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Hello, I'm Moira Alderson with the BBC News.
A preliminary report into last month's plane crash in the Indian city of Ahmedabad has focused on the actions of the pilots in the seconds before the accident. Investigators said data from the Air India jet showed the fuel control switches were moved to the "cutoff" position shortly after takeoff. This caused both engines to lose thrust. Here's our business reporter Theo Leggett. What isn't clear is why the switches were moved. It could have been a simple mistake, though the switches themselves are designed in a way that's meant to prevent them being accidentally knocked out of position. One of the crew did ask the other why he'd moved the switches but was told this hadn't happened. The report does note that problems with locking mechanisms on fuel control switches have been found on some Boeing aircraft in the past. Experts have suggested premeditated action is also a possibility. President Trump has dismissed a question about the effectiveness of flood alert warnings in Texas as he visited communities devastated by the rapid rise of the Guadalupe River a week ago. Mr. Trump said only an "evil person would ask a question like that." Our reporter Nomia Iqbal is in Texas following Mr. Trump's visit. When he sat down, he looked quite pale at one point. He looked visibly moved and shocked at what he had seen, and he expressed that. He expressed his anguish about what had happened. And so I think in many ways that's probably why he lashed out at the reporter for asking that question. Reporters ask those questions, they're allowed to. But as I say, it is also a very sensitive spot for him because there are criticisms in terms of how elected officials here have handled it as well as the federal government. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has condemned recent violence by Israeli settlers against a town in the occupied West Bank. The population of the Christian town of Taibeh includes hundreds of Palestinian Americans. Earlier in the week, the heads of three churches in the town condemned the recent spate of attacks, saying illegal outposts had been set up at the edge of Taibeh. The U.S. treasury secretary says America is starting to see the benefits of President Trump's tariffs policy after a record $27 billion in customs duties were banked in June. Julian Bedford reports. Many economists worried that Donald Trump's tariffs would harm the U.S. consumer by staking inflation. Not so, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says. Prices have remained flat even as the customs take soared. But how much longer can manufacturers and retailers hold the line? Some import taxes could stand at 50 percent in three weeks' time. And though that will mean another record take, it's also likely to result in higher prices if they do come into effect. Mr. Trump has already deferred the highest level of tariffs a couple of times. World News from the BBC. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he's been told that military aid shipments to his country have been restored and he hopes to reach new agreements with allies in the coming weeks. It's not clear what weapons systems he was referring to, but his statement comes after Washington last week announced it was pausing some military aid to Kyiv. An appeals court in the United States has tossed out the plea deal that spared the mastermind of the September 11 attacks the death penalty. The agreement with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had sparked anger among relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks and the then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin moved to cancel it last year. A notorious Ecuadorian drug lord has accepted a court request that he be extradited to the United States to face drug and gun charges. Adolfo Macías is serving a lengthy jail sentence in his home country for numerous crimes carried out by his Los Cheneros gang, as Tom Bailey reports. Known to many by his alias "Fito," Adolfo Macías is a feared and powerful figure in Ecuador's criminal underworld, responsible for numerous acts of gruesome violence. Last year he made headlines after breaking out of jail, sparking a huge manhunt that lasted over a year before finally being recaptured last month. U.S. prosecutors want him to face several charges in a federal court in New York, including for allegedly smuggling drugs and weapons between Ecuador and the U.S. Tom Bailey with that report. Scientists say the western Mediterranean Sea is emerging from its most intense marine heatwave ever recorded for the time of year, sparking concern over the possible impact on marine life. Data from the European Copernicus Climate Service shows that sea surface temperatures in some areas soared to 6 or 7 degrees Celsius above average in recent weeks. Much of the region has been experiencing heatwave conditions. BBC News. |