Relatives of the 298 victims of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 on Monday accused Russia of lying about its alleged role in the downing of the plane as they began testifying in the Dutch murder trial of four suspects. International investigators concluded that the passenger plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine with a missile fired by pro-Russian rebels. Moscow denies all responsibility. "They are lying, we know they are lying and they know that we know that they are lying," Ria van der Steen, who lost her father and stepmother on the flight, told the court, saying she was citing the late Soviet dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The Dutch woman was the first of dozens of relatives who will be given an opportunity to speak or submit written statements over the coming three weeks. Van der Steen made the remarks about lying in Russian, explaining that she did so "for the benefit of those who are listening in on behalf of the Russian regime today." "I want it to be known that I know where the responsibility lies," she said, adding that "lying and falsehoods are a familiar tactic in this game of cat and mouse through which we are aspiring to uncover the truth".<br/>
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Qantas is likely to fly to several new overseas destinations next year after pushing ahead with plans to resume international flights from December. “We’ll probably try a lot of new routes internationally as certain borders open up,” CEOr Alan Joyce said Tuesday, without giving any specific destinations. Prior to Covid-19, Qantas’s network spread to key, far-off markets such as Los Angeles and London. Joyce said he’s keen to revisit plans for non-stop services linking Sydney with the U.K. capital and New York as demand for direct flights picks up in the wake of the pandemic. They would be the world’s longest non-stop commercial flights. Joyce is leading a push by Australian executives to accelerate the country’s Covid-19 vaccination program. Under the government’s phased reopening plan, inoculated Australians will be able to travel overseas once 80% of the eligible population is protected, a target that should be reached in December. Qantas has given away 220 million loyalty points as part of a campaign to encourage passengers to get vaccinated, Joyce said Tuesday. He also reiterated that the airline will only carry inoculated passengers on international flights. <br/>