Bad weather hampers search for MH370
New satellite imagery has detected upward of 300 floating objects thought to be connected to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The images have yet to be verified by search crews, as weather has once-again shut down the search for the missing plane.
The determination of a possible debris field comes after a French satellite first detected some 122 objects in the area earlier this week.
But any hope of physically identifying the objects has been frustrated once again by bad weather.
Heavy rain and severe winds have forced the Australian-led air missions to be abandoned on Thursday.
Xi Jinping set to begin German leg of European tour
Chinese President Xi Jinping is continuing his 4-nation European tour, arriving in Germany this Friday.
Xi Jinping is in Berlin following a 2-day stop in France, where he held meetings with France's top leaders.
As part of his time in France, Xi Jinping and French President Francois Holland have overseen the signing of some 18-billion euros worth of corporate agreements.
Xi Jinping's time in Germany is due to be followed by a stop in Belgium before returning here to China.
UN General Assembly declares Crimea referendum illegal
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the referendum that lead to Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula illegal.
The vote on the Ukraine-sponsored resolution was 100 in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia.
"The purpose of this document is to reinforce core United Nations principles at a moment when they are experiencing a major challenge. This text is also about respect of territorial integrity and non-use of force to settle disputes."
Unlike the more powerful Security Council, resolutions in the General Assembly cannot be vetoed.
However, the resolutions in the General Assembly are not legally binding.
Russia's UN Ambassador did lobby for a "no" vote.
Vitaly Churkin contends an historic injustice in Crimea has been corrected, saying its people have expressed their right to self-determination in wanting to join Russia.
He is also describing the resolution as "confrontational in nature."
In Ukraine's capital Kiev, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has announced that she will run in the forthcoming presidential elections set for May 25th.
Tymoshenko was recently released from jail following the overthrow of her political rival, President Viktor Yanukovych.
This will be her second attempt to secure the presidency.
She narrowly lost to Yanukovych in 2010, and was sent to prison shortly afterward after being convicted of misusing state funds during her time as Prime MInister.
U.S. lauds peace deal between Philippine gov't and rebel group
The US government is characterizing yesterday's signing of a peace agreement between the government of the Philippines and the country's main rebel group as an "historic milestone."
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has overseen the signing of a peace accord with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Under the newly-signed agreement, a new political entity will be set up in the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao.
The island, home to most of the Philippines' Muslim population, has been the scene of a Muslim insurgency since the 1970's.
In voicing its support for the new agreement, the US government is also calling on others in the region to join the peace initiative.
Fighting among Muslim and leftist groups in the southern Philippines since the late 1960's has left over 100-thousand people dead.
Bahrain grants two week for citizens fighting abroad to return
The government of Bahrain has announced an amnesty for its nationals who might be engaged in jihadist sojourns overseas.
Bahraini authorities say any of its citizens who are engaged in conflicts, particularly in Syria, will have two-weeks to return home without punishment.
If they return within the time frame, they'll be offered counselling and other programs to help them reintegrate into society.
But at the same time, the government of Bahrain says any jihadist who does not heed the call to return during the next two weeks will face upto 5-years in prison if they're found to have taken part in overseas fighting.
It's believed a significant number of young people from Bahrain have become engaged in fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey shuts down Youtube after key security meeting leaked
Turkish authorities have blocked Youtube.
The move comes just hours after a leaked voice recording of a high-level security meeting on Syria showed up on the website.
In the recording, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, along with a number of other leading Turkish officials, can be heard discussing possible intervention into Syria.
The Turkish government has launched an investigation to find out who leaked the recording.
Death toll from Washington mudslide expected to rise sharply
Searchers scowering through a massive mudslide in the northwestern US state of Washington are warning the death toll from this past weekend's deadly slide is expected to rise sharply in the coming days.
So far 16 people are confirmed dead, after a wall of mud on Saturday engulfed the former fishing village of Oso, which is about 90-kilometers north of Seattle.
90 people remain unaccounted for.
Searchers are now saying any hope of finding anyone alive has all but faded.
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