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Geopolitics

Seven British Among Dead In Nepal Plane Crash

BBC NEWS(UK), TIMES OF INDIA (India)

Worldcrunch

KATHMANDU - A plane carrying trekkers to the Everest region crashed and burned just after takeoff on the outskirts of Nepal's capital, killing all 19 people on board, including seven British and five Chinese passengers.

According to eyewitnesses, the small plane operated by Sita Air crashed into a river bank and caught fire about 20 metres from a settlement (watch video below).

The cause of the crash has not yet been made official, however the general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, said it appeared that the plane had struck a bird, BBC News reports ; the Indian daily newspaper Times of India adds that a black eagle had been recovered in three pieces on the site of the crash.

Among the dead were seven British, five Chinese, four Nepali passengers and three Nepali crew members. The twin-propeller plane was travelling to Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region. The British nationals had planned a 13-day trek to Everest Base Camp.

It’s the sixth fatal air crash in Nepal in the last two years, raising fresh questions about the safety record of the country's numerous small airlines. It’s also the second tragedy to hit the region in less than a week, after an avalanche killed at least 11 people on a Himalayan peak on Sunday.

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Geopolitics

How Turkey's Jumbled Opposition Bloc Can Take Erdogan Down

Turkey heads to the polls in May, with a newly formed opposition bloc hoping to dislodge President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. Despite some party infighting, many remain hopeful they can bring an end to Erdogan's 20 years in power. But first, clarity from within a complicated coalition is needed.

Photo of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey

Bekir Ağırdır

-Analysis-

ISTANBUL — Turkey was hit by a political earthquake recently, at the same time that we were mourning the victims of the actual earthquakes. It was a crisis triggered among the main opposition coalition, the so-called “ the table of six,” by the inner dynamics of the nationalist Good Party (IYI) that resulted in a renewed understanding among the rearranged table.

The six-party coalition has been set up to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “one-man rule” and is looking to dislodge him after 20 years in power in the country’s upcoming national elections scheduled on May 14.

I am not a fan of analyses based on a who-said-or-did-what perspective, nor those focusing on the actors themselves either. I won’t attempt to analyze the political actors unless the daily agenda forces me to. They are not my priority: the condition of our society and our political system are what matters to me.

We were all told to follow the tabloid version of the story, articles based on hot gossip and anonymous statements full of conspiracy theories about the disagreements of the table of six, and the question of who would run against Erdoğan.

The truth is that there were three crises in one. The first is what we call the political crisis, which is actually shortcomings in collaboration and taking control of the process. The second is the structural problems of the political parties. And the third is the gap between politics and the vital needs of the society.

From day one, there were shortcomings in the general functioning of the table of the six — in their ability to act together in critical situations and, more importantly, in their ability to take control of the process. There were clues for these in recent times, such as the different stances the opposition parties took for the issue of providing constitutional protection for the headscarf.

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