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Plane crash in South Korea kills 179: what we know about the circumstances of the tragedy

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Plane crash in South Korea kills 179: what we know about the circumstances of the tragedy, Magnate Daily
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Steph Deschamps / December 30, 2024

Plane crash in South Korea kills 179: what we know about the circumstances of the tragedy, Magnate Daily
The crash of the Jeju Air plane on Sunday December 29 on a runway at Muan airport claimed the lives of 179 of the 181 people on board. It was the country’s worst-ever air disaster, according to the Korean press. The government has declared a week of national mourning.
 
The death toll from the air disaster in South Korea on Sunday morning rose as the day went on. Of the 181 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 737-800 from Bangkok that crash-landed on a runway at Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country, only two crew members survived, reports the Korea Herald. “The youngest passenger was a 3-year-old boy, while the oldest was a 78-year-old man. Two of the passengers were Thai nationals”, says the daily.
Flight 7C 2216 of Korean low-cost carrier Jeju Air attempted an emergency landing at around 9 a.m. local time, “without landing gear”, but crashed three minutes later into a concrete wall after leaving the runway, immediately turning into a fireball. “This is the worst air disaster to have occurred on South Korean soil”, says the Korea Herald.
 
The plane’s fuselage was completely destroyed in the crash, making identification of the victims extremely difficult. Throughout the day, rescue teams continued their efforts to find the remains of the missing passengers, while temporary morgues were set up to receive the bodies.
 
Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost airlines, founded in 2005, had been operating the Bangkok-Muan route for just one month, with four flights a week, explains the Korea Times. Its CEO, Kim E-bae, told a press conference in Seoul that there was no indication that the plane “could have had a problem”. Video footage showed the landing gear “malfunctioning”, but investigators “believe a bird strike may have been the cause”. A video also shows flames escaping from the engine under the right wing just before the crash.
 
The Boeing 737-800 is widely used around the world, particularly by low-cost airlines. It has an excellent safety record, says The New York Times. “The plane in question is very safe,” says Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California who has studied the aircraft’s history. It is possible that the aircraft’s landing gear failed to deploy due to “a maintenance problem”, but the expert does not rule out a bird strike as the cause.
 
Wetlands near Muan Airport and all along the west coast of the Korean peninsula are favorite resting places for migratory birds, reports The New York Times. “Photos circulated in local media showed birds flying in groups near the airport on Sunday.” The airport’s control tower had issued a warning minutes before the crash, confirmed the Korean Ministry of Transport, which added that the aircraft’s two black boxes were found at the crash site.
 
The Korean authorities have declared a national mourning period. Throughout the week, “memorials will be erected throughout the country, flags will be flown at half-mast on public buildings and civil servants will wear mourning ribbons”. The disaster comes as the country faces an unprecedented political crisis, as The Washington Post points out. On Friday December 27, South Korea’s deputies voted to dismiss the country’s interim head of state, Han Duck-soo, on charges of having “actively participated in the insurrection” following his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed attempt to introduce martial law on December 3. The new interim president, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, “pledged on Friday to overcome the crisis”.
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Full-Scale Escalation in the Middle East: Washington and Israel Launch Operation “Epic Fury” Against Iran

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March 1, 2026

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Full-Scale Escalation in the Middle East: Washington and Israel Launch Operation “Epic Fury” Against Iran, Magnate Daily
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Steph Deschamps / February 28, 2026

Full-Scale Escalation in the Middle East: Washington and Israel Launch Operation “Epic Fury” Against Iran, Magnate Daily

In what appears to be the most radical shift in regional geopolitics in decades, the United States and Israel launched a massive aerial offensive against the Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday. Tehran immediately retaliated with a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting Israel and several Gulf nations, plunging the region into open warfare.

The Middle East has tilted into the unknown. This Saturday, February 28, 2026, the joint operation codenamed “Epic Fury” began with a series of devastating explosions rocking Tehran, Isfahan, and Qom. The strikes targeted nuclear infrastructure, missile depots, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centers.

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The Fate of Ali Khamenei and Iranian Retaliation

Several Israeli sources claim that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei may have been hit during strikes on his compound in Tehran. While unconfirmed, this news was followed by a message from President Donald Trump urging the Iranian people to “take back your government.”

In response, Iran triggered operation “Honest Promise 4,” launching hundreds of projectiles. While the Iron Dome protected most of Israeli territory, impacts were reported in Tel Aviv. In the Gulf, U.S. bases and civilian infrastructure in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were also targeted.

Canada Backs the Offensive

From Mumbai, where he was attending an economic forum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted firmly. In a joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Canada expressed its support for the U.S.-Israeli actions aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East,” Carney stated. While clarifying that Canada is not participating militarily and was not involved in the planning, he asserted that Iran must “never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

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Ottawa has, however, urged all parties to protect civilian lives and instructed Canadians in Iran to “shelter in place.” Meanwhile, the New Democratic Party (NDP) sharply criticized this stance, denouncing what they called “blind support” for a dangerous escalation.

Transport Chaos

The repercussions are global. Air Canada has already cancelled its flights to the Gulf, and oil prices are skyrocketing. The international community, though divided, now fears a regional conflagration that no one seems able to control.

*** Last updated: February 28, 2026, 7:45 PM.

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China inaugurates the world’s highest bridge

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5 months ago

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October 13, 2025

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China inaugurates the world’s highest bridge, Magnate Daily
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1 min read 147 words 178 views

Steph Deschamps / October 12, 2025

China inaugurates the world&#8217;s highest bridge, Magnate Daily

China inaugurated the world’s highest bridge on Sunday. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge, built in the mountainous province of Guizhou, spans a 625-meter gorge and a river winding below.
The structure, which took three years to build, breaks the record held by the Duge Bridge, also known as the Beipanjiang Bridge, located in the same province. At 565 meters high, it has been relegated to second place.
 
State television footage showed cars driving across the immense structure, its blue pylons fading into the clouds.
 
According to authorities, the bridge will reduce travel time between the two banks from two hours to two minutes. This project should not only facilitate transportation, but also stimulate economic development in the region.
 
The southern province of Guizhou already boasts a series of spectacular bridges. According to the Xinhua news agency, nearly half of the world’s 100 tallest bridges are located there.
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Pinched, slapped, punched, nursery worker convicted of abusing 21 babies in UK

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5 months ago

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October 13, 2025

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Pinched, slapped, punched, nursery worker convicted of abusing 21 babies in UK, Magnate Daily
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Sylvie Claire / October 12, 2025

Pinched, slapped, punched, nursery worker convicted of abusing 21 babies in UK, Magnate Daily

A 22-year-old woman who worked in two nurseries in the UK was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison for molesting 21 babies, acts that were “gratuitous” and “sadistic”, according to the judge.
 
It’s the kind of story every parent of a toddler fears. Indeed, a young woman, Roksana Lecka, aged 22, was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison for molesting 21 babies in two British nurseries where she worked. These were “gratuitous” and “sadistic” acts, according to Sarah Plaschkes, the judge in charge of the case. The young woman committed numerous “acts of cruelty” in the two establishments where she was employed between October 2023 and June 2024 on the outskirts of London, Sarah Plaschkes emphasized in her decision. The young woman, who said she was addicted to cannabis, admitted to committing such acts against seven children under the age of 16, and the court in Kingston, south-west of the capital, found her guilty of similar acts against 14 others at her trial.
 
These children were “pinched, slapped, hit, slapped and kicked. You pulled their ears, hair and toes“, listed the judge, ”multiple acts of gratuitous violence” perpetrated when she was out of sight. Surveillance videos from the second nursery, Riverside, show Roksana Lecka pinching and scratching children on the arms, legs and abdomen, or kicking a little boy in the face.
 
Numerous parents were present in the room to witness the verdict, and recounted on the stand the impact of this violence on their children and themselves. “These children were so innocent and vulnerable. They couldn’t speak, they couldn’t defend themselves (…) they were totally helpless and Roksana attacked them”, said an indignant mother.
 
The judge described his behavior as “sadistic”, while the Irwin Mitchell law firm, representing 18 of the families, questioned how Lecka’s assaults could have gone “unnoticed”, before they were discovered in June 2024.
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