A lawyer for relatives of victims killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014 told trial judges Monday that the families want damages as a recognition of the injustice they suffered and told judges that Russian “disinformation” compounds their grief. Lawyer Arlette Schijns was speaking at the resumption of the Dutch trial in absentia of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with offenses including mass murder for their alleged involvement in the downing of MH17. Schijns, who is representing 450 relatives, urged the court not to lose sight of the suffering of the hundreds of people who lost their loved ones as she addressed the judges on legal questions linked to families' right to claim damages. “This is about individuals who were confronted six years ago with a terrible loss that continues to have an influence on their lives today,” she said. Some families watched Schijns speak from a public gallery in the court on the edge of the airport from where the doomed flight took off. Lawyers said that 76 relatives have so far said they want to make a victim impact statement during the trial, and 316 have said they plan to apply for damages.<br/>
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Qantas Airways is marketing an Australian dollar bond, joining a record global wave of airline debt issuance to build up cash buffers as the Covid-19 pandemic pummels air travel. The Australian airline is looking to price a 10-year note at an indicative coupon of around 5.25%, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak about it. That compared with a coupon of 2.95% on similar-tenor Australian currency debt issued in November last year. Carriers across the globe have already broken the record for annual bond sales, raising an equivalent of $51.6b via notes excluding convertible debt so far in 2020. The note issuance by Qantas comes as the company looks to cut costs and raise cash to survive in an industry that is among the worst-hit by the coronavirus crisis. It follows a dismal response to a fundraising attempt in the stock market earlier this month, when the carrier’s A$500m equity issuance plan garnered only about A$72m. Still, the debt issue has a higher chance of sailing through as Qantas has strong domestic operations, is expected to increase its local market share with rival Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. struggling to get back on track and a robust loyalty program that continues to grow, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Teo.<br/>