Los Angeles, June 16 (IANS) Two people were killed in a plane crash in the US state of California, authorities said.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement on social media X that it is investigating the crash of a Lockheed L12 aircraft near Chino, a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, about 55 km east of downtown Los Angeles.

The small World War II-era twin-engine plane crashed around 12:35 p.m. on Saturday near Chino Airport, Xinhua news agency reported.

The plane was found off the runway when emergency crews arrived, reported local KABC television station.

The two men who were killed were involved in a Father’s Day event at the Yanks Air Museum, said the report.

–IANS

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Rome, June 16 (IANS/DPA) Italian left-wing activist Ilaria Salis, who has been charged in Hungary for allegedly assaulting right-wing extremists, has returned to Italy.

Ilaria Salis returned to the northern Italian city of Monza with her father on Saturday evening after travelling back by car.

The Hungarian judiciary had previously released her from house arrest in Budapest.

“Yes, the nightmare is over,” Roberto Salis told journalists in Monza after arriving with his daughter, who he said was “very tired.”

“She has had a very intense period in detention,” he added.

The Hungarian public prosecutor’s office accuses the 39-year-old teacher of assaulting and injuring a group of right-wing extremists in Budapest in February 2023 together with other participants from the left-wing scene.

The Italian woman, who has denied the accusations, had been in custody since then, but was placed under house arrest after posting bail.

Last week, she won a seat in the new EU Parliament as a candidate for the Italian Alliance of the Greens and the Left and has since enjoyed immunity from prosecution. Her lawyer then applied for her release, which was granted by the Hungarian judiciary.

Following her release from house arrest, the competent court in Budapest said that it would apply for Salis’ immunity to be lifted, stating that criminal proceedings were still pending against her.

The case has been causing friction between the EU partners Hungary and Italy for some time. When Salis’ trial began in Budapest in January, she was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles, which caused outrage in her home country.

A German woman is also a co-defendant in the trial against Salis. She also denies any guilt.

–IANS/DPA

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Baghdad, June 16 (IANS) A Shiite militia in Iraq has claimed responsibility for an attack with a cruise missile on a site in Haifa in northern Israel.

The militia, known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said in an online statement on Saturday that its fighters launched an attack at dawn on Saturday with a long-range al-Arqab upgraded cruise missile on “a site in Haifa”, Xinhua news agency reported.

It provided no further details about the targeted location or any resulting casualties.

The militia stressed that the attack was carried out “in solidarity with the people in the Gaza Strip” and pledged to continue its attacks on “the enemy’s strongholds.”

Earlier on Saturday, the group claimed responsibility for two drone attacks on Friday, targeting Haifa Port and Ramat David Airbase near Haifa. No details on casualties were provided in either instance.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out multiple attacks on Israeli and US targets in the region since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7, 2023.

–IANS

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Tripoli, June 16 (IANS) A UN official has stressed the urgency for Libyans to prioritize unity and end the ongoing crisis.

Stephanie Koury, deputy special representative for political affairs for Libya in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), issued a statement on Saturday on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

Koury highlighted the “great hardship” Libyans face due to political deadlock and economic decline, noting that many Libyans are driven into poverty despite abundant resources, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The Libyan people have endured too much,” said Koury, urging authorities to prioritize citizen well-being.

Pointing out that the Eid represents sacrifice and reconciliation, the UN official called on all parties to “preserve Libya’s unity and sovereignty, and achieve prosperity for all.”

Koury also reiterated the UNSMIL’s commitment to supporting a solution to the Libyan issue.

“UNSMIL remains committed…to working with all parties to end the crisis, preserve Libya’s unity and sovereignty, and ensure a stable and prosperous future,” the statement said.

Libya has grappled with political division and instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. The country continues to struggle with a fragile democratic transition amidst ongoing security and economic challenges.

–IANS

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Jerusalem, June 16 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that its eight soldiers were killed in a blast in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

The soldiers were all killed inside a Namer combat engineering vehicle (CEV) on Saturday morning, Xinhua news agency reported, citing an initial investigation by the IDF.

The soldiers were moving in a convoy at about 5 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) after launching a nighttime campaign against Hamas in the northwestern district of Rafah, during which the troops from the 401st Armored Brigade killed some 50 Palestinian gunmen.

The convoy was heading toward buildings seized by the army for a rest when a significant explosion struck the Namer CEV, which was the fifth or sixth in the convoy, the IDF said.

The probe results did not verify whether the explosion was due to a bomb that had been planted in advance, or an explosive device placed directly by Hamas operatives on the vehicle.

According to an earlier IDF statement on Saturday, during the week in the Rafah area, Israeli soldiers raided Palestinian militants’ infrastructure based on intelligence, killed militants, and located large quantities of weapons above and below ground.

–IANS

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