oust the government and said he would surrender to the authorities if he did not succeed in his seven-month-old struggle.

"Tuesday [May 27] will determine our victory. If millions of people do not show up on that day, I will turn myself in. I will give up whether we win or lose. We have done the best we can and we will accept the outcome," said Suthep.

"Until then, we will dedicate ourselves to this mission and it will end on May 27. We have been down this road long enough. This movie has been showing for a long time." Suthep, the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) secretary-general, said he would spend one final week trying to achieve his goals, after the Senate refused to appoint an interim prime minister following the removal of Yingluck Shinawatra. — PTI