Section: South China Morning Post (China)
Iran arrests suspects in ‘unforgivable’ plane disaster, as protests persist
Iran said on Tuesday it had arrested people accused of a role in shooting down a Ukrainian airliner and had also detained 30 people involved in protests that have swept the nation for four days since the military belatedly admitted its error.Wednesday’s shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people...
Iran denies plane crash cover-up and grants access to Canadian investigators
Iran denied a “cover-up” on Monday after taking days to reveal an airliner was accidentally shot down last week, a disaster that sparked demonstrations and calls for a fully transparent investigation.The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was brought down by a missile soon after taking off Wednesday from Tehran, killing all 176 passengers...
Did Iran shoot down Ukraine plane? Experts fear crash site compromised
US and Canadian accident investigators are uncertain how much access they will get to evidence that could prove whether Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, and there were fears Friday that the probe might already be compromised by the removal of wreckage from the crash site.Clues to whether the Boeing 737 was brought down by an Iranian...
US believes Ukraine plane accidentally brought down by Iranian missiles, officials say
A Ukraine airliner that crashed in Iran, killing all 176 people aboard, was most likely brought down accidentally by Iranian anti-aircraft missiles, US officials said on Thursday.According to satellite data, one US official said, the Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800 bound for Kiev was airborne for two minutes after departing Tehran...
Mystery surrounds Ukrainian plane crash, as Iran refuses to hand over black boxes to US
As investigators sift through the smouldering wreckage of an aircraft that crashed soon after take-off from Tehran, contradictory reports have emerged about what might have caused the Boeing 737-800 to abruptly plunge out of the sky.Iranian authorities initially blamed “technical” causes then said an engine fire most likely led to the loss of the...
Ukrainian Boeing 737 with 180 aboard crashes in Iran
A Ukrainian plane carrying 180 passengers and crew has crashed near an airport in Iran’s capital, Tehran. There is no immediate word on death or injures.An Iran state TV report said the crash Wednesday morning was suspected to have been caused by mechanical issues. The report did not elaborate.The semi-official Fars news agency said the...
US Senate set to return amid stand-off over Donald Trump’s impeachment trial
US lawmakers return to Washington Friday with President Donald Trump’s coming impeachment trial looming over the first Senate session of 2020, but congressional leaders are locked in stalemate over how to proceed.As Congress braces for a frenetic January, newly uncovered evidence could bolster Democrats’ demands for testimony from key...
Donald Trump’s own party rounds on him after identifying alleged whistle-blower
Donald Trump faced calls from his own party to show more restraint on Twitter amid a storm of outrage Sunday over the president revealing the name of a man widely thought to be the whistle-blower who triggered his impeachment.Criticism has been growing since Trump retweeted an attack that included the name of the reported CIA staffer at the heart...
Ukraine, Russia-backed separatists begin controversial prisoner swap
Ukraine exchanged prisoners with Russia-backed separatists in the country’s war-torn east on Sunday, swapping detained fighters for civilians and servicemen held captive sometimes for years in the breakaway region.Kiev was expected to hand over to separatists several riot policemen suspected of killing protesters during a pro-Western...
On eve of impeachment vote, Donald Trump lashes out in fiery letter to Nancy Pelosi
On the eve of his expected impeachment in the US House of Representatives, President Donald Trump accused Democrats of pursuing an “illegal, partisan attempted coup” and declaring war on American democracy as they seek to remove him from office for pressing Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden.Trump’s remarks came in a letter he...
