4 Dead, 284 Missing as Passenger Ship Sinks off S. Korean Coast
There are at least four confirmed deaths and hundreds are missing after a passenger ship capsized off the southwest coast of South Korea on Wednesday.
Most of the passengers were highschool students.
The ship had 462 people aboard when it began taking on water. 284 are unaccounted for.
Local media say 174 people have been rescued.
The death toll is expected to rise.
The ship departed South Korea's western port city of Incheon Tuesday night, heading for the southern resort island of Jeju.
The Chinese embassy in South Korea has confirmed there were no Chinese passengers aboard the ship.
No significant detections found by robotic sub in search for MH370
The underwater search for missing flight MH370 has continued.
The US Navy's Bluefin-21 robotic sub is back in the water where it has been searching for the last couple of days.
Officials say so far, no evidence of the flight has been detected.
Yesterday, searching on the surface continued with 14 planes in the air, though Australian authorities say it is near the time when surface operations need to be scaled back.
International crews have narrowed the search area to a patch of seabed in the southern Indian Ocean after several signals believed to be from the flight's black-box recorders were detected.
No new signals have been detected in several days, likely meaning the locator-beacon batteries have died.
5 Dead, 3 Missing in E China Chemical Plant Blast
A chemical plant blast and fire in east China's Jiangsu Province has killed five people and left three others missing.
Local authorities say rescuers found two bodies on scene and three people died in hospital after the blast at Shuangma Chemical Plant in Rugao City.
Nine other injured people are receiving treatment at hospital.
Firefighters have extinguished the flames, and the search for the missing is under way.
Established in 1997, Shuangma Chemical Plant mainly produces edible palm oil, or stearic acid.
The blast has not caused severe air or water pollution, according to local environmental protection authorities.
An investigation into the cause of the blast is ongoing.
Ukrainian envoy to OSCE defends action in east region
Ukriane's ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says his government's actions in eastern Ukraine are meant to safeguard lives in the region while neutralizing extremists.
His comments refer to the tensions in eastern Ukraine and are in response to Russia's envoy to the OSCE, who said the use of force against pro-Russian protesters is "dangerous."
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry of Ukraine has confirmed a group of pro-Russia activists seized six armored transport vehicles of the Ukrainian army.
The personnel carriers belonged to the actions Kiev deployed under the framework of "anti-terror" operation.
The operation was launched Tuesday to recapture eastern towns controlled by the pro- Russian activists.
The fate of Ukrainian troops who were at those vehicles remains unknown.
Armed conflicts between Ukrainian security forces and demonstrators flared up over the weekend, resulting in at least 1 death and several injuries.
UN chief calls for immediate release of abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has released a statement condemning the abduction of schoolgirls in Nigeria, calling for their immediate release.
More than 100 girls were abducted on Monday in Nigeria's northeast. Local authorities are blaming Boko Haram.
The UN chief also says he is deeply alarmed about the increasing frequency and brutality of attacks against educational institutions in the north of the country.
Ban says the targeting of schools and school children is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
At least 7 killed in Nigeria overnight violence
At least seven people have been killed and many houses razed in a violent attack overnight in Nigeria's northeastern state of Taraba.
State police say a group of youths went on a rampage, apparently targeting local herdsmen.
Recently, hundreds of people had been allegedly killed by herdsmen, who were accused of fomenting troubles in various communities across the northern part of the West African country.
A senior officer says this crisis is neither religious nor political
A detachment of security operatives has been deployed to restore peace in the restive community.
Two dead in truck-train collision in Estonia
An accident at a railway crossing in Estonia has killed two people.
It happened in the country's north, when a train heading out of the capital hit a truck.
One of the victims was a passenger on the train and the other was in the truck.
10 injuries have been reported. There were about 100 people on the train, operated by the Estonian National Railway Corporation.
A criminal investigation has been opened.
Mozambique main opposition agrees to hand over weapons
The main opposition party in Mozambique has agreed to disarm.
Officials with Renamo agreed on Wednesday that party members would turn in their weapons and its armed faction will reintegrate with the army and government security forces.
The government side hopes that the consensus will allow for the deployment of military observers from select foreign countries to monitor and supervise the cease-fire, and the reintegration of opposition forces.
A similar agreement reached in 1992 failed. |