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Iran takes Canada to UN court over terror compensation
Iran has taken Canada to the International Court of Justice for allowing victims of alleged terror attacks to claim damages from Tehran, the UN's top tribunal said on Wednesday. Tehran's case claims that Ottawa, which listed the Islamic Republic as a sponsor of terrorism in 2012, had violated Iran's state immunity. Iran asked the Hague-based ICJ to make Canada overturn a law passed in the same year that allows victims to collect damages from state terror sponsors in Canadian civil courts. "Canada has adopted and implemented a series of legislative, executive, and judicial measures against Iran and its property in breach of its international obligations," Iran said in its filing to the court. Tehran also demanded compensation from Canada. Iran's application cites a Canadian court judgment in 2022 that awarded more than $80 million in compensation to the families of six people who died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner almost two years ago. Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was downed shortly after take-off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people aboard -- including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Three days later, the Iranian armed forces admitted to downing the Kyiv-bound plane "by mistake." 'International obligations' Iran also cited a 2016 ruling by a Canadian judge ordering Iran's non-diplomatic land and bank accounts to be handed over to victims of attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah. The judgment awarded a reported $13 million to families of Americans who died in eight bombings or hostage-takings in Buenos Aires, Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia from 1983 to 2002. The families, led by the parents of Marla Bennett, who was killed when a suicide bomber struck at a cafeteria at Hebrew University in Israel in 2002, had successfully sued Iran in the United States. "Iran respectfully requests the Court to adjudge and declare that by failing to respect the immunities of Iran and its property, Canada has violated its international obligations toward Iran," Iran's ICJ filing said. Canada broke diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 as relations frayed over Tehran's support for Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, its nuclear program, and threats to Israel. Iran launched a similar case at the ICJ against the United States in 2016 seeking to unfreeze assets seized by Washington to compensate victims of terror attacks. Judges in March rejected Iran's bid to free nearly $2 billion in central bank assets but ruled the United States had illegally seized funds of some Iranian companies and individuals. The ICJ was set up after World War II to resolve disputes between UN member states. Its judgments are final but can take years. The post Iran takes Canada to UN court over terror compensation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 21
KABUL -- Four people onboard a Russian plane that crashed in Afghanistan's airspace on Saturday were found injured on Sunday, local officials said. (Afghanistan-Plane Crash) - - - - JAKARTA -- At least two people died and 16 others were injured after the bus they were on rolled five meters down a highway in Central Java on Sunday, according to local police. The crash took place in Pemalang Regency.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 21
KABUL -- Four people onboard a Russian plane that crashed in Afghanistan's airspace on Saturday were found injured on Sunday, local officials said. (Afghanistan-Plane Crash) - - - - JAKARTA -- At least two people died and 16 others were injured after the bus they were on rolled five meters down a highway in Central Java on Sunday, according to local police. The crash took place in Pemalang Regency.....»»
US, Iran release prisoners in $6 billion swap deal
The United States and Iran on Monday swapped five prisoners each in one of the arch-foes' first deals in years as Tehran gained access to $6 billion in frozen funds. The five Americans freed by Iran, including one held for eight years, flew out of Tehran in a Qatari jet, hours after the unblocked funds were deposited in accounts also managed by Qatar. The White House said it was "pleased to confirm" the plane carrying the freed Americans had left Doha, Qatar for the United States, and that President Joe Biden had spoken with the families of the Americans in an "emotional call". The five had walked in the setting sun on the tarmac in Doha, three of them with arms around one another's shoulders. One of them praised Biden for ignoring the political backlash and taking the "incredibly difficult decisions" that freed them. "Thank you, President Biden, for ultimately putting the lives of American citizens above politics," Siamak Namazi, a businessman held since 2015, said in a statement. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke to the released Americans by telephone after they landed in Doha, insisted the Biden administration had "no higher priority" than freeing US citizens. "It's very good to be able to say that our fellow citizens are free," Blinken told reporters in New York, where he and Biden are taking part in UN meetings. Two of the Iranian detainees arrived in Qatar, Iranian media said. The other three released by the United States have opted to remain there or in a third country. After quiet discussions led in part by Qatar, the two countries completed the exchange after the transfer of $6 billion in funds, frozen by US ally South Korea. The Biden administration has rejected criticism at home that it is paying "ransom," insisting the money will be used only humanitarian purposes, with a threat to re-freeze the funds if not. But Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani, speaking earlier in Tehran, said the clerical state will have "total access" to the assets. Political risks for Biden Biden's Republican rivals have roundly denounced the deal. Republican Senator Mitt Romney said it would lead to "kidnappings". "The idea of basically paying to release, in this effect, a hostage is a terrible idea," he said. Mindful of political risks, Biden in a statement said he would "continue to impose costs" on Iran and announced sanctions against former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's intelligence ministry. The sanctions were imposed over alleged deceit in the disappearance of Bob Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in mysterious circumstance and is presumed dead. Biden in his statement did not mention that he granted clemency to five Iranians. A US official said that all were convicted or changed with non-violent crimes, with one already set to be released soon. Iran had generated the revenue through oil sales. South Korea froze the funds after Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear accord and imposed unilateral US sanctions on buying oil from Iran. Iran's central bank governor said Iran would seek damages from South Korea. "We're making a complaint on behalf of Iran against South Korea for not giving access to these funds and the reduction in value of these funds in order to receive damages," Mohammadreza Farzin said on state television. The five Americans of Iranian descent -- all considered Iranian nationals by Tehran, which rejects dual nationality -- were released to house arrest when the deal was agreed last month. Besides Namazi, they include wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz, venture capitalist Emad Sharqi and two others who wished to remain anonymous. All were accused of spying or other crimes that they strongly reject. Tahbaz also holds UK nationality. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain was not involved in the deal but that he was "extremely pleased" he was free. A US official said that two more US citizens flew out of Tehran -- Namazi's mother and Sharqi's wife, who were not in prison but had ont been allowed to leave. According to Tehran, the freed Iranians include Reza Sarhangpour and Kambiz Attar Kashani, both accused of violating US sanctions against Tehran. A third prisoner, Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, was detained at his home near Boston in 2021 and charged with being an Iranian government agent, according to US officials. The two others, Mehrdad Moein Ansari and Amin Hasanzadeh, were said to have links to Iranian security forces. Nudge on nuclear? The swap was the first deal sealed by Biden with Iran's clerical rulers, who toppled the pro-Western shah in 1979 and are deeply hostile to the United States. Biden took office with hopes of restoring the 2015 nuclear agreement, under which Iran promised to constrain its contested nuclear work in return for sanctions relief. But months of talks failed to produce a breakthrough. Prospects to restore the deal sank further after protests broke out almost exactly a year ago in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the country's Islamic dress code for women. Blinken said that the release of the prisoners "doesn't speak to anything else in the relationship," with the nuclear issue "a different track." Biden is not expected to meet in New York with Iran's president, Ebrahim Raisi, who arrived Monday. The post US, Iran release prisoners in $6 billion swap deal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sweden throws royal bash for king’s golden jubilee
Sweden celebrates the 50th anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf's reign with pomp and circumstance on Friday and Saturday, with a gala banquet, street parties and a procession through central Stockholm. The 77-year-old king was the world's youngest monarch when he came to the throne aged 27 in 1973 after the death of his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf. The two days of festivities will be attended by foreign dignitaries as well as hundreds of thousands of people who are expected to line the capital's streets to catch a glimpse of the king and Queen Silvia in a cortege on Saturday. Several of the festivities will be broadcast live on television to Sweden's 10 million inhabitants. "It's an intense week," palace spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren told AFP, adding that preparations have been underway for several years. On Friday, a Te Deum church service will be held at the Royal Chapel attended by the royal family, other Nordic royals and heads of state, as well as Swedish political leaders, followed by a gala banquet hosted by the king at the palace. The highlight of the celebrations will be Saturday's afternoon cortege, when the royal couple will wave to the public from a horse-drawn carriage escorted by 3,000 troops from the army, navy and air force and military bands. The final leg of the procession will see the royal couple being rowed across the water in the royal barge to the steps below the palace in the Old Town. That will be followed by an outdoor concert nearby featuring several popular Swedish acts. Dancing in the streets As afternoon heads into evening, the city center will transform into a giant public dance floor, with DJs playing everything from boogie woogie to Cuban salsa, rock 'n' roll, disco and Swedish hits, and food trucks serving food and drinks. Several hundred thousand people are expected to turn out for Saturday's festivities, police spokeswoman Rebecca Landberg told AFP, comparing the event to the massive crowds that lined the streets for Crown Princess Victoria's 2010 wedding. "It feels really exciting," said Jenny Schannong, a 53-year-old medical secretary who plans to be in place early Saturday to get a good viewing spot for the cortege. "It'll be cool to experience this in my lifetime... I was just a little baby when he became king, I was three years old so I don't really remember that," she said. However, the celebrations are taking place under heightened security, after Sweden last month raised its terror alert level following a spate of Koran burnings that have angered the Muslim world. Carl Gustaf XVI is the longest reigning monarch in Sweden's history. Born on April 30, 1946, Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus Bernadotte was only nine months old when his father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, died in a plane crash in Denmark. He grew up with four older sisters and an often-absent mother -- Princess Sibylla of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha -- before becoming king in 1973. He is the European monarch with the second-longest reign, behind his cousin Queen Margrethe of Denmark who took the throne in 1972. Popular despite sex scandals Despite occasional scandals -- the biggest when a 2010 book alleged he frequented sex clubs and had numerous affairs -- the king still enjoys broad support. A poll this month in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter said 62 percent of Swedes were in favor of the monarchy, a level that has remained stable over two decades. The king's role has been purely ceremonial since constitutional reform in 1974. The palace has remained tightlipped on the cost of the weekend festivities. "It's a public celebration and the costs will be detailed in a report to be published in April," palace spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren said. This year also marks the 500th anniversary of the reign of Gustav Vasa, Sweden's first king elected in 1523, ending the Kalmar Union that joined the three Scandinavian kingdoms under a single monarchy from 1397. The post Sweden throws royal bash for king’s golden jubilee appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
New air cargo route links central China air hub, Türkiye
ZHENGZHOU, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish Airlines cargo plane arrived at the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport on Tuesday, marking the launch of the air cargo route linking Istanbul with Zhengzhou, the capital city of central China's Henan Province. The cargo service uses an A330-200F aircraft and runs three times a week. The opening of the cargo route is expected to enhance economic and trade links.....»»
Iran court jails missile crew behind jet downing
Ten members of an Iranian missile battery crew involved in the downing of a Ukrainian airliner in 2020 have been sentenced to prison, Iran’s judiciary has said on its website. The commander of the crew received the heaviest penalty of 10 years imprisonment while nine others were sentenced to between one and three years, Mizan Online reported on Sunday. The 10 members of the Iranian armed forces were not named. The commander of a Tor M-1 surface-to-air missile system “fired two missiles,” “contrary to orders” and without obtaining authorization, at the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 shortly after its takeoff from Tehran on 8 January 2020, killing all 176 people on board, according to Mizan. Ukraine lost 11 citizens in the airline disaster. At the time, Iranian air defenses were on high alert for a United States counterattack after Tehran fired missiles at a military base in Iraq that was used by American forces. Those missiles came in response to the killing in a US drone attack in Baghdad of Major General Qassem Soleimani who headed the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Three days after the Kyiv-bound plane was shot down, the Iranian armed forces admitted there had been a “mistake.” “Given the extent of the effects and consequences of this action, the main defendant was sentenced to the maximum penalty,” Mizan Online added without giving further details. Compensation Iran’s judiciary said in November 2021 that a trial had opened in Tehran for 10 military members “of various ranks” in connection with the jet’s downing. In January last year, Iran said it had begun paying compensation to families of those killed. Arash Khodaei, a vice president of the country’s Civil Aviation Organization, said that “the sum of $150,000 has been transferred” to some families, while “the process has begun” for others. The payment “does not infringe upon (their) right to take legal action,” state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying. In 2020, Iran offered to pay “$150,000 or the equivalent in euros” to each of the victims’ families. Ukrainian and Canadian officials strongly criticized the announcement, saying compensation should not be settled through unilateral declarations. A Canadian court awarded more than $80 million in compensation to the families of six of the victims in a decision made public in January 2022. That same month, an Iranian couple filed a rare lawsuit against three senior Iranian officials over the deaths of their children in the incident, an Iranian newspaper reported at the time. A group of countries led by Canada called in December for an arbitrator to settle claims against Iran, a first step in possibly bringing a case at the International Court of Justice, which victims’ families have long demanded. Iran offered to pay ‘$150,000 or the equivalent in euros’ to each of the victims’ families. The association of families of the victims reiterated Sunday after the verdict that “an impartial, international court” should try the crime. The post Iran court jails missile crew behind jet downing appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hopes of survivors in Nepal plane crash ‘nil,’ local officials say
POKHARA, Nepal — Nepali rescue workers scoured a debris-strewn ravine Monday for three missing bodies from the mangled wreckage of a plane that crashed with 72 people on board, with hopes of any survivors now “nil,” according to authorities. The Yeti Airlines ATR 72 plummeted into the steep gorge, smashed into pieces and burst into flames […] The post Hopes of survivors in Nepal plane crash ‘nil,’ local officials say appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Nepal finds black boxes of aircraft after deadliest crash in 30 years
KATHMANDU — Searchers found the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder on Monday, January 16, 2023, from a passenger flight that crashed, killing at least 70 people in Nepal’s worst plane accident for 30 years, officials said. The data on the recorders may help investigators determine what caused the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 aircraft, […] The post Nepal finds black boxes of aircraft after deadliest crash in 30 years appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
A pilot couple killed in air crashes in Nepal – 16 years apart
KATHMANDU — In 2010, Anju Khatiwada joined Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, following in the footsteps of her husband, a pilot who had died in a crash four years earlier when a small passenger plane he was flying for the domestic carrier went down minutes before landing. On Sunday, Khatiwada, 44, was the co-pilot on a Yeti […] The post A pilot couple killed in air crashes in Nepal – 16 years apart appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Boeing Issues Directive for Airlines to Inspect 787 Cockpit Seats Following Latam Incident
Boeing Issues Safety Reminder for Airlines Following Incident on Dreamliner Flight Boeing has instructed airlines to check the cockpit seats of its 787 Dreamliner plane.....»»
3 Killed, 4 Hurt in Houthi Strike on Commercial Ship
pentagon - An anti-ship ballistic missile launched Wednesday from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen killed three crew members on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.It was the first fatal strike by Iran-backed Houthi militants since the onslaught on international shipping lanes began in mid-November. It was the fifth such missile fired by the Houthis in two days,.....»»
Crash blocks motorway in central Auckland
Police are assisting FENZ with a crash at the city end of the Northwestern Motorway (SH 16) this afternoon.At around 2.42pm, we were notified of a single vehicle and trailer crash.Thankfully, no one has been injured.The crash occurred near the Grafton Bridge and has blocked the Stanley Street exit.All traffic is being diverted along the Wellesley Street exit.Traffic management is in p.....»»
Death toll in truck crash in central Philippines rises to 15
MANILA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the truck crash in the central Philippines on Wednesday rose to 15 as one of the critically injured died in a hospital, police said Thursday. Police said two other injured people are recuperating at a local hospital. The truck was traveling along a highway in Mabinay town in Negros Oriental province on Wednesday afternoon, when the driver lost control of the.....»»
Death toll in truck crash in central Philippines rises to 15
MANILA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the truck crash in the central Philippines on Wednesday rose to 15 as one of the critically injured died in a hospital, police said Thursday. Police said two other injured people are recuperating at a local hospital. The truck was traveling along a highway in Mabinay town in Negros Oriental province on Wednesday afternoon, when the driver lost control of the.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Feb. 14
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian authorities recovered the bodies of two individuals, who were killed in an aircraft crash on Tuesday. The two victims are Malaysians aged 30 and 42 and had died at the place of the incident, Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said in a statement late Tuesday. (Malaysia-Plane Crash-Death) - - - - KUALA LUMPUR -- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Feb. 13
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian authorities launched a search and rescue operation on Tuesday following a plane crash in Selangor state. The aircraft, which crashed around 1:30 p.m. local time, had two on board including its pilot, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said in a statement. (Malaysia-Aircraft-Crash) - - - - NEW DELHI -- Police Tuesday fired dozens of tear smoke shells and used drones t.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Feb. 13
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian authorities launched a search and rescue operation on Tuesday following a plane crash in Selangor state. The aircraft, which crashed around 1:30 p.m. local time, had two on board including its pilot, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said in a statement. (Malaysia-Aircraft-Crash) - - - - NEW DELHI -- Police Tuesday fired dozens of tear smoke shells and used drones t.....»»
Florida: 2 dead after jet plane crash lands on highway, collides with vehicles
A private passenger jet with five people aboard crash-landed on a busy Florida highway and collided with two vehicles on the ground in a fiery accident on Friday that killed two people, according to authorities and news footage from the scene. The Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet, which took off from Ohio, was on approach.....»»
NEWSBRIEFS | 2 February 2024
Balay Mindanaw members mark 26th anniversary of ill-fated Cebu Pacific Flight 387 CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 02 February) — A handful of friends and relatives trekked to the Flight 387 Shrine here last year to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Cebu Pacific plane crash on the slopes of Mt. Sumagaya. Among them were […].....»»