The young co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps after locking his captain out of the cockpit, but is not believed to be part of a terrorist plot, French officials said today.
	The 28-year-old co-pilot "deliberately" initiated the plane's descent, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin told a press conference in which he revealed the details of recordings made by the Airbus' cockpit flight recorder in the final minutes before the crash that killed all 150 aboard.
	"The co-pilot is alone at the controls," Robin said. "He voluntarily refused to open the door of the cockpit to the pilot and voluntarily began the descent of the plane."
	There was no immediate clue to the motive of the co-pilot, but investigators appeared to rule out terrorism.
	"At this moment, there is no indication that this is an act of terrorism," Robin said, adding that the co-pilot, identified as Andreas Lubitz, had no known terrorist connection. "He was not known to .

Co-pilot deliberately crashed Germanwings plane: prosecutor

PTI Automatic

Families of victims from the Germanwings plane that crashed into the French Alps arrived in France today, an interior ministry spokesman said.
	"Two planes from Duesseldorf and Barcelona, with families and friends of victims on board, have just landed," the official, Pierre-Henry Brandet, said.
	They were due to meet prosecutor Brice Robin, who is leading the investigation, before taking a bus to the area of the crash in the Alps.
	A plane chartered by Lufthansa left Barcelona about 10:00 am (local time) for Marseille carrying some 60 relatives on board, a source in the Spanish crisis committee for the disaster told AFP.
	All 150 people on board the Airbus 320 operated by Germanwings, Lufthansa's low-cost subsidiary, died when it crashed on Tuesday en route from Barcelona to Duesseldorf in Germany.
	At least 72 Germans and 51 Spaniards were among those on board, according to various tolls given by Spanish authorities and the airline.
	Escorted by police, the families made no comment ..

Families of Germanwings crash victims arrive in France

France has bombed Islamic State positions in the Tikrit area of Iraq for the first time since the start of the international offensive against the jihadist militia, French military officials said today.
	"Last night we struck the region of Tikrit as part of the coalition" aiding the Iraqi army battle IS fighters, a spokesman for France's armed forces said, noting it was the first time a French strike had targeted that area of northern Iraq.
	The official did not specify whether jets or drones staged the strikes, and declined to detail targets of the attack.
	US forces earlier announced they had led an air strike against IS units in Tikrit with coalition allies at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
	Despite receiving military advice and aid from Iran's military, the Iraqi army has struggled to recapture Tikrit -- hometown of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein -- since its offensive began on March 2.
	Thousands of Iraqi soldiers, police officers and paramilitary forces have ...

France launches first bombing strike against IS in Tikrit

At least 18 people died today in clashes between supporters of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Shiite rebels advancing on a town bordering Aden, where the internationally backed leader has sought refuge, a local official said.
	The clashes erupted in Huta, capital of the southern Lahj province, when the pro-Hadi "popular committees" were resisting a rebel advance, the official said.
	The rebels, who reached Huta's northern entrance yesterday, pressed on towards the city centre where they clashed with the popular committees, the source added.
	They traded gunfire near the local adminstration headquarters and the police complex, security officials told AFP, confirming that 13 Huthis and five pro-Hadi fighters were killed.

18 killed as rebels clash with pro-govt forces in south Yemen

Britain will train Syrian "moderate opposition forces" in Turkey and other regional countries as part of international efforts to fight Islamic State militants, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced today.
	About 75 military trainers and staff will provide training in areas such as the use of small arms, infantry tactics and medical skills, as part of a US-led training programme that is expected to begin within weeks.
	"Defeating ISIL ultimately lies with local forces and we are helping to create effective ground forces in Syria, as well as in Iraq, so they can take the fight to ISIL," Fallon said, using an acronym used to refer to the IS group.
	Britain is already training Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Iraq, and in December, Fallon said the numbers of personnel deployed was expected to be in "the very low hundreds".
	The Syrian forces will be trained in Turkey and other regional countries that are part of the international coalition against IS militants, who last year took over ...

UK to train Syrian opposition to fight IS group: minister

North Korea today denied involvement in cyber-attacks on South Korea's nuclear power plant operator, accusing Seoul of fabricating a story to shift the blame for high cross-border tensions.
	Last December hackers published designs, manuals and other information about South Korean reactors on Twitter, along with personal information about workers at their operating company.
	The leaks prompted the South to heighten cyber-security and launch an investigation involving experts, government officials and state prosecutors.
	Last week Seoul blasted Pyongyang for seeking to throw South Korea into "social chaos" with cyber-attacks on the reactors,  describing them as a threat to people's lives and safety.
	Today Pyongyang's state Internet research institute insisted North Korea had never been involved in any cyber-attacks on the South.
	"We never think about a bad act against the interests of our brethren under any circumstances," it said in a statement published by the official KCNA news ...

N Korea denies hacking nuclear plants in South

Russia's Zvezda television, a channel run by the defence ministry, unexpectedly revealed today that it has offered a job to disgraced British "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson after he was dropped by the BBC for assaulting his producer.
	The state-owned channel, which promotes the armed forces but also airs general entertainment shows, published a letter to Clarkson on its website asking him to host a new motoring show and inviting him to visit Moscow to discuss the offer.
	"He will reply. I cannot reply on his behalf," a spokesman for Clarkson named by the channel as Daniel Rix told the channel by telephone.
	Zvezda also published on its website an excerpt from an e-mail written by Rix late yesterday.
	It said: "I can only imagine what an episode of Russian vyshaya peredacha (a literal translation of Top Gear into Russian) would look like."
	"It could feature a Tzar in a reasonably priced car!" Rix added jokingly, referring to a celebrity feature on the show called "a star in a ...

Russian army TV offers Jeremy Clarkson job

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Boko Haram attacks in the first three months of this year, Human Rights Watch said today.
	"Each week that passes we learn of more brutal Boko Haram abuses against civilians," the group's Nigeria researcher, Mausi Segun, said in an emailed statement.
	"The Nigerian government needs to make protecting civilians a priority in military operations against Boko Haram."
	HRW estimates that at least 3,750 civilians died during Boko Haram attacks in 2014 and that the deaths in the first quarter of this year were up on the same period 12 months ago.
	Establishing exact tolls of the dead and injured in the brutal conflict is fraught with difficulty, with poor communications in northeast Nigeria and independent travel dangerous.
	The Nigeria Security Tracker, run by the US think tank the Council on Foreign Relations, attributes 2,268 deaths to Boko Haram and "state actors".
	There is variation, too, in the overall numbers of people killed since the ..

Boko Haram conflict sees spike in civilian deaths:rights group

Tunisia said today that it had arrested 23 suspects in connection with last week's jihadist massacre at the country's national museum.
	"Twenty-three suspects including a woman have been arrested as part of a terrorist cell" involved in the attack, Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli told journalists, adding that "80 per cent of this cell" had been broken up.
	All of those arrested were Tunisians, he said, adding that another Tunisian, two Moroccans and an Algerian suspected of being members of the cell were on the run.
	The Tunisian, Maher Ben Mouldi Kaidi, was previously identified as a suspect and is alleged to have provided the automatic weapons to the two gunmen who shot dead 21 people -- including 20 foreign tourists -- at the Bardo Museum in Tunis on March 18.
	The minister said the operation was organised by an Algerian jihadist named Lokmane Abou Sakhr, one of the leaders of the Al-Qaeda-linked Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigade, the main Tunisian armed group active along the border with ..

23 suspects arrested over Tunis museum attack: minister

Australia's upper house today passed a controversial law requiring telecommunication firms to retain customers' digital data for two years as part of a range of counter-terrorism measures, despite fears by privacy advocates of abuse.
	The law was passed with the support of the Labor opposition, and received 43 votes in favour with 16 votes against. It was passed by the lower House of Representatives last week.
	The Liberal-National coalition government said the legislation was a central tool for law enforcement and intelligence agencies in their fight against terrorism.
	"By passing this Bill, the parliament has ensured that our security and law enforcement agencies will continue to have access to the information they need to do their jobs," Attorney-General George Brandis and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a joint statement.
	"No responsible government can sit by while those who protect us lose access to vital information, particularly in the current high threat ...

Australia passes data retention bill

In a damning report released today, Amnesty International said Palestinian rocket fire during the 2014 summer war in Gaza had killed more civilians inside the Gaza Strip than inside Israel.
	Such deadly attacks on civilians were against international law and constituted "a war crime," it said.
	It urged Palestinian armed groups to end all direct attacks on Israeli civilians and ensure everything was done to also protect Palestinian civilians inside Gaza from the effects of those attacks.
	The 50-day war claimed the lives of some 2,200 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.
	The report said rocket attacks had killed six civilians inside Israel, including a child, but that other rockets aimed at the Jewish state had fallen short inside Gaza, killing at least 13 civilians, 11 of them children.
	It referred to one particular incident on July 28 in which 13 people were killed in deadly blast inside the beachside Shati refugee camp in Gaza 

Palestinian rockets killed Gaza civilians during war: Amnesty

A secret private airport illegally built by a wealthy businessman in China was exposed after he crashed his helicopter, killing a passenger, state-run media said today.
	Private aircraft ownership by China's wealthy elite has grown in recent years, but the military controls airspace and is reluctant to permit private flights.
	A businessman surnamed Li crashed a helicopter into a reservoir when flying in the eastern province of Anhui last week, the Global Times reported.
	Li -- the chief manager of a construction machinery company who paid over one million yuan (USD 160,000) for his chopper -- swam to safety but a 25-year-old male passenger was killed, it said.
	Local reporters found a "hidden" airport nearby, spreading across 24,000 square yards and protected by barbed wire, boasting three helipads and a 400 metre runway, as well as a swimming pool and log cabins, it added.
	"Every single wall inside the cabins has planes painted on it and 'flying club' is written at the bottom of ...

Secret Chinese airport brought down to earth by chopper crash

Iran condemned regional rival Saudi Arabia today for launching air strikes on Huthi rebels in Yemen, saying it was "a dangerous step" that violated "international responsibilities and national sovereignty."
	Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said that the military action would "further complicate the situation, spread the crisis and remove opportunities for a peaceful resolution of Yemen's internal differences."
	"This aggression will have no result except to spread terrorism and extremism, and increase insecurity throughout the region," she said in a statement, calling for an immediate halt to the air strikes.
	Her comments were echoed by Alaedin Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, who accused Saudi Arabia of irresponsibility.
	"The fact that Saudi Arabia has fanned the flames of a new war in the region shows its carelessness," he said, in comments carried by the Fars news agency.
	"The smoke of this fire will go .

Iran condemns Saudi strikes in Yemen as 'dangerous step'

Uber has said it was ramping up safety in response to rape allegations against a driver in India and growing concerns about background checks for operators of the popular ride-sharing service.
	Phil Cardenas, safety chief for California-based Uber, said the company was implementing a new global "code of conduct" and creating worldwide "incident response teams" to reassure riders who have become increasingly worried for their safety after several high-profile incidents.
	"These initiatives are part of an ongoing process at Uber," Cardenas said in a blog post yesterday.
	"With more than a million rides per day in 295 cities and 55 countries, continually improving rider and driver safety is the most critical component of what we do."
	It came after New Delhi authorities ordered Uber and its Indian rival Ola Cabs off the city's roads. The Indian capital banned Uber and other unregistered web-based taxi services in December after one of the American company's drivers was charged with ...

Uber ramps up safety efforts after criticism

US aircraft has launched bombing raids to support Iraqi forces fighting to recapture Tikrit from the Islamic State group, after Baghdad issued a request for air power.
	The offensive to take back Tikrit - the home town of executed dictator Saddam Hussein - has stalled over the past week with jihadists defending their positions with homemade bombs.
	"I can confirm that the government of Iraq has requested coalition support for operations in Tikrit," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said yesterday.
	An Iraqi special forces lieutenant colonel told AFP: "International coalition forces bombed four areas in the centre of Tikrit city."
	According to the Iraqi officer, the bombing began after nightfall and was continuing periodically.
	Strikes hit an area around a palace compound area and near the Tikrit hospital, he said.
	Over the weekend, US aircraft - including drones - began carrying out surveillance flights to support the Tikrit operation on the ground against the IS ...

US launches Tikrit air strikes to support Iraqi forces

The World Cup should be a "shop-window" not "window-dressing" for the game's emerging nations, International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson said today.
     The ICC has come under fire for plans to reduce the number of teams taking part at the next World Cup, in England in 2019, from 14 teams to 10 -- a move that threatens to freeze out non-Test or Associate member nations from the showpiece one-day event.
     However, Richardson -- who in a previous interview with AFP said the decision on the number of teams at the 2019 World Cup could be revisited -- insisted the ICC were committed to the long-term development of Associate cricket.
     "To me the debate should be more about what are we doing for Associate member cricket to enable them to qualify for a World Cup, whether it's an eight-team, 10-team, 12-team 14 or 16-team. I think that's where we've made the most progress," Richardson told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the World Cup semi-final ...

ICC chief wants World Cup 'shop-window not window-dressing'

The number of asylum-seekers in industrialised countries rose by nearly half last year, driven by the devastating conflicts in Syria and Iraq, with Germany the top destination, the UN refugee agency said today.
	In 2014, some 866,000 people applied for asylum in such countries, marking a 45-per cent jump from a year earlier and a 22-year high, the UN refugee agency said.
	The surge is linked to the spiralling conflicts in Syria and Iraq, which have created "the worst humanitarian crisis of our era," spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters.
	As a sign of the crisis, the number of asylum applications last year was the second highest on record, coming very close to the all-time-high of the about 900,000 requests made in 1992, at the beginning of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNHCR said.
	Syria's conflict, now in its fifth year, has killed more than 215,000 people and forced 11.4 million people to flee their homes, including nearly four million who have left the ...

Syria, Iraq conflicts send asylum-seeker numbers up 45pc: UN

Matt Henry was celebrating a cousin's engagement when he was summoned to play at the World Cup and the New Zealand fast bowler admitted he is still pinching himself.
	The 23-year-old was called into the squad when Adam Milne was forced to withdraw with a heel injury and he was pitched straight into Tuesday's dramatic semi-final win over South Africa.
	"It's pretty hard to believe, you've got to pinch yourself," said Henry as he prepared to play in front of 90,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Sunday's final.
	"It's an unbelievable opportunity to have. It's unfortunate for Adam, it's not the situation you want to be in but it's the nature of the beast."
	Henry, who had been playing first class cricket with Canterbury in front of a handful of fans last week, vowed not to be overawed by the challenge in Sunday's final where the Black Caps will face either defending champions India or co-hosts Australia.
	"To go from a Plunkett Shield game with not too many people being about, ..

Henry the late thrives as New Zealand's boy from nowhere

Four suspected insurgents were killed and 22 others arrested during a firefight with security forces in Thailand's deep south, police said today, in the latest clashes to hit the restive region.
	Thai military, police and rangers laid siege to To Kood village in Pattani province yesterday evening after a tip-off about potential militants - who are fighting for greater autonomy for the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.
	"There were about 30 suspected militants when we surrounded the village but some managed to flee to nearby mountains," local commander Mana Dechawarit told AFP. "The clash lasted for one hour."
	According to official police reports the dead suspects were all Muslim men aged between 23 and 32.
	Those arrested were also all Muslim men, currently detained in a military camp, Mana said.
	A patchwork of disparate but seemingly well-organised rebel groups are calling for a level of autonomy for the culturally distinct south, bordering Malaysia, as well as an amnesty for 

Four rebel suspects killed, 22 arrested in Thai south clash

NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has become the first human-made vehicle to complete a marathon on another planet a feat accomplished in a record time of no less than 11 years.
	Opportunity passed the 26-mile (42-kilometer) mark Tuesday after approximately 11 years and two months traveling the Martian terrain, where it surpassed scientists' original expectations for a mission lasting just several months.
	The solar-powered robot, which landed on Mars' Eagle Crater in January 2004, completed the marathon in the course of a 153-foot (46.5-meter) drive.
	"This is the first time any human enterprise has exceeded the distance of a marathon on the surface of another world," said John Callas, Opportunity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
	During its mission, Opportunity and its twin rover, Spirit now defunct have discovered wet environmental conditions on ancient Mars, some of which are mild enough to have been favorable for life.
	"This mission .

NASA rover completes 11-year Mars marathon

North Korea weighed in today on the proposed deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea, criticising it as a Cold War-era move to "contain" China and Russia.
	The North Korean response appeared aimed at exploiting tensions between Washington, Beijing, Moscow and Seoul over the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system.
	The United States insists THAAD is a deterrent necessitated by the North's advancing ballistic missile programme, while China and Russia argue that it would undermine stability and could trigger an arms race in a delicately balanced region.
	The debate has left South Korea in a difficult position, as it seeks to balance the strategic priorities of its main military ally, the United States, against those of its biggest trade partner, China.
	In a statement today, the North Korean foreign ministry notably focused more on the idea of THAAD as a regional issue, rather than a direct threat to Pyongyang.
	"What the US seeks in this deployment is to... .

AFP

AFP

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