Search resumes for MH370
A fleet of Chinese ships and helicopters are expected to arrive in the southern Indian Ocean off western Australia in the coming few hours to aide in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The search is resuming later today after bad weather forced the suspension of the search yesterday.
American pinger locater, an instrument that can help find the missing aircraft's black box, is now on its way to Perth.
It's expected to arrive in the search area next week.
Finding the flight data recorder quickly is going to be one of the most critical next steps, as its locator beacon will eventually begin to fade out, as the black boxes normally only have 30-days of battery life.
Chinese president arrives in Lyon for France visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Lyon, France as part of the next leg of his current European tour.
Xi Jinping is in France to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
As part of his time in France, Xi Jinping is due to travel to Paris for talks with French President Francois Hollande, along with taking part in a celebration to mark the half-century of official links between China and France.
The two sides are also expected to sign a number of collaborative agreements in areas including nuclear energy, aviation, urbanization, agriculture and finance.
As part of his time, Xi Jinping will also make a stop at the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization headquarters, UNESCO.
There, Xi Jinping's wife, Peng Liyuan, is scheduled to be designated a special UNESCO envoy for girls education.
Xi Jinping's time in France is the 2nd leg of his current 4-nation European tour, which will also see him make stops in Germany and Belgium.
Kiev accuses of Russian military build-up on the borders with Ukraine
The head of Ukraine's border services is warning of a Russian military build-up, a day after Kiev pulled its forces from Crimea.
As Ukrainian troops pulling out from Crimea and the last military bases in the region fall under Russian control, fears of a further Russian incursion into the Ukrainian mainland are growing in Kiev.
Volodymyr Lytvyn is the head of Ukraine's Border Guard service.
"The build-up of the Russian Federation military force continues. At the beginning they were building up for the military exercises, now when the exercises are over they are still at their locations which we clearly see and know. These troops are manoeuvring every day near our state border. There are constant provocations near the state border, especially at night time."
Moscow is dismissing any suggestion that its moblizing its troops along its border with Ukraine.
The Russian military did stage an exercise involving 85-hundred soldiers near its border with Ukraine after the toppling of pro-Moscow Ukranian president Viktor Yanukovich.
Amid the continuing tension along the Ukrainian-Russian border, observer teams from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have begun deploying across Ukraine.
Meanwhile, authorities in Kiev have announced they have no plans to become a nuclear weapons state again.
Syrian troops thwart attack on key military site
The Syrian military is claiming it's repelled a major offensive against a key military observation site in the northwestern province of Latakia.
Syrian state media is reporting the Syrian army has inflicted heavy losses on the opposition forces.
However, opposition activists have denied the reports, suggesting the opposite has taken place.
The Syrian military has been engaged in heavy fighting in Latikia, particularly around a border crossing into Turkey.
This is the same area where Turkish air forces shot down a Syrian war plane on Sunday.
Syrian government forces are said to be battling both rebel forces and splinter jihadist organizations in the region, which is said to be a key transit point for anti-government forces to move between Syrian and Turkish territory.
This comes following a series of decisive victories for Syrian government forces in central Syria over the past couple of weeks.
DPRK fires two ballistic missiles: media
It's being reported North Korea has launched another set of ballistic missiles.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency is quoting the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, who say the launch took place early this morning off North Korea's east coast.
South Korea's defense aparatus says the two Nodong missiles flew around 650-kilometers before coming down in the sea.
This would be the latest in a series of missile launches the North Korean side has taken part in over the past few weeks.
The missile launches are thought to be a show-of-strength and protest by the North connected to the annual war games still underway between South Korean and US forces.
13 confirmed dead in Henan mine blast
Thirteen miners caught up in a coal mine explosion in central China's Henan Province last week have been confirmed dead.
The bodies of the miners have all been located in the mine in the city of Ruzhou, which is about 100-kilometers southwest of the provincial capital, Zhengzhou.
An explosion ripped through the mine on Friday evening as the crews were working in a 500-meter deep tunnel.
Of the 16 in the mine at the time, only 3 managed to escape.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear. |