Aviation Minister Criticizes Western Media Over AI Crash Coverage
India's Civil Aviation Minister, Rammohan Naidu, has strongly criticized certain sections of the Western media for their speculative reporting on the Air India 171 crash that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12. The minister urged caution and emphasized the importance of awaiting the final report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) before drawing conclusions.
Naidu specifically called out media outlets that may have "vested interests" in publishing certain reports, indirectly referring to articles by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal that suggested the pilot in command could have been at fault. He reaffirmed his confidence in the AAIB and its ongoing investigation, highlighting that the black box was successfully decoded in India.
The preliminary report indicated that fuel supply to both engines was cut off shortly after takeoff. The AAIB is analyzing the fuel retrieved from the auxiliary power unit and data from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. The final report is expected to provide a detailed account of the events leading up to the crash.
Pilot associations have voiced concerns about the premature targeting of pilots in media and social media, emphasizing that investigations are still underway. They had previously issued a legal notice against speculative content regarding the cause of the crash, particularly content attributing blame to deceased pilots.
UK Politician's Wife Alleges Rape by Ex-Husband
In the United Kingdom, the wife of a politician has come forward with allegations of rape and physical abuse against her ex-husband, who is also a politician. Kate Griffiths, a Conservative MP for Burton in Staffordshire, stated that she had been raped and physically abused by her former husband, Andrew Griffiths.
According to Kate Griffiths, Andrew Griffiths initially appeared to be an "all-round good guy". However, she described herself as a "shadow" of her former self by the end of their relationship. Andrew Griffiths, who was previously the MP for Burton and minister for small business, resigned in 2018 after sending inappropriate messages to constituents.
Following their separation, a family court judge concluded, based on the balance of probability, that Andrew Griffiths had raped and physically abused Kate Griffiths. The Court of Appeal later ruled that these findings could be made public, a decision that Kate Griffiths supported. She stated that this ruling gave her a "feeling of freedom" and allowed her to speak out and help her constituents.
Andrew Griffiths has strongly denied the allegations.
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In other news, an Odisha Congress student leader, Udit Pradhan, has been arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old engineering student in Bhubaneswar. The survivor alleges that Pradhan drugged and sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in March. This arrest comes at a sensitive time, as the Congress party has been criticizing the BJP government in Odisha over rising crime rates against women.