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Gaza-Bound "March Of The Free" Convoy Reaches Libya; Egypt To Block March?  Firstpost Africa

Gaza-Bound "March Of The Free" Convoy Reaches Libya; Egypt To Block March? Firstpost Africa

First Posta day ago

Gaza-Bound "March Of The Free" Convoy Reaches Libya; Egypt To Block March? | Firstpost Africa | N18G
Gaza-Bound "March Of The Free" Convoy Reaches Libya; Egypt To Block March? | Firstpost Africa | N18G
A Gaza-bound convoy of hundreds of pro-Palestine activists arrived in Libya after passing through Algeria and Tunisia. The activists, who were welcomed by flag-waving Libyans, are marching to Egypt's Rafah border crossing to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza. Though Egypt says it backs efforts to put pressure on Israel to lift the Gaza blockade, it has called on the marchers to obtain official permits through Egyptian embassies abroad or through foreign missions in Cairo, without which they will not be allowed entry. Meanwhile, Israel called on Egypt to block convoys planning to head to Rafah.
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MAGA splits over Trump's backing of Israel
MAGA splits over Trump's backing of Israel

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

MAGA splits over Trump's backing of Israel

US President Donald Trump suggested that Israel's strikes could help his administration make a nuclear deal with Iran. TOI correspondent from Washington: MAGA isolationists are up in arms against US involvement in the Middle-East even as President Donald Trump has ostensibly bowed to pressure from the powerful pro-Israel lobby to throw Washington's support behind the Jewish state. Several Trump-supporting MAGA surrogates, including conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, former Trump aide Steve Bannon, and Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor-Greene, have broken ranks to oppose American involvement, saying it is betrayal of Trump's pledge to keep US out of foreign wars. Carlson has been vocal in his criticism, accusing Trump of being 'complicit' in Israel's attack on Iran and arguing that US funding and weapons supplied to Israel, which Trump boasted about on Truth Social, has placed Washington at the center of the conflict. "The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between warmongers and peacemakers," Carlson said on Friday, bluntly naming former Fox News colleague Sean Hannity, commentator Mark Levin, media baron Rupert Murdoch, and Jewish billionaires Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson, among the provocateurs. Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House aide, also urged Trump to keep US out of the war, while Congresswoman Green questioned if Iran and its proxies are a danger to US national interests, saying "I don't think we should be fighting wars on behalf of israel...I have never seen a Houthi, or however you pronounce it, in my life..." However, many MAGA Trump acolytes, including Hannity, Senator Lindsey GRaham, conservative radio host Mark Levin, and social media gadabout Laura Loomed, backed the President's support for Israel because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons, although Trump's intelligence czar Tulsi Gabbard, another anti-war figure, testified in March that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. 'The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003,' Gabbard said, while noting, however, that Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels, unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons. While hardcore white Christian nationalists in MAGA are typically anti-Jew ("Jews will not replace us," is one of the chants heard in their rallies), the broader MAGA base is distinctly anti-war, blaming US involvement in foreign wars under both Republican and Democratic administrations among reasons the country has racked up a massive $ 36 trillion debt. Polling by some MAGA principals shows isolationist sentiment is still strong in the MAGA base, and President Trump's support for Israel is not shared among the rank and file.

Bhutan Holds Special Prayer For Ahmedabad Plane Crash Victims, Saudi Prince Offers Condolences
Bhutan Holds Special Prayer For Ahmedabad Plane Crash Victims, Saudi Prince Offers Condolences

News18

timean hour ago

  • News18

Bhutan Holds Special Prayer For Ahmedabad Plane Crash Victims, Saudi Prince Offers Condolences

Last Updated: Bhutan held a special prayer ceremony at the Grand Kuenrey of the Tashichodzong in memory of the deceased victims of the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash. Bhutan held a special prayer ceremony at the Grand Kuenrey of the Tashichodzong, a prominent Buddhist monastery located in the capital Thimpu, in memory of all the lives lost in the Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12. The London-bound AI 171 flight departed from Ahmedabad at 1:38 pm on June 12, but within minutes, it crashed into a medical hostel, resulting in an overwhelming loss of lives. Of the 242 people on board, only one managed to survive, while 38 people were killed on the ground, taking the death toll to 279. Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Jetsun Pema Wangchuck attended the special prayer ceremony and lit a thousand butter lamps, according to an official statement. They conveyed heartfelt condolences to the government and people of India. Bhutan's Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India were also present at the ceremony. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. Among the deceased was former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani who was on his way to London to meet his family. World leaders mourned the devastating tragedy in Ahmedabad. A moment of silence for victims of the plane disaster was held on Saturday at a London birthday parade for King Charles III, in which some members of the royal family also wore black armbands. The king, 76, requested amendments to the parade, known as Trooping the Colour, 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy", a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told AFP. Saudi Crown Prince Offers Condolences To PM Modi Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the victims of the passenger plane crash. He expressed his deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the Prime Minister, families of the victims, and people of India, while wishing a speedy recovery for the injured, according to an official statement. The flight, destined for London Gatwick Airport (LGW), carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The tragic incident occurred around 1.39 pm local time (08.09 GMT) on Thursday. Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said that the London-bound flight took off at 1.39 pm and crashed at a distance of 2 km from the airport. He confirmed that the pilot sent a Mayday call to the Air Traffic Controller; however, as the ATC tried to contact the plane, no response was received. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday said that the black box of the aircraft has been recovered and the findings of the report will ascertain how the plane fell from the sky shortly after takeoff. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Ahmedabad Plane Crash bhutan Saudi crown prince Location : Thimphu, Bhutan First Published: June 14, 2025, 20:14 IST News world Bhutan Holds Special Prayer For Ahmedabad Plane Crash Victims, Saudi Prince Offers Condolences

"Dangerous Manufacturing...": Boeing Whistleblower To NDTV On Air India Crash
"Dangerous Manufacturing...": Boeing Whistleblower To NDTV On Air India Crash

NDTV

time3 hours ago

  • NDTV

"Dangerous Manufacturing...": Boeing Whistleblower To NDTV On Air India Crash

New Delhi: Ed Pierson - the ex-high-level Boeing manager-turned-whistleblower, who testified before the United States Congress in 2019 that he had flagged safety issues with the company's 737 Max variant - has told NDTV of "chaotic and dangerous manufacturing" at its production facilities. This comes amid scrutiny over the horrific crash of Air India's AI-171, a London-bound flight that lost thrust and slammed into a residential area in Gujarat's Ahmedabad 36 seconds after take-off. Flight AI-171 was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. It was the first crash involving a 787 since 2009, but it has turned the spotlight back on long-standing concerns about Dreamliner manufacturing standards and on John Barnett, a whistleblower who died under mysterious circumstances last year. It also brings the focus back on Sam Salehpour, another Boeing whistleblower who accused the company of putting profit over safety, and retaliating against his publicly raising red flags. "That's right... during testimony (to the US Congress in April last year) Mr Salehpour, who is the engineer with Boeing who reported problems, i.e., structural issues, and he provided pretty startling information about employees forcing parts to fit together (by jumping on them, according to some whistleblowers) when you aren't supposed to force them together..." "... and he expressed concern and apparently did everything he could, from inside the company, to raise these concerns and wasn't getting an adequate response," Mr Pierson told NDTV. "So he felt it was necessary to become a whistleblower." In April last year Mr Salehpour, who spent nearly two decades at Boeing, told US lawmakers he had been "put through hell" for raising concerns about the manufacturing processes. Among specifics flagged by Mr Salehpour were structural problems in the Dreamliner's fuselage; he claimed small gaps and improper assembly could cause possible structural failure. Boeing had strongly disputed the whistleblowers' claims, including those by Mr Salehpour, sand said the Dreamliner had been put through 150,000 safety tests and audits. It also denied retaliating against the whistleblowers after many, including Sam Salehpour, alleged retribution. The Federal Aviation Administration, the United States' top aviation authority, launched an investigation based on Mr Salehpour's claims. The FAA cleared in-operation 787 planes. On Wednesday, hours after the Air India plane crash, American officials continued to state there was no immediate safety data that required halting of Boeing 787 flights in the US. READ | US Aviation Body Says New Problem In Undelivered 787 Dreamliners Asked if the concerns flagged by Mr Salehpour could have been present, or indeed, contributed to the horrifying Air India crash, Mr Pierson told NDTV "it is possible..." "... concerns raised by Mr Salehpour could have been present in the Air India plane," he said, pointing out, "The problems he identified.. apparently the planes were being bult like that for a long time." On his own whistleblowing - regarding the 737 Max planes - Mr Pierson said there were multiple indicators of "chaotic and dangerous manufacturing" at the company. A grounded Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 at Los Angeles International Airport (File). "We were rushing to build planes... employees were under pressure to do overtime... there were parts issues, aircraft systems issues, functional system testing and electrical system testing, in particular..." The AI-171 plane crash is being investigated by Indian authorities; flight AI-171's black box has been recovered and the voice and systems data it contains is being analysed. The government has also set up a high-level committee to inquire into the accident and suggest guidelines to reinforce the safety of planes and passengers. Information available at this time only shows the plane lost thrust seconds after take-off. The Air India plane fell on a students' hostel near Ahmedabad airport. The pilots sent a distress radio message to Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control between 1.39 and 1.40 am, the government has said, but did not then respond to the ATC hailing the doomed plane. All but one of the 242 people on board were killed; the lone survivor was a British-Indian man sitting in seat 11A, and at least 31 deaths have been confirmed on the ground, taking the total dead to 274.

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