Russian Airline Rejects Human, Technical Causes for Egypt Crash | Russian plane crash: investigators examine theory that Isil bombed airliner
- Get link
- Other Apps
The Russian airline whose passenger jet crashed in Egypt on Saturday with 224 people on board dismissed human or technical error as the cause of the crash.
Russian minister says the black boxes from plane crash in Egypt are in good condition.
bib Israel on Shabbos parshas Vayeira returned the bodies of two terrorists. One of the two was responsible for seriously injuring an IDF soldier in Beit Anoun. The second moderately wounded an avreich in Beit Shemesh.
The AKP's campaign focused on the instability and uncertainty Turkey has faced as a result of the outcome of the June elections.
Victims' bodies flown back to Russia to be identified by family members as plane's black boxes to be analysed
Read the whole story
· ·
 Reuters |
Heavy fog causes flight disruption over Britain
Reuters LONDON Airports across Britain suffered disruption on Monday as heavy fog led to delays and cancellations for a second day. Flights to and from London airports were being affected, while foggy conditions in the capital and across Europe were causing ... Fog Causes Flight Cancelations in BritainNew York Times UK weather: Fog causes second day of travel chaos as more flights cancelled at...Telegraph.co.uk Aer Lingus cancels flights between Ireland and London due to heavy fogIrish Independent The Guardian all 328 news articles » |
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 2
 Newsweek |
Is Kissinger Right About Assad and ISIS?
Newsweek Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger testifies at the Senate Armed Services Committee on global challenges and U.S. national security strategy on Capitol Hill in Washington January 29. Kissinger weighed in on Russia's military intervention in ... Obama on a lonely island when it comes to Russia and SyriaHot Air Russia and the Curse of GeographyThe Atlantic What Putin is doing in the Middle EastCNN Jerusalem Post Israel News -International Affairs Review -ARA News all 106 news articles » |
Episcopal Church installs its first African-American bishop
Washington Post The public face and style of the Episcopal Church shifted Sunday with the installation of Michael Bruce Curry, the denomination's first African American spiritual leader. Curry, 62, a high-energy, evangelical pastor, is expected to bring a positive ... and more » |
 USA TODAY |
In visit to Newark halfway house, Obama to campaign for 'second chances'
USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Stephanie Luna pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine — a charge that could have netted her up to 20 years in prison. Instead, she's getting drug treatment at a New Jersey halfway house, where President ... Obama to Announce Steps to Help Ex-Prisoners Find Jobs and HousingNew York Times Obama aims to rehabilitate the formerly incarceratedCNN International Obama to announce plans to help the formerly incarceratedReuters Bloomberg-NJ.com-Miami Herald all 163 news articles » |
Two days after a Russian airliner crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killing all 224 people on board, the cause of the disaster remains a mystery.
Earlier, a top official at the Russian airline Metrojet said at a news conference in Moscow on Monday that a technical failure was out of the question. The official, Alexander Smirnov, said instead that a “mechanical impact” was to blame.
Metrojet officials, who are under scrutiny from Russian authorities, did not identify a specific cause, while the investigators continue to work. Separately on Monday, Russian authorities began to repatriate the bodies of those killed. Initial statements from Egyptian officials suggested a mechanical failure was to blame.
The authorities have key advantages in the ongoing investigation. Officials have full access to the Sinai crash site, and the plane’s flight recorders have been recovered.
But while the ultimate cause of the crash remains to be determined, the claims and counterclaims of Egyptian and Russian officials, the airline, and others, add up to an inconclusive picture.
“Everyone’s covering their bases with statements, certainly,” said Zack Gold, a security analyst who tracks the insurgency in the Sinai region where the jet crashed. “It’s in Metrojet’s interest to say there was no mechanical problem, and it’s in the Egyptians’ interests, who are really keen on tourists returning to say ‘no, it was a plane problem.’”
Separately on Monday, a spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin said that no possible scenario had been ruled out.
“Right now we can’t rule out any explanation, and in general the investigators are just starting their work. Right now we just can’t say which version of events will form the basis for investigative efforts,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the TASS news agency.
The plane took off from the airport in Sharm al-Sheikh, a south Sinai resort town popular with Russian tourists that is heavily guarded by the Egyptian army and police. The plane, an Airbus A321, had reached its cruising altitude of some 33,000 feet, before dropping about 6,000 feet in six seconds. Russian aviation officials said Sunday that the plane broke up while it was in the air.
Some evidence points toward possible concerns about the plane itself. The jet was damaged in 2001 when the plane struck the runway, according to safety data now made public to the media. The plane was owned by Irish firm Willmington Trust SP Services (Dublin) Ltd and leased to Metrojet and the Irish Aviation Authority said it carried out a satisfactory annual inspection of the aircraft in April/May 2015. The authority added that under international aviation rules Russia was responsible for the plane’s operation, maintenance and safety.
A Sinai-based insurgent group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria claimed on Saturday that it brought the plane down, but Egyptian and Russian authorities dismissed that statement. Experts agree that no militant group in the region has the weaponry to shoot down a plane at that altitude. The Malaysian airliner shot out of the sky over Ukraine last year was brought down by a Russian-made Buk missile system, which no insurgent group in Egypt is known to possess.
ISIS-linked accounts on social media have countered with the taunting assertion that they never said how the group—the so-called Sinai Province of ISIS—brought the plane down. These pro-jihadi insinuate that the aircraft could have been brought down by some other means, such as smuggling an explosive device onto the plane.
“This could be them trying to keep the lie going. And this may certainly be the case if the ISIS claim is real,” said Mokhtar Awad, a research associate at the Center for American Progress in Washington who studies the Sinai insurgency.
ISIS has threatened Russia in response to its military campaign in Syria in support of the regime of president Bashar Al-Assad.
ISIS members have made false claims in the past, but experts say it was rare for group’s Egyptian branch to publish an outright lie, attempting to claim credibility in their conflict with the Egyptian government, which frequently releases vague statements about its counterinsurgency in Sinai.
“As counter intuitive as this may seem Salafis are in fact many things but not usually blatant liars,” he added in an email, referring to the brand of Islam associated with ISIS. “This episode surely damages this so-called Jihadi credibility.”
Gold, the security analyst, also cast down on the possibility that a threatening object could have been smuggled onto the plane. “I think that it would be difficult to sneak something through,” he said. “My assumption would be that in order to sneak an explosive through the airport you would need to infiltrate the airport, whether its airport staff” or some other personnel. However, travelers have reported lax security at Sharm al-Sheikh airport, in particular, police officers passing luggage through scanning machines without paying close attention.
Still other statements suggest a mechanical or technical failure. A co-pilot of the plane had complained to his family about the condition of the plane before flying, according to his ex- wife who was interviewed on a Russian state-backed TV channel on Saturday.
“Our eldest daughter called him before he flew out. He was complaining before the flight that the technical condition of the plane left something to be desired,” said Natalia Trukhacheva, ex-wife of co-pilot Sergei Trukhachev.
Read the whole story
· · · ·
CAIRO (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslim supporters to band together to confront the threat from the West and Russia in Syria and Iraq, the latest recording suggesting greater unity between al Qaeda and Islamic State.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's pro-republic Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday scrapped knights and dames from the nation's honors system, less than a year after a furor sparked by the award of a knighthood to Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 3
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's Islamist-rooted AK Party swept to an unexpected victory in elections on Sunday, returning the country to single-party rule in an outcome that will boost the power of President Tayyip Erdogan but may sharpen deep social divisions.
In the face of concerns over the growing power of Iran and its militia proxies, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has intervened in Iraqi politics, at least for now.
A letter signed by more than 100 poets and writers pledges support for two poets sentenced to prison and floggings, calling their prosecution inhuman.
Debris of the Airbus A321-200 in the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday. Investigators were weighing the chain of events, and other factors, to see what caused the aircraft to crash.
Open Source: Syrian Rebels Say Caged Hostages Will Die With Them if Shelling Continuesby ROBERT MACKEY and MAHER SAMAAN
An activist close to the antigovernment Army of Islam said prisoners would be placed on rooftops and in streets in territory it holds outside Damascus “so they can taste our misery,”
The thick mist is not uncommon at this time of year, but it was so dense that even fog-hardened Britons were taking to Twitter to share photographs.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 4
The Russian airline Kogalymavia blames "external activity" for Saturday's deadly Sinai plane crash which killed 224 people.
Almost as many migrants reached Europe by sea last month - more than 218,000 - as in the whole of 2014, the UN refugee agency says.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, installed Sunday as the first black leader of the U.S. Episcopal Church, urged Episcopalians to evangelize by crossing divides of race, education and wealth....
Obama gets personal in criminal justice pushby By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As President Barack Obama has toured the country in a recent push for a criminal justice overhaul, he's worried publicly about the possibility of his daughters' teenage rebellion. He's mused about his own drug use as a wayward youth. He's told stories of being pulled over for speeding - and not always deserving the ticket....
Analysis: Russian goals in Syria defined by timingby By STEVEN R. HURST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- There's much speculation about Russian motives for intervening in Syria. The root answer lies in the timing....
When Pakistan launched its military operation against militants in the lawless tribal region of North Waziristan, many crossed the long, porous border into Afghanistan. As VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports, some of them may have formed a branch of the violent Islamic State group in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/how-islamic-state-got-a-foothold-in-eastern-afghanistan/3032785.html
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/how-islamic-state-got-a-foothold-in-eastern-afghanistan/3032785.html
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 5
The head of Iran’s nuclear energy program said in Japan that the nation has started decommissioning the first of thousands of centrifuges used for enriching uranium.
 Reuters |
Iran says may quit Syria talks, in worsening spat with Saudi rival
Reuters DUBAI Iran said on Monday it would quit Syria peace talks if it found them unconstructive, citing the "negative role" of Saudi Arabia, in the latest twist in a spat between the regional rivals that bodes ill for efforts to ease turmoil across the ... Iran's Rouhani urges end to Saudi 'instrusions' in MideastThe Guardian Nigeria (satire) (press release) (blog) Iran says to pull out of Syria talks if unconstructive, citing Saudi roleReuters Africa Iran threatens to pull out of Syria talksgulfnews.com Press TV all 69 news articles » |
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has begun forming a government after voters returned control of parliament to his Justice and Development Party. Analysts say security concerns are what drove the election, with Turkish voters putting worries about a slowing economy, a clamp down on the media, Erdogan's Islamist agenda and his growing authoritarian style behind their fear of terrorism and the Kurds' pursuit of autonomy. VOA Europe Correspondent Luis Ramirez reports from Istanbul.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/turkeys-erdogan-starts-forming-government-after-surprise-victory/3032812.html
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/turkeys-erdogan-starts-forming-government-after-surprise-victory/3032812.html
The bodies of 144 people killed in Saturday's air crash in Egypt have been flown back to the Russian city of St Petersburg, as an investigation into the disaster continues.
ASTANA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday Russia needs to help find a political solution in Syria and not simply support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Party Victory in Turkey Bolsters Erdogan’s Pursuit of Powerby TIM ARANGO and CEYLAN YEGINSU
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey after casting his ballot on Sunday. Mr. Erdogan has said he envisioned a presidency with powers even greater than that of the president in the American system.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 6
In Azerbaijan, elections on November 1 saw the party of President Ilham Aliyev winning a strong majority in parliament -- amid doubts over the fairness of the poll. (RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
 U.S. News & World Report |
Islamic State group advances in central Syria, seizing town
U.S. News & World Report In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, right, meets with U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. Al-Moallem said "important" points ... Syria and the USJerusalem Post Israel News all 216 news articles » |
- Get link
- Other Apps
Comments
Post a Comment