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With the BBC World News, I'm Tom Joudrey.
Air India's confirmed that all but one of the 242 people on board its flight that crashed in Ahmedabad were killed. The sole survivor, a British national called Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is being treated in hospital. The Boeing Dreamliner 787 was bound for London when it crashed into a medical college hostel less than a minute after takeoff. It's feared there were also many casualties on the ground. Relatives of the man who survived said he'd called them to say he had no idea how he got out of the plane. His brother was also on the flight. The BBC spoke to another brother in their hometown of Leicester. "We were all in shock as soon as we heard what happened. Just utter shock, that's all." "What has Vishwash told you about what happened to him so far?" "Honestly, he himself has no idea, like, how he survived, how he got out of the plane. Well when he called us, he was just more worried about my other brother, like, 'Find Ajay, find Ajay. That's all he cares about at the moment." The chief executive of Air India says it'll take time for investigators to find out the cause of the crash in Ahmedabad. Campbell Wilson says the firm's doing everything it can to help. U.S. air safety experts are being sent, along with officials from the plane maker, Boeing, and the engine manufacturer, GE Aerospace. The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, described the disaster as "heartbreaking beyond words." A Democratic Party senator has been wrestled to the ground and handcuffed after trying to ask the U.S. Homeland Security secretary a question at a news conference about the riots in Los Angeles. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a briefing in the city, where Kristi Noem was discussing the official response to several nights of unrest. Democrats have condemned the incident as outrageous. Speaking later, Mr. Padilla said his treatment set a dangerous precedent. "If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country." The United Nations says a telecommunications blackout in Gaza is paralyzing humanitarian operations. The deputy U.N. spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said the blackout was due to heavy military activity damaging the last fiber-optic cable servicing the territory and that it was preventing its agencies from contacting teams on the ground. "This is not a routine outage, but a total failure of Gaza's digital infrastructure. Lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination and critical information for civilians have all been cut. There is a full internet blackout and mobile networks are barely functioning. In a context already limited by physical access restrictions and widespread damage, emergency services are cut off and civilians cannot access life-saving support." The deputy U.N. spokesperson, Farhan Haq, there. This is the very latest BBC World News. The United Nations General Assembly's voted overwhelmingly in favor of a draft resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire in Gaza. The document also called for the resumption of U.N.-delivered aid and the release of all hostages still held by Hamas. Israel and the United States were among those who opposed the resolution. From Washington, Jake Kwon has more details. The General Assembly resolution is not binding, but it shows the growing international pressure on Israel to end the war. Out of 193 countries, 149 voted in favor, while 12 countries, including the U.S. and Israel, voted against it. The resolution strongly condemns the use of starvation as a method of warfare. Before the vote, the Israeli ambassador called the resolution a "libel" that fails to condemn Hamas. The U.S. last week vetoed a binding resolution that made similar demands, arguing it would undermine its own efforts for the cease-fire. Donald Trump's insisted the U.S. is still committed to reaching a nuclear deal with Iran hours after warning Israel not to strike Iranian facilities. There's been heightened speculation that the Israeli military is preparing to launch an attack. Mr. Trump earlier told reporters such a move would jeopardize an agreement on Tehran's nuclear program, but he said a conflict could "very well" happen. Northern Ireland's police chiefs blamed what he called "bigots and racists" for three nights of rioting in the town of Ballymena. The disturbances began on Monday after two Romanian teenagers appeared in court. They were charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Rioters have attacked police and set fire to homes, targeting ethnic minorities. The English Premier League football team, Tottenham, have appointed Thomas Frank as their new head coach. The Dane who spent seven years in charge of Brentford's replaced Ange Postecoglou. He was sacked two weeks after leading Spurs to their first major trophy in 17 years, the Europa League. That's the very latest BBC World News. |