WORLD IN BRIEF: JLR to cut 4,000 jobs, Trump threatens Bombardier ban, Kenya grants East African migrants amnesty and other stories

Flight recorders recovered from Amazon cargo plane crash in Miami

Investigators have recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from a Boeing 767 cargo plane that crashed at Miami International Airport, as rescuers continue efforts to recover victims from what investigators described as a devastating crash scene.

Five people were killed and five others seriously injured after the 21 Air operated aircraft overshot a runway shortly before 2pm local time on Sunday while arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The aircraft struck navigational equipment and other airport infrastructure before crashing through a perimeter fence and hitting two vehicles. One was a white Ford van carrying seven people and operated by a contract cleaning company, while the second was a Toyota Corolla carrying three passengers.

Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said investigators were still in the fact finding stage and could not determine what caused the crash.

She said the aircraft had two crew members aboard and was making its third flight of the day.

The plane eventually came to rest about 1,300 feet, or 394 metres, beyond the runway, scattering aircraft debris, vehicle parts and sections of airport fencing across the area.

Homendy described the scene as “devastating”, saying the recovery of victims remained the immediate priority while investigators would preserve and examine evidence afterwards.

“The investigation and access to the aircraft, as well as evidence, can wait,” she said.

The recovered flight recorders are being transported to NTSB headquarters for analysis, which investigators hope will provide information on the aircraft’s performance and the crew’s actions before the crash.

Homendy cautioned against drawing conclusions about the cause of the accident, saying investigators were still gathering evidence at the crash site.

Israeli strikes kill 12 in southern Lebanon as ceasefire comes under pressure

At least 12 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon, including two children, four women and a paramedic, in an escalation that Lebanese authorities say is threatening a US brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Eleven people were killed overnight when an Israeli strike destroyed a residential building in Kfar Roummane, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. A second strike on a vehicle killed a paramedic.

The Israeli military said it targeted infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah and what it described as several militants transferring weapons.

Israel said the strikes were carried out in response to a drone attack on its troops in an occupied area of Lebanon.

At least 27 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon over the past three days, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s president, warned that the escalation was placing the ceasefire agreed in June at risk and called on the international community to pressure Israel to halt the attacks.

The ceasefire was intended to end the latest phase of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have intensified in recent days.

The renewed violence has raised concerns that continued military operations could trigger a wider confrontation and undermine efforts to stabilise the border region.

Nepal mourns 1,287 flood victims as rescuers search for more than 5,000 missing

Nepal has observed a national day of mourning for at least 1,287 people killed by a devastating flash flood, as rescue teams continue searching for more than 5,000 people still missing nearly two weeks after the disaster.

Flags were flown at half mast across the country on Monday, while planned commemorations were scaled back because search and rescue operations remain under way in the affected Himalayan region.

The flood, believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse, swept through villages in a Himalayan valley along the Nepal Tibet border, causing widespread destruction.

Phanindra Paudel of Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre said no government programmes would be organised during the mourning period because rescue and search operations were continuing.

Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel toured areas devastated by the disaster on Monday, according to an aide.

The Home Ministry ordered government offices and Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad to fly the national flag at half mast.

Rescue operations are being conducted on the ground, by air and inside tunnels connected to hydropower facilities, where hundreds of workers are among those still missing.

Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said rescuers were maintaining the same intensity of operations as they had from the first day of the disaster.

Officials said the tunnels remain among the few places where there is still hope of finding survivors.

The scale of the disaster has made it one of Nepal’s most serious recent natural catastrophes, with authorities facing the twin challenge of recovering bodies and locating thousands of people whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Jaguar Land Rover to cut 4,000 jobs as tariffs and China competition squeeze carmaker

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plans to cut about 4,000 jobs over the next two years as the British carmaker faces mounting pressure from Chinese competitors, US tariffs and the costly transition to electric vehicles.

The redundancies will mainly affect its UK head office and form part of a wider plan to save £1.7 billion over the period.

JLR employs about 43,000 people globally and has been dealing with several pressures across its major markets.

The company was also hit by a cyber attack last year that forced it to suspend production for more than a month, worsening its financial and operational difficulties.

PB Balaji, JLR’s chief executive, said the company would seek to manage the redundancy process with “care, fairness and respect”.

The company has opened a voluntary redundancy programme, with employees able to apply until October 4. JLR said compulsory redundancies could follow if it does not achieve the required reduction through voluntary departures.

The company said the automotive industry was facing significant challenges from technological change, intense competition and geopolitical uncertainty.

JLR’s difficulties reflect wider pressure on established European carmakers as cheaper Chinese electric vehicles gain ground while manufacturers invest heavily in new electric models.

David Bailey, a professor of business and economics at Birmingham University, described JLR as strategically important to the UK economy, highlighting the wider significance of the job cuts for Britain’s industrial base.

Trump threatens to block Bombardier jets from US market unless Canada builds there

Donald Trump, US President has threatened to prevent Canadian private jet maker Bombardier from selling aircraft in the United States unless the company begins manufacturing in the country, escalating a trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Bombardier would no longer be allowed to sell its products in the US, arguing that the company should manufacture locally if it wants access to the American market.

“If they want our Market, they must build here,” Trump said.

The threat comes as Canada prepares to introduce a new wave of retaliatory tariffs against US goods, deepening tensions between the two North American trading partners.

Trump has pursued a broad tariff strategy during his second term, imposing or threatening duties on a range of foreign products as part of an effort to encourage companies to manufacture in the United States.

Bombardier’s aircraft are approved for sale in the US by the Federal Aviation Administration, raising questions about how the administration would implement a ban on deliveries.

The White House did not immediately explain what legal or regulatory steps would be taken to restrict Bombardier aircraft entering the American market.

The dispute adds another layer of uncertainty for Bombardier and other Canadian manufacturers that rely heavily on the US market.

AFRICA

Kenya grants temporary amnesty to undocumented East Africans amid trader crackdown fears

Kenya has offered temporary legal protection to undocumented East African nationals after hundreds of Burundians sought help from their embassy in Nairobi, fearing a government crackdown on foreign traders.

President William Ruto last week ordered authorities to close down small scale businesses operated by foreign traders, following protests by Kenyan traders over tax reforms.

The order, according to Kenya’s Trade Ministry, applies to foreigners operating without valid work permits and has triggered concern among migrant communities, particularly Burundians working in small businesses.

Hundreds of Burundians gathered outside their embassy in Nairobi on Monday seeking travel documents, with some saying they had faced threats from neighbours following Ruto’s comments.

There were no immediate signs of a widespread crackdown in Nairobi.

A spokesperson for Ruto’s administration later said Kenya had “absolute zero tolerance” for harassment, intimidation and xenophobia.

The government urged undocumented East African nationals, particularly Burundians, to register formally with their embassies.

It said those undergoing registration during the designated period would be presumed legally present in Kenya, allowing them to access health, banking and legal services without fear of arrest.

The temporary amnesty is intended to give undocumented migrants an opportunity to regularise their status while Kenya works with regional governments to address concerns over foreign participation in small scale commerce.

US imports record Congo copper as buyers embrace African supply

US buyers are increasingly turning to copper from the Democratic Republic of Congo, pushing imports from the African producer to record levels as industrial users take advantage of discounts compared with copper brands approved for trading on the US COMEX exchange.

US imports of Congolese copper cathodes reached a record 53,290 metric tonnes in July, according to US trade data.

The figure gave the DRC a 23.9 percent share of total US copper imports, which exceeded 220,000 tonnes for the first time as traders accelerated shipments ahead of the possibility of new tariffs.

The increase marks a significant shift in the US copper market.

American buyers imported less than 32,000 tonnes of copper from the DRC during the whole of 2024, highlighting the sharp increase in demand for the African producer’s metal.

The growth has been supported by higher copper production in the DRC, giving the country more metal available for export.

For US industrial consumers, the growing availability of Congolese copper and its price advantage are making the material increasingly attractive.

The development also strengthens the DRC’s position in global copper markets at a time when demand for the metal is rising because of electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, power grids and data centres.

Angola approves sale of 34% Standard Bank stake seized from tycoon

Angola has approved the public sale of a 34 percent stake in Standard Bank de Angola that was seized from businessman Carlos São Vicente, paving the way for the bank’s stock market debut.

The Capital Market Commission approved the sale of 4.76 million shares, representing 34 percent of the bank’s share capital.

The government acquired the stake after it was seized from São Vicente, a former insurance tycoon who was convicted in Angola in a major corruption case.

The public offering is scheduled to run from September 11 to 25, with trading on Angola’s BODIVA stock exchange expected to begin on September 30.

Standard Bank Group owns the remaining 51 percent of the Angolan bank and has the right to acquire another 24 percent stake.

Under the offer structure, 24 percent of the shares being sold will be reserved for Standard Bank Group, while 10 percent will be offered to the public.

The shares are being offered at between 41,220 kwanza ($45.16) and 50,000 kwanza per share.

The transaction represents a significant development for Angola’s capital market, giving investors an opportunity to acquire shares in one of the country’s major commercial banks while allowing the state to dispose of assets seized through legal proceedings.

New Ebola case detected in rebel held eastern Congo after outbreak declared over

A new Ebola case has been detected in an area controlled by the AFC/M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, just weeks after the territory was declared free of the disease.

The case was identified in the Kayna health zone in North Kivu province, near Lubero, according to the Rwanda backed rebel group.

The patient is a 21 year old man who reportedly arrived from Butembo, a city under government control. Authorities have not established where he contracted the virus.

The man was identified as a suspected Ebola case at a health checkpoint on Wednesday before being transferred to a quarantine facility, where laboratory tests confirmed the infection the following day.

Health authorities have begun tracing people who may have come into contact with the patient and have increased surveillance to limit the risk of further transmission.

AFC/M23 declared the areas under its control Ebola free in late June after recording 21 days without a new case.

The emergence of a new case raises concerns about the difficulty of containing Ebola in a region divided by armed conflict, where access to healthcare facilities and coordination between rival authorities remain difficult.

The DRC has experienced repeated Ebola outbreaks, making rapid detection, contact tracing and isolation critical to preventing a wider spread.

Cape Verde bus crash kills at least 25 on Fogo Island

At least 25 people, many of them schoolchildren and teenagers, have died after a bus plunged into a ravine on the island of Fogo in Cape Verde.

The bus veered off a mountain road in northern Fogo late Saturday before falling about 30 metres into a steep ravine, according to Cape Verde’s national news agency Inforpress.

Many of the passengers were primary and secondary school students.

Several injured passengers were taken to São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital on the island for treatment.

Education officials said the trip was not organised by local schools but was an annual outing privately arranged by the driver, who was among those killed in the crash.

The accident has raised concerns about road safety on Fogo, a mountainous island where steep roads and difficult terrain can increase the risks associated with road travel.

Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the crash and whether road conditions, vehicle safety or driver factors contributed to the tragedy.

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