Relatives of victims who died in a plane crash in January when an aircraft was accidentally shot down by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have since been “threatened and harassed”, an investigation led by Canada found.
The IRGC shot down a 737 aircraft minutes after it left Tehran on January 8. Of the 176 people killed, 138 had ties to Canada.
Canada's police and national security agencies must investigate and follow up on the threats and harassment suffered by the grieving families, the investigation report said.
The flight to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries.
On board were 82 Iranians, more than 50 Canadians, including many Iranians with dual citizenship, and 11 Ukrainians.
The route was popular with those travelling onward to Canada.
The incident happened the same night Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on US soldiers in Iraq, in response to the American drone strike that killed senior general Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad on January 3.
Iran initially denied responsibility for the crash before admitting in the face of mounting evidence and international pressure that the Boeing 737-800 was hit by two surface-to-air missiles.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 31 appointed Ralph Goodale to carry out the investigation into the crash, the results of which were released on Tuesday.
The report said vital questions about the exact chain of events and decision-making were unanswered.
Mr Goodale said meeting families of the victims was “profoundly emotional” because their “grief and anguish are so real and ongoing”.
“They mourn the rich human potential so cruelly destroyed," he said. "They ask questions, they yearn for the truth.
"All of that is powerful motivation for Canadians to remain dogged and unrelenting in our search for the transparency, accountability and justice the families need and deserve."
Mr Goodale said many families of the victims were sceptical of Iran’s explanation of the crash.
He lamented the fraught engagement with Iran after the incident, noting that Canada has not had an embassy or ambassador in Iran since 2012.
The report said Iran would not give Canada the chance to appoint an accredited representative to the investigation, which would have provided the North American country with “more first-hand knowledge”.
“Instead, despite suffering the greatest loss of life, Canada’s official role in the safety investigation was limited to that of an observer,” it said.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will review and comment on the final safety investigation report of the Iranian regulators when it becomes available, the report said.
It said a team of legal experts, led by Global Affairs Canada, was working with expert colleagues in the International Co-ordination and Response Group, made up of Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and the UK, to pursue reparations from Iran.
Mr Trudeau, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne and Minister of Transport Marc Garneau welcomed the investigation's findings.
“Today, we are pleased to accept the report from special adviser Ralph Goodale, who is advising on the government of Canada’s ongoing response to Iran’s shooting-down of Flight PS752," they said in a joint statement.
"We thank Mr Goodale for his dedication, heartfelt work and thoughtful recommendations.”
They said the report highlighted the importance of “paying close attention to the needs of the families of victims of air tragedies, which must be at the heart of Canada’s response".
“Canadians must remain steadfast in our search for the transparency, accountability and justice the families need and deserve.
"The report contains important recommendations on ways to improve support for the families of victims of air disasters.
"These include robust engagement with families and accurate, timely and reliable information sharing with them as quickly as possible and on an ongoing basis.
"Relentless pursuit of the truth about what happened is absolutely vital.
"To that end, the special adviser has posed vital questions that Iran should answer comprehensively, with supporting evidence, to demonstrate the credibility of its investigations and to convince the international civil aviation community that Iran can provide a safe airspace.
“Canada continues to work with international partners to pursue thorough and credible investigations into Iran’s shooting down of this aircraft as we seek transparency, accountability and justice for the victims and their families.”
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
