Syria’s future may be a ‘cold peace’

April 08, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

The Syrian civil war appears to be winding down. But the way it is winding down is troubling.

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Underwater sounds detected by an Australian ship searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes, an Australian official said Monday, dubbing it “a most promising lead” in the month-long hunt for the vanished plane. Angus Houston, the head of a joint agency coordinating the search, warned that it could take days to confirm whether the signals from the black boxes belong to Flight 370.

The rampage at Fort Hood that left three dead and 16 wounded last week in Texas was related to the shooter’s request for leave from the Army post, military investigators said Monday. Army spokesman Chris Grey did not indicate during a brief news conference Monday whether Spc. Ivan Lopez was granted the leave.

The US Consulate in Jerusalem says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have met to try to overcome a “crisis” in the troubled peace talks. Last week, US efforts to extend the talks past a late April deadline were shattered after Israel failed to carry out a planned prisoner release and the Palestinians revived a campaign for recognition of the “state of Palestine.”

The US campaign to encourage China to be more open about its military growth and intentions got a symbolic boost Monday with a tour for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of the country’s first aircraft carrier, but efforts to get the Asian giant to be more transparent about cyber and other defense operations have been less successful.

Capping a three-month struggle, the Senate closed in Monday on passage of election-year legislation to restore US jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed that expired late last year. Approval of the measure would send it to a hostile reception in the House, where majority Republicans generally oppose it.

Secretary of State John Kerry agreed Monday to meet with top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union in a new push to calm tensions in eastern Ukraine, as the White House threatened further sanctions if Moscow intervenes. Kerry’s meeting with his counterparts will take place in the next 10 days, the State Department said.

A big drop in customer complaints helped US airlines post their best ratings ever even though more flights were late and more bags were mishandled, according to a report released Monday by university researchers. Virgin America topped the ratings, and three regional airlines scored at the bottom. Among the four biggest airlines, Delta ranked best followed by Southwest, American, and United, according to researchers from Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Mickey Rooney, who died Sunday in North Hollywood, Calif., was Hollywood’s top box-office draw in the late 1930s to early 1940s. He was nominated for four Academy Awards over a four-decade span in which he sang, danced, and played roles both serious and silly.

Compiled from wire service reports

“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.

Compiled from wire service reports

“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.

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