World News Roundup: French sports minister urges abuse; High-speed train derails in northern Italy and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Australia receives bushfire reprieve with floods, battens down for cyclone

Many Australians were experiencing a bittersweet break from the threat of bushfires on Thursday, with flooding rains deluging some parts of the eastern states and miners preparing for a tropical cyclone to hit the country's iron ore heartland over the weekend. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued severe thunderstorm warnings for the southeast of Queensland state and a flood alert for more than 20 areas in New South Wales (NSW) after the start of heavy rainfall that is expected to continue for several days.

French sports minister urges abuse victims to speak up

French Sports minister Roxana Maracineanu on Thursday urged abuse victims to speak up after a series of rape and sexual aggression allegations in figure skating. French prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation on Tuesday into former figure skating coach Gilles Beyer for the alleged rape of minor and sexual aggression.

Plane skids off runway in Istanbul, killing three and injuring 179

A Pegasus Airlines plane flying into Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport skidded off the end of a wet runway and broke into three pieces after landing on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring 179, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The three had died in hospital, with 179 of the 183 aboard wounded, Koca told reporters in the eastern province of Van.

From cruise liners to supply chains, China virus hurts

China's fast-moving coronavirus spread among passengers of a quarantined Japanese cruise liner on Thursday and dragged down production at more global businesses, as scientists across the world searched for a vaccine. The death toll from the virus in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563, with more than 28,000 confirmed infections inside the workshop of the world and its second-largest economy.

Israeli-Palestinian violence rises after Trump peace plan

At least two Palestinians were killed and 15 Israelis were hurt on Thursday in a string of incidents in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, where violence has risen after the U.S. announcement of its Middle East peace plan. In the West Bank, Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians, one during violent clashes, authorities said. In Jerusalem, a car ran down Israeli soldiers and a gunman wounded a policeman in suspected Palestinian attacks.

Palestinian and Israeli farmers pay the price as politicians bicker

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have opened a new front in their decades-long conflict by getting locked in a trade dispute - and farmers on both sides of the border are paying the price. Palestinian Mowafak Hashim, who farms fruit and vegetables in sun-baked Jericho in the occupied West Bank, says he supports moves by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to end imports of Israeli agricultural products.

Aid to Houthi-controlled Yemen to be cut back over risk it can be diverted: sources

The world's biggest humanitarian aid operation will be scaled-down next month in Houthi-controlled Yemen because donors and aid workers say they can no longer ensure that food for millions of people is reaching those who need it. Humanitarian sector sources told Reuters Houthi authorities in northern Yemen were obstructing efforts to get food and other assistance to those in need, to an extent that is no longer tolerable.

Syria's warring sides face off in town east of Idlib city

Syrian government forces battled rebels and weathered Turkish artillery barrages on Thursday as they tried to seize Saraqeb town in northwestern Idlib province in a new push to recapture the last rebel stronghold, witnesses and a war monitor said. President Bashar al-Assad's swift military advance through Idlib province, backed by Russian airstrikes, has caused an exodus of civilians toward Turkey's border in the past two weeks, risking a military confrontation with Turkey, whose leader has threatened to drive back the Syrian forces.

About 500,000 EU citizens yet to apply for UK residency after Brexit

An estimated 500,000 European Union nationals in Britain have yet to apply for a new immigration status, which most will need to remain in the country after Brexit. The government is introducing the biggest shake-up of Britain's border controls in decades, ending the priority given to EU migrants over those from other countries after leaving the bloc last week.

High-speed train derails in northern Italy, two drivers die

A high-speed train derailed in the northern Italian province of Lodi in the early hours of Thursday, killing its two drivers and interrupting traffic on the busy line between Milan and Bologna, officials said. Video from the scene showed that the front engine and at least one passenger wagon had skipped the tracks, flipping onto their side. Photographs suggested the engine had broken clear of the rest of the train and smashed into an adjacent building.