Part of the wreckage from Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8, 2020, is seen in this still image taken from Iran Press footage. Iran Press/Handout via REUTERS
Part of the wreckage from Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8, 2020, is seen in this still image taken from Iran Press footage. Iran Press/Handout via REUTERS
Part of the wreckage from Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8, 2020, is seen in this still image taken from Iran Press footage. Iran Press/Handout via REUTERS
Part of the wreckage from Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8, 2020, is seen in this stil

Families of those killed in plane shot down by Iran ‘threatened and harassed’


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  • Arabic

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.

Iran initially denied responsibility for the crash before claiming it downed the Ukrainian airliner by accident. AFP
Iran initially denied responsibility for the crash before claiming it downed the Ukrainian airliner by accident. AFP

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.”

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

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China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

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Results

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)

7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash

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Generational responses to the pandemic

Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:

Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

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Director: S Shankar

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Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The specs
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SPECS
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MATCH INFO

Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: BeIN Sports

Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7

World Sevens Series Pools

A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan

B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland

C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales

D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:

Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)

Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15

Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)

Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49

A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur  Sheikh Zayed

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Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
U19 World Cup in South Africa

Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies

Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe

Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE

UAE fixtures

Saturday, January 18, v Canada

Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan

Saturday, January 25, v South Africa

UAE squad

Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon

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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

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Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.