Italian authorities say at least 29 African migrants have died of hypothermia while crossing the Mediterranean in freezing weather and rough seas. The Italian coast guard says it found seven people dead when it answered a distress call from the migrants’ boat off Libya late Sunday. It says 22 others died on a vessel that […]
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his government receives information about U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, but he stressed there is no direct cooperation. Assad told the BBC in Damascus that there are exchanges of messages through third parties, such as Iraq, but the exchanges do not include tactical information. He said Syria […]
MANILA—The Philippine Navy is upgrading its capabilities at a time of continuing tensions with China over disputed territory in the South China Sea. In recent weeks, an Indonesian naval shipbuilder started work on two “strategic sealift vessels” that the Philippines is acquiring for more than $87 million and expects within two years, said Commander Lued […]
The death toll from the crash of a passenger plane in Taiwan rose to 31 Thursday, as search and rescue operations continued for 12 people still missing. Internet video showed the twin-engine TransAsia plane moments after takeoff from Taipei’s Songshan airport on Wednesday, bound for Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen islands. The plane’s left wing, perpendicular to […]