Tradisional Sabah Borneo

GENEVA (AP) -- The treacherous Mediterranean Sea crossing from Libya to Italy claimed the lives of at least 1,083 migrants over the past week — mostly because barely seaworthy smuggling boats foundered and sank despite calm seas and sunny skies, a migration agency said Tuesday, citing new accounts from survivors.

The staggering death toll could foreshadow more disasters in coming months as the region gears up for the traditional summer-fall spike in human trafficking as the weather improves and seas grow warmer. Aid officials say it also suggests that Libyan smuggling gangs are using even riskier tactics to profit from the torrent of people desperate to reach the safety and economic promise of Europe.

Making matters worse, the tally is only from the capsizings or shipwrecks known to authorities, who acknowledge they don't have precise information on how many people are being jammed into unsuitable vessels and swallowed up by the vast waters of the southern Mediterranean.

Two Eritreans among the hundreds of shipwreck survivors brought to Italian ports last week described being haunted by the number of women and children on their capsized boat who did not survive. They could still hear the cries of the children as the ship sank Thursday, they said.

"I started to cry when I saw the situation and when I found the ship without an engine. There were many women and children," said 21-year-old Filmon Selomon who plunged into the sea to save himself. "Water was coming in from everywhere, top, bottom."

"The children were crying and the women," said Habtom Tekle, a 27-year-old Eritrean. "At this point I only tried to pray. Everybody was trying to take the water out of the boat."

The International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that 62 people were confirmed dead and another 971 were missing and presumed drowned in nine separate emergencies since May 25 on the Libya-to-Italy sea route.

William Spindler, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, told reporters in Geneva that this year was already proving to be "particularly deadly" on the Mediterranean, with some 2,510 lives lost compared to 1,855 over the same period a year ago.

IOM spokesman Joel Millman told The Associated Press that last week's toll was the largest in a single week since mid-April of last year, when 1,226 people drowned or went missing, most in two deadly sinkings.

In the deadliest of last week's shipwrecks, 500 people remain missing after a boat without an engine capsized on Thursday as it was being towed by another boat loaded with some 800 people, the agency said. A day earlier, a sinking left some 250 people missing and five confirmed dead. By Saturday, 45 people were confirmed dead and 215 missing in a shipwreck off Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Six smaller incidents left another 68 people dead or missing last week, IOM said.

Spindler gave a somewhat lower toll, saying UNHCR estimates that at least 880 people were believed dead. He noted such estimates were an inexact science and UNHCR figures tend to be "conservative."

The discrepancy between the two agencies' counts stems largely from the May 25 sinking: IOM now estimates that 250 people died. Like UNHCR, it had originally estimated about 100 deaths.

Frederico Soda, who heads IOM's Mediterranean office in Rome, said the increase in those making the deadly crossing was due "in part, to better weather, and in part to the use of bigger wooden boats that can carry more people than the rubber boats" used last year.

"During the last few days we have had major accidents involving unsafe wooden boats," he said. "This also explains the increase in the number of migrants dead or missing: One accident can result in hundreds of fatalities."Among other possible factors for the high number of fatalities, survivors have told UNHCR staffers that some smugglers in Libya appeared to be trying to earn extra cash before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week.

Spindler also noted new and far riskier tactics. Until Thursday's capsizing, he said, he had never heard of smugglers using an overloaded boat carrying hundreds of people to tow another vessel that had no engine and was packed with hundreds more. IOM said that boat carried mostly Eritreans.  AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she discussed Clinton's private email server with a technical aide who helped set up and run the system, according to a court deposition released Tuesday by a conservative legal group.

Longtime Clinton aide Cheryl Mills acknowledged in five hours of testimony last week that her conversations with the technical aide, Bryan Pagliano, took place after Clinton stepped down as secretary of state in 2013.

Mills, who was Clinton's chief of staff at the State Department and later her private attorney, told lawyers for the legal group Judicial Watch that she spoke to Pagliano several times about the setup of Clinton's email system. But Mills' lawyers declined to allow Mills to speak in detail about Pagliano's work or whether he was working at the time for either Clinton or her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Judicial Watch has sued the State Department for access to public records about Clinton's use of private emails in her public job.

Pagliano has reportedly cooperated with the FBI in its separate probe of Clinton's emails but last year refused to testify to a congressional committee about his work on the email server, which was installed in the basement of the Clinton's home in Chappaqua, N.Y.Clinton has said publicly that she is willing to talk with the FBI in its investigation, but said Tuesday in an interview with MSNBC that the agency has not yet scheduled a session with her.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Tuesday that the extended session with Mills and her attorneys provided more information "about her email system, about its impact on FOIA (public records searches) and the fact that Ms. Mills was talking with Mr. Pagliano about this system after she left the State Department."

Much of the session, however, devolved into legal objections and sparring between lawyers for Mills and the legal group over how much she could relate without veering away from careful legal limits imposed by both sides.

Mills did say she recalled speaking with Pagliano, who worked both as a private technical consultant to Clinton and as a special State Department aide during Clinton's tenure, as far back as 2008 — a period when Pagliano was still working as an aide for Clinton's unsuccessful 2008 presidential try. Mills did not characterize the discussions and said she could not recall in detail any discussions at the time about the set-up of Clinton's email server.

Mills also said she had expected that all the emails that she received from and sent to Clinton's private email addresses would have been preserved and archived by State officials because her messages originated from the State Department's email system."It was my impression that when she emailed, because it was her practice to email people on their State accounts when she was doing State business, that any of those communications would be captured and maintained by the State Department system," Mills said.

On Tuesday Clinton said she never instructed any of her aides to "hide the fact that I was using a personal email ... it was obvious to many people," she told MSNBC.

A report from the State Department inspector general last week said that on at least one occasion, a State Department supervisor warned two other agency officials not to raise questions about Clinton's use of private emails.  AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is urging the public to prepare for the coming hurricane season and warning against what he says is a growing "complacency" when it comes to dangerous weather.

Obama says people should have evacuation plans and readiness kits handy, and should follow official evacuation orders. He says information on how to prepare is posted on the website Ready.gov.

The president issued the warnings Tuesday, the day before the start of hurricane season. Obama received a briefing from federal officials at FEMA headquarters in Washington.

U.S. government forecasters are expecting a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season after three relatively slow years.

Obama says the government plays a vital role in protecting people from increasingly powerful weather. But he says it is "every citizen's responsibility" to be ready.  AP

KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 ― Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) is set to represent Pakatan Harapan in the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar polls by fielding two senior leaders, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Malay Mail Online understands that the decision was reached after PAS terminated seat negotiations with PKR, but not all in PKR agree with fielding Amanah candidates, especially for the Sungai Besar seat.

Pakatan Harapan sources said that Amanah president Mohamad Sabu will likely be announced as the pact's Sungai Besar candidate, while former Perak mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is believed to be runner in Kuala Kangsar.

“In a way, we have split opinion on what we should do; some of us feel we should just leave PAS alone and not create more division within the opposition… it’s either no candidate or an Amanah candidate, but right now it looks set to be the latter,” a Pakatan Harapan source told Malay Mail Online.

The source said the two Amanah leaders were obvious choices ― Mohamad due to his seniority in politics and the fact he was once PAS deputy president, and Nizar because of his short stint as Perak mentri besar.A PKR leader told Malay Mail Online that party deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali was still attempting last-minute negotiations for their party to contest Sungai Besar, but added that his efforts will unlikely yield any success.

“100 per cent Amanah will put candidates in these two seats… MB Azmin is still trying to get Sungai Besar but chances are very slim,” the PKR leader said.

Amanah communications director Khalid Samad confirmed that his party will announce its candidates for Sungai Besar tonight and Kuala Kangsar tomorrow.

His party has pressed its case to contest for both seats, saying it was the natural choice to challenge the traditional PAS spots.

“The names of the Amanah candidates will be announced then… if PAS is contesting these seats, there is no way PKR will contest against PAS because it might affect their working relationship in the Selangor government.

“The only party that can go down against PAS in these two seats is Amanah,' the Shah Alam MP told Malay Mail Online.

Nizar echoed Khalid's remarks, but was coy on whether he would be contesting the Kuala Kangsar seat.“I wouldn't know, you will have to wait for the official announcement,” he told Malay Mail Online.

PAS has selected Meru assemblyman Dr Abdul Rani Osman to contest the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election and the Perak PAS women's wing chief Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad for the Kuala Kangsar seat.

Barisan Nasional will field Sungai Panjang assemblyman Budiman Mohd Zohdi in Sungai Besar and Datin Mastura Mohd Yazid for the Kuala Kangsar race.

Nomination is set for June 5 while polling will be on June 18. The by-elections were triggered by the death of both incumbents in a helicopter crash in Sarawak last month MALAY  MAIL  ONLINE

The transaction marks the first sale of Alibaba shares by its largest shareholder since Softbank first began investing in the company. Softbank's Alibaba stake will fall to about 28 percent of the Chinese firm from 32.2 percent in March.

Both companies said they would maintain a strategic partnership. Softbank Chairman and Chief Executive Masayoshi Son will remain a director at Alibaba, while Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma will remain on the board of Softbank.

Shares of Alibaba fell 2.8 percent in extended trading on Tuesday.

The deal includes a $2 billion sale of shares to Alibaba itself, a sale of $400 million in shares to the Alibaba Partnership, a 34-person group of Executive Chairman Jack Ma and other Alibaba founders and executives, a $500 million sale of shares to an unidentified sovereign wealth fund, and an offering by a new Softbank-controlled trust of $5 billion to $6 billion in securities that convert in three years into Alibaba stock, Softbank said.Stifel analyst Scott Devitt in a note said that he maintained a buy rating after the Softbank sale. "We do not view this as a shift in confidence from a major investor. In fact, it could remove an overhang of expectation of such an event," he wrote.

Alibaba said it will buy the $2 billion of its shares with cash on hand.

In connection with the transaction, Softbank also entered into a lockup agreement with Alibaba under which it will not transfer any Alibaba shares held by the company for six months.

U.S. web company Yahoo Inc has been exploring a sale of its core business. It also has been investigating how to dispose of its 15 percent stake Alibaba, but that potential sale has been complicated by concerns that Yahoo would incur a major tax bill. People familiar with the matter say Alibaba is not interested currently in buying the stake from Yahoo at a high price.

An Alibaba spokeswoman declined to comment on the Yahoo-owned stake.  REUTERS

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A woman is walking 80 miles while pulling a casket from her home to the state Capitol to raise awareness of mental health issues, including suicide and addiction.

Greta Schwartz set out on her three-leg journey Monday and plans to arrive Wednesday.

The 48-year-old has a backpack of water and is storing food in the wooden casket she is pulling behind her with a strap fastened to her waist.

The casket has the word "revolution" printed on its lid. It also bears the names of about 70 people to whom Schwartz had a personal connection who have killed themselves. It has two wheels at the narrow end to help Schwartz pull it.

"I can't just sit around," she said. "This is happening. I have over 70 names. That's just people I have a connection with. Not even strangers."

She said her son knew two students at Ocean City High School who killed themselves in 2014 and 2015.

About a dozen people came out of their homes along a residential stretch during her walk, shared their stories involving suicide and wrote their loved ones' names on the casket, she said."It's really just unbelievable," said Schwartz, whose feet are blistered after the first 40 or so miles.

Schwartz, who owns the Red Sky Cafe in Seaville, put her theatrical experience as a former actor in New York City to work after attending a discussion on mental health from former Rhode Island U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who spoke in November at Stockton University.

Kennedy, the son of late Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, now lives in Brigantine and has been a political advocate for mental health issues.

Schwartz said Kennedy told the audience the only way to make a change was to be loud.

"I'm not a professional in the field. I'm just a mom with experience," Schwartz said. "So my goal in this is to use this election year to really get people to talk about it."

Schwartz walked from Seaville to Hammonton on Monday and was headed from Hammonton to Mount Holly on Tuesday. She'll set out Wednesday for Trenton.

Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.The national suicide rate was about 13 per 100,000 people in 2014, the latest year when statistics were available, according to the foundation. New Jersey tracks lower than the national average at about eight per 100,000, according to the foundation.

The state operates a suicide prevention hotline and website.  AP

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been ordered to file by June 9 his defence against a lawsuit by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and two others.

The High Court issued the order today when it rejected Najib's

application to stay the filing of his defence, pending disposal of his

bid to strike out the legal action over the 1Malaysia Development

Bhd(1MDB) issue.

Judge Abu Bakar Jais ruled that Najib's affidavit (written statement

used as evidence in court) only contained facts related to his

striking-out application, not on the stay bid itself.

Abu Bakar however ordered Najib's defence be filed by June 9.

Previously, the deadline was on June 2.He also set June 23 to hear an application by Dr Mahathir and the

other two plaintiffs to be allowed to cross-examine Najib over an

affidavit supporting his striking-out application.

Dr Mahathir and the other plaintiffs - former Batu Kawan Umno

vice-chairman Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and former Langkawi Wanita Umno member Anina Saadudin - alleged that the affidavit was "inherently improbable" and "inconsistent with undisputed contemporary

facts in the public domain".

The court would hear the cross-examination bid first before hearing

Najib's striking-out application.

Dr Mahathir and the other two plaintiffs were represented by counsel Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla. Najib's legal team was led by lawyer Tan Sri Cecil Abraham.

On March 23, Dr Mahathir, Khairuddin and Anina filed the suit against Najib, who also holds the presidency of both Umno and the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition.The three plaintiffs are suing Najib over alleged abuse of power to

obstruct investigation into the 1MDB issue, involving the remittance of RM2.6 billion and RM42 million into Najib's personal accounts, among others.

Dr Mahathir, Khairuddin and Anina are seeking exemplary and aggravated damages of RM2.6 billion and RM42 million, respectively, among other reliefs sought.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 ― Two non-Muslim representatives from the Barisan Nasional (BN) Datuk Heng Seai Kie and Tan Sri Joseph Kurup expressed surprise today at the federal government’s decision to bring forward the controversial proposed Shariah law amendments that will enable the rollout of hudud in Kelantan.

Heng, who is adviser on national unity and integration in the Prime Minister’s Department, said she was “taken aback” by developments in the Dewan Rakyat today when Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman put in a motion to move up the Private Member's Bill by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be read today.

“I was taken aback. The MCA presidential council met yesterday and we decided we were against hudud,” she told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

“Our stand is always the same. We are of the opinion that hudud is unconstitutional,” she added.

Kurup, who is another minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and in charge of unity, similarly said he was caught by surprise when the motion went through.

“Everyone had to read the Bill properly, I guess that is why it was deferred,” he said.“I will have to read it first,” he added when asked if he would support the Bill when it is raised again for debate.

The proposed amendments seeks to amend the Shariah Court Act to increase the ambit of punishment that the Islamic court can mete out.

However, PAS unexpectedly asked to defer debate on its private member’s hudud Bill to the next Dewan Rakyat meeting.  MALAY  MAIL  ONLINE

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed in an article published Thursday that the EU would not be a global player without his country's help as he prepared to visit the bloc for the first time in almost a year.

Putin, who starts a two-day visit to Greece on Friday, also called for an energy alliance with Europe and the relaxation of visa rules for Russians travelling to the EU.

"A rightful position of the Old Continent in the new international realities can only be secured by combining capacities of all European countries, including Russia," Putin said in the article in the Kathimerini daily.

"We believe our relations with the EU do not face any problems that we cannot solve. To get back to a multifaceted partnership, the deficient approach of one-sided relationships should be abandoned. There should be true respect for each other's opinions and interests."

EU-Russia relations are at a low ebb over the conflict in Ukraine that broke out in 2014, with European sanctions still in force against Moscow.

The sanctions on Russia's banking, defence and energy sectors expire in July. Extending them will require a unanimous vote, and EU leaders are expected to discuss the issue next month.

Putin is due to meet Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens on Friday.

On Saturday, he will join celebrations for the 1,000th anniversary of the Russian presence at the ancient monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece, one of Orthodox Christianity's holiest sites.

Greece has repeatedly sought the help of Russia, a fellow Orthodox country, as it descended into economic crisis over the past six years.

Tsipras is believed to have requested Russian financial assistance last year as the country teetered on the verge of bankruptcy, although Russian officials have publicly denied any approach.

Russian companies have also been repeatedly linked to Greek energy and transport privatisation deals that were never completed.

However, Putin indicated in Thursday's article that Russia remains interested in tenders involving Greek rail assets and the port of Thessaloniki.

Kathimerini said a deal between Russian oil giant Rosneft and Greek refiner Hellenic Petroleum could be signed during the visit.

Putin was last in Europe in June, when he visited Italy and held talks with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Pope Francis.

Tsipras visited Moscow for talks with Putin twice last year, in April and June, ahead of his re-election in September.  AFP

Outraged Taiwanese took to the Internet Thursday to slam sexist comments by a Chinese analyst who said the island's new president practises "emotional" politics because she is a single woman.

The scathing attack Tuesday from a member of China's organisation overseeing relations with the island comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei after the election of Taiwan's first female leader, Beijing-sceptic Tsai Ing-wen.

Tsai's office and the ruling DPP declined to comment on the remarks, but enraged politicians and citizens openly voiced their displeasure.

"It's such a ridiculous remark and discrimination against single people. Everyone has the right to choose his or her lifestyle by having partners or staying single and that should be respected," DPP lawmaker Yeh Yi-chin told AFP.

Another lawmaker Wang Yu-min was equally incensed over the comments.

"Such a personal attack is extremely improper. It's gender discrimination and we strongly oppose such remarks," said Wang, from the Beijing-friendly KMT party.

The remarks from Wang Weixing, a military analyst and a board member of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, claimed that Tsai's politics were affected by her status as a "single female politician"."In political style and strategy, often she tends to be emotional, personal and extreme. In terms of political tricks, she considers strategy less, tactical details more, and short-term goals are paramount, while long-term goals are less taken into account," Wang wrote.

Internet users in Taiwan joined lawmakers in slamming Wang's comments Thursday.

"Why doesn't he criticise a bunch of married male politicians who are having extramarital affairs? (He's) a chauvinist pig who hurts gender equality," wrote one post on the Facebook page of Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper.

"It is a crime to be single? Such a remark only shows the world how perverted China is," wrote one message on the Apple Daily's website.

Another blasted: "China is so barbaric."

Tsai, from the Beijing-wary Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was inaugurated last week, succeeding Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang (KMT) who oversaw an unprecedented rapprochement with China.

Beijing has since warned the new president against any move to declare formal independence and threatened to cut contact unless Tsai states support for the "one China" principle.Although Taiwan is self-ruling after splitting with the mainland in 1949 following a civil war, it has never formally declared independence and Beijing still sees it as part of its territory awaiting reunification.AFP

Campaigners for Britain to leave the European Union in next month's referendum warned Thursday that immigration from the bloc had "spun out of control" as new figures showed net migration at its second highest ever level.

Exactly four weeks before the June 23 vote, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published data putting net migration -- the difference between those arriving and leaving -- at 333,000 in the year to December 2015.

The record of 336,000 was set in June last year. A total of 270,000 EU citizens came to Britain in 2015, up 6,000, and net EU migration was up 10,000 at 184,000.

New data from the Labour Force Survey found 2.1 million EU nationals were working in Britain between January and March 2016, up 224,000 on the same period last year.

"We must face the fact that the system has spun out of control," said Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson, the former London mayor and a possible successor to Prime Minister David Cameron, in a statement.

"We cannot control the numbers. We cannot control the terms on which people come and how we remove those who abuse our hospitality. This puts huge pressure on schools, hospitals and housing."

He said Britain had benefited from immigration but it had to be limited, and said that staying in the EU meant "kissing goodbye permanently to control of immigration".

UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage tweeted: "Mass immigration still hopelessly out of control and set to get worse if we Remain in EU."

Many Europeans are drawn to Britain because of its relatively strong economy, and under EU rules of freedom of movement, the government cannot stop them.

Brexit supporters have put ending this freedom of movement at the heart of their campaign for a "Leave" vote.

Immigration minister James Brokenshire said the number of people moving to Britain "remains too high" but said that leaving the EU was "no panacea or silver bullet".

He said the government had cut abuse of the student and family visa schemes for non-EU migrants, and would soon introduce new laws on tackling illegal employment.

Reforms to welfare payments to EU citizens, secured by Cameron in February, would also have an impact, he said.

New mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the son of Pakistani immigrants, said EU citizens working in Britain brought in billions of pounds in taxes.

"We as a city can see the huge cultural, social and economic benefits for our nation," he told reporters.

Non-EU immigration fell by 10,000 to 277,000 in the year to December, while emigration -- Britons leaving the UK -- fell by 22,000 to 297,000.

The ONS on Wednesday projected that under current trends, the population of England would grow by 4.1 million -- 7.5 percent -- in the next ten years.AFP

A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who was allegedly beaten by police in an attack captured by television cameras and beamed around the world was found guilty Thursday of assaulting and resisting police officers.

Political activist Ken Tsang was accused of splashing liquid on police officers during mass street rallies in 2014 –- the same night as he was brutally beaten in the corner of a park.

Protesters outside the courthouse said the verdict amounted to "political persecution," while Tsang's lawyer Robert Pang said the attack his client had been subjected to was much more serious than the one he had been charged for.

Tsang, 40, a member of the pro-democracy Civic Party, denied the charges but was found guilty of one count of assault and two counts of resisting police officers, which could carry up to two years in jail.

"The evidence showed that the defendant did indeed pour liquid, and that liquid fell on police officers," magistrate Peter Law told the Kowloon City courthouse.

"Although he did not have a specific target, he clearly knew there were many officers below," he said, adding that it showed "hostility."

Tsang, wearing a dark suit, sat calmly in the courtroom -- which was packed with both journalists and his supporters -- as the verdict was delivered.He was given bail until his sentencing on May 30.

The police who allegedly beat him, who are not the same officers Tsang is accused of assaulting, are to stand trial separately.

It is the first conviction for a high profile case surrounding the rallies which blocked major highways in the city for over two months and was dubbed the "Umbrella Revolution", with protesters calling for a free vote on the city's leader.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in connection to the rallies including student pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong, who faces two verdicts in June for protests in 2014.

- 'He was tortured' -

Speaking after the verdict, Tsang's lawyer Pang described the "disproportionate violence" police allegedly used in the attack on the activist.

"His body was covered in wounds... he was tortured. He was punched and kicked in a dark corner as a punishment," Pang said.

Video footage aired by local television network TVB at the time showed a group of men hauling a handcuffed Tsang to a dark corner in a public park in the early hours of October 15, 2014.One man stood over him and punched him, as three others were seen repeatedly kicking him.

Seven policemen will stand trial for the assault on the activist later this year. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Tsang said he was "disappointed" about the court's decision and thanked supporters, adding that he was mulling over an appeal.

He earlier said that police brought assault charges against him to distract from the case against them.

The two incidents took place at the height of mass protests seeking free leadership elections in Hong Kong, and rocked the reputation of the city's police force.

It took a year for charges to be brought against both Tsang and the officers accused of beating him, a delay that further increased controversy surrounding the cases.

Thousands of protesters blocked major thoroughfares in Hong Kong in 2014 but ultimately failed to win any concessions from either Beijing or the city authorities.AFP

Barack Obama said Thursday that his historic visit to Hiroshima will underline the dangers of warfare and the need to work towards peace.

Obama, who will Friday become the only sitting US president ever to visit Hiroshima -- the site of the world's first nuclear bomb -- said the August 6, 1945 attack was "an inflection point in modern history".

"It is something that all of us have had to deal with in one way or another," he told reporters at the summit in Ise-Shima, 300 kilometres (200 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

The bombing claimed the lives of 140,000 people, some of whom died immediately in a ball of searing heat, while many succumbed to injuries or radiation-related illnesses in the weeks, months and years afterwards.

The attack is no longer as present in the modern mind as it was during the decades of the Cold War, said Obama.

"But the backdrop of a nuclear event remains something that presses on the back of our imagination."

"I want to once again underscore the very real risks that are out there and the sense of urgency that we all should have," he told reporters.Obama is expected to lay flowers at the cenotaph in Hiroshima, which sits in the shadow of a domed building, whose skeleton has been left standing in silent testament to the victims of the first ever nuclear attack.

He will also speak at the spot, and national broadcaster NHK reported Thursday he could meet some of the ageing survivors of the blast.

Despite some calls from a section of Japanese society, however, he will not offer an apology for the raid, launched by his predecessor Harry Truman at the close of World War II.

While some in Japan feel the attack was an abomination because it targeted civilans, many Americans say it hastened the end of a brutal and bloody conflict, and ultimately saved lives.

They point to the high human cost of the Pacific campaign and the ferociousness of the Imperial Army's resistance, even in the face of insurmountable odds, and say a ground invasion of the Japanese mainland could have killed thousands of GIs and civilians alike.

"Our visit to Hiroshima will honour all those who were lost in World War II and reaffirm our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said Wednesday.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will accompany the US president on the trip, which Obama said would highlight the "extraordinary alliance" forged between Japan and the United States from the ashes of war.AFP