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Israel's El Al Suspending South Africa Route over World Court Case

(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
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Israel's El Al Suspending South Africa Route over World Court Case

(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)

El Al Israel Airlines said on Friday it was suspending its route to Johannesburg at the end of March, citing a steep drop in demand after South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the World Court.
Israel's flag carrier flies up to twice weekly nonstop to Johannesburg.
"Israelis don't want to fly to South Africa," said an El Al spokesperson. "They are cancelling flights and planes are pretty empty... We understand it's the situation because it was different before.
"The fact that the Israelis don't want to go to South Africa but do want to go to other places helps us decide that we're pausing that route," she said. The company also cited the current security situation, Reuters reported.
Israel has asked the court to reject the case outright. An Israeli government spokesperson on Thursday said they expected the U.N.'s top court to "throw out these spurious and specious charges".
South Africa argued two weeks ago that Israel's aerial and ground offensive was aimed at bringing about "the destruction of the population" of Gaza.
El Al said once it had stopped flying to Johannesburg it would shift the widebody aircraft it uses on the route to expand current destinations to North America and Bangkok and Tokyo in Asia while examining new routes.

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New Zealand Navy Ship Sinks Off Samoa

A view of a New Zealand Navy vessel on fire, as seen from Tafitoala, Samoa, October 6, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Dave Poole/via REUTERS
A view of a New Zealand Navy vessel on fire, as seen from Tafitoala, Samoa, October 6, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Dave Poole/via REUTERS
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New Zealand Navy Ship Sinks Off Samoa

A view of a New Zealand Navy vessel on fire, as seen from Tafitoala, Samoa, October 6, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Dave Poole/via REUTERS
A view of a New Zealand Navy vessel on fire, as seen from Tafitoala, Samoa, October 6, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Dave Poole/via REUTERS

A Royal New Zealand Navy vessel ran aground and sank off Samoa but all 75 crew and passengers on board were safe, the New Zealand Defense Force said in a statement on Sunday.

Manawanui, the navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu on Saturday night as it was conducting a reef survey, Commodore Shane Arndell, the maritime component commander of the New Zealand Defense Force, said in a statement.
Several vessels responded and assisted in rescuing the crew and passengers who had left the ship in lifeboats, Reuters quoted Arndell as saying.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon was also deployed to assist in the rescue.
The cause of the grounding was unknown and would need further investigation, New Zealand Defense Force said.
Video and photos published on local media showed the Manawanui, which cost the New Zealand government NZ$103 million in 2018, listing heavily and with plumes of thick grey smoke rising after it ran aground.
The vessel later capsized and was below the surface by 9 a.m. local time, New Zealand Defence Force said.
The agency said it was "working with authorities to understand the implications and minimise the environmental impacts.”
Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding told a press conference in Auckland that a plane would leave for Samoa on Sunday to bring the rescued crew and passengers back to New Zealand.
He said some of those rescued had suffered minor injuries, including from walking across a reef.
Defense Minister Judith Collins described the grounding as a "really challenging for everybody on board."
"I know that what has happened is going to take quite a bit of time to process," Collins told the press conference.
"I look forward to pinpointing the cause so that we can learn from it and avoid a repeat," she said, adding that an immediate focus was to salvage "what is left" of the vessel.
Rescue operations were coordinated by Samoan emergency services and Australian Defense personnel with the assistance of the New Zealand rescue center, according to a statement from Samoa Police, Prison and Corrections Service posted on Facebook.
Manawanui is used to conduct a range of specialist diving, salvage and survey tasks around New Zealand and across the South West Pacific.
New Zealand's Navy is already working at reduced capacity with three of its nine ships idle due to personnel shortages.