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A Xiamen Airlines plane skidded off the runway at Manila airport after midnight on Friday. PHOTO: TWITTER

A Xiamen Airlines plane skids off runway at Manila airport

A passenger plane belonging to China's Xiamen Airlines skidded off the runway and onto grass when it landed at the Manila international airport early on Friday.

A source at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport told Xinhua that the Boeing 737-800 plane landed at around 12.05am on Friday local time (12.05am Singapore time) when the accident happened.

Another source said the MF8667 flight from Xiamen circled Manila for about an hour before landing. The aircraft's wings and engines were said to be heavily damaged as a result of the accident.

The source added the plane apparently missed the runway's centre line when it landed, making it swerve to the grass safety area. So far no casualties have been reported.

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Chinese bombers likely training for US strikes: Pentagon

Chinese bombers are likely training for strikes against US and allied targets in the Pacific, according to a new Pentagon report that also details how Beijing is transforming its ground forces to "fight and win."

The annual report to Congress, released on Thursday, highlights China's growing military, economic and diplomatic clout and how Beijing is leveraging this to rapidly build its international footprint and establish regional dominance.

In the case of China's air power, the report states that Chinese bombers are developing capabilities to hit targets as far from China as possible.

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Muslim job applicant who refused handshake wins discrimination case in Sweden

A Muslim woman in Sweden who said she was discriminated against in a job interview for refusing to shake hands on religious grounds has been awarded financial compensation by a labour court.

The woman, Farah Alhajeh, 24, was interviewing for a job as an interpreter at Semantix, a language services company, in the city of Uppsala, north of Stockholm, in May 2016, when the person conducting the interview offered to introduce her to a male boss.

Alhajeh said she placed her hand on her heart as a greeting, smiled, and explained that she avoided physical contact because she was Muslim. She was shown to the elevator.

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Aretha Franklin, the legendary 'Queen of Soul', dies aged 76

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Aretha Franklin, the preacher's daughter whose powerful voice made her the long-reigning "Queen of Soul" with such hit songs as Respect and Chain Of Fools, died on Thursday at the age of 76, officials said.

Franklin, who won 18 Grammy Awards and had some 25 gold records, died at her home in Detroit surrounded by family and loved ones, her publicist said. She had been battling advanced pancreatic cancer.

Calling it one of the darkest moments of their lives, Franklin's family said they were unable to find the appropriate words to express the pain in their hearts.

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Golf: Snedeker shoots the 10th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history

Brandt Snedeker shocked himself as much as anyone with his 11-under-par 59 in the opening round at the Wyndham Championship on Thursday.

The 37-year-old American offered a reminder of the fickle nature of the game when he recorded the 10th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.

"To step up and have a 20-footer (at the final hole) and know what it means, when I knocked that putt in it was really special to know that I'm part of a small club on tour," Snedeker said after becoming the ninth player to record 59 on the PGA tour.

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