US orders diplomatic, military families out of south Turkey

13 Palestinians wounded in Nablus fire exchange with PA

Thirteen Palestinians are injured in an exchange of fire at the center of the West Bank city of Nablus during an attempt by Palestinian security forces to arrest a young man suspected of criminal activity.

Egyptian plane hijacker demands release of prisoners

Cyprus state television reports that an Egyptian plane hijacker demanded the release of prisoners in Egypt.

The EgyptAir plane traveling from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and taken to Cyprus by a passenger threatening to blow himself up, Egyptian and Cypriot officials said Tuesday morning, though the case was ruled not terror amid a standoff on a Larnaca tarmac.

The plane, EgyptAir flight MS181, landed in Larnaca, where the hijacker allowed most of the 81 people on board to disembark, according to officials. Seven people reportedly remain on board the plane.

N. Korea reportedly fires short-range ‘projectile’ into sea

North Korea test-fires a short-range missile or rocket into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military says, the latest in a series of launches amid rising tension on the divided peninsula.

The North fires the “short-range projectile” from a location near the eastern city of Wonsan around 5:40 p.m. (0840 GMT) which flew about 200 kilometers (124 miles), Seoul’s Joint Chief of Staff says in a statement.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and standing ready for any situations,” he says.

It was the third such launch by the North in two weeks, as the isolated state stepped up its military threats to protest ongoing Seoul-Washington joint army drills being held south of the border.

The North last Monday fired five short-range rockets or missiles into the sea off the east coast, days after test-firing two medium-range missiles.

The latest launch comes ahead of trilateral talks between the leaders of the US, Japan and the South aimed at discussing the growing threat of a nuclear-armed North.

— AFP

200 rally in support of IDF soldier suspected in Hebron shooting

About 200 demonstrators arrive at the military court at Qastina, near the Malachi Junction, to show support for an IDF soldier who was filmed shooting a disarmed and incapacitated Palestinian attacker in Hebron.

Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman takes part in the demonstration.

The soldier attend a hearing at the court.

Military prosecutor accuses soldier of deliberate execution

At a hearing on extending the detention of an IDF soldier filmed shooting a disarmed and incapacitated Palestinian stabber, the military prosecutor accuses the soldier of deliberately executing the attacker.

The prosecutor says the soldier shot the Palestinian in the head though the latter posed no threat.

A military hearing for the soldier is currently taking place at the Qastina military court.

Four more people leave hijacked plane

Four people are seen leaving the hijacked plane in Cyprus. It is not yet clear who the four individuals are, or whether the Egyptian hijacker is among those who left.

One person is seen escaping the plane through the cockpit window.

Four people have just left the plane including one who CLIMBED out the window. pic.twitter.com/qH6Twsd8wX

— AliciaMelville-Smith (@alicia_ms) March 29, 2016

An EgyptAir plane traveling from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and taken to Cyprus by a passenger threatening to blow himself up, Egyptian and Cypriot officials said this morning, though the case was ruled not terror amid a standoff on a Larnaca tarmac.

The plane, EgyptAir flight MS181, landed in Larnaca, where the hijacker allowed most of the people on board to disembark, according to officials.

Cyprus Foreign Ministry says Egyptian plane hijacker arrested

The Cyprus Foreign Ministry says an Egyptian plane hijacker is arrested. All passengers are released, according to a BBC report.

The EgyptAir plane traveling from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and taken to Cyprus by a passenger threatening to blow himself up,

The motives for the hijacking were not immediately clear, but reports from various sources swirled that the man may have been seeking a reunion with an estranged wife, as the president of Cyprus said the case was not linked to terrorism, but domestic in nature. Another report indicated he was seeking the release of Egyptian prisoners.

Its over. The #hijacker arrested. #LarnacaAirport # Egyptair

— Cyprus MFA (@CyprusMFA) March 29, 2016

The plane, EgyptAir flight MS181, landed in Larnaca, where the hijacker allowed most of the people on board to disembark, according to officials.

1,000 at rally for soldier in Hebron shooting

Around a thousand people gather outside a hearing at the Qastina military court for a soldier suspected of shooting a disarmed and incapacitated Palestinian attacker. The protesters express their support for the soldier.

The IDF on Sunday defended its investigation into the Thursday shooting death of a Palestinian stabber, after relatives, politicians and other rushed to support a soldier accused in the killing.

Military prosecutors say they are still attempting to decide whether to charge the soldier. It is yet unclear whether the soldier would be charged with murder, manslaughter, or other charges.

Suicide bomber kills at least 7 civilians in Iraqi capital

Iraqi officials say a suicide bombing in the capital has killed at least seven civilians and wounded 23.

A police officer says the suicide bomber set off his payload among a group of day laborers in Baghdad’s Tayaran Square. A medical official confirms the toll. Both speak on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief reporters.

The Islamic State group claims the attack in an online statement circulated by supporters, saying it targeted Shiite militiamen. In recent months the Sunni extremists have carried out a series of large attacks mainly targeting Iraq’s Shiite majority and Shiite-dominated security services.

The attacks come as IS has lost ground on a number of fronts in Syria and Iraq, where it governs a self-styled Islamic caliphate.

— AP

China, Israel launch talks on free trade agreement

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong declare the opening of talks on a bilateral free trade agreement.

“I was delighted to hear today from Vice Premier Liu that China is prepared to begin free trade agreement negotiations with Israel,” Netanyahu says.

“This is a momentous development and we are ready to do so right away. We have so much that we can do together. We discussed the various fields in which this can happen – in healthcare, in remote education, in agriculture, in marine agriculture, in IT. In every field of human endeavor the cooperation between Israel and China can yield enormous results. And we believe that Israel can be a perfect partner.”

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong says her country is ready to cooperate for the benefit of both peoples.

Prosecution requests remand extension for soldier in Hebron shooting

Military prosecutors request to extend by nine days the remand of a soldier suspected of shooting and killing an incapacitated stabber in Hebron.

The request is made during a hearing at the Qastina military court. Upwards of 1,000 people are rallying outside the court in solidarity with the soldier.

Supreme Court president criticizes politicians who attacked gas deal ruling

Supreme Court president Miriam Naor criticizes politicians and ministers who lashed out at the court’s landmark ruling that a controversial deal to extract natural gas from massive offshore fields will be canceled within a year unless a central tenet of the agreement is significantly changed or canceled.

“Some of the things that were heard [with regard to the ruling], even by the officials in the executive and legislative branches, are not fitting for a Jewish and democratic state that respects the rule of law and the independence of the judicial system.”

The ruling puts a major damper on efforts by the state to approve the agreement with an Israeli-US consortium and override opposition by the state regulator, putting the brakes on a deal touted by the government as having the potential to bring hundreds of millions into state coffers and transform the country into a regional energy powerhouse.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made the gas deal a centerpiece of his agenda, saying the discovery of large reserves would bring energy self-sufficiency and billions of dollars in tax revenues. But critics said the deal gave excessively favorable terms to the government’s corporate partners.

Fire engulfs UAE residential towers

A huge blaze engulfs at least two residential towers in the northern UAE emirate of Ajman, local media and a witness say.

The fire erupts at a building in the Ajman One residential cluster of 12 towers and spread to at least one other tower, Gulf News daily reports on its website.

Ajman police say one pregnant woman is hospitalized after suffering breathing difficulties, while five people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Residents are evacuated and police said the blaze was brought under control.

A resident told AFP that the fire, near the coastline, was fanned by a strong wind.

Fires have hit several high-rise buildings in the United Arab Emirates, most recently the Address Downtown hotel in Dubai on New Year’s Eve.

In November last year, a massive blaze engulfed three residential blocs in central Dubai and led to services on a metro line being suspended, although no one was hurt.

In February, a huge fire gutted one of the emirate’s tallest buildings, destroying luxury flats in the Torch tower and triggering an evacuation of nearby blocs in the Dubai Marina neighbourhood.

In 2012, a massive blaze gutted the 34-storey Tamweel Tower in the nearby Jumeirah Lake Towers district. It was later revealed to have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a bin.

— AFP

Palestinian who claimed his house was torched fabricated story

A Palestinian who claimed to be victim of a hate crime when he reported that Jewish settlers torched his West Bank home earlier this month was found to have fabricated the story, police say.

Military prosecutors opened an investigation into the false report, and the man faces charges of obstruction of justice and making false claims to authorities and violating public order.

Earlier this month, the Palestinian resident of the Bethlehem area town of al-Khader told Israeli authorities that Jewish settlers had graffitied “Death to Arabs” on a wall near the family home before setting fire to their property.

He claimed a group of five Jewish youths also shouted profanities and threw rocks at him.

His father corroborated the account.

Following the complaint, the Judea and Samaria District Police, Israel’s police presence in the West Bank, opened an investigation into the incident.

However, police spokesperson Luba Samri says investigators found no flammable material or forensic evidence at the scene to corroborate the man’s claims.

In a statement, Samri says “substantial” discrepancies turned up between the man’s account and testimonies of eyewitnesses.

— Tamar Pileggi

COGAT restricts Arab Israeli entry to Gaza

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) ups the restrictions on the entry of Arab Israeli citizens to the Gaza Strip, and from now on such individuals will not be allowed, for example, to visit their grandchildren in the Palestinian enclave in the event of a wedding or a funeral.

According to Gisha, an Israeli human rights organization, the restrictions only apply to Arab Israelis, and not to Palestinians living in the West Bank.

US orders diplomatic, military families out of south Turkey

The State Department and Pentagon order the families of US diplomats and military personnel to leave posts in southern Turkey due to security fears.

The two agencies say dependents of American staffers at the US consulate in Adana, the Incirlik air base and two other locations must leave. The so-called “ordered departure” notice means the relocation costs will be covered by the government.

In a statement, the military’s European Command says the step “allows for the deliberate, safe return of family members from these areas due to continued security concerns in the region.”

The State Department order covers the Adana consulate and the military order covers personnel based in Incirlik, Ismir and Mugla.

The move comes amid heightened security concerns throughout Turkey due to the ongoing fight against Islamic State militants in neighboring Syria and Iraq and was to be accompanied by an updated travel warning advising US citizens of an increased threat of attacks. It also comes as Turkey’s president is set to arrive in Washington to attend President Barack Obama’s nuclear security summit.

“We understand this is disruptive to our military families, but we must keep them safe and ensure the combat effectiveness of our forces to support our strong ally Turkey in the fight against terrorism,” the European Command statement says.

It was not immediately clear how many family members would be affected in total. The Pentagon said the order would affect about 680 family members. The State Department and Pentagon had begun a voluntary drawdown of staff at the two posts last September after Turkey announced it would take a greater role in the fight against Islamic State militants.

At the time, military officials said they had recommended the voluntary departure from Incirlik because of specific calls by militants for lone wolf attacks against the air base.

— AP

Trump campaign says manager ‘innocent’

Donald Trump’s campaign says manager Corey Lewandowski is “absolutely innocent” following a decision by Florida police to charge him with battery.

The Republican front-runner’s campaign issues a statement after Jupiter, Florida, police charged Lewandowski with battery for an incident involving a reporter earlier in the month.

A video surveillance tape obtained by The Associated Press appears to show Lewandowski grabbing Michelle Fields’ arm as she tried to ask Trump a question at a March 8 event.

The statement says Lewandowski “will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court. He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.”

Lewandowski has retained an attorney in West Palm Beach.

— AP

Sarah Silverman posts video in support of Bernie Sanders

Comedian Sarah Silverman releases a YouTube video in support of Bernie Sanders’ bid for the Democratic nomination for president.

“Bernie Sanders is the one for me,” Silverman says in a five-minute monologue backing the Vermont senator posted online.

Silverman says in the video that she has been a Hillary Clinton supporter because the idea of a Democratic woman president appeals to her, and that she has viewed Clinton’s receipt of donations from big-money interests as a “necessary evil.”

“I’m not against Hillary,” Silverman says. “I’ve just met someone I have more in common with.”

Silverman points out that Sanders has managed to run a successful campaign on small donations, calling his effort a “giant fuck you to the above-the-law billionaire class.”

She also tries to define Sanders’ brand of socialism.

“He’s a Democrat. He just believes that people who don’t have the same advantages as you and me should be given the same advantages as you and me,” Silverman said.

The video encourages viewers to get out and vote, no matter who they vote for.

In 2008, Silverman made “The Great Schlep” video in support of Barack Obama to convince her grandparents and other grandparents to vote for then-Illinois senator for president.

— JTA

Remand of soldier in Hebron shooting extended

The remand of the soldier who was filmed shooting an incapacitated Palestinian stabber in Hebron was extended until March 31, judges announce at the the end of a hearing held at the Qastina military court.

Military judge Lt. Col. Ronen Shor says that although there is a reasonable suspicion that the soldier acted unlawfully, the evidence was nevertheless not clear cut.

Top politician suspected in major corruption case

A well-known politician, as well as another official, are suspected in a major corruption case, the details of which are still under gag order, Channel 2 reports.

Sweden to declare Raoul Wallenberg dead

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust and then disappeared after being detained by Russian officers, will finally be declared dead, the Swedish Tax Authority says, according to Reuters.

The Authority does not say when the official declaration will take place.

Wallenberg was posted to Nazi-occupied Budapest in July 1944 and rescued thousands of Jews by issuing them protective passports in the final months of the Holocaust.

He disappeared under mysterious circumstances, after last being seen alive surrounded by Soviet officers in Budapest on January 17, 1945.

Wallenberg’s family has never received an explanation for why he was arrested by Soviet forces shortly after they liberated Hungary from the Nazis, nor what happened to him after his arrest.

Brussels airport says to remain closed Wednesday

Brussels airport says it will remain closed on Wednesday, dashing hopes it would resume at least partial services after last week’s deadly suicide bomb attacks.

“The airport will also be closed for passenger flights into and out of Brussels Airport tomorrow Wednesday 30 March,” the airport says on Twitter after the authorities tested temporary check-in facilities and new security measures.

Airport spokeswoman Anke Fransen saya the decision had not been determined by the results of of the tests completed late afternoon.

“It was not a consequence of the simulation,” Fransen says.

“The different parties are each examining all the tests and the results will only be known tomorrow morning,” she adds.

“We hope to reach a decision on a partial re-opening of the airport in the course of the morning.”

Brussels airport is a major European hub and has flights to destinations worldwide. The departure hall was packed on March 22 with Easter holiday-makers when the bombers struck.

Chief executive Arnaud Feist warned earlier that even if all the tests went well, “at best” about 20 percent of services might be restored on Wednesday.

For a full return to normal, “we will have to wait for months,” Feist told L’Echo daily.

— AFP

Ya’alon hits back at officials who support soldier in Hebron shooting

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon continues to level harsh criticism against lawmakers and public officials who expressed support for the soldier caught on film shooting an incapacitated Palestinian stabber in Hebron.

“There is a confusion, and the involvement of non-professional officials in issues of rules of engagement and what is happening now, is not useful,” Ya’alon says during a meeting at Central Command headquarters.

“It is our duty o prevent the evil spirits from the outside to influence us, there’s a fight for the character and image of the State of Israel, and Israeli society is having an effect on the army. It is important that the IDF remain a stable anchor and maintain norms and values.”

An IDF soldier was moderately wounded during the incident last Thursday, and one of two Palestinian assailants was shot dead at the scene.

The 19-year-old suspect, whose name is being withheld from publication, was filmed shooting the second attacker, who was wounded and lying nearly motionless, in the head some ten minutes after he had already been shot and incapacitated. The soldier was arraigned Friday on suspicion of murder, drawing anger from his family, right-wing politicians and others who claim the army was passing judgment before probing the incident.