Replies

WELCOME TO IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 470, September 29, 2006

KRAJISNIK JUDGEMENT CONDEMNED ACROSS BOSNIA Serbs say 27-year sentence
too severe, while Muslims very disappointed by acquittal on genocide
charges. By Merdijana Sadovic in Sarajevo and Caroline Tosh in The Hague

COMMENT: BOSNIA'S "ACCIDENTAL" GENOCIDE The acquittal of Krajisnik on
genocide charges sparks debate in academic circles on the very
definition of this gravest of all crimes. By Edina Becirevic in Sarajevo

PERILS OF REPORTING JUSTICE The indictment of another Croatian
reporter for contempt has fueled debate over professional ethics and press
freedom. By Caroline Tosh in The Hague

NINE-MONTH DELAY EXPECTED IN LUBANGA CASE Lubanga's lawyers demand
more time to go through thousands of pages of prosecution documents. By
Katy Glassborow in The Hague

BRIEFLY NOTED:

SESELJ TO HAVE HIS SAY

CONTEMPT OF COURT APPEALS DISMISSED

TENTATIVE DATE SET FOR TAYLOR TRIAL

**** NEW AT IWPR

IWPR LAUNCHES CENTRAL ASIAN NEWS AGENCY: News Briefing Central Asia is
a new concept in regional reporting, comprising analysis and "news
behind the news" in Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Available at: www.NBCentralAsia.net

INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT Available at
http://iwpr.net/?apc_state=henotri&s=o&o=tribunal_icc_00.html

**** www.iwpr.net

Chavez: 'Assassination attempt against me foiled'
Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 1, 2006

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that an attempt was made to assassinate him recently and that those responsible fled to Colombia.

Chavez appeared to link the plot to his main rival in upcoming presidential elections, Gov. Manuel Rosales of Zulia state, claiming that he was in constant danger from opponents seeking to get rid of him.

"No more than a few months ago over in Zulia ... they didn't shoot me by a hair's breadth," Chavez said in a televised speech.

The Venezuelan president said a sniper had waited with a long-range gun and a motorcycle to escape on, and planned to shoot him as he exited from a helicopter and walked across a 200-meter open stretch.

"The plan didn't work out for them - God is always present over there. But those responsible left for Colombia, and by the way, they were from the Zulia Police."

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193349652&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Ben-Eliezer: Assassinate Nasrallah
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 30, 2006

National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) called on Saturday for the assassination of Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

"He is dangerous to everyone," Ben-Eliezer declared in an interview to Army Radio - an interview that Army Radio reported was picked up and reported by a number of foreign news outlets, including the British Sky News - and said that Israel should target Nasrallah at an "appropriate opportunity."

Ben-Eliezer also said that he was "unimpressed" by Syrian President Bashar Assad's announcement that he was willing to negotiate with Israel.

Regarding the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, Ben-Eliezer said that the army would complete the process as soon as possible, but expressed his concern that another war could break out within months.

"The [status quo] won't hold," Ben-Eliezer said. "Anyone who trusts that Israel will be safe because the Lebanese army and international forces are in Lebanon is under a delusion. Only the IDF can guarantee the safety of Israel's citizens."

Ben-Eliezer said that the IDF was a good army, and that the generalship during the recent war in Lebanon and been "a failure."

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193347075&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Copyright 1995-2006 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/

Grenade thrown under car of Lebanese judge
Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 30, 2006

Unknown assailants on Saturday threw a grenade under the car of a Lebanese judge who is investigating a string of bombings that has come under the scrutiny of the international probe into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. No casualties resulted from the blast, but there was some material damage, a security official said.

The assailants appear to have thrown the hand grenade from a speeding car shortly after midnight Friday, targeting one of three cars used by Judge Salah Mokheiber that was parked in the garage of his residence in Beit Meri, a mountain town east of Beirut.

The car and several others parked in the garage were damaged, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements to the press.

No one was in the vehicles at the time of the incident.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193347155&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Copyright 1995-2006 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/

Russian planes buzz Alaskan coast
Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 29, 2006

The Russian air force held a massive exercise that involved strategic bombers flying across the North Pole and approaching Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and Japan, a top general said Friday.

Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov, the commander of Russian long-range aviation, said the exercise that began Tuesday and finished Friday had nothing to do with heightening tensions between Russia and Georgia, Russian news reports said.

Khvorov said the exercise involved 70 Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, which test-fired 18 cruise missiles, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

He said some bombers crossed the Arctic Ocean, flew over the North Pole and also reached Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and Japan's western coast without entering any country's airspace.

"All the aircraft involved flew over neutral waters, and none of them came closer than 12 nautical miles (25 km) to the maritime borders of any country," Khvorov said, according to RIA Novosti.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193344165&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Copyright 1995-2006 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/

[Running for office and an almost jihadi group member]

Keith Ellison On The Hotseat

Keith Ellison, the DFL's candidate in MN-05, has a couple of problems in the local blogs this morning. First, our NARN partner Michael Brodkorb finds a photo of Ellison leading a march against police brutality in 1998, holding what looks like several copies of the Nation of Islam's Final Call:

ellison-fc.JPG

Brodkorb alleges that Ellison was distributing these copies at the event, which puts lie to Ellison's insistence that he had no affiliation with the Nation of Islam or Louis Farrakhan after the Million Man March in 1995. MN Publius, who like Brodkorb does paid political work, defends Ellison by claiming that the picture doesn't show Ellison distributing the copies of Final Call. I'm on the fence in that respect. Sometimes I pick up a copy of the Star Tribune, especially when dining out where no Internet connection exists, and I'd hate to be photographed doing that. On the other hand, I don't usually pick up more than one copy and then display it while I'm marching down the street at a protest.

I'll call that one a draw. However, Power Line -- which has done marvelous work on Ellison -- notes an Insight News article on Ellison's run for the state legislature in 1998 that establishes his support for the Nation of Islam in the same time frame:

Ellison-Muhammed, who says his affiliation with the Nation of Islam doesn't mean he isn't running to represent all the people in the district, feels the critical issues on the table include criminal justice, education, and economic development. ...

His solution? To use organizations that are already set up for community safety to contribute significantly to securing the neighborhood. Ellison-Muhammed would support legislation that bolsters patrol groups like Mission of Peace, the Nation of Islam, M.A.R.C.H Inc., AMAN, and SALAAM. ...

Anticipating possible criticism for his NOI affiliation, Ellison-Muhammed says he is aware that not everyone appreciates what the Nation does and feels there is a propaganda war being waged against its leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan.

MN Publius argues that Ellison has never been a member of the Nation of Islam. In fact, Jon-David's direct quote is "Keith was never a member of the Nation of Islam, and has never had anything to do with Louis Farrakhan." This is patently false, and the Insight News article proves it. The article specifically goes into his connection to Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam as a way to assure Minnesotans that Ellison's ties do not threaten Jewish voters, although Ellison takes the opportunity to declare that critics have victimized Farrakhan for pointing out his many anti-Semitic rants.

Ellison has lied and continues to lie about his ties to the Nation of Islam. At one point, he proposed having Farrakhan's organization patrol the streets of Minneapolis in place of the police, and this wasn't during his days as a U of M law student -- it was during his political career. Ellison's lies should concern voters in the Fifth Congressional District, and have them consider their alternatives to Ellison's radicalism.
Posted by Captain Ed at 09:46 AM

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061001/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

Baghdad shut down on suspicion of attack

By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 29 minutes ago

The U.S. military said a captured al-Qaida suspect and members of his cell were "in the final stages" of planning an attack on the Green Zone. An unprecedented curfew prompted by the arrest left millions of Baghdadis stranded at home on Saturday without supplies during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The U.S. military said the suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member was arrested late Friday at the home of senior Sunni Arab political leader Adnan al-Dulaimi, where he was working as a personal bodyguard.

Al-Dulaimi is a member of the Iraqi Accordance Front — the largest Sunni coalition in the 275-member parliament, where it holds 44 seats — and the military was quick to distance the politician from the raid, stressing that he was "not the target."

"This operation in no way implies Dr. al-Dulaimi was associated with any illegal activity," the military said, adding that the suspect was captured in a security trailer at al-Dulaimi's home.

After the arrest, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was advised by the U.S. military to shut down the capital and order its 7 million residents to stay at home.

"They have information terrorists entered Baghdad," Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Kaim Khalaf told The Associated Press. "The prime minister agreed to give our security forces the freedom of movement to raid certain places."

The curfew was rare both in its scope and severity, catching many residents of Baghdad by surprise. Many people are fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, eating and drinking only after sunset, and they were caught without supplies and fresh bread — a Baghdad staple. Most residents did not have a chance to shop on Friday because of a regular, weekly vehicle curfew to prevent attacks against mosques during prayers.

The U.S. military said the suspected terrorist, identified as Khudhir Farhan, and seven members of his al-Qaida cell "were in the final stages of launching a series" of car bomb attacks "possibly involving suicide vests."

"The detained individual is suspected of involvement in the planning of a multi-vehicle suicide operation inside Baghdad's International Zone," the military said, referring to the heavily fortified Green Zone.

Khalaf said the "intelligence information we received was that there are car bombs and that terrorist Takfiris wearing belts with explosives have entered Baghdad to target civilians." Takfiri is a reference to Sunni Arab extremists.

The Green Zone, also known as the International Zone, is located in downtown Baghdad and is surrounded by layers of concrete blast walls and guarded by Coalition forces and the Iraqi army. The Iraqi government lives and works there, the parliament is housed there and it is also home to the U.S. embassy.

As a bodyguard for al-Dulaimi, Farhan could have had access to the parliament, often attended by the prime minister and his staff, and possibly to offices used by Cabinet members. It is doubtful he could ever have reached the heavily guarded U.S. embassy compound inside the Green Zone.

Farhan also was suspected of having links to a car bomb network operating in the southern area of Baghdad, the military said.

Immediately after his arrest Friday afternoon, al-Dulaimi denied the bodyguard had any terrorist links, but when contacted by the AP on Saturday he acknowledged he could have been mistaken.

continued...............

Engine failures: Indian Airlines under fire

(New Delhi): National carrier Indian Airlines seems to be neck deep in
a
crisis.

Reports available exclusively with NDTV indicate that engines of the
aircraft have been failing during take offs as well as landings.

There have been a series of failures in the past year, a fact that has
remained concealed from the public eye.

Even during ground inspections, the V-2500 1A engines fitted onto A-320
aircrafts have failed.

An aircraft has two engines, and so when one fails, the other
compensates.
But an in flight shut down (IFSD) is an extreme emergency and a serious
threat to passenger safety. And it's happened on Indian Airlines
flights on:
Dec 3, 2005, when an engine failed on the Calicut-bound IC-495

On November 16, 2005, when an engine failed on the IC-563, bound for
Ahmedabad

On October 8, 2005, another IFSD on the Pune-bound IC-850

In August 2005, there were two IFSDs on IC-939 and IC-909

On July 29, 2005, one of the engines failed on the IC-976, VT ESB,
bound for
Sharjah.
"Last year there was a DGCA enquiry on this. There were two or three.
In
flight shut down is a very serious issue. Conclusions of the DGCA and
engineering department were that engines needed some refurbishment at a
proper time," said Vishwapati Trivedi, CMD, Indian Airlines.

Passenger safety

NDTV's investigation revealed that in the last seven-eight months there
have
been more than 50 serious 'incidents' including engine failures.

Though not figuring in IFSD, these were extreme emergencies. There were
serious problems like temperature shooting up, landing gear getting
stuck
etc. In at least one case there was emergency evacuation as crew
reported
fire in one of the engines.

There are more examples of how passenger safety on Indian Airlines
flights
have been under threat:
On Feburary 28, 2006, the Delhi/Jaipur flight IC-895 began its descent
when
engine number two failed and crew reported a fire in the engine.

On June 9, 2006, the Dubai-bound IC-951 took off, but one engine failed
as
it climbed.

On August 5, 2006, the Sharjah-bound IC-976 had to abandon take-off,
because
the exhaust gas temperature or EGT shot up in both engines.

On September 12, 2006, in the Delhi-bound IC-878, the EGT of engine 1
and 2
went far higher than permissible. The engine was sent for major
repairs.
But the airline continues to argue that these incidents are not as
serious.

"Extreme emergencies could have been one or two. We don't compromise
the
passenger safety. High EGT doesn't mean failure. There are engine
issues.
There are one or two incidents every day. We have a huge network," said
Vishwapti Trivedi, CMD, Indian Airlines.

"If there is a temperature rise we take it off. You can't call it
failing,
you can call it defect. But that is happening to all mechanical things.
You
can say the engines need servicing or you can call it a failing," he
added.

Failed tests

But that's not the end of Indian Airlines' problems. Four engines sent
abroad for overhauling failed during tests once they came back. Each
over
hauling costs around Rs 16 crore.

Aviation sources say, engines have a normal life of 2,50,000 cycles or
roughly 2,50,000 hours of running time. But engines have been failing
after
just 4000 cycles.

NDTV has confidential documents, reflecting just how serious the crisis
is.
In a letter to Rob Rosato, Fleet Director, M/s International Aero
Engines, P
Pradhan, Executive Director, Indian Airlines, wrote:

"Two HPC modules were outsourced to M/s IHI for complete refurbishment.
On
return these modules were used on ESN V0 281 and VO238. Both engines
failed
due to third stage blade clapper mismatch observed during post test
boroscope inspection. Such a failure has concerned us."

The letter was written on June 6, 2006. The next day, two more engines
failed tests, forcing another letter.

"We have come across yet another case - failure of three IHI
refurbished
HPCs in a row due to third stage clapper mismatch has paralysed our
recovery
programme. In the meantime another engine has also failed," it said.

When NDTV wrote to International Aero Engines, there was no response.
Aviation experts say, such incidents reflect poorly on an airline.

"Inflight shut down is a very very serious thing. Normally it shouldn't
happen. It reflects very poorly of airlines, it speaks of the state of
engines. If this happens, DGCA orders enquiry into this, but it is not
that
this doesn't happen. Afterall, this is a machine," said Kapil Kaul,
Aviation
expert, Center for Asia Pacific Aviation.

With engines failing and frequent shut downs, passenger safety is at a
greater risk and Indian Airlines has a lot to explain.

Also if the outsourced engines are failing at short intervals, someone
has
to be held accountable.

http://www.ndtv.com/topstories/showtopstory.asp?category=National&slug=IA+en
gine+failures+raise+concerns&id=20386

Flight attendant sues Joel Osteen's wife over incident last year

Victoria Osteen paid $3,000 fine to FAA

(9/29/06 - HOUSTON) - A Continental Airline flight attendant filed a
lawsuit
this week saying she was assaulted on a flight by the wife of
nationally
known pastor and author Joel Osteen.

The Federal Aviation Administration fined Victoria Osteen $3,000 for
interfering with a crew member during a Christmas vacation flight to
Vail,
Colo., on Dec. 19.

Osteen paid the fine in August to put the issue to rest, her attorney
Rusty
Hardin told the Houston Chronicle. She believes "very, very strongly"
that
she did nothing wrong, Hardin said.

But Sharon Brown, a flight manager on that trip, said in her civil suit
that
Osteen assaulted her. Brown is seeking unspecified damages for past and
future medical care, emotional pain, mental anguish, suffering and
humiliation.

The FAA report states that Osteen asked another flight attendant to
clean a
liquid on her first-class seat armrest. When that attendant said she
would
get another flight attendant, Osteen grabbed a second flight attendant
and
took her to the seat, the report said. The second attendant said she
would
call cleaning personnel and headed to the cockpit, the FAA said. Osteen
followed her and came across Brown, whom she pushed and elbowed in the
left
breast in an attempt to get to the cockpit, according to the report.

The flight attendants asked to have Osteen removed from the plane; she
and
her family left voluntarily. Osteen denies the charges of assault.

"Victoria Osteen never assaulted her," Hardin said. "This flight
attendant
just flipped out. I can't answer why. The only thing I can say is that
Victoria Osteen is the last person in the world who would assault
anyone."

Joel Osteen preaches at Lakewood Church in Houston, where more than
35,000
people flock each weekend. His book "Your Best Life Now" has sold more
than
4 million copies, and his weekly television address is broadcast
nationally
and internationally.

"Victoria Osteen sent a letter out to her congregation saying she acted
in a
Christian-like manner," said Brown's lawyer, Reginald McKamie. "We're
going
to let a jury of 12 people from Harris County decide whether she acted
in a
Christian-like manner."

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4610795

[unknown url]

Cabin smoke prompts Delta flight evacuation; two injured

BOSTON (AFP) - Two people suffered minor injuries when a Delta Air
Lines
flight from New York to Boston was evacuated because of smoke in the
cabin,
the airline said.

Delta Flight 1908, carrying 40 passengers and four crew members, had
just
landed at Boston's Logan International Airport and was approaching the
gate
when smoke appeared in the cabin.

Passengers and crew members were evacuated using the aircraft's
inflatable
slides, said Betsy Talton, a spokeswoman for Delta.

Talton said two people suffered minor injuries but she had no further
details.

Local radio station WBZ quoted an airport spokesman as saying one
person was
believed to have sustained hip and leg injuries during the evacuation,
and
another person was believed to have a back injury.

The cause of the smoke was not immediately known, Talton said. She said
the
incident had otherwise had no effect on Delta's operations.

[unknown url]

Brazil plane plunged nose first

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - The Brazilian passenger plane that crashed
with
155 people on board likely plunged into the ground nose first, the
president
of airport authority Infraero said on Saturday, meaning there is little
chance that anyone survived.

Jose Carlos Pereira told reporters that rescue planes found a
concentrated
wreckage site in the Amazon jungle, indicating that the plane hit the
ground
in a vertical position.

CHRONOLOGY - Recent major air crashes

(Reuters) - Airforce searchers found on Saturday the wreckage of a
Brazilian
passenger plane that crashed a day earlier in Amazon jungle with 155
people
on board and there were no reports of survivors.

Following is a chronology of major air crashes since 2003:

Feb 19, 2003 - An Iranian military plane crashes near Kerman in
southeast
Iran, killing all 276 aboard.

March 6, 2003 - A Boeing 737-200 Algerian
flag
carrier crashes shortly after take-off from Tamanrasset airport,
killing 103
passengers and crew.

July 8, 2003 - A Sudan Airways Boeing 737 crashes
after
takeoff near Port Sudan on a flight to Khartoum, killing 104 passengers
and
the crew of 11. A two-year-old boy was the only survivor.

Jan 3, 2004 -
A
Paris-bound Egyptian Boeing 737 operated by Flash Airlines crashes into
the
Red Sea off the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 148 passengers
and
crew.

Aug 24, 2004 - Two Russian passenger planes are downed almost
simultaneously by Chechen suicide bombers, killing 89 people. The
planes,
which both took off from Moscow, flew internal routes for Russian
airlines
Sibir and KrasAir.

Feb 3, 2005 - An Afghan airliner crashes into a
mountain
near Kabul, killing all 105 people on board. The Boeing 737 was
operated by
Afghanistan's only private airline, Kam Air.

Aug 2, 2005 - An Air
France
Airbus bursts into flames after overshooting the runway while landing
at
Toronto's Pearson International Airport in a storm. All 309 passengers
and
crew survive.

Aug 14, 2005 - A Cypriot Boeing 737 operated by Helios
Airways
crashes in the area of Kalamos, 30 km (19 miles) north of the Greek
capital
Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board.

Aug 16, 2005 - A
West
Caribbean Airways MD-80 aircraft crashes near Venezuela's border with
Colombia, in the Sierra de Perija mountains. All 160 passengers and
crew are
killed.

Sept 5, 2005 - A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashes just
after
takeoff near Medan in northern Sumatra. 102 people on board and 47 on
the
ground are killed, but 15 passengers in the tail section survive.

Oct
22,
2005 - A Nigerian Bellview Airlines Boeing 737-200 airliner with 111
passengers and six crew crashes in Lissa, 30 km (20 miles) north of
Lagos,
shortly after takeoff from Lagos. All aboard are killed.

Dec 10, 2005 -
A
Nigerian Sosoliso Airlines DC9 flight from Abuja carrying 110
passengers and
crew crashes on landing in the oil city of Port Harcourt and bursts
into
flames, killing 106. Four people survive the crash, whose cause is
unknown.

May 3, 2006 - An Airbus A-320 of the Armenian airline Armavia, carrying
113
passengers and crew from Yerevan to the Russian seaside resort Sochi,
crashes in the Black Sea while trying to land in bad weather, killing
all on
board.

July 9, 2006 - A Russian Airbus A-310 run by Sibir airlines
carrying
195 passengers and eight crew, crashes during a domestic flight to
Siberia,
killing 122.

Aug 22, 2006 - A Russian Tu-154 operated by Pulkovo
Airlines,
with at least 154 passengers and crew aboard, crashes 30 miles north of
the
east Ukrainian town of Donetsk on a flight from Anapa on the Black Sea
to St
Petersburg.

Today's Installment Of 'Wacky Behavior On Airliners'

Man Sprays Seatmate With Perfume... You Read That Right

Federal authorities had some questions for two men involved in an
altercation onboard an American Airlines flight Wednesday.

Authorities say one of the men, a 56-year-old Japanese national, acted
suspiciously even before flight 918 left Lima, Peru, bound for Miami.
The
man laid down in the aisle at one point, before asking for a glass of
water... which he then proceeded to pour over his head, before settling
back
into his seat next to a jockey in his 20s.

The Miami Herald reports the older man wasn't done, though... as about
two
hours into the flight, he then sprayed perfume on the man seated next
to
him, according to airline spokeswoman Judy Orihuela. He evidently felt
his
seatmate's hygiene was of some concern.

When the younger man took out his iPod -- apparently in an attempt to
ignore
his fellow passenger -- the older man then elbowed the younger man.

"(The older man) thought it (the iPod) was not going to be good for the
plane ... with all the rules on electronics," Orihuela said.

The flight crew eventually separated the two men, who were not
identified.
Both were questioned when the plane landed early Wednesday morning...
but
were not arrested.

Is it just us... or does this sound like something you'd see on
"Airline?"

FMI: www.aa.com
aero-news.net

China needs over 10,000 pilots

Beijing, Sep 30 (Xinhua) Chinese airlines will need an additional
10,000
airline pilots over the next five years, and the figure expected to
reach
18,000 by 2015, said a senior official of the General Administration of
Civil Aviation of China (CAAC).

CAAC deputy director Wang Changshun called for the training of more
pilots
to meet civil aviation demand, which is growing at a rate of 12 to 14
percent annually.

Zheng Xiaoyong, president of Civil Aviation Flight University of China,
also
said China needed an average 3,000 pilots each year over the next 10
years.

However, the country is capable of training only 2,000 pilots each
year, so
the problem of insufficient supply of pilots could not be resolved in a
short period, he said.

Many Chinese airlines have begun looking for pilots overseas.

Shenzhen Airlines alone has recruited nearly 60 pilots from Brazil,
Russia,
the US and other countries, Beijing Daily reported.

Ajet banned from landing in fog

AJET – formerly Helios Airways – has been barred from landing in fog,
after authorities deemed the airline could not guarantee safety in such
conditions.
This was confirmed yesterday by Civil Aviation director Leonidas
Leonidou,
who said the airline’s licence to land in low-visibility conditions –
known as Cat II & III – had been revoked as of last week.

The story was broken by daily Phileleftheros, which said that the EASA
(European Aviation Safety Agency) had arrived at the same conclusion
during
an inspection last May.
According to the paper, the airline lacked the adequate equipment,
pilot
training and experience to prove it could operate its jets in fog.

Phileleftheros said that next week officials would be traveling to
Brussels
to talk the European Commission out of placing Cyprus’ Civil Aviation
on a
blacklist.
The revelation came hot on the heels that Civil Aviation did not brief
the
local Air transport Accident and Investigations Branch (AIB) that a
crack
formed in the cockpit window of a plane run by ajet – formerly Helios
airlines – on May 21, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at
Manchester Airport.

Meanwhile Haravghi reported yesterday that the Greek team of experts
investigating last August’s crash had concluded pilot error was the
primary cause of the accident.
The team, headed by Akrivos Tsolakis, zeroed in on the aviators’
failure
to carry out a checklist during flight or take the proper action when
the
decompression sounded.
Secondary causes included Civil Aviation’s long-term deficiencies,
dating
back to at least 1996.
Tsolakis’ finished report is expected sometime in the next few weeks.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=28173&cat_id=1