Angry relatives mourn ferry victims

SEOUL, South Korea — Angry relatives of passengers who drowned in a ferry sinking snubbed South Korea’s president on the disaster’s anniversary today, even as she pledged to salvage the ship.

Tears and grief mixed with raw fury as black-clad relatives and their supporters mourned the 304 victims of the ferry Sewol, most of whom were high school students. Earlier in the day, relatives blocked the prime minister from attending a mourning event. They later canceled another ceremony because of what they called government indifference to their plight.

There’s widespread fatigue among many South Koreans a year after one of the country’s worst disasters. But there’s also frustration among those who see their government as having failed to meaningfully improve safety standards and hold high-level officials accountable for a disaster blamed on incompetence and corruption.

Remembrance held for Nazi Holocaust

JERUSALEM — Israelis have come to a mournful, two-minute standstill as sirens pierced the air in remembrance of the 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust during World War II.

Israel’s annual Holocaust memorial day, marked today, is one of the most solemn on the nation’s calendar.

As the siren sounded, cars and buses pulled over on the side of highways and roads. Motorists stepped out of their cars and pedestrians stopped in their tracks, bowing their heads as they remembered those who perished.

By The Associated Press