UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressing condolences over the sinking of the ferry "Sewol" in which at least 14 people were believed drowned.
In a letter Wednesday, Ban extended sympathy to the bereaved family members and to the South Korean government and people.
Ban said he is all the more heart-broken as hundreds of students were on board the ferry which was carrying 475 passengers and capsized Wednesday off the country's southern coast.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday that the communications system of the Malaysia Airlines jet that went missing March 8 was disabled just before it reached the east coast of peninsular Malaysia even as India intensified its end of the multinational search operation.
Yet another Indian American, Puneet Talwar, a longtime White House national security staffer, has been confirmed by the US Senate to the key job of serving as a bridge between the state and defence departments.
Crimea is seeking to join Russia rather than win independence like in the case of Abkhazia, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksenov said Friday even as it was announced that some 50 foreigners from 21 countries will be present as international observers during Sunday's referendum.
Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz in a telephone interview with a state-run TV channel said Thursday three National Guard members were among the dead, and of the injured, 109 were police or military personnel
Morocco is winning the fight against terrorism particularly through the promotion and dissemination of moderate Islam as an antidote to religious fundamentalism, according to a leading Italian daily.
