While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 12, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A firefighter standing next to the crashed Air India jet, in Ahmedabad, India, on June 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
India finds engine switch movement in Air India crash
A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in June showed three seconds after taking off, the plane’s engines’ fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on July 12 by Indian aviation accident investigators.
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.
At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash.
Trump shock at devastating scale of Texas flood damage
PHOTO: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump spoke on July 11 of seeing devastation like he’d never before experienced as he toured parts of Texas hit by flash floods that have left at least 120 people dead, including dozens of children.
The Republican leader and First Lady Melania Trump were in the Hill Country of central Texas to meet first responders, victims’ families and local officials, a week after a rain-swollen river swept away houses, camp cabins, cars and people.
“This is a tough one. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mr Trump said, at a roundtable meeting in Kerrville, in the worst-affected Kerr County. “I’ve gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a bad one.”
US resumes military aid supply to Ukraine, says Zelensky
PHOTO: AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US resumed shipping military aid to Ukraine, which was unexpectedly put on halt last week.
“According to all reports, the supply has been renewed,” Mr Zelensky said late on July 11 in his daily video address to the nation. “We will continue to work with the American side at the military level, in particular our military with General Keith Kellogg.”
Gen Kellogg is a retired general and the US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
‘Ravaged by mosquitoes’: Backpacker found alive
PHOTOS: AFP
Lost German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found alive but “ravaged by mosquitoes” on July 11, 12 days after going missing in remote bushland in Western Australia.
A member of the public found the 26-year-old on a bush track at the edge of a nature reserve, and she has been taken to hospital in Perth for treatment, police said.
“She’s been ravaged by mosquitoes. She’s obviously been through an amazing journey, a trauma, and no doubt will be a testimony demonstrating her bravery in the circumstances out there,” WA police inspector Martin Glynn told reporters.
Ousted Djokovic admits age is catching up with him
PHOTO: REUTERS
Novak Djokovic said the reality of his age was hitting him “like never before” after he was crushed by world number one Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals on July 11.
The Serbian seven-time champion was demolished 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court and will be missing from the final at the All England Club for the first time since 2017.
The 38-year-old was aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown, which would have pulled him level with Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s titles.
