Air India 171. Malaysia Airlines MH17. Two Tragedies, Eleven Years Apart
As a new report points to possible pilot error in the India crash, memories resurface of Russia's shoot-down of MH17 over E. Ukraine - one of the deadliest civilian air disasters in modern history.
On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, I reflect on two tragedies—one from the past, one from the present. The preliminary report into the recent Air India Boeing 787 crash increasingly points to pilot error. Though it’s far too early for conclusions.
I was on the ground in eastern Ukraine as the OSCE’s spokesperson just hours after MH17 was brought down by a Russian BUK missile. We weren’t crash investigators, but we were the eyes and ears of the world—navigating grief, chaos, and unimaginable loss.
This video is about more than planes. It’s about memory, justice, and the human cost of aviation disasters.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un restated he “unconditionally” supports all Russian actions during its war in Ukraine, as he welcomed Moscow’s top diplomat to a newly built beach resort on his country’s east coast. Kim met Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the North Korean city of Wonsan, at a time when Pyongyang is being pulled deeper into the three-year conflict. During the meeting, Kim reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” that Russia takes in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported, citing the official Korean Central News Agency. Lavrov’s trip comes at a crucial time for Russian-North Korean relations, with Pyongyang set to deploy an additional 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers to assist Moscow’s scaled-up assault on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian intelligence – adding to the estimated 11,000 soldiers Pyongyang sent last year - CNN
Ukraine said two agents working for Russia have been killed after a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer was shot dead on Thursday. The head of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), Vasyl Malyuk, said in a video statement that two agents working for Russia's security service FSB had been tracked down and "liquidated" after they resisted arrest on Sunday morning. It comes after Col Ivan Voronych was shot several times in a Kyiv car park in broad daylight, after being approached by an unidentified assailant who fled the scene. On Sunday, Ukraine's national police said the two agents killed were "citizens of a foreign country", without giving any further details. Moscow had no immediate response - BBC
Ten people, including six children, have been killed in an Israeli air strike while waiting to fill water containers in central Gaza on Sunday, emergency service officials say. Their bodies were sent to Nuseirat's al-Awda Hospital, which also treated 16 injured people including seven children, a doctor there said. Eyewitnesses said a drone fired a missile at a crowd queuing with empty jerry cans next to a water tanker in al-Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military said there had been a "technical error" with a strike targeting an Islamic Jihad "terrorist" that caused the munition to fall dozens of meters from the target. The incident is under review, the military added. The strike came as Israeli aerial attacks across the Gaza Strip have escalated. Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had treated more mass casualty cases at its Rafah field hospital in southern Gaza in the last six weeks than in the 12 months before that - BBC
The attorney for the family of 24-year-old Gaia Costa who was tragically hit by a BMW SUV driven by the wife of Lufthansa airline’s billionaire CEOsays they feel “destroyed” following the babysitter’s death in Sardinia. Costa, a babysitter, was using a pedestrian crosswalk in Porto Cervo — an upscale northern Italian seaside resort town — on Tuesday when she was struck down by a BMW X5 that kept going, local media reported. Police in Sardinia claim Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr’s wife, 51-year-old Vivian Alexandra Spohr was behind the wheel, and continued driving until waved down by onlookers. Nearly 200 paramedics and medical technicians spent 20 minutes trying to revive Costa, who died from severe head injuries, the reports said. Cops claim Spohr flew back to Germany soon after Tuesday’s fatal incident, despite being under investigation for vehicular homicide. Spohr was not legally required to remain in Italy, and is cooperating with authorities - NY Post
Rio de Janeiro is seeking to be home to the permanent headquarters of Brics, the economic bloc of emerging nations that currently has no official base of operations. Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, delivered a letter of intent to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following the Brics 2025 summit held at the city’s Museum of Modern Art earlier this week.Founded in 2009, Brics – whose membership now includes Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates – represents about 46 per cent of the world’s population and 37 per cent of global GDP. The bloc was created to promote economic cooperation, global governance and sustainable development among emerging and developing economies.The goal of the proposal is to deepen the institutionalisation of the group, which, despite growing cooperation among members, does not yet have an institutional headquarters, a permanent general secretariat or a dedicated diplomatic corps. As part of its bid, Rio’s City Hall has offered the historic building of the Brazilian Jockey Club, in the city centre. Designed by the Modernist architect Lúcio Costa, best known for his work on Brasília’s urban plan, the 12-storey building includes more than 8,300 square metres (nearly 90,000 square feet) of space - SCMP
Exactly 40 years ago today, an estimated 1.5 billion people in more than 100 countries tuned in to watch Live Aid, a mega benefit concert held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Dozens of music icons took to the stages throughout the day and night. British band Queen’s performance at 1985 charity mega concert Live Aid, which has gone down in the history books, almost didn’t happen, according to members Brian May and Roger Taylor. Speaking to UK media outlet the Radio Times, the pair recall that the band, particularly lead singer Freddie Mercury, were initially nonplussed when they were approached by Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof - CNN
President Donald Trump reignited a decades-long feud with comedian Rosie O’Donnell Saturday, taking to his Truth Social platform to write he was considering revoking her citizenship. “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” Trump wrote. “She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown Law, said Saturday that Trump’s threat of “coercive expatriation” was “patently unconstitutional.” CNN has reached out to the White House about what prompted the president’s threat — but O’Donnell drew attention last weekend after she posted a video to TikTok slamming the Trump administration’s response to the Texas floods, claiming the president “gut(ted) all of the early warning systems and the weathering‑forecast abilities of the government,” stymying the federal response. American-born O’Donnell moved to Ireland shortly before Trump’s inauguration in January, telling CNN in April that Trump’s reelection prompted the move. Responding to the president’s post Saturday, O’Donnell wrote on Instagram, “you want to revoke my citizenship? go ahead and try, king joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. i’m not yours to silence. i never was.”
The journals….
