Wikinews:Briefs/August 16, 2005

Babies on U.S. no-fly lists holding up passengers
Some infants are being prevented from boarding planes at U.S. airports because their names match or resemble those listed on the United States' "no-fly list".

The Transport Safety Administration, which maintains the list, has told airlines that children under twelve should not be stopped from boarding or subjected to additional checks, even if their names are on the list. Despite this, infants whose names register with the "no-fly list" are being impeded at major airports across the nation.

Plane carrying 160 crashes in Venezuela
A Colombian passenger jet carrying 152 passengers and 8 crewmembers has crashed in Western Venezuela. Officials said the plane was travelling from Panama, headed for Martinique in the Caribbean when its pilot reported engine trouble to the Caracas airport shortly after 07:00 UTC time this morning. The pilot reportedly asked for permission to land at Maracaibo airport shortly before the plane went missing in the remote state of Zulia, close to the Colombian border. Locals have reported hearing explosions near the scene of the crash.

Helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills 17
And, it has been confirmed that a NATO helicopter of the International Security Assistance Force has crashed near Herat in Western Afghanistan.

It is reported that two Puma helicopters collided in mid-air. Officials have said that 12 Spanish soldiers and five crew members have been killed and that five others are missing.