Daily World Briefing, July 13

India Gazette

3 days ago

Air India crash report shows both engines shut down shortly after takeoff
Both engines of the recently crashed Air India airplane had shut down mid-air within seconds of take-off, showed a preliminary investigation report released on Saturday by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (ABI).
According to Indian media, the report said that before the Flight AI-171 plane crashed, the switches controlling the fuel flow of the two engines switched from "RUN" to "CUT OFF" within a second of each other, which caused the aircraft engines to stop working. The cockpit voice recorder shows that one of the pilots asked, "Why did you cut off?" and the other pilot replies, "I didn't."
The accident report also showed that both switches were moved back to the "RUN" position and while Engine 1 showed signs of recovery, Engine 2 could not.
Trump announces 30 pct tariffs on EU, Mexican goods starting Aug. 1
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning that 30 percent tariffs will be imposed on the European Union (EU) and Mexico as of Aug. 1.
The new tariffs were announced in the letters addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and posted on Trump's social media platform Truth Social.
Trump criticized Mexico for its "failure to stop the cartels" from smuggling drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States, and accused the country of not doing enough to cooperate with Washington in curbing illegal immigration.
In the case of the EU, the U.S. president scolded the bloc for its tariff and non-tariff barriers, which he blamed for causing "long-term, large, and persistent Trade Deficits."
EU chief slams Trump tariff threat, pledges retaliation if required
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Saturday that Washington's decision to impose 30 percent tariffs on European Union (EU) exports risks severely disrupting transatlantic supply chains, and pledged that the EU would respond with countermeasures if necessary.
"Imposing 30 percent tariffs on EU exports would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers, and patients on both sides of the Atlantic," von der Leyen said in a statement.
Her comments followed an earlier announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said his administration would impose 30 percent tariffs on EU exports, arguing that bilateral trade had long been unbalanced and lacked reciprocity.
Von der Leyen responded that the EU remained committed to a negotiated solution, but emphasized that the bloc would act to defend its economic interests if negotiations failed.
PKK disarmament opens "new page in history" for Trkiye: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday declared "a new page" in history for Trkiye, as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) begins the disarmament process.
"As of yesterday, the 47-year-long terror scourge has entered a phase of ending. Trkiye has begun closing a long, painful chapter filled with anguish and tears," Erdogan said while addressing members of his ruling Justice and Development Party in Kizilcahamam district, Ankara Province.
On Friday, a group of PKK militants burned their weapons in a symbolic ceremony in Iraq's northern Sulaymaniyah province.
"From now on, we will sit down and talk -- not with weapons or violence, not for conflict, but for unity, fraternity, and face-to-face dialogue by removing the obstacle of terror," he said.