Yachts get ready for Sydney to Hobart race

England have

Six people are feared dead after raging storms hit competitors in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

British Olympic yachtsman Glyn Charles is missing presumed dead after his safety harness snapped in winds of up to 90mph (144km/h), with waves of 40ft (12m) high reported by sailors in the prestigious Australian race.

Sailors from around the world are taking part in the 630 nautical mile (1167km) race from Sydney Harbour to Hobart on Tasmania.

Mr Charles, from Emsworth, Hampshire, is one of six competitors who are thought to have drowned as 115 yachts taking part in race were lashed by storms in the notoriouslytreacherousstretch of sea, which has often been called "Hell on High Water" by sailors.

He was swept overboard after his yacht Sword of Orion lost its mast and capsized, flinging crew members into the sea.

His harness broke and we lost him. There was nothing we could do. I thought we were all going to die.

The search for Mr Charles' body was called off as darkness fell 24 hours after he was lost. He had postponed a trip home to see his mother after being offered a chance to compete in the race.

Four bodies have been recovered and rescuers have now given up hope of finding the Briton and an Australian yachtsman, who are presumed drowned in the worst death toll in the 54-year history of the event.

The other missing man was thought to be an Australian, who was a crew member aboard the Winston Churchill, which had sailed in the inaugural 1944 race. The bodies of two other crew members from the yacht have been recovered.

A New South Wales government coroner's inquiry has been ordered to investigate the loss of life, while the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the race organiser, will also investigate the disaster.

A helicopter lifted a crew of 12 from the dismasted VC Offshore Stand Aside, a 40ft (12m) yacht from Adelaide. One crew member lost several fingers and another sailor suffered head injuries.

Sixty-seven boats - well over half the starters - have abandoned the race and are heading for safe harbour, with dozens arriving at the New South Wales port of Eden. Many of the sailors were in tears as they stepped ashore. The flags festooning Hobart are at half-mast.

Veterans - including former UK prime minister Sir Edward Heath - who won in 1969 skippering Morning Cloud, have spoken of enormous waves and hours spent struggling to cover just a few miles.

Rescuers, including helicopters crews using thermal imaging equipment and seven Australian Air Force planes, took part in the search.

The deaths have prompted questions about why organisers did not delay the start of the race following forecasts of bad weather in the Bass Strait.

The Sayonara was first to finish the race at 0806 local time, coming up the river Derwent surrounded by probably the smallest spectator fleet for many years. The yacht was five hours outside the race record, finishing in a little over two days and 19 hours.    

Rajiv Gandhi was persuaded to leave his job as an airline pilot for politics

With almost half the votes declared early this morning, it became apparent that his Congress (Indira) Party had taken 80% of the seats and was well ahead of any opposition parties.

Although the final margin may be smaller, it is widely accepted that the Congress Party is likely to win a massive majority.

The opposition parties, which failed to unite against the Congress Party, have been all but wiped out, including the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP.

The BJP was expected to gain from the sectarian backlash following the assassination of Mr Gandhi's mother and the previous Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. She was shot dead by her own Sikh bodyguards in October.

The news was not all good for the Congress Party, however: in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, six cabinet ministers lost their seats to the Telgu Desam party.

The party's leader, Chief Minister and veteran film star NT Rama Rao, defeated an attempt by Indira Gandhi to dismiss him in August.

Mr Gandhi was told news of his triumph quietly at home in New Delhi, where he lives with his Italian-born wife, Sonia, and their two children.

His election follows two months as de facto prime minister since the death of his mother.

He has campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, promising to rid the ruling Congress Party of a legacy of fraud and arrogance.

Known widely by his nickname of "Mr Clean", Rajiv Gandhi is seen as a break with the past of the Congress Party, which has held power in India for most of the last 30 years.

He is also seen as more pragmatic than his mother, and more liberal towards business.

But his opponents have accused him of relying on the "sympathy vote" for his victory, and one opposition MP commented that Indira Gandhi was "ruling from the grave".

Others point out his relative inexperience as a politician. Until four years ago, he was an airline pilot, but was persuaded to give it up to go into politics by his mother after the death of his younger brother, Sanjay.

treacherous: tending to betray（背叛的）