Daily Briefing: Where the AI crash probe stands

Indian Express

17-07-2025

Good morning,
When models sauntered down the runway at the recent Milan Fashion Week, donning Prada's Spring-Summer 2026 collection, no one could have guessed the storm it would trigger. At the heart of the controversy were thin, flat sandals, which looked quite similar to Kolhapuri chappals, ostensibly priced at Rs 1 lakh. The Italian fashion house was accused of plagiarism and cultural misappropriation. Prada is now making amends. A high-level team, comprising Paolo Tiveron, technical and production director of Prada's footwear department, and Daniel Contu, manager of the pattern-making department, visited the iconic Chappal Gali in Kolhapur on Wednesday. They interacted with shopkeepers about the footwear and how it is displayed, packaged, and sold. Earlier, they met with the artisans to review the entire process from manufacturing to retail. The hope is that local artisans can benefit from the engagement with the luxury brand.
On that note, let's get to the rest of today's edition.
More than a month after the Air India flight en route to London from Ahmedabad crashed, the investigation is now examining the issues with the electrical and software components of the aircraft that could have triggered 'un-commanded' actions.
In the hours before flight AI 171 took off from Ahmedabad, a pilot flying the same aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad noted a 'Stabilizer Position Transducer Defect', a sensor that controls the up-and-down movement of the plane's nose. The malfunction, however, was checked and trouble-shot. The aircraft had also recorded two major technical snags before this day.
Recap: A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released on July 12, brought attention to a cockpit exchange between the two pilots over fuel control switches. One pilot asked the other why he had cut off fuel to the plane's engines, and the latter responded that he had not.
Many questions: The report, however, has done little to answer the many questions over the June 12 plane crash. As my colleagues Sukalp Sharma and Anil Sasi write in this insightful analysis, the lack of comprehensive details and cherry-picked information in the initial report has led to a kind of Rashomon effect, where the same event has several interpretations depending on who's viewing it.
China has once again beaten the expectations of global analysts over its GDP growth. The latest data shows that it grew by 5.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, despite the high tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. At this rate, China looks on track to achieve its annual growth target of 'around 5%'. However, most analysts outside the country still expect China's growth to slow down in the year's second half. Udit Misra looks at the economic challenges facing China's economy and how it has managed them. Read.
Wire trap: A father and son duo, political frenemies, and a bugged sofa are the ingredients of a perfect on-screen political thriller. The drama is unfolding in real life in Tamil Nadu, where the deepening rift between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss and his son, party president Anbumani Ramadoss, has taken a sharp turn after a tapping device was found in the former's house. The duo thinks it's wiser to bury the hatchet than to invite the state-controlled police into their affairs. Read on.
On the run: The police are on the hunt for one Shishir Kumar, the son of Patna Mayor Sita Sahu and an Assembly seat aspirant in the upcoming Bihar elections. Kumar has been absconding ever since a startling case of overreach, where he walked into a meeting of the Patna Municipal Corporation and roughed up some of the councillors after they refused to pass his mother's proposals.
The right to remain: The war in Gaza rages on even as ceasefire talks continue in Doha. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed a full military capture of Gaza, indefinite control over its territory, and the creation of a so-called humanitarian city on the ruins of Rafah, where the entire Palestinian population would be relocated. The proposal has sparked widespread condemnation. Among the critics is Professor Sujata Ashwarya, who argues that 'this is not the language of peace.'
Lord's protagonists: The nerve-wracking final of the third England vs India Test is hard to forget. With India needing just a bit more from their last-wicket pair, Mohammed Siraj's role was simply to hang in there alongside Ravindra Jadeja. But then came a bouncer from England's Shoaib Bashir. Siraj managed to fend it off, but as the ball dropped, it spun like a top, curving in a semicircle around the batsman before hitting the stumps. The crowd erupted. India had fallen short by just 22 runs. In today's feature, national sports editor Sandeep Dwivedi looks back at the remarkable journey of the gritty duo, Siraj and Bashir, and how they overcame the odds to reach this stage.
Drenched: In 1980, Maruti set up its factory in Manesar, giving Gurgaon its first taste of industrial success. A decade later, the modest urban hub turned into India's Millennium City, home to nearly 2 million people and boasting the third highest per capita income. However, it also embodies everything that's wrong with urbanisation in India. Year after year, the city witnesses extreme flooding during monsoons, even if it only pours for a few hours. At the heart of it are many failures, from ignored topography to piecemeal planning.
🎧 Before you go, tune in to the latest '3 Things' podcast episode. Today's lineup: the Martyrs' Day row in Jammu and Kashmir, the story of a Russian woman found living in Karnataka forests, and the changes in NCERT's social science textbook for class 8.
That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take.
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