Israel's future -- and the Middle East's

March 18, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

Israeli voters are making a decision that will have far-reaching implications.

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Relief workers saw a flattened landscape and widespread destruction in Vanuatu's outer islands Tuesday after struggling for days to reach the areas of the South Pacific nation hardest hit by a fierce cyclone. Radio and telephone communications with the outer islands were just beginning to be restored, but remained incredibly patchy three days after Cyclone Pam hit. Australian military planes that conducted aerial assessments found significant damage, particularly on Tanna Island, where it appears that more than 80 percent of homes and other buildings were partially or completely destroyed, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

A flight headed from Washington, D.C., to Denver had to return to Dulles International Airport after a pilot reported that a passenger had become violent and needed to be restrained by other passengers. United Airlines spokesman Luke Punzenberger said in an emailed statement that Flight 1074 returned after takeoff Monday evening at about 10:40 p.m. He says local law enforcement met the aircraft at the gate and detained the passenger.

A US Air Force veteran has been charged with trying to provide support for the Islamic State militant group, US prosecutors said on Tuesday. A federal grand jury in New York City indicted Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh for attempting to provide material support to the group and attempted obstruction of justice. Pugh, 47, of Neptune, N.J., is to be arraigned Wednesday morning in federal court in Brooklyn. Michael Schneider, a court-appointed lawyer for Pugh, said his client would plead not guilty.

A toxic mix of misuse of power and official silence has become Britain's shame as the country faces up to a growing web of evidence that the abuse of vulnerable children by powerful men was covered up for decades. Several lawmakers said Tuesday that former detectives and intelligence officers should be guaranteed protection from prosecution if they speak out about child abuse by senior police, politicians, and other prominent people.

In an unusually upbeat assessment, Iran's top nuclear official said Tuesday his government's main disagreements with the US and its negotiating partners have been resolved and expressed optimism about meeting a late March deadline for a framework deal. Now in their second extension, the talks have made headway in recent weeks. The sides have moved closer on limitations on Iran's nuclear activities that could be retooled to make weapons. In exchange, the West would progressively lift economic and political sanctions.

Housing starts, or construction of new homes, plummeted in February, as fierce winter weather froze housing starts in the Northeast and Midwest. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that builders began construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 897,000 homes in February, a steep 17 percent plunge from January. Housing starts slid 56.5 percent in the Northeast and 37 percent in the Midwest, while falling 18.2 percent in the West and 2.5 percent in the South.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

Subscribe Now to read this post!

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