The MH370 families seeking closure, justice and a fresh search

Ten years on, Jiang Hui still hopes he will one day find the answer to what happened when his mother disappeared in 2014. “My mother was a very normal person. She came from a working-class family. She was very resilient, persistent,” says Jiang, 50, from Beijing. His mother, Jiang Cuiyun, was a 72-year-old retired picture editor and had just been on a holiday in Malaysia. She was one of 153 Chinese citizens onboard flight MH370. Jiang now tries to embody those tenacious qualities of his mother in his decade-long search…

MH370: one of aviation’s biggest mysteries remains unsolved 10 years on

Shortly after midnight on 8 March 2014, a Boeing 777 heaved into the air from Kuala Lumpur and climbed steadily to its assigned cruising altitude of 35,000ft. After being instructed to switch frequencies to Vietnamese air traffic control, the pilot replied in the polite but methodical manner that is common in radio calls: “Good night, Malaysian three seven zero.” It was the last message that would ever be received from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. A decade has passed since the plane veered wildly off course during a routine flight to…

Timeline of the search for MH370 – a visual guide

Since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in 2014, countless hours have been spent scouring vast swathes of the Indian Ocean to locate the wreckage, using search aircraft and surface vessels equipped with the latest technology. The three official investigations launched by Malaysia and Australia, piecing together evidence from as far away as Mozambique, have so far failed to prove conclusively what happened to the missing flight. Below is a timeline of the search, from the moments of hope when pieces of debris were discovered, to the devastation after…

‘We need to go again’: Australian who led MH370 search joins calls for fresh effort to find plane

The man who led Australia’s search for MH370 has urged the Australian government to support any new effort to find the plane, which disappeared 10 years ago on Friday. On Sunday the Malaysian government said it was in talks with the US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to discuss a new search. The company says it is willing and able to return to the search, and has submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government. The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 departed Kuala Lumpur on 8 March 2014, bound for Beijing with…

Competition over the South China Sea explained in 30 seconds

The South China Sea is one of the most strategically and economically important waterways in the world. In 2016 more than 21% of global trade was estimated by UN bodies to have transited through it, and it contains extensive oil and gas reserves. But it is highly contested. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have claims over areas within the 3.5m sq km area, many of which overlap. Brunei is the only party that does not lay claim over any disputed islands, but it does say part…

Malaysia investigates Chinese barge suspected of links to looting of British WW2 wrecks

Malaysia’s maritime agency has said it found a cannon shell believed to be from the second world war on a Chinese-registered vessel and was investigating if the barge carrier was involved in the looting of two British warship wrecks in the South China Sea. The agency said it detained the vessel registered in Fuzhou, China, on Sunday for anchoring without a permit off southern Johor state, and that an inspection revealed scrap metal and a cannon shell it suspected dated from the second world war. It said there were 32…

Food, firecrackers and family reunions: how lunar new year is celebrated differently across Asia

For billions of people across Asia and in Asian diaspora communities around the world, this weekend marks the beginning of the lunar new year celebrations, a two-week holiday marking the end of the Zodiac year of the Tiger, and ushering in the Year of the Rabbit – or Cat, if you are in Vietnam. For the first few days commercial activity slows or stops, as people gather with their families. For many migrant workers in China, it is often the only time of the year they can return to home…

Sydney leads global New Year’s Eve celebrations

Australia is gearing up to celebrate its first restriction-free New Year’s Eve after two years of Covid disruptions, with more than a million revellers expected to flock to Sydney’s harbourfront and watch an elaborate fireworks display. Sydney is one of the world’s first major cities to welcome in the new year and draws huge TV audiences around the world, with a public countdown and fireworks display over its famous opera house. “This New Year’s Eve we are saying Sydney is back as we kick off festivities around the world and…

As more space junk falls to Earth, should we be worried?

Last week, debris from a suspected Chinese booster rocket made an uncontrolled return to Earth, reportedly falling just metres from villages in Malaysia and Indonesia, and triggering a rebuke from Nasa. This follows the recent discovery of SpaceX debris on a sheep farm in regional NSW. Jane Lee speaks to ANU astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker and reporter Natasha May about why more space junk is falling to Earth, what risks it poses to our safety How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian