Two airliners, one mystery

July 31, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

Why Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 crashed remains a mystery. Why Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed is more certain.

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A sea-crusted wing part washed up on an island in the western Indian Ocean may be the first trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 since it vanished nearly a year and a half ago, and a tragic but finally solid clue to one of aviation's most perplexing and expensive mysteries. Malaysia's prime minister said Thursday the debris found on the French island of Reunion will be sent for investigation to the French city of Toulouse, hub of the European aviation industry.

China's Defense Ministry on Thursday accused the United States of "militarizing" the South China Sea by staging patrols and joint military drills there, ramping up the rhetoric ahead of a key regional security meeting in Malaysia next week. China has repeatedly urged Washington not to take sides in the escalating maritime dispute over the area, where the Asian giant last year stepped up its creation of artificial islands, alarming neighbors and provoking US criticism. Washington has demanded China halt land reclamation and militarization of the disputed area and pursue a peaceful resolution according to international law.

A University of Cincinnati police officer who shot a motorist after stopping him over a missing front license plate pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter. Twenty-five-year-old Ray Tensing appeared at his arraignment wearing a striped jail suit, with his hands cuffed behind him. He was indicted Wednesday in the July 19 shooting of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose, of Cincinnati, during a traffic stop. People in the courtroom audience erupted into cheers and clapping when bond was set at $1 million, drawing the ire of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan.

In a bid to consolidate his political support and clinch a crucial bailout with creditors, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday called for a vote within his party to decisively sideline rebels opposed to the rescue deal. The radical-left Syriza party members would be asked in the vote, slated for Sunday, whether they accept his plans to reach a deal on a package of loans from creditors in exchange for more tax increases and budget savings. Tsipras is gambling that with a win, he would discredit the rebel party members, a group who contend the terms are too painful and that Greece would be better off leaving the euro.

Police worked Thursday to identify two white males who were caught on a surveillance camera laying Confederate battle flags neatly on the ground near the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s church in Atlanta. It was the latest provocative act involving the Civil War-era symbol since nine black church members were gunned down during Bible study in South Carolina, and it happened in the heart of an area devoted to the slain civil rights leader, near his birthplace, his crypt and a center devoted to preserving his legacy.

The Senate passed a long-term transportation bill, but with House lawmakers already dispersed for their August recess, the bill will become just one more sticky issue on a jam-packed congressional agenda in the fall. The $350 billion long-term bill was approved Thursday on a 65-34 vote with bipartisan support. It would make changes to highway, transit, railroad and auto safety programs, but its sponsors were only able to find enough money to pay for the first three years of the six-year bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky called the bill's passage, "a win for our country."

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

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