UN Security Council members call for Houthis to stop attacks on shipping - CNA

UNITED NATIONS: Members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday (Jan 3) called on Yemen's Houthis to halt their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they are illegal and threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and global food supplies.

Addressing the council's first formal meeting of 2024, members also demanded that the Houthis release the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship linked to an Israeli company, and its crew, which the group seized on Nov 19.

Some members urged the council to take action to halt the Houthi missile and drone attacks. But the body took no formal steps in the open session before going into closed consultations.

The United States believes the situation has reached an "inflection point", Chris Lu, a US representative to the United Nations, told the council.

"These attacks pose grave implications for maritime security, international shipping and commerce, and they undermine the fragile humanitarian situation in Yemen", threatening aid deliveries to the war-torn country, Lu said.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have launched drones and missiles at more than 20 ships since Nov 19, saying that in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, they were targeting vessels with Israeli links or were sailing to Israel.

But many vessels have had no Israeli connection and were not bound for Israeli ports, and major shipping lines have suspended their operations through the Red Sea.

The United States and other countries last month formed a naval task force, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to protect civilian vessels. US warships have shot down Houthi-fired weapons, and on Sunday sank Houthi speed boats.

Hours before the Security Council met, the United States and 12 other countries warned in a joint statement that the Houthis "will bear the responsibility of the consequences" should the attacks persist.

During the session, the US, British and Israeli representatives accused Iran of supporting the Houthi strikes, a charge Tehran has denied.

"The Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels" without Iran's backing, said Lu.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki was among those calling for the council to act to halt the attacks, although he did not specify what steps it should take.

"Japan believes the Security Council should take an appropriate action to deter additional threats by the Houthis and maintain international peace and security," he said.

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia urged Houthi leaders to ease any actions posing threats to commercial vessels and their crews.

But, he said, the root of the issue was that it was an extension of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and he criticised Washington for blocking resolutions calling for a ceasefire.

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2024-01-03 23:32:00Z
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Blasts kill nearly 100 at slain commander Soleimani's memorial; Iran vows revenge - CNA

VIDEOS SHOW DOZENS OF BLOODIED BODIES

Videos aired by Iranian state media showed dozens of bloodied bodies strewn around with some bystanders trying to help survivors and others hurrying to leave the blast area.

"I heard a very loud sound and then felt pain in my back ... then I could not feel my legs," a wounded woman at a Kerman hospital told state television.

Iran's Red Crescent rescuers tended to wounded people at the ceremony, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's killing. Some Iranian news agencies said the number of wounded was much higher.

"A terrible sound was heard there, despite all the security and safety measures. The matter is still under investigation," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman Red Crescent Society, told state television.

Later, the state news agency said the cemetery had been evacuated and closed until further notice. The government announced that Thursday would be a day of mourning.

While the authorities did not publicly assign blame, top commander of Iran's Quds force Esmail Qaani said the attacks were carried out by "the agents of the Zionist regime (Israel) and the United States".

Tehran often accuses its arch enemies, Israel and the United States, of backing anti-Iran militant groups.

State TV showed crowds gathered at the cemetery at night, chanting: "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".

The United States was not involved in any way in the explosions and has no reason to believe Israel was, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a regular news briefing.

Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement that it will use all international means to identify and bring to justice those involved in the attacks and their supporters. Meanwhile, President Raisi cancelled a planned visit to Türkiye on Thursday.

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2024-01-03 23:22:47Z
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US insurer AIG leads policy for Japan Airlines plane -sources - CNA

LONDON :U.S. insurer AIG was the lead insurer on a $130 million "all-risks" policy for the Japan Airlines airplane which collided with another plane at Tokyo's Haneda airport, two insurance industry sources said on Wednesday.

AIG declined to comment.

All 379 people aboard the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 escaped after a collision with a De Havilland Dash-8 Coast Guard turboprop that killed five of six crew on the smaller aircraft.

Trade magazine The Insurer previously reported the AIG insurance news.

The Japan Airlines policy mainly covers damage to the hull, one of the sources said.

Large commercial insurance deals are typically split among a number of insurers.

Willis Towers Watson was the main broker on the deal, the second source told Reuters. Willis Towers Watson declined to comment.

Last year was challenging for the aviation insurance market, insurance broker Gallagher said in a report on Wednesday, given the Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts.

Aviation reinsurance rates rose by as much as 25 per cent at the key Jan. 1, 2024 reinsurance renewal date, Gallagher's reinsurance unit said in a report this week.

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2024-01-03 11:42:19Z
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China says it is willing to provide help to Japan on earthquake - CNA

BEIJING: China is willing to provide necessary help to Japan on the massive earthquake that struck the country on New Year's Day, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday (Jan 3).

There have been no Chinese casualties reported from the earthquake, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing.

Japanese authorities have confirmed 62 deaths so far, making the earthquake the deadliest in Japan since at least 2016.

Asked about the airplanes collision at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday, Wang said there were no Chinese citizens injured in the accident, adding that Japan had not made any request for assistance.

There were 14 Hong Kong tourists on the Japan Airlines plane involved, and the Chinese embassy in Japan has gotten in touch with them, Wang said.

The collision, which sparked concerns about runway safety, killed five of six crew on the smaller De Havilland Dash-8 Coast Guard turboprop, while all 379 people aboard the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 survived.

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2024-01-03 08:12:15Z
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Japan quake toll rises to 62 as weather hampers rescuers - CNA

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a heavy rain warning in the area.

"Be on the lookout for landslides until the evening of Wednesday," the agency said.

In the coastal city of Suzu, mayor Masuhiro Izumiya said there were "almost no houses standing".

"About 90 per cent of the houses (in the town) are completely or almost completely destroyed... the situation is really catastrophic," he said, according to broadcaster TBS.

A woman at a shelter in the town of Shika told TV Asahi that she "hasn't been able to sleep" due to aftershocks.

"I've been scared because we don't know when the next quake will hit," she said.

Nearly 34,000 households were still without power in Ishikawa prefecture, the local utility said.

Many cities were without running water.

Shinkansen bullet trains and highways have resumed operations after several thousand people were stranded, some for almost 24 hours.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.5, while the JMA measured it at 7.6, triggering a major tsunami warning.

The powerful quake was one of more than 400 to shake the region through Wednesday morning, the JMA said.

Japan lifted all tsunami warnings after waves at least 1.2m high hit the town of Wajima and a series of smaller tsunamis were reported elsewhere.

Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year and the vast majority cause no damage.

The number of earthquakes in the Noto Peninsula region has been steadily increasing since 2018, a Japanese government report said last year.

The country is haunted by a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

It also swamped the Fukushima atomic plant, causing one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.

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2024-01-03 02:27:00Z
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Runway safety concerns in focus as Japan probes Tokyo crash - CNA

"TECHNOLOGY GAP"

The Washington-based foundation has found that breakdowns in communication and coordination can play a role in runway crashes or near misses.

But a shortage of electronics to avoid collisions on the ground, rather than in the air where software to trigger avoidance has been available since the 1980s, is also a concern.

"Many of the serious incidents could have been avoided through better situational awareness technologies that can help air traffic controllers and pilots detect potential runway conflicts," Shahidi said.

The Federal Aviation Administration says some three dozen US airports are fitted with a system called ASDE-X that uses radar, satellites and a navigation tool called multilateration to track ground movements.

But National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said in November the US aviation network - a bellwether for airports worldwide - lacks sufficient technology to prevent runway incursions.

In 2018, Airbus said it was working with Honeywell on a system called SURF-A or Surface-Alert designed to help prevent runway collisions.

But no date for implementation has yet been announced and rolling out complex new aviation systems can take years.

Far-reaching reforms of European and US air traffic networks that could accelerate the use of such computerised systems have faced chronic delays.

Airbus and Honeywell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Steve Creamer, a former senior director at the International Civil Aviation Organization, said preventing a landing aircraft striking a plane is among the top five global safety priorities.

Although automated landings are increasing, experts say much still depends on visual checks by pilots who may be distracted by a high workload or the blur of a night-time runway.

"I think the investigation will focus a lot on the clearances ... and then also what the (JAL) crew could see. Could they physically see that airplane on the runway," said former US air accident investigator John Cox.

Lighting was an issue in a 1991 collision between a USAir plane and SkyWest Airlines aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport in California, for example.

"One of the things that came out of that was that the USAir crew physically could not see the SkyWest Metroliner there. Although it was on the runway, the lighting was such that you … physically couldn’t see it," he said.

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2024-01-03 00:48:06Z
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5 coast guard crew killed after plane collides with Japan Airlines jet in Tokyo's Haneda airport - CNA

RUNWAYS REOPENING, CAUSE OF CRASH UNCLEAR

Haneda, one of the two main airports serving the Japanese capital, was closed for several hours following the accident, but the transport ministry official said three runways had since resumed operations.

JAL's rival Japanese airline ANA had earlier said it had cancelled 110 domestic flights departing and landing at Haneda for the rest of Tuesday due to the runway shutdown.

Transport minister Saito said the cause of the accident was unclear and the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB), police and other departments would continue to investigate.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said authorities were working to ensure the accident at Haneda did not affect deliveries of earthquake relief supplies.

"This is a great regret as the crew members performed their duties with a strong sense of mission and responsibility for the victims of the disaster area," he said, referring to those killed on the coast guard plane.

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2024-01-02 15:11:00Z
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