Boeing 737 cargo jet crashes into sea off Honolulu, Hawaii - BBC News

A Boeing 737 cargo plane with two people on board has crashed off the coast of Hawaii after experiencing engine trouble.

According to the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the Coast Guard rescued both pilots.

The aircraft was en route from Honolulu to the island of Maui, but went down in the water soon after taking off from Daniel K Inouye International Airport.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

A Boeing statement reported by US media said they were in contact with authorities and are "closely monitoring the situation".

Footage broadcast by NBC shows a man thought to be one of the pilots being taken away in a wheelchair. He appears to be conscious.

It also shows an ambulance leaving the scene.

According to officials from the state's transport department, quoted by local outlet Hawaii News Now (HNN), one pilot was airlifted to Queen's Medical Center and taken to intensive care in critical condition.

Rescuers brought the other pilot to shore by boat, HNN said. He is reportedly in a serious condition with a head injury.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 tweeted that it was a 737-200 cargo aeroplane operated for the carrier Transair since 2014. It was built in 1975 and first delivered to Pacific Western Airlines.

Transair Flight 810 left Honolulu bound for Kahului at 01:33 local time (11:33 GMT), Flightradar 24 said, but turned back quickly afterwards, and crashed into the water after just minutes in the air.

According to its website, Transair has been in business since 1982 and is one of Hawaii's biggest air cargo operators. It has a fleet of five Boeing 737s, it said.

This aircraft is not the same as a Boeing 737 Max, the aircraft temporarily grounded by authorities after two fatal passenger airline crashes in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The 737 Max was cleared to fly again by US regulators in 2020, but it recently came under further scrutiny.

A 737-200 cargo aircraft operated for Transair by Rhoades Aviation made an emergency landing in the water near Honolulu after reportedly suffering engine trouble. The FAA reports that both crew members have been rescued. ADS-B data is available at https://t.co/lsdJ4WlkHy pic.twitter.com/8D71tEQ3wy

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 2, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

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2021-07-02 15:47:18Z
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Last US and Nato forces leave key Afghanistan base - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-07-02 12:56:45Z
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Statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II torn down in Canada - BBC News

Reuters

A prominent statue of Queen Victoria has been torn down by protesters in Canada as anger grows over the deaths of indigenous children at residential schools.

The protesters cheered as the statue at the legislature in Manitoba's capital Winnipeg was toppled on Thursday.

A smaller statue of UK monarch Queen Elizabeth II was also upended nearby.

Local media say police used a stun gun to arrest at man at the scene but the protest was largely peaceful.

The toppling of the statues came on Canada Day, an annual celebration on 1 July that marks the country's founding by British colonies in 1867.

The recent discoveries of unmarked indigenous Canadian graves at residential schools had prompted calls for national celebrations to be called off.

Reuters

The British government condemned the toppling of the two statues.

"We obviously condemn any defacing of statues of the Queen," a spokesman said.

"Our thoughts," the spokesman added, "are with Canada's indigenous community following these tragic discoveries and we follow these issues closely and continue to engage with the government of Canada with indigenous matters."

• Around 750 graves found at Canada residential school
• Why Canada is mourning the deaths of 215 children
• More churches burn down on Canada indigenous land

More than 150,000 indigenous Canadian children were taken from their families and forced to attend the schools during the 19th and 20th Centuries with the aim of forcibly assimilating them into society.

An estimated 6,000 children died while attending these schools. Students were often housed in poorly built, poorly heated and unsanitary facilities.

Municipalities across Canada cancelled celebrations and statues of figures involved with residential schools have been vandalised or removed.

In Winnipeg, thousands took to the streets to honour victims of residential schools and rally support for indigenous communities.

Reuters

Reuters

A group of protesters had marched on the Manitoba Legislature as part of a demonstration against the deaths of indigenous Canadian children at residential schools.

British monarch from 1837 until her death in 1901, Queen Victoria was on the throne during the founding of the Canadian confederation. The British Crown negotiated treaties with indigenous First Nations in Canada and the government enacted its residential schools policy during her reign.

At the protest in Winnipeg, the statue of Queen Victoria was daubed in red paint while a sign saying "we were children" was left nearby.

Demonstrators toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in Winnipeg this afternoon during rallies honouring the children discovered in unmarked graves on the sites of former residential schools over the past month. pic.twitter.com/Zx0aqPGcOW

— APTN News (@APTNNews) July 2, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

A survivor of a residential school, Belinda Vandenbroeck, told Canadian broadcaster CBC she felt no remorse about the toppling of the statue, which she had had no part in.

"She [Queen Victoria] means nothing to me except that her policies and her colonialism is what is dictating us right to this minute as you and I speak," Ms Vandenbroeck said.

Symbols of empire, colonialism and slavery have been targeted by protesters at demonstrations against racial injustice across the globe in the past year. Those demonstrations exploded worldwide following the death of African-American man George Floyd in May 2020.

• The stories behind the statues targeted in protests

Last year, several prominent statues of Confederate leaders and slave owners were torn down and vandalised in the US, generating heated debate about monuments.

Similar scenes were seen in the UK, where Black Lives Matter demonstrators tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into a harbour during a protest in the city of Bristol.

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2021-07-02 12:22:26Z
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Canada: Queen Victoria statue torn down at protest over indigenous deaths - BBC News

Reuters

A prominent statue of Queen Victoria has been torn down by protesters in Canada as anger grows over the deaths of indigenous children at residential schools.

The protesters cheered as the statue at the legislature in Manitoba's capital Winnipeg was toppled on Thursday.

A smaller statue of UK monarch Queen Elizabeth II was also upended nearby.

Local media said police used a stun gun to arrest at man at the scene but the protest was largely peaceful.

The toppling of the statues came on Canada Day, an annual celebration on 1 July that marks the country's founding by British colonies in 1867.

The recent discoveries of unmarked indigenous Canadian graves at residential schools had prompted calls for national celebrations to be called off.

• Around 750 graves found at Canada residential school
• Why Canada is mourning the deaths of 215 children
• More churches burn down on Canada indigenous land

More than 150,000 indigenous Canadian children were taken from their families and forced to attend the schools during the 19th and 20th Centuries with the aim of forcibly assimilating them into society.

Municipalities across Canada cancelled celebrations and statues of figures involved with residential schools have been vandalised or removed.

In Winnipeg, thousands took to the streets to honour victims of residential schools and rally support for indigenous communities.

Reuters

Reuters

A group of protesters had marched on the Manitoba Legislature as part of a demonstration against the deaths of indigenous Canadian children at residential schools.

But it was not immediately clear why the protesters decided to target the statues of the British queens in the city.

British monarch from 1837 until her death in 1901, Queen Victoria was on the throne during the founding of the Canadian confederation. The British Crown negotiated treaties with indigenous First Nations in Canada and the government enacted its residential schools policy during her reign.

At the protest in Winnipeg, the statue of Queen Victoria was daubed in red paint while a sign saying "we were children" was left nearby.

Demonstrators toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in Winnipeg this afternoon during rallies honouring the children discovered in unmarked graves on the sites of former residential schools over the past month. pic.twitter.com/Zx0aqPGcOW

— APTN News (@APTNNews) July 2, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

A survivor of a residential school, Belinda Vandenbroeck, told Canadian broadcaster CBC she felt no remorse about the toppling of the statue, which she had no part in.

"She [Queen Victoria] means nothing to me except that her policies and her colonialism is what is dictating us right to this minute as you and I speak," Ms Vandenbroeck said.

Symbols of empire, colonialism and slavery have been targeted by protesters at demonstrations against racial injustice across the globe in the past year. Those demonstrations exploded worldwide following the death of African-American man George Floyd in May 2020.

• The stories behind the statues targeted in protests

Last year, several prominent statues of Confederate leaders and slave owners were torn down and vandalised in the US, generating heated debate about monuments.

Similar scenes were seen in the UK, where Black Lives Matter demonstrators tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into a harbour during a protest in the city of Bristol.

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2021-07-02 10:21:06Z
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Bagram: Last US and Nato forces leave key Afghanistan base - BBC News

AFP

Defence officials say the last US and Nato forces have left Afghanistan's Bagram airbase, the centre of the war against militants for some 20 years.

The pull-out could signal that the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is imminent.

President Joe Biden has said US forces will be gone by 11 September.

But the withdrawal from the sprawling base, north of Kabul, comes as the main jihadist group, the Taliban, advances in many parts of Afghanistan.

• Who are the Taliban?
• How can the West fight terror after leaving Afghanistan?
• A year of violence on the road to peace

The 11 September deadline is the anniversary of the attacks on America in 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

The attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda, an international jihadist group then based in Afghanistan with the support of the Taliban, who had been in control of the country since the 1990s. A US-led coalition invaded the Afghanistan later that year to defeat both groups.

America now wants to end its longest war with its huge cost in human lives and vast expense, and is leaving security to the Afghan government.

Some 2,500-3,500 US troops were thought to be still in Afghanistan until recently, and they are due to depart along with some 7,000 other coalition troops, leaving fewer than 1,000 American soldiers in the country.

Meanwhile, a resurgent Taliban, buoyed by the expectation of the foreign withdrawal, has overrun dozens of districts, amid fears that a new civil war could erupt after the departure of foreign forces.

A top target for the Taliban

Bagram is a bellwether of what's to come. This symbol of American military might was once a stronghold of Soviet forces. Now Afghan security forces will soon confront the challenge of securing this sprawling city within a city.

Bagram is vital - in symbolic and strategic ways. Taliban fighters, advancing in districts across the country, have this prize in their sights. Even last October, residents of the town which has swelled all around it told us the Taliban were already in their midst.

On a recent visit to the base, as the US packed up, we heard how Afghan security forces saw it as a mixed blessing. There's a wealth of military assets within its walls; but that treasure is a top target for Taliban, not to mention corrupt commanders and others eying this fortune.

For the countless Afghans whose lives and livelihoods have long banked on this base - and who now feel abandoned - Bagram's new chapter is deeply worrying.

Why is Bagram so important?

The airfield, built up by the Soviets when they occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s, and named after a nearby village, lies around 40km (25 miles) north of Kabul.

The US-led coalition forces moved in during December 2001, and it was developed into a huge base capable of holding up to 10,000 troops.

It is served by two runways, the most recent of which is 3.6km long, where large cargo and bomber aircraft can land.

It has 110 parking spots for aircraft, which are protected by blast walls, and had a 50-bed hospital with a trauma bay, three operating theatres and a modern dental clinic, the Associated Press reports.

Its hangars and buildings included the main prison facility for people detained by US forces at the height of the conflict, which became known as Afghanistan's Guantanamo - after the infamous US military prison in Cuba.

Bagram was one of the sites identified in a US Senate report on the CIA's interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, including the use of torture, carried out in detention facilities.

• Bagram ex-detainees say they still bear the scars

What happens next?

About 650 US troops are expected to remain in the country, the Associated Press reports, to provide protection for diplomats and help guard Kabul's international airport, a vital transport hub for the landlocked country.

They are guarding the airport alongside troops from America's Nato ally Turkey, while a new agreement for its security is negotiated with the Afghan government.

The airport's US protection includes a counter-rocket, artillery, mortar system and the troops to operate it, as well as helicopter support.

Other American troops will guard the US Embassy in Kabul.

• How much has the Afghanistan war cost the US?

Military analysts say the ability of the Afghan government to maintain control over Bagram will be vital to its efforts to defend Kabul and push back the Taliban.

While the Taliban stopped attacks on coalition forces after signing an agreement with the US in February of last year, they have continued fighting government forces.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, welcomed the US withdrawal from Bagram, telling AFP news agency it would "pave the way for Afghans to decide about their future between themselves".

The war is thought to have taken the lives of more than 47,000 Afghan civilians and nearly 70,000 Afghan troops, as well as the lives of 2,442 US soldiers and more than 3,800 US private security contractors, and 1,144 soldiers from other coalition countries.

The Costs of War project at Brown University, which analyses America's wars this century, estimates that the war has cost America a total of $2.26tn (£1.64tn).

Twenty years of conflict in Afghanistan – what happened when?

From 9/11, to intense fighting on the ground, and now full withdrawal of US-led forces, here’s what happened.

9/11

11 September 2001

Al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, carries out the largest terror attack ever conducted on US soil.

Four commercial airliners are hijacked. Two are flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, which collapses. One hits the Pentagon building in Washington, and one crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly three thousand people are killed.

First airstrikes

7 October 2001

A US-led coalition bombs Taliban and al-Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan. Targets include Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad. The Taliban refuse to hand over Osama Bin Laden.  Their air defences and small fleet of fighter aircraft are destroyed.

Fall of Kabul

13 November 2001

The Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban rebels backed by coalition forces, enters Kabul as the Taliban flee the city.

By the 13 November 2001, all Taliban have either fled or been neutralised. Other cities quickly fall.

New constitution

26 January 2004

After protracted negotiations at a ‘loya jirga’ or grand assembly, the new Afghan constitution is signed into law.  The constitution paves the way for presidential elections in October 2004.

Hamid Karzai becomes president

7 December 2004

Hamid Karzai, the leader of the Popalzai Durrani tribe, becomes the first president under the new constitution. He serves two five year terms as president.

UK troops deployed to Helmand

May 2006

British troops arrive in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold in the south of the country.

Their initial mission is to support reconstruction projects, but they are quickly drawn into combat operations. More than 450 British troops lose their lives in Afghanistan over the course of the conflict.

Obama’s surge

17 February 2009

US president Barack Obama approves a major increase in the number of troops sent to Afghanistan. At their peak, they number about 140,000.

The so-called ‘surge’ is modelled on US strategy in Iraq where US forces focussed on protecting the civilian population as well as killing insurgent fighters.

Osama Bin Laden killed

2 May 2011

The leader of al-Qaeda is killed in an assault by US Navy Seals on a compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan. Bin Laden’s body is removed and buried at sea. The operation ends a ten year hunt led by the CIA.  The confirmation that Bin Laden had been living on Pakistani soil fuels accusations in the US that Pakistan is an unreliable ally in the war on terror.

Death of Mullah Omar

23 April 2013

The founder of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, dies. His death is kept secret for more than two years.

According to Afghan intelligence, Mullah Omar dies of health problems at a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Pakistan denies that he was in the country.

Nato ends combat operations

28 December 2014

At a ceremony in Kabul, Nato ends its combat operations in Afghanistan. With the surge now over, the US withdraws thousands of troops.  Most of those who remain focus on training and supporting the Afghan security forces.

Taliban resurgence

2015

The Taliban launch a series of suicide attacks, car bombings and other assaults. The parliament building in Kabul, and the city of Kunduz are attacked. Islamic State militants begin operations in Afghanistan.

Death toll announcement

25 January 2019

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says more than 45,000 members of his country’s security forces have been killed since he became leader in 2014. The figure is far higher than previously thought.

US signs deal with Taliban

29 February 2020

The US and the Taliban sign an “agreement for bringing peace” to Afghanistan, in Doha, Qatar. The US and Nato allies agree to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal.

Date for final withdrawal

11 September 2021

US forces are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021, exactly 20 years since 9-11. There are strong indications that the withdrawal may be complete before the official deadline.

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2021-07-02 08:23:31Z
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Covid: Australia to halve arrivals and trial home quarantine - BBC News

Getty Images

Australia will halve the number of international arrivals it accepts after Covid outbreaks put half the population in lockdown this week.

The country's strict border rules have only allowed Australians and people with exemptions to enter.

From 14 July, Australia will accept just over 3,000 people a week - a measure likely to last until next year.

The announcement has sparked dismay among Australians who are overseas and separated from their families.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the measure would reduce pressure on the country's quarantine system.

Virus leaks from hotel quarantine - which is mandatory for all arrivals - have been the source of numerous outbreaks across the country.

Australia is maintaining a Covid-elimination strategy until it can get the majority of its population vaccinated next year. Just 8% have been vaccinated so far.

"Simply reducing the [travel] caps doesn't necessarily provide a fail safe but because of the particular virulence of the Delta strain, it is believed that is a prudent action while we remain in this suppression phase of the virus," Mr Morrison said.

• How Delta burst Australia's Covid bubble
• The battle to open up 'Fortress Australia'

His government has faced criticism for its border policies over the past year, which have extended family separations and made it difficult for many Australians to return.

In April, the government also temporarily blocked its citizens in India from returning during the height of a deadly wave in the South Asian nation.

About 37,000 Australians remain stranded overseas. On Friday, many online expressed their anger and disappointment over their return trips being cancelled.

"This is utterly heartbreaking and unspeakably stressful," one woman wrote on a Facebook group for stranded Australians.

To mitigate some of the cuts, Mr Morrison said the number of repatriation flights for Australians wanting to fly home would be increased.

Australia will also begin trialling home quarantine arrangements for vaccinated travellers.

Mr Morrison said arrival limits would not be lifted again until most Australians get vaccinated - a goal that will not be achieved until next year due to the country's limited supply of jabs.

What's led to this decision?

The new rules aim to reduce the risk of Covid escaping travellers in quarantine and spreading into the wider community.

It come after outbreaks of the highly infectious Delta variant plunged seven cities - including Sydney, Brisbane and Perth - into lockdowns over the past week.

The virus' detection in six states and territories marked the most widespread transmission of the virus in Australia this year.

The country has recorded about 250 cases, with most tied to a cluster in Sydney, its largest city.

The outbreak there stemmed from an unvaccinated driver who transported international arrivals, and the virus then spread in the community.

The New South Wales (NSW) state government put Sydney and surrounding regions in a two-week lockdown until 9 July to contain it.

"We have seen breaches occur, predominantly as a result of infection control procedures and human error... those issues need to continue to be strengthened," Mr Morrison said.

But NSW - which has taken in over half of the arrivals in the past year - said outbreaks weren't linked to the volume of people in the system.

"Please don't assume that outbreaks aren't going to happen just because the numbers have been reduced," said Premier Gladys Berejiklian. "My heart goes out to thousands of Australians who have to wait longer to come home."

Read more on Australia's strict borders:

• Why can't Australians get back into their country?
• Celebrity rush exposes Australian 'double standard'
• Family heartbreak over 'inhumane' border ban

Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria states all lobbied for a reduction in arrivals following the outbreaks this week.

Morrison announces Covid exit plan

The Delta outbreaks prompted emergency talks between the prime minister and state and territory governments.

On Friday, following a meeting of all government leaders, Mr Morrison announced a new timeline for Australians on "the pathway out of Covid" which included the international arrival cuts.

He said while the country had focused on the suppression of the virus, it would ultimately move to manage Covid "as an infectious disease like any other in our community".

However, he said Australia in the short term remains in the first phase of suppressing Covid spread. A shift to later stages - including a move away from lockdowns - would only occur when most Australians had been vaccinated.

• What's gone wrong with Australia's vaccine rollout?

Mr Morrison declined to specify a target level or timeframe, but reiterated that all Australians would be able to receive their first dose by the end of the year.

His government has been strongly criticised for a slow vaccine programme.

Australia is relying on the AstraZeneca and the Pfizer vaccines to immunise its population.

Delays in the rollout have largely been attributed to widespread hesitancy over the AstraZeneca shot, and a lack of Pfizer supplies.

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2021-07-02 06:54:48Z
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