KABUL: Four survivors of a crash in northern Afghanistan of a charter plane on its way to Moscow were in good health, the Taliban administration said on Monday.
It also said that the bodies of two passengers killed in the accident were being moved to the Afghan capital from the remote crash site.
Russian aviation authorities said on Sunday the plane with six people thought to be on board disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan on Saturday night and Afghan police said they had received reports of a crash in mountainous Badakhshan province.
“Four people from the crashed plane in Badakhshan were transferred to Kabul, the medical and rescue teams of the Ministry of Aviation and the Ministry of Defense have provided them with first aid,” Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
Video footage released by Mujahid’s office showed the four men, some of whom had bruising visible on their faces and one with blood stains on his clothes, stepping off a helicopter with Taliban officials clad in winter jackets.
The video showed an unnamed Taliban official saying the health of the survivors was good.
“Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) last night we found that place (the crash site), a total of six people were in the plane, four of them are alive and two are dead,” he said, adding that the bodies had been transferred to the northern provincial city of Fayzabad and were being brought to Kabul.
The flight that crashed had been carrying out a private medical evacuation from Thailand’s Pattaya, a popular tourist destination for Russians, to Moscow, Russian state-run TASS news agency reported, citing the Russian embassy in Bangkok.
About 25 minutes before the plane vanished from radar screens, the pilot warned that fuel was running low and that the plane would try to land at an airport in Tajikistan, Russian news outlet SHOT reported, citing an unnamed source.
Four survivors of Russian plane crash in Afghanistan in ‘good health’ — Taliban
https://arab.news/vq6uw
Four survivors of Russian plane crash in Afghanistan in ‘good health’ — Taliban
- Bodies of two passengers killed in accident being moved to Afghan capital from remote crash site
- Flight has been carrying out a private medical evacuation from Thailand’s Pattaya to Moscow
Powerful earthquake of 6.2 magnitude shakes in Istanbul
- There were no immediate reports of damage, but people evacuated buildings as the quake hit and shook the city
There were no immediate reports of damage, but people evacuated buildings as the quake hit and shook the city, located on the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus strait.
The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 12:49 (0949 GMT) was in the area of Silivri, some 80km to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92km, AFAD said.
Broadcaster TGRT reported that one person had been injured as a result of jumping off a balcony during the quake, which occurred during a public holiday in Turkiye.
AFAD warned people in the region against entering damaged buildings.
The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said the earthquake had a magnitude 6.02. It was at a depth of 10 km, GFZ said.
EU slaps fines on Apple and Meta, risking Trump fury
- The fines are the first under the Digital Markets Act, which came into effect last year
- Law forces the world’s biggest tech firms to open up to competition in the EU
BRUSSELS: The EU on Wednesday slapped Apple and Meta with €700 million in fines for breaking digital competition rules, risking the wrath of US President Donald Trump.
The penalties threaten to cause more tension in the already fraught relationship between the bloc and Trump, as the two sides discuss a deal to avoid his sweeping tariffs on the EU.
The European Commission fined Apple €500 million ($570 million) after concluding the company prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals.
The EU also fined Meta €200 million over its “pay or consent” system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
The fines are the first under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect last year, forcing the world’s biggest tech firms to open up to competition in the EU.
They could rise further if Meta and Apple fail to comply within 60 days, the commission said, threatening the US giants with “periodic penalty payments.”
The EU bolstered its legal arsenal over the past two years with major twin laws, the Digital Services Act and the DMA.
But since Trump’s return to the White House, there have been concerns that the EU would shy away from enforcing them.
Trump frequently lashes out at the EU over its digital laws and taxes – claiming they are “non-tariff barriers” to trade – and many tech CEOs have aligned with his administration.
He has imposed 25-percent tariffs on steel, aluminum and auto imports from the EU, which Brussels hopes he will lift after an agreement.
Antitrust commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a statement the fines “send a strong and clear message,” insisting the bloc had taken “firm but balanced enforcement action.”
The fines – which come after the investigations began in March 2024 – also appear to be more modest than past penalties against US Big Tech.
When Apple committed similar offenses on its App Store, the commission slapped a 1.8-billion-euro fine in March 2024 under different EU rules.
Apple faces a litany of accusations. The EU also told Apple in preliminary findings it was in breach of the DMA – and therefore at risk of another hefty fine – for not making it easy for rivals to provide alternatives to its App Store.
Apple, however, slammed the decisions and said in a statement it would appeal the fine.
“Today’s announcements are yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and security of our users, bad for products, and force us to give away our technology for free,” the company said.
Meta accused the EU of “attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards.”
“This isn’t just about a fine; the Commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service,” said Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and Trump ally.
In a rare bit of good news for Apple, the EU closed its investigation over its user choice obligations after Apple complied with the DMA, and made it easy to select a default browser and for users to remove pre-installed apps such as Safari.
The fine against Meta concerned its “pay for privacy” system, which has faced fierce criticism by rights defenders in Europe after its introduction in November 2023.
It means users have to pay to avoid data collection, or agree to share their data with Facebook and Instagram to keep using the platforms for free.
But the commission concluded Meta did not provide Facebook and Instagram users a less personalized but equivalent version of the platforms, and “did not allow users to exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data.”
Meta in November last year proposed a new version, which the EU is currently assessing.
WEF confirms investigation into claims against founder Schwab
- Schwab had already stepped down as executive chairman last year
GENEVA: The World Economic Forum confirmed Wednesday that it has launched an investigation into allegations made against its founder Klaus Schwab that reportedly prompting his resignation this week.
In a statement confirming a report by the Wall Street Journal, the WEF said its board of trustees "unanimously supported the Audit and Risk Committee's decision to initiate an independent investigation following a whistleblower letter containing allegations against former Chairman Klaus Schwab".
The WEF, which hosts the annual meeting of wealthy, famous and influential global elites at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos, initially provided no explanation when it announced Monday that its longtime chairman had stepped down from the board with immediate effect.
In the first statement, the WEF's board hailed Schwab's "outstanding achievements" in his 55 years in charge.
But the WSJ reported that the decision had been prompted by a board decision to investigate allegations of financial and ethical misconduct by the longtime leader and his wife Hilde.
Schwab denies the claims, the paper added.
The letter, said to have been sent by anonymous current and former WEF staff, "included allegations that Klaus Schwab asked junior employees to withdraw thousands of dollars from ATMs on his behalf and used Forum funds to pay for private, in-room massages at hotels," wrote the WSJ, which said it had seen the letter and spoken with people familiar with the case.
"It also alleged that his wife Hilde, a former Forum employee, scheduled 'token' Forum-funded meetings in order to justify luxury holiday travel at the organisation's expense," the paper said.
The letter also reportedly raised concerns about how Schwab treated female employees, and how his decades-long leadership allegedly allowed instances of sexual harassment and discriminatory behaviour to go unchecked.
Schwab could not immediately be reached for comment but according to the paper, he had vehemently denied all the allegations and warned board members he would sue if they pursued an investigation.
Despite this, the board of trustees decided at an emergency meeting on Sunday to open a probe, and Schwab opted to resign immediately.
In its statement Wednesday, WEF stressed that its decision "was made after consultation with external legal counsel and in line with the Forum's fiduciary responsibilities".
"While the Forum takes these allegations seriously, it emphasises that they remain unproven, and will await the outcome of the investigation to comment further."
Schwab had already stepped down as executive chairman last year, with Norway's former foreign minister Borge Brende taking over daily management.
A few weeks ago, the 87-year-old Schwab said he would step down as non-executive chairman but with the handover lasting until January 2027.
WEF has said that vice chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe will serve as interim chairman as a search committee looks for a permanent replacement for Schwab.
List of major terror attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir over the years
- Twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when suspected militants opened fire at tourists in Jammu and Kashmir territory
- Attack took place on Tuesday in meadow in Pahalgam area of Himalayan federal territory, dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national
NEW DELHI: Twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when suspected militants opened fire at tourists in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory, police said on Wednesday, the worst such attack in the country in nearly two decades.
The attack took place on Tuesday in a meadow in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory and the dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.
Here is a look at major attacks over the years in India’s only Muslim-majority region, where Islamist militants have fought security forces for decades.
NOVEMBER 2024
At least 11 people were injured when militants threw a grenade at security personnel in a crowded flea market in the main city of Srinagar.
OCTOBER 2024
Six migrant workers and a doctor were shot dead by militants who opened fire near a tunnel construction site. The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility.
JUNE 2024
At least nine people died and 33 were injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a deep gorge after a suspected militant attack.
MAY 2024
Suspected militants opened fire on a tourist couple from the northwestern city of Jaipur, injuring them both.
FEBRUARY 2019
At least 44 security personnel were killed after a suicide bomber rammed a car into a bus carrying Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir. Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility.
JULY 2017
At least seven Hindu pilgrims, on their way back from the revered Amarnath shrine deep in the Himalayas, died when their bus got caught in crossfire after two militant attacks on police in the area.
SEPTEMBER 2016
At least 17 soldiers were killed as separatists armed with AK-47 assault rifles and grenades stormed an army base in Uri near the disputed border with Pakistan.
Beijing slams ‘groundless accusations’ after Ukraine summons Chinese envoy
CHINA: Beijing on Wednesday dismissed as “groundless” Ukraine’s allegation that Chinese fighters and companies were directly assisting Russia’s military.
“China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference in response to a question about China’s ambassador being summoned by Kyiv.
