Malaysian officials have confirmed a report that the pilot of missing Malaysia Airlines 370, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, flew a path into the southern Indian Ocean on his flight simulator — a new piece of information that arouses suspicions once again on Shah’s state of mind when the plane disappeared two years ago.
China’s ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, told media Monday that it was essential for China to ignore the Hague’s verdict against it in the South China Sea case in order to “protect the dignity of international law.”
Human rights activists are expressing concerns about Malaysia’s new security law, which gives the Prime Minister broad powers to declare states of emergency, impose curfews, seize property, and carry out arrests.
A section of wing from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 shows evidence it was extended upon landing, suggesting a rogue pilot brought it down, an air crash expert says.
An Argentine judge officially requested that Singapore or Malaysia extradite Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a former foreign minister, for his role in orchestrating a 1994 attack on an Israeli organization.
A state-run Chinese newspaper has run an editorial calling the governments of Japan and the United States the “eunuchs” of new Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, following a humiliating loss for Beijing at the Hague over its claims in the South China Sea.
China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters Wednesday that the nation has “the right” to establish an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea following the rejection of Chinese territorial claims in the region by the Hague.
Islamic State terrorists hurled a grenade into Kuala Lumpur’s Cuban-themed nightclub Movida on June 28, injuring eight. Officials have confirmed it is the first successful ISIS attack in Malaysian history.
Contents: ASEAN makes humiliating South China Sea reversal under pressure from China; Obama administration reevaluates plans for Afghanistan troop withdrawal
After a splashy launch in December, Rayani Air has come to an ignominious end in June. According to Dawn.com, Malaysia’s first sharia-compliant airline wasn’t aviation-compliant. Following complaints from passengers, a safety audit that evidently didn’t go well, and a crippling strike by pilots, the government shut the carrier down.
Following rumors that the government of China is considering establishing an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over disputed territories in the South China Sea, Taiwan’s new defense minister confirmed the island would not respect such a zone if Beijing attempts to impose it.
Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting Mongolia on his way to China, warned Beijing Sunday that declaring an air defense zone over the South China Sea to be a “provocative and destabilizing act.”
A report in the South China Morning Post cites Chinese sources as stating that Beijing is preparing to impose an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea, which would require all aircraft to allow China to track their movements in the region, even over the sovereign territory of other nations.
A number of jihadist groups in Southeast Asia have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) and up to 1,000 people have left Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to join the terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria, reports BBC.
Kidnappings by the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group have prompted Indonesia to call for joint maritime patrols with the Philippines and Malaysia.
The Chinese government is fighting off protests from American officials that it landed a military plane on Fiery Cross Reef, a disputed territory both Vietnam and the Philippines claim, alleging the flight was necessary to save a worker having a medical emergency.
A Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) member of Malaysia’s parliament said he opposes banning child marriages because such a move would lead girls to seek out casual sex.
Vietnamese officials have seized a Chinese ship and arrested its crew after it wandered into Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea, the latest in a string of similar seizures of trespassing Chinese ships around the globe. In addition to not being able to justify their presence in Vietnam, the Qiong Yangpu’s crew refused to identify the origin of their cargo: 100,000 liters of diesel fuel.
A Chinese defense ministry spokesman warned the United States to “be careful” in the South China Sea following declarations from American Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work that the U.S. would not respect a unilaterally imposed exclusion zone in the disputed territory.
Police in Malaysia announced this week the arrest of fifteen people suspected of fundraising, recruiting, and attempting to purchase and amass bomb-making materials for the Islamic State (ISIS/IS/Daesh) terrorist group. One of those arrested is a police officer.
Following the arrest of the crew of a Chinese ship allegedly fishing illegally in its waters, the government of Indonesia is facing regional criticism for shooting at two Taiwanese ships that it also alleges had trespassed into Indonesian territory. The recent incidents are helping to raise Indonesia’s profile as a formidable player in growing tensions in the South China Sea.
After a dramatic incident at sea that resulted in the arrest of a Chinese fishing crew trespassing in the waters of Indonesia, China protested Indonesia had no right to intervene on what has long been a “traditional Chinese fishing ground.”
So-called “liberal Muslims” in Malaysia are being monitored by the country’s government, which has deemed them “deviants.”
In a joint statement, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his counterpart President Taur Matan Ruak of East Timor noted their “serious concern” that the Chinese government is expanding its control over disputed territory in the South China Sea too aggressively.
The Malaysian government is seeking to expand cooperation with Australia to combat China’s expansive construction projects in the South China Sea, suggesting Beijing’s behavior in the region demands “pushback” from relevant parties.
On the second anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, relatives of the missing must face a deadline to file lawsuits against the companies responsible for the commercial jet, and in doing so the reality that their loved ones are most likely dead.
In a press conference Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a conciliatory tone regarding China’s militarization of disputed territory in the South China Sea, suggesting “maritime cooperation” with the United States and teasing that Beijing may invite foreign journalists to tour the region in question.
As China expands its military presence in the international waters of the South China Sea, U.S. Pacific Command head Admiral Harry B. Harris is proposing that the United States join with Australia, India, and Japan in conducting operations in the region to keep Beijing from stretching its military muscle against its smaller neighbors.
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed an envoy of the head of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, to Beijing this week, urging Vietnam to seek strengthened ties with China after years fighting over territory in the South China Sea have exacerbated tensions between the two nations.
Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said Wednesday the Navy plans to expand the frequency and variety of freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, following reports that Beijing has escalated its militarization of islands and reefs in disputed territory in the region.
Australia has warned of a possible terror attack in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, urging travellers to be vigilant after a number of arrests. “Terrorists may be planning attacks in and around Kuala Lumpur,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declared the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) poses a “very real” threat to the Asian country after the group threatened the nation as a backlash to numerous arrests.
A 16-year-old boy linked to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) attempted a “lone cub” attack, trying to kidnap a woman at a mall in Malaysia.
TEL AVIV – After Israelis were barred from participating in a windsurfing competition in Malaysia, World Sailing said it will draft new guidelines that include sanctions against any host nations that don’t allow all competitors to participate equally. Israel’s delegation
Chinese state news outlet Xinhua is reporting that the government has landed two more planes on a landing strip illegal constructed in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, days after Vietnam and the Philippines filed a formal complaint over a similar incident.
The governments of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan have all condemned China for landing a plane on an artificial island in the South China Sea, constructed in what is widely regarded as sovereign Vietnamese territory. China rejects international claims in the sea and has begun constructing military facilities in the Spratly Islands.
Israeli athletes dropped out of an international windsurfing competition in Malaysia after the organizers refused to let them compete with the Israeli flag and national anthem.
A patriotic organization opposed to Chinese imperialism in the Philippines has made a voyage to the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has begun constructing numerous military facilities in violation of international law.
Rayani Air of Malaysia, described as the country’s first Islamic-compliant airline, has begun offering cabin service compliant with sharia law.
JERUSALEM – In recent weeks, at least twenty members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the so-called “military wing” of Hamas, have traveled abroad from the Gaza Strip to participate in combat training, according to a Palestinian security source.
