World
At least 68 killed in Nepal’s worst air crash in three decades
At least 68 people were killed on Sunday when a domestic flight of Yeti Airlines crashed in Pokhara in Nepal, the worst air crash in three decades in the small Himalayan nation, Reuters reported.
Hundreds of rescue workers scoured the hillside where the flight carrying 72 people from the capital Kathmandu went down. Officials late in the evening called off the search operations for the day, saying they will resume on Monday.
Local TV footage earlier showed rescue workers scrambling around broken sections of the aircraft. Some of the ground near the crash site was scorched, with licks of flames visible.
The weather had been clear and there was no immediate indication of what caused the crash, read the report.
According to Reuters it was Nepal’s deadliest air crash since 1992, the Aviation Safety Network database showed, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 crashed into a hillside upon approach to Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board.
Nearly 350 people have died since 2000 in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal – home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest – where sudden weather changes can make for hazardous conditions.
The European Union has banned Nepali airlines from its airspace since 2013, citing safety concerns.
The plane on Sunday made contact with Pokhara airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. (0505 GMT), the Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. “Then it crashed.” At least 68 people were confirmed dead, it said.
“Half of the plane is on the hillside,” said Arun Tamu, a local resident, who told Reuters he reached the site minutes after the plane went down. “The other half has fallen into the gorge of the Seti river.”
Khum Bahadur Chhetri, another local resident, said he watched from the roof of his house as the flight approached.
“I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly it nosedived and it went into the gorge,” Chhetri said.
The government has established a panel to investigate the cause of the crash and it is expected to report within 45 days, finance minister Bishnu Paudel told reporters.
France’s air accident investigation agency BEA said it would participate in the probe into the causes of the crash and coordinate with all other parties involved, read the report.
Those on board the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft included three infants and three children, the Civil Aviation Authority’s statement said.
Passengers included five Indians, four Russians and one Irish, two South Korean, one Australian, one French and one Argentine national, Reuters reported.
The journey to Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city tucked under the picturesque Annapurna mountain range, from the capital Kathmandu is one of the country’s most popular tourist routes, with many preferring a short flight instead of a six-hour-long drive through hilly roads.
A Pokhara Airport spokesman said the aircraft crashed as it approached the airport, adding that the “plane cruised at 12,500 feet and was on a normal descent.” The weather on Sunday was clear.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said on Twitter the Yeti Airlines aircraft was 15 years old and equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data. It added that the last signal from the transponder was received at 0512 GMT at an altitude of 2,875 feet above mean sea level.
Pokhara Airport is located at about 2,700 feet above mean sea level, according to FlightRadar24.
On its website, Yeti describes itself as a leading domestic carrier. Its fleet consists of six ATR 72-500s, including the one that crashed. It also owns Tara Air, and the two together offer the “widest network” in Nepal, the company says.
Yeti said it had cancelled all its regular flights for Monday in “mourning for the passengers who lost their lives.”
The ATR72 of European planemaker ATR is a widely used twin engine turboprop plane manufactured by a joint venture of Airbus (AIR.PA) and Italy’s Leonardo (LDOF.MI). Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, according to its website.
“ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer,” ATR said in a statement.
Airbus and Leonardo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
World
Houthi-run health ministry says airstrikes kill 33 near Yemen capital
The ministry said the strikes hit homes in the town of Bani Hushaysh, a Houthi stronghold east of Sanaa, and that most of those killed were women and children.
At least 33 people were killed and 39 wounded in what the Houthi-run Saba news agency said were Saudi airstrikes on a village near Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Saturday, in one of the deadliest reported attacks since fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned group resumed in July.
Reuters could not independently verify the account. Saudi Arabia’s Center for International Communication said it was investigating the report.
The renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce that largely halted attacks between the Saudi-led coalition and the group, which controls Sanaa. The Houthis have since launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, while Riyadh has carried out airstrikes in Yemen in support of its Yemeni allies.
The ministry said the strikes hit homes in the town of Bani Hushaysh, a Houthi stronghold east of Sanaa, and that most of those killed were women and children.
Abdul-Aziz al-Dailami, director of Sehatuna Hospital in Sanaa, said many victims remained trapped under the rubble, including first responders.
“The strikes keep coming. Just as rescuers arrive, another strike hits. We have even lost some of our own medical responders, who have been martyred,” he told Reuters.
“We received a number of wounded individuals in very critical condition, with injuries to the head, chest and legs, as well as fractures,” al-Dailami added.
The fighting, a spillover from the wider US-Iran conflict, has revived a complex 12-year war in Yemen that has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises globally and fragmented the Arab world’s most impoverished country.
The number of people displaced since the latest round of fighting began has climbed to more than 200,000, the International Organization for Migration said in October.
World
White House declares ‘Trump is still your president’ after Republicans suffer sweeping midterm defeats
The White House has issued a defiant message following a crushing performance by Republicans in the US midterm elections, declaring that Donald Trump remains president despite significant gains by the Democrats.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the White House shared an image of Trump bearing the words: “TRUMP IS STILL YOUR PRESIDENT.” The accompanying message added: “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The statement came after Democrats secured a Senate majority and made major gains in traditionally Republican strongholds, including Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and Ohio.
The midterm elections, which determine control of Congress, were widely viewed as a referendum on Trump’s presidency. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats were contested.
The war in Iran and mounting cost-of-living pressures were among the issues believed to have contributed to the Republican setbacks.
Trump acknowledged that the conflict with Iran had affected the election results, particularly through its impact on fuel prices, but defended his decision to pursue the war.
Speaking to Politico, he said the conflict had pushed gasoline prices higher in the short term, but maintained that military action was necessary in the long run.
Iranian officials welcomed the election outcome. Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that American voters had rejected war, saying: “Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR.”
Trump also reflected on his campaign rallies, saying the enthusiasm surrounding his appearances had failed to translate into support for Republican candidates.
“They just couldn’t transfer that love,” he said.
Although Trump indicated he was prepared to work with Democrats, he warned that political gridlock could follow, threatening to use his presidential veto to block their legislative agenda.
World
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed becomes first Muslim elected to US Senate
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s US Senate race, defeating former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers and becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, according to US television networks.
“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed declared at his victory celebration in Detroit, where hundreds of supporters gathered to celebrate.
“I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan,” the 42-year-old said.
El-Sayed secured the victory despite a late campaign setback when Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens, whom he defeated in the party primary, endorsed Rogers shortly before election day.
A former medical administrator, El-Sayed campaigned on progressive promises, including universal healthcare, reducing the influence of money in politics and tackling the rising cost of living.
He replaces retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters and held a lead of nearly six percentage points over Rogers when US networks called the race.
His campaign attracted large crowds across Michigan, including in traditionally Republican areas, while drawing support from labour unions, activists and younger voters.
Republicans had launched a fierce campaign against El-Sayed, portraying him as a radical and questioning his patriotism. He also faced Islamophobic attacks and mockery over his Arabic name from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Addressing Vance during his victory speech, El-Sayed said the vice president was constitutionally obligated to swear him into office in January.
The victory came amid a strong showing by Democrats in several races, prompting jubilant supporters at El-Sayed’s headquarters to chant: “Tsunami! Tsunami!”
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