300 S. Koreans join drills in Thailand
SATTAHIP, Thailand -- Troops from South Korea joined their Thai and U.S counterparts Saturday in an amphibious vehicle landing drill as part of Southeast Asia's largest multinational military exercise.
The 300 soldiers from South Korea who joined 2,000 U.S. Marines and Thai soldiers in eastern Thailand marked the highest numbers participating from the East Asian country since it joined the Cobra Gold exercise in 2010, and comes at a time when tensions are particularly high on the Korean Peninsula.
Tensions in the Koreas primarily involve concerns over North Korea's nuclear capability, which has led to saber-rattling declarations in Washington and Pyongyang.
"Our friends in the Republic of Korea, South Koreans, we stand by them. We work with them," said Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Some 11,075 service members from 29 countries are taking part in this year's exercise, with Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia the seven main participants. There are 6,800 U.S. troops attending the exercise.
Mexico copter's fall kills quake survivors
MEXICO CITY -- A military helicopter carrying officials assessing damage from a powerful earthquake crashed Friday in southern Mexico, killing 13 people and injuring 16, all of them on the ground.
The Oaxaca state prosecutor's office said in a statement that five women, four men and three children were killed at the crash site and another person died later at the hospital.
A state government official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said the chopper crashed into a group of people who had been spending the night outside after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the area. Aftershocks had caused people to flee their homes for fear they would collapse.
The Defense Department said the Black Hawk helicopter suffered the mishap when it was preparing to land on a vacant lot in the city of Jamiltepec, about 19 miles from the area of Pinotepa Nacional. The craft was carrying Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat, neither of whom had serious injuries. The department said the victims had been waiting for the helicopter, but did not provide more details.
Arrests, injuries reported in Maldives
MALE, Maldives -- Dozens of opposition supporters were injured and many were arrested after police in the Maldives broke up countrywide protests demanding the resignation of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom and the release of his political opponents from prison.
Thousands of people took part in the protests in the archipelago nation Friday despite the country's state of emergency.
Several people were hospitalized with injuries and many protesters were arrested, but hospital and police officials refused to provide numbers. The injured included about 10 reporters covering the protest.
Police said in a statement Saturday that the demonstrators had ignored warnings that the right to protest has been suspended under the state of emergency.
The Maldives has been in political turmoil since Feb. 1, when the country's Supreme Court ordered the release of several of Gayoom's political opponents imprisoned after trials that were criticized locally and internationally for alleged violation of due process.
The prisoners include Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first president elected in a free election, who could have been Gayoom's main rival in his re-election bid later this year.
India, Iran talk on regional cooperation
NEW DELHI -- India and Iran said Saturday that they would step up cooperation in combating extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan to restore peace and stability to the war-wracked country.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries also would make efforts to improve energy security and regional connectivity to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia by developing Iran's Chabahar Port and road and rail routes.
"We both will work for restoring peace, stability, prosperity and a pluralistic system in Afghanistan," Modi said after holding talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New Delhi on the final day of Rouhani's three-day visit.
Rouhani said Iran and India "are prepared for joint ventures in gas and petroleum sectors." He sought India's investment in these areas, as well as in the industrial and mining sectors.
He said Afghanistan must be "a vivacious and secure country," adding that Iran and India would cooperate in dealing with the situations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Iran is invested in the future of those nations.
A Section on 02/18/2018