Air India crash authorities give first major update on black box data

India’s authorities have successfully recovered the first data from the two black boxes of the Air India flight that crashed outside Ahmedabad airport earlier this month.

India‘s civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that investigators are working to piece together what led to the crash, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board the plane as well as at least 19 people on the ground.

According to the ministry, data extraction from the aircraft’s black boxes began on 24 June under the supervision of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The crash-protected memory unit from the front recorder has been successfully retrieved, accessed, and its data downloaded.

Analysis of both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) is currently in progress, the ministry added.

The devastating crash took place around 2pm local time on 12 June, when a London‑bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner slammed into accommodation for medical students at Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College only seconds after taking off. Such was the scale and intensity of the crash that victims could not be identified visually and relatives had to submit DNA samples. The handing over of the first remains only began some 72 hours after the crash.

Indian media had reported that the data recorder would be sent to the US for specialist analysis, but on Tuesday the Indian civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that it remained in India and was being analysed by the country’s own experts at the AAIB.

“Black box of the crashed AI 171 flight is still in India and it is being examined by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB),” Mr Naidu told the ANI news agency.

The crash on 12 June near Ahmedabad was the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.

The Indian government said on Thursday that a decision on whether to send either of the black boxes abroad for further decoding would be taken only after the AAIB had completed a full assessment of technical, safety and security considerations.

There has been a heightened atmosphere of scrutiny on Air India and the country’s aviation industry in general since the 12 June crash. Earlier this week, India’s aviation watchdog raised concerns over recurring aircraft defects at two of the country’s busiest airports – Delhi and Mumbai – citing what it described as inadequate inspections and poor maintenance practices.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is conducting a special audit following the Air India crash, said multiple defects had resurfaced “many times”, suggesting lapses in oversight. While the regulator did not name the airlines involved or specify the nature of the defects, the airports in question serve key carriers such as market leader IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express.

The DGCA stated that the repeated issues pointed to “ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action.” Additional violations included aircraft maintenance engineers failing to follow safety protocols, ignoring certain faults, and not adhering to prescribed work orders during jet servicing.

The audit is part of an ongoing effort by Indian authorities to tighten aviation safety and restore public confidence in the wake of the crash, which has included extra inspection procedures across the country’s rapidly growing aviation sector.

Putin could invade more of Europe, Trump admits

US president Donald Trump has admitted that Russian president Vladimir Putin could invade more of Europe beyond Ukraine.

Trump was asked whether he considered Putin an enemy and if he believed that the Russian president has territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine.

“It’s possible,” he answered at a press conference at the Nato summit in the Netherlands. “I consider him a person who I think is misguided,” Trump said.

He said Putin “would like to get out of this thing”. “It’s a mess for him”. “He called the other day, and he said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I said, ‘No, you can help me with Russia,” Trump said.

His remarks came as he met with Volodymyr Zelensky at the talks where Nato leaders backed a big increase in defence spending.

Leaders gathered in The Hague for a Nato summit tailor-made for the US president endorsed a higher defence spending goal of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.

Trump was asked at the summit if the US would supply more Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, something Kyiv has repeatedly requested. “We’re going to see if we can make some available,” he replied.

Neighbour beat ‘much-loved’ father to death after gate row

A man has been jailed for 12 years for killing his “much-loved” elderly neighbour in a row over shutting a gate.

Trevor Gocan, 57, punched and kicked James “Jim” O’Neill, 74, outside their housing estate in Covent Garden, central London, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury.

Mr O’Neill died in hospital two weeks later.

Southwark Crown Court heard on Thursday how the two exchanged words after Gocan left a gate open on the estate.

CCTV showed the confrontation lasted less than 90 seconds before Mr O’Neill was on the ground with serious injuries.

The court heard that a 12-year-old boy witnessed the final kick and watched as his mother and grandmother tried to help the victim.

Mr O’Neill’s widow, Sara, said she had been left “completely devastated” and haunted by nightmares.

“Jim was not only my husband for 49 years but my soulmate,” she said in a victim impact statement.

“I feel depressed, often crying, haunted by dark thoughts.

“I struggle to sleep and have recurring nightmares witnessing the love of my life bleeding on the floor.”

She said she had been forced to put their home up for sale and had not left the flat for weeks after the attack.

Their son, Amos O’Neill, said he saw his father “start to lose consciousness” and told the court: “We never got justice in the courtroom.”

Gocan denied wrongdoing but was convicted of manslaughter by a jury on 1 May.

Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC said the violence went “well beyond” a single punch and involved the use of a “shod foot” – in a shoe or boot – as a weapon.

Defence barrister Benjamin Aina KC said the attack was “completely out of character” and added that Gocan had no previous convictions.

However, he had received a caution in 2012 for pushing his wife.

The court also heard how Gocan was a carer for his children, one of whom has autism.

In a letter read aloud in court, he said: “I am so very, very sorry. Words cannot describe the remorse and regret that I feel.

“I take full responsibility for what happened.

“I failed my children, religion, myself, and above all Mr O’Neill.”

Judge Hales told him: “I am satisfied that Mr O’Neill’s death was caused in an unlawful act falling just short of GBH.

“You told the jury you dialled 999 – your phone bore no trace of this call.

“The truth is you did absolutely nothing.”

Passing her sentencing, Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC told Gocan: “Your unlawful actions on October 6 2024 caused the death of Jim O’Neill, a much-loved father and grandfather.

“You did not need to defend yourself – the truth is, you lost your temper and control. You walked away. Mr O’Neill did not.

“He was much older than you.

“In his shorts and Crocs, he presented no serious threat. Had you genuinely felt threatened, you could have walked away.”

She said the attack, which included a punch and two kicks, carried a “high risk” of causing grievous bodily harm or death.

“You did absolutely nothing,” she said. “Your remorse, if genuine, has taken a long time coming.”

Gocan, who wore grey prison-issue sweatpants, showed no emotion as the sentence was passed.

He must serve two-thirds of the 12-year sentence in custody before he can be considered for release on licence.

Reform UK council leader quits — leaving 18-year-old in charge

A Reform UK council leader has resigned just weeks after being elected, leaving an 18-year-old in charge of hundreds of millions of pounds of public spending.

Reform’s Rob Howard said it was with “much regret” that he was quitting as Warwickshire County Council leader, citing health challenges preventing him from “carrying out the role to the level and standard that I would wish”.

It means his deputy, Reform’s 18-year-old George Finch, will take over as interim leader of the council until a permanent replacement is confirmed.

The change means Mr Finch, a former member of the Conservative Party, is now responsible for the council, with £1.5bn of assets and a budget of around £500m.

In his statement, Mr Howard said: “This has been a very difficult decision to take.

“The role of leader is an extremely demanding role and regretfully my health challenges now prevent me from carrying out the role to the level and standard that I would wish.

“I am honoured and privileged to have held the role, even if only for a short time.

“I remain committed to my continued role working as a county councillor for the benefit of Warwickshire residents.”

His resignation comes after chaos in the wake of Reform’s surge at the local elections.

One newly-elected councillor resigned from Reform just days after being elected, having promised to defect from the party anyway after the local elections. Donna Edmunds called for ousted Reform MP Rupert Lowe to establish a challenger party on the right of Reform and said Nigel Farage “must never be prime minister”.

Another, Wayne Titley, who was elected in Staffordshire, quit as a councillor altogether after just two weeks, following criticism of him for a Facebook post about small boats arriving in Britain.

And a Reform councillor who failed to declare he worked for the council, Andrew Kilburn, also announced he would no longer take up his role, forcing a by-election in Durham just over a week after the local elections.

Desmond Clarke, who won in Newark West, also resigned his seat just a week after the vote, forcing a by-election in Nottinghamshire.

But the chaos does not appear to have slowed Reform’s rise in the polls, with a major YouGov poll on Thursday indicating Mr Farage would win the most seats by far if an election was held today.

YouGov said Reform would jump from having just five MPs to 271, with Mr Farage poised to form a minority government.

Labour meanwhile would collapse from holding 403 seats now to just 178, with Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity having plummeted since the general election due to a series of disastrous policies and chaotic U-turns.

Brad Pitt’s LA home ransacked by burglars

Movie star Brad Pitt’s Los Angeles home was broken into and ransacked by thieves, a report says.

NBC News reports that the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a burglary at the actor’s house.

The thieves took an unknown amount of miscellaneous property. The value of the items stolen is not immediately clear.

Pitt was not home at the time, sources told the network, and is currently promoting F1: The Movie.

A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed to NBC that a break-in occurred at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday at a residence in the Los Feliz neighborhood.

They did not identify who lived in the home or who owned it

Police are searching for three suspects who climbed over a fence and broke in through the home’s front window, sources told the network.

Pitt’s most recent public outing was at the European premiere of F1 in London’s Leicester Square.

He made a surprise appearance alongside fellow movie icon Tom Cruise, as well as the film’s cast, including Damson Idris and Javier Bardem.

The homes of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been increasingly targeted by thieves in recent years, often when they are not in residence.

In February, the LA home of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban was reportedly burglarized on Valentine’s Day.

A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation confirmed the incident to NBC at the time. There were no details on what items or property, if any, were stolen.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s Pacific Palisades home was hit in August 2024, and Marlon Wayans’ home was broken into late in June.

Jessie J lost over $20,000 worth of jewellery when her home was robbed in October 2024.

LAFC soccer player Olivier Giroud’s LA home was burglarised earlier this year, with nearly $500,000 worth of jewellery taken, according to ESPN.

The 7 best outdoor adventures in Sydney and New South Wales

Whether you’re lacing up your hiking boots, throwing on a wetsuit to catch some waves, or hitting the wide-open roads of New South Wales (NSW) by campervan, this Australian state is home to some of the country’s most exciting outdoor adventures – all easily accessible thanks to Qantas’ extensive domestic network.

Flying into Sydney with Qantas is the ideal way to experience a slice of Australia before you’ve even landed. And with onboard wellbeing perks, plus the option to book more discounted domestic legs using Qantas Explorer, it really is the savvy traveller’s best way to explore Australia.

Here are seven next-level outdoor adventures in NSW, and the best way to get there.

Sydney might be a modern metropolis, but it’s also home to an extraordinary natural playground, the star attraction of which is Sydney Harbour National Park. This protected area weaves through the city’s coastline, offering walking trails, secluded beaches, and panoramic views that blend wild bushland with iconic urban landmarks. Away from the National Park, you can paddle a kayak at dawn beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, go on a cycle tour and sunset cruise around Manly and North Heads coastal cliffs, or follow the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk for sweeping ocean views and refreshing swim spots.

Just a 90-minute trip from Sydney by road, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains is an endless landscape of towering eucalyptus forests and striking sandstone cliffs as far as the eye can see. There are few places quite as grand as this so close to a city. Don your hiking boots and traverse spectacular scenery to Wentworth Falls or take on the Grand Canyon Track – a 6km loop of dramatic cliffs, fern-fringed valleys and thundering waterfalls with lookouts to match. If you’re an early riser, watch the sunrise at Echo Point, where the Three Sisters rock formation is lit up by the glow of first light.

Wildlife lovers need to head north to Port Macquarie for some of the best marine encounters on the east coast. Humpback whales are almost guaranteed from May to November, and dolphins can be spotted all year round. For front-row views, jump on a whale-watching cruise, or pitch up with a picnic on a headland and watch the breaching giants from afar.

Swap the sandy beaches for subtropical rainforest in Coffs Harbour’s hinterland in Dorrigo National Park, where winding roads serpentine through flourishing banana plantations, dense palm-filled forest and endless rolling hills. The region’s cycling trails range from casual loops to more challenging rides with jaw-to-the-floor sea views.

Aussies love their surfing, and Byron Bay is the epitome of surf culture Down Under, with beaches to suit all skill levels; from the gentle swell at The Pass to barrel-laden breaks at Tallows. If you’ve got any stamina left, soak up the view from Cape Byron Lighthouse post-surf – the easternmost point of mainland Australia.

With over 8,000 islands to its name, Australia offers the ultimate in island adventures. Lord Howe is one of them, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed pristine island, where only 400 visitors are allowed at any one time. You’ll find rare birds, kaleidoscopic coral reefs, and Mount Gower, offering one of the best day hikes in the country, with epic coastline views and dizzying drops.

For those who need more than a beach stroll to get the heart pumping, grab a kayak and explore the Sapphire Coast from the water in Merimbula. Glide over crystal-clear waters, past secluded coves, pristine beaches, and the untouched beauty of surrounding national parks. Keep an eye out for dolphins and other marine life as you paddle. Once back on shore, refuel with the region’s famous fresh oysters and enjoy a refreshing dip at Bar Beach.

Book your flight to Sydney today at qantas.com and start your Australian adventure.

Met officers committed misconduct over ‘humiliating’ strip search of Child Q

Two Metropolitan Police officers have been dismissed over the “disproportionate” and “humiliating” strip search of a 15-year-old Black schoolgirl, a disciplinary hearing has found.

The teenager, known as Child Q, was forced to expose intimate parts in a “traumatic” police search at a school in Hackney, east London, in 2020, after she was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis.

Following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police disciplinary panel found that the decision to perform a strip search of the child was “disproportionate, inappropriate and unnecessary, which was humiliating for the child and made her feel degraded”.

The actions of trainee detective constable Kristina Linge and Pc Rafal Szmydynski amounted to gross misconduct, the tribunal sitting in south east London ruled on Thursday at the conclusion of a four-week hearing.

Later, it was confirmed that both officers had been dismissed without notice.

A third officer involved, Pc Victoria Wray, who was found to have committed misconduct for her role in the incident, was given a final written warning.

Child Q felt “demeaned” and “physically violated” and did not give evidence at the hearing “because of the psychological effects that this strip search has had on her”, the panel heard.

In response to the ruling, Diane Abbott, the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, affirmed that the incident did amount to gross misconduct and said in the post on X: “There is no reason for strip searches in our schools and they should be banned.”

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “The case of Child Q remains one of the most shocking and profoundly disturbing incidents involving the treatment of a child by police in recent memory.” She described the verdict as a “critical step in the pursuit of accountability” but said it “will not make up for the serious failures in safeguarding”.

Calling for urgent reform, Dame Rachel warned that many strip searches are still “unnecessary, unsafe and underreported”, with racial disparities still persisting. She said strip searching should solely be used as a last resort, adding: “Children should never be put through such traumatic experiences without rigorous standards.”

The Children’s Commissioner’s latest report revealed that a child was strip searched every 14 hours between January 2018 and June 2023, with official data suggesting an appropriate adult was not present in 45 per cent of searches.

Lynn Perry, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, said: “It’s deeply worrying that strip searching children is so common, so frequently done without proper safeguarding, and that Black children are four times more likely to be strip searched than children from other backgrounds.

“It’s essential that policing is done with respect and safety, and that children and young people can trust the criminal justice system.”

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Our sympathies remain with the young woman, who was a child at the time, and her family. It’s important to acknowledge that at the heart of this case was a child, in a vulnerable position, who officers failed to protect and unjustifiably subjected to a strip search. We know this incident has had a significant and long-lasting impact on her wellbeing.

“This case also led to widespread public concern and we have heard directly from a range of community stakeholders about the impact that this incident has had on trust and confidence in policing.

“Their decision to strip search a 15-year-old at school on suspicion of a small amount of cannabis was completely disproportionate. They failed to follow the policies that exist to ensure that children in these situations have appropriate protective measures in place.”

The Met said it was “deeply sorry” for the experience of Child Q and apologised for “organisational failings” that led to the strip search.

The force said the schoolgirl was searched on 3 December 2020, when police were called after staff raised concerns that she smelled strongly of cannabis and may have been in possession of drugs.

Two female officers conducted a more thorough search of the girl, which exposed intimate parts, in the medical room at the school, according to police.

No drugs were found.

On Thursday, Commander Jason Prins, chairman of the misconduct panel, said race was not a factor in the way Child Q was treated.

However, the panel did find that an appropriate adult was not present, a key safeguard of a child’s rights, and the child’s mother was not told of the situation. It concluded that officers “did not respect her rights as a child and failed to provide her with proper protection”.

Met Police commander Kevin Southworth said: “The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable. We have sincerely apologised to Child Q since this incident happened. Again, I am deeply sorry to Child Q and her family for the trauma that we caused her, and the damage this incident caused to the trust and confidence Black communities across London have in our officers.

“While the officers involved did not act correctly, we acknowledge there were organisational failings. Training to our officers around strip search and the type of search carried out on Child Q was inadequate, and our oversight of the power was also severely lacking. This left officers, often young in service or junior in rank, making difficult decisions in complex situations with little information, support or clear resources to help their decision-making.

“What happened to Child Q was a catalyst for change both for the Met and for policing nationally. While we should not have needed an incident such as Child Q to check our approach, it has absolutely led us to improving our processes and significantly reducing the number of these types of searches carried out. It’s crucial we get this right to ensure the impact on young people is minimised as far as possible.

“Sadly, we know there are children in London being exploited to carry drugs and weapons for others as well as involved in criminality, so these types of searches have to remain within police powers. The work we have done since Child Q means we now have the right safeguards in place.”

Ms Rowe added: “We have been continuing to liaise with the Home Office and have given our views on proposed amendments to strengthen legislation. We are pleased that this is being progressed and look forward to the law being changed so that children are better safeguarded and protected.”

The officers are now waiting to hear if they will be sacked, or what other penalty they may face, in light of the findings.

At the end of the IOPC’s investigation, it was found that a fourth officer, a police constable, should also face a misconduct hearing over the incident.

So, Daniel Hannan… have any of your post-Brexit Britain predictions come true?

Did you enjoy the fireworks last night? The ones marking our annual Independence Day celebration? You missed them? That is a shame. Allow me to bring you up to date with some other things you may have missed.

The fireworks were advertised by Daniel Hannan, then a Conservative member of the European parliament, now a Tory peer, in an article he wrote two days before the EU referendum. It began: “It’s 24 June 2025, and Britain is marking its annual Independence Day celebration. As the fireworks stream through the summer sky, still not quite dark, we wonder why it took us so long to leave.”

I don’t know why he chose a date nine years in the future. Perhaps the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote would have been too decimal and therefore too continental. But the article was an almost religious vision of the utopia that would greet us by… yesterday.

“The United Kingdom is now the region’s foremost knowledge-based economy,” Hannan wrote. “New industries, from 3D printing to driverless cars, have sprung up around the country.”

Leaving the EU had been straightforward. “The last thing most EU leaders wanted, once the shock had worn off, was a protracted argument with the United Kingdom which, on the day it left, became their single biggest market. Terms were agreed easily enough,” he wrote.

Three years of parliamentary deadlock, meaningful votes, Supreme Court rulings, a Tory leadership crisis and two general elections – but perhaps he meant it would be undemanding to be on the EU side of the negotiations.

“In many areas, whether because of economies of scale or because rules were largely set at global level, the UK and the EU continued to adopt the same technical standards,” Hannan said, in a prediction echoing his much-mocked comment during the referendum campaign: “Absolutely nobody is talking about threatening our place in the single market…”

His vision of a post-Brexit land of milk, honey and booming financial services was one in which the legal reality of the single market was irrelevant. No wonder he admitted in 2022: “Staying in the single market, or large parts of it, would have saved us a lot of trouble.”

However, he foresaw no trouble on the eve of the Brexit vote, as he became carried away with his dream of a better future: “Shale oil and gas came on tap, almost providentially, just as the North Sea reserves were depleting … In consequence, our fuel bills have tumbled, boosting productivity, increasing household incomes and stimulating the entire economy.”

On and on it went: “Opting out of the EU’s data protection rules has turned Hoxton into the software capital of the world … The UK has again become a centre for world shipping … Fishing ports such as Hull and Grimsby [which both backed an exit from the union] have become pharma hubs… Our universities are flourishing … The number of student visas granted each year is decided by MPs who, now that they no longer need to worry about unlimited EU migration, can afford to take a long-term view. Parliament sets the number of work permits, the number of refugee places and the terms of family reunification.”

To be fair to Lord Hannan, no one could have predicted what a mess Boris Johnson would make of the “points-based immigration system”.

So attractive is the Shangri-La of life outside the EU that three other countries have followed us to freedom, Hannan wrote: Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The final paragraph is the sort of thing a skilled satirist would write today about the innocent hopes of the most naive kind of Brexiteer, knowing everything that had happened since: “Perhaps the greatest benefit, though, is not easy to quantify. Britain has recovered its self-belief. As we left the EU, we straightened our backs, looked about us, and realised that we were still a nation to be reckoned with … We saw that there were great opportunities across the oceans, beyond the enervated eurozone. We knew that our song had not yet been sung.”

Well, it has been sung now, and it turned out to be the discordant thrash metal of failure.

As someone whose job it is to make predictions about the future, I almost feel sorry for Baron Hannan of Kingsclere, who, apart from his attempt to justify his comment about the single market, has kept fairly quiet about his rosy vision of post-Brexit Britain.

He is like a preacher who promised the Rapture on a certain date and then has to explain to his disbelieving followers why it hasn’t happened. As sometimes happens with end-of-the-world cults, the followers refuse to adjust their beliefs to the failure of the prediction.

Sometimes they turn to rival preachers, who explain that the promise of deliverance was executed in the wrong way. Hence, Nigel Farage and his claim that the real Brexit has never been tried. Still, they will always have Hannan’s words to remind us of what could have been.