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Toronto Sun
06-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Air India flight from Toronto to Delhi diverted due to clogged toilets
It's the second incident to affect a non-stop flight from North America to India in two months An Air India aircraft was diverted to Frankfurt during a non-stop flight from Toronto to Delhi last week. Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP / FILES / Getty Images Bring out the plunger. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account For the second time this year, an Air India flight had to be diverted after a number of its plane's toilets were clogged. The latest incident occurred on a Delhi-bound flight that originated from Toronto last week. 'Air India flight AI188 of 02 May 2025, operating non-stop from Toronto to Delhi, was diverted to Frankfurt due to a technical issue,' an Air India spokesperson told The Indian Express . 'The flight was airborne from Frankfurt within a couple of hours and proceeded to its destination, Delhi. We would like to reiterate that at Air India, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew remain top priority.' According to the report, the flight was diverted after an unknown number of its toilets were clogged. It is not known what caused the plumbing issue. This latest incident comes two months after a similar situation forced an Air India flight from Chicago to return to O'Hare International Airport more than 10 hours after takeoff. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers and crew disembarked normally and have been provided with accommodation to minimize inconvenience,' the airline told the New York Post in a statement at the time, citing a 'technical issue.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO According to the report, crew members investigated the issue and found 'polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing' after eight of 12 toilets no longer flushed, an airline spokesperson said. 'This led the lavatories to become unserviceable.' The flight, which was over the Atlantic Ocean when the crew realized most of the toilets were backed up, was required to return to Chicago due to nighttime restrictions at most European airports, an Air India spokesperson said at the time. Toronto Maple Leafs Canada Editorial Cartoons MLB Toronto Blue Jays


Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
India's Nuclear Weapons: How Far Can Missiles Travel?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. India has been a nuclear power for over 50 years, possessing an arsenal that is publicly clandestine but capable in warfare—notably against its neighboring country, Pakistan, amid their decades-long clash over Kashmir. Why It Matters Last week, animosities reignited after Islamist militants shot and killed 26 people in Pahalgam, in the India-administered stretch of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. Harsh rhetoric erupted out of Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, two nations that have been aggressive toward one another—largely due to laying claim over the Kashmir region—since both achieved independence from Great Britain in 1947. On Wednesday, Pakistan said it had "credible intelligence" that India intends to carry out military action against it in the "next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident," Reuters reported. What To Know India first tested its nuclear weapons in 1974, becoming the sixth country to detonate a nuclear weapon. The arsenal ranges from 10 to 40 kilotons, though exact numbers remain unknown, according to The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. While the exact number of nuclear weapons has never been made fully public by India, the nation's stockpile was estimated to be 160 nuclear warheads in 2022, according to the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists. A soldier salutes next to an Akash missile system during the country's 76th Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2025. A soldier salutes next to an Akash missile system during the country's 76th Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2025. SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images They said that India at that time produced enough military plutonium, approximately 700 kilograms, for 140 to 210 nuclear warheads—data which has been supported by the International Panel on Fissile Materials. India can deliver approximately 48 nuclear warheads via the aging Mirage 2000H/I, Jaguar IS/IB and potentially the French-made Rafale aircraft, according to the Nuclear Information Project—the first two of which were deployed in the early 1980s and have ranges of 1,850 and 1,600 kilometers, respectively. The Rafale has a range of about 2,000 kilometers. There were 64 land-based missiles as of 2022. "In a nuclear exchange, which we certainly hope does not happen, India has a huge advantage because Pakistan's population centers are within reach of Indian aircraft and ballistic missiles—and many Indian population centers are difficult to hit from Pakistan," John Erath, senior policy director at the nonprofit Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told Newsweek. He added: "The real—I hate to use the phrase center of gravity—but the focal point of the Pakistani state is in Punjab, and that's very close to the Indian border. So Indian reach those centers of Pakistani identity relatively easily." Erath said that Indian nuclear policy has been relatively consistent in that they don't want to use such weapons as a deterrent, either against Pakistan or China—the latter of which has been involved in border disputes with India every few years, where some shots have been fired but no major warfare has occurred. "China has an extensive and growing number of nuclear weapons, and this makes the Indians very nervous that one of these border states could spiral out of control and lead to a nuclear response," he said. "China has a 'no first use' policy on its nuclear weapons, but that's increasingly difficult to believe." What People Are Saying U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated: "The United States stands with India, strongly condemns all acts of terrorism. We pray for the lives of those lost and for the recovery of the injured and call for the perpetrators of this heinous act to be brought to justice." U.S. Vice President JD Vance said: "Growing relations between our countries over the last decade are part of what led America to designate India a Major Defense Partner — the first of that class." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun: "We strongly condemn the attack. China firmly opposes all forms of terrorism. We mourn for the lives lost and express sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured." What Happens Next Nuclear provocations will be the major goal for diplomacy from the perspective of the United States, whose leaders have offered full-throated support to India due to decades of allyship. The situation's outcome will not just impact South Asia but could also reshape global security, particularly with China's growing influence in the region.