介绍:
Chile declares disaster in quake-hit regions
Chile has declared three northern regions hit by an 8.2 magnitude earthquake to be disaster areas.
At least five people are known to have died and tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
The quake triggered a tsunami, and waves of up to 2.3 meters have hit some areas.
President Michelle Bachelet said the country had "faced the emergency well".
"The tsunami alert was given immediately, and we have seen an organized evacuation of the people, who have collaborated since the first moment. We have learned about the unfortunate death of five people, whose identities are being confirmed."
The president is due to visit the affected areas later.
Chilean TV has broadcast pictures of traffic jams as people tried to leave the affected areas.
Passengers on missing plane "cleared": Malaysian official
Malaysia's police chief says all the passengers on board missing flight MH370 have been cleared of hijacking or sabotage.
Khalid Abu Bakar says all 227 passengers have also been cleared of having psychological or personal problems.
He says the cabin crew, including the pilot and the co-pilot, are still being investigated.
Khalid also warned that the reasons for the plane's disappearance may never be known and that their investigation could "go on and on".
Meanwhile, the intensity of the multinational hunt for the plane keeps increasing.
A British Royal Navy submarine has arrived in the southern Indian Ocean to help with the search.
It will soon be joined by a Royal Navy coastal survey ship.
DPRK's top leader vows to crush U.S. hostile policy
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has warned of a "very grave" situation on the Korean peninsula, blaming Washington and Seoul for the current frictions.
In a meeting with top military leaders, Kim vowed to crush the U.S. hostile policy toward his country.
He said South Korea and the US had trampled on peace overtures from Pyongyang.
Kim's speech came amid soaring military tensions which have seen the two Koreas trade artillery fire and Pyongyang threaten a new nuclear test.
DPRK believed to fly drone to S. Korea for surveillance
Staying on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea says it believes North Korea has flown a drone for surveillance purpose to an island south of the inter-Korean western sea border.
The unmanned aircraft crashed Monday afternoon after Pyongyang conducted live-fire drills.
A South Korean presidential spokesman says Seoul will have to draw up countermeasures against such spying drone which is hard to detect by radar.
Kidnapped Afghan provincial council candidate reportedly killed
An Afghan provincial council candidate abducted by gunmen on Sunday is believed to have been killed, along with eight of his supporters.
The group were taken in the northern province of Sari Pul.
Police say initial reports indicate that bullet-riddled bodies, including candidate Hussain Nazari, have been found.
The Taliban have intensified attacks ahead of the third presidential and provincial council elections on Saturday.
Four killed in clashes between Yemeni soldiers and Al-Qaeda
Two Yemeni soldiers and two al-Qaeda militants have been killed during clashes in Yemen's western province of Al-Hadida.
The clashes erupted following the arrest of four al-Qaeda militants by security forces.
Yemen has been in turmoil since mass protests forced long-term leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012.
High level pollution spreads across England
The British government has issued health warnings as high levels of air pollution spread across England.
The pollution is brought by a mix of local and European emissions and dust from the Sahara.
Level 10 pollution, the highest, was recorded in north-west Norfolk on Tuesday and is expected to reach 8 or 9 in parts of England on Wednesday.
The elderly and those with lung or heart disease are urged to avoid strenuous exercise outside.
Beijing gets tough on big polluters
The city of Beijing is imposing harsh fines against polluting enterprises in an attempt to cut down on the region's notorious smog.
The local environmental watchdog says it levied fines of 7 million yuan on owners of some 260 coal-fired boilers from November to March.
That is more than double the figure from the previous season.
Construction sites and vehicles transporting construction waste were also fined 1.1 million yuan over the past three months.
Five on a Taiwan fishing vessel rescued in N. Philippines
Five crew members of a fishing vessel from Taiwan have been rescued off the northern Philippines.
The vessel ran aground near the Itbayan island. It had a crew of five, two from Taiwan and three from Indonesia.
The Philippine coastguard immediately sent a search and rescue team.
