Military world news

*Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) held security talks for the first time in three years in Tokyo on March 15. The two sides exchanged views on their security situation, defense policies as well as communication and cooperation in defense fields; agreed to further enhance mutual understanding and cooperation in defense fields. * A US military helicopter crashed in western Iraq with seven people on board, US officials said late on March 15. US Central Command said that "rescue teams are responding to the scene". An investigation will be launched to determine the cause of the crash. * A Chinese publisher on March 15 said it has received orders for over 1 million copies of Stephen Hawking's works following the death of the legendary British physicist. Hawking's death has put the spotlight on his books, leading to surging orders for new copies, said Sun Guijun, an editor at Hunan Science and Technology Press, the sole publisher of simplified Chinese versions of Hawking's works in … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 16

* All 11 people on board the Turkish plane crashed in Iran on March 11 are dead, Iran's Emergency Organization announced. The locals reached the wreckage of crashed plane late evening on Sunday and encountered the corps which are not identifiable and need DNA examination. * Companies in Britain and the European Union face an extra GBP58 billion (US$80 billion) in annual costs if there is a no-deal Brexit, with Britain's vast financial sector set to be the worst-hit industry, according to a report on March 12. * US President Donald Trump will support a tailored set of fixes to gun laws, stepping back from some of the more sweeping changes he had considered after the country's latest mass school shooting, senior officials told reporters on March 11. * The Commander of the US Forces in Europe Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti underlined on March 11 US support for Israel in case of war in a joint large-scale military exercise in Israel. * Disney and Marvel Studios' "Black … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 12

* At least 18 people were killed by a magnitude 6.7 quake that struck Papua New Guinea's mountainous Southern Highlands early Wednesday. The tremor, shortly after midnight local time, struck just 31 km (19 miles) southwest of the epicentre of a magnitude 7.5 quake that flattened villages and caused landslides last Monday, killing at least 55 people. * Two senior RoK officials who met with the DPRK's Kim Jong Un this week will depart for Washington on Thursday (March 8) to brief US officials on the outcome of their meeting. A detailed itinerary has yet to be confirmed. * The Russian Defense Ministry said that the military transport plane that crashed in Syria on March 6 was carrying 39 people, instead of a previous report of 32, when the accident happened while landing in the Hmeymim airbase in Syria. * Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Syria's Eastern Ghouta during a telephone call, the Kremlin said on March … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 7

* Germany's Social Democratic Party voted for a government coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Conservative Union, local media reported Sunday. The result ended the five-month-long political stalemate after the September 24, 2017, Federal Parliament elections. * Militants in Syria's eastern Ghouta have imposed a curfew in areas under their control to prevent civilians from leaving through a humanitarian corridor while a truce is in place, Interfax news agency reported, citing Russian military. * Germany and France will bring forward plans to introduce a common corporation tax system in response to tax cuts announced by the U.S. President Donald Trump administration, Chancellor Angela Merkel said. * Almost a week after a deadly quake struck the rugged Papua New Guinea highlands, nearly 150,000 people remain in urgent need of emergency supplies as damaged roads and landslides have hampered the delivery of aid to isolated communities, agencies have said. … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 4

* Iran's rescue operators have found the black box of the passenger plane which crashed last month with all 66 on board killed, Iranian media reported on March 3. The black box would be availed to Tehran Prosecutor General. * The new effort to find the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 is expected to complete by June, a Malaysian official said Saturday (March 3) as families marked the fourth year since the plane disappeared. * Russia's gas giant Gazprom said on March 3 it had started moves to terminate gas supply contracts with Ukraine's Naftogaz, though Kiev said there had so far been no impact on supplies through its pipelines to Europe. * Iran will not negotiate over its ballistic missiles until the United States and Europe dismantle their nuclear weapons, a top Iranian military official said on March 3, keeping up the Islamic republic's tough stance on the issue. * Turkish warplanes struck pro-Syrian government forces in the northwestern Afrin region of Syria … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 3