NEW YORK -- Seven people were killed Thursday after a small jet crashed at a regional airport in Statesville, U.S. state of North Carolina, police said.

The Cessna C550 jet crashed at around 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time while landing at the airport and triggered a large fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. (U.S.-Plane Crash-Death)

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BRUSSELS -- Thousands of farmers from across Europe rallied near the European Parliament and the Europa Building in Brussels on Thursday as European Union (EU) leaders convened for a summit, with a long-negotiated trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur on the agenda.

Protesters, many arriving in tractors, blocked the roads leading into central Brussels, blared horns and set off fireworks. Police deployed water cannon and tear gas near the Europa Building, where leaders of the 27 EU member states held discussions on the trade deal and other issues from early morning. (EU-Farmers-Protest)

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SANAA -- A UN spokesperson said on Thursday that Yemen's Houthi group had detained another 10 UN staff members in Sanaa, raising the total number of UN personnel held by the group to 69.

In a statement seen by Xinhua, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, confirmed "the arbitrary detention of 10 UN staff members by the Houthi de facto authorities in Sanaa," adding that the total number of detained UN staff has risen to 69. (Yemen-Houthis-UN Staff)

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UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Venezuela on Tuesday, the Security Council presidency confirmed Thursday.

"In response to your questions, I can confirm that the Presidency intends to convene a meeting on Venezuela on Tuesday at 3 p.m.," Laura Miklic, spokeswoman for the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations, told Xinhua. (UN-Venezuela-Meeting)

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LONDON -- Hospitals across England are on "high alert" as hospital flu admissions have reached their highest level for this time of year, the National Health Service (NHS) said on Thursday.

According to NHS England, a total of 3,140 patients were in hospital with flu by the end of last week, up 18 percent on the previous week and the highest ever for this point in the winter season. The number of flu patients rose by 39 percent in the East of England and 40 percent in the South West. (UK-Flu)

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on two more International Criminal Court (ICC) judges after The Hague-based court rejected Israel's bid to block the ongoing probe into alleged crimes in Gaza.

The two ICC judges, Gocha Lordkipanidze and Erdenebalsuren Damdin, "have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel's consent," said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement. (U.S.-Sanctions-ICC judges)

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KAMPALA -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Thursday that the country's forthcoming general elections would be free and fair, urging voters to turn out in large numbers.

Museveni, who is seeking re-election, made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Rakai District, Uganda's Central Region, as part of his campaign ahead of the Jan. 15 polling. (Uganda-President-General election) Enditem