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Flights cancelled in Japan after scissors go missing

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Thirty six flights were cancelled and 201 delayed at a Japanese airport on the weekend after a pair of scissors went missing in a store near the boarding gates.

Security checks at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport domestic terminal were suspended for about two hours on Saturday morning, leaving hundreds of travellers temporarily stranded.

There were huge bottlenecks and queues as passengers in the departure lounge were forced to retake security checks.

Authorities tried to locate the missing scissors, which were found at the same store the following day.

Although the scissors weren’t located on Saturday, the day they went missing, security checks and flights eventually resumed that day.

Hokkaido Airport, the operator of New Chitose airport, announced on Monday that the scissors had been found by a worker at the store on Sunday.

Authorities explained that they held off on making the announcement until they had confirmed that the scissors were the same as the ones that were lost.

Many travellers affected by the cancellations and delays were flying home after Japan’s annual Bon holiday.

“I don’t think we have any choice (but to wait),” one traveller told local media at the time. “But I do hope they are bit more careful about it.”

Another traveller said there were “So many things to worry about these days… it never ends. And I don’t feel safe until I get home.”

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has asked Hokkaido Airports to investigate the cause and prevent it from happening again.

“We recognise that this occurred as a result of insufficient storage and management systems at the store,” Hokkaido Airport said. “We are aware that this is also an incident that could be linked to hijacking or terrorism, and will once again work to ensure thorough management awareness.”

Social media users on X praised the airport’s response to the incident, with several saying it reaffirmed their confidence in Japanese air safety.

“This incident showcased the safety of Japanese aviation and the thoroughness of its manuals!” one user wrote.

Another said it “made me realise once again that New Chitose Airport is a safe airport to use.”

New Chitose is one of Japan’s busiest airports, serving the world’s second-most travelled domestic air route – between Tokyo and Sapporo – according to aviation analytics company OAG.

More than 15 million travellers used the airport in 2022.

(BBC News)

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Pakistan PM Shehbaz offers dialogue with India for ‘peace’

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The Indian Army on Thursday (May 16) said it will pursue confidence building measures to reduce the “alertness level” in line with the May 10 understanding on cessation of hostilities with the Pakistani side.

The remarks by the Indian Army came hours after Islamabad said the India-Pakistan arrangement on stopping the military actions has been extended till May 18.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended an offer of talks to India, saying Pakistan is ready to engage “for peace”. Mr. Shehbaz made the comments during a visit to the Kamra air base in the country’s Punjab province where he interacted with officers and soldiers involved in the recent military confrontation with India.

“We are ready to talk with it (India) for peace,” he said and added that the “conditions for peace” include the Kashmir issue.

(The Hindu)

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Plane crash victims’ families file complaint against Jeju Air CEO

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Some families of those killed in a Jeju Air plane crash last December have filed a criminal complaint against 15 people, including South Korea’s transport minister and the airline’s CEO, for professional negligence.

The 72 bereaved relatives are calling for a more thorough investigation into the crash, which killed 179 of the 181 people on board – making it the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil.

The crash was “not a simple accident”, they allege, but a “major civic disaster caused by negligent management of preventable risks”.

Nearly five months on, authorities are still studying what may have caused the plane to crash-land at Muan International Airport and then burst into flames.

The police had already opened a criminal investigation before this latest complaint, and barred Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae from leaving the country, but no one has been indicted over the incident.

One of the relatives, Kim Da-hye, denounced the “lack of progress” in investigations.

“We are filled with deep anger and despair. Having taken this extraordinary measure of filing a criminal complaint, we will not give up and will continue to pursue the truth,” Mr Kim said in a statement to the media.

Among the 15 people named in the complaint were government officials, airline officials and airport staff responsible for construction, supervision, facility management and bird control.

The complaint filed on Tuesday raises questions around the circumstances of the crash, including whether air traffic control responded appropriately and whether the reinforcement of a mound at the end of the runway violated regulations.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, took off from the Thai capital of Bangkok on the morning of 29 December, and was flying to Muan in South Korea.

Five minutes after the pilots made contact with Muan International Airport, they reported striking a bird and declared a mayday signal.

The pilots then tried to land from the opposite direction, during which the aircraft belly-landed without its landing gear deployed. It later overran the runway, slammed into a concrete structure and exploded.

Earlier this year, investigators said they found bird feathers in both engines of the jet, but did not conclude the extent to which the bird strike was a contributing factor.

Since the incident, some bereaved families have also been targeted by a torrent of conspiracies and malicious jokes online.

These included suggestions that families were “thrilled” to receive compensation from authorities, or that they were “fake victims”. As of March this year, eight people have been apprehended for making such derogatory and defamatory online posts.

(BBC News)

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Gary Anandasangaree appointed Public Safety Minister of Canada

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Sri Lankan-born Gary Anandasangaree has been sworn in as Canada’s new Minister of Public Safety under PM Mark Carney’s cabinet.

A former Minister of Justice and Crown–Indigenous Relations, Anandasangaree will now oversee national security, emergency preparedness, and border protection.

“As I step into this new role, I am grateful to Prime Minister Mark Carney for his trust. I am ready to work with my Cabinet and Caucus colleagues, our partner organizations, and all orders of government to unite, secure, protect, and build Canada,” he has Tweeted.

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