Category: World

NEW DELHI: Aviation authorities have found one of the two black boxes of the Air India flight that crashed in the western Indian state of Gujarat, killing 241 on board, according to local newspaper Hindustan Times, as reported by Xinhua. The London-bound flight crashed on Thursday afternoon shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel… Continue reading One black box of crashed Air India plane found – Local media

AHMEDABAD: In an echoing hall in India’s Ahmedabad, mourning families gave DNA samples on Friday to identify relatives missing after a London-bound passenger jet crashed in a residential area. At least 265 people on board and on the ground were killed when the Air India 787-8 Dreamliner smashed into a residential area soon after takeoff… Continue reading ‘Unimaginable’: Families mourn dead in Air India crash

Los Angeles, United States: A judge has ordered Donald Trump to return control of the California National Guard to the state, saying the president’s decision to deploy them to protest-hit Los Angeles over Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections was “illegal.” “His actions were illegal … He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to… Continue reading Judge orders Trump to return control of National Guard to California: ruling

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran late Thursday not to respond to Israeli strikes by hitting American bases, saying Washington was not involved. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,“ Rubio said in a statement. “Let me be clear: Iran… Continue reading Rubio warns Iran against targeting US over Israeli strikes

ISTANBUL: At least 265 people were killed while only one passenger survived when an Air India flight to London crashed moments after take-off from the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday. The Press Trust of India, citing police, reported that as many as 265 bodies were recovered after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 230 passengers and… Continue reading Death toll in Air India plane crash rises to 265; one survivor

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: California’s stand-off with President Donald Trump’s administration ratcheted up Thursday, after a sitting US senator was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference on immigration raids that have spurred days of protests. The shocking incident, which came after the Republican president sent troops into Los Angeles over the objections of… Continue reading Manhandling of US senator ups California tensions with Trump admin

PARIS: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed on Thursday after taking off from the Indian city of Ahmedabad bound for London, with officials saying that just one person on the jet survived and at least 24 people on the ground died. Police said 265 bodies had been taken to hospital in the main… Continue reading India plane crash: What we know

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: A US senator from California was forcibly removed from a news conference being held by Donald Trump’s homeland security chief on Thursday, in the latest escalation of tensions over controversial immigration arrests. Senator Alex Padilla was pushed and shoved from the room at a federal building in Los Angeles as he… Continue reading US senator forcibly removed from Trump official’s press conference

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Thursday approved a White House request to claw back $9.4 billion from funding already allocated by Congress in a victory for President Donald Trump as he pushes to lock in spending cuts spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The vote in the Republican-led US House of Representatives was seen as the… Continue reading US lawmakers approve $9 billion of Elon Musk’s federal cuts

NEW YORK: The devastating Air India crash seems certain to embroil Boeing in further rounds of negative headlines at a time when it has shown progress under new leadership. Shares of the American plane manufacturer finished down nearly five percent Thursday as the pope, King Charles and the president of India expressed sorrow over the… Continue reading Air India crash latest test for new Boeing leadership

GAZA CITY, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Israel charged on Thursday that Hamas was “weaponising suffering in Gaza” after a US and Israeli-backed charity accused the Palestinian militant group of killing eight of its aid workers in the territory. The distribution of food and basic supplies in the blockaded and war-ravaged Gaza has become increasingly fraught and perilous,… Continue reading Israel says Hamas ‘weaponising suffering in Gaza’ as aid workers killed

UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES: The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urging nations to take “all measures necessary” to place pressure on Israel. Following the United States’ veto of a similar push in the Security Council last week, the General Assembly adopted the non-binding resolution by… Continue reading UN General Assembly calls for Gaza ceasefire, pressure on Israel

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump warned Thursday that Israel may soon strike Iran’s nuclear sites, but urged the key US ally to hold off as he stressed his commitment to a diplomatic solution. Tensions have soared in the region in the last two days with Trump warning of a “massive conflict” and drawing down US staff.… Continue reading Trump warns Israeli attack on Iran ‘could very well happen’

SEOUL: A North Korean naval destroyer damaged in a botched launch last month has been relaunched, with leader Kim Jong Un presiding over the ceremony, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported early Friday, citing the North’s state media. The ceremony for the ship baptized the Kang Kon was held on Thursday at the Rajin shipyard,… Continue reading N.Korea relaunches damaged destroyer: report

WASHINGTON: The US military announced Thursday that a recent airstrike had killed an Islamic State group official in northwest Syria. In a post to social media, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces “conducted a precision airstrike in northwest Syria killing Rakhim Boev, a Syria-based ISIS official,“ using another name for IS. The post on… Continue reading US says airstrike killed Islamic State official in Syria

LONDON: The UK government said Thursday it was sending a team to support the investigation into the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that has killed more than 200 people. “The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has formally offered its assistance to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, India. We are deploying a multidisciplinary investigation team… Continue reading UK sending team to help India air crash investigators

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Thursday he was “saddened” by a plane crash in neighbouring India, where all 242 people on board an Air India flight are believed killed. “Condolences over the loss of precious lives in this tragic incident. Our sympathies are with the families of the victims in this hour of… Continue reading Pakistan ‘saddened’ by deadly plane crash in India: FM

LOS ANGELES: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Los Angeles was “safe and sound” for the past two nights, crediting his deployment of thousands of troops to quell anti-deportation protests, as California prepared for a legal showdown over his unprecedented move. With protests spreading across the United States, a night-time curfew has been in… Continue reading Trump hails troop deployment as California readies legal battle

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV expressed his “heartfelt condolences” Thursday to those who have lost loved ones in an air crash in India and prayers for those recovering the bodies of victims. “Deeply saddened by the tragedy involving an Air India aircraft near Ahmedabad, his Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends his heartfelt condolences to the… Continue reading Pope ‘deeply saddened’ by India plane crash

AHMEDABAD: Police in the Indian city of Ahmedabad said they had collected 204 dead bodies after a London-bound passenger plane with 242 people on board crashed into residential buildings after takeoff on Thursday. “We have found 204 bodies,“ city police commissioner GS Malik told AFP, adding that 41 injured people were “under treatment”. The dead… Continue reading Ahmedabad police chief says 204 bodies found after India plane crash

WASHINGTON: US planemaker Boeing said it was ready to support Air India following the crash Thursday of a London-bound flight with 242 people on board. “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them,“ said a Boeing statement. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and… Continue reading Boeing says ‘ready to support’ Air India after crash

JERUSALEM/CAIRO: At least eight Palestinians who worked for the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation died in an ambush, the GHF said on Thursday, blaming Hamas militants for the killings that rocked the troubled food distribution operation. A bus carrying about two dozen GHF workers was raked with gunfire on Wednesday night as it headed to an… Continue reading Humanitarian workers killed in Gaza bus ambush, food distribution continues

LONDON: Britain’s King Charles said on Thursday he was desperately shocked by the Air India plane crash in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, with passengers including 53 Britons and one Canadian. “My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning,“ the monarch said in a statement. “Our… Continue reading UK’s King Charles says he is ‘desperately shocked’ by Air India plane crash

AHMEDABAD: Thick black plumes of acrid smoke towered high above India’s Ahmedabad airport Thursday after a London-bound passenger jet with 242 people aboard crashed shortly after takeoff. Several videos posted on social media, which AFP was not able to immediately verify, showed an aircraft rapidly losing altitude — with its nose up — before it… Continue reading Flames and smoke in aftermath of crashed India passenger jet

AHMEDABAD: Police in the Indian city of Ahmedabad said no survivors were expected after a London-bound passenger plane with 242 on board crashed Thursday, warning of more deaths where the jet smashed down. “There appears to be no survivor in the crash,“ city police commissioner GS Malik told AFP. “And since the airplane has fallen… Continue reading Ahmedabad police chief says ‘appears to be no survivor’ in India air crash

LONDON: Irish no-frills airline Ryanair said Thursday it will fine “disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour” results in their removal from aircraft 500 euros ($580). Europe’s biggest airline by passenger numbers has previously hit out at “unruly” behaviour caused by travellers consuming excessive amounts of alcohol while waiting to board delayed flights. “Ryanair is committed to… Continue reading Ryanair says will fine ‘disruptive passengers’ 500 euros

AN Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India’s federal health minister said that “many people” were killed. Following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent years: AUGUST… Continue reading Deadly civilian plane crashes in India over the decades

AHMEDABAD: At least 30 people were killed when an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, with the toll expected to climb, authorities said. The plane was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital, Air India… Continue reading At least 30 bodies recovered from site of India air crash, rescue workers say

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday called the scenes of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad “devastating”, adding “my thoughts are with the passengers and their families”. “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,“ Starmer said in a statement… Continue reading UK PM Starmer calls Air India crash ‘devastating’

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he was shocked by the crash of a London-bound passenger plane with 242 people on board and offered his support to those affected. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words,“ Modi said in a message posted on social… Continue reading India’s Modi says plane crash ‘heartbreaking beyond words’

LONDON: Boeing is working to gather information after an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people onboard crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad, a company spokesperson said. Boeing shares fell 8% in pre-market U.S. trading.

LONDON: British foreign minister David Lammy said he was deeply saddened by news of a plane crash in India, and that Britain was now working with Indian authorities. “Deeply saddened by news of a devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad, India,“ Lammy said on X. “My thoughts are with all those affected. The UK is working… Continue reading UK foreign minister Lammy ‘deeply saddened’ by India plane crash

NEW DELHI: Air India said that the 242 passengers and crew on board the London-bound passenger plane that crashed on Thursday included 169 Indian passengers, as well as British, Canadian and Portuguese nationals. “The flight… was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft”, it said in a statement. Among the… Continue reading Air India says passengers on crashed plane included 169 Indians, 53 British

CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of a planned international march with the stated aim of breaking Israel’s blockade on Gaza, the organisers said Thursday. “Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo,“ the march’s spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told AFP, adding that… Continue reading Egypt detains over 200 pro-Palestinian activists ahead of Gaza march: organisers

Kimiko Nishimoto, who died this week at the age of 97, told AFP in a 2018 interview that “you can take photos no matter how old you get”. TOKYO: A Japanese great-grandmother with 400,000 Instagram followers who shot to fame for her goofy self-portraits after taking up photography aged 72 has died, her son said… Continue reading Japan’s 400,000-follower ‘Insta-gran’ dies aged 97

NEW DELHI: Air India confirmed on Thursday that its Flight 171 from the western city of Ahmedabad to London Gatwick had crashed in a “tragic accident”. “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today,“ Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a… Continue reading Air India confirms Flight 171 Ahmedabad-London Gatwick in ‘tragic accident’

NEW DELHI: An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, without specifying whether there were any fatalities. The plane was headed to Gatwick airport in the UK, Air India said, while police officers… Continue reading Air India plane crashes at India’s Ahmedabad airport, source says

SEOUL: North Korea appears to have stopped broadcasting strange and unsettling noises along the border, Seoul’s military said Thursday, a day after South Korea ceased blaring its own loudspeaker propaganda northwards. The North has been broadcasting a horror movie-esque soundtrack into border areas since last year, as part of an escalating propaganda war between the… Continue reading Noise detente on Korean peninsula as eerie broadcasts end

GENEVA: The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide has dropped slightly from a record high but remains “untenably high”, the United Nations said Thursday. A record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024, said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. But that figure dropped to… Continue reading 122 million forcibly displaced worldwide ‘untenably high’: UN

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government survived an opposition bid to dissolve parliament on Thursday, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections. Out of the Knesset’s 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour. The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force… Continue reading Netanyahu survives opposition bid to dissolve parliament

CRADOCK: A winter chill hung over the windswept cemetery in South Africa’s eastern town of Cradock where the untended graves of four activists assassinated by the apartheid regime were watched over by a monument in their memory, itself in disrepair. In the city of Gqeberha two hours’ drive away, the murders in 1985 of the… Continue reading ‘We won’t rest’: S.African families seek justice for apartheid killings

WASHINGTON: Tariffs, immigration, energy: In all these areas, Donald Trump has granted himself exceptional and broad presidential powers by declaring “emergency” situations that his critics insist do not exist. “In the United States, there is no tradition of emergency powers (granted to the president) under the Constitution,“ New York University professor Noah Rosenblum told AFP.… Continue reading Donald Trump and the ‘rhetoric of emergency’

MUSCAT: Oman said Thursday it will host a sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran over the weekend amid escalating tensions between the long-time foes. “I am pleased to confirm the 6th round of Iran US talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday,“ Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a… Continue reading Oman to host US-Iran nuclear talks on Sunday: FM

BOGOTÁ: Decades after drug lord Pablo Escobar notoriously built a small army of child hitmen to murder police officers, judges and politicians, Colombia is still plagued by the scourge of teenage assassins. Last week, a 15-year-old was arrested for allegedly shooting presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe at a rally in Bogota in scenes reminiscent of the… Continue reading Teen hitmen plague Colombia decades after Escobar hired kids to kill