March, 2016

• 24 March

  Belgian capital tries to pick up pieces as worst fears realised

  Bloomberg With a combination of defiance, sadness and anger, people in Brussels tried to return to normality a day after the terrorist massacre that many feared was coming. Machine-gun wielding soldiers guarded subway entrances and searched commuters’ bags and coats before they were allowed to travel as suspects in Tuesday’s bombings remained at large. Many people followed advice to work ...

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• 24 March

  Briton arrested over terror attacks tweets

  London / AFP A British man who sparked outrage on Twitter with a message about confronting a Muslim woman over the Brussels attacks has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, London police said on Thursday. “I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said ‘Nothing to do with me’. A mealy ...

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• 24 March

  China president to discuss North Korea with Obama on US visit

  

  Beijing / AFP Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to discuss the deteriorating situation on the Korean peninsula with his US counterpart Barack Obama when he visits Washington for a nuclear security summit next week, a senior Beijing official said on Thursday. North Korea’s most recent atomic test in January and a series of rocket launches are likely to be ...

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• 24 March

  North Korean leader claims solid-fuel rocket success

  

  Seoul / AFP North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has claimed an “historic” advance in the country’s nuclear strike capability with the successful test of a solid-fuel rocket engine, state media said on Thursday. The announcement came as South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered the military to “strengthen readiness” in the wake of multiple North Korean threats to launch nuclear and ...

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• 24 March

  Syria regime troops fight IS militants at gates of Palmyra

  

  Damascus / AFP Pro-government forces pushed a fierce bid to recapture Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra from extremists on Thursday as Moscow hosted top US diplomat John Kerry for talks on the fraught peace process. The IS group called on civilians still living in Palmyra to leave, as army and pro-government militia battled the extremists on several fronts along the ...

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• 24 March

  Paris suspect Abdeslam wants to be extradited to France, says lawyer

  Brussels / AFP Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam wants to be extradited to France “as soon as possible” to face charges following his arrest in Brussels, his lawyer said on Thursday. Asked if his client had prior knowledge about Tuesday’s suicide bombings at Brussels airport and on a metro train, lawyer Sven Mary said in English: “He didn’t know it.” ...

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• 24 March

  UN council must act on Western Sahara: Official

  United Nations / AFP The UN Security Council should keep its military liaison office open in Dakhla, Western Sahara, to avoid setting a dangerous precedent, a UN official said. The world body said on Tuesday it had closed the office at Morocco’s request and withdrew three military observers posted there. It was the latest twist in a running dispute between ...

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• 24 March

  Iraq launches offensive to retak Mosul

  

  BAGHDAD / AP The Iraqi military backed by US-led coalition aircraft on Thursday launched a long-awaited operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul from IS militants, a military spokesman said. In the push, Iraqi forces retook several villages on the outskirts of the town of Makhmour, east of Mosul, early in the morning on Thursday and hoisted the Iraqi ...

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• 24 March

  Vietnam slams ‘illegal’ Taiwan Spratlys tour

  Hanoi / AFP Vietnam on Thursday hit back at Taiwan for taking international media on a tour of a disputed island in the South China Sea, saying the “illegal and worthless” trip had further raised tensions in the hotly contested waters. Taiwanese officials on Wednesday took journalists to Taiping, the largest island in the Spratlys chain, which it controls and ...

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• 24 March

  In chaotic Libya, unity government only adds to disarray

  

  Tripoli / AFP It was meant to finally bring an end to Libya’s political chaos and unrest, but the creation of a new UN-backed unity government has only added to the country’s disarray. Desperate to resolve years of political deadlock that has allowed extremists to gain an important foothold on Europe’s doorstep, the United Nations and Western powers have been ...

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