Two years after the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 over Tehran, the rift between Kyiv and Iran shows no sign of easing.
On Saturday, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Defence and Security Council, said the incident on January 8, 2020, which killed all 176 people on the plane, was an Iranian “terrorist attack”.
“It must have been an order from senior management. No [air defence] operators can make such a decision on their own,” he told Voice of America’s Persian news service.
Three days after the disaster, the Iranian armed forces admitted to firing on the Kyiv-bound plane “by mistake”.
Iran has started paying compensation to families of those killed.
“The transport ministry has made transfers to a certain number of [victims’] families,” the foreign ministry said in a statement marking the anniversary of the tragedy.
Arash Khodaei, a vice president of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, said “the sum of $150,000 has been transferred” to some families, while “the process has begun” for others.
The payment “does not infringe upon [their] right to take legal action,” state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
In 2020, Iran offered to pay “$150,000 or the equivalent in euros” to each of the victims’ families.
Ukrainian and Canadian officials strongly criticised the announcement, saying compensation should not be settled through unilateral declarations.
A Canadian court awarded more than $80 million in compensation to the families of six of the victims, a decision made public on January 3.
It was not known how the money would be collected, but Ontario Superior Court Judge Edward Belobaba said “some level” of enforcement may be possible.
Iran’s judiciary said in November that a trial had opened in Tehran for 10 military members in connection with the jet’s downing.
Tension between Iran and the US was high at the time of the incident.
Iranian air defences were on high alert for a US counterattack after Tehran fired missiles at a military base in Iraq that was used by US forces.
Those missiles were fired in response to the killing of Qassem Suleimani in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport.
Suleimani headed the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In the past week, Tehran and its Middle East allies have held commemorations marking the second anniversary of Suleimani’s assassination.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
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Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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