Malaysia's government is in support of the resumption of the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which vanished 11 years ago, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
On the fateful day of March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, inexplicably disappeared from radar screens, leaving behind a devastating loss of 239 lives.
In 2018, search efforts of Ocean Infinity, a UK-based exploration firm, for the missing plane came to a close, with no signs of the aircraft found, leaving the mystery unsolved.
Although parts confirmed to be from the plane have washed ashore, the main fuselage has never been found — leaving one of the world's biggest aviation mysteries unsolved.
Calling the efforts by Ocean Infinity as a positive development, Loke emphasized that the renewed search will benefit from the insights and information gathered during previous searches.
Ocean Infinity has already started to mobilize their ships, the minister said at a press conference, adding that Malaysian government welcomes the move, and has given principal approval for the resumption of the search.
"Ocean Infinity has given us that, number one, they combined all the findings from the various experts, various researchers, they have combined all the data. They feel very confident that the current search area is more credible. They are confident this area will come back with a positive result," Loke said.
Eleven years after flight MH370 disappeared, questions and heartache still linger for the next of kin. Grace Nathan, whose mother was on board the flight, has been a leading voice for the MH370 family members.
"It still weighs very heavily on my mind. There's not a day that goes by that this doesn't affect my life. I still count time in terms of years since the plane disappeared," she said.
Nathan expressed cautious optimism that the latest search effort will succeed where previous attempts have faltered, and finally bring closure to the families by locating the missing airplane.
"Along the way the need for closure lessened and the need for answers increased because I still believe, as I have believed for the last 10 years, that if we don't find the plane and find out what happened to it there is no way from preventing this from happening again," she said.
Malaysia supports Ocean Infinity's renewed MH370 search: transport minister
Malaysia supports Ocean Infinity's renewed MH370 search: transport minister
Malaysia supports Ocean Infinity's renewed MH370 search: transport minister
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
