Foreign News
South Korean fighter jets collided due to pilots taking pictures, report finds
South Korean authorities have found that two fighter jets collided mid-air in 2021 because the pilots were taking pictures and videos.
The incident took place while the jets were on a flight mission in the central city of Daegu, according to Seoul’s Board of Audit and Inspection.
The pilots survived with no injuries, but the collision damaged the planes, costing the military 880 million won ($596,000; £440,500) in repairs.
One of the pilots, who has since left the military, was made to pay a fine of 88 million won.
The incident took place because that pilot had wanted to take photos to commemorate his last flight with his military unit.
Taking photos of significant flights was “a widespread practice among pilots at the time”, the audit board said in a report published on Wednesday.
The pilot had declared his intent to do so in a briefing before the flight, according to the report.
He was flying the wingman aircraft and was following the lead aircraft during the mission. While flying back to their base, he started taking pictures using his personal mobile phone.
Upon noticing this, the pilot of the lead aircraft then asked another pilot on his plane to film a video of the wingman aircraft.
The wingman pilot then abruptly flew his jet up higher and flipped it so that it could be better captured on camera. This manoeuvre brought the two planes very close to each other.
To avoid a crash, the lead aircraft tried to rapidly descend. But the two F-15K jets eventually collided, damaging the lead aircraft’s left wing and the wingman aircraft’s tail stabiliser.
South Korea’s air force suspended the wingman pilot, who has since left the military to work for a commercial airline.
Subsequently, the air force sought to fine the wingman pilot 880 million won to cover the full amount of the repair costs. When the pilot appealed against the fine, it prompted an investigation by the audit board.
The wingman pilot acknowledged his sudden manoeuvre led to the collision, but argued that the lead aircraft’s pilot had “tacitly consented” to the manoeuvre since he was aware that filming was taking place.
The audit board eventually ruled that the wingman pilot should only pay a tenth of what the air force sought.
It said that the air force should bear some responsibility for not properly regulating pilots’ personal use of cameras.
The board also took into account that the wingman pilot had a good track record prior to the incident, and that he had managed to prevent further damage by promptly commandeering a safe return of his aircraft to the base.
The report did not mention whether any action was taken against the other pilots involved in the incident.
[BBC]
A court in Malta has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of masterminding the murder of prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Fenech, 44, was acquitted on Wednesday at the end of a jury trial. He had been tried on charges of complicity to murder and for the lesser charge of criminal association to commit murder.
If found guilty, Fenech could have faced life in prison.
Caruana Galizia’s family were seen weeping in the packed courtroom in Valletta after the businessman was cleared of both counts by an 8-1 margin following eight hours of deliberation by the jury.
“Nine years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed,” the slain reporter’s family said in a statement.
“Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne’s life. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost.”
Fenech’s family members were seen celebrating the jury’s decision.
The killing of Caruana Galizia in October 2017 shocked Europe’s journalist community and set off a political firestorm in Malta, focusing international attention on its police and judiciary.
Dubbed a “one-woman WikiLeaks”, Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the Mediterranean island country, shining a spotlight on links between Malta’s business and political elites. She was 53 when she was killed.
Prosecutors argued that Fenech had wanted Caruana Galizia killed because she was about to reveal information about him.
Fenech has denied the accusations. His defence instead pointed fingers at his one-time friend Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and a target of Caruana Galizia’s blogs.
Muscat, who was never linked to the murder, stepped down in January 2020 due to the political fallout from the assassination.
Police told the court that Schembri had never been a suspect. He has denied any role in the murder.
An independent inquiry in 2021 found that officials in Malta had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life before her death.
[Aljazeera]
A head teacher’s quick decision to evacuate his school saved 900 pupils from deadly flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border
Rajendra Dawadi tells the BBC he was tipped off about incoming flood waters and moved students to higher ground with just minutes to spare. One pupil says she and her friends survived by just 10 seconds and watched as a nearby bazaar was swept away
Wednesday’s disaster has killed at least 794 people and more than 2,500 people are missing in Nepal, local officials say
In Tibet, the official death toll is 16, with 546 reported to be missing, according to Chinese state media –
[BBC]
A ferry carrying around 260 people has capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus with a search underway for survivors, according to local media.
The catamaran-style boat was travelling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, and started sinking a few kilometres off the coast of the island state on Sunday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
[Aljazeera]
Italian Naval Vessel ‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ arrives in Colombo
England Women appoint Leah Poulton as managing director
Bangladesh bank on bowlers in bid to bring India down
Avindu makes history with first World University gold for Sri Lanka
Establishment of National Trade Negotiation Committee (NTFC) and Trade Policy Consultation Committee.
Showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts
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