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Turkey buries women killed in plane crash over Iran

Turkey buries women killed in plane crash over Iran

 

ISTANBUL, March 15, 2018 (AFP) - Grieving families on Thursday bade farewell to the young women killed in a plane crash over Iran while returning from a pre-wedding celebration for a Turkish businessman's daughter, in a tragedy that shocked the country.

Mina Basaran, 28, daughter of businessman Huseyin Basaran, had taken seven of her girlfriends to the United Arab Emirates for a trip ahead of her wedding in April.

But on their way home to Turkey, the private jet belonging to her father's company crashed over Iran killing all eight women, as well as the two female pilots and the air hostess.

Basaran was to be buried after a farewell ceremony at a mosque in the Atakoy district of Istanbul for her and two other victims attended by the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Two other friends killed in the accident, Liana Hananel and Jasmin Baruh Siloni, members of Istanbul's Jewish community, were buried in separate ceremonies at two Jewish cemeteries in the districts of Ulus and Arnavutkoy.

The other passengers were laid to rest separately while hostess Eda Uslu was buried in Istanbul and pilot Melike Kuvvet, a former member of the Turkish air force, was buried in her home city of Konya.

Her pilot's overalls were laid on her coffin as relatives laid their heads on it in grief, television pictures showed.

Full-page tributes were placed by the family of Mina Basaran as well as her finance Murat Gezer who wrote, heartbreakingly: "My sweet-hearted angel. I love you very much. Wait for me."

They were due to marry on April 14 at the Ciragan Saray, an Ottoman-era palace by the Bosphorus.

Mina Basaran was already a board member of the family company while many of her seven girlfriends who accompanied her on the trip had successful careers with some already starting families.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation said the plane crashed after a technical problem whose origin remains unknown. The body of the other pilot, Beril Gerbes, has yet to be recovered.

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Turkey journalists stand up for jailed colleague after 500 days

Turkey journalists stand up for jailed colleague after 500 days

 

ISTANBUL, March 15, 2018 (AFP) - A group of Turkish journalists on Thursday staged a protest urging freedom for all jailed colleagues, after the chairman of an opposition daily marked spending 500 days in prison.

The Cumhuriyet daily's editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu and investigative reporter Ahmet Sik walked free from prison last Friday after more than a year in jail although they remain on trial.

But paper's chairman Akin Atalay is still held in jail and is the only suspect of 17 Cumhuriyet staff probed in the case still behind bars.

Atalay spent his 500th day in detention on Wednesday, the paper marking it with an editorial headlined "Injustice on its 500th day."

They are accused of terror-related crimes and face up to 43 years in prison if convicted. The next trial hearing is set for Friday.

The freed journalists as well as lawyers gathered outside Istanbul's main Caglayan court on Thursday morning, carrying Atalay's picture.

"We will continue to do journalism because journalism is not a crime," Sik told the crowd.

The Cumhuriyet (Republic) trial set off alarm bells over the state of press freedom in Turkey. It is still not clear when the final verdict will be announced.

- 'See the sky'-

Speaking to AFP, Sabuncu said he couldn't enjoy his freedom while there were still other journalists in jail.

"It is not a good feeling to be free under these circumstances because Akin Atalay is still in jail," he said.

But he admitted it was a great feeling to "see the sky."

"We will continue to perform our profession of journalism and stand tall for everyone to see the sky," he said.

Musa Kart, the paper's cartoonist who was jailed in the case and then released last year, said the case was based on "unfair, unlawful and baseless allegations."

"This case has faded in the public consciousness," he said.

"Turkey has no interest or benefit in lengthening this case. We need to let common sense prevail rapidly," he added.

"I believe that journalists and politicians behind bars should obtain their freedom."

Dozens of journalists have been detained in Turkey in the wake of the failed July 2016 coup aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and blamed by the government on US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen has denied the accusation.

The Cumhuriyet staff are charged with supporting Gulen as well as the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the far-left Revolutionary Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C).

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Russia cracks down on 800 World Cup ticket sites

Russia cracks down on 800 World Cup ticket sites

 

MOSCOW, March 15, 2018 (AFP) - Russia has cracked down on more than 800 websites illegally offering World Cup tickets when their general sale resumed after a six week wait.

The global football governing body FIFA is touting "overwhelming" demand from both Russia and abroad for admission to the football showpiece.

But organisers were forced to apologise after fans had to wait five hours on line once game passes became available again through FIFA on Tuesday.

It appears that some people's patience snapped and they decided to explore the web's other options.

The Roskomnadzor communications regulator did the same.

The agency on Thursday reported discovering 858 Russian web pages claiming to have tempting offers for the June 14 to July 15 tournament.

"Based on Roskomnadzor demands, the illegal information was removed from most (822) internet resources," the agency said in a statement.

It said eight websites failed to remove their advertisement and were blocked. Another 28 still have time to respond to the notice.

- Overbooked -

Organisers raised the alarm early about the possibility of Russians trying to circumnavigate the law.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised ahead of the December 1 World Cup draw in the Kremlin to crack down hard on ticket cheats.

"It will not matter whether these are ordinary citizens or officials, individual entrepreneurs or organisations," said Medvedev.

The authorities are imposing a fine of 1.5 million rubles ($26,000) -- nearly two average annual salaries -- on anyone selling fake football merchandise.

Fans caught with a ticket purchased from someone other than a FIFA vendor will be kept out of the stadium.

And even a legal one will not guarantee admission: supporters must also get a Fan ID card issued after a rigorous Russian security check.

Organisers are trumpeting tremendous ticket success despite Russia's first World Cup being held under a cloud of deteriorating relations with the West.

Things grew from bad to worse when London on Wednesday kept ministers and royals from attending over a nerve agent attack on a former double agent in England.

It also warned travellers about the risk of "anti-British sentiment or harassment" and the dangers of discussing politics in public.

Yet England is still one of the top 10 recipients of the 1,660,316 tickets either purchased or ordered so far.

Foreign demand makes up slightly more than half of the sales -- a figure FIFA is proud of.

"Such a great interest obviously caused many matches to be fully overbooked," FIFA Head of Ticketing Falk Eller conceded.

"Fans who were not so lucky can still be part of the FIFA World Cup in Russia as sales restart."

All World Cup matches are available except for the final and Iceland's game against Argentina in Moscow on June 16.

Nearly a tenth of Iceland's population of 335,000 visited the Euro 16 in France and at least the same number is expected in Russia.

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Guard achievements of women's fight for equality in Nepal: UN resident coordinator

Guard achievements of women's fight for equality in Nepal: UN resident coordinator

 

KATHMANDU, March 8 (Xinhua) - "Women's fight for equality is a constant fight, which can never end so has to be guarded very safely," Valerie Julliand, UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal, told Xinhua exclusively on the eve of International Womens Day 2018.

Nepal is among a few countries in the world to have women as head of state and also has remarkable women representation at the parliament.

Moreover, Nepal's constitution promulgated in September 2015 is regarded as very progressive when it comes to inclusion not just of women but of other disadvantaged and under privileged communities.

"Politically, Nepali women have 40 percent power in local level and 30 percent in central level. I must say It's a big progress. Now, the constitution and its provisions should be implemented," Valerie, who has been working in Nepal since last two years, told Xinhua.

She was of view that women should be given every opportunity and access to education and economy for empowerment. Stating that men and women are two legs of the country, Valerie stressed that both the legs are equally important for any country to prosper and move forward. 

Though the women's movement expedited after restoration of the democracy in 1990 in Nepal, the inclusion agenda was institutionalized only after 2006 people's movement.

Nepal set a milestone in the field of women rights after appointing the first female President, Speaker and Chief Justice after 2015. Currently, out of 275 lawmakers in the House of Representatives, 90 are women while 22 among 59 members of National Assembly are women.

With the significant reservation, women are moving forward in the leadership positions in different sectors, which is commendable. Besides politics, Nepali women have taken a leap forward in civil service among many, which is often termed as secure and stable job.

According to Public Service Commission, a constitutional body responsible for recruitment, there were only 67,435 women applicants in the fiscal year 2007-2008, however the number has surged to 383,485 in the year 2016-2017.

"Awareness and advocacy are very important. If women are intellectual and have access to education and economic opportunities, empowerment is possible," said Valerie, who have travelled to various districts of Nepal including the remote villages of far western region.

She also noted that the United Nations has been working with Nepali government, lawmakers, judiciary and executives and with national and international civil society in laws, policies and capacity building in community level.She informed that UN has been working closely with authorities to ensure that the new civil code and criminal code is amended in a proper way that it will reflect necessary measures that should be taken if the rights of women are violated.

With an experience of 23 years in UN system, the French born country representative accepts that that even in the modern era of 2018, there are still so much inequalities in regards to men and women.

While sharing her personal experiences, the single mother Valerie said that women really have to work hard, as twice as the man to achieve the best in both family and career together.

"My message for Nepali women on the occasion of this International Women's Day would be please continue the fight and never ever give up. It is important to understand that women are equal as men and you have the same human rights," Valerie said. Enditem

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WHO says meningitis kills 28 in South Sudan as infections soar

WHO says meningitis kills 28 in South Sudan as infections soar

 

JUBA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A meningitis outbreak in South Sudan's former Eastern Equatorial state has claimed 28 lives as new infections reach 107, a World Health Organization (WHO) official revealed on Thursday.

     Ramadan Otim, the WHO Technical Officer for Emergency, Preparedness and Response told Xinhua that meningitis outbreak could claim additional lives if mitigation measures are not rolled out urgently in affected regions like Lyire and Imurok payams in Torit county, Imatong state. Payam is the second-lowest administrative division below counties.

     "As of Tuesday, we have registered 28 deaths with 107 more suspected cases in Lyire and Imurok Payams in Torit County, giving a case fatality of 26 percent beyond WHO standard for optimal control," said Otim.

     He added that more alerts have been received in the last 24 hours and they were being investigated by the response teams and vetted against the standard case definition for meningitis.

     "These conditions thus favor the transmission of epidemic meningitis especially in areas located in the African meningitis belt where Torit lies," Otim told Xinhua.

     South Sudan like the other twenty-six countries in the 'meningitis belt' of Africa, remains prone to the viral disease that leads to death or paralysis among the infected.

     Mathew Tut, Director of Integrated Diseases Surveillance and Response in South Sudan's Ministry of Health, said the government had been notified by the county health department about the deaths and new infections.

     He noted insecurity on the roads between Torit and Lyire payam and mal-functionality of the health facilities have constrained access and slowed optimization of the response activities.

     "The threat of meningitis outbreaks in South Sudan is premised on its location in the African Meningitis belt in addition to the historical, climatic, and the complex public health situation in the entire country," said Tut.

     He noted that the dry spell in South Sudan lasts for 5-6 months, with outside temperatures reaching as high as 40 degree Celsius.

     The health officer said the implication is that there is sufficient pool of susceptible individuals in Torit and neighboring counties (especially Magwi and Ikotos) and this can lead to further transmission of the disease.

     "Majority of the 52 percent of new infections and 43 percent of deaths have been reported in individuals aged 30 years and above," Tut said.

     He added that the emergency preparedness response team comprising at least 33 volunteers has been deployed on the ground to conduct active search in the health facilities and affected communities.

     The last meningitis outbreak in South Sudan was declared in May 2013 in Malakal. Enditem

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No joint Korean march at Paralympics due to flag row

No joint Korean march at Paralympics due to flag row

 

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, March 8, 2018 (AFP) - The two Koreas will not march together at Friday's Winter Paralympics opening ceremony, as they did at the Olympics, due to a disagreement about whether to include islands disputed with Japan on a united flag, officials said.

     Athletes from the North and South marched together at the opening of last month's Winter Olympics under a neutral "unification flag", part of an intense rapprochement that also saw the North send hundreds of cheerleaders and leader Kim Jong Un's sister to the ceremony.

     Seoul responded by sending President Moon Jae-in's special envoys -- including his spy chief -- to Pyongyang, where leader Kim told them he was willing to discuss denuclearisation with the US.

     Seoul has since announced plans to hold a historic summit between the North's leader and Moon. The detente came after tensions had soared last year when Pyongyang dramatically ramped up its weapons programme.

     The North is sending two cross-country skiers -- Kim Jong Hyon and Ma Yu Chol -- to the Winter Paralympics, the first time it has ever sent athletes to the event, and the South's Yonhap news agency said athletes from both countries had initially agreed to march together at the opening ceremony.

     But after lengthy negotiations between both countries Thursday, the Korea Paralympic Commitee (KPC) said there would be no joint march as the North "cannot accept the fact that it is not allowed to display Dokdo in the unification flag during the Games".

     Dokdo is the name given by South Korea to Seoul-controlled islands in the Sea of Japan, but they are also claimed by Japan, which calls them "Takeshima".

- Tokyo angered -

     Ahead of last month's Winter Olympics, Japan was angered after a unification flag -- which depicts a pale blue sihouette of the peninsula -- used at a practice of the Koreas' combined women's ice hockey team showed a blue dot indicating the islands.

     Seoul agreed to stop using that version of the flag after Tokyo protested.

     The KPC said that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had told them it was impossible change the flag as it has a "strong partnership" with the International Olympic Committee.

     "The IPC said it did not want any more controversy over this, so decided to honour each side's opinion by letting the two countries march separately," the KPC said.

     The committee added the two Koreas had also held talks without the IPC but had not managed to reach agreement.

     IPC president Andrew Parsons expressed disappointment but added: "We respect the decision of the two (committees) who decided that marching separately would be better for both parties."

     The North's athletes may also have not been keen to march alongside a defector.

     South Korean ice hockey player Choi Kwang-hyouk was born in the North and lost a leg in a train accident as a child, before later defecting to the South.

     North Korea's offer to discuss denuclearisation has met with a mixed reaction, with China urging the US and Pyongyang to start talks as soon as possible while Japan has warned it could be a ploy to play for time.

     Washington's top diplomat Rex Tillerson said Thursday the United States was "a long way from negotiations".

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