News Headlines - 29 March 2014

▽Thousands of Crimeans seek refuge from Russian rule | euronews

More than 3,500 people from Crimea have left the peninsula to escape Russian rule, according to the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv.
People began leaving Crimea after Russian troops invaded a month ago and the exodus accelerated after the referendum.
Dozens of families have come to a reception centre in the capital.

▽Three new objects found in hunt for missing MH370 | The Times

Chinese aircraft have reported spotting three suspicious objects in the new search zone for missing Malaysian jetliner MH370.
The news came as a Chinese ship this morning became the first to reach the area and it follows Malaysia’s acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s comments that they would not give up searching for survivors.

▽Current-account deficit hits highest level in 25 years - The Independent

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the current account deficit in the final quarter came in at 5.4 per cent of GDP. That was down slightly from the 5.6 per cent record high in the third quarter but it was still higher than analysts had expected and it took the deficit for 2013 to ￡71.1bn. That equates to 4.4 per cent of GDP and is the largest gap since the Lawson boom of the late 1980s.

▽UK economic growth confirmed at 1.7% for 2013 | This is Money

UK economic growth was confirmed today at 0.7 per cent for the final quarter of 2013, giving Britain the best-performing economy among the G10 nations... The Office for National Statistics said the current account deficit was much bigger than expected in the fourth quarter, driven in part by a fall in income from investments earned abroad - which were eroded by the strength of sterling - as well as by Britain's ballooning trade gap.

▽Lights to be switched off globally to observe Earth Hour | Firstpost

Lights will be switched off in homes, offices and famous landmarks at 8.30 p.m. Saturday for an hour to mark WWF's annual Earth Hour. Millions of people around the globe will participate in the celebration of the eighth edition of the Earth Hour to show their support for environmental issues ranging from deforestation to energy efficiency, The Guardian reported.