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pilots was Albert Davidyan
Russian military jet had crashed in Syria on Thursday killing both of its pilots, including commander Albert Davidyan.
Major Albert Davidyan, Armenian by origin, was one of the pilots of a the military jet that crashed off the coast of Syria, near the city of Jableh in Latakia province, Vesti reported quoting Mash.
Russian Defense Ministry said two crew members had tried in vain to save the plane until the last moment.
Turkish jet crashes in Iranian mountains.jpg
The daughter of a prominent Turkish businessman and a group of her friends were among those killed when the plane went down in western Iran. The private jet was bringing them home from a bachelorette party in Dubai.
Emergency services confirmed Sunday that all 11 people on board were killed when the jet crashed into a mountainside in Iran’s remote Zagros range during bad weather.
The eight passengers and three crew members were all women. Media reports said the victims included Turkish socialite and bride-to-be Mina Basaran and seven of her friends, who were returning from celebrating her bachelorette party in Dubai. The 28-year-old was due to get married next month.The plane was on its way from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul when it disappeared from the radar about 70 minutes after entering Iranian airspace.
A recovery effort was underway at the crash site, but officials said heavy snow and rugged terrain was hampering their progress.
The head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Morteza Salimi, told state television that two helicopters would fly to the area on Monday morning “to search for the plane’s debris and bodies,” adding that there were no survivors.
The Bombardier CL604 private plane was reportedly owned by the private holding company of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran, Mina’s father. The firm owns hotels and is also active in the energy, construction and tourism sectors. One of its projects is a luxury apartment complex in Istanbul called “Mina Towers.”
nm/jm (Reuters, AFP, dpa)
Turkish officials on Dec. 7 seized a private jet at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport belonging to Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who became a key witness in the case of Turkish bank executive Hakan Atilla tried over evading U.S. sanctions on Iran.
On Dec. 1, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office decided to seize the assets of Zarrab and those of his acquaintances as part of an investigation against him.
His offices in Istanbul had already been closed after the ruling.
Six days after the ruling, officials from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office arrived at the airport’s main apron, seizing the Challenger 300 type jet belonging to the ARE Aviation company owned by Zarrab.
The private jet was reportedly last used on Nov. 30.
Separately, it was also reported that proceedings were launched to seize Zarrab’s Malta-flagged luxurious yacht worth 7 million euros in the Aegean resort of Bodrum.
The yacht named “60 years” had been at the shipyard of the Bodrum Port for about the last one and a half year.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy sees US and European sanctions on Russia as an opportunity to boost trade. The value and timeframe of the barter, swapping palm oil and coffee for warplanes, remains unknown.
Indonesia said it would trade palm oil, coffee and other commodities for Russian fighter jets.
The barter deal to exchange 11 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 jets for key commodities was signed on August 4 in Moscow between Russia’s Rostec and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia, both state-owned companies.
“The idea was proposed last year and some people suggested Indonesia should trade the jets with our main commodities,” Indonesia’s trade ministry spokesman Marolop Nainggolan told news agency AFP.
The European Union and United States have slapped sanctions on Russia for alleged meddling in the US presidential election and its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said the sanctions were an opportunity for Indonesia to revive trade with Russia which has fallen since 2012.
Lukita said the barter agreement could open up further bilateral trade deals extending to energy and aviation.
Indonesia already operates 16 Sukhoi jets. The southeast Asian nation made its first purchase in 2003 while it was subject to a US embargo on arms sales due to the military’s human rights abuses.
Details of the barter came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was to was due to arrive in Indonesia for two-day visit later Tuesday.
ap/se (AP, AFP)
The first large, Chinese-made jetliner has taken off for its maiden flight in Shanghai, with the event broadcast live on state television. China hopes to rival Boeing and Airbus with its single-aisle C919 aircraft.
Thousands of guests cheered as the plane left the runway in Pudong International Airport on Friday, with top officials, representatives of the Chinese state-owned aircraft maker Comac, and business partners attending the event.
The narrow-body jet can seat between 155 and 175 passengers in six rows of seats, separated by an aisle. Comac designed the aircraft to serve as a domestic alternative to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 as the Chinese travel market moves to surpass the US by 2024. An annual growth of 6 percent over the next 20 years will create the first trillion-dollar aviation market, according to forecasts by Boeing.
Reaching for the big two
According to Comac, some 200 Chinese firms and 36 universities participated in the development of the C919 jetliner. The plane, however, still relies on foreign-made systems. These include engines made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines. The first deliveries of Chinese engines are expected in 2020.
“Our goal, of course, is to become the third player sharing the market with Boeing and Airbus,” Yang Chao, the dean of Beihang University’s School of Aeronautics and Engineering, told the dpa news agency. “But this requires a long journey.”
“The manufacturing of the C919 is the first step, and an important step, in this process,” Yang said.
Xi behind the project
The mid-size plane could enter service in two years time if all the tests are successful. The development of the C919, whose name is pronounced similar to the Chinese world for “everlasting,” has been endorsed by the country’s leadership, including President Xi Jingping.
Xi visited the government-owned Comac in 2013, before taking office, and his words: “Accelerate the construction of the world’s top aviation company and continue to make new contributions to develop a strong aviation industry,” remain emblazoned on the walls of its production facility.
The jet was scheduled to be tested in 2014, but the production was burdened by delays.
Comac says it have received around 570 orders, almost all of them from domestic companies.
Last year, China started operating a smaller passenger jet ARJ21 on domestic routes, which was also developed by Comac.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says Iraqi fighter jets have pounded the positions of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria.
“We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens wherever it is found, so we gave orders to the air force command to strike Daesh positions in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory,” Abadi said in a statement on Friday.
The Iraqi premier added that the targets were connected with recent deadly explosions in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
“The heroes of the sky executed the operation and responded to the terrorists with amazing success,” Abadi said.
A security official, who asked not to be named, said it was the first time Iraqi warplanes had bombed Daesh targets in Syria.
A source close to the Syrian Foreign Ministry said the airstrike was conducted in “complete coordination” with the Damascus government.
Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a separate statement that the F16 fighter jets destroyed Daesh positions and headquarters in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal on Friday morning.
A top security official said the airstrike targeted the terrorists’ “headquarters used for making car bombs in Albu Kamal… after Iraqi intelligence received tips from their sources inside Syria.”
Iraqi forces are engaged in an operation to liberate Mosul, which is the last stronghold of Daesh in the Arab country.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh mounted an offensive in the country in June 2014.
Germany must find alternatives to the Incirlik Air Base and pull its soldiers and weapons from Turkey, German MP Rainer Arnold told Der Spiegel magazine. Ankara has been blocking official visits from Berlin to the base.
The Bundeswehr was considering moving its Tornado reconnaissance jets to Cyprus or Jordan, Der Spiegel reported on Thursday.
Turkey currently hosts six of the warplanes and some 240 German soldiers at Incirlik Air Base near Ankara. The jets are presently involved in the aerial campaign against the “Islamic State.”
At the same time, the two countries are engaged in a diplomatic row that saw Ankara repeatedly block German officials from visiting the troops.
The mission is set to expire in December.
“If we are not allowed to visit our soldiers, the continuation of the mandate is impossible,” said Reiner Arnold, defense spokesman for the SPD.
The SPD is a junior partner of Angela Merkel’s CDU within the ruling coalition, but their votes are necessary for prolonging the mandate in the German parliament.
No-fly zone
The diplomatic clashes first started in June, when the German parliament passed a resolution branding the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 as “genocide.” Ankara then blocked a visit to the base by the undersecretary for defense, Ralf Brauksiepe.
After that, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen managed to travel to Incirlik. However, a delegation of journalists and a separate group of parliamentarians were later forbidden from flying to the NATO base.
Ankara has refused to budge despite strong diplomatic pressure from Berlin.
“The German government must immediately find other bases for the German soldiers,” defense spokesman Arnold told Der Spiegel.
Worst-case scenario
Pulling out of Turkey would be a “nightmare” for the German army, according to the article.
The move would stop the sorties against “IS” for at least two months, raise the cost and present new logistic challenges, unnamed military sources told Der Spiegel. Also, the German contingent would be separated from the US troops, who are in charge of leading the mission.
Moreover, the dispute could jeopardize a future German mission in Turkey involving AWACS jets set to monitor airspace above “IS” territory.
Rumors of moving nukes
The German Defense Ministry did not officially confirm it was preparing to move the Tornados and tanker jets from Turkey.
“We would like to continue our mission from Turkey, but the Incirlik base is not the only option,” the magazine quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.
Earlier this month, media reports suggested that the US was moving its nuclear warheads from Incirlik to Romania due to instability in Turkey and rising tensions between Ankara and its western allies. Romania denied the move.
dj/xx (Reuters, AFP)
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Emirates said flight EK521 was involved in an “accident” that occurred at 12:45pm local time (08:45 GMT) on Tuesday.
Photos on social media showed smoke billowing from the aircraft, which crash-landed on arrival from Thiruvananthapuram, India.
The fire has since been completely extinguished, according to the Dubai government’s press office.
Emirates has also confirmed that “all passengers and crew are accounted for and safe.”
he airport initially suspended departures, but those flights have since been resumed. Priority will first be given to larger aircraft.
Emirates has also said it is expecting an eight-hour network-wide delay following the incident.
The plane involved is a Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW aircraft, according to Flightradar24. It has reportedly been in service for 13 years.
According to air traffic control recordings cited by Aviation Herald, controllers in Dubai reminded the crew to lower the landing gear as it came into approach.
Shortly after that reminder, the crew announced it was aborting the landing to “go around,” which is a routine procedure for pilots.
However, the aircraft came to a rest near the end of the runway instead, according to Aviation Herald.
It is not clear whether the landing gear was extended when the plane touched the ground. However, a family of passengers told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the equipment did not deploy and the plane landed on its belly.
Boeing said in a statement that it is monitoring the situation and will be working with Emirates to gather more information.
Emirates is the largest company in the Middle East, with more than 3,000 weekly flights to 161 destinations on six continents.
Turkish fighter jets violated Greek air space for the second time in as many days Tuesday, fueling concern in military and diplomatic circles.
Just after 8 a.m. two Turkish F-16s entered the Athens Flight Information Region between Lesvos and Chios and flew over the islet of Oinousses.
About an hour later, one Turkish F-16 entered the same area of Greek air space and also flew over Oinousses.
In both cases, the Turkish jets were chased off by Greek aircraft.
Ankara carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) forces in northern Iraq, the Turkish army said on Wednesday. The action comes in the wake of rising tensions between Ankara and Baghdad over the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq.Tensions have been rising between Ankara and Baghdad after Turkey deployed hundreds of troops equipped with tanks and artillery to Iraq’s northern Nineveh Governorate last Thursday, saying they will train forces battling Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
Baghdad said it had not asked for the help of Turkish forces, and demanded their withdrawal after it said Turkey had “illegally” sent the troops into Iraq. Describing the move as violation of sovereignty, the Iraqi government also asked NATO to intervene.
Meanwhile, Shiite paramilitary groups have threatened to use force against Turkey unless it pulls its forces out of Iraq. Likening the Turkish incursion to the occupation of Iraq by IS militants, Badr Brigade spokesman Karim al-Nuri said “all options” were available.
“We have the right to respond and we do not exclude any type of response until the Turks have learned their lesson,” Nuri said on Wednesday. “Do they have a dream of restoring Ottoman greatness? This is a great delusion and they will pay dearly because of Turkish arrogance.”
Also on Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament unanimously approved a motion condemning the Turkish intervention, supporting the government in taking whatever measures it viewed as appropriate.
Russia raised the issue at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, expressing hope that Ankara will avoid escalating the situation in the region with any further reckless actions. Following the meeting, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said that Moscow expects Ankara to “settle the situation in Iraq in a way that would satisfy the Iraqi government.”
“Now the situation is within the focus of the attention of the Security Council, so we hope it will help resolve [it] to the satisfaction of the Iraqi government, whose sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence will be respected,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed Ankara’s actions while speaking to Italian media on Wednesday.
Lavrov proposed a thorough examination of how Turkey performs goals set by the coalition in Syria. “We need to examine how a member of the US-led coalition – the Republic of Turkey – performs goals set by the coalition,” the minister said. “Why is it not bombing terrorists as such, but the Kurds instead?”
READ MORE:West’s reaction to Turkish invasion – an exercise in hypocrisy
On Wednesday, Ankara argued that Turkish soldiers were sent to northern Iraq after a threat from IS to Turkish military trainers in the area. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the deployment was an act of solidarity, not aggression.
“The [military] trainers in the Bashiqa camp were threatened by Daesh (Islamic State) because it is 15-20 kilometers from Mosul and they have only light arms,” he told media in Istanbul. “So when these threats increased… we sent some troops to protect the camp, not as an act of aggression but as an act of solidarity.”
