India denies entry to UN aviation investigator in Air India crash probe, say sources
By Aditya Kalra, Allison Lampert and David Shepardson
Earlier this week, the United Nations aviation agency took the unusual step of offering India one of its investigators to provide assistance following the Boeing BA.N 787-8 Dreamliner crash killing 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12.
Previously, the International Civil Aviation Organization has deployed investigators to help with certain probes, such as the downing of a Malaysian plane in 2014 and a Ukrainian jetliner in 2020, but those times the agency had been asked for assistance.
ICAO had asked for the investigator who was in India to be given observer status, but Indian authorities refused the offer, the sources said. The news was first reported on Thursday by the Indian news channel Times Now.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade, did not return a request for comment. ICAO was not immediately available for comment.
India's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that i nvestigators downloaded flight recorder data around two weeks after the crash.
Previously, safety experts had questioned a lack of information about the probe, including the status of the combined black box unit recovered on June 13, along with a second set that was found on June 16.
Questions were also raised on whether the recorders would be read in India or in the U.S. since the National Transportation Safety Board is participating in the investigation. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken.
Under international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name 'Annex 13,' the decision of where to read flight recorders should be made immediately in case the evidence obtained could avert future tragedies.
Earlier this week, an Indian aviation ministry official who declined to be named said the department has been 'following all the ICAO protocols.' The official added that media representatives have made updates on important events.
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report expected about 30 days after the accident.
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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Daily Maverick
India denies entry to UN aviation investigator in Air India crash probe, say sources
By Aditya Kalra, Allison Lampert and David Shepardson Earlier this week, the United Nations aviation agency took the unusual step of offering India one of its investigators to provide assistance following the Boeing BA.N 787-8 Dreamliner crash killing 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12. Previously, the International Civil Aviation Organization has deployed investigators to help with certain probes, such as the downing of a Malaysian plane in 2014 and a Ukrainian jetliner in 2020, but those times the agency had been asked for assistance. ICAO had asked for the investigator who was in India to be given observer status, but Indian authorities refused the offer, the sources said. The news was first reported on Thursday by the Indian news channel Times Now. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade, did not return a request for comment. ICAO was not immediately available for comment. India's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that i nvestigators downloaded flight recorder data around two weeks after the crash. Previously, safety experts had questioned a lack of information about the probe, including the status of the combined black box unit recovered on June 13, along with a second set that was found on June 16. Questions were also raised on whether the recorders would be read in India or in the U.S. since the National Transportation Safety Board is participating in the investigation. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken. Under international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name 'Annex 13,' the decision of where to read flight recorders should be made immediately in case the evidence obtained could avert future tragedies. Earlier this week, an Indian aviation ministry official who declined to be named said the department has been 'following all the ICAO protocols.' The official added that media representatives have made updates on important events. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report expected about 30 days after the accident.
IOL News
6 days ago
- IOL News
Peace and Unity in the Cold: 600 Gather for 11th International Day of Yoga at Union Buildings
International Day of Yoga will be observed on Saturday. Image: Supplied Hundreds of people, ranging in age from 3 to 70 and representing diverse communities—including foreigners and diplomats — gathered in the Union Buildings gardens on a chilly morning to practice yoga together. The event united individuals from all walks of life in a shared commitment to wellness, mindfulness, and community spirit. The High Commission of India warmly invited the public to join the celebration of the 11th International Day of Yoga 2025, held at the South Lawns of the Union Buildings in Pretoria. This significant day fosters unity, health, and empowerment through the ancient practice of yoga. The buildup to the event began with the International Day of Yoga Curtain Raiser, organised at India House on 21 May 2025. Attendees included members of the International Diplomatic Spouses Association, representatives of various yoga institutes, and the Indian diaspora. In a conversation about the event, Bev Naude, a passionate yogi from Pretoria, shared her long-standing involvement. 'I have been practising yoga for 60 years in total,' she said. 'I have participated in every International Day of Yoga since its inception in 2015, starting with our first event at the 7th of March Hall in Laudium.' Bev, who serves on the organising committee, is also the founder and coordinator of the Tshwane Yoga Festival, created to complement the International Day of Yoga, which falls in the South African winter. 'Two years ago, I suggested holding the festival in summer or spring to make it more accessible, and that idea was well received,' she explained. Now in its third year, the festival has become very successful, held at the University Campus in the east. Bev works closely with the High Commission of India on International Day of Yoga events, corporate functions, and the Tshwane Yoga Festival. She expressed her honour to be part of this year's celebration, noting her deep connections within Pretoria's yoga community and mentoring younger yogis such as Tamara. After the yoga session, participants were treated to snacks, drinks, and traditional Indian masala tea. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The gathering concluded with a group photo taken against the iconic backdrop of the Union Buildings. Among the sponsors supporting the event were Manzarali, Virgin Active, Taj Cape Town, Tata, and Mahindra Rise, whose contributions helped make the celebration possible. 'As our Prime Minister, Hon. Narendra Modi, said yesterday on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga — 'Yoga is the pause button our humanity needs to breathe, to balance, and to become whole again.'' quoted Prabhat Kumar, High Commissioner of India to South Africa, while addressing hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gathered at the Union Buildings in Pretoria to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga. The High Commissioner emphasised that yoga, which unites body and mind, is now a global practice that fosters compassion, balance, and harmony — qualities that proved especially vital during the Covid-19 pandemic. During that time, India launched the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, supplying life-saving vaccines and medicines to 150 countries in the spirit of Vasudev Kutumbakam — the world is one family.'We celebrated the 11th edition of the International Day of Yoga in South Africa, with an enthusiastic crowd of over 600 people gathering in front of the iconic Union Buildings. ''We had a wonderful yoga session, and everyone who participated was deeply engaged and appreciative, especially on this cold winter morning,' said Banu Prakash, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Pretoria. 'Yoga, as you know, is India's gift to the world, and its growing popularity globally is reflected here as well. The fact that this is the 11th consecutive year of celebration in South Africa is a testament to yoga's rising embrace in the country.
IOL News
22-06-2025
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The kindness of Harriet Bolton and clothing factory workers
Mrs Harriet Bolton worked tirelessly for the rights of workers in ensuring that they were appropriately paid and were able to receive worker benefits that developed into tertiary education bursaries. Image: Supplied MY WIFE'S matric results secured her a welcome bursary from the Garment Worker's Industrial Union (GWIU) that paid for her studies at the University of Durban-Westville. We are eternally grateful for that bursary that would completely alter the trajectory of my wife's future. In this journey of our life, a set of fortunate events, together with the hard work of clothing factory workers conspired to give us a better life that is a priceless gift to our children and their future. In that time of my mother-in-law working at the textile factory many women were able break that cycle of poverty that trapped our indentured ancestry for more than 100 years. In 100 years from 1860 to 1960, life's journey for the majority of South African Indians was a wretched existence. In a journal article, The 'Culture of Poverty' and the South African poor by Geoffrey H Waters in 1978, it was estimated that 64% of Indians living in South Africa, lived below the poverty datum line. Hopes to break that endless cycle of poverty was often dashed, as conditions to accelerate advancement was not conducive. Limited employment opportunities, apartheid era job reservation, successive world wars, colonial and apartheid era depredations together with depressed economies, all contrived to keep advancement at bay. The apartheid state expropriated prime urban land that ripped the heart away from people who lived in the Magazine & Railway Barracks, Mayville, Cato Manor, Block AK Greyville, etc. These people were forcibly removed to places like Chatsworth and Phoenix, 20 to 30 kilometres from their places of work. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ To account for the high cost of living, ladies in the new townships were now forced to work to make life bearable. The number of Indian women working in factories, especially in the garment industry, grew dramatically during the 1960s. While in 1951 only 1518 Indian women were employed in industry, by 1970 this grew to 13 530. Their wages were vital to survival in the new townships, where the demands of rent, electricity and the vast amount of modern consumer goods put pressure on the family's income. Crowds of women waited at bus stops leaving early in the morning and arriving late in the evening, still coming home to cook a family meal. They worked tirelessly in providing life's little luxuries like that Friday treat of queen cake that we couldn't wait to wolf down. The bursary that my wife secured was mainly due to the tenacity of a leading light for rights of textile factory workers found in the name of Harriet Bolton. She was married to Jimmy 'JC' Bolton who formed the Garment Worker's Industrial Union in 1934. By the time Mrs Bolton became General Secretary for the GWIU, Indian women started to enter the industry in significant numbers from 1960, while the number of Indian men employed in clothing factories, until then in the majority, started to decline. In 1965, membership of the GWIU was made up of 6 648 male workers and 6 715 female workers. By 1967 this had grown to 7582 female workers, while the number of males dropped to 6 420. Indian workers made up just over 79% of workers in the industry. Over the next three years, Harriet and the executive of GWIU attempted to install more democracy into union structures and improve contact with workers. The GWIU under the stewardship of Mrs Bolton worked tirelessly for the rights of workers in ensuring that they were appropriately paid and were able to receive worker benefits that developed into tertiary education bursaries that my wife became a recipient of. In the year of the Durban Strikes of 1973, Harriet Bolton was persecuted for her role on mobilising the masses in the fight for worker rights. Many others too have played a significant role in fighting for the rights of textile factory workers. Garment workers union activists Margaret Rajbally, Pregs Govender, Emma Mashinini and many others have contributed immensely to the plight of workers in an industry whose voices were not often heard. The lowering of trade barriers at the advent of democracy marked the start of the steep decline, if not the death, of industries such as the clothing, textile and footwear sectors that our parents had so tirelessly worked in. The chilly wind of globalization showed its fierce teeth that now see us buying clothing almost exclusively from foreign countries.
