International Briefs
South Korea to inspect Boeing aircraft as it struggles to find cause of plane crash
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials plan to conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines, as they struggle to determine what caused a weekend plane crash that killed 179 people. Acting President Choi Sang-mok also instructed authorities on Monday to conduct an emergency review of the country’s aircraft operation systems. The plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball. All but two of the 181 people aboard were killed.
Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband won’t appeal his 20-year prison sentence
PARIS (AP) — A lawyer for the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot says he won’t appeal his 20-year sentence for drugging and raping her and allowing dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious. The case revolted France and triggered calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture. Lawyer Béatrice Zavarro says Dominique Pelicot wants to spare his ex-wife the ordeal of another trial. She spoke in an interview on Monday with broadcaster France Info. She said 17 of the 50 other men found guilty this month have decided to appeal. That trial is expected in late 2025.
Serbia’s prosecutor charges 13 in a deadly canopy fall that fueled mass protest
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s public prosecutor has indicted 13 people including a former minister over the collapse of a concrete canopy that killed 15 last month and triggered weeks of massive anti-government protests. The suspects were charged Monday in the northern city of Novi Sad, where the Nov. 1 collapse happened. The huge concrete canopy was part of a railway station building, which was renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese companies. Many in Serbia believe that the work on the station was sloppy due to rampant corruption, and caused the canopy to crash down.
At least 66 people die after a truck plunges into a river in southern Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — A hospital in southern Ethiopia says at least 66 people have died after a truck plunged into a river. The accident took place Sunday when an old, overcrowded truck that was contracted by wedding guests fell off the Gelan Bridge, where villagers said traffic crashes have happened before. The medical director at Bona General Hospital in the southern Sidama region, Lemma Lagide, told The Associated Press on Monday that 64 people died on site and two others at the hospital. He said those patients in need of more sophisticated critical care were transferred to a bigger hospital in Hawassa.