An air attack late on Tuesday hit a detention centre for mainly African migrants in the Tajoura suburb of the Libya’s capital Tripoli, killing at least 40 people, according to health and emergency officials
Deadly attack hits Tripoli migrant detention centre: UN Official
GENEVA (Reuters) – At least 30 migrants were killed in an overnight strike on a Tripoli migrant detention centre and dozens were injured, the United Nations refugee agency said on Wednesday.
An air strike late on Tuesday hit a detention centre for mainly African migrants in the Tajoura suburb of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, killing at least 40 people and wounding 80, a Libyan health official said.
UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley said it could not confirm who launched the attack on the centre which held some 600 people, but that medical teams were on the ground. “While the rescue operation is ongoing, it may be that that death toll rises higher,” he told Reuters.
Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Catherine Evans
The Airbus A320 touched down at Budapest on its second attempt (Simon Calder / The Independent)
Brawl erupts on Wizz Air plane after drunk British tourist refuses to sit down, making plane abort landing
Several British tourists have been arrested after a Wizz Air plane from Luton was forced to abort its landing at Budapest.
The Airbus A320, with around 170 passengers and crew on board, was almost at the end of its two-hour journey.
Flight 2208 was on its final approach to Ferihegy airport on the outskirts of the Hungarian capital when an unruly passenger left his seat in the middle of the cabin and went to the back of the aircraft, apparently to use the toilet.
Cabin crew instructed him to return to his seat. When he refused, they told the captain that, as the cabin was not secure, the aircraft could not land.
The pilots immediately performed a “go-around,” whereby the aircraft climbs rapidly and turns away from the airport.
The senior member of cabin crew explained what had happened over the public address system, and repeated the instruction that he must return to his seat.
When the man again refused, a group of other passengers – who appeared also to have been drinking heavily – left their seats, angry that the man had delayed their arrival in Budapest.
A brawl then ensued at the back of the aircraft.
After several punches had been thrown, enough order was restored for the plane to land. Following a circuit over northern Hungary, the plane arrived half an hour behind schedule.
Passengers were ordered to remain in their seats, but the people involved in the brawl stood up, collected their bags and walked to the back of the aircraft. The captain said he had called the police, an announcement greeted by applause from other travellers.
Two police officers boarded the plane at the front and walked through the cabin. They arrested the most disruptive passengers, believed to be two men and a women, and led them away down the rear stairs.
Serious incidents of air rage aboard planes to and from the UK are running at a rate of about one per day.
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Photograph: EPA/STR
The relatively new aircraft type involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash is popular with Irish lessors – Peter Hamilton
Ireland’s main aircraft lessors have had at least 224 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft delivered or are on order, figures compiled by The Irish Times show.
The relatively new aircraft type has recorded two fatal crashes since its entry into service, including that of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 and Lion Air flight 610.
Dublin-headquartered SMBC Aviation Capital appears to be the biggest owner of MAX 8s that operates out of the Republic, with five owned, three managed and about 110 committed. The company recently delivered one to Icelandair, and in December signed a deal with US budget carrier Southwest for 12 MAX 8s in a sale and leaseback agreement.
There are 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8s on the Irish aircraft register, the Irish Aviation Authority has said. It will not follow the lead of regulators in China, Ethiopia and Indonesia, all of whom ordered carriers to ground the 737 MAX model in the wake of the latest crash, which displayed similarities to the earlier Lion Air incident.
Norwegian Air has no current plans to withdraw its 737 MAX aircraft, and Ryanair has said it is reserving judgment on similar models it has ordered. The Irish airline is due to take delivery of 200 Boeing 737 MAX-8s out to 2024.
Some of the aircraft grounded by Chinese and Indonesian authorities include aircraft owned by Irish lessors including SMBC and Avolon.
In December, SMBC delivered the first MAX 8 from its order book to Chinese carrier Lucky Air, with three more to be delivered in the first and second quarter of this year.
In the summer of 2017, Avolon delivered two MAX 8 planes to Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air having originally delivered the world’s first MAX 8 to Malindo Air in May 2017.
Lion Air flight 610 crashed in October 2018, killing all passengers on board, but that specific plane was not owned by any Irish aircraft lessor.
In total, Avolon has agreed to firm orders for 55 MAX 8 aircraft, with options for an additional 20. Goshawk, meanwhile, owns 24 MAX 8s, while AerCap appears to hold five. However, it’s not clear whether AerCap has more on order. The lessor declined to comment.
Operations
Other entities which have operations in the Republic with MAX 8s include BBAM and GE Capital Aviation Services.
Fly Leasing has two Boeing 737 MAX 8s. The company’s chief executive, Colm Barrington, has been dealing with Ethiopian Airlines for more than 20 years.
“They’re a fantastic airline who I’ve recently used myself. We’ve had nothing but good experiences with them.”
Mr Barrington added that Fly Leasing has no more orders in for MAX 8s.
It is believed that the aircraft that crashed on Sunday was directly owned by the airline rather than leased.
US manufacturer Boeing has faced questions over the safety of the aircraft given the fact that two have been involved in fatal crashes despite its relatively recent introduction into airline fleets.
The company said in a statement that a technical team would be travelling to the crash site to provide assistance to the Ethiopian accident investigation bureau.
U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One at the end of an unannounced visit with U.S. troops in Iraq, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. December 27, 2018
… and, The First Lady, Melania Trump, has not said a word for all of 2019 so far and people are concerned …
Melania Trump reportedly boarded a government jet to fly to her husband’s private Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, hours after he cancelled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to visit Brussels and to US troops in Afghanistan due to the longest government shutdown in US history.
Politico’s Jake Sherman learned about the unannounced flight as he was listening to air traffic control, noting that a flight designated EXEC1F (a call-sign used to refer to an aircraft carrying the president’s family members, but not the president himself) was departing Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland for Palm Beach, a Florida town several miles away from Mar-a-Lago.
According to The Washington Post’s estimates, which cite a 2016 Government Accountability Office report, a trip to Palm Beach could cost up to $3.6 million, including the cost of aircraft and coast guard protection.
Melania Trump had more luck with her travel plans than Nany Pelosi, who recently became speaker of the US House of Representatives.
Donald Trump postponed Pelosi’s scheduled seven-day trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan, citing the ongoing partial shutdown of US government agencies.
“We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate”, he said in a statement.
“I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the strong border security movement to end the shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.”
Donald Trump ordered to shut down part of US government agencies in December after the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives failed to satisfy his demand for $5.6 billion in border funding, including for his long-promised wall on the US-Mexico border.
Trump has repeatedly called on the Dems to come and negotiate an end to the shutdown, which has seen some 800,000 government employees affected by a lapse in funding, which is expected to continue until Trump signs a Senate-approved spending bill.
Alan Meloy, from Sheffield, was peering up at the sky, from the front step of his home when he managed to photograph Air Force One.
He told CNN: ‘I literally stepped out, and I could see a trail coming towards me and thought let’s have a look at what’s on the end of that.
Alan Meloy, from Sheffield, was peering up at the sky, from the front step of his home when he managed to photograph Air Force One (pictured) A map showing the trajectory of the plane going from Joint Base Andrews to Ain Assad Air Base in Iraq
The IT Project manager, said he was ‘amazed’ when the plane flew over and spotted it was one of only two VC-25s in the world, due to the distinct colour scheme.
