GENEVA Samir Nasri Manchester City Jersey , Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Swiss army PC-7 aircraft has crashed in the Schreckhorn region of the Bernese Alps in the west of Switzerland, head of the country's air force Aldo Schellenberg said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a media conference, Schellenberg did not provide information about the fate of the pilot, the Swiss News Agency reported.
The small Pilatus propeller plane and pilot took off from the Payerne air base in canton Vaud just after at 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, but did not land in the southern Swiss town of Locarno on the border with Italy at the expected time one hour later.
The flight did not involve active combat training but was intended to transport the aircraft to Locarno, according to the army.
A search was underway for the plane and pilot, led by four helicopter rescue teams.
The PC-7 is a type of propeller plane designed in the 1970s by Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft.
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BERLIN, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has criticized Hungary sharply on Tuesday for refusing to abide by a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling concerning the distribution of refugees amongst European Union (EU) member states.
"It is unacceptable that a government says it is not interested in a ruling of the European Court of Justice," Merkel told the newspaper "Berliner Zeitung."
The ECJ recently ruled against a joint plea by Slovakia and Hungary to prevent the resettlement of refugees in their countries from other EU states under a previously agreed quota.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban responded by saying that he "took note" of the decision, but signalled his unwillingness to abide by it.
According to Orban, the ruling did not mean that Hungarians had to accept with whom they live together, as this is something which the Hungarians will decide.
For Merkel, such intransigence in the face of a ruling by the EU's foremost judicial authority could ultimately lead to excluding Hungary from the bloc.
When asked by "Berliner Zeitung" whether the country would have to leave the EU, the German leader said Hungary's position touches "an elementary question in Europe," because Europe for her is "a space governed by the rule of law." "We will hold discussions at the European Council in October," she said.
The Chancellor also emphasized that there was wide agreement amongst most EU members on how to react to the refugee crisis.
"When it comes to the fair distribution of refugees in Europe there are only three to four out of currently 28 member states which are vehemently opposed," Merkel said.
"All other states have declared a willingness to do their part, and following the European Court of Justice's ruling even the Slovakian prime minister is recalibrating his position," she noted.
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VIENNA, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Michel Platini will be elected to a third term as UEFA head here on Tuesday as the only candidate for the European football governing body.
The 59-year-old, who led France to the European Championship in 1984, was first elected as UEFA president in 2007 and remained in the position in 2011.
Platini decided not to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in May, but he is backing the three candidates - Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein,FIFA vice-president from Jordan, Dutch football federation president Michael van Praag and former Portugal international Luis Figo, battling the 79-year veteran. "FIFA needs new ideas, new programs," Platini said.
In his eight years of ruling UEFA, Platini has reinforced the stature of the Champions League, now one of the world's most valuable sports brands. UEFA says the current tournament will bring in 1.34 billion euros ($1.45 billion).
He insists clubs cannot spend more than they earn under UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. Offenders face tough sanctions as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have already discovered.
The European Championship for countries is also being reformed. Euro 2020 will be played in 13 cities in 13 different countries. A Nations League, which offers qualification for the European Championship finals, will from 2018 replace most of the friendlies played by European countries that get little attention.
But the Frenchman has faced criticism, particularly over the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Platini was one of the first to publicly reveal that he voted for Qatar at the controversial 2010 meeting.