Latest news with #SOFA
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
DGCA surprise audit finds 4 violations in Turkish Airlines operations, including dangerous goods handling lapses
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out surprise Safety Oversight and Ramp (SOFA/RAMP) inspections of Turkish Airlines' passenger and cargo flights at four major Indian airports — Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru — between 29 May and 2 June 2025. The inspections were conducted under Article 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO) to assess compliance with international safety standards and DGCA regulations. Following the inspections, the DGCA has directed Turkish Airlines to ensure full adherence to ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices as well as Indian civil aviation rules. The regulator warned that follow-up inspections will be conducted to verify ongoing compliance and urged the airline to promptly address the identified shortcomings. Marshaller competency: At Bengaluru airport, the marshaller responsible for ground operations lacked proper authorisation and did not possess a valid competency card for marshalling functions, raising concerns about safe aircraft guidance on the apron. Aircraft maintenance: During the arrival of an aircraft, a licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) was absent, and a technician performed the required arrival procedures instead. M/s Airworks is the authorised engineering service provider for Turkish Airlines. Dangerous goods handling: Cargo was found to contain dangerous goods requiring explicit DGCA permission for carriage of explosives to, from, or over Indian territory. However, the necessary permission documentation was neither attached nor mentioned in the Dangerous Goods Declaration. Ground handling agreement and equipment accountability: No formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) existed between Turkish Airlines and its Ground Handling Agent (GHA) at Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Ground support equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units (GPUs) lacked proper accountability and monitoring. Globe Ground India was providing ground services without a formal handover from the previous provider, Çelebi. The DGCA has instructed Turkish Airlines to rectify these issues immediately to maintain the highest safety standards. Failure to comply could result in regulatory action, including restrictions on operations.
Pembrokeshire Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Sofa distributor banned after driving with seven times the cannabis limit
A SOFA delivery driver has been banned from the roads for 12 months after being caught driving through Pembroke Dock while seven times over the legal cannabis limit. Dean Binks, 40, was stopped by police on London Road on February 2 during a routine check. Officers noted a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle and carried out a roadside drugs wipe. 'There was a strong smell of cannabis inside the vehicle, and as a result of the driver's demeanour, a drugs wipe was carried out,' Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates. Further blood analysis revealed Binks had 16 micrograms of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in his system. The legal limit is 2 micrograms. Binks, of Pant Road, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, pleaded guilty to drug driving. He was represented by solicitor Fenn Richards, who told the court that her client had been a daily cannabis user but was now attempting to turn his life around. 'He's extremely remorseful for his actions and is now trying to make things better for himself,' she said. Binks is employed as a distribution manager for Bespoke Sofa Wales, which involves driving across South Wales to deliver furniture. His conviction and disqualification are likely to have serious implications for his job. Magistrates imposed a 12-month driving ban, fined him £300, and ordered him to pay a £120 court surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.
Express Tribune
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Japanese authorities investigate US marine over assault, rape allegations
Listen to article A United States Marine stationed in Japan's Okinawa prefecture has been charged with the rape of a Japanese civilian woman and the assault of another woman who tried to intervene, according to officials familiar with the investigation. The incident allegedly took place in March in a restroom located within a US military base in Okinawa. Japanese police, in coordination with US military authorities, launched an investigation shortly afterward. The suspect, a man in his 20s whose identity has not been disclosed, remains under American jurisdiction by the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which governs the legal handling of US personnel in Japan. According to sources cited by local media, the second woman involved sustained injuries while attempting to rescue the victim from the assault. The case was formally referred to prosecutors by Okinawa police on April 7. This case marks the third alleged sexual assault involving US military personnel in Okinawa since June 2024, further inflaming longstanding tensions between the local population and the American military presence on the island. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, a long-time critic of the US military footprint in the region, condemned the alleged assault as 'very deplorable' and reiterated calls for stricter safeguards. 'We strongly urge the US military to implement concrete and effective measures to prevent such incidents from happening again,' said Tamaki during a press briefing. The US Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, also released a statement expressing deep concern. 'We deeply value the bonds we've built with our Japanese partners and host communities. These incidents jeopardise the trust we've cultivated over many decades,' Glass stated. Public frustration in Okinawa continues to rise. Despite agreements between the US and Japanese governments to reduce the military presence and relocate certain bases, implementation has faced repeated political and legal obstacles. In 2012, Tokyo and Washington agreed to relocate 9,000 Marines from Okinawa and move key facilities to less populated areas or other locations such as Guam. Yet, over a decade later, only a fraction of that plan has been realised. This week, in a rare show of joint coordination, Japanese police and US military personnel conducted joint patrols in Okinawa City's entertainment districts, an effort to deter future crimes and reassure residents. The patrols were the first of their kind since 1974. Okinawa hosts more than half of the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan and nearly two-thirds of all American military installations in the country. Tensions over the US presence date back decades and have periodically erupted in protest following major incidents, most notably the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen—a crime that triggered national outrage and demands for change. In 2024 alone, 80 individuals connected to the US military were charged with crimes in Okinawa. With this latest case, three servicemen have now been formally accused of sexual violence on the island in less than a year. While the suspect in the March assault remains under US control, Japanese prosecutors will ultimately decide whether to pursue formal charges under Japanese law. If indicted, a request could be made for custody transfer in line with SOFA provisions, though such outcomes are rare and often politically sensitive.
Asahi Shimbun
24-04-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Okinawa police: 2 U.S. Marines suspected of sexual assault
NAHA—Less than a week after joint Japan-U.S. anti-crime patrols started in Okinawa Prefecture, police here on April 23 announced that two U.S. Marine Corps members have been accused of sexual assault. Okinawa prefectural police said they sent papers on the Marines to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office on April 7. They did not say if the suspects have admitted to or denied the allegations. According to police, one of the Marines in his 20s is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in a restroom at a U.S. military base on the main island of Okinawa in March. The woman was an employee of the base. The suspect is also believed to have caused a minor injury to another woman after the assault. Police sent papers to prosecutors regarding this injury, too. The other Marine, also in his 20s, allegedly sexually assaulted a female acquaintance on the main island of Okinawa in January. The three women each contacted prefectural police. The U.S. military, informed of the incidents, has identified the two service members. Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Japan has jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel suspected of committing crimes while off-duty. However, if the United States detains the suspect, the U.S. military can hold that person until indictment by Japanese prosecutors. The two Marines are being held by the U.S. side, so Okinawa police are limited to questioning the suspects on a voluntary basis. A number of sex crimes linked to U.S. military personnel in Okinawa Prefecture were revealed in succession since June last year, reigniting anger within the prefectural government and among the local population. U.S. Forces Japan in July announced countermeasures to prevent a recurrence, including joint patrols conducted by prefectural police and the U.S. military, which started on April 18. The U.S. military had also announced it would hold a 'forum' to exchange opinions with the Okinawa prefectural government and local residents. But it has not held one yet. Last year, Okinawa police identified four cases of suspected sexual misconduct by U.S. military personnel, but one case was dropped. So far this year, three similar allegations have emerged. But one case sent to prosecutors in January was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Asahi Shimbun
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Okinawa police, U.S. military go on joint patrols to prevent crime
Okinawa prefectural police officers, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki and U.S. military staff members patrol Gate Street that runs from Kadena Air Base to the downtown area late in the evening on April 18. (Kazufumi Kaneko) OKINAWA, Okinawa Prefecture—Okinawa prefectural police and U.S. service members conducted a joint patrol here near the U.S. Kadena Air Base late on April 18 due to a recent series of sexual assaults involving U.S. military personnel in the prefecture. Prefectural police and city government officials have been patrolling the area following the incidents. However, this time the U.S. military joined in as well. The last time a joint patrol was held was in 1974, two years after the prefecture was returned to Japanese control. It has not yet been decided whether the joint patrols will continue. About 120 people, including police officers from the Okinawa Police Station, city government officials and U.S. soldiers, were divided into three groups. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki and Brian Wolford, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, joined as well. The groups patrolled the area around Gate Street, which runs from Kadena Air Base to the downtown area, for about four hours from 10 p.m. on April 18 to 2 a.m. on April 19. In a ceremony before they departed, Wolford said that this patrol represents a joint effort between Japan and the United States to build local communities where residents can feel more secure. The patrol is in response to a series of sexual assault cases that have come to light since June last year. Last year, four sexual assault incidents involving U.S. service members—the highest on record in the last decade—were identified by the prefectural police. In one of these cases the accused was not indicted. In response, the U.S. military stationed in Japan announced last July that they would conduct joint patrols with Japanese police as one of the countermeasures to prevent further instances of sexual assault by U.S. service members. Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), when both Japanese and U.S. investigative authorities are present at the scene of a crime committed by an U.S. military member, the U.S. authorities will detain the suspect with the possibility that the Japanese police will have a limited right to investigate. Because of this, the prefectural police didn't immediately try to involve the U.S. military in joint patrols of the area. However, the joint patrol on April 18 was conducted as a crime prevention measure where participants walk around the main street. So, the prefectural police agreed that the U.S. military could join the patrol. On the day, no incidents were identified by the U.S. military. After the patrol, Tamaki told reporters that, 'Issues with the SOFA have not yet been sorted out. However, it is important for related authorities to cooperate like we did here.' A 67-year-old man who runs a restaurant near Gate Street said, 'Conducting patrols could lead to security, but if it ends up being just for show, similar incidents will occur again.' The city government said it wants to continue the joint patrols, but no specific schedule has been decided yet. The U.S. military has said it plans to hold a forum where U.S. military senior officials, prefectural officials and local residents can exchange opinions on the issue. However, this forum has not yet been scheduled.
