Russia deliberately allowed a suspect in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 to leave the country, Dutch prosecutors said Monday, calling it a breach of a European extradition treaty. Prosecutors announced that Volodymyr Tsemakh is considered a suspect in the shooting down of the passenger plane and deaths of all 298 passengers and crew. He has not been charged with any offenses. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a Buk missile on July 17, 2014, over territory in eastern Ukraine that was controlled at the time by pro-Moscow rebels. An international team of investigators has concluded that the missile and its launcher came from the Russian army's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile brigade, based in the Russian city of Kursk. Russia has always denied responsibility for shooting down the flight and claimed that the Buk missile came from Ukrainian army arsenals. Tsemakh, a Ukrainian who was questioned by investigators probing the downing of the flight known as MH17 while in custody in Ukraine in connection with other allegations, was handed to Russia as part of a prisoner swap in September. Dutch prosecutors said in a statement that they asked Russia to arrest Tsemakh after the swap so he could be extradited. While Russia does not extradite its own citizens, it could have handed over Tsemakh since he is Ukrainian, the Dutch prosecutors said, adding that they had contacted Moscow several times to warn authorities there that Tsemakh might attempt to flee. Despite those efforts, Russia now says that Tsemakh’s whereabouts are no longer known and media reports suggest he has returned to eastern Ukraine, prosecutors said.<br/>
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LATAM Airlines Group has signed new codeshare agreements with pending-equity owner Delta Air Lines and announced plans to discontinue its codeshare deal with American Airlines on 31 January 2020. The news from Santiago-based LATAM comes as that carrier progresses with a plan to align closely with Delta. News broke in September that Delta intends to acquire 20% of LATAM for $1.9 billion, a move that led LATAM to cancel plans for a joint venture with codeshare partner American. Now LATAM says its affiliates in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador have signed codeshare deals with Delta that will allow connections between those countries and the USA, starting in the first quarter of 2020. The codeshares remain subject to regulatory approval, LATAM says. LATAM says it also intends to establish a codeshare agreement linking its subsidiaries in Chile and Brazil with Delta.<br/>
A woman demanding a larger seat on an American Airlines flight was taken into custody after faking a medical condition that prompted the pilot to head back to a Florida airport. Flight crews summoned authorities once the Miami-bound flight arrived back in Pensacola early Friday morning. A Pensacola police spokesman says the plane was evacuated when the woman refused to deplane. Authorities and the plane’s pilot eventually succeeded in removing the woman. Police say she was taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows authorities to hold a person who could pose a threat to themselves or others. The flight turned around shortly after takeoff, and there were no injuries. The carrier’s website says the flight resumed its journey to Miami at about 7:30 a.m.<br/>