Malaysia Airlines MH370: Black Box Locator and Underwater Drone Enter Search Zone

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott (6th R) poses with leaders of international military operations, currently based in Australia and searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370Reuters

A black box locator and an underwater drone have been attached to the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield as the ship begins sailing to the remote southern Indian Ocean in the hunt for the debris of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

As no objects related to the jetliner have been retrieved so far, the US's naval equipment to help locate the flight data recorder will be entering the waters almost clueless as it is critical to find floating debris in order to narrow down the hunt for the black box.

The search operation resumed with several vessels and aircraft combing the stormy section of the Indian Ocean.

As many as 10 aircraft and 10 ships will be involved in the search activities as Australia has discovered new floating objects.

On Sunday, an Australian aircraft spotted several objects in the remote waters west off Perth which has been described as the "most promising leads yet" by authorities.

"For my crew and from our perspective, this was the most visibility we [have] had in the water of any objects ... and gave us the most promising leads. I must stress that we can't confirm the origin of these objects ... the details of these, in association with a GPS buoy have been passed on to our rescue coordination centre," said Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the search operations will not be called off anytime soon.

Insisting that Australia has the responsibility to lead the search, Abbott said: "This is a major international incident and Australia has the lead responsibility, if you like, for operations inside our search and rescue zone. It's a cost that we think is only reasonable - as the country in whose search and rescue zone the aircraft has come down - it's only reasonable that we should bear this cost."

He told reporters that Australia has not set any time limit on the search. He said "It's an act of international citizenship on Australia's part. At some point, there may need to be a reckoning, some kind of tallying, but nevertheless we are as happy to be as helpful as we can to all of the countries with a stake in this."

Alibaba Plans 'Online-to-Offline' Business with $692m Investment in Mall Operator Intime

Alibaba acquires a 10% stake in Chinese department store operator IntimeReuters

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is investing in the brick-and-mortar retail sector as it acquired a 10% stake in Hong Kong-listed Chinese department store operator Intime.

The internet major spent HK$5.6bn ($692m, £415m, €503m) to buy a 10% stake in Intime, which is the company's latest in a string of acquisitions ahead of its planned initial public offering (IPO).

As per the terms of the agreement, Intime will issue shares and convertible bonds to Alibaba.

The companies will also create a joint venture, which is expected to develop an "online-to-offline" business in China relating to shopping malls, department stores and supermarkets. The venture will combine the expertise, resources and infrastructure of Intime's retail business network across China with Alibaba's e-commerce platform and consumer data analysis capability.

"Through this strategic partnership, the aim of the group is to harness the latest internet technologies and develop the Group's online-to-offline business together with the omni-channel strategies so as to create a highly convenient and impactful shopping experience," Intime said in a stock exchange filing.

Alibaba is trying to diversify its investments ahead of its planned floatation in the US.

Earlier in March, it bought a 60% stake in Chinavision, a Hong Kong-based television and media production firm. It also announced plans to invest $215m in chat application Tango in a bid to fend off competition from rival firm Tencent.

A US floatation is expected to value the e-commerce giant at as much as $120bn. Many analysts predict it could raise $15bn, surpassing Facebook's share listing in 2012.

International Credit Firms Approach Argentina for First Time after 2002 Economic Collapse

Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez

Foreign financial institutions are approaching Argentina for providing loans at favourable rates, indicating the reopening of international credit markets for the first time after its economic collapse more than a decade ago.

The country's ministry of economy said it received offers from foreign institutions for providing loans to the country.

"In recent weeks ... various financial institutions have presented proposals of access to external financing with repayment timetables and interest rates similar to those offered to other countries in the region," the ministry said.

Following the country's economic collapse in 2001-2002 and its currency's devaluation, Argentina has found it nearly impossible to attract international loans at market rates. It has since been using its foreign reserves to meet international payments.

The country recently undertook a number of reforms to curb a drain on its foreign currency reserves.

Argentina's $5bn (£3bn, €3.6bn) settlement with Spain's Repsol over the nationalisation of energy company YPF, in which Repsol had a majority stake, and the progress on talks to repay more than $9.5bn obligations to the Paris Club creditor nations were the main reasons for the new offers, according to the ministry.

Argentina's nationalisation of YPF in May 2012 was a severe blow to the Spanish oil company, as its operations in Argentina represented a fifth of its annual net profit and almost half of its proved reserves at that time.

Subsequently, Repsol filed a lawsuit in an international arbitration court, claiming $10bn from the Argentine government for its loss.

Local newspaper Pagina/12 earlier reported that the government was closing a $1bn loan deal with investment bank Goldman Sachs. The two-year loan with an annual interest rate of 6.5% would be announced in the next few days.

The country's foreign-currency reserves dropped to $28.9bn on 27 January. Without ample reserves, the country would find it difficult to meet its foreign debts and pay for imports.

The country has been suffering from a capital flight and dollar shortage since 2011, making it difficult to legally trade pesos for US dollars.

In an attempt to control the situation, the government has introduced a number of restrictions on transactions involving foreign currency. That included a 35% tariff on credit card transactions abroad. New currency controls were introduced a week after president Cristina Fernandez was re-elected in 2011.

Brazilian Army Seizes Notorious Favela

Officers from the elite BOPE paramilitary unit patrol the Mare slum.

Brazilian security services backed by armoured cars have moved into one of the most dangerous slums in Rio de Janeiro, as the war against the city's drug gangs intensifies ahead of this year's football World Cup.

The vast Mare slum near Rio's international airport is home to about 120,000 people.

This morning, soldiers and police moved into the area, as part of a slum "pacification" programme intended to make the city safer for the thousands expected to visit Rio for the summer's tournament.

More than 1,000 police backed by soldiers took up position in the shanty town before dawn.

Authorities said the whole area was occupied within about 15 minutes, and "large quantities of drugs and weapons" were seized.

Mare favela had reportedly become a base for drug dealers pushed out of other slums by police.

The programme to cut crime in the favelas was launched after Brazil won the bid for the 2016 Olympics in 2008.

Topless Female Activists Ambush Turkish Premier Erdogan in YouTube and Twitter Ban Protest

Femen have staged protests in several European countries.Reuters

A group of topless female activists have launched a protest against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following his recent decision to ban Twitter and YouTube in Turkey.

Activists from the radical group Femen brandished the words "Ban Erdogan" on their chests in the Istanbul polling station where the beleaguered premier had been scheduled to vote, ahead of local elections this week.

The protesters, who bared their breasts briefly, were quickly arrested and their breasts covered by officers.

Femen had already forced Erdogan to change the location of his vote, after the group promised to protest at an elementary school on the Asian side of Istanbul, where the conservative prime minister usually casts his ballot.

A Femen activist had earlier posted a topless photo on Twitter, her chest bearing the Google code that allows Turks to circumvent the Twitter ban, along with the hashtag #DirenTwitter (Resist Twitter).

Femen, a Paris-based group founded by Inna Shevchenko in 2008, has staged topless protests in several countries including Ukraine, France, Russia, Spain and Tunisia. They have even infiltrated the Vatican to carry out a bare-chested demonstration.

Erdogan has banned Twitter and YouTube after a series of leaked videos in which he and his senior ministers were implicated in corrupt activity.

The calls included a conversation in which the prime minister asked his son to remove money from a house, and a discussion with his head of intelligence and foreign minister about a "false flag" attack on Syria.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Chinese Relatives Arrive in Malaysia to Vent Anger

Chinese relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 protest at the handling of the investigation.Reuters

Over two dozen Chinese relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to vent their anger at officials and to demand more information about what happened to the airliner.

Chanting "tell us the truth", the family members said they wanted the Malaysian prime minister to apologise for what they claimed were misleading statements surrounding the fate of the Beijing-bound plane, which disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.

Around 50 more family members joined 29 relatives who had arrived earlier in Malaysia in the hope of obtaining further information about the plane.

The group staged a protest at a hotel near the Malaysian capital, chanting in Chinese: "We want evidence. We want the truth. We want our relatives."

Relatives also waved banners reading: "We want evidence, truth, dignity", and: "Hand us the murderer. Tell us the truth. Give us our relatives back."

Around two-thirds of the passengers on board flight MH370 were Chinese, and Beijing has urged Malaysia to be more open about the investigation and the search for the plane, which is entering its fourth week.

Up to 10 ships and nine planes searched an area of 252,000 sq km (97,000 sq miles) for debris on Sunday. Based on satellite data, international investigators have concluded that the missing Boeing 777 crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean.

This satellite image shows a map of the planned search area for missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370. The search area has shifted closer to the western Australian coast after radar analysis suggested the airliner did not travel as far south as originally thoughtAMSA/Getty

Debris sightings by Australian, Chinese and New Zealand planes on Saturday have not yielded any solid clues about what happened to the plane.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said an Australian navy ship equipped with a black box locator supplied by the US has been dispatched to the search area, 1,800km west of Perth.

Jiang Hu, representing the victims' relatives, said they wanted Malaysia to apologise for what they see as mistakes in the handling of the disaster and for the declaration earlier this week that the plane had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean resulting in the loss of all lives.

The families argue that the conclusion is premature and lacks physical evidence. Jiang also said that the families want to meet senior officials from Malaysia Airlines, technical teams and the Malaysian government in order to obtain more satisfactory answers.

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant Thomas Hofbrucker, looks out from the cockpit of a AP-3C Orion as part of the RAAF No. 11 Squadron's search over the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370Reuters

Ong Ka Ting, the Malaysian prime minister's special envoy to China met the relatives at the hotel where they staged their protest.

"I'm sure in Beijing they've already had a lot of discussions and we understand their feelings," he said.

"We definitely know that by coming over here there will be a lot more discussions and meetings, so we will try our best to assist them."

Australia has appointed its former defence force chief, Air Chief Marshal Aungus Houston, to head a new joint agency co-ordination centre based in Perth to manage the search operations being handled by the various countries involved in the hunt, and to keep relatives updated with developments.

China Seizes $14 Billion From Former Spy Chief and Associates

Former China Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang attends the opening ceremony of the 17th Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2007.

Chinese authorities have seized assets worth more than 90 billion yuan (£8.7 billion, $14bn) from the family and associates of former security chief Zhou Yongkang.

In one of the biggest corruption scandals in recent Chinese history, more than 300 of Zhou's relatives, staff, political allies and associates have been taken into custody by authorities or questioned in recent months, a source told Reuters.

Communist party anti-corruption officials and prosecutors froze bank accounts with deposits totalling 37bn yuan (£3.6bn) and seized domestic and overseas bonds with a combined value of 51bn yuan (£4.9bn) after raiding homes in Beijing, Shanghai and five provinces.

Investigators also confiscated some 300 apartments and villas, antiques, contemporary paintings and more than 60 vehicles, the sources added. Other items seized included expensive liquor, gold, silver and cash in local and foreign currencies.

The seized assets had a combined value of at least 90bn yuan, the sources said.

Those arrested include Zhou's former television host wife, his eldest son, and his brother.

Zhou is the most senior figure arrested in president Xi Jinping's anti-corruption purge.

The investigation into Zhou and his associates was ordered last year, but some see it as political payback for Zhou's support for disgraced party official Bo Xilai and his opposition to Xi.

"Zhou Yongkang is tough and claims it's political persecution," the source said.

Zhou rose through the party ranks to become one of the most feared members of the politburo, where as head of domestic security his budget exceeded the defence budget.

Previously, Zhou was involved in China's oil and gas sector, and several of his associates from this period have been placed under arrest.

Structural Faults in Africa's Biggest Dam Could Cause Humanitarian Disaster

The Kariba Dam generates more than 1,300 megawatts of hydropower and serves two power stations in Zambia and Zimbabwe.Reuters

Structural faults at Africa's gigantic Kariba Dam, one of the world's largest, could precipitate a humanitarian disaster, experts have warned.

The dam, which straddles Zambia and Zimbabwe, has developed severe defects, and a collapse could unleash 180 billion tonnes of water from the continent's largest man-made lake on to an area of Zambia that is home to 3.5m people.

The deluge would engulf Zambia's capital Lusaka and cause further flooding in neighbouring Mozambique and Malawi.

Kariba Dam generates more than 1,300 megawatts of hydro-power and a collapse would cause electricity blackouts across southern Africa.

Christopher Yaluma, Zambia's energy and water development minister, said the dam, which is 128 metres (420 feet) high, needs to be repaired within three years.

"We need at least $220 million to resolve this issue," he said on state radio. "It's quite serious but we are determined to resolve it."

Defects at the dam have also led to concerns about the risk of earthquakes, because the structure sits at the southern end of the Rift Valley, a tectonically active area where there have been at least 20 tremors of a magnitude greater than five.

Elizabeth Karonga, a spokeswoman for the Zambia-based Zambezi River Authority, which is jointly owned by Zambia and Zimbabwe, said: "While the situation at the Kariba Dam wall is cause for grave concern, the engineers on the ground have the situation under control. This does not translate to an immediate calamity."

Zimbabwe's energy and power development minister Dzikamai Mavhaire also moved to allay fears of a potential catastrophe, insisting that the dam is in a "stable state".

The dam is located in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River basin and serves two power stations – the northern plant, which belongs to Zambia and the southern plant, which is controlled by Zimbabwe.

The structure was built in two phases (1955-59 and 1977), and was last inspected in 2010. In its five-year strategic plan (2010-2014), the Zambezi River Authority identified one of its main objectives as "undertaking critical dam maintenance work", including plunge pool re-shaping and spillway refurbishment.

India v Australia, T20 World Cup: Stunning Rohit Sharma Catch Inspires India to Crushing Win

Rohit Sharma pulled off arguably the catch of the tournament to dismiss David Warner.Reuters

An amazing catch by Rohit Sharma was the highlight of India's performance as they crushed Australia in the T20 World Cup.

Having set Australia 160 to win, India, bowling second for the first time in the tournament, skittled their opponents for just 86, in a bowling display studded with outstanding pieces of fielding.

The most crucial intervention was made by Sharma, running in from the boundary and holding on to a steepling catch at full stretch. The catch ended a partnership between David Warner and Glenn Maxwell which had threatened to take the game away from the Indians.

Australia had begun badly with Aaron Finch, Cameron White and Shane Watson all dismissed cheaply, before Warner and Maxwell blasted their side back into contention with several huge blows.

But after Sharma's sensational catch to dismiss the Warner, the men in green simply fell away, unable to cope with India's potent blend of wily spin and tenacious ground fielding.

Maxwell was bowled trying to reverse-sweep Ashwin, George Bailey holed out off Jadeja and the lower order crumbled, leaving Australia all out in just 16.2 overs.

Ashwin was India's star performer with the ball, taking three wickets, while Amit Mishra continued his remarkable tournament with two scalps as Australia wilted.

The collapse capped a miserable tournament for Bailey's team, who had already been eliminated prior to the match with India. Following their remarkable Ashes whitewash, Australia have been brought firmly down to earth in this tournament.

Earlier in the day India had batted well without making a bulletproof total, their 159-7 predicated on a superb knock from Yuvraj Singh, with excellent support from captain MS Dhoni, who chipped in with 24 from 20 balls to guide India from the perilous score of 66-4.

Dhoni's team once again looked the best team in the tournament, and on this evidence it will take a monumental performance to stop them taking the trophy.

India v Australia, T20 World Cup, Mid-Innings Report: Yuvraj Singh Masterclass Gives India Upper Hand

Yuvraj Singh helped India recover from 66-4 against Australia.BCCI

A marvellous innings from Yuvraj Singh hauled India to a commanding total of 159-7 in their final group match against Australia at the T20 World Cup.

The all-rounder scored 60 off 43 balls and shared a partnership of 84 with MS Dhoni, dragging their side from a perilous score of 66-4.

Yuvraj was savage in his treatment of Australian left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc, who was wayward throughout despite claiming the wicket of Dhoni in his final over.

Starc finished with 1-36 in his four overs, and it could have been worse had a waist-high full toss been called late on.

Australian's part-time spinners Brad Hodge and Glenn Maxwell both bowled well, Hodge picking up Rohit Sharma with a loopy off-break in the first over of the innings and Maxwell finishing with figures of 0-20 from his four-over spell.

Shane Watson was expensive early on, but finished off by bowling a good final over as the Indians swung the bat.

Indian opener Ayinkha Rahane, deputising for Shikhar Dhawan, departed without making a decisive total, as did Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. However the partnership between Yuvraj and Dhoni, who struck 24 off 20 balls, hauled their side back into the ascendancy.

Australia kept things relatively tight in the last couple of overs, and will feel they have a genuine chance of victory on a good batting surface – particularly as India have not yet bowled second in this tournament and have been forced to alter the game plane which has brought them three wins out of three.

However India, who have yet to concede a total of more than 138 thus far, will feel a total of 159 is more than enough for their spinners to defend.

Gay Lobby is Waging Satanic Attack on Families, Says Ghanaian Political Veteran

Mike OcquayeWikipedia

A former senior politician in Ghana has claimed that gay rights advocates are subjecting the world's families to a "satanic attack" and claimed David Cameron agrees with him.

Mike Ocquaye, who was previously deputy speaker of the Ghanaian parliament, told an anti-gay forum in Accra that the gay rights lobby is an "abomination", adding that all children deserve the right to a traditional family structure.

"We don't want a moustache man marrying another bearded man and it is the right of the children to call a man father and a woman mother. Children brought up in the other way will become what we call miscreants," Ocquaye said.

"Indeed the family is under satanic attack and we should take great care to protect it. We Africans have certain values and our friends who want to remain our friends in the western world must respect our values."

Ocquaye praised Cameron and the British people, claiming they recognise the damage wrought by gay rights champions.

"At least Britain recognises it is in a serious crisis today because as they themselves say: 'The family has broken down'. The family in Europe has broken down.

"Two years ago, the British prime minister himself made a public announcement of this."

Ocquaye's speech was published by Ghanaweb, just hours after gay marriage was officially legalised in the UK.

Same-sex weddings became legal at 12.00am on Saturday 29 March - and the first marriage, between Sinclair Treadway and Sean Adl-Tabatabai, took place in Camden at 12.01am.

Many members of Cameron's Conservative party have criticised the legalisation of same-sex marriage. However Defence Secretay Phillip Hammond, who fought the reforms before they became law, says critics should move on.

Hammond told the Andrew Marr show that legalising same-sex weddings was "a good thing for a Conservative government to have done", adding: "We've made that decision. Parliament made a decision to allow same sex marriage."

Flight MH370: Lewis Hamilton Dedicates Malaysia Grand Prix F1 Win to Victims

Lewis Hamilton has dedicated his victory in Kuala Lumpur to those affected by the MH370 tragedy.

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has dedicated his victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix to the passengers on board missing flight MH370, and their families.

Hamilton, whose dominance of the race was reflected in his lights-to-flag triumph, told reporters "after such a tragedy three weeks ago, I'd like to dedicate this to those people [on board the plane] and their families."

The British driver's victory capped a Mercedes one-two, with team-mate Nico Rosberg finishing in second place. However, the German did not refer to the MH370 victims in his post-race speech.

The grand prix was preceded by a minute's silence for those affected by the disappearance of flight MH370 on 8 March.

The entire roster of drivers, along with support staff, stood to honour those on board the plane, which is now assumed to have crashed into the Southern Indian Ocean.

During the race itself, many teams plastered stickers of support on their cars and the drivers' helmets. Mercedes even ran with the slogan '#PrayforMH370' on its car during a demo run.

However F1's display of remembrance came under fierce attack on Twitter, with many claiming the silence lasted well under a minute, and was interrupted by people talking.

One Twitter user even posted a picture of a stopwatch bearing the time 00:00:28, referring to the length of time the silence is believed to have lasted.

F1 was dragged into controversy on the day before the race, when reports surfaced suggesting relatives of the Chinese passengers, who have been staying in Kuala Lumpur to await news of the plane, had been asked to leave their hotel so members of the Ferrari team could move in.

India: Pregnant Woman Burnt Alive for Dowry by In-laws

Child brides prepare for their wedding in India , where dowry deaths have risenReuters

In another suspected dowry-related death, a woman, eight months pregnant, was burnt alive in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, according to local news channels.

The woman had married two years ago and her in-laws had made repeated demands for dowry since then.

The parents of the woman lodged a complaint with the police and suspect that her husband and in-laws were behind the brutal murder since the dowry demands were said to have been particularly forceful during the last few months.

According to reports, she was set on fire at her house in Kakinada, a small town in Andhra.

Police has registered a case and further investigations are on.

The husband and his parents are on the run.

"We have launched a manhunt to nab the trio. The exact reason behind the death would be known only after their arrest," sub-inspector Prashant Kumar told the Hindustan Times.

Dowry-related deaths are rampant in India and their causes go deep into the social system, sociologists say.

Over 8,200 dowry deaths were reported in the country in 2012, which works out to about one dowry death every hour, according to the National Crime Records Bureau statistics.

However, the conviction rate was abysmally low at just 32% for the same year, lower than 35.8% in 2011.

Laxity in investigations at initial levels, apart from a slow judiciary, is blamed for the culprits going scot-free in a majority of the cases.

"We need quick conviction in such cases. Our judicial procedure has become very slow, police does not record a case at initial stage," Kamini Jaiswal, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, told the Times News Network.

Shahrukh Khan Refuses to Act in Karan Johar's Next Film

Shah Rukh Khan seen with Karan Johar and others post TOIFA AwardsFacebook

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan and producer-director Karan Johar have previously collaborated on some of India's biggest blockbusters. So, it definitely comes as a shock when reports of SRK refusing Johar's next film start circulating.

According to rumours, Johar offered Khan his next magnum opus 'Shuddhi' (to be directed by Karan Malhotra) but SRK turned down the offer, reports Deccan Chronicle.

"Johar discussed his plans of shooting the film and the other logistics were also put forward. Khan, who has just started work on Yash Raj Films' 'Fan' and is currently shooting for Farah Khan's 'Happy New Year', took some time before refusing to do the film," states the report.

Rumour has it that the conversation took place over an email. Though the exact details of the email are not known, the actor is reported to have politely said 'no.'

The film initially was launched with a stellar star cast on board – Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. However, both stars soon opted out of the film citing personal reasons. Since then, Karan Johar has been on the lookout for a leading hero for the project.

Even though it has not been officially announced yet, buzz is that Deepika Padukone has been roped in as the leading lady.

Karan Johar is now in talks with another big star to do the film.

Missing Malaysia Airlines MH370: F1 Savaged for 'Worst Minute's Silence Ever' Before Malaysia Grand Prix

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.Reuters

Formula 1 bosses have been savaged on social media after a minute's silence for the passengers on Flight MH370 apparently lasted less than 30 seconds.

F1's organising team, headed by CEO Bernie Ecclestone, had agreed to hold a full minute of silence ahead of today's Malaysian Grand Prix to remember those on board the missing plane, now generally assumed to have crashed.

The entire roster of drivers competing in the race, including stars such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, joined in the vigil. However the act of remembrance came under fierce attack on Twitter as soon as it finished.

One Twitter user posted a stopwatch which purportedly showed the length of the silence:

Other users were equally scathing, suggesting the silence fell well short of a minute and was interrupted. Comments included:

Terrible minute's silence, was that 20 econds or something? #F1

— Miral_ (@F1HistoryApp) March 30, 2014

"I'm talking. I'm talking now. Can you hear me?" Worst minute's silence ever? #F1 #SkyF1

— Vicky Selwyn (@F1_Obsessive) March 30, 2014

F1 had pledged to pay full and sincere respect to those on board Flight MH370, which was travelling from Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to the Chinese city of Beijing when it disappeared.

Fifty of those on board the flight were Malaysian, and the event has become a national tragedy in the south-east Asian country with several other events, including a Christina Aguilera concert, cancelled over the past fortnight.

The helmets and cars of those taking part in the Malaysia GP are emblazoned with messages of support for those believed to have perished in the crash. Mercedes even ran with the slogan '#PrayforMH370' on their car during a demo run.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton told the BBC: "It's devastating to hear about it [the crash]. All you can do is pray."

Hamilton's fellow Briton Jenson Button said: "It's good that the whole of the paddock are running tributes. It's devastating. I really feel for all the families. We will do all we can. It'll be difficult this weekend for all the Malaysian people."

Nico Rosberg, who won this year's opening F1 race in Australia, told reporters that he had "experienced first hand how everybody in Malaysia is thinking of families and friends.

"There are billboards and signs here with people who have put stickers up with messages on them."

China Unveils Anti-Graft Rules to Boost National Urbanisation Drive

Workers demolishing old residential buildings in central Shanghai.Reuters

Beijing has announced plans to battle corruption and abuse of power in the country's real estate sector, moves designed to help millions of rural Chinese migrate easily into cities.

The anti-graft plans are part of an urbanisation programme designed to support a restructuring of the world's second largest economy, away from exports and towards one driven mainly by domestic consumer demand.

Corruption is rampant in China, particularly within the state administration, where several officials and their families have amassed wealth by abusing their authority, often in the areas of real estate and land ownership.

The new draft rules set conditions for the application, allocation, use and rent of public housing alongside subsidies and administrative oversight, reported the official Xinhua news agency.

The new rules will also boost penalties for fraud and illegal use of public housing and specify the responsible governments and departments as well as the conditions for abuse of power, neglect of duty, bribery and fraud, the state media reported.

House prices in China have surged over the past twelve months, fuelling worries of a price bubble and aggravating social problems as millions of Chinese find themselves priced out of the market, reported Reuters.

Local governments, under pressure from central authorities to cool prices, have rolled out several measures including making more land available, clamping down on second-home purchase and limiting mortgages.

Tough restrictions on migration also mean that many Chinese have moved into cities without proper permission, becoming a source of social instability.

North Korea: Kim Jong-un 'Plans All-out Nuclear War on US Using his Xbox Games'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits an orphanage in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News AgencyReuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is said to be severely practicing Xbox games in order to strategise an all-out nuclear war against the US amid simmering tensions in the Korean peninsula.

According to a North Korean source, cited by the Daily Star, the North Korean leader believes he can defeat his Western enemy by honing his gaming skills.

The unidentified source said: "Kim Jong-Un is a computer wizard and already has a stash of western games, including Homefront."

"He loves the idea of the Korean army taking over the US. To be able to play as them taking on the Americans has put a smile on his face."

It is believed that Kim's favourite game is the 2011 hit Homefront, in which American troops combat Pyongyang's Korean People's Army. The game is set in 2027.

A former US diplomat familiar with North Korean affairs mocked: "This might be his only chance of racking up any kind of victory against America."

Meanwhile in a separate development, Pyongyang has threatened to carry out a "new form" of nuclear test in retaliation against the UN's condemnation of its recent missile launches.

"A new form of nuclear test to further strengthen our nuclear deterrence is not out of the question," said the North Korean foreign ministry, according to a statement carried by the official mouthpiece Korean Central News Agency.