MAS faces suit over downed MH17 flight

KUALA LUMPUR • Families of six Malaysia Airlines (MAS) crew members who were killed when Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine nearly two years ago filed a lawsuit yesterday, blaming the carrier for the tragedy.

The suit accuses MAS of negligence and breach of contract and is believed to be the first filed against the company over the 2014 disaster, said Mr Balan Nair, a lawyer representing families of the six crew members.

Japanese firm says sorry for 'forced labour'

HONG KONG • Japanese firm Mitsubishi Materials has apologised to Chinese workers who were forced to work in its predecessor company's mines during World War II, and it signed an agreement in Beijing to compensate three surviving former labourers.

The three will each receive 100,000 yuan (S$20,900). A Japanese government survey estimated that 3,765 Chinese were forced to work for the firm, then known as Mitsubishi Mining Corporation.

NEW YORK TIMES

China's graft-buster raps two govt bodies

BEIJING • China's top graft- buster rapped the health ministry and food and drug administration yesterday for problems including bribery, following its latest inspection of the two bodies.

The anti-corruption agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said there was a problem with bribery in the drug purchase process at the ministry.

It also noted that at the food and drug regulator, there were "many loopholes" in the regulatory process. The food and drug regulator came in for particular criticism this year after a scandal over millions of illegal trades of vaccines through a black-market ring.

REUTERS