UR MAG

Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Flights at Munich Airport in Germany were affected by heavy snow on Thursday, Feb. 19,

• Several flights were canceled and passengers were left stuck on planes after airport staff went home, leaving no stairs for them to be able to depart the aircraft or buses to transport them to the terminal, according to reports

• Both Lufthansa airlines and the airport said they "deeply regret the inconvenience caused"

Around 500 passengers were forced to spend the night on grounded planes at an airport in Germany, according to reports.

According to German newspaperBild, 123 passengers were due to fly from Munich to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday, Feb. 19, with airline Lufthansa, but they ended up being stuck on the plane for eight hours.

Passengers on other Lufthansa flights were also affected, as well as two Air Dolomiti flights to Austria and Italy, with passengers also having to spend the night on the tarmac in their aircraft. Lufthansa reported that a total of around 500 passengers were affected, according to the outlet.

Passengers were already on board the flight to Copenhagen, which was scheduled to depart at 9:30 p.m. local time, when it was announced that the departure would be delayed due to heavy snow. According to the outlet, announcements were repeatedly made for almost two and a half hours, before the flight was canceled just before midnight.

Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty

The outlet reported that the plane was parked at a remote stand and there were no buses to take passengers back to the terminal.

According to Danish newspaperEkstra Bladet, passengers were told every 30 minutes that buses were trying to be organized for them. A passenger told the outlet that at around 2 a.m., they were then suddenly informed by airline staff that they could no longer get hold of anyone inside the airport and the airport was closed. This was due to the night flight ban in Munich from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m., perBild.

Søren Thieme, the father of a family with young children on board the plane, claimed that passengers were told that all the bus drivers had gone home and that they were not allowed to leave the aircraft.

"There must be something we can do. We can just go to the airport, we ask. But we're not allowed to. It's forbidden, we're told. We're simply trapped here, along with the staff too," Thieme told the outlet, per a translation.

Thieme went on to share that his family had been flying back from a vacation in Thailand, and the flight from Munich to Copenhagen was the final leg of their journey.

"We were really frustrated," Thieme said. "We've been on the road for over 24 hours now. We should have been home in Denmark and sleeping by now. But the flight crew was also completely at a loss. We also don't get to know when they expect us to be able to get out."

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The passenger claimed to the outlet that passengers also didn't have proper food or drinks, just a few bottles of water, and no blankets, as the flight was only meant to be around 90 minutes long.

Passengers were finally able to depart the flight in the early hours of the morning after buses and stairs arrived at the aircraft.

Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty

The family were rebooked on a new flight, but this was also delayed by an hour, according to the outlet.

"We're home in Denmark now, and it's nice to be home. Because at one point, the thought came to me whether we would even come home this weekend," Thieme added.

Another passenger toldBild, "Flights can be canceled at any time, but leaving people on the plane indefinitely is unacceptable."

Lufthansa toldEkstra Bladetin a statement, "Due to the weather conditions on February 19th with heavy snowfall at Munich Airport, there were temporary runway closures and massive delays in de-icing procedures. As a result, there were delays and cancellations yesterday. The passengers have since been rebooked onto the next available flight."

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The statement continued, "The passengers on flight LH2446 to Copenhagen with 123 passengers (scheduled departure at 21:30) were also affected by weather-related irregularities. The aircraft had to remain on the apron following instructions from Munich Airport. Due to a lack of apron buses, the passengers could only be transported to the terminal in the early morning hours. Lufthansa deeply regrets the inconvenience this has caused to the passengers."

"We deeply regret the inconvenience caused," a spokesperson for Munich Airport added, perBild.

Lufthansa and Munich Airport did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Iran was jolted by resurgentanti-government protestsover the weekend, as Washington sought to build pressure on Tehran to accede to its demands ahead of new nuclear talks amid a massive Americanmilitary buildup.

Iranian state news agencies reported student demonstrations at five universities in the capital and one in the city of Mashhad over the weekend, with fresh protests also reported Monday. Large crowds rallied outside the Amir Kabir University of Technology in Tehran, according to video geolocated by NBC News that circulated on social media Sunday.

The video does not appear to have circulated before Sunday but NBC News has not been able to pinpoint when exactly it was taken.

They are the first known protests to have erupted since theanti-government unrest that swept the countrylast month and sawthousands of people killedin a brutal crackdown, according to rights groups.

The United States has held the threat of military action over the regime in the wake of those demonstrations, which marked the biggest flare-up of domestic dissent since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. But PresidentDonald Trumphas also pursued negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, entertaining diplomacy even as he masses a daunting military force in the Middle East.

Trump's special envoySteve Witkoffsaid Saturday that the president was "curious" as to why Iran had not changed course in the face of this buildup.

"He's curious as to why they haven't — I don't want to use the word 'capitulated' — but why they haven't capitulated," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News' "My View with Lara Trump."

"Why under this sort of pressure, with the amount of sea power, naval power that we have over there, why they haven't come to us and said, 'We profess that we don't want a weapon'?" he said.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is en route to becomethe second American aircraft carrierin the region, wherethe U.S. has been gathering air defenses, warships and submarines.

Officials signaled in a meeting last week that all U.S. military forces required for possible action would be in place by mid-March, a senior administration official told NBC News, though Trump hasthreatened possible actionsooner than that.

New talks are scheduled for Thursday, according to the country that brokered previous rounds of indirect negotiations.

Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, said in aposton X on Sunday that talks were confirmed for Thursday in Geneva "with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal."

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Iranian PresidentMasoud Pezeshkianoffered some optimism Sunday, suggesting the latest talks had "yielded encouraging signals."

"Iran is committed to peace and stability in the region," he said in aposton X. However, he warned that Tehran continued to "closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario."

Addressing the U.S. threat of military action in a news conference Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic Republic would "never be influenced by threats" and would "insist on Iran's national interests."

He added that there was "no such thing as a limited attack," after Trump confirmed he was considering a more limited initial strike to force Tehran into concessions.

Any "act of aggression" would be met with a firm response, he said. "At the same time that we are in the negotiation room, our military forces will be more alert."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' "Face The Nation" that a new meeting would "probably" take place Thursday, adding that he hoped to prepare a "fast deal."

"I think we're still very much in a wait-and-see kind of mode," said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

"We're lurching between the possibility of strikes and the possibility of a deal and I don't really have a feeling right now one way or the other," she told NBC News in a phone interview Monday. It will take a "real willingness to compromise from both parties" and in a "timely manner" in order to avoid military escalation, Vakil added.

As the prospect of a major attack by the U.S. and Israel raised fears of a new conflict in the Middle East, regional powers expressed outrage after the U.S. ambassadorsuggested Israel had a biblical rightto take over swaths of territory in the Middle East.

"It would be fine if they took it all, but I don't think that's what we're talking about here today," Mike Huckabee said during an interview withpodcaster Tucker Carlsonposted to YouTube on Friday.

Huckabee clarified that this was not on the table as "they're not asking to take all that," but his comments sparked outrage, with the foreign ministries of more than a dozen Arab and Muslim nations expressing their "strong condemnation and profound concern" in a joint statement and issuing a "categorical rejection of such dangerous and inflammatory remarks."

Iran warned the comments could further "embolden" Israel in "illegal measures against Palestinians as well as its constant aggression against the nations of the region."

Police in Nigeria say 38 people were killed and others were abucted in an attack last week in northwestern Zamfara state.

Authorities received intelligence before the attack Thursday but a lack of road access prevented police from reaching the area in time, state police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar told The Associated Press.

"By the time we have our way, the assailants have invaded the community and killed 38 while also abducting many residents," Abubakar said Monday.

Investigators in the West African nation are compiling a list of women and children who were abducted, Abubakar said.

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The attack in Tungan Duste, a community in the Anka local government area of Zamfara state, is the latest assault on civilians in Nigeria's northern region, where attacks are frequent. In nearby Kebbi,33 people were killedin simultaneous attacks last week.

The African Union, which includes 55 member states on the continent, condemned the attack Sunday and called for the release of abducted women and children.

"The African Union unequivocally rejects all acts of terrorism and violent extremism against civilian populations, particularly women and children, as grave violations of human rights and serious threats to peace, security, and stability," the organization said in a statement.

Nigeria is battling a complex security crisis from different armed groups. The United States has sent troops to the West African nation to help advise its military on the fight against insecurity.

Mumbai, India (AP) — Sikandar Raza called correctly at the coin toss as Zimbabwe opted to bowl against the West Indies in their Group 1 Super 8 clash at cricket'sTwenty20 World Cup.

South Africa and India are the other two sides in Group 1 — theProteas beat the defending championsby 76 runs in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

It is a chance for both sides competing today to put additional pressure on the co-hosts.

Zimbabwe had topped Group B in the league stage — it showed stunning T20 form in beating Australia and Sri Lanka in the first round.

It is Zimbabwe's first qualification to the T20 World Cup's second round. Meanwhile, West Indies had topped Group C.

Both sides have made one change — for Zimbabwe, left-arm medium pacer Richard Ngarava comes in for spinner Wellington Masakadza.

West Indies brought in medium-pace allrounder Romario Shephered in place of Roston Chase.

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The pitch at the iconic Wankhede Stadium should aid batters in general. However, it has slowed down in the second innings over the course of the tournament, so the side chasing could face difficulty unless there is ample evening dew.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (captain), Tashinga Musekiwa, Tony Munyonga, Dion Myers, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani

West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph

AP cricket:https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauren Betts had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and No. 2 UCLA defeated Wisconsin 80-60 for its 21st consecutive victory on Sunday, when the Bruins celebrated the program's first outright Big Ten championship.

Wisconsin UCLA Basketball

The Bruins (27-1, 17-0) are close to completing the first undefeated league season since 2014-15, when Maryland went 18-0. They finished 14-0 at home and have one road game remaining.

Wearing white title caps, the Bruins gathered at center court in a group hug and posed with the trophy.

UCLA had already clinched the title by the time it took the court, thanks to No. 13 Iowa's 62-44 victory over sixth-ranked Michigan earlier in the day. Both Michigan and Iowa are tied for second with three losses each.

Gabriela Jaquez had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Bruins, who had five players in double figures.

Dorja Zaja scored 16 points and Lily Krahn added 13 for the Badgers (13-15, 5-12). They lost their eighth in a row and fell to 2-9 on the road.

Wisconsin struck for two quick baskets to open the third and get within seven. Destiny Howell scored and Ronnie Porter hit a 3-pointer.

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But the Bruins took over, outscoring Wisconsin 24-15 to take a 65-49 lead into the fourth.

The Bruins led by 14 points on Jaquez's 3-pointer early in the second quarter. The Badgers twice cut their deficit to eight points before trailing 41-29 at halftime.

On Senior Day, the Bruins honored Betts, Kiki Rice, Jaquez, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Gianna Kneepkens and Angela Dugalic with flowers before the game. Rice and Jaquez have spent their entire four-year careers at UCLA; the others transferred to Westwood.

Up next

Wisconsin: Hosts No. 13 Iowa on March 1 to end regular season.

UCLA: Visits crosstown rival USC in regular-season finale on March 1.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball