South Korea: Two Air Force unit commanders booked over accidental jet bombing

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Seoul, April 14 (IANS) Two Air Force unit commanders of South Korea have been booked in relation to an unprecedented mistaken bombing on a civilian town last month, officials said on Monday, as the ministry released the interim probe results of the fighter jet accident.

On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometres north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians, according to an estimate by city authorities.

The two pilots, who are alleged to have erroneously entered the target coordinates prior to the live-fire drills, have been booked on charges of professional negligence resulting in injury and damaging military facilities. The pilots have also been suspended from air duty for one year.

“The ministry plans to refer the two pilots and the unit commanders who have been booked to the military prosecution after the probe concludes and seek disciplinary action against nine officials who were found to have belatedly reported the case and taken insufficient measures,” the ministry’s criminal investigation command said in a release.

The nine officials include seven from the Air Force and two from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it added.

The ministry also plans to issue a warning against the Air Force’s operations commander, holding him accountable for command responsibility and insufficient reporting.

The latest findings reaffirmed an interim probe result earlier released by the Air Force that pointed to pilot error, inadequate management and inspection procedures as key causes of the incident.

The pilots did not initially perceive their mistakes after entering wrong target coordinates in the joint mission planning system computer and unloaded the bombs without visually confirming them, according to the interim result.

The findings also showed the pilots did not conduct preparatory flights along the actual route of the live-fire drills, unlike the other pilots who took part in the March 6 drills, and perceived the mistaken bombing shortly after the incident.

A ministry official said the pilots continue to testify differently on whether the target coordinates were misread or misheard but said such a circumstance does not hinder holding both accountable, Yonhap news agency reported.

Regarding the two unit commanders who have been additionally booked over charges of professional negligence resulting in injury, the ministry said “substantial causality” was identified between their actions and the incident.

“Despite being obliged to confirm and inspect the readiness of pilots for training, they overlooked the risks of a live-fire drill and did not confirm the training plan,” the ministry said.

The Air Force dismissed the Colonel-level Group Commander and a Lieutenant-Colonel-level Squadron Commander from their posts last month.

–IANS

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56 killed by paramilitary forces in Sudan’s western city in two days: Volunteer groups

Khartoum, April 14 (IANS) At least 56 people were killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) between in Umm Kadada city in North Darfur State, western Sudan, volunteer groups reported.

These people were “executed on an ethnic basis” after the RSF took control of the city on Thursday, the Coordination of Resistance Committees in the state’s capital El Fasher said, identifying all the victims as civilians.

The local volunteer group accused in a statement the militia of “committing widespread violations, forcibly displacing residents, and shutting down all communication networks.”

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Emergency Lawyers Initiative, another volunteer group, confirmed in a statement that the RSF killed 52 civilians, burned residential homes, and looted properties in two days after entering Umm Kadada.

“The RSF also stormed the local hospital, assaulted patients, and executed four medical staff members, including the hospital’s director,” it added.

There has been no comment from the RSF regarding the claims, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Friday more than 114 civilians were killed in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on two displacement camps over the past two days in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, a local official announced.

“More than 100 civilians were killed as a result of the brutal attack launched by the RSF militia on the Zamzam displacement camp yesterday (Friday), with dozens injured,” Ibrahim Khatir, director general of North Darfur State’s health authority, told Xinhua.

” On Saturday, 14 civilians were also killed due to another militia attack on the Abu Shouk displacement camp, with dozens more injured,” he added.

Khatir revealed that among the dead in the Zamzam camp were nine employees of Relief International, a non-governmental organisation operating a field hospital in the camp.

Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which has claimed more than 29,600 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a crisis monitoring group cited by the United Nations.

–IANS

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MP govt aims at two trillion economy by 2047

Bhopal, Feb 22 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh government has set the target of achieving a two trillion economy by 2047 and also aims at brining more investment to the state during the upcoming business summit.

After the BJP government took over the state, one can discern a sea of changes related to the development of the state. During the tenure of former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, a few modest investors’ summits were organised in Khajuraho with select participants, but these gatherings bore little fruit.

Post Digvijay Singh’s regime in 2004, the BJP government under the stewardship of Shivraj Singh Chouhan not only started Global Investors’ Summits afresh but made it a biennial affair.

The incumbent government has worked a lot to change and elevate the state’s gross domestic production to a staggering Rs 30 lakh crore by 2030, with an even more ambitious target of achieving an economy worth two trillion economy by 2047.

An official said that upon perusal of new policy documents, the government pledges a multitude of incentives and financial assistance to ensure a seamless ‘Ease of Doing Business’ for investors in both traditional and contemporary sectors like IT and IT-enabled services.

Highlighting several facilities outlined in the policy to be unveiled at the upcoming business summit, the official noted that Madhya Pradesh anticipates establishing over 160 parks across various industrial sectors by 2030, alongside export zones and initiatives exploring private-sector collaboration.

Additionally, the state envisions the development of 5-10 Smart Industrial townships along key industrial corridors, green industrial zones/eco-industrial parks, and integrated residential and commercial areas within new industrial zones—ambitions that were inconceivable two decades ago.

A noteworthy feature of the new policy is the provision of a one-time subsidy amounting to 25 per cent for export-related infrastructure, up to Rs 1 crore per entity, including testing laboratories, research and development centres, and export incubation centres.

In stark contrast to the previous days of Congress, the newly enacted ‘Madhya Pradesh Udyogon Ki Sthapna Evam Parichalan Ka Saralikaran Adhiniyam, 2023,’, exempts industries from 22 approvals and the inspections of seven departments for a period of three years. This Act, now notified, applies to 296 industrial areas across the state, the official stated.

Regarding incentives under the New Policy, eligible investments include significant benefits such as 50 per cent cost coverage for captive power based on renewable energy (capped at 20 per cent of plant and machinery costs with factory sheds and buildings), provided a minimum of 50 per cent of the generated power is consumed on-site.

Even imported second-hand or refurbished machinery with an expected lifespan of 10 years qualifies for incentives under the new policy.

The official said that if a company exports more than 25 per cent of its production, it will be entitled to a one-time subsidy of 25 per cent for export-related infrastructure up to Rs 1 crore per entity, including research and development centres and test laboratories—a pioneering initiative by the state government.

Additionally, the exporter can receive an incentive of Rs 2 crore per annum for five years under certain conditions and export marketing assistance. The greater the export volume, the more substantial the incentives, the officials said.

As far as infrastructure development is concerned, the previous government had no strategic plan for park development. However, the current state government has already developed several parks and has more in the pipeline, including four funded by the Union government with a capital expenditure of nearly Rs 2000 crore. There are also 38 new industrial areas under development, with a capital expenditure of Rs 3700 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent ‘X’ post is sufficient to respond to Congress’s criticism of the upcoming business summit.

“The next two days will be dedicated to the development of Madhya Pradesh,” PM Modi.

It is worth mentioning here that no prime minister ever attended any investor summits organised during the Congress tenure.

–IANS

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11-year-old shipwreck survivor rescued in Italy

Rome, Dec 12 (IANS) A young girl was rescued from the Mediterranean Sea and brought to Italy’s southern Lampedusa island after being found alone in the water, local media reported.

The rescue was carried out on Wednesday by a ship operated by the charity group Compass Collective, Xinhua news agency reported.

The girl is believed to be the sole survivor of a group of about 45 migrants who set sail from Sfax, Tunisia, last week, according to initial accounts.

Rescuers said they discovered the girl in the early hours of Wednesday.

Thousands of migrants perish each year while attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing to reach southern Europe, with Italy, Spain, and Greece being primary destinations.

So far this year, 64,021 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in Italy via the central Mediterranean route, compared to 153,126 during the same period in 2023, according to Italy’s interior ministry. In total, 185,623 migrants have reached southern Europe in 2024, with over 175,000 crossing the Mediterranean, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

While overall arrivals have decreased compared to the peak years of 2015-2016, the death toll remains alarmingly high. So far in 2024, approximately 2,250 people have been declared missing or dead, following 4,110 in 2023 and 3,017 in 2022, UNHCR reported.

–IANS

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