CANBERRA, Australia – Although there have been no signs yet of the Malaysian airliner that remains missing far off the Australian coast, authorities are inviting expressions of interest from salvage operators in case it is found. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is coordinating the 10-month-old search, said Thursday that …

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has urged fellow Southeast Asian nations to jointly demand that China stop its land reclamation in contested South China Sea reefs. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the credibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations could be undermined if it does not respond to …

And now some fresh pickings from the political grapevine: FOX Fans: Missed the Grapevine? Watch it in the Screening Room! Quit Pro QuoOne day after he told the New York Post he had no intention of quitting in the next few weeks but instead would probably take leave sometime in …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Bahrain’s national airline says it plans to resume flights to Baghdad nearly two weeks after it and other carriers suspended operations after a passenger plane came under fire on landing in the Iraqi capital. Gulf Air said on Thursday it would resume flights to Baghdad …

A Canadian man laid dying on a local train platform bleeding from the head and not breathing for 20 minutes before someone called the paramedics. Radil Hebrich was seen by at least 40 people who glanced at him on the ground. Most people thought he was just a drunk who …

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Six inmates led by a mob boss committed suicide at a prison in Taiwan early Thursday after a failed breakout attempt in which they seized weapons and held a warden and guards hostage, officials said. All the hostages were released. The inmates started their attempt Wednesday afternoon …

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni security and military officials say fighting between Shiite rebels and Sunni tribesmen in the country’s south has left 26 dead. The rebels, known as Houthis, were supported by army troops when they fought the tribesmen in Bayda province in clashes that began the night earlier. The …

BERLIN – The German government has condemned pro-Russian rebels’ advance on the Ukrainian town of Debaltseve and denounced it as “a massive violation” of a cease-fire that came into effect at the weekend. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Wednesday that the onslaught on Debaltseve places “serious strain on …

DIFFA, Niger – A Niger military official says seven soldiers were killed in an overnight attack by Boko Haram on the island of Karamga in Lake Chad, the body of water touching the four countries that have been targeted by the Nigeria-based insurgency. Col. Salaou Barmou said 14 Boko Haram …

MOSCOW – The chairman of the Russian Security Council says Western sanctions are threatening the country’s oil and gas industry. The United States, the European Union and other countries last year imposed sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukrainian conflict. Some of them made it virtually impossible for …