Tuesday, March 24, 2015

World News Briefs -- March 24, 2015 (Evening Edition)



Daily Mail: Britons on board doomed Germanwings Flight 4U 9525: Foreign Secretary says it's 'likely' Brits died in disaster that killed 150 - as it emerges jet was grounded over faults just 24 HOURS before devastating crash

* Airbus A320 was carrying 144 passengers - including two babies and 16 German children - plus six crew members
* It is likely that some British nationals were on board the flight, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said tonight
* Reports suggest the aircraft had been grounded just 24 hours before it crashed into remote region of French Alps
* One of plane's black box recorders has been found and will be examined immediately, says French interior minister
* Two opera singers named as among the victims, along with Spanish woman believed to be living in Manchester
* German schoolchildren and two of their teachers were travelling home from nine-day exchange trip to Barcelona
* Early reports said the pilots issued a Mayday signal and requested an emergency descent after reaching 38,000ft
* But sources later denied air traffic controllers received any such call, saying it was them that declared emergency
* Some 150 firefighters and police were deployed to the scene, but warned it could take days to retrieve any bodies
* Search of crash site has been called off due to difficult conditions and is expected to resume tomorrow morning

British nationals are likely to be among the 150 people who lost their lives when Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 lost altitude and ploughed into an Alpine mountainside at more than 400mph, the Foreign Secretary said tonight.

The announcement from Philip Hammond came just hours after the first pictures emerged of victims killed when the Airbus A320 crashed in a remote region of the French Alps on a 90-minute flight from Spain to Germany.

MIDDLE EAST

Obama: Dim hope for end to Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obama says prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace are 'dim'.

Islamic State conflict: US begins Tikrit surveillance flights. Official: US-led force flying over Islamic State-held Tikrit. Islamic State conflict: US begins Tikrit surveillance flights.

Iraq request for U.S.-led Tikrit air strikes 'imminent': diplomat.

U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 14 air strikes: Joint Task Force.

Posing over the bodies of their enemies: Shiite militants brandish their guns in the air as they celebrate the death of an ISIS fighter alongside their Iraqi Army allies.

Shiite rebels fire on protesters in south Yemen, kill six.

Yemen's Houthis advance towards Aden but deny it's their target. Yemen's Houthis take town 100 km north of Aden, residents say.

Yemeni implosion pushes southern Sunnis into arms of al-Qaida and Isis.

Yemeni minister urges Gulf Arab military intervention against Houthis. Yemen minister calls for military assistance from Gulf Arab states.

Yemen crisis talks to be held in Doha, says UN.

France tells U.N. 'insufficient' progress in Iran nuclear talks.

Iran hardliners accuse foreign minister of falling into a 'trap' over nuclear deal.

U.S., Lebanon discuss efforts to defeat Islamic State.

US accuses Israel of spying on nuclear talks with Iran.

Israel denies report it spied on U.S. in Iran nuclear talks. Israel denies spying on US.

Russia to build Jordan's first nuclear power plant.

ASIA

U.S. will maintain current troop levels in Afghanistan throughout 2015, says Obama, abandoning plans to reduce by nearly half the number of U.S. forces there by year's end.

Gunmen kill bus passengers in Afghanistan.

Thousands march in Kabul over mob's killing of woman.

North Korea: 'No apology' for S Korea Cheonan sinking.

Myanmar to invite Western observers for general election.

China executes three for Kunming railway station attack which killed 31.

U.S. Marine's murder trial begins in Philippines.

India's top court ditches 'Facebook' arrest rules.

AFRICA

Boko Haram crisis: 'About 500' Nigeria children missing. Boko Haram kills 50 women & children in Nigerian town, captures up to 500 – report.

Islamic State claims suicide bombing in Libya's Benghazi.

U.N. ramps up threat to sanction South Sudan's senior leaders.

Policeman, two soldiers killed in attacks in Egypt's Sinai: sources.

Nigeria's oil pipelines are battleground for brittle democracy.

Analysis: Boko Haram loses ground, but remains in the fight.

South Sudan parliament votes to extend president's term by three years.

Mali president vows to respect peace deal.

Tunisia closes airspace to western Libya for security reasons.

Tunisia's Bardo museum in symbolic reopening after attacks. Tunisia museum reopening cancelled over security fears.

EUROPE

Plane crash kills 150 people in French Alps; Europe in shock. Germanwings plane 4U 9525 crashes in French Alps - no survivors. Germanwings A320 black box found in French Alps.

US lethal weapons supplies to Ukraine may kill Minsk accords — Russian OSCE envoy Kelin. DPR militia leader: US already supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Conflict in Ukraine wipes out 25% of country's economy.

Ukraine's former ruling party hit by spate of apparent suicides.

Poroshenko dismisses Dnepropetrovsk Governor Kolomoyskyi.

Leaders' snub of Moscow victory parade 'insult to soldiers', says Russia.

Tsipras raises Nazi war reparations claim at Berlin press conference with Merkel.

Greece risks running out of cash by April 20, scrambles on reforms.

$100bn NATO claim: Serbian NGOs seek compensation for Yugoslavia bombing.

Protest set against American convoy in Czech Republic.

Romanian prosecutors find gold, Renoir painting in minister's safe.

AMERICAS

Exclusive: U.S. bets on Brazil, extends new invitation to Rousseff.

Russian foreign minister praises new U.S.-Cuba relations.

Harper expanding Canada mission against Islamic State into Syria.

Obama top aide says Israeli occupation 'must end'.

Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro launches quest for 10 million signatures against U.S. sanctions.

Falklands/Malvinas: UK sends more troops to islands amid ‘increased threat’ from Argentina. Britain to bolster Falklands defences due to 'increased threat'.

New videotape shows Secret Service bungling bomb threat at White House.

More secrets may lurk at suspected Nazi hideout in Argentina.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Lufthansa says working on assumption plane crash was an accident. White House: Germanwings crash doesn't appear to be terror attack.

Al Qaeda and allies form coalition to battle Syrian regime in Idlib.

Islamic State recruits 400 children since January: Syria monitor.

Yemen evacuation will toughen fight against al Qaeda: Pentagon.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Apple soon to be worth more than $1tn, financial analysts predict.

Russian space agency offers half-year space tourist flights to ISS.

China forgoes veto power at new bank to win key European nations’ support.

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