Wikinews Shorts: February 27, 2014

Asiana Airlines fined US$500K for not helping families after crash


South Korea-based Asiana Airlines was fined 500,000 on Tuesday by the for failing to provide support for victims' families after  crashed at San Francisco airport in July 2013. Foreign airlines are to abide by a federal law called the "family assistance plan". The law states an airline must promptly assist and provide a toll-free number for calls from the passengers' families. It took the airline five days to contact the 291 families of the passengers aboard.

Of 307 on board, three Chinese teens died and over 200 people were injured. The jet hit a seawall on approach, tearing the rear of the plane off, and throwing three flight attendants onto the runway.

Sources

US prepares to withdrawal troops from Afghanistan
United States President has ordered  to make plans to pull all the nation's troops from  by the end of 2014. The Obama administration notified Afghan president that it would prefer to keep a residual military presence in Afghanistan for training and counterterrorism missions, but Karzai is refusing to sign the agreement for some US forces to remain. Once ends hostilities in November, a contingency plan for a full departure will begin.

US-Afghan relations have worsened over the past few months. Obama told Karzai the US will move forward with additional contingency planning if the bilateral agreement to maintain a US presence is not signed.

Sources

Killers of UK soldier sentenced
After in the  streets last year on British soldier Lee Rigby, two men were sentenced on Wednesday. The leader of the attack, Michael Adebolajo, was sentenced to. Michael Adebowale was given a life sentence, but with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 45 years. In court, the two Islamic converts indicated the killing was for.

Bystanders watched Adebolajo and Adebowale hit Rigby with a car then butcher him with a meat cleaver and knives. The attack was recorded on closed-circuit TV and by bystanders. Both men were convicted of murder in December 2013.

Sources