Category: Foreign

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Fuel to engines of Air India plane that crashed cut off moments after take-off, report finds

Fuel to the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last month appears to have cut off shortly after take-off, a preliminary report has found.

According to the report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), switches in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s cockpit that controlled fuel moved to a “CUTOFF” position.

It said: “Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second.

“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.”

There was then confusion in the cockpit. In the voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he “cut off”. The other pilot responds that he did not do so.

The 15-page report did not identify which comments were made by the flight’s captain and which were made by the first officer. One of the pilots made a “mayday, mayday, mayday” call just before the crash.

Both pilots were experienced, with around 19,000 flying hours between them, including more than 9,000 on the 787.

Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines, and is most often used to turn the engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire – though both switches together are rarely used simultaneously.

The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff. It also does not give a conclusion as to how the switches moved.

However, aviation expert David Learmount told Sky News “it sounds deliberate”, but also noted “there are cases of pilots carrying out an incorrect action instead of what they should be doing”.

Mr Learmount said the only action the pilots needed to conduct at the time was retracting the plane’s undercarriage, but this was not done.

He added: “Was that it? These switches are nowhere near the undercarriage lever and look totally different. The fuel switches cannot be turned on or off by mistake. They have to be pulled out before selecting up (run) or down (cut off).”

Similarly, Tim Atkinson, a pilot and aviation consultant, told Sky News’ Gillian Joseph “there are very few situations or circumstances which would explain this”.

He explained: “One would be an utterly extraordinary human error, an unintentional act, and the other – I’m very sorry to say – would be an intentional act. And that’s not a suggestion or allegation, it’s simply an analysis of the small amount of information that we have at hand at this moment.”

One of the engines was able to be restarted, but could not reverse the plane’s deceleration, the report found.

India’s AAIB said in its report: “At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers.”

No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane’s flight path, the report said. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall, it added.

The plane plummeted into a busy area, killing 241 passengers and 19 others on the ground while incinerating everything around it.

The only surviving passenger was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was sitting next to an emergency exit and, according to police, “managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door”.

The plane crashed and struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad, with the report stating: “The aircraft was destroyed due to impact with the buildings on the ground and subsequent fire.”

The plane’s two black boxes, which combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days after the crash.

They provide vital data such as altitude, airspeed and final pilot conversations, which can help narrow down the possible causes behind a crash.

The AAIB’s report is based on the initial findings of the probe, marking 30 days since the crash. It said the investigation is continuing. A final report is expected within a year. (SkyNews)

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Donald Trump announces 30% tariffs on goods from the EU and Mexico

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that goods imported from both the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% US tariff rate starting 1 August, in letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The tariff assault on the EU came as a shock to European capitals as the European Commission and the US trade representative Jamieson Greer had spent months hammering out a deal they believed was acceptable to both sides.

The agreement in principle put on Trump’s table last Wednesday involved a 10% tariff, five times the pre-Trump tariff, which the bloc already described as “pain”.

EU trade ministers will meet on Monday for a pre-arranged summit and will be under pressure from some countries to show a tough reaction by implementing €21bn ($24.6bn) in retaliatory measures, which they had paused until midnight the same day.

In his letter to Mexico’s leader, Trump acknowledged that the country had been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented immigrants and fentanyl into the United States.

But, he said, the country had not done enough to stop North America from turning into a “Narco-Trafficking Playground”.

“We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers,” Trump wrote in the letter to the EU. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”

Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday she is sure an agreement can be reached before Trump’s threatened tariffs take effect on 1 August.

Speaking during an event in the Mexican state of Sonora, the Mexican president added that Mexico’s sovereignty is never negotiable.

The higher-than-expected rate has dealt a blow to the EU’s hopes of de-escalation and a trade deal and could risk a trade war with goods of low margins including Belgian chocolate, Irish butter and Italian olive oil.

The EU was informed of the tariff hike before Trump’s declaration on social media.

In a letter to the EU, Trump warned that the EU would pay a price if they retaliated: “If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs and retaliate, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 30% that we charge.”

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the 30% rate would “disrupt transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic”.

She said the bloc was one of the more open trading places in the world, and still hoped to persuade Trump to climb down.

“We remain ready to continue working towards an agreement by August 1. At the same time, we will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required,” she said.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, called on the bloc to “resolutely defend European interests”. Expressing Paris’s “very strong disapproval” of Trump’s announcement, Macron urged the EU to “step up the preparation of credible countermeasures by mobilising all instruments at its disposal” if the two sides failed to reach agreement by 1 August.

Germany’s economy minister, Katherina Reiche, called on the EU to “negotiate in a pragmatic manner”, while the Federation of German Industries (BDI) warned that a trade conflict between the two partners “harms economic recovery, innovation strength, and ultimately confidence in international cooperation.”

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called for “goodwill  … to reach a fair agreement that can strengthen the west as a whole. It would make no sense to trigger a trade war between the two sides of the Atlantic.” She added that both sides should avoid “polarisation”.

The decision to hike the tariffs will also be another test of Trump’s ability to act in good faith in negotiations.

Brussels will view the latest threat as a maneuver by Trump to extract more concessions from the EU, which he once described as “nastier” than China when it came to trade.

Bernd Lange, head of the European Parliament’s trade committee, said on Saturday that Brussels should react immediately with countermeasures against Trump’s “outrageous” threat to hike tariffs on imports from the European Union.

The EU had been negotiating intensively with Washington for more than three weeks and had made concessions, said Lange.

“It is brazen and disrespectful to increase the tariffs on European goods announced on April 2 from 20% to 30%,” Lange told Reuters.

“This is a slap in the face for the negotiations. This is no way to deal with a key trading partner.”

While Trump indicated earlier this week that his new rates, also levelled against big economies including Japan, South Korea and Brazil, will not apply until 1 August, his latest tactic will create much distrust.

Europe should make it clear that these “unfair trade practices” were unacceptable, Lange said. (Guardian)

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Donald Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship

Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “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.”

He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.

O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.

“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.

“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”

O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.

She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.

O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.

This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.

But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.

Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.

“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.

“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.” (SkyNews)

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North Korean defector to sue Kim Jong Un for abuse

A North Korean defector is filing civil and criminal charges against the country’s leader Kim Jong Un for abuses she faced while detained in the country.

Choi Min-kyung fled the North to China in 1997 but was forcibly repatriated in 2008. She said she was sexually abused and tortured after her return.

When she files the case in Seoul on Friday, it will be the first time a North Korean-born defector takes legal action against the regime, said a South-based rights group assisting Ms Choi.

South Korean courts have in the past ruled against North Korea on similar claims by South Koreans but such verdicts are largely symbolic and ignored by Pyongyang.

The case names Kim and four other Pyongyang officials. The rights group, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), says it also plans to take Ms Choi’s case to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.

“I earnestly wish for this small step to become a cornerstone for the restoration of freedom and human dignity, so that no more innocent North Koreans suffer under this brutal regime,” Ms Choi said on Wednesday, according to a statement by NKDB.

“As a torture victim and survivor of the North Korean regime, I carry a deep and urgent responsibility to hold the Kim dynasty accountable for crimes against humanity,” she said.

Ms Choi fled North Korea again in 2012 and settled in the South. She said psychological trauma from the ordeal remains and that she continues to rely on medication.

For years international rights groups have documented alleged human rights violations by North Korea, ranging from the abuse of political prisoners to systematic discrimination based on gender and class.

Hanna Song, executive director of the NKDB, told BBC Korean that the lawsuits were significant because they were pursuing criminal charges “in parallel” to civil cases.

Previous court cases against North Korea had been “limited to civil litigation”, she said.

In 2023, a Seoul court ordered North Korea to pay 50 million won ($36,000; £27,000) each to three South Korean men who were exploited after being taken as prisoners of war in North Korea during the Korean War.

In 2024, the North Korean government was also ordered to pay 100 million won to each of five Korean Japanese defectors. They were part of thousands who had left Japan for North Korea in the 1960s and 1980s under a repatriation programme.

They said they had been lured to North Korea decades ago on the promise of “paradise on Earth”, but were instead detained and forced to work.

North Korea did not respond to either of the lawsuits.

But Ms Song, from the NKDB, argued that the rulings offered much-needed closure to the plaintiffs.

“What we’ve come to understand through years of work on accountability is that what victims really seek isn’t just financial compensation – it’s acknowledgment,” said Ms Song.

“Receiving a court ruling in their favour carries enormous meaning. It tells them their story doesn’t just end with them – it’s acknowledged by the state and officially recorded in history.” (BBC)

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Brazil vows to match US tariffs after Trump threatens 50% levy

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said he is ready to match any tariffs imposed on Brazil by the United States.

Lula was responding to Wednesday’s threat by his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to impose a 50% import tax on Brazilian goods from 1 August.

In a letter, Trump cited Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro as a trigger for tariff-hike.

Bolsonaro is currently on trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup against Lula after being defeated by him in the 2022 election.

Trump referred to Bolsonaro as “a highly respected leader throughout the world”. “This Trial should not be taking place,” he wrote, calling on Brazil to immediately end the “witch hunt” against the former president.

Trump’s support for Bolsonaro does not come as a surprise as the two men have long been considered allies.

The US president had already slammed Brazil for its treatment of Bolsonaro on Monday, comparing it to the legal cases he himself had faced in US courts.

The 50% tariff threat was met with a robust and lengthy response by President Lula.

In a post on X, he stressed that Brazil was “a sovereign country with independent institutions and will not accept any tutelage”.

The Brazilian leader also announced that “any unilateral tariff increases” would be met with reciprocal tariffs imposed on US goods.

The US is Brazil’s second-largest trade partner after China, so the hike from a tariff rate of 10% to an eye-watering 50% – if it comes into force – would hit the South American nation hard.

But Lula also made a point of challenging Trump’s assertion that the US had a trade deficit with Brazil, calling it “inaccurate”.

Lula’s rebuttal is backed up by US government data, which suggests the US had a goods trade surplus with Brazil of $7.4bn (£5.4bn) in 2024.

Brazil is the US’s 15th largest trading partner and among its main imports from the US are mineral fuels, aircraft and machinery.

For its part, the US imports gas and petroleum, iron, and coffee from Brazil.

Brazil was not the only country Trump threatened with higher tariffs on Wednesday.

Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka were among 22 nations which received letters warning of higher levies.

But the letter Trump sent to his Brazilian counterpart was the only one focussing matters beyond alleged trade deficits.

As well as denouncing the treatment of ex-President Bolsonaro, Trump slammed what he said were “secret and unlawful censorship orders to US social media platforms” which he said Brazil had imposed.

Trump Media, which operates the US president’s Truth Social platform and is majority-owned by him, is among the US tech companies fighting Brazilian court rulings over orders suspending social media accounts.

Lula fought back on that front too, justifying the rulings by arguing that “Brazilian society rejects hateful content, racism, child pornography, scams, fraud, and speeches against human rights and democratic freedom”. (BBC)

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Starmer and Macron meet in Downing Street to discuss small boat crossings and illegal migration

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Emmanuel Macron to Downing Street, as the two leaders met to discuss small boat crossings and what more could be done to tackle illegal migration.

The French president arrived on Tuesday for the first state visit by an EU head of state since Brexit.

Speaking inside Downing Street, Starmer said the meetings were “hugely symbolic of the closeness between our countries and our personal relationship”.

He added: “Whether it’s on defence and security, whether it’s on Ukraine, whether it’s on trade and economy, business opportunities, capabilities, we think alike, we work together, and I feel this relationship is as strong as it’s ever been.”

Echoing the PM’s words, Macron said the UK and France would “build stronger links and make big moves forward on defence, security, technology, economy,” as well as “more exchange on culture, education, research and when we look at climate change, AI, but as well as challenging times from Ukraine to Middle East.”

“The partnership and the friendship between UK and France is absolutely, I would say, a game changer for not just Europe, but a lot of these issues,” the president added.

Speaking after the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed, “the leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions.”

They went on to add that the prime minister spoke about the UK’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, pointing to a “massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.”

They finished: “The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”

Starmer hopes to strike a “one in, one out” deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.

In a speech to MPs and peers on Tuesday, Mr Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a “burden” to both countries.

He said France and the UK have a “shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness”.

Decisions at a Franco-British summit on Thursday will respond to “our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues”, Mr Macron added.Last week, the total number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year passed 20,000.

Government minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told ITV News he wouldn’t be drawn on details as to what any potential deal may include.

He insisted however that working with the French was already making a difference, despite record numbers making the trip in small boats so far in 2025.

Thomas-Symonds said, more broadly, any talks between Starmer and Macron would focus on trade, defence and deepening cooperation on illegal migration.

There had been some reporting that France felt the UK wasn’t doing enough to crackdown on illegal workers, making the prospect of making the crossing more appealing.

Thomas-Symonds rejected this saying 7,000 arrests had already been made in that area.

“This is a complex issue, I’m not going to pretend otherwise,” he told us.

“This government has cracked down on illegal working, it’s important that we’re working with France and other European countries… but also legislation in the UK.

“The Border’s Bill is giving police and law enforcement equivalent powers with tackling terrorism for tackling people smuggling. That’s the serious work of tackling this issue – not performative politics or gimmicks.”

On the results seen so far Thomas-Symonds claimed: “Working with the French authorities we have prevented 12,000 people from crossing the channel.

“We’ve seized 600 boats and in recent weeks you’ve seen nine people smugglers in Lille sentenced to a total of 64 years in prison.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick: “We are good friends and allies with France but it doesn’t always feel like that.

“The French have the potential to stop the small boats tomorrow if they wanted to.”

Whilst Jenrick welcomed the prospect of a returns deal subject to seeing the details of what it contained he added: “The most important thing is not to rely on the kindness of strangers to secure your own borders.

“The UK needs and deserves its own sovereign deterrent, whether the Rwanda scheme or something else.” (ITV)

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Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize as the two meet at White House

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump he was nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize as the two hailed their recent joint strikes on Iran ‘s nuclear facilities as an unmitigated success.

The pair sat down with their top aides for a dinner in the White House on Monday night, to mark the Iran operation and discuss efforts to push forward with a 60-day ceasefire proposal to pause the 21-month conflict in Gaza.

“He’s forging peace as we speak, one country and one region after the other,” Netanyahu said as he presented Trump with a nominating letter he said he sent the Nobel committee.

The call for the peace prize comes after the Israeli leader for years had pressed Trump and his predecessors to take military action against Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump ordered US forces to drop “bunker-buster” bombs and fire a barrage of Tomahawk missiles on three key Iranian nuclear sites.

It also allowed Netanyahu to further ingratiate himself with Trump, who for years has made little secret of the fact that he covets a Nobel Peace Prize and sees himself as a capable peacemaker.

Netanyahu’s outwardly triumphant visit to the White House, his third this year, was dogged by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and questions over how hard Trump will push for an end to the conflict.

But in an exchange before reporters before the dinner got underway, both leaders expressed optimism that their success in Iran would mark a new era in the Middle East.

“I think things are going to be really settled down a lot in the Middle East,” Trump said. “And, they respect us and they respect Israel.”

Trump says Iran wants to restart talks, but Iran hasn’t confirmed that.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian in an interview published Monday said the U.S. airstrikes so badly damaged his country’s nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction.

The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu may also give new urgency to a US ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas. (ITV)

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Norman Tebbit, former Tory cabinet minister, dies at 94

Norman Tebbit, the former Conservative cabinet minister and one of Margaret Thatcher’s most loyal supporters, has died at the age of 94.

Tebbit represented the constituencies of Epping and Chingford as an MP for 22 years before receiving a life peerage, making him Lord Tebbit of Chingford. He retired from the House of Lords in 2022.

During his long political career he served as employment secretary, trade and industry secretary, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster and chair of the Conservative party.

His death was confirmed by his son, William, who said in a statement: “At 11.15pm on 7 July 2025 Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94. His family ask that their privacy is respected at this time and a further statement regarding funeral arrangements will be made in due course.”

Former Conservative prime ministers led tributes to the Tory grandee. Rishi Sunak said Tebbit was a “titan of Conservative politics”. Sunak said his “resilience, conviction and service left a lasting mark on our party and our country”.

David Cameron said Tebbit was a man of “great conviction” and “profound self-belief”, adding: “They don’t make ’em like Norman any more.”

“A man of great conviction, profound self-belief and with a direct and sometimes abrasive tone, he generated strong reactions from all sides,” Cameron said.

“I was sometimes on the hard end of that, but there is no doubting the tremendous impact he had on our country and my party. A staunch believer in self-reliance, hard work and enterprise, as secretary of state for employment he reformed our outdated and ineffective trade union laws, and thus transformed industrial relations in Britain for good.

“But for all his caustic tongue and sharp wit, he was also privately a kind and thoughtful man. The way he stepped aside from public life to care so tenderly and devotedly for his beloved wife, Margaret, after the Brighton bomb speaks to his compassion and the importance he placed on family, above all.”

The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said Tebbit “was an icon in British politics and his death will cause sadness across the political spectrum”.

Downing Street said Keir Starmer’s thoughts were with Tebbit’s family and paid tribute to the “great strength he showed” in the face of the Brighton bombing. “He will be missed by many,” a Number 10 spokesman said.

As employment secretary, Tebbit took on the trade unions, and as chair of the Conservative party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Thatcher secure her third general election victory.

He sustained serious injuries in the 1984 Brighton bombing, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed from the neck down.

Badenoch said: “He was one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism and his unstinting service in the pursuit of improving our country should be held up as an inspiration to all Conservatives. As a minister in Mrs Thatcher’s administration, he was one of the main agents of the transformation of our country, notably in taming the trade unions.

“But to many of us it was the stoicism and courage he showed in the face of terrorism which inspired us as he rebuilt his political career after suffering terrible injuries in the Brighton bomb, and cared selflessly for his wife, Margaret, who was gravely disabled in the bombing – a reminder that he was first and foremost a family man who always held true to his principles. He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised.”

Tebbit was a prominent figure in the Thatcher era with a reputation as a political bruiser unafraid of confrontation as he helped drive forward the economic and social changes that characterised the 1980s.

After inner-city riots in Handsworth, Birmingham, and Brixton, south London, in 1981, he made comments that led to him being called “On yer bike” by critics who felt he was a symbol of Conservative indifference to rising unemployment.

Rejecting suggestions that street violence was a natural response to rising unemployment, he retorted: “I grew up in the 30s with an unemployed father. He didn’t riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.”

In 1990, in response to concerns over integration of migrants, he set out the “cricket test”, suggesting the side British Asians supported in internationals should be seen as an indicator of whether they were loyal to the UK, leading to accusations of racism.

He was memorably described by Labour’s Michael Foot as a “semi-housetrained polecat”, and was also nicknamed the “Chingford skinhead” in reference to his east London constituency, while his puppet on the satirical TV show Spitting Image was a leather jacket-clad hardman – an image Tebbit enjoyed because “he was always a winner”.

The former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said: “Rest in eternal peace, great man. Norman Tebbit was a giant of Conservative politics and Conservative ideals. A man who looked after his beloved wife beautifully after the horrific terror attack by the IRA. A man who nurtured and befriended young conservatives like me.”

The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said on X: “Norman gave me a lot of help in my early days as an MEP and was a great man. RIP.” (Guardian)

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Wildfires break out near Marseille as airport suspends all flights

A fast-moving wildfire broke out close to the southern French city of Marseille on Tuesday, forcing the city’s airport to suspend all flights.

Some 168 firefighters, two helicopters and 68 engines were deployed to tackle the fire, which broke out in the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau.

Around 350 hectares (865 acres) have been hit with no reports of casualties.

Pictures online showed flames racing down the hillside as plumes of smoke could be seen falling towards the city.

The prefecture urged people in the affected areas to stay indoors and off the roads.

With the fire approaching Marseille, the prefecture also advised residents in the northern area of the city to remain inside with doors and windows closed to prevent toxic smoke from entering their homes.

Marseille Provence Airport announced that the runway had been closed at around midday on Tuesday.

Several weeks of heatwaves combined with strong winds have increased the risk of wildfires in southern France, with several breaking out over the past couple of days. (ITV)

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10 dead, dozens injured in Kenya anti-govt protests – Rights group

Ten people died across Kenya during anti-government demonstrations on Monday, a rights group said, following clashes between police and protesters in the capital Nairobi’s outskirts.

The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) also accused the police of cooperating with criminal gangs, as a heavy deployment of the security forces kept much of central Nairobi deserted ahead of the annual marches to mark Saba Saba Day.

Meaning Seven Seven, the demonstrations commemorate July 7, 1990, when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi.

The KNCHR said in a statement it “had documented ten fatalities, twenty-nine injuries” across 17 counties, but did not provide any further details.

From around midday, AFP saw running battles with groups of anti-riot police who fired teargas at small gatherings, with some of the crowd throwing rocks at officers and engaging in destructive looting.

Young Kenyans, frustrated over economic stagnation, corruption and police brutality, are once again engaging in protests that last month degenerated into looting and violence, leaving dozens dead and thousands of businesses destroyed.

Protesters accuse the authorities of paying armed vandals to discredit their movement, while the government has compared June’s demonstrations to an “attempted coup”.

On Monday, the streets of central Nairobi were quiet after police mounted roadblocks on the main roads, restricting entry to areas that were the epicentre of previous rallies.

Many businesses were closed for the day.

“I have never witnessed the city centre like this,” security guard Edmond Khayimba, 29, told AFP.

While the centre remained deserted, groups gathered on the outskirts in the afternoon with AFP reporters witnessing two people wounded, as well as looting and vandalism.

Protesters on a major highway clashed with police blocking their entry into the city, with the small crowds chanting: “Ruto Must Go”, a popular rallying cry against President William Ruto, and “wantam” meaning “one term”.

Again, AFP saw looting and property destruction in the surrounding area.

In its statement, the KNCHR noted the presence of “criminal gangs wielding crude weapons, including whips, wooden clubs, machetes, spears, bows and arrows” during the protests in a number of counties. It said that in Nairobi, “these hooded gangs were seen operating alongside police officers”.

It also said it had documented 37 arrests.

In comments to AFP, the National Police Service (NPS) spokesperson said that the KNCHR statements “may lack factualness many times over”.

The spokesperson also reiterated that the NPS “would never work alongside individuals called ‘goons’ or criminal elements”, a reference to the armed men paid to disrupt demonstrations.

Kipchumba Murkomen, the interior cabinet secretary, said recent demonstrations had “been infiltrated by criminals out to cause chaos and destruction”.

In a statement on X, he said the looting and violence had been “markedly reduced” by the officers’ presence, but promised those responsible would be “investigated and charged”. (Punch)