The Chinese government is preparing to send a working group to Malaysia later on this Monday to deal with the fallout from the suspected crash of a Malaysian Airlines flight off the coast of Vietnam this weekend.

Malaysian civil aviation authorities say they are widening their search to cover vast swathes of the sea around both Malaysia and off Vietnam. 

Malaysia's air force says the military radar shows the missing Boeing 777 jet turned back before vanishing.

Meanwhile, it's being reported a Vietnamese naval vessel has spotted an object suspected of belonging to the plane.

However, last night's spotting hasn't been confirmed, as authorities say it was too dark to be certain the object was part of the missing plane.

The flight, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

154 Chinese nationals are among those missing.

Around 50 family members of the passengers have started processing their passports in the hope they will be able to fly to Malaysia to get more information on what happened to the plane.

 

Protesters clash in Ukrainian city of Luhansk

Pro-Russia and Pro-Ukraine demonstrators have clashed in the main square in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk.

Pro-Russia demonstrators smashed through a police barricade and took control of a local government building, demanding the governor to resign and launch a city-wide referendum on joining Russia.

The clashes come as local residents gathered to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of Ukraine's national poet Taras Shevchenko.

Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arsenity Yatsenyuk, who took part in a commemoration in the capital Kiev, says he will not to give up a single centimeter of Ukrainian territory.

Yatsenyuk is due to fly to the United States this week for high-level talks over the situation in his country.

 

Xi, Merkel hold phone talks on ties, Ukraine crisis

Chinese President Xi Jinping has held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

Xi Jinping says the Chinese government supports the international mediation designed to solve the situation.

For her part, Merkel says Germany is willing to strengthen communication with the Chinese side when it comes to Ukraine.

Xi Jinping and Merkel also discussed bilateral ties.

 

Chinese lawmakers file 460 motions at annual parliamentary session

Chinese lawmakers have filed over 460 motions to the secretariat of the ongoing National People's Congress.

An official with the secretariat says most of the motions are focusing on broad-based reforms, the economy, social welfare and the environment.

The deadline for submitting motions at this year's NPC session passed at midnight on Sunday.

 

China Urges Palestine and Israel to Seize the Negotiation Opportunity

China's Middle East Envoy has issued a new call for the Palestinians and the Israelis to take the next step in their peace process.

As the deadline of the ongoing peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis approaches, Chinese Middle East Special Envoy Wu Sike says China supports the negotiations at this critical and sensitive stage.

The Palestinians and Israelis resumed peace talks in last July.

The two sides have been tasked with reaching an agreement within nine months.

Wu Sike is due to meet with Israeli officials in Jerusalem later on this Monday.

 

Dozens killed in separate attacks across Iraq

A spate of attacks across Iraq have left at least 41 people dead.

130 others have been hurt in the attacks.

The deadliest attack took place in the city of Hilla after a suspected suicide bomber killed at least 34 people.

The violence comes ahead of the general elections next month.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years with some 14-hundred people been killed so far this year.

 

42 African refugees drown off Yemeni coast

Some 40 African refugees have drowned off the Yemeni coast after their boat capsized in the Gulf of Aden.

30 others on the boat have been rescued.

The capsizing took place just a few kilometers off Yemen's southern coast last night.

 

Merkel opens high-tech trade fair CeBIT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has officially opened the world's largest high-tech trade fair.

Merkel, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, has unveiled the opening of CeBIT, calling for homogenous regulations for the European digital market.

The theme of this year's CeBIT has been dubbed "Datability", which is "the ability to use large volumes of data sustainability and responsibly".

Around 34-hundred exhibitors from 70-countries are taking part in this year's fair.

The CeBIT runs until Friday.

 

Henry Ford's grandson, William Clay Ford Snr, dies

The last surviving grandson of Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, has died at the age of 88.

William Clay Ford Senior was a director at the company for almost six decades and owner of the National Football League's Detroit Lions. 

The Ford Motor Company contends he was instrumental in influencing the designs of vehicles. 

Ford died of pneumonia at his home in a Detroit suburb.

Forbes magazine lists his fortune at 1.35-billion US dollars.