Briefly

GREECE

3 nations sign deal for gas pipeline

Greece, Israel and Cyprus signed a deal on Thursday to build an undersea pipeline to carry gas from new offshore deposits in the southeastern Mediterranean to continental Europe. The 1,900-kilometer EastMed pipeline is intended to provide an alternative gas source for energy-hungry Europe, which is largely dependent on supplies from Russia and the Caucasus region. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who attended the signing ceremony with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, said the pipeline will offer Europe "better flexibility and independence in its energy sources".

SUDAN

18 killed in plane crash in West Darfur

A Sudanese military plane crashed on Thursday shortly after taking off in West Darfur state, killing 18, said the army. The Antonov 12 plane "crashed five minutes after taking off from El Geneina airport" in the evening, said army spokesman Amer Mohamed al-Hassan in a statement. Seven crew members, three judges and eight citizens including four children were killed in the incident, added the statement. The plane earlier transported medical materials for the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in El Geneina, the capital city of West Darfur state. El Geneina has witnessed tribal clashes over the few past days that left many people killed or injured.

UNITED STATES

5 still missing after fishing boat sinks

Five fishermen missing after a crab boat sank in the frigid waters off Alaska were feared dead after authorities called off a search for those working in one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. Two other crew members were rescued after the disaster on Tuesday, telling authorities they were the only ones who made it into a life raft, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Dean Gribble Jr, who's appeared on the Discovery Channel documentary series Deadliest Catch, and John Lawler suffered hypothermia but have been released from a hospital. The Coast Guard said it used helicopters, planes and a boat to look for the missing crew members for 20 hours before ending the search late on Wednesday because they were not likely to have survived.

GERMANY

Ryanair prepares for more 737 Max delays

Ryanair is prepared for further delays to the delivery of its Boeing 737 Max airliners, its chief executive Michael O'Leary told German magazine Wirtschaftswoche, adding that he would only discuss compensation after the aircraft had been delivered. The 737 Max airliner has been grounded since March following two crashes which claimed 346 lives. One of the world's largest airlines, Ryanair has ordered 135 of the jets. "We were meant to have 58 planes by the summer," O'Leary said in the interview. In contrast to other airlines, including Turkish, Southwest Airlines and Germany's TUI, which have already agreed compensation with Boeing, O'Leary added that he would only discuss compensation after the planes were delivered.

3 turn themselves in to police for zoo fire

Three women allegedly responsible for a fire in a zoo in the German city of Krefeld have turned themselves in to the police, representatives of the police and the public prosecutor's office said on Thursday. They said the cause of the fire, which devastated the ape house of Krefeld Zoo on New Year's Eve, has been identified. The three women, aged between 30 and 60, confessed to having launched five sky lanterns which are believed to have started the fire that killed more than 30 animals, authorities said.

Xinhua - Agencies