AP, Manila
A Philippine Airlines plane carrying more than 250 people made a safe emergency landing in Manila on Saturday shortly after takeoff on a domestic flight due to suspected smoke in the cockpit, an official said.
The Airbus A340 aircraft was airborne for 10 minutes when its pilot declared an emergency and requested to land back in Manila, said Eric Apolonio of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
Nepal’s PM leaves for China to deepen ties
AFP, Kathmandu
Nepal’s prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli left Sunday for a week-long visit to China aimed at deepening tries following months of frosty relations with neighbouring India.
“The prime minister left today on his first official visit to China to strengthen relations with our neighbour,” Pramod Dhahal, the prime minister’s press adviser, told AFP.
Mudslide buries 8 Pak students
AP, Peshawar
Pakistani officials say a mudslide buried eight teenage students returning home after exams in the country’s north, which has seen heavy rains in recent days.
The spokesman for the local disaster management authority, Latifur Rehman, said Sunday the incident occurred in Susam village, near the Afghan border, the previous day.
21 al Shabaab militants killed in Somalia
Reuters, Mogadishu
The Kenyan army killed 21 al Shabaab militants in a town in southern Somalia after two of its own soldiers were killed in an ambush by the insurgents, a military spokesman said.
David Obonyo, spokesman for the Kenya Defence Forces, said that in the Saturday incident in Afmadow, an improvised explosive device hit and damaged one of their vehicles.
Over 100 US residents infected with Zika virus
AP, New York
A total of 116 residents in the US have now been confirmed to have tested positive for the Zika virus, says a report by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“During January 1, 2015-February 26, 2016, a total of 116 residents of 33 US states and the District of Columbia had laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on testing performed at CDC,” said the report released on Friday.
14 students killed in Spain bus crash
AP, Madrid
A Spanish official says a bus carrying university students back from a fireworks festival has crashed in northeast Spain, killing 14 passengers and injuring 30 of its more than 50 occupants.
Jordi Jane, spokesman for Spain’s northeastern Catalonia province said emergency rescue workers were still working to clear the wreckage that straddled the AP7 highway’s central fence.
