China says it will expand the search area for the missing jet in the coming days.

The search will be expanded to the east and west, with intensive search in the east region and enhanced efforts in the southeast from Saturday, according to the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center. 

It will also augment logistics support and arrange search rotations of different vessels.

Eight Chinese vessels have searched over 70 thousand square kilometers of the sea's surface. No confirmed debris has been found. 

Search and rescue operations by many nations have failed to find any trace of the missing Malaysian flight.

 

China urges Japan to explain nuclear stockpile

China's Foreign Ministry has issued a new call, urging Japan to explain its massive stockpile of nuclear material.

It comes as media reports suggest Japan's stockpile has exceeded the country's demand and might increase as Japan re-launches nuclear power plants.

Japan is set to re-start the Rokkasho Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing this October.

The factory will reportedly produce up to 96 tons of plutonium metal in the next dozen years, far more than all stocks that remain in the United States as a legacy of the Cold War. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei urges the Japanese government to face the concerns and explain in detail why Japan has such a large stockpile of sensitive nuclear material.

The United States gave 331 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium to Japan during the Cold War. 

Japan holds another 44 tonnes of plutonium, which could be used for nuclear reactors.

 

Kerry warns of "consequences" if Russia not to change course on Ukraine crisis

United States Secretary of State John Kerry says there will be "consequences" if Russia does not find a way to change its course on the Ukraine crisis.

Kerry made the remarks at a press conference after his talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in London. 

Kerry said Russian President Vladimir Putin is not prepared to make any decision on Ukraine until after Sunday's referendum in Crimea. 

He also said there is a better way for Russia to pursue "legitimate interests" in Ukraine, while stressing that the United States will not recognize the outcome of the referendum in Crimea.

Lavov said Russia will "respect the will of the people of Crimea."

He said Russia and the United States did not have a " common vision" on the crisis in Ukraine, but described his talks with Kerry as "constructive." 

Crimea, a Ukrainian autonomous republic, will hold a referendum Sunday over its future status .

 

Russia disappointed with OSCE's statement over Crimea referendum

The Russian government is expressing disappointment over a statement on Crimea's upcoming referendum, made by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The statement states that the referendum, in its current form, is in contradiction with the Ukrainian consitution and must be considered illegal.

Moscow has been insisting that the referendum to be held on Sunday is perfectly legal, citing the Helsinki Act of 1975 that guarantees a right of all nations to decide freely their internal and external political status.

Russian leaders are calling on the bloc to drop its double standard and accept the invitation from Crimean authorites to monitor the voting this weekend.

 

Iran president discusses nuclear issue with Putin on phone

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have discussed Iran's nuclear issue as the West aims to curb sensitive part of Iran's nuclear program.

Rouhani expressed hopes that the other party in the nuclear negotiations would help resolve the issue faster "through constructive interaction and fulfilment of their commitments," according to a report. 

Iran and the P5+1 group, including five permanent members of the United Nations plus Germany, signed an interim nuclear accord in Geneva last November, which came into effect on January 20. Both sides are scheduled to meet in the Austrian capital of Vienna on March 17 to discuss a final deal on Iran's nuclear issue.

 

EU-U.S. trade talks make steady progress

The European Union (EU) and the United States have made steady progress in all areas of the negotiations, paving the way for a future trade and investment deal.

A fourth round of negotiations concluded Friday. The week-long negotiation discussed all three pillars of a future agreement, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), including market access, regulatory aspects and rules.

 

World's first LNG-fueled cargo vessel starts testing

The world's first ocean-going bulk cargo carrier to be powered by liquified natural gas has started testing in waters off of east China's Jiangsu Province.

Compared to traditional diesel fuel, the use of natural gas-fueled engines can significantly reduce pollution from sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and CO2 in emissions.

 

People's Bank of China suspends online credit cards

The People's Bank of China has suspended the use of online credit cards and payments via code scanning.

A bank official says the decision owed to concerns over security.