Early

Preliminary investigation does not apportion blame for Boeing 787 crash that killed 260 people in June.

Fuel control switches to the engines of an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff last month were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, according to a preliminary report.

The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) early on Saturday, did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster that killed 260 people in the plane and on the ground, but said the shift occurred three seconds after takeoff.

After the switches flipped, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report.

One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.

It did not identify which remarks were made by the flight’s captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” just before the crash.

The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cutoff position on the London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

United States aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines.

“You can’t bump them and they move,” he told the Reuters news agency.

Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff.

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

There were 242 people on board the plane, including passengers and crew. Only one, Viswashkumar Ramesh, survived.

The plane crashed in a residential area called Meghani Nagar, and 19 people on the ground were also killed.

The AAIB, an office under India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, is leading the probe into the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade.

Michelle Cranston filmed three tourists setting out a long line of deck chairs and beach brollies right in front of the shore in Benidorm, Spain at the crack of dawn

A Brit was left stunned after seeing tourists putting their towels on a Benidorm beach at 6.30am.

Michelle Cranston spotted the group claiming their spot as she prepared to fly home. The 52-year-old had enjoyed a sunny holiday in the Benidorm resort with her husband.

The couple were waiting for their airport transfer when they noticed the group placing their towels on the sand at what Michelle called a “ridiculously early time.” She filmed three tourists setting out a long line of deck chairs and beach brollies right in front of the shore.

The rest of the beach appeared deserted at the time—Sunday, July 6.

“My husband and I woke up early to get ready for our airport transfer pick-up at 8:30 a.m. for our flight to Newcastle,” said Michelle, who lives near Middlesbrough, Teesside, in an interview with What’s The Jam.

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“We were staying at the H10 Porto Poniente Hotel in the old town of Benidorm, in a room with uninterrupted, breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and Poniente Beach. It was our second stay here—it’s perfect for people-watching.

“After getting ready, we sat on the balcony with a coffee and noticed some people were already setting up their chairs and parasols along the water’s edge. It was just before 6:30 a.m.”

Michelle posted the video online. She said: “After a giggle about what a ridiculously early time it was to be setting up for a prime spot on the beach—I mean, you’re not going to run out of beach in Benidorm—I took a short video and wasn’t thinking any more of it. On my return to the UK, I checked my phone, and to my amazement, it had gained a lot of interest, reactions, and replies. I never anticipated the post would be this popular.”

Michelle and her husband aren’t the only Brits frustrated by early risers “reserving” sun spots.

A group of irate holidaymakers recently told how they thwarted a cunning plan by fellow Brits to bag sunbeds seven hours before their hotel pool opened.

While having a late-night chinwag on their balcony, Mandy Boyd spotted some lads she thought were sneaking in for a cheeky swim. But on closer inspection, the 34-year-old realised the young men were actually trying to nab the best loungers at 2:00 a.m.—despite the pool not opening until 9:00 a.m. the next day.

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The quartet of girls watched as the lads dragged out sunloungers to secure prime spots. Mandy and her mates patiently waited on the balcony for the perfect moment to dash down and swipe the towels.

The comical “sunbed wars” sabotage took place around 2:00 a.m. at the Aquasol Aparthotel in Palmanova, near Magaluf, Spain.

“We’re just doing the Lord’s work,” said Mandy, from Bridgend, South Wales, speaking to Luxury Travel Daily. “I can’t stand it when people reserve sunbeds and don’t use them all day. I find it really inconsiderate. It was shocking to see them reserving beds at 2 a.m., especially when there was no chance of those lads being up to enjoy them. We kept the towels but made sure we left them where they would find them.”

Fiona Phillips has sensationally revealed that she had secretly split from her husband Martin Frizell as tension grew in their marriage before Alzheimer’s diagnosis

To the outside world, Fiona Phillips’ marriage was nothing short of perfect. But now, the former breakfast TV presenter has revealed that her relationship was anything but a happy one as Alzheimer’s disease was starting to take its toll on her and her family – unknowingly.

The relationship between Fiona, 64 and her husband – former This Morning producer Martin Frizell – had broken down beyond repair as she recalled the moment he announced he was moving out of their family home.

In a first person piece for the Mail On Sunday, the TV star, who was one of the main presenters of GMTV, opened up on the fact she was not aware she had developed the disease which had taken both her parents.

In the run up to their secret separation, Fiona explained that she was in denial over the fact she was experiencing the initial symptoms of the disease and put it down to the menopause instead.

Their marriage became more and more fractured as Martin felt Fiona was becoming increasingly distant from him and their children and their arguments were becoming far too regular.

Fiona explained: “Was I worried that there might be something sinister lurking beneath the surface? That Alzheimer’s could one day be coming for me too? “

She added: “On one level I did think I would get the disease, but there was also another part of me that was in a strange sort of denial about it all. This illness has devastated so much of my life already, surely it’s not going to come for me too?’ I’d tell friends.”

Fiona went onto reveal that she’s sure that the disease was “at least partly responsible” for her marriage breaking down but that neither she nor Martin could see that. She became “more and more disconnected” from her family, with Martin accusing her of zoning out of their marriage.

She said: “But, if I’m honest, I think he was right. I just didn’t seem to have the energy for any of it any more. I didn’t realise quite how seriously Martin felt about it all until one evening he announced he was moving out.”

In that moment, Fiona did not believe that her marriage was completely over, in fact she said that she felt he was simply “trying to shock me into behaving differently”.

They had separated for three weeks before they started to exchange text messages between each other and then arranged to meet at a hotel in Hampshire, in a desperate bid to save their marriage.

They reconciled their differences but Fiona recalled that she was still suffering with the same symptoms. In 2023, at the age of 62, Fiona revealed that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

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The Dodgers’ starting pitcher had no problems on Saturday afternoon.

It was the bulk guy who followed him who ran into issues.

In a 6-4 loss to the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani showed more encouraging signs as a pitcher, throwing two scoreless innings that included a double play in the first and a strikeout of the side in the second.

But, in a reminder of the still-tenuous pitching depth the Dodgers have relied on for much of this first half, long man Justin Wrobleski came back down to earth in a five-run, 4 ⅔-inning outing thereafter, sending the team to a defeat that clinched a series loss to the Astros.

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is tagged out by Houston Astros third base Isaac Paredes while trying to stretch a double into a triple at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

In the big picture, this weekend has offered hope for the Dodgers’ long-term pitching plans.

On Friday, manager Dave Roberts said injured $136.5-million right-hander Tyler Glasnow is on track to return from his shoulder problem during next week’s road trip.

Before Saturday’s game, injured $182-million left-hander Blake Snell threw his second live batting practice of the week, striking out four of the eight hitters he faced in what is expected to be his final simulated session before going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Both he and injured reliever Blake Treinen, who also threw an inning of live batting practice Saturday, are lined up to be activated from the IL “at some point in time shortly after the All-Star break,” per Roberts.

Then there was Ohtani, who despite once again being limited to a short workload in his fourth pitching start of the season, was also once again dominant in a 31-pitch display.

After Isaac Paredes singled to lead off the game, Ohtani broke Cam Smith’s bat on a 96-mph fastball for a double-play grounder to second. In the second inning, Ohtani fanned Christian Walker with a slider, then Victor Caratini and Yainer Díaz on a pair of big-breaking sweepers — all while also touching 101 mph on the radar gun.

In his six total innings this year, Ohtani has given up just one run, one walk and four hits while striking out six batters on what was his 31st birthday.

And though it remains unclear exactly when he’ll be fully stretched out — or exactly how built up he will eventually get this year, coming off a second career Tommy John surgery — the Dodgers are inching steadily closer to having the rotation they envisioned this year: One with Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow joining likely All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a star-studded quartet the club has spent lavishly the last two offseasons to build.

“We can see a little squint of light,” Roberts said. “It’s taken a little longer than we’ve all expected or hoped for, as far as getting our guys together. So we haven’t gotten there yet. But we’re hopeful and excited.”

In the short term, however, the Astros have put a dent in the optimism the club had clung to among its stable of young pitching depth.

After Ben Casparius was knocked around in a historic blowout on Friday night, Wrobleski suffered a similar fate against Houston’s surging lineup. Upon entering the game at the start of the third, he quickly blew an early 2-0 Dodgers lead, giving up a leadoff single to Cooper Hummel and back-to-back two-strike doubles to Mauricio Dubón (who fouled off fastball after fastball before whacking a full-count heater the other way) and Zack Short (who got three-straight off-speed pitches, pulling the last one down the third-base line to score two runs).

Miguel Rojas, tapped to play third base Saturday in place of the recently injured Max Muncy, made matters worse by misfiring on a tough throw to first on a soft ground ball from Smith with one out, allowing a run to score. Then Walker, an unlikely Dodgers killer over his career, lined a two-out single to right to make it a four-run inning and a 4-2 Astros lead.

Wrobleski did eventually settle down, but not before Díaz homered at the start of the third to put the Astros up there.

That deficit proved insurmountable for the Dodgers. They made it 5-4 when Rojas homered in the fourth (he also had an RBI single in the second inning, and drew a walk in the fifth) but stranded a string of opportunities down the stretch, finishing the day one-for-five with runners in scoring position and with nine men left on base.

APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions.

Here, Karren gives her expert career advice to a reader who wants to sell their artwork.

1

Q) At the age of 53, I’ve taken up painting, and I think I’m pretty good.

I mainly paint landscapes, and would like to see if I could make some money out of selling art.

My dream would be to retire early and live off the proceeds of my paintings before drawing my pension, though I don’t know how doable that is.

My biggest problem is that I don’t know where to start with selling paintings.

I use a computer for my office job, but I’m not very technically minded and I realise I need to create a website if I want to get my artwork seen.

But what else do I need to think about?

Pamela, via email

A) It’s fantastic that you’ve discovered a real passion for painting, and even better that you’re dreaming big and thinking about turning it into something profitable.

Don’t worry about jumping into building a website just yet – there are easier, more approachable ways to get your art seen.

Start small – take some good photos of your work (make sure you use natural light) and open an Instagram account.

The platform is free, simple to use and a great way to test the waters and see what reaction your paintings get.

I’d also suggest joining local art groups on Facebook, as I’ve seen so many people connect, sell their work and get advice that way.

Platforms like Artfinder and Etsy are also worth looking into, plus don’t underestimate the value of a local craft market to get face-to-face feedback and build your confidence.

Most importantly, make sure you sign your work and keep a log of each piece.

Finally, try to speak to other artists whenever and wherever you can – people are often more helpful than you might expect.

Xabi Alonso gets his first victory as Madrid manager, despite his football side playing most of the game with only 10 players.

Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler scored late in the first half to help 10-man Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory over Pachuca in a Group H clash played amid sweltering conditions in Charlotte, North Carolina, the United States.

Federico Valverde’s sliding volley in the 70th minute sealed Xabi Alonso’s first victory as Madrid manager on Sunday.

The result puts his side’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign back on track after a dramatic 1-1 draw against Al Hilal in Wednesday’s opener, and despite Sunday’s early dismissal of defender Raul Asencio.

Real Madrid can clinch a place in the last 16 with a win or draw against RB Salzburg on Thursday in Philadelphia. Al Hilal play Salzburg later on Sunday in Washington, DC.

Thibault Courtois made 10 saves for the victors, though he could do little on Elias Montiel’s 80th-minute deflected effort that provided Pachuca with a consolation goal.

The Mexican side was beaten despite leading their Spanish foes by 25-8 in shots overall and 11-3 in efforts on target.

But as in Pachuca’s 2-1 Wednesday loss to Salzburg, it was their opponents who had more quality in their attacks.

Referee Ramon Abatti showed no hesitation in dismissing Asencio in the seventh minute for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity after the Madrid defender hauled down Salomon Rondon just beyond the penalty area.

But after absorbing pressure for most of the opening half-hour, the Spaniards raced out to a 2-0 lead in the half’s final 15 minutes.

In the 35th, Gonzalo Garcia’s quick flick-on freed Fran Garcia down the left. The latter then picked out the late run of Bellingham, who collected a square ball and slid his low finish past Carlos Moreno from 15 yards.

In the 43rd, it was Guler providing the finishing touch from inside the area on another flowing Madrid move, this time with Gonzalo Garcia providing the final square pass after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s first-touch cross.

Pachuca continued to apply pressure after the break, with Courtois forced to push Bryan Gonzalez’s early-second-half effort over the bar and John Kennedy’s 61st-minute strike from distance well clear of his left post.

But Valverde’s well-taken goal effectively killed the game and Real Madrid held on for an impressive win.

Bellingham, who was named the player of the match, hailed the spirit of his teammates after the game.

“We stayed together well [after the red card]. Obviously, Raul [Asencio] made a mistake. He is young and it will happen,” he told DAZN.

“It was impressive to see how the team came together and won the game.”

Alonso singled out Courtois for praise.

“We are so happy to have [Courtois] in goal,” he told DAZN after the match.

“He was so reliable, especially when we had one player less. We defended with a lot of sacrifice and waited for our chances.”

In the earlier Club World Cup game on Sunday, Kenan Yildiz scored two goals and had a hand in another as Juventus beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1 to close in on a place in the last 16.

Ukraine’s leader was denied a meeting with his most powerful ally, after Donald Trump left the summit a day early.

The Group of Seven summit in Canada has ended without leaders issuing a joint statement in support of Ukraine, as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that “diplomacy is now in a state of crisis”.

The summit of major industrial democracies, which wrapped up in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis late on Tuesday, had been intended to showcase unity on major global issues.

But unlike in previous years, when the group had jointly denounced Russian “aggression” against Ukraine, this time it was unable to issue a statement in support of the embattled Western ally, in a sign of growing differences within the group amid escalating global crises.

Zelenskyy met the leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, along with NATO chief Mark Rutte, on the final day of the conference. However, a meeting with the leader of the group’s most powerful member, the United States – President Donald Trump – did not take place after he left the summit a day early to address the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran from Washington.

Zelenskyy said after the meeting that he had told the remaining G7 leaders that “diplomacy is now in a state of crisis”, and asked them to continue calling on Trump “to use his real influence” to press for an end to the war, according to a post on his official Telegram account.

Statement on US resistance retracted

A Canadian official initially told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that plans for a joint statement on Ukraine had been dropped after meeting resistance from the US, which wanted to water down the content, news agencies reported.

But Emily Williams, a spokesperson for Canada’s prime minister, later retracted the briefing statement and said “no proposed statement regarding Ukraine was distributed to other leaders”, agencies reported.

A Canadian official said there had never been an attempt to issue a joint statement on Ukraine because of Trump’s wishes to continue negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the AFP news agency reported.

“It was clear that it would not have been feasible to find detailed language that all G7 partners could agree to in that context,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Trump had underlined the differences in views towards Russia within the group on Monday, when he said it had been a mistake to expel Moscow from what was formerly the G8 in response to its invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.

Canada pledges military support

Zelenskyy had arrived at the summit calling for support from Ukraine’s allies, and declaring he was ready for peace negotiations.

“We are ready for the peace negotiations, unconditional ceasefire,” he said. “But for this, we need pressure.”

He left with a pledge from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to provide 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.47bn) in new military assistance for Kyiv, as well as to impose new financial sanctions on Russia.

Trump did agree to a group statement before his departure, calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict. The statement, issued on Monday, backed Israel, calling Iran the principal source of regional instability and terror, and asserting that Israel has the right to defend itself.

The statement called for a “de-escalation of hostilities”, despite some bellicose social media posts from Trump hinting at greater US military involvement in the conflict.

KANANASKIS, Alberta — Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their summit Tuesday to show the wealthy nations’ club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of President Trump.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO chief Mark Rutte to discuss Russia’s relentless war on its neighbor.

World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran’s nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran on Friday, and Iran has hit back with missiles and drones.

Trump departed a day early from the summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis, leaving late Monday and saying: “I have to be back, very important.” As conflict between Israel and Iran intensified, he declared that Tehran should be evacuated “immediately” — while also expressing optimism about a deal to stop the violence.

Before leaving, Trump joined the other leaders in issuing a statement saying Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” Getting unanimity — even on a short and broadly worded statement — was a modest measure of success for the group.

At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran must curb its nuclear program before it’s “too late.” He said Iranian leaders would “like to talk” but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. “They have to make a deal,” he said.

Asked what it would take for the U.S. to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said Monday morning, “I don’t want to talk about that.“

On the overnight flight back to Washington, Trump did not seem bothered by his decision to skip a series of meetings that would address the war in Ukraine and trade issues.

“We did everything I had to do at the G7,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One before landing early Tuesday morning. “We had a good G7.”

The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on the verge of several firestorms. Trump has already imposed severe tariffs on multiple nations that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Trump’s stance on Ukraine puts him fundamentally at odds with the other G7 leaders, who back Ukraine and are clear that Russia is the aggressor in the war.

The U.S. president on Monday suggested there would have been no war if G7 members hadn’t expelled Putin from the organization in 2014 for annexing Crimea.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said the G7 looks “very pale and quite useless” compared to “for example, such formats as the G20.”

With talks on ending the war in Ukraine at an impasse, Starmer said Britain and other G7 members were slapping new tariffs on Russia in a bid to get it to the ceasefire negotiating table. Zelensky is due to attend the summit Tuesday at Carney’s invitation, along with other leaders, including Rutte and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump declined to join in the sanctions on Russia, saying he would wait until Europe did so first.

“When I sanction a country, that costs the U.S. a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money,” he said.

Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Zelensky and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

On the Middle East, Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that “Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.”

Trump also seemed to put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations’ trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies. The U.S. president has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire.

He announced with Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May, with Trump saying that British trade was “very well protected’ because ”I like them, that’s why. That’s their ultimate protection.”

Gillies and Lawless write for the Associated Press. AP writers Will Weissert in Banff, Alberta, Josh Boak in Calgary, Alberta and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.

US President Donald Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early, warning people in Tehran they should evacuate immediately. His departure fuelled speculation about US involvement in the Israel-Iran war. Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle unpacks what may lie ahead.