Good morning, and happy Friday! Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. Body mix-ups devastate families of ferry victims
The confirmed death toll in the sunken South Korean ferry stands at 185 today. As parents of the young victims are tasked with identifying the decomposed bodies, a report says that one family mistakenly claimed the wrong body, and required DNA testing to show the victim wasn’t their child. Read more in NEWS.
2. Obama warns of further isolation for North Korea
President Barack Obama began his two-day trip to South Korea today meeting with President Park Geun-hye. The leaders spoke about security in light of increasing tensions with North Korea. Obama said the U.S. stands “shoulder to shoulder” with South Korea in refusing to accept a North Korea with nukes. He also addressed the ferry disaster, invoking his two daughters: “I can only imagine what the parents are going through at this point, the incredible heartache.” Read more in NEWS.
3. Russian troops in ‘show of force’ on Ukrainian border
Russia is bent on showing its military might as it assembles troops along the Ukraine border to conduct military drills. Russia also warned Kiev today that it would face justice for a “bloody crime” in eastern Ukraine, where troops have had deadly clashes with pro-Russian separatists. Read more in NEWS.
4. Missing jet hunt could drag on for years: U.S. official
The Navy’s Bluefin-21 submarine could expand its search in the Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia airliner if nothing is found in the target area, Australian officials said today. The sub is about 95 percent done with its search. Meanwhile, frustrated Chinese families in Beijing held another demonstration in front of the Malaysian embassy last night demanding answers. Read more in NEWS.
5. Nevada rancher’s remarks stir controversy
Rancher Cliven Bundy became a conservative folk hero for his public face-off with the federal government over land in Nevada. But comments he made about whether blacks were better off under slavery were slammed by lawmakers for being offensive and “disgusting.” Read more in NEWS.
6. Drunk passenger causes hijack scare on plane
A 28-year-old male passenger began banging on the cockpit door on a flight from Australia to Bali. Air traffic controllers thought it was a possible hijacking attempt, but it didn’t turn out to be quite the midair scare originally believed: He was just a belligerent drunk. Read more in NEWS.
… What’s trending today?
Now here’s a reason to drink another cup of joe. A new study in the journal Diabetologia claims an extra cup of coffee is associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have shown the protective effect of coffee, but this is the first to look at how the risk of diabetes might change if people modify their consumption over a defined period of time.
