World in brief

Civilians report border clashes

Libya: Residents of two Libyan towns near the western border with Tunisia have said that clashes have erupted between militias that control the area.

There was no immediate word of casualties.

Ragdalein militia spokesman Rami Kanaan reported that they captured 34 Zwara men on Sunday.

Mr Kanaan said that the militia had decided to take action after months of abuses by a Zwara brigade, including the looting of property.

Zwara local council head Abo-Bakr Taloa says 21 of his men were captured.

Black flag flies in Timbuktu camp

Mali: Islamist militants linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb hoisted their black flag over a military camp in Timbuktu today.

Rebels who first entered the fabled city over the weekend were led by the secular National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA, which is fighting for an independent homeland for the Tuareg people.

Plane crashes killing 31

Russia: A passenger plane crashed in Siberia shortly after taking off this morning, killing 31 of the 43 people on board.

The 12 survivors were taken to hospital in serious condition.

The ATR-72, a French-Italian-made twin-engine turboprop, operated by UTair was flying from Tyumen to the oil town of Surgut with 39 passengers and four crew.

The aircraft went down on a snowy field outside Tyumen, a major regional centre in Siberia about 1,000 miles east of Moscow. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Workers Party to hold summit

North Korea: The ruling Workers Party will hold a political conference on April 11 in Pyongyang, the state-run Korean Central News Agency announced today.

The KCNA said the Korean People’s Army and all provinces, cities and counties have convened party meetings to elect delegates.

It said supreme leader Kim Jong Un has been elected a delegate, reflecting the “unanimous will and desire of all the party members, service personnel and people.”