Reports on Chinese ship's detection of pulse signals need verification: JACC
The Chief Coordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Center (JACC), Angus Houston, says reports that the Chinese ship, Haixun 01, has detected electronic pulse signals in the Indian Ocean related to MH370 can not be verified at this point in time.
He says there is no confirmation at this stage that the signals and the objects are related to the missing aircraft.
The retired Air Chief Marshal says he has been advised that a series of sounds have been detected by a Chinese ship in the search area. The characteristics reported are consistent with the aircraft black box. A number of white objects were also sighted on the surface about 90 km from the detection area.
He says the RCC in Australia has spoken to the RCC in China and asked for any further information that may be relevant. The deployment of RAAF assets to the area where the Chinese ship detected the sounds is being considered.
On Saturday, up to 10 military planes, three civil jets and 11 ships were mobilized to search an area of about 217,000 square km, 1,700 km northwest of Perth.
China hopes Afghan election marks new start for unity, stability
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says China hopes Afghanistan's presidential election will be a new start for the country' s unity and stability.
He says as Afghanistan's friendly neighbor, China respects the Afghan people' s choice, noting that China noticed the election is generally smooth.
The spokesman says China hopes relevant sides in Afghanistan will properly handle differences through dialogue so as to realize broad-based and inclusive peace and reconciliation at an early date.
The polling for Afghanistan's presidential election concluded on Saturday and counting of ballots has begun.
Abe briefs efforts on collective defense to U.S. Hagel
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has briefed visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about his efforts to reinterpret the country's pacifist constitution to allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense rights.
During a meeting held in Tokyo on Saturday, Abe commented the Japan-U.S. bilateral alliance as robust, adding the bilateral security tie remains unchanged.
As to the controversial issue of removing the key U.S. Futenma air station located in Japan's southernmost island prefecture of Okinawa, Abe called for U.S. understanding of local request to close the airbase within five years.
Japan issues order to intercept DPRK missile
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has issued an order to the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to intercept any missile launched by North Korea.
An Aegis-equipped SDF destroyer Kirishima has been deployed to the Sea of Japan carrying long-range SM-3 interceptor missiles in line with the order.
The order was issued based on the assumption that North Korea, which launched Rodong medium-range ballistic missiles on March 26 toward the Sea of Japan, might fire more missiles.
Israeli jets strike on northern Gaza, no injuries: medics
Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of air strikes on the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave in the Gaza Strip midnight on Saturday, with no injuries reported.
12 Chinese workers rescued after 85-hour tunnel ordeal
Twelve Chinese workers, trapped in a collapsed railway tunnel for more than 80 hours, were rescued on Saturday in northeast China's Jilin Province.
A high-speed rail tunnel under construction in Hunchun City collapsed Wednesday morning when 12 workers were inside pouring concrete.
Rescuers made contact with the trapped workers and delivered food to them on Friday through a passage bored into the collapsed tunnel.
25 injured in SW China quake
At least 25 people were injured and 21,000 relocated due to the 5.3-magnitude earthquake that struck a county in southwest China early on Saturday.
The quake hit Yongshan County, Yunnan Province, with the epicenter 13 km deep, at 6:40 a.m. Saturday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
According to the county government's information office, at least 25 people were injured and more than 68 thousand residents were affected in the earthquake.
China names 34,282 WWII slaves to Japan
A list of the names of more than 34 thousand Chinese people forced into labor in Japan during World War II was published by a Chinese museum on Saturday.
The complete list is available at the website of Beijing's Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
According to a museum statement, the list was complied in 1964 by a Japan-based society which collected the names of Chinese war casualties.
The museum scanned the document and made a digital version open to the public for reference. The list is being made public for the first time. |