Newsline 15 February 2010: Taliban fighters flee as a massive assault moves into Marjah; At least 18  die in a Belgian train crash, and Hillary Clinton tries to buy China's support for sanctions against Iran.

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35 militants killed as offensive descends on Afghan town
A major NATO offensive in the southern Afghan province of Helmand is underway, meeting little resistance as Taliban fighters flee. The assault is focused on the city of Marjah, an important Taliban stronghold. Newsline asked RNW Security and Defence Specialist Hans de Vreij whether the assault has been successful so far?

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Train crash near Brussels kills 12
At least 12 people have been killed in a collision between two commuter trains just outside of Brussels in today's morning rush hour. Belgian media report that the death toll may rise. A passenger aboard one of the trains tells Newsline what he saw:
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RNW Brussels correspondent Vanessa Mock reports from the scene at Halle:

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Could Saudi oil win Chinese support for sanctions against Iran?
The United States is desperate to win the backing of China for enhanced UN sanctions against Iran, yet China relies on Iran for much of its oil supplies. Now US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Saudi Arabia to see whether the oil-rich kingdom can guarantee the flow of oil to China if there's an Iranian backlash.

Newsline asked Iran expert Jaakko Kooroshy of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies whether the deal stands a chance?

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