Saudi king names Salman as crown prince: state TV

Saudi King Abdullah passed away January 23, 2015 at around 1:00AM (Arab Standard Time), the Royal Court announced in a statement read on official Saudi TV early Friday. Prince Salman was named the new King of Saudi Arabia and Prince Muqrin as Crown Prince.

The family's Allegiance Council paid allegiance to Salman and Prince Muqrin as his crown prince and heir, the statement said.

Abdullah, 90, had ruled Saudi Arabia as king since 2006, but had run the country as de facto regent for a decade before that after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke.

King Salman, 79, has been crown prince and defence minister since 2012. He was governor of Riyadh province for five decades before that.

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Watch this 14-second video inside the flight MH17, it was uploaded to the passenger's Instagram account before take off, the video taken by Md Ali, a psychology Ph.D. student at Erasmus University Rotterdam, showed other passengers stowing their luggage in the overhead compartment, the Malaysian Star reported.

In the caption of the Instagram video, the 30-year-old seemed to have expressed his jitters before flying home.

"Bismillah... #hatiadasikitgentar (In the name of God... feeling a little bit nervous)", read the caption.


An announcement, believed to be the voice of the pilot, can be heard in the background of the video.
"At the moment, we are on the final stages of boarding and cargo loading. Once again, please ensure all your phones are off," the pilot said before the video ended.

The Kuala Lumpur-bound Malaysia Airlines MH17 passenger plane crashed Thursday near the Russian border, in eastern Ukraine's Donestsk region, with all the 298 passengers and crew members on board reportedly killed.

The flight took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

(Source: GulfNews)

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Automatic Cancellation or Suspension of Classes and Work in Government Offices, The following guidelines shall be followed for the automatic cancellation or suspension of classes in all public and private elementary, secondary and tertiary schools, as well as work in all government offices:

a. When Signal No. 1 is raised by PAGASA, classes at the pre-school level, in the affected area, shall be automatically cancelled or suspended.

b. When Signal No. 2 is raised by PAGASA, classes at the pre-school, elementary and secondary levels, in the affected area, shall be automatically cancelled or suspended,

c. When Signal No. 3 or higher is raised by PAGASA, classes at pre-school, elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels, in the affected area, including graduate school, as well as work in all government offices, shall be automatically cancelled or suspended.

The PAGASA shall issue weather forecasts through various media outlets (radio and television), and the NDRRMC, not later than 10:00 PM of the previous day and 4:30 AM of the day of the intended cancellation of classes and work. In cases where there are classes and work in the morning and suspension of classes and work is only effective in the afternoon, PAGASA should issue the forecast not later than 11:00 AM of the said day.

For complete guidelines, you can check the Philippines' Official Gazette (Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012)

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The video of the priest who humiliated the unmarried 17-year old mother during the baptism of her baby went viral on social media. Fr. Romeo Obach issued the "public heartfelt apology" on Tuesday to the mother and her immediate family for his words and "rude attitude" before performing the rite of baptism.

"The words I said and the rude attitude that I showed before I performed the rite of Baptism last Sunday, July 6, 2014 at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Jagobiao, Mandaue City, was indeed unbecoming. I deeply regret that I have done this," he said in a statement, which was posted on the Facebook page of GMA Cebu's "Buena Mano Balita!"

The video showing Fr. Romeo Obach giving harsh sermon before the mother and its relatives went viral on social media.

“Makauulaw. Magpabunyag ka og walay bana. Nakig dug ka og laki nga dili nimo bana. Wala ma mauwaw Naka dungog ba na nako, dai? Wala ka mauwaw? (How shameful. You come here to have your child baptized without a husband. You slept with a man who is not your husband. Do you hear me, girl? Aren’t you ashamed?)” said the priest.

The girl, a college student, softly replied “Mauwaw” (I’m ashamed).

Post by Jieve Daitol Frias.

The video was taken by her sister and then posted by the baby’s grandmother Jieve in her Facebook account to express personal rage.

In an official statement of apology, Fr. Romeo Obach said he realized only later how cruel his ways were to "educate and impart lessons" for that event.



He apologized also to those who heard or saw his sermon through the media and the Internet.

"I am deeply sorry to the mother of the child, her relatives, the sponsors and the witnesses of the incident. I am sorry to the Internet viewers, to media listeners and viewers for this mistake I personally admit. I am deeply sorry and I humbly ask your forgiveness," he said.

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The shaky video was on the cellphone of a 17-year-old student, Park Su-hyeon, when rescuers recovered his body. The boy's father, Park Jong-dae, provided it Thursday to select media outlets, saying he wanted to show the world the ship's condition and what was happening aboard as it rolled over and sank.

In video clips, the teenagers talk of snapping selfies, wonder if they'll make the news and discuss posting about the excitement later on Facebook.


Announcements from the crew tell people not to move, but as the video continues, passengers gradually realize the danger they're in and start searching for life vests.

The captain of the ferry, Capt. Lee Joon-seok has reportedly said that he delayed giving an evacuation order because he was worried about sending the passengers into the cold waters and fast currents before rescuers arrived.

One boy is heard saying, "This looks like the end," and another says, "Mom, Dad, I love you."

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U.S. President Barack Obama is arriving in the Philippines Monday for a historic state visit, one that Malacanang said will strengthen Manila’s ties with Washington.

“The visit of President Obama affirms the vigor of our strategic partnership and alliance, and the strength of our people-to-people ties,” a Malacanang statement read.



Manila will be the last stop in Obama’s Asian tour aimed at highlighting his government’s decision to “pivot” to Asia. He has visited Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

The alliance with the Philippines is the oldest of America’s five treaty alliances in Asia – with a Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951 – and the nation is a former American colony (1898-1946).

Watch the live stream here provided by PCOO EDP



Live streaming video by Ustream

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The historic canonization of two popes will take place at the in St. Peter's Square this Sunday, April 27, 2014.

The three-hour ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. CEST (4.00 a.m. EDT /01:00 a.m. PT) - 3:00 p.m. in Manila.

Pope Francis chose to hold a single ceremony to canonize the pair, bringing together two popes who are closely associated with the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, which led to significant reforms in the church.

Pope John XXIII was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II Sept. 3, 2000 in Saint Peter's Square, during the celebration of the Great Jubilee. He reigned as pope from 1958 to 1963. Pope Francis changed the rules for the canonization of John XXIII, deciding that only one miracle, instead of two, were needed to make him a saint.

John Paul II was beatified in Saint Peter's Square on May 1, 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI. He reigned as pope from 1978 to 2005. At the time of his death in April 2005, millions attended his funeral and cried "Santo Subito", meaning "Make him a saint immediately".

Watch the Live Coverage here (Courtesy of Centro Televisivo Vaticano YouTube Channel)

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A Subway restaurant in Chicago has installed a bulletproof glass screen to keep their employees safe, just as the city's police chief insisting the homicide rate has gone down.

Gun violence is prevalent in many American cities forcing many to resort to extreme precautionary measures. Recently an investigative reporter at CBS Chicago, Dave Savini, stopped at a Subway sandwich shop located on the South Side.

He was shocked to find the counter was encompassed by a barrier of bulletproof glass. Savini was so surprised by the sight, he snapped a photo and posted it to Twitter and Facebook.

The 24-hour sandwich shop, located between the Roseland and West Pullman neighborhoods, has put up a glass barrier around the serving area, including a revolving door hatch for staff to pass food through.

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VATICAN CITY — The banners of Blesseds Pope John Paul II and John XXIII were hung on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica today and the official prayer cards of the two new saints have been printed.

Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the papal vicar for Vatican City, produced the cards, which will be distribution after the two popes’ canonizations on Sunday.






Prayer to St. John Paul II

Oh, St. John Paul, from the window of heaven, grant us your blessing! Bless the church that you loved and served and guided, courageously leading it along the paths of the world in order to bring Jesus to everyone and everyone to Jesus. Bless the young, who were your great passion. Help them dream again, help them look up high again to find the light that illuminates the paths of life here on earth.

May you bless families, bless each family! You warned of Satan’s assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. St. John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family.

Pray for the whole world, which is still marked by tensions, wars and injustice. You tackled war by invoking dialogue and planting the seeds of love: pray for us so that we may be tireless sowers of peace.

Oh St. John Paul, from heaven’s window, where we see you next to Mary, send God’s blessing down upon us all. Amen.

Prayer to St. John XXIII

Dear Pope John,

Your simplicity and meekness carried the scent of God and sparked in people’s hearts the desire for goodness. You spoke often of the beauty of the family gathered around the table to share bread and faith: pray for us that once again true families would live in our homes.

Without outstretched hands you sowed hope, and you taught us to listen for God’s footsteps as he prepares a new humanity: help us have a healthy optimism of defeating evil with good.

You loved the world with its light and darkness, and you believed that peace is possible: help us be instruments of peace at home and in our communities.

With paternal gentleness you gave all children a caress: you moved the world and reminded us that hands have been given to us not for striking, but for embracing and drying tears.

Pray for us so that we do not limit ourselves to cursing the darkness but that we bring the light, bringing Jesus everywhere and always praying to Mary. Amen.

(Source: CNSBlog)

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A woman whose “miraculous” recovery from an inoperable brain aneurysm paved the way for the late Pope John Paul II to be declared a saint at a ceremony at the Vatican this Sunday has described how the Polish pontiff appeared to her in a vision.

Three years ago, Floribeth Mora Diaz was told by doctors in her home country that her condition was hopeless and that her death was only a matter of time.

"They sent me home and told me I had a month to live and that there was little hope," she said, speaking with tears in her eyes.

The Costa Rican woman prayed for Blessed John Paul II’s intercession for a cure while watching a broadcast of the former Pope’s beatification on May 1, 2011

"I prayed to John Paul and I asked him to tell God that I did not want to die because I love my children and did not want to abandon them," she said.

"I fell asleep and when I woke up I heard the voice of John Paul telling me "Get Up! Don't be afraid!"

She says she got out of bed, shocking her husband, and told him "I feel good".

After successive tests, including new brain scans, she said doctors were "stupefied and they had no way to explain it."

Mora sent her story to the Vatican for review in the cause for Pope John Paul’s sainthood.

"They called me, and they told me: Are you willing to go to Rome, to undergo the same tests and to do the same surgical procedure that was done to you in Costa Rica? [I said], Of course.
I was admitted to a hospital [in Rome] and underwent all the tests again. … They did the whole procedure again. And I amazed the Italians. My test [showed] there was no aneurysm."

On July 5, Pope Francis approved Mora’s miracle and thus paved the way for Blessed John Paul II’s canonization.

Pope Francis will elevate John Paul to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday at a ceremony expected to draw more than one million people to the Vatican.

Source: NCRegister

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Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV called for an investigation into the slow and expensive Internet service in the country.

The Senate should investigate why consumers are paying "steep" prices for "poor" Internet connectivity in the country, Aquino said Tuesday.

Aquino made the move after getting reports that the Philippines is lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of providing faster Internet connection. The reports cited an infographic from ASEAN DNA, which claimed that the Philippines (3.6 megabytes per second) lags behind Laos (4.0 Mbps), Indonesia (4.1 Mbps), Myanmar and Brunei (4.9 Mbps), Malaysia (5.5 Mbps) and Cambodia (5.7 Mbps).

The senator pointed out that on the average, local consumers spend around P1,000 a month for Internet service with speeds of up to two megabytes per second (MBPS) or about P2,000 for up to five MBPS.

But in Singapore, Aquino said the largest telecommunications company offers 15 Mbps of Internet speed for 36.90 Singapore dollars or around P1,312 a month. In Thailand, 799 baht or P1,100 could give consumers 12 Mbps of connection.

"This is expensive compared to Singapore and Thailand where we can find some of the fastest Internet connections in the world," Aquino said.

Aquino will file a Senate resolution next month to formalize his proposal, his office said.

A Senate investigation, he said, would also look into ways on how to improve the country’s poor Internet connection, which is crucial to the country’s economic growth.

“We have to find ways to improve the system and fast, especially with the ASEAN Economic Integration happenig a year from now,” Aquino said.

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Reacting on a recent 'viral' photos of a family uprooting stalks of sunflowers on UP, acting director of the UP campus maintenance office Alden Aynera told The STAR in Filipino yesterday “Can’t we discipline ourselves?”

“It’s neither logical nor practical to place guards in the entire length of the avenue just to secure the flowers,” he added. “Signages should have been enough.”

Last week, certain Hazel Lapitan posted pictures of a mother inside her car, with her daughters outside picking up sunflowers in the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

As read on her Facebook Account:

I was taking pictures of the sunflowers in UP this afternoon when I saw a mother and her 3 daughters uprooting stalks of sunflowers. 

They weren't just picking the flowers, they took more than 3 stalks of the whole plant and put them in their trunk. Hindi man lang sa likod, dun pa talaga sa harap. Wala ngang dalang pala, hinuhugot lang nila. Sinira pa talaga nila ung mga tanim. Pinagsabihan ko sila na bawal yon pero hindi nila tinigilan.

"Tama ba yang ginagawa niyo? Pwede ba yan?"
"Oo matagal na tong ginagawa ni mommy eh."



The sunflowers have been considered an icon of the university, planted early in the year so that the flowers would bloom in time for the graduation in April. Aynera said the university spends up to P400,000 for the planting and maintenance of the sunflowers.

Source: ABS-CBN

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A 16-year-old boy stowed away in the wheel well of a flight from California to Hawaii, surviving the trip halfway across the Pacific Ocean unharmed despite frigid temperatures at 11,500 meters (38,000 feet) and a lack of oxygen, FBI and airline officials said.

He arrived in Maui unharmed, living through 5.5 hours of mostly-unconscious flight time despite the frigid temperatures. “Kid’s lucky to be alive. Doesn’t even remember the flight,” FBI spokesman Tom Simon told the AP. He said security footage from the San Jose airport showed the boy, who had run away from his family after an argument, hopping a fence to get to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 on Sunday morning.

Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said airline personnel noticed the boy on the ramp after the flight arrived and immediately notified airport security.

“Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived,” Croyle said.

Howard Mell, a Cleveland area emergency physician who is a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians, tried to put together a case for survival.

"We have no idea what the temperature inside the wheel well would be," Mell said. "We certainly see people survive the night at 10 degrees."

But survival with the very low oxygen at the altitude reported for the plane is harder to explain, he says.

"I'm not saying he couldn't have done it because apparently he could," Mell says, citing the before-and-after videos. But, he says, "from the standpoint of science, this is a very lucky child… It would be extremely ill advised for anyone to try to duplicate his feat."

The FAA says it has been done before. Its data cites two cases of high altitude flight by stowaways, one from Havana, Cuba to Madrid and from Bogota, Colombia, to Miami. The flights reached at about 35,000 feet with outdoor temps as low as -65 degrees.

"The presence of warm hydraulic lines in the wheel-well and the initially warm tires provided significant heat," the FAA report says. "The stable climb of the aircraft enabled hypoxia to lead to gradual unconsciousness. As the wheel-well environment slowly cooled, hypothermia accompanies the deep hypoxia, preserving nervous system viability."

As the plane slowly descends, the air warms and oxygen pressure increases. Upon landing, "individuals were found in a semi-conscious state, and, upon treatment, recovered."

But the FAA report notes that numerous "copycat" attempts have ended in death.

FBI spokesman Tom Simon said, the boy will not be charged and was referred to child protective services.

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In a latest development of the case filed by Vhong Navarro against Cedric Lee, Denice Cornejo and others, Tony Calvento, a print and broadcast journalist, revealed that he had a conversation with one of the accused and is willing to testify against Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo, Zimmer Raz and the others involved in the mauling incident.

As read on his Facebook account:

I met with someone who was trying to facilitate the surrender and turning as State Witness of someone from the accused on the Vhong Navarro case.

I was given the GREEN LIGHT by Secretary Leila De Lima to talk to this person.

He was supposed to turn in the suspect last Wednesday at the latest but said he was going to do that after the Holy Week.

The testimony is explosive. The details where, what time and when the planning of the setting up of Vhong Navarro was given to me. The place where they had dinner was also revealed.

He even made me talk to the suspect on the phone and this person with a deep voice kept on crying and asked me to help him. He asked me to help give him protection.

He was very scared of Cedric Lee and I said that Sec. Leila Delima can assign NBI agents to guard him.
Finally, the suspect on the other end of the line revealed to me the identity of the JOHN DOE who went with Zimmer Raz and Bernice Lee. He was the one holding the duct tape as viewed through the CCTV in the elevator.

If things go well the person even added that one of the accused who had managed to slip out of the country is willing to come back and turn the tables on Cedric and the others.

Just want to remind this person that should you change your mind, the Sec. already knows all the details and is processing and evaluating the information you have given me.

I just don’t want people twisting the truth and turning the tables on me later on.
My work is as transparent as crystal and my intentions as clear as summer’s day.

If the NBI and the PNP don’t get to you then the people whom you will squeal on will do so.

By process of elimination and deductive reasoning they know who you are. You have very little time to make your move.

CCTV’s are all over the place you mentioned and this vital breakthrough on the case will bolster the Serious Illegal Detention case Vhong had filed.<

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Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Tuesday that the Japanese government and its ruling coalition “are making arrangements” to exempt tourists from the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam from the visa requirement in an effort to boost tourism.

Though the Japanese Embassy in Manila has clarified that the proposal to waive the visa requirement for Filipino tourists to Japan remains to be a plan, the Philippines' Ambassador to Japan Manolo Lopez cited "We are just awaiting the official advice, but from reliable sources and from the newspaper accounts that have come out already, it seems that its likely going to happen sometime in June of this year.

According to the Kyodo report, the proposal is aimed at attracting more tourists from Southeast Asia in order to boost arrivals in Japan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Last year, Japan waived the visa requirement for Thai and Malaysian. Kyodo said this led to a 61 percent increase in tourist arrivals from the two countries.

It should be noted that the waived visa is only applicable for e-passport holders, nationals who do not hold an ordinary biometric passport with an embedded microchip that is compliant with ICAO International Civil Aviation Organisation standards will remain advised to obtain a visa.

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A new study finds that large numbers of sea otters off of the U.S. Pacific coast have been exposed to the 'pandemic' type of this killer virus.

According to the Smithsonian, these mammals are the world's newest carriers of H1N1, the flu strain that lead to a human pandemic back in 2009. And, according to a study published in Emerging and Infectious Diseases, scientists have no idea how these Northern sea otters caught it.

This is the same strain of swine-origin H1N1 that forced the UN World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global pandemic in June 2009. The swine flu, which originated in the state of Veracruz, in Mexico, and ended in August 2010, claimed the lives of 18,000 people. WHO Director General Margaret Chan says the death toll is probably much higher, when considering unreported deaths.

The scientists hypothesize that the otters might have caught H1N1 from elephant seals, the only other marine mammal that can carry this strain, the Smithsonian reports.

Regardless of how the otters came into contact with the virus, it appears that they are indeed quite susceptible to it. In a survey of 30 otters conducted in 2009, 70 percent came back positive for the human H1N1 virus antibodies. None of the otters, the researchers report, were visibly ill, however.

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Tropical Cyclone Ita makes landfall in Australia, it is the strongest storm to hit since Cyclone Yasi, which struck in 2011.

The Category 3 cyclone hit the town of Cooktown at around 9 p.m. Australian time, or 7 a.m. in the Eastern United States, with winds of up to 115 miles per hour, according to media reports on Friday. Though the cyclone was downgraded to a category three from earlier reports that it would reach the maximum strength of five, destructive winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour are lashing the region. There are reports that trees are down and homes have been damaged. The system is continuing to weaken as it moves south-southwest inland from Cooktown.

Coastal residents in Northern Australia, including the 2,300-person Cooktown and nearby Aboriginal communities, were specifically warned of a “dangerous storm tide” overnight and on Saturday morning.



“The sea is likely to rise steadily up to a level which will be significantly above the normal tide, with damaging waves, strong currents and flooding of low-lying areas extending some way inland,” The Australia Bureau of Meteorology said. “People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by the authorities.”

Cyclone Ita brought torrential rain to the Solomon Islands late last week, causing flash floods that left at least 21 people dead. 

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Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean according to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Monday night.

The new data had shown the plane’s last location was in the Southern Indian Ocean, southwest of Perth, Australia.  "This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites" the prime minister said.

If you're curious about how deep Indian Ocean is, the image below might help you visualize.

Comparing the depth zone:



Indian Ocean is 3600m deep, it's 4 times the height of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

The US Navy ordered its specialized device to be sent out in the region to help find the plane's "black box" of flight and cockpit voice data. The high-tech device can locate black boxes as deep as 20,000 feet (6,060 meters), the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement. The search area ranges from 3,000-4,000 meters deep.

The move was taken to ensure that black box detection can start "as quickly as possible" after confirmed debris is found, it said. The 30-day signal from the black box is due to fail in less than two weeks.

(Image source: Twitter Account @jalan2liburan)

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Officials have confirmed that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 crashed into the Indian Ocean and there are no survivors among the 239 people on board.

However, officials gave no indication during Monday’s announcement as to what happened on flight MH370 during its final hours, leaving relatives with little closure on the fate of the flight’s victims.

Malaysian prime minster Najib Razak held a press conference Monday evening and said that it was with “great sadness” that new data had shown the plane’s last location was in the Southern Indian Ocean, southwest of Perth, Australia.

“It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean,” he said.

“This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites.”



He also said the airline officials have spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of the development.

“We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles guiding this investigation,” Najib said.

“I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.”

He added that Malaysian officials will hold a press conference Tuesday to give more details.

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A group of fishermen in North Sumatra provincial sub-district of Pangkalan Susu claims to have seen air plane crash around the Malacca Straits.

The locals suspect that what they saw could be the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The authorities have yet to verify the fishermen's claim.

At 11 am local time on Sunday, the fishermen saw a white plane crossing and circling.

Then, the ill-fated plane showed smoke coming from the right rear portion when it circled for a second round and tilted to the left.

A moment later, the plane, flying lower, fell from sight. "We suspect the plane crashed into the sea," he said.

"We could not go to the location where the aircraft was lost due to large waves, and the boat did not have enough fuel," the fisherman said.

The location of the aircraft is believed to be in Idi waters, in Aceh provincial district of East Aceh. However, the information has yet to be verified by Indonesian authorities.

The group of fishermen is the latest to come forward claiming sightings of an aircraft at a time that MH370 was assumed to have changed course and turn back, crossing the waters between Malaysia, Thailand and presumably towards the Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian Airlines jet went missing 1:30am on Sunday, March 9. It is not yet known what has happened to the 239 passengers and crew on board.

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