Indonesia blames Sukhoi jet crash on pilot error
Indonesian investigators revealed
Tuesday that a pilot error caused the crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 in May,
when it descended to low altitudes and crashed into a volcano. The flight of
post-Soviet Russia's
first passenger plane, led by a veteran pilot, hoped to showcase the new
aircraft to buyers in Indonesia.
The jet slammed into the 2,200-meter-high dormant Mount
Salak volcano, killing all 45 on
board. The Indonesian National Transport Safety Committee (KNKT) ruled out
technical failures, finding that the aircraft's terrain awareness and warning
system (TAWS) had sent multiple alerts to the pilot, who allegedly switched off
the device before the crash, AFP said. “The crash could have been avoided
if a recovery action was carried out within 24 seconds from the first warning,”
KNKT chief Tatang Kurniadi said.
4 female polio workers killed in Pakistan gun attack
Gunmen have killed four women
working on a government polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan's
largest city, Karachi, officials
said. The gunmen also wounded on Tuesday two men who were with the women, said
Sagher Ahmed, health minister for nearby Sindh province. The shootings took
place in an area of Karachi
populated by ethnic Pashtuns. The Taliban, a Pashtun movement, has spoken out
against polio vaccinations in recent months. It claimed the health workers are
acting as spies for the US,
and that the vaccine is harmful.
Resignation of Israeli FM Lieberman takes effect
The resignation of Israeli
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman went into effect on Tuesday. He was charged
with fraud and breach of trust last week, and announced his resignation on
Friday. It took effect at 0800 GMT, with his duties now transferred to Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, AFP reported. Netanyahu already holds portfolios
for economic strategy, pensioner affairs and health. Lieberman has pledged to
clear his name, and will retain his seat in parliament. The ex-FM will still
stand in snap elections on January 22. His nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party is
currently running on a joint ticket with Netanyahu's right-wing Likud.
Regulators fine Morgan Stanley $5mln over Facebook IPO
Morgan Stanley, the lead
underwriter for Facebook's troubled public stock offering, will pay $5 million
to Massachusetts securities
regulators. The firm was accused of disclosing Facebook’s revenue shortfall
only to certain analysts, and not the general public. Those numbers were
reportedly lower than what many analysts had expected, causing them to revise
their annual revenue estimates down about 3 percent below the $5 billion that
Facebook had earlier forecast for 2012, Massachusetts officials said. The
renewed estimates were available to investment banks, but not individual
investors.
NASA crashes two spacecraft into moon
Two NASA spacecraft were
deliberately crashed into a mountain near the Moon's north pole on Monday,
ending a mission to study the lunar interior. The vessels, named Ebb and Flow,
were reportedly commanded to fire their engines and burn their remaining fuel.
NASA said it dedicated the impact site to the memory of mission team member
Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, who died earlier this year. Ebb
and Flow’s mission focused on measuring the Moon's gravity field. These efforts
produced the most detailed gravity maps of the solar system ever, the AP said.
The crash comes on the same month as the 40th anniversary of the launch of
Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon.
Russia’s Baltic Fleet ships replace Black Sea Fleet unit in Mediterranean Sea
Five ships and support vessels
from Russia's
Baltic Fleet will replace Black Sea Fleet ships currently operating in the Mediterranean
Sea. The Baltic Fleet unit includes the escort vessel Yaroslav
Mudry, the large assault ships Kaliningrad
and Aleksandr Shabalin, the rescue towboat SB-921 and the tanker Lena.
The ships have left the fleet's main base and are now heading to the Mediterranean
Sea, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Interfax.
10 wounded in grenade attack at Pakistani army recruiting center
Two men on a motorcycle threw
hand grenades at the main gate of an army recruiting center in northwestern Pakistan
on Tuesday, wounding 10 people, police said. The attack took place in the garrison
town of Risalpur in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province, on the edge of Pakistan’s
tribal region. The wounded included civilians and security personnel. The
attackers reportedly fled the scene.
Court denies Apple request to ban Samsung phones
Apple’s legal request to ban US
sales of Samsung smartphone models that illegally used Apple technology was
denied by a federal judge on Monday. The decision is part of several weeks of
rulings raised in the case after the jury found that Samsung unfairly used
critical features of the iPhone and iPad in its devices. Apple estimated it
incurred damages of $1.05 billion. The two companies are involved in more than
50 lawsuits in countries around the world, with billions of dollars in damages
claimed between them.
S. African police arrest 4 over ‘terror plot’
Four South African white men face
treason and terrorism charges over a plot that included plans to attack the
ongoing African National Congress (ANC) political party convention, police said
on Tuesday. The men were arrested in different locations in South
Africa on Sunday, Brig. Billy Jones told the
AP. Police described the men as having right-wing political beliefs. The ANC is
currently holding its ‘Mangaung’ convention to choose the party's leadership.
UN allows blacklisted Taliban to travel for peace talks
The UN Security Council has
renewed its sanctions against the Afghan Taliban, but those on its blacklist
will be allowed to travel outside of Afghanistan
for peace talks. The resolution adopted on Monday invited the Afghan government
to submit the names of listed individuals who will “participate in meetings
in support of peace and reconciliation,” AFP said. The current sanctions
list includes 132 individuals and four entities. Diplomats believe the travel
exemptions would help promote reconciliation in Afghanistan
after foreign troops withdraw in 2014.
1.5 tons of cocaine destined for US seized by Colombian police
A truck container with 1.5 tons
of cocaine, worth an estimated $5 million, was seized by police in Cartagena,
Columbia, as it was set to be
shipped to Honduras
and then the US,
local media reported Monday. The truck’s driver was arrested while delivering the
container to the city’s maritime terminal. He will be charged with drug
trafficking and possession of narcotics. Police will also investigate employees
at the marine terminal for possible links to the incident.
Obama and Boehner move closer to fiscal cliff deal
President Obama and House
Speaker John Boehner have once again exchanged ideas in an effort to avoid America’s
looming fiscal cliff. The White House has also dropped the idea of raising tax
rates on incomes above $250,000 and will now focus on those earning $400,000 or
more. Obama’s new vision of a ten-year deficit reduction package is to be
focused on increased revenue, as opposed to cuts in government spending. Obama
has proposed a revenue figure of $1.2 trillion, as opposed to his last $1.4
trillion proposal. Boehner's in turn calls for $1 trillion in tax revenue,
which is to be derived from raising rates and limiting deductions that the rich
can take.
Mexico to see new drug battling force
Mexico
is to establish a new law enforcement unit to battle crime and drug trade in
the country, the country’s President has announced. The gendarmerie will be
modeled after Spain's
Guardia Civil and will include 10,000 agents. Currently Mexico
has a patchwork of city and state police, along with some national police.
According to the country’s president, the Mexican army is to remain involved in
security operations until the new national police force is fully trained.
Hacker gets 10 years in prison for exposing celebrities
A hacker who exposed the private
lives of Hollywood’s most famous
has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. A federal judge sentenced
Christopher Chaney after he broke into the personal online accounts of Scarlett
Johansson, Christina Aguilera and other women and posted their nude pictures
online. Prosecutors said that Chaney has also targeted two women he knew,
sending nude pictures of one former co-worker to her father.
N. Korean satellite appears to tumble in orbit- report
A North Korean satellite that
reached orbit last week appears to be broken, the New York Times reports.
“It’s spinning or tumbling, and we haven’t picked up any transmissions,” Jonathan
McDowell, a Harvard astronomer told the publication. “Those two things are
most consistent with the satellite being entirely inactive at this point.” Pyongyang
has not reported any malfunctioning of the unit. The launch was hailed to
demonstrate “indomitable spirit and massive national capabilities.”
Most senior US senator dies age 88
Washington’s
most senior senator has died from respiratory complications in a military
hospital age of 88. Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, a Democrat, was a World War
II veteran and a Medal of Honor recipient. Serving as a politician from 1962,
Inouye was the first Japanese-American in Congress and has most recently
chaired the powerful appropriations committee. Inouye will be remembered for
his efforts to secure the rights and benefits of veterans, as well as his
endeavors in alternative-energy initiatives.
Six Hyundai employees kidnapped in Nigeria
Six Hyundai workers have been
kidnapped in southern Nigeria,
police report. Four expatriates and two locals have been taken by gunpoint in a
forest while traveling to a workplace in southern Bayelsa state. Armed bandits
frequently abduct foreigners in the oil rich Niger Delta in ransom kidnappings,
but in recent years Nigerians from wealthy families have increasingly become
their targets.
Egypt’s prosecutor general resigns after less
than a month in office
Egypt’s
new public prosecutor has resigned from his post following his appointment last
month, state media reports. Talaat Ibrahim’s resignation follows pressure and
outcry among some members of the judiciary branch who say that President’s
Mohamed Mursi's appointment of Ibrahim was an assault on the independence of
the branch. Egypt’s
state press, Al-Ahram says that Ibrahim's resignation would be presented to the
Supreme Judicial Council on Sunday.
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