Not a deal, but not nothing

April 03, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

The framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program means that dialogue will continue. That alone is important.

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Yemen's Houthi fighters and their allies seized a central Aden district on Thursday striking a heavy blow against the Saudi-led coalition which has waged a week of air strikes to try to stem advances by the Iran-allied Shi'ite group. The Houthis and their supporters swept into the heart of Aden despite an eight-day air campaign led by Riyadh to stem their advances. The southern port city has been the last major holdout of fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who fled Aden a week ago and has watched from Riyadh as the vestiges of his authority have crumbled.

A Russian freezer trawler with an international crew of 132 sank Thursday morning in the Sea of Okhotsk off of the Kamchatka Peninsula and at least 54 crew members were killed, rescue workers said. Emergency services in Kamchatka, citing the head of the rescue operation, said 63 crew members were rescued and the fate of the remaining 15 from the Dalny Vostok trawler was unknown. More than 25 fishing boats in the area helped to rescue the crew members, emergency services said in a statement on their website.

Al Qaeda militants in Yemen stormed the center of the coastal city of al-Mukalla early Thursday, freeing about 300 inmates, including scores of militants, as Iranian-backed Shiite rebels fought their way into the heart of the country's second city Aden to the west, Yemeni security officials said. They said Al Qaeda militants were also deployed across major roads leading into al-Mukalla, capital of the vast eastern province of Hadramawt, in an apparent attempt to prevent anyone from retaking it. The province is still mostly in the hands of forces loyal to embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled the country last month.

Two New York City women have been arrested in an alleged conspiracy to build a bomb and wage a "terrorist attack" in the United States, according to a federal criminal complaint made public on Thursday. Noelle Velentzas, 28, and Asia Siddiqui, 31, devised a plot to target police, government or military targets based on their "violent jihadist beliefs," according to the complaint filed in US District Court in Brooklyn. The two women, who were roommates in the New York City borough of Queens, conducted extensive research on how to build an explosive device and plotted to attack such targets as a military base or a police funeral, the complaint stated.

Two current and one former Florida state prison employee who all belonged to the Ku Klux Klan planned to kill a black inmate as he was released in retaliation for a fight, officials said Thursday. The three men were arrested Thursday on one state count of conspiracy to commit murder, according to a statement from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's office. The wide-ranging investigation included the FBI, US Customs and Border Patrol, and various state and local agencies.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting the labor market continues to expand at a solid clip even as economic growth has stalled. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 20,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 268,000 for the week ended March 28, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was the lowest level since January and confounded economists' expectations for a rise to 285,000.

Even before the first pitch of the 2015 Major League Baseball season is thrown, an eye-popping baseball record will be set. The average salary when opening-day rosters are finalized Sunday will break the $4 million benchmark for the first time, according to a study of all major league contracts by The Associated Press. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tops players at $31 million and Los Angeles projects to open the season with a payroll at about $270 million, easily a record.

“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.

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