INTERNATIONAL:

ISIL Fighters Destroy Ancient Archaeological Site of Nimrud

According to Iraq’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) damaged the ancient archaeological site of Nimrud with heavy vehicles on Thursday. The attack comes as one in a series of similar destructions of ancient structures and artifacts by the militant group. Nimrud is the site of the city established by the 13th-century BC Assyrian King Shalmaneser I and is the location of multiple 17-ton statues of mythological creatures called lamassu, lions and winged bulls with human heads. In a video published by ISIL of the site attack, at least one of the statues is shown being defaced. (New York Times)

United States Ambassador Knifed in South Korea

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was attacked in South Korea Thursday while on a diplomatic visit to lecture about the prospect for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Police arrested the suspect, 55-year-old Kim Ki-jong, immediately after he knifed Lippert on the wrist and face. Ki-jong, who is reported to be the leader of a small civic organization calling for peace with North Korea, was heard by witnesses to have repeatedly shouted “No drills for war!” referring to the annual South Korea-U.S. military exercise that will go until the end of April. The U.S. embassy reported Lippert underwent surgery at a Seoul hospital and is now in stable condition. (Al Jazeera)

NATIONAL:

Michael Brown’s Family Files Wrongful Death Case

The lawyer for Michael Brown’s family announced Thursday that they will be filing a wrongful death case. The announcement follows the Justice Department’s decision Wednesday to not bring federal civil rights charges against Darren Wilson, accused of shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in Aug. 2014. Daryl Parks, one of the family’s attorneys, said the federal prosecutors’ decision not to charge Wilson did not inform the civil case’s viability. The family released a statement Wednesday calling for an end to racial bias and profiling by the police, a change they said would keep their son’s death from being in vain. (The Guardian)

Arizona Woman Slimly Spared Death Penalty

Jodi Arias, charged with brutally killing her lover, Travis Alexander, in 2013, was spared the death penalty by a jury vote of 11 to 1 in favor of death on Thursday. The judge’s decision on whether to sentence Arias to life in prison or life with the possibility of release in 25 years is expected to be announced at a hearing on April 13. While the holdout juror refused to comment to the media, other members of the jury said they believed the jury member was biased and had asked the judge Tuesday if the women could be replaced, a request that was denied. (Washington Post)

Commercial Airplane Crashes in New York City

Delta Flight 1086 skidded on the runway at LaGuardia International Airport in New York City on Thursday due to snowy conditions. The crash, which ended with the plane hitting a fence and stopping just before it entered the water surrounding the airport, injured 24 of the 132 passengers aboard. The LaGuardia runway was closed for hours after the incident, grounding flights in New York and nationwide. Delta announced a fuel leak was found on one of the plane’s wings. According to the tracking site FlightAware, more than 3,200 flights were canceled on Thursday due to the snow storm that hit the East Coast. (Washington Post)