This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, March 19th.

New Zealand's PM vows terrorist will face 'full force of law'

We start in New Zealand, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opened a sombre session of parliament with the Muslim greeting "as-salaam-alaikum".

Ardern said the terrorist would face "the full force of the law".

She vowed never to utter the name of the gunman behind the mosque massacres last Friday and to deprive him of the notoriety he clearly desired.

The self-declared white supremacist is being held in isolation in jail.

Over 1,000 feared dead in Mozambique storm

More than a thousand people are feared to have died in a cyclone that smashed into Mozambique last week.

The Red Cross said 90 percent of Beira city was damaged or destroyed.

In neighbouring Zimbabwe, scores were killed and more than 200 are missing.

Venezuela opposition takes control of diplomatic properties in US

Representatives of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido have taken control of three of the country's diplomatic properties in the United States.

That’s according to Guaido's US envoy.

The envoy said the group expected to take control of Venezuela's embassy in Washington "in the days to come".

US scrutinises Boeing 737 MAX certification

Boeing and US aviation regulators are coming under intense scrutiny over the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

The move comes on the back of recent revelations that the Ethiopia Airlines and Lion Air crashes shared similarities.

A US grand jury issued a subpoena seeking communication records on the plane’s development one day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash left 157 dead, according to The Associated Press.

Captain Marvel still a Box Office force

And finally,

Marvel’s first comic-book tentpole to spotlight a female superhero surpassed $265 million in ticket sales domestically, bringing the global haul to $760 million.

Captain Marvel soared past the competition, raking in $69 million the second weekend after its release.

The film stars Brie Larson as a former fighter pilot who gains superpowers and finds herself embroiled in a galactic conflict.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Daily News Brief for Monday, March 18th:

*)Australian police raid homes near terrorist's hometown

Australian counter-terrorism police have raided two homes with possible links to Friday's attacks in Christchurch.

At least 50 people died in the terrorist attack on two mosques.

The New Zealand police believe there was the only gunman. But they are working with Australian police to see whether he had support.

New Zealand's prime minister says gun laws will be changed because of the attack.

*)Ethiopia says crashed jet's black boxes show similarities to Lion Air disaster

The crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people had "clear similarities" with the Lion Air crash in Indonesia last year.

That's according to Ethiopia's transport ministry.

It follows initial analysis of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 black boxes from the Ethiopia crash.

One focus of the investigation is on the new flight control system in the MAX jets, and possible flaws.

*)US denies it's leaving up to 1,000 troops in Syria

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the US plans to leave up to 1,000 troops in Syria following a pullout ordered by President Trump last year.

However, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff says the report is not true.

The US has angered its NATO ally Turkey by backing the YPG terror group in Syria.

*)Anniversary of Afrin's liberation from the PYD/PKK

Staying with Syria, and it's been a year since Turkish troops and their allies freed Afrin from the PYD/PKK terror group. The PYD/PKK and YPG are different names for the same terror group.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch with the Free Syrian Army in January last year to drive the YPG/PYD/PKK and Daesh from Afrin.

And finally,

*)104th anniversary of Canakkale

Turkey is today marking the 104th anniversary of a key World War One victory.

It's called Canakkale in Turkish, and Gallipoli by the allied forces the Ottoman Empire defeated in the 1915-16 battle.

It was a key turning point in Turkey's history and played a role in the formation of the republic in 1923.

Daily News Brief for Friday, March 15th:

*)Dozens die in terrorist attack on New Zealand mosques

At least 49 people were killed in a terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday.

The shooter has been identified as an Australian and right-wing terrorist.

New Zealand's prime minister said many of those caught up in the shootings may have been migrants and refugees.

*)World condemns New Zealand mosque terror attacks

Leaders around the world condemned Friday's attack.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey, Muslim or Muslim-majority countries, were among the first to express grief and anger at the attack.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the attack and confirmed the shooter was an Australian.

*)Regime, Russian air strikes in Syria kill at least 15 civilians

Syrian regime shelling and Russian air strikes killed at least 15 civilians on Wednesday in Idlib province.

At least eight of the casualties were children, the White Helmets said.

A war monitor said it was the first such raid since a September truce deal brokered by Turkey and Russia.

*)Floods in southern Africa kill at least 115

At least 115 people have been killed in flooding in Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa.

Almost a million people have been affected in southeast Africa by the heavy rains.

*)France to test black boxes from crashed Boeing 737 MAX 8

French investigators will examine the black boxes from the Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed on Sunday in Ethiopia.

They will also be looking for any similarities to the crash of a MAX 8 in Indonesia last year.

Boeing temporarily grounded its entire fleet of the 737 MAX over concern that upgrades to the latest version of the MAX series could be part of the problem.

And finally,

*)Interpol issues red notices for Khashoggi murder suspects

At Turkey’s request, Interpol has issued red notices for 20 suspects in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Turkey's justice ministry wants the suspects located and detained pending extradition requests.

Two former or current high-ranking Saudi officials are reported to be on the list.

Daily News Brief for Thursday, March 14th:

*)Boeing calls for the temporary grounding of all its 737 MAX aircraft

Boeing has recommended a temporary suspension of all 737 MAX aircraft in service. That's 371 planes worldwide.

Boeing acted as the US grounded the planes after the regulator said there were similarities between Sunday's crash in Ethiopia and a crash in Indonesia last year.

Many national regulators and carriers had already grounded the MAX 8 or MAX series, the latest version of Boeing's most successful plane.

*)US Senate ends support for Yemen war

The US Senate has voted to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

The move is a rebuke to President Trump who has backed Riyadh's foreign policy.

It's the second time the Republican-led Senate has reprimanded the president.

It also endorsed CIA findings downplayed by Trump that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a hand in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

*)Nigeria building collapse leaves at least 12 dead

At least 12 people have been killed and many others are thought to be trapped after a building collapsed in Nigeria.

The three-storey building housing a school and apartments collapsed in a densely populated area of Lagos on Wednesday.

The top two floors of the building were being used by a primary school.

*)Eight killed in Brazil school shooting

Eight people were killed in a shooting at a school in Brazil on Wednesday.

Two gunmen entered the Raul Brasil state school and opened fire.

At least five of the eight victims are thought to be students.

Police say both shooters killed themselves after carrying out the attack.

And finally,

*)Erdogan calls Netanyahu "a tyrant massacring Palestinian children"

Turkey's President has called the Israeli prime minister a "tyrant massacring Palestinian children."

Erdogan also criticised Israel over its abuse of the Al Aqsa Mosque complex.

Erdogan was speaking after Netanyahu on Tuesday said Israel is a "nation state not of all its citizens but only of the Jewish people."

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

More countries ban Boeing's MAX series of planes, and Cardinal George Pell gets a six-year sentence for sex abuse.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Wednesday, March 13th.

More countries ban Boeing 737 MAX series after Ethiopia crash

More than 40 countries have now grounded or banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from their airspace after Sunday's crash of a MAX 8 in Ethiopia.

That crash followed a similar one with the same model in Indonesia last year.

In each case an almost new MAX 8 crashed right after take-off.

US airlines are still flying the plane. The regulator says it doesn't have enough information to make a decision.

Boeing is standing by the 737 MAX series.

Cardinal George Pell sentenced to six years in prison

Cardinal George Pell has been sentenced to six years jail for sexually abusing two choir boys in Australia.

He's the highest-ranking member of the Catholic church to be convicted for child sex offences.

The cardinal is appealing the verdict.

British MPs set to vote on no-deal Brexit

British MPs will vote today on whether the country should leave the European Union without a Brexit deal.

This follows the defeat on Tuesday of Prime Minister Theresa May's bid for a revised deal.

The no-deal exit is expected to lose in parliament.

Another vote is then expected on Thursday, asking the EU for a delay of their March 29 divorce date.

Guaido accused of sabotaging power grid

Venezuelan officials are reporting some electricity is coming back after a nationwide blackout started last Thursday.

The chief prosecutor is investigating opposition leader Juan Guaido for allegedly sabotaging the power grid.

Guaido named himself interim president on January 23 in a bid to oust Nicolas Maduro as president of the impoverished but oil-rich country.

FBI charges some 50 in college entrance scam

And finally,

The FBI has charged some fifty mostly rich people in a scam to get their kids into elite US colleges.

The parents have been accused of paying an estimated $25 million in bribes.

College coaches and administrators at schools like Yale, Stanford and the University of Texas have also been charged for allegedly taking the bribes.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Bouteflika drops bid for fifth term as Algeria's president, and the inventor of today's World Wide Web is a tad concerned.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, March 12th.

Algerian president will not seek fifth term

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has bowed to public pressure and will not contest the next election.

He's also postponed next month's vote but has not set a new date.

Bouteflika's decision was announced after protests against his plan to seek a fifth term.

Boeing’s MAX 8 in the spotlight after second crash

Singapore has banned the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from its airspace two days after the Ethiopian Airlines crash outside Addis Ababa.

It's joined a growing list of countries that have grounded the model, the latest version in the 50-year history of Boeing's most successful plane.

Sunday's accident killed 157 people, and was the second time a MAX 8 has crashed in five months.

Boeing is so far not saying much. But the US has ordered it to improve anti-stalling software and the model's manoeuvring system.

US to withdraw remaining diplomatic staff from Venezuela

The US says it's removing the last remaining staff from its embassy in Caracas.

Washington cited the worsening situation in Venezuela, where a national power outage is now in its sixth day.

President Nicolas Maduro accuses the US of a cyberattack on the country's power grid.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani visits Iraq

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani is in Iraq on his first official visit.

He told journalists on day one of the three-day trip that a "stable Iraq will lead to stability in the entire region."

Iran has been a key player in combating Daesh in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

World Wide Web founder questions his creation

And finally,

Thirty years ago, British physicist Tim Berners-Lee proposed a decentralised system of information management. Today, we know that as the World Wide Web.

But Lee is a tad worried. What started out as a "vague but exciting" project according to his supervisor at CERN in Switzerland has become something of mixed bag.

On the eve of the anniversary, Lee cited state-sponsored hacking, online harassment, hate speech and misinformation among the web's ills.

Among possible solutions, he insisted on net neutrality — or equal access for all to the internet.

The web has done some good things too.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Monday, March 11, 2019

Chinese carriers and Ethiopian Airlines suspend Boeing 737 MAX 8, and Venezuela faces worst-ever power outage.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Monday, March 11th.

Ethiopian Airlines crash

Ethiopia is observing a day of mourning for 157 people who died Sunday morning when a Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa.

The passengers were from 35 countries. They included tourists, business travellers, and UN staff.

Kenya had the largest number of casualties with 32, followed by Canada with 18, Ethiopia nine, then Italy, China, and the US with eight each.

China, Ethiopian Airlines ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleets

China and Ethiopian Airlines have suspended their Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleets in the wake of Sunday's incident.

The accident was similar to that of a Lion Air MAX 8 that crashed in Indonesia in October last year.

The similarity has raised concerns about the safety of the aircraft, the newest version of Boeing's most successful plane.

Indonesian woman freed in killing of Kim Jong-nam case

An Indonesian woman held for two years on suspicion of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother has been released from custody.

A Malaysian court dropped the murder charges against Siti Aisyah - though it did not say why.

Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong were accused of killing Kim Jong-nam with VX nerve agent in 2017.

Their lawyers say the apparent hit was likely ordered by Pyongyang.

Bouteflika back home amid mass protests

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has returned home after two weeks in a Swiss hospital.

The aging and ailing president is seeking a fifth term in office.

Mass protests continue in a bid to force him to change his mind.

Venezuela is still in the dark

And finally,

The crisis in Venezuela is getting worse since Juan Guaido named himself interim president on January 23, pitting himself against President Nicolas Maduro.

A massive blackout that began on Thursday is continuing, with hospitals reporting deaths, and schools and businesses shut.

The cause of the power cuts is unknown.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com