Death Toll Surges to 121 in S.Korean Ferry Sinking Accident
The number of confirmed deaths from the South Korean ferry sinking has surged to 121 as divers intensified search efforts inside the submerged hull.
181 people are still missing. 174 people were rescued the day of the sinking but after seven days of searching for more survivors, none have been found.
On Tuesday, many bodies have been found in the third-floor lounge and the fourth- floor cabins that had been occupied by highschool students from Seoul.
The ferry capsized and sank off Jindo Island on the southwestern tip of South Korea last Wednesday.
It carried 476 passengers, most of them highschool students.
Bluefin 21 completes more than 80 pct of focused underwater search area
A US remote sub has now covered 80 percent of its search area, but the international team looking for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 says no trace of the missing plane has been spotted.
Despite this, the authorities still say the current search area is based on their best lead.
It's believed signals from the plane's flight recorders originated from somewhere in the search zone.
Aviation industry observers have been warning the search for the missing flight's black-box recorders is likely to take a long time.
Ukraine to relaunch military operation to retake govt buildings
Ukraine's interim president has called for the re-launching of anti-terror operations in the country's east, after the body of a politician from his own party was discovered near Slaviansk.
It appears the victim had been tortured.
The call has come during US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Ukraine, where he is meeting with leaders in Kiev.
Biden has expressed US willingness to lend support to Ukraine, including 50 million dollars in aid to help Ukraine with political and economic reforms.
Biden also warned Moscow of further political isolated and sanctions over Russia's alleged support for ethnic Russian forces operating in eastern Ukraine.
U.S. troops to arrive in Eastern Europe for month-long exercises
About 600 US Army soldiers will arrive in Poland and the three Baltic states in the next few days for a series of combat excercises.
The Pentagon says the move is part of the steps being taken to reassure NATO allies amid the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
The troops are expected to be in place by April 28th. The excercises are expected to last about a month.
In late May, fresh troops will be rotated into those countries and a new round of military excercises will begin.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced last week that the U.S. will extend the stay of its air forces and military personnel in Poland through the end of this year.
U.S. calls on DPRK to refrain from provocation as Obama starts Asian tour
The United States says it is closely watching North Korea right now, ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea later this week.
White House spokesman Jay Carney says the North has a history of provocative actions, and the US side is mindful of the possibility that Pyongyang will make some kind of a move during the president's four-nation tour in Asia.
South Korea's defense ministry has warned of the possibility of a "surprise" nuclear test, citing intelligence reports of activity at the North's main testing facility.
President Obama arrives in South Korea on Friday for a two-day visit, following his state visit to Japan.
UN mission condemns killings of civilians, foreigners in S. Sudan
The UN mission in South Sudan has condemned the targeted killings of civilians in Bentiu.
The agency says the killings targeted people based on ethnicity and nationality, and the attacks took place in hospitals, mosques, churches, and a UN World Food Program compound.
UN staff in the country have confirmed that opposition forces, after capturing Bentiu, searched a number of places where hundreds of South Sudanese and foreign civilians had taken refuge.
Hundreds were killed after ethnicities and nationalities had been established.
The attacks took place about one week ago.
France says hostage kidnapped in Mali probably dead
The French foreign ministry says a French hostage abducted in western Mali two years ago is probably dead.
This assumption is based on a statement released by the al-Qaeda linked movement Unity and Jihad in West Africa.
The foreign ministry acknowledges that there is no material proof that the hostage is dead, but the statement unfortunately leads them to believe the man has been killed.
Gilberto Rodriguez-Leal was abducted late in 2012 after crossing into Mali from Mauritania.
China's Unmanned Submersible Ready for Deep Waters
An unmanned submersible has passed its final field test, marking another step in China's drive to explore deep sea resources.
Named "Haima," or sea horse, the vehicle can dive a depth of 4,500 meters via remote control.
The Ministry of Science and Technology says the vehicle has the highest proportion of Chinese-made parts compared with the country's other submersibles.
Chinese scientists spent six years developing core technologies and making the machine, which went through multiple improvements following problems and malfunctions during tests in laboratory tanks and the ocean.
During tests, the vehicle achieved a maximum depth of some 4,500 meters, and reached the central basin in the South China Sea for tasks such as deploying cables, collecting sedimentary rock samples and photographing. |