British Airways cabin crew are to stage a fresh round of strikes in a long-running dispute over pay. Unite members of the mixed fleet will walk out for 14 days from 19 July, just 3 days after completing a 16-day stoppage. Unite’s national officer, Oliver Richardson, said: “Today’s announcement of a further escalation underlines the determination of our members in their fight for better pay and against British Airways’ bullying behaviour. We are seeing strong support for the ongoing strike action. Meanwhile, Unite has launched legal action over BA’s decision to lease aircraft from another airline during the strike. The union said it was challenging the govt’s go-ahead for the lease of 9 aircraft from Qatar Airways during the current stoppage, which started last weekend. <br/>
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The 5 countries working together in the investigation of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 have picked the Netherlands as the country where suspects will be prosecuted. The choice for the Dutch legal system is an “important step” in the prosecution process as Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine are continuing their investigation, the Dutch govt said Wednesday. The probe into who can be held responsible is “extensive,” it said. No suspect has been identified so far. “With this decision we are taking a next step on the way to uncover the truth, the prosecution of suspects and satisfaction for the bereaved,” Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said. “That remains the highest priority for the Dutch govt.” <br/>
Virgin Group boss Richard Branson says Qantas sought financial help from the federal govt so it could flood the market with flights and drive Virgin Australia out of business. Branson said Qantas only needed help when it went "cap in hand" to the govt in early 2014 so it could continue to fund a capacity war with Virgin. "They poured hundreds of millions of dollars into overcapacity into routes we were flying on, and they literally almost drove themselves out of business," Branson said Wednesday. Both airlines were damaged in the protracted capacity war which ended in mid-2014. Qantas has since gone on to post record earnings, but Virgin has struggled to reach profitability. <br/>