World News Briefs For Sunday, 20 March 2016
Hello Australia!! - No survivors in a passenger plane crash in Russia - A suicide bomber targets western tourist in Istanbul - UK's government suffers an embarrassing resignation over plans to gut assistance to the disabled - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:
The black box flight data recorders from FlyDubai Flight 981 will be decrypted in Moscow, after the Boeing 737-800 crashed on the runway at Rostov-on-Don airport. All 62 passengers and crew were killed. A security camera caught the airplane's incredibly steep and fast descent, and the ensuing explosion. Flight 981 circled the airport for at least two hours before attempting to land in what has been described as hurricane-force winds, and it's not clear why the flight wasn't waved off to another airport. The Boeing is only five years old and was last inspected in January.
A suicide bombing in a tourist area of Istanbul, Turkey killed five people, including three Israelis - and it was caught on video from different angles. "We can sadly confirm that two Israeli civilians were killed and we might have a third fatality," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Two were Americans, according to the White House. This happened on Istiklal Street, a popular destination for tourists and locals in a central neighborhood that is home to cafes, restaurants, and foreign consulates. The bomber appeared to target a group on a culinary tour.
Suspected Paris attacker Salah Abdelslam was planning to blow himself up during last November's deadly attacks, but changed his mind at the last moment and abandoned his suicide belt. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins says Abdelslam's initial statements to police after his capture on Friday in Brussels are leading to even more questions about possible terror plots against France and Europe, and his activities in between the 13 November attacks and his arrest. Abdelslam's attorney says he will fight extradition from Belgium to France, but acknowledged it's just a delaying tactic.
In an embarrassing blow to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne, Britain's welfare minister Iain Duncan Smith has resigned over planned reductions in welfare payments for people with disabilities. Analysts say the tone of IDS's resignation letter appeared to be design to inflict maximum damage on Mr. Osborne, saying that the Tory budget cuts are "not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers". Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn said IDS had "done the right thing" faced with "some fairly appalling policies".
A US jury awarded around AU$150 Million to wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea after finding the gossip website Gawker invaded his privacy by putting a sex tape with the Hulkster on its website. That's WAY more money than juries award to people who've been wrongly convicted and imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. So, USA! USA! USA! (>_<#)
Amnesty International is blasting the European Union's deal with Turkey to return refugees who refuse to claim asylum in the country in which they first land - in most cases, Greece - or who are rejected. Problem is, Greece has few resources for them and most refugees want asylum in Germany and the northern countries which have better plans and healthier economies. Returning refugees to that which they are fleeing is against European and International law, and since most are coming from Iraq and Syria, Turkey is considered a third country. But Amnesty's John Dalhuisen says the EU knows well that Turkey has a questionable Human Rights record, which member nations fret over when considering Turkey's possible entry into the continental union.
Argentina's Catholic bishops are reportedly working to declassify files related to the 1976 - 1983 dictatorship. It might provide new insight into the relationship of church leaders with the Junta responsible for the deaths of thousands of dissidents. Pope Francis was the head of Argentina's Jesuit order when during the right-wing military dictatorship, and has been both criticized for staying silent and praised for saving some lives during the oppression.