RIYADH, June 28: A helicopter belonging to Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco crashed in the Kingdom's Ras Tanura, killing 14 people, the Saudi state news agency reported on Sunday.

The cause of the helicopter crash is yet to be determined, and an investigation is ongoing. Ras Tanura is home to the largest refinery in the West Asian region, and it is operated by Saudi Aramco.

According to a report by the Saudi Press Agency, all the people killed in the crash, which happened on Sunday morning at 6am, were citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi ministry of energy expressed its condolences to the families of the people killed in the crash.

“The ministry of energy extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased, praying that Almighty God grants them mercy and forgiveness and accepts them among the martyrs. Indeed, we belong to God, and to Him we shall return,” the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA.

Aramco had resumed crude oil loadings on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf after they were halted for nearly four months. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has joined ‌a rush to move cargoes after West Asian producers ramped up oil and gas output and exports ahead of an interim deal to halt the war between the United States and Iran.

11 killed as civilian plane crashes in France's Tomblaine

NANCY, June 28: Eleven people have died after a civilian aircraft carrying a group of skydivers crashed on Sunday in Tomblaine, near Nancy in France, as per Reuters.

The victims are believed to include five instructors, five students and the pilot, according to French outlet Le Parisien. Emergency services rushed to the scene as authorities worked to assess the situation.

The deceased are believed to be self-employed nurses from Nancy who were participating in their first skydiving experience, Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, told BFMTV from the crash site. "It would appear that the victims are self-employed nurses," he said.

Several relatives of the victims witnessed the crash, according to local media. They had gathered to watch the group's introductory skydiving experience. Authorities have set up a medical and psychological support unit to assist the victims' families.

The plane crashed near houses, on a grassy area alongside a road. "The accident happened around 11 am," a witness told the French daily L'Est Républicain. "I was driving by on my way to do my shopping at Auchan when I saw it dive and crash."

The aircraft was a German-registered Pilatus, a type of plane commonly used for parachute ops and skydiving activities, local media reported.

40 Years After Air India Bombing Which Killed 329, Canada Admits It Was Khalistani Plot

TORONTO, June 25: The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has for the first time acknowledged that Khalistani terrorists were involved in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 that killed 329 people, most of whom were Canadians of Indian origin. However, only 131 bodies were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean.

India's long-held position that the bombing was orchestrated by Khalistani extremists operating from Canada has been formally corroborated by Canadian authorities.

Calling the heinous attack the "deadliest terrorist attack" in the country's history, the agency said that it acted as a "defining moment" for the national security community.

In a post on Facebook, the agency wrote, "On June 23, 1985, a bomb planted by Canada-based Khalistani extremists destroyed the aircraft, killing everyone on board, most of them Canadians. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canada's history and a defining moment for our national security community."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterated on Tuesday that the bombing remains the "deadliest attack in our country's history" and that the country stands against all terrorism.

In 2005, the Canadian government officially designated June 23 as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism.

The aircraft, a Boeing 747, which was also known as Emperor Kanishka, was on the way from Toronto to Mumbai when the explosion took place.

A bomb was placed in the aircraft's luggage compartment by a member of the banned Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa, who did not board the flight. The explosive blew up mid-air 45 minutes before the aircraft was supposed to land at Heathrow Airport.

At the time, the bombing was looked at as a retaliation to 'Operation Bluestar', which was a major military operation ordered by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Its objective was to remove armed Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

But a public inquiry in 2010 led by former Supreme Court Justice John Major found a "cascading series of errors" by agencies that day that botched the investigation.

Moreover, the incident was seen as an "Indian issue", which downscaled the urgency of the response.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologised to the families of the victims of the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing on June 23, 2010. He acknowledged the state's failures, citing both the institutional lapses that led to the tragedy and the subsequent mistreatment and "administrative disdain" shown to grieving families by Canadian authorities.

Canada and India are rapidly rebuilding their bilateral relationship following a severe diplomatic fallout in 2023 when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged an Indian link to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has consistently urged Canada to cease providing safe haven to Khalistani extremists, citing the misuse of democratic freedoms to promote violence and target Indian interests.

This diplomatic reset was initiated after Mark Carney became the prime minister of Canada in March 2025.

Air India flight briefly enters Pak airspace near Amritsar, pilot put off duty pending probe

NEW DELHI, June 24: An Air India flight from Delhi to Punjab's Amritsar briefly entered Pakistani airspace while carrying out a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport on June 22, the airline said, adding that the pilot has since been taken off the roster pending an investigation.

In a statement, Air India said the crew operating flight AI479 had "marginally infringed" into Pakistan airspace during the manoeuvre.

"The crew operating flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on 22 June had marginally infringed into the Pakistan airspace while manoeuvring a go-around at Amritsar airport," the airline said.

According to preliminary information, the aircraft was initially instructed by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to hold over 13 DME (Distance Measuring Equipment). However, it continued towards AAR, took a left turn and crossed the International Border (IB), resulting in a brief entry into Pakistani airspace. The aircraft was unable to follow ATC instructions during the manoeuvre and subsequently crossed the border.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement that the aircraft was asked to hold as it approached the runway due to a runway inspection post a bird strike incident.

“After the aircraft commenced approach during radar vectoring the aircraft briefly entered the Pakistan airspace. The event was coordinated with Pakistan ATC Authorities,” the DGCA statement said, adding that the aircraft was finally diverted to Delhi.

Air India said the incident has been reported to the relevant regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally.

"The incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally. At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority," the airline said.

Air India did not disclose further details about the circumstances that led to the airspace infringement.

DGCA issues directives for airlines after Ebola outbreak declared as 'health emergency'

NEW DELHI, May 25: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued directives on Monday for airlines following the World Health Organisation's declaration of the Ebola Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

In an order dated May 22, the DGCA said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has issued standard operating procedures for health preparedness in view of the outbreak. The order noted that countries bordering the DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, “have been assessed as being at a high risk of disease transmission.”

According to the SOP, airlines operating direct or indirect connectivity with Uganda and the DRC have been instructed to ensure mandatory filing and collection of Self-Declaration Forms from passengers originating from or transiting through affected countries before arrival in India.

The DGCA also directed airlines to make specific in-flight announcements regarding Ebola symptoms and reporting procedures.

“In view of the current threat of Ebola disease in certain countries, any traveller who has fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, bleeding, should report immediately to the airlines crew and at the immigration/medical unit on arrival. This is important for early diagnosis for prompt management and preventing spread.”

The SOP further stated, “All travellers (passengers and crew), irrespective of nationality, will be required to fill a Self-Declaration Form and hand it over at the immigration/designated counter.”

“In case any of these symptoms develop within 21 days of arrival in India, the traveller should seek medical assistance from the designated hospitals and also inform the airport health office.”

The DGCA has laid down specific containment measures to be followed if a passenger displays symptoms during a flight.

Under the SOP, airlines must designate a single cabin crew member to care exclusively for the symptomatic passenger and relocate the person to the rear end of the aircraft to minimise exposure to other passengers.

The guidelines also require airlines to:

Keep three rows in front, behind and beside the suspected case vacant as far as possible
Assign a separate washroom exclusively for the suspected passenger
Provide masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Offer triple-layer masks to passengers seated nearby
Ensure complete disinfection of the aircraft immediately after landing
The SOP also directed operating crew to promptly share details of the suspected passenger with the Airport Health Organization (APHO), including seat number, observed symptoms, details of nearby passengers for 21-day symptom monitoring, and information about the designated caregiver or flight attendant.

Airlines asked to maintain equipment and train crew
The DGCA further directed airlines to conduct targeted training for crew members on public health measures to be followed during flights.

The order stated that aircraft must be adequately equipped with:

First-aid kits and Universal Precaution Kits as per ICAO guidelines
Triple-layer masks
Disposable hand gloves
PPE kits
Hand sanitisers
Bio-hazard disposal bags

No case of Ebola Virus Disease has been reported in India so far, the government said on Monday as Union Health Minister J P Nadda reviewed the preparedness and surveillance measures to prevent any possible outbreak in India.