On Grasswire
Turkey
At least five people were killed in a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul, according to Turkish officials.
The bomb struck Istikal Street, one of the busiest shopping areas in the city, at around 10:55 a.m.
Russia
FlyDubai flight 981 from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don crashed while attempting to land on Saturday. All 62 aboard the flight are presumed dead, and the cause of the crash is not yet known.
A statement by FlyDubai CEO Ghaith al Ghaith said the flight crashed at 00:50 GMT, and was carrying 55 passengers and 7 crew members. Emergency crews have been working at the site and have successfully recovered the plane’s two black boxes. The flight was operated by a Boeing 737-800 (tail number A6-FDN) which is approximately five years old.
Saudi Arabia
At least 19 people have died and 25 others were injured after a bus carrying 43 Egyptians crashed in Saudi Arabia, according to Egyptian media.
Libya
At least 30 refugees and migrants drowned close to the western shores of Libya after the boats they were in capsized, according to Libyan and Italian media.
Four bodies were recovered while others are still missing, the Libya Observer reports. Libya’s coast guard reported that over 500 people were rescued from three boats, and that three other boats sank.
Belgium
Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam has been charged with participation in terrorist murder and the activities of a terrorist group in Belgium a day after he was seized in a Brussels raid.
Abdeslam will fight his potential extradition to France, but he has been cooperating with police, according to his lawyer.
Elsewhere
Air strikes kill dozens in IS stronghold city of #Raqqa #Syria https://t.co/Zct9GbO0x5
— RFE/RL (@RFERL) March 20, 2016
Lorries begin moving Beirut’s mountains of trash to landfill https://t.co/sdrXtYzEsu pic.twitter.com/2Szh9zMHVf
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) March 20, 2016
In other news
Calais refugee camp theatre stages a double encore https://t.co/aR2cPZVCOV
— The Guardian (@guardian) March 19, 2016
How Donald Trump could fall short of his delegate target https://t.co/gN6m2VxT8Q
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 19, 2016
It's time to put down the civet-poop coffee https://t.co/LqiaJdn3Tb pic.twitter.com/qv2yhxBrG0
— GP Investigations (@GlobalPost) March 19, 2016
In case you missed it
Saleh Abdeslam and accomplice Monir Ahmed Alaaj, who are accused of planning the Paris attacks, were captured in Brussels on Friday.
Turkey and the European Union struck a deal Friday aimed at preventing migrants from crossing the Aegean Sea, declaring that those arriving on Greek shores will be returning to Turkey beginning on Sunday.
North Korea fired two missiles into the Sea of Japan early Friday.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy continued to disagree over where the most blame lies during their Congressional hearings on the Flint water crisis.
General interestingness
The cramped awfulness of air travel, visualized https://t.co/GJh76xf20h
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 19, 2016
In lieu of text
The Last Word
IMAGE: The Zaatari Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, now equivalent to being the country's fourth largest city. pic.twitter.com/gmyOFMtkOK
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) March 19, 2016