(Reuters) – A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew went missing over the South China Sea on Saturday, presumed crashed, as ships and planes from countries closest to its flight path scoured a large search area for any wreckage. Vietnamese state media, quoting a senior naval official, had reported that the Boeing 777-200ER flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing had crashed off south Vietnam. Malaysia’s transport minister later denied any crash scene […]
Asia
Malaysia Airlines denies crash report, says plane still missing
(Reuters) – A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew went missing over the South China Sea on Saturday, presumed crashed, as ships from countries closest to its flight path scoured a large search area for any wreckage. Vietnamese state media, quoting a senior naval official, had reported that the Boeing 777-200ER flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing had crashed off south Vietnam, but Malaysia’s transport minister later denied any crash scene had […]
Search under way after contact lost with Malaysia Airlines jet
Search and rescue operations are underway after a Malaysian jet carrying 239 people disappeared over the South China Sea. The plane, headed from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was last detected northeast of Malaysia. Chinese state television said two rescue ships had been dispatched to the South China Sea to help in search and rescue efforts for the missing aircraft. Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are also taking part in the search for the plane by […]
Malaysia Airlines says 152 Chinese, 38 Malaysians on missing flight
(Reuters) – A missing Malaysia Airlines flight was carrying 152 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, 12 Indonesians and seven Australians among the 227 passengers, the airline said on Saturday. There were also three U.S. citizens, three from France, two passengers each from New Zealand, Ukraine, and Canada, and one each from Italy, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Austria, the airline said in a statement. There were also two infants. Twelve crew members were also on the flight. Flight […]
China’s Xi ramps up military spending in face of worried region
(Reuters) – China announced its biggest rise in military spending in three years on Wednesday, a strong signal from President Xi Jinping that Beijing is not about to back away from its growing assertiveness in Asia, especially in disputed waters. The government said it would increase the defense budget by 12.2 percent this year to 808.23 billion yuan ($131.57 billion), as China seeks to develop more high-tech weapons and to beef up coastal and air […]
At least 11 killed in brazen attack on Pakistani court
(Reuters) – Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the center of the Pakistani capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a brazen attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace negotiations with Taliban insurgents. A loud explosion reverberated across central Islamabad just after 9 a.m., followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed. “There was a blast, […]
Thousands protest in Hong Kong vs editor stabbing and erosion of media freedoms
Thousands in Hong Kong took to the streets on Sunday (March 2) to protest the stabbing of a former chief editor in an attack that has fuelled concerns about what many see as an erosion of media freedoms. Holding a banner declaring “they can’t kill us all”, the protesters in black shirts and wearing blue ribbons symbolizing press freedom expressed their shock and anger at the attack last Wednesday (February 26). Shirley Yam, the Vice […]
Witnesses recall fear, chaos after China train station attack
(Reuters) – Witnesses to chilling violence at a Chinese train station placed under heavy security on Sunday recalled moments of fear and chaos after at least 29 people were killed in what authorities called a terrorist attack by Xinjiang militants. Officials said a group of knife-wielding “terrorists” from the restive Xinjiang region launched a premeditated attack at the Kunming Railway Station in China’s southwest on Saturday night. More than 130 people were wounded. Armed riot […]
Pakistan launches new strikes near Afghan border; warns militants
By Jibran Ahmed and David Brunnstrom PESHAWAR, Pakistan/WASHINGTON Tue Feb 25, 2014 5:16pm EST (Reuters) – The Pakistani military launched new air strikes targeting militant hideouts in the North Waziristan tribal region on Tuesday, killing at least 30 people, and a senior government official warned of a big offensive unless the Taliban showed they were serious about negotiations. Pakistani fighter jets have been pounding targets in the region since the government’s efforts to engage Taliban […]
Militants shoot down Iraqi helicopter and occupy northern town
By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD Sat Feb 22, 2014 4:47pm EST (Reuters) – Militants shot down a helicopter on Saturday and briefly occupied a town, in an escalating turf war with Iraq’s government that has killed at least 25 people in two days, police said. All four crew members were killed when their helicopter was downed during a reconnaissance flight over the town of Karma in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, where the army is engaged […]
Japan drafts revision of arms exports ban: source
By Nobuhiro Kubo TOKYO Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:51am EST (Reuters) – Japan has drafted new guidelines that would reverse a decades-old ban on weapons exports, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday, a move that could further strain ties with neighbors China and South Korea. Tokyo has been reviewing the self-imposed export ban under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s new security strategy, aimed at bolstering the self-reliance of the military. Serving as […]
Thai protesters to rally against PM after deadly Bangkok clashes
(Reuters) – Protesters seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra plan to rally at her temporary office on Wednesday, creating another potential flashpoint a day after five people were killed in gun battles in Bangkok. A security official said police would not attempt to retake more protest sites and would focus on protecting Yingluck, whose problems are mounting after an anti-corruption agency filed charges against her over a soured rice subsidy scheme. The protests […]
