One of Romania's richest men is among eight people killed as plane smashes into Milan office block - Daily Mail

One of Romania's richest men, his wife and son, 30, are killed in Milan air crash: Billionaire was at controls of private plane when it smashed into empty suburban office block killing eight including a young boy

• Dan Petrescu, 68, was reportedly piloting the plane at the time of the crash
• Wife and 30-year-old son Daniel were also killed in crash, local media said
• The private aircraft crashed into an vacant two-story office building on Sunday
• Crash happened in a Milanese suburb and killed all eight people on board  
• Firefighters have said no one was in the building at the time of the impact
• Plane's flight recorder has been recovered and an investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched 

By Charlotte Mitchell For Mailonline and Wires

Published: 20:32 BST, 3 October 2021 | Updated: 00:23 BST, 4 October 2021

Property developer Dan Petrescu (pictured) was 68 years old and was reportedly piloting the plane at the time of the crash

A property developer considered to be 'one of the richest men in Romania' has been named as one of the victims of a plane crash in Milan today.  

A small, single-engine plane carrying six passengers and a crew of two crashed into a vacant two-story office building in the suburb of San Donato Milanese on Sunday afternoon, killing everyone on board including a boy.

By early evening, only two of the eight dead had been identified, since they carried documents on them, authorities said. 

Those aboard were 'all foreigners,' Milan Prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano told reporters at the scene, including the pilot, who was Romanian.  The aircraft was registered in Romania, she added. 

Italy's RaiNews reported that one of the victims was Dan Petrescu, a major real estate developer, who the outlet described as being 'considered one of the richest men in Romania.' 

Petrescu was 68 years old and had dual Romanian and German citizenship, the outlet reported, adding that he was piloting the plane at the time of the crash.

Rai reported that his son Dan Stefan Petrescu, a 30-year-old with dual Romanian and German citizenship, and wife, a 65-year-old with dual Romanian and French citizenship, also died in the crash along with five unidentified people including a young boy. 

Corriere della Serra reported that the family was heading to their villa in Olbia, Sardinia, where Petrescu's 98-year-old mother was waiting for them. 

A small plane has crashed killing eight people, including six passengers and two crew members, in Milan, Italy. Pictured: Firefighters work at the building on which a small private plane crashed into the San Donato Milanese district in Milan

Firefighters said the blaze spread to several cars in front of the empty building but they were also unoccupied at the time

Firefighters tackle the flames that had spread to several cars in front of the building after a small plane crashed in Italy

The plane crashed into a two story building and firefighters have said that no-one other than those onboard were involved

Corriere, citing Romanian media, reported that Petrescu's son worked as a researcher in Canada and had arrived in Italy to attend the baptism of his friends' child. 

The newspaper said Petrescu bought the plane in 2015 together with Vova Cohn, a former shareholder of the Dinamo Bucharest football club. 

Investigators have opened a probe into what caused the private plane to crash just 11 minutes after takeoff from Milan's Linate Airport en route to Olbia Airport on the island of Sardinia.

A thick column of dark smoke rose from the crash site and was visible for kilometres. Several unoccupied cars parked nearby went up in flames.

Firefighters tweeted that no one else but those on board was involved in the early afternoon crash near a subway station in San Donato Milanese, a small town near Milan. 

The building was undergoing renovations but, as it was Sunday, no workers were on site at the time of the crash. 

Siciliano said the plane was proceeding on its flight until 'a certain point, then an anomaly appeared on the radar screen and it plunged,' striking the building's roof.

Control tower officials reported the anomaly, she said, but further details were not immediately given.

Pictures show a thick column of dark smoke arising from the crash site as well as extensive debris surrounding the crash site

Metallic pieces lie near the crash site where the plane came down in San Donato in Milan, northern Italy, earlier today

The plane was a Pilatus PC-12 single engined aircraft (pictured in the stock image above)

Italy's Corriere della Serra newspaper reported that Petrescu bought the plane in 2015 together with Vova Cohn, a former shareholder of the Dinamo Bucharest football club [Stock image]

Pictured: Firefighters work on the site of a plane crash, in San Donato Milanese suburb of Milan, Italy, on Sunday afternoon

Pictured: Carabinieri officers stand on the site of a plane crash, in San Donato Milanese suburb of Milan earlier this afternoon

The prosecutor said the plane did not send out any alarm signal. It was too early to cite any possible cause for the crash, Siciliano said, adding that the flight recorder has been retrieved. 

The reports said the aircraft had flown from Bucharest, Romania, to Milan on September 30 with no apparent problem.

Witnesses told local media that they heard an unusual noise, like a whistle, followed by a loud bang, then saw a fireball when they looked out of the window.  

The Italian news agency ANSA quoted the national air safety agency ANSV as saying 'the plane hit the building and started burning.' It said the aircraft was a PC-12, a single-engine, executive-type plane.

Fire officials said earlier that the aircraft had crashed into the building's facade. But following further inspection, the prosecutor said it was apparent that the plane had struck the roof.

Firefighters extinguished the flames at the badly charred and gutted building, which reportedly was under renovation.

Specialist equipment was used by firefighters on the scene to tackle the blaze that broke out after the plane crashed

Pictured: Italian police stand by as firefighters work at the site of a plane crash, in San Donato Milanese suburb of Milan, Italy

It is thought the plane was heading from Milan's Linate airport and the Italian island of Sardinia. Pictured: the scene today

Firefighters and police forces stand next to the impact point of the plane, which took off from the nearby Milan Linate airport

Emergency services and investigators surround the crash site after a small private plane struck an empty building in Italy

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2021-10-03 19:32:38Z
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Pandora Papers: Secret wealth and dealings of world leaders exposed - BBC News

The secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires has been exposed in one of the biggest leaks of financial documents.

Some 35 current and former leaders and more than 300 public officials are featured in the files from offshore companies, dubbed the Pandora Papers.

They reveal the King of Jordan secretly amassed £70m of UK and US property.

They also show how ex-UK PM Tony Blair and his wife saved £312,000 in stamp duty when they bought a London office.

The couple bought an offshore firm that owned the building.

The leak also links Russian President Vladimir Putin to secret assets in Monaco, and shows the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis - facing an election later this week - failed to declare an offshore investment company used to purchase two villas for £12m in the south of France.

It is the latest in a string of leaks over the past seven years, following the FinCen Files, the Paradise Papers, the Panama Papers and LuxLeaks.

• A simple guide to the Pandora Papers leak
• King of Jordan amassed £70m secret property empire
• Blairs saved £312,000 stamp duty in property deal
• Secret assets of Kenyan president’s family exposed

The examination of the files is the largest organised by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), with more than 650 reporters taking part.

BBC Panorama in a joint investigation with the Guardian and the other media partners have had access to nearly 12 million documents and files from 14 financial services companies in countries including the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Belize, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Switzerland.

Some figures are facing allegations of corruption, money laundering and global tax avoidance.

But one of the biggest revelations is how prominent and wealthy people have been legally setting up companies to secretly buy property in the UK.

The documents reveal the owners of some of the 95,000 offshore firms behind the purchases.

It highlights the UK government's failure to introduce a register of offshore property owners despite repeated promises to do so, amid concerns some property buyers could be hiding money-laundering activities.

The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his family, who have been accused of looting their own country, are one example.

The investigation found the Aliyevs and their close associates have secretly been involved in property deals in the UK worth more than £400m.

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The King of Jordan has secretly acquired luxury homes in Malibu and Washington DC, plus eight properties in London and south-east England

In Malibu, California, he spent £50m ($68m) on three clifftop mansions

The king’s property portfolio also includes apartments in Washington DC, where his son attended university

And in the UK, King Abdullah’s properties include these two near Buckingham Palace. He owns the building on the left and three flats in the building on the right

Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family, long accused of corruption, have built a vast offshore network to hide their money

The files expose how the Aliyev family and close associates were involved in property deals in the UK worth over £400m

This includes a £33m property in central London bought for the president’s 11-year-old son

They also sold a property to the Crown Estate for £66m in 2018, having paid £35m for it 10 years earlier

The revelations could prove embarrassing for the UK government, as the Aliyevs appear to have made a £31m profit after selling one of their London properties to the Crown Estate - the Queen's property empire that is managed by The Treasury and raises cash for the nation.

Many of the transactions in the documents involve no legal wrongdoing.

But Fergus Shiel, from the ICIJ, said: "There's never been anything on this scale and it shows the reality of what offshore companies can offer to help people hide dodgy cash or avoid tax."

He added: "They are using those offshore accounts, those offshore trusts, to buy hundreds of millions of dollars of property in other countries, and to enrich their own families, at the expense of their citizens."

The ICIJ believes the investigation is "opening a box on a lot of things" - hence the name Pandora Papers.

King of Jordan's Malibu mansions

The leaked financial documents show how the King of Jordan secretly amassed a property empire in the UK and US worth more than £70m (over $100m).

They identify a network of offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands and other tax havens used by Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein to buy 15 homes since he assumed power in 1999.

They include £50m on three adjacent ocean view properties in Malibu, California, and properties in London and Ascot in the UK.

His property interests have been built up as King Abdullah has been accused of presiding over an authoritarian regime, with protests taking place in recent years amid austerity measures and tax rises.

Lawyers for King Abdullah said all the properties were bought with personal wealth, which he also uses to fund projects for Jordan's citizens.

They said it was common practice for high profile individuals to purchase properties via offshore companies for privacy and security reasons.

Among the other revelations in the Pandora Papers:

• Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta and six members of his family secretly owned a network of offshore companies. They have been linked to 11 firms - one of which was valued as holding assets of $30m
• Members of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's inner circle, including cabinet ministers and their families, secretly own companies and trusts holding millions of dollars
• The law firm founded by President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus appears to have provided fake owners to disguise the real owner of a series of offshore companies - a former Russian politician who had been accused of embezzlement. However, the law firm denies this
• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky transferred his stake in a secret offshore company just before he won the 2019 election
• Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso, a former banker, replaced a Panamanian foundation that made monthly payments to his close family members with a trust based in South Dakota in the US

No stamp duty on Blair office buy

Getty Images

There is no suggestion in the Pandora Papers that Tony and Cherie Blair were hiding their wealth.

But documents show why stamp duty was not payable when the couple bought a £6.45m property.

The former Labour prime minister and his barrister wife Cherie acquired the building in Marylebone, central London, in July 2017 by buying the offshore company that owned it.

It is legal to acquire properties in the UK in this way and stamp duty does not have to be paid - but Mr Blair has previously been critical of tax loopholes.

The townhouse in Marylebone, central London, is now home to Mrs Blair's legal consultancy, which advises governments around the world, as well as her foundation for women.

Mrs Blair said the sellers had insisted they buy the house through the offshore company.

She said they had brought the property back under UK rules and will be liable to pay capital gains tax if they sell it in future.

The ultimate owners of the property were a family with political connections in Bahrain - but both parties say they did not initially know who they were dealing with.

The boy who owned a £33m London property

Other documents show how Azerbeijan's ruling Aliyev family have secretly acquired UK property using offshore companies.

The files show how the family - long accused of corruption in the central Asian nation - bought 17 properties, including a £33m office block in London for the president's 11-year-old son Heyder Aliyev.

The building in Mayfair was bought by a front company owned by a family friend of President Ilham in 2009.

It was transferred one month later to Hedyer.

The research also reveals how another office block owned by the family nearby was sold to the Crown Estate for £66m in 2018.

The Crown Estate said it carried out the checks required in law at the time of purchase but is now looking into the matter.

The UK government says it is cracking down on money laundering with tougher laws and enforcement, and that it will introduce a register of offshore companies owning UK property when parliamentary time allows.

The Pandora Papers is a leak of almost 12 million documents and files exposing the secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires. The data was obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington DC and has led to one of the biggest ever global investigations. More than 600 journalists from 117 countries have looked at the hidden fortunes of some of the most powerful people on the planet. BBC Panorama and the Guardian have led the investigation in the UK.

Pandora Papers coverage: follow reaction on Twitter using #PandoraPapers, in the BBC News app, or watch Panorama on the BBC iPlayer (UK viewers only)

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2021-10-03 16:28:46Z
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Afghanistan: Kabul mosque bomb blast leaves a 'number of civilians dead', Taliban say - Sky News

A bomb has exploded in the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, leaving a "number of civilians dead", according to the Taliban.

The blast happened as a memorial service was being held for the mother of deputy information minister Zabihullah Mujahid, who later tweeted the attack had claimed lives.

Those killed were outside the gate of the Eidgah mosque, said Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi.

Image: Taliban fighters cordoned off the scene of the attack. Pic: AP

Image: The blast happened as a memorial service was being held for Zabihullah Mujahid's mother

He did not provide a figure for the number dead and said an investigation was ongoing.

But another Taliban official told the Reuters news agency at least two civilians were killed and three injured.

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Emergency NGO, an Italian-funded hospital in Kabul, tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban, who maintained a heavy security presence.

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No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

However, since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August after the US and other Western troops pulled out, attacks carried out against them by Islamic State (IS) militants have increased.

The rise has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two extremist groups.

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August: Taliban celebrates as last US troops leave Kabul

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy.

It has claimed several attacks against the Taliban, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

Attacks in the capital have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its presence beyond the east and closer toward the capital.

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On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province.

The raid came after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.

Taliban leaders, already under pressure from the international community to renounce ties with groups such as IS and al Qaeda, have denied their militants are active in the country.

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2021-10-03 14:48:45Z
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Bomb attack on Kabul mosque leaves 'number of civilians dead' - Daily Mail

Bomb attack on Kabul mosque leaves 'number of civilians dead': Memorial service for mother of Taliban's chief spokesman 'is targeted by ISIS militants'

• A bomb targeting a  mosque in Kabul has killed several civilians according to a Taliban spokesman
• The bomb reportedly hit a mosque where a memorial service was being held for Taliban member Zabihullah Mujahid 
• No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, but attacks against the Taliban in Afghanistan by Islamic State militants have become more frequent 
• More to follow 

By David Averre For Mailonline and Ap

Published: 13:32 BST, 3 October 2021 | Updated: 13:54 BST, 3 October 2021

A bomb which targeted the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday has left a 'number of civilians dead', according to a Taliban spokesman.

The bomb targeted the Eidgah mosque where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but attacks in Afghanistan against the Taliban by Islamic State (IS) militants have increased since the Taliban swept to power in mid-August. 

IS militants were also responsible for the August suicide bombing at the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul which killed over 100 civilians and several US military personnel. 

The rise has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two extremist groups.

Emergency NGO, an Italian-funded hospital in Kabul, tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban who maintained a heavy security presence.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy. 

It has claimed several attacks against them, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad. 

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital. 

On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.

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2021-10-03 12:32:47Z
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Qatar: No women elected in nation's first ever legislative polls - Sky News

None of the 26 women who stood in Qatar's first ever legislative elections have been chosen by voters.

Around 63.5% of voters turned out to pick 30 members of the 45-seat advisory Shura Council, according to the internal ministry.

But out of 30 positions, no women were selected - despite 26 running amid the 233 candidates standing across 30 districts.

The ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will appoint the remaining 15 members of the body, which has the power to approve some limited state policies.

Aisha Hamam al-Jasim, a nursing manager who ran in Doha's Markhiya district, urged women to start "voicing what they believe in" and vote for female candidates in the future.

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"To have all men is not the vision of Qatar," she said.

Image: No women were elected in Qatar's first ever legislative elections which took place on Saturday

Qatar made some progress on women's rights in recent years, including allowing women to independently get a driving licence.

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But it has been criticised by rights groups for remaining issues like the guardianship system, where a woman needs male permission to marry, travel and access reproductive health care.

Al-Maha al-Majid, a 34-year-old industrial engineer, said she stood in the election to change attitudes towards women.

Speaking ahead of the result, she said: "To convince the males [to vote for women], yes, we may have to put in work or extra effort... I'm willing to take this extra effort in order to be in and to convince this society that the women can do so."

But the outcome of the elections showed attitudes are still slow to change.

Male candidate Sabaan Al Jassim, 65, said he supported women standing in the elections, but said their primary role remained in the family.

Speaking at a polling station, he said: "They are here, they have their fingerprint, and they have their vote and a voice... But most important is in the house, to take care of the kids with the families."

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2021-10-03 10:35:53Z
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Honduras fire: Widespread destruction as inferno tears through Caribbean island resort - Sky News

A huge blaze has torn through a Caribbean island resort, ravaging more than 200 homes and businesses and forcing hundreds of residents to flee.

Dramatic video shared on social media showed rows of seaside properties engulfed in flames and collapsing on Guanaja, which lies around 44 miles (70km) off the north coast of Honduras.

Image: The huge blaze sent up billows of smoke

Image: Hundreds of residents were forced to flee

The country's air force dropped water in the effort to put out the inferno, but not before it had caused widespread devastation.

Footage taken after the fire was brought under control showed dozens of houses with no roofs and windows.

Government minister Max Gonzales said: "We can confirm that we have no human losses, but vast material losses."

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Image: The inferno left a trail of devastation in its wake

Four people were injured in the blaze, which destroyed 90 houses and damaged another 120, including some used as businesses, Mr Gonzales said.

The fire broke out before dawn and residents struggled to bring it under control, as the island does not have a fire service.

Guanaja is a picturesque island, popular among divers for its warm, crystal clear waters and large barrier reef.

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2021-10-03 07:30:26Z
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China: Taiwan angered after Beijing flies 38 fighter jets into its airspace - the largest ever incursion - Sky News

More than three dozen Chinese fighter jets have flown into Taiwan airspace in the largest ever incursion by Beijing into the island nation's defence zone.

The People's Liberation Army deployed 18 J-16 fighter jets and two H-6 bombers, among the 25 planes flown to mark the founding of the People's Republic of China on Friday.

A further 13 planes were sent near Taiwanese airspace in a second manoeuvre and on Saturday another 20 aircraft were reported.

In response, Taiwan deployed air patrol forces and tracked the Chinese aircraft on its air defence systems, the self-ruled island's defence ministry said.

"China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday morning.

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China has sent planes toward the island it claims is part of its territory on an almost daily basis in recent years, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

Last week, the PLA flew 24 fighter jets toward Taiwan after it announced it would apply to join a Pacific trade group that China also applied to join.

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Taiwan split from China during the 1949 civil war and Beijing has never ruled out using force to reunify with Taiwan.

China also opposed Taiwan's involvement in international organisations.

It has previously said it carries out the flights to protect China's sovereignty and to deter "collusion" between Taiwan and the US.

On Friday, the Chinese government called Tiawan foreign minister Joseph Wu a "shrilling" fly for his efforts to promote the country on the international scene.

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2021-10-02 16:39:49Z
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