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Days after preliminary report, CEO of Air India says that the investigation into fatal Air India crash is still not over.
In an internal memo sent on Monday, CEO Campbell Wilson stated that the investigation into last month's Air India Dreamliner accident in Ahmedabad is "far from being over." He added that further investigations are welcome and cautioned against drawing "premature" conclusions. The memo was seen by after a preliminary report showed confusion in cockpit just before Air India jetliner crash and death of 260 people. According to the Indian report released on the deadliest aviation incident in the past decade, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that was bound for London out of the Indian city Ahmedabad started to lose thrust shortly after takeoff. The memo stated that there were no mechanical or maintenance issues and that all necessary maintenance had been performed. Aditya K. Kalra, New Delhi; Chandini M. Monnappa, Bengaluru and Hritam. Mukherjee. Editing by Nivedita B. Bhattacharjee.
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South Korea is preparing to issue an order to airlines to inspect fuel switches on Boeing jets
The foreign media spokesperson for the South Korean transport ministry said that the ministry was preparing to issue an order to all airlines operating Boeing jets in the country to inspect fuel switches, in line with a 2018 U.S. Federal Aviation Administration advisory. The spokesperson didn't give an estimated time for the inspections. Boeing did not respond immediately to a comment request. Fuel switch locks are under scrutiny following a preliminary report on the crash of a Boeing 787-8 plane operated by Air India that killed 260 passengers last month. The report mentioned an FAA advisory issued in 2018. The FAA's advisory, which did not mandate it, recommended that operators of Boeing models including the 787 inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel shutoff switches to make sure they cannot be accidentally moved. According to a report on Sunday, which cited a document as well as sources, the FAA and Boeing have privately notified airlines and regulators of the safety and lack of need for checks on the fuel switch locks in Boeing planes. Air India's preliminary report stated that the airline did not carry out the FAA suggested inspections, as the FAA 2018 advisory was not an order. It also stated that maintenance records indicated the throttle control modules, which include the fuel switches on the aircraft involved in the accident, were replaced in 2019 or 2023. Reporting by Lisa Barrington, Writing by Abhijith Gaapavaram, Editing by Himani Sakar and Jamie Freed
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Trump claims he spoke with FBI's Bongino during Epstein controversy
On Sunday, President Donald Trump claimed that he had spoken to the deputy FBI director Dan Bongino in an effort to calm the uproar about the way the Justice Department handled its investigation into the death and alleged clients of accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. When reporters asked Trump if Bongino was still in his post after reports that he had considered resigning from the position, Trump replied: "Oh, I think so... I spoke with him today. Dan Bongino is a very nice guy. I've known Dan Bongino for a very long time. I've performed his show many times. He actually sounded great." Bongino represents part of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base that has long held suspicions about Epstein. His 2019 death while in federal custody was ruled as a suicide. In a memo issued last Monday, FBI and Justice Department officials said that there is no evidence supporting a number long-held conspiracy theory about Epstein's alleged clientele and death. Conservative influencers, from Laura Loomer and Elon Musk to Attorney General Pam Bondi, have criticised their findings. This comes months after Bondi promised to make major revelations regarding Epstein. These included "a lot" of names and "a bunch of flight logs." U.S. Media, such as Fox News and NBC News reported that Bongino had clashed over Bondi's issue and was contemplating stepping down. Patel, and Bongino (a former conservative podcaster), both made statements about a "client list" before they worked at the FBI. They also suggested often that the government was concealing information about Epstein to the American public.
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Bomb attack suspends pumping on Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline
Unknown actors have bombed Colombia's Cano Limon - Covenas Oil Pipeline, said Cenit on Sunday. This has led to the suspension of oil pumping between the oil fields located in Colombia's northeast, and the Caribbean Coast, where oil is exported. According to Cenit (a subsidiary of Ecopetrol, the majority state-owned oil company), the attack took place in a rural part of Saravena in Arauca. No injuries or fatalities were reported. Cenit, the company that owns the pipeline, stated that the bombing activated a contingency planning to control spills, and contamination of the environment. Cenit has not attributed the attack to a specific group. According to the military guerrillas from the National Liberation Army and FARC dissidents, who rejected a peace deal in 2016 with the government, operate in the region. Cenit reports that the Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline, which is capable of transporting up to 210,000 barrels per day of crude along Colombia's border with Venezuela and can carry up to 210.000 barrels, is often the target of attacks. Some of these attacks cause fires, and others lead to the contamination of rivers, streams and lakes. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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Abacus Storage Kings, Australia's Abacus storage King, gets a sweetened bid of $1.43 billion
Abacus Storage Kings in Australia said that it had received an improved non-binding bid from a group of Ki Corporation and U.S. listed Public Storage, valuing the company at A$2,17 billion ($1.43billion), up from its previous offer of A$1.93billion. The consortium, which included South African billionaire Nathan Kirsh’s family office Ki Corporation as well as U.S. based Public Storage, raised its offer from A$1.47 per share to A$1.65 after Abacus had rejected the previous bid in mid-May. Abacus’ independent board committee has said that it will give the consortium six-weeks of due diligence in order to determine if an agreement can be reached. The self-storage operator stated that there is no guarantee the parties can agree on terms for implementing the revised proposal. ($1 = 1.5223 Australian dollars). (Reporting and editing by Sandra Maler, Jamie Freed, and Roshan Thomas from Bengaluru)
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All flights at London Southend Airport cancelled following small plane crash
London Southend Airport, in Essex, has announced that it will close operations until further notice. Police have confirmed that a small aircraft crashed on the airport's south east coast of England on Sunday. London Southend Airport announced in a Facebook post that all flights from and to the airport were cancelled, while emergency services, police and air accident investigators attended the incident. The local Essex police confirmed that "we remain at the scene of an incident of serious nature" at Southend Airport. They added that they had been alerted shortly before 4 pm to reports of a collision between a 12-metre-long (39.4 foot) plane. The number of passengers on the flight was not known. Images taken from British newspapers websites and not verified by showed a fireball rising in the air over Southend Airport. This is around 56 km (35 miles) east of London. East of England Ambulance Service has sent four ambulances as well as other response vehicles. Five international flights were cancelled on the airport website following the accident. Reporting by Andy Bruce, Disha Mishra and Andrew Cawthorne; editing by Sandra Maler and Andrew Cawthorne)
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Maritime agencies report that the search for the crew of a ship hit by Houthi has been called off.
On Sunday, the maritime agencies Diaplous & Ambrey announced that they had completed their search for any remaining crew members of the Eternity cargo ship which was attacked last week by Yemeni Houthi militants. Both agencies stated that the decision was taken at the request and request of the vessel owner. According to sources from security companies involved with the rescue effort, the Eternity C, a Liberia flagged, Greek operated vessel, sank Wednesday morning after two days of attacks. The ship's 22 crew members and 3 guards, ten in total, were rescued. Maritime security sources reported that the remaining 15 crew members are missing. Five of them are believed dead. The Houthis claimed to have rescued some crew members. There were 21 Filipinos on board and 1 Russian. Three armed guards, including a Greek and an Indian, were also aboard. The decision to stop the search was made reluctantly by the Owner of the vessel, but the firm believes that in the current circumstances the priority is to bring the 10 people safely alive to shore. Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on another ship last Sunday, the Magic Seas. The crew of the Magic Seas was rescued just before it sank. The attacks on the two vessels marked the resumption a campaign of the Iran-aligned militants who, in their words, were showing solidarity with Palestinians by attacking more than 100 boats from November 2023 until December 2024. Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Writing by Hatem Mahar; Editing and proofreading by Sandra Maler
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Officials say that multiple people were injured and a suspect was killed in a series of shootings in Kentucky.
The governor of Kentucky and the Kentucky State Police confirmed on X that multiple people, including a Kentucky Police trooper, had been injured in a number of shootings near Lexington. The police state that the only suspect is dead, and that the trooper who was injured is being treated. State police reported that one of the shootings occurred at Richmond Road Baptist Church, and emergency responders treated multiple victims at the scene. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that a Kentucky State Police trooper was shot Sunday morning in Fayette county at Blue Grass Airport. The Herald-Leader reported that the suspect fled to Richmond Road Baptist Church in Fayette County, which is about 27 km (17 miles) away. Multiple people were wounded there. The state police reported that the suspect was apprehended by the Kentucky State Police, along with the Lexington Police Department. Andy Beshear, Kentucky Governor, said: "Please pray for all those affected by these senseless crimes of violence." (Reporting and writing by Ryan Patrick Jones, Leah Douglas and Ted Hesson. Editing and proofreading by Scott Malone, Sandra Maler and Scott Malone)
Sources say that the US FAA and Boeing have issued a document to Boeing informing them of their safety concerns regarding fuel switch locks.
A document that was seen by and four sources who were familiar with the issue said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing privately issued notifications stating the fuel switch locks of Boeing planes to be safe.
The FAA's continued airworthiness notification on July 11, came after an initial report into Air India Boeing 787-8 crash that killed 260 people in a month raised questions about engine fuel cutoff switch.
According to the FAA's notification sent to Civil Aviation Authorities by, "even though the fuel control switch, including the locking function, is similar in various Boeing aircraft models, the FAA doesn't consider this issue as an unsafe condition warranting an Airworthiness Directive for any Boeing plane models, including Model 787."
The FAA did not respond to a request for comments beyond the notification.
Boeing also referred to the FAA notification in a Multi-Operator-Message sent to the airlines in the past few days, which said the planemaker is not recommending any action, two of the sources with direct knowledge said.
Boeing's response to questions about its comments was to refer them to the FAA.
The preliminary report of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau referred to an FAA advisory from 2018, which advised, but did no mandate, that operators of various Boeing models, including 787, inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel shutoff switches to make sure it cannot be accidentally moved.
Air India claimed that it did not carry out FAA suggested inspections because the FAA advisory of 2018 was not a mandatory requirement. It also stated that maintenance records indicated the throttle control module (which includes the fuel switches) was replaced on the aircraft involved in the accident in 2019 and in 2023.
The report stated that "all applicable airworthiness instructions and alert service bulletins on the aircraft, as well as engine" were adhered to.
ALPA India, the Indian pilots' association at the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations in Montreal, issued a statement Saturday rejecting the presumption of a pilot's error. They called for an "unbiased, fact-based investigation."
Sam Thomas, ALPA India's President, said on Sunday that the pilots organization must be included in the investigation at least as observers.
In a letter published on X, ALPA India said that the preliminary investigation report referred back to the 2018 FAA advisor "concerning fuel control switch gate, which indicates a possible equipment malfunction."
On the cockpit recorder, a pilot is heard asking another pilot why he stopped the fuel in the final moments of the flight. The report stated that "the other pilot replied that he had not done so."
The report stated that fuel switches were switched from run to shutoff almost simultaneously just after takeoff. The report didn't say how switches could have been flipped in flight.
Two U.S. experts in safety said that they supported ALPA India’s request for observers to be part of the investigation, but the report didn’t suggest any bias towards pilot error.
John Cox is a former ALPA U.S. Representative and a pilot. He said the AAIB report was objective and fair. Reporting by David Shepardson, Abhijith Gaapavaram, and Allison Lampert, in Washington; Editing and proofreading by Aditya K. Kalra and Jane Merriman, Sandra Maler
(source: Reuters)