TODAY’s brief, Friday, July 17
MH17 tragedy marks first anniversary
MH17 tragedy marks first anniversary
Today marks the first anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over war-torn eastern Ukraine, crashing into territory held by pro-Russian separatists. Out of the 298 people on-board who perished, 43 were Malaysians. While Malaysia has pushed for a resolution calling for an international tribunal, it faces resistance from Russia. At a memorial service marking the tragedy on July 11, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak promised to bring those responsible to justice.
Surabaya airport to reopen tonight
Thousands of Indonesians left stranded in airports due to the eruption of two Indonesian volcanoes, Mount Raung and Mount Gamalama, will be eagerly awaiting flights today to resume so that they may return home to celebrate the end of Ramadan. While authorities expect the airports to only reopen later tonight, given the unpredictability of weather conditions, more airport closures are expected. Last week, Mount Raung’s eruptions caused Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport to close on two separate occasions.
British Open golf championship enters day 2
Day Two of the British Open golf championship at St Andrews, Scotland. American Dustin Johnson holds the clubhouse lead, having shot a seven-under par 65. But just a stroke behind are fellow Americans Robert Streb and Zach Johnson, South Africa’s Retief Goosen, Scotland’s Paul Lawrie and Australian Jason Day.
Weather forecast
Thundery showers are expected mainly over northern, western and eastern Singapore in the late morning and afternoon. Temperatures are likely to range between 25°C and 31°C.