tv BBC News Now BBC News May 21, 2024 2:00pm-2:31pm BST
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cut detainees from gaza. one says it amounts to torture. the provisional england squad for your 2a has been announced. manchester united's marcus rashford has been left out —— euro 202a. hello, i'm annita mcveigh, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. one passenger has been killed and more than 30 others injured on a singapore airlines flight from london to singapore hit by severe turbulence. the singapore—bound plane was diverted to bangkok and landed at 3:45 local time. the aircraft was carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew. the airline said in a statement... maura fogarty, the senior news editor of our singapore bureau,
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updated us on the latest news on the incident. we are still waiting to get as many details as we can as this situation unfolds in bangkok. and i just want to announce that my colleague jonathan head is there. he's just arrived at the airport and is gathering as i speak here. what we do know so far is that one death has been confirmed due to the turbulence, that flight 50321 faced from london heathrow airport on its way to singapore, as you mentioned, diverted to land in in bangkok. we also know that the airport authority of thailand is holding a press conference in about 30 minutes�* time. so we'll be getting more details there. you can see those pictures showing emergency services arriving at the airport to provide as much support as possible. we also know so far that some of the passengers who have not been injured have been kept airside. the understanding is that they may be put on flights later on today, either to continue their onward
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journey to singapore or to perhaps return back home to the uk. and of course, passengers who have been injured are receiving medical attention in bangkok. and have you heard anything about this episode of turbulence and whether it was incredibly sudden or whether there was any warning at all? well, you know, i've actually flown that flight or that leg before many times from heathrow to singapore. and i can tell you that for most of the journey, it's pretty relatively calm. there are moments of turbulence, and i expect that if they had to land in bangkok, the turbulence probably occurred around about the bay of bengal, where i personally have experienced turbulence before flying to and from london. we don't have the exact details of what happened on the flight. there are reports flying around. but, you know, i don't want to give you any information that is unconfirmed at this point. but i will say the turbulence must have been quite severe to cause the amount of injury that it has caused and to and to cause the flight to actually have to divert immediately
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to the nearest airport. maura fogarty talking to me a little earlier, waiting to bring you more updates on the situation they're in bangkok and earlier, i asked airline analystjohn strickland his early thoughts on what might have happened. thoughts on what might have happened-— thoughts on what might have hauened. , , ., . ., ., happened. this is tragic to hear there has been _ happened. this is tragic to hear there has been a _ happened. this is tragic to hear there has been a lot _ happened. this is tragic to hear there has been a lot of - happened. this is tragic to hear there has been a lot of life - happened. this is tragic to hear there has been a lot of life on l happened. this is tragic to hear i there has been a lot of life on this flight. it would seem the turbulence encountered came rather rapidly, we don't have many details but the crew tried to be prepared, certainly when the pilots get meaty logical reports about whether en route, if there is no turbulence, particularly if it is expected to be severe, aircraft will plan routes around it. so, too, during the course of the flight, whether radar is used but that counter was predict, other aircraft
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ahead may notify but if you are the first aircraft, there is no pre—warning. the difficulty is the speed all this happens, the fact it disturbs stable flights are rapidly when an aircraft potentially loses severe altitude as this one did. unless the seat belt signs are already on because of anticipated turbulence for a period of time, there is that risk, particularly on a long haulflight, of people moving around the cabin, not least to use the washrooms but of course the recommendation is always to have the seat belt loosely fastened throughout the flight, as you mentioned.— throughout the flight, as you mentioned. ., , , throughout the flight, as you mentioned. ., , ., mentioned. and of course people do have to move _ mentioned. and of course people do have to move around, _ mentioned. and of course people do have to move around, the _ mentioned. and of course people do have to move around, the crew- mentioned. and of course people do have to move around, the crew hasl mentioned. and of course people do l have to move around, the crew has to move around, people have to get up to go to the washrooms, as you say, to go to the washrooms, as you say, to stretch their legs, whatever. how can airlines respond to something like this if something is going to happen so suddenly that there are no ways of mitigating it? there happen so suddenly that there are no ways of mitigating it?— ways of mitigating it? there is no erfect ways of mitigating it? there is no perfect way _ ways of mitigating it? there is no perfect way to — ways of mitigating it? there is no perfect way to respond. - ways of mitigating it? there is no perfect way to respond. really, l perfect way to respond. really, having the seat belt belt signs on for a period of time is really the
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only safe measure that can be employed but as you said, the freedom to visit the washing, cabin crew serving meals and so on, passengers getting baggage, personal items out of lockers and so on or even stretching their legs on a long haul flight can't be really legislated for perfectly. we just need to ensure, as the industry does, that it uses the maximum amount of information available at the time so that first of all turbulence can be avoided where possible and that crews wrecked quickly but as i mentioned, it can be such a quick encounter, i remember being on a flight myself from sao paulo to london. we had some pretty bad tablets, it really was very quick, the flight deck crew, the pilots had to react quickly to keep that aircraft stable, around the captain in that case said to cabin crew, take your seats immediately, to the cabin crew. no messing about. find
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seats immediately, to the cabin crew. no messing about.- seats immediately, to the cabin crew. no messing about. and i think we can just — crew. no messing about. and i think we can just show _ crew. no messing about. and i think we can just show you _ crew. no messing about. and i think we can just show you some - crew. no messing about. and i think we can just show you some pictures| we can just show you some pictures from bangkok airport where that news conference has literallyjust finished. a few details emerging from that saying that the singapore airlines flight that made that emergency landing in bangkok had fallen into an air pocket in thai airspace before it encountered turbulence. one man killed and seven people critically injured on board, thatis people critically injured on board, that is the message delivered by the general manager of the airport there in bangkok. so, one man killed, seven people critically injured on board. we were told that around 30 people in total had been injured as a result of that turbulence. the general manager of the airport also saying that the man who died was a 73—year—old british man. he says are likely due to a heart attack, that is not something we can confirm or verify at this stage while head
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injuries were sustained among seven people critically injured and that is certainly something the guests, the ellen experts we spoke to in the last couple of hours, had suggested was likely as a result of the turbulence that head injuries were likely outcome of that. —— airline experts. seven people were critically injured as a result of this, sustaining head injuries. one crew member has been hospitalised. those are some of the latest details emerging from that news conference, these are the latest pictures we have from the field hospital that has been set up on the tarmac at bangkok airport. a large number of ambulances and medical staff on the scene to deal with the passengers, 211 passengers, 18 crew were on board that aircraft, one man sadly dying as a result of this incidence of turbulence so many, many
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emergency personnel on the scene to help look after the passengers, take them to hospital if needed or treat them to hospital if needed or treat them on—site. the uk government has outlined plans for a compensation scheme for victims of the nhs contaminated blood scandal. it comes after a report released on monday outlined how there were years of deceptions and cover—ups by doctors and successive governments preventing people who are infected and their families from knowing what had happened. more than 30,000 people were infected with diseases like hiv and hepatitis c between the 19705 and early 19905. 3000 have already died. rishi sunak said the episode brought shame upon the british state. it was our health correspondent dominic hughes. very good of you to join us.
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i know you had a big day yesterday. thank you for having us. it has been a significant 2a hours for those lives who have been touched by the infected blood scandal. the publication of sir brian langstaff�*s report was surrounded by high emotion. now the focus moves to what real action the government will take, particularly the compensation deal and what it signifiesffor those like jade, whose dad paul was one of those infected. i think for me it symbolises the acknowledgement and recognition, of course, and the justice, and also the opportunities lost, that everyone has lost throughout their lives, the infected and the affected, and it also represents the lives that were lost, first and foremost, and the wrongs that were done. as a sibling who has lost a sibling, there are parts of my life - i will never have that _ i was expecting to have in terms of being able to recall those memories of childhood that| only your sibling can do. and i don't think money can replace that. - but it certainly helps to feel that it's recognised - as an impact to all the people
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that were affected. _ there have been some limited financial for support schemes for those caught up in the infected blood scandal. so far, 4000 survivors and bereaved relatives have already been paid an interim amount of £100,000. but a final compensation scheme for all those affected, including family members, has not yet been agreed. it is thought the final cost could total £10 billion, maybe more. it's notjust the harm caused by the infections that requires compensation, it's also the wrongs suffered by those affected, that must also be compensated for. so when a person with an eligible infection has been accepted onto the scheme, their affected loved ones will be able to apply for compensation in their own right. for those like robert, infected in the 19705, there is an urgency to compensation. as an affected person,
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your life is continuing. but when you are dying, you feel slightly differently about what compensation means. a lump sum payment, a monthly payment to somebody who, ridiculously, is going to die in four months' time, what do i care about next year's payments? i want a lump sum now and i want to be able to go and have a good time. compensation is very different for an infected person. lizzie lost her mum. she was told she had hepatitis c, there was no support. _ it had a huge impact, both financial and emotional. so many people were infected i and affected, and their lives have been turned upside down through no fault of their own. _ people have lost houses, i people have lost marriages. i lost myjob at the time i because i was so distraught at the death of my mum. i had to borrow money to pay for her funeral flowers. - but it's notjust about me - personally, it's about all of us. we have all suffered. for the infected and the affected,
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these days are the culmination of years of campaigning. but they are determined to hold the government to account. dominic hughes, bbc news. i want to recap you the lines we are hearing from bangkok from the airport where the general manager hasjust ended a airport where the general manager has just ended a news conference about the severe turbulence that a plane travelling from london to singapore was involved in forcing an emergency landing at bangkok airport, one person dead, 30 injured, seven of them critically. let me just tell you a little bit more detail about what he was saying. the boeing 777 had fallen into an air pocket in thai airspace before it encountered this severe turbulence. one man killed, seven people critically injured, the general manager saying that the man who has died is a 73—year—old
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british man likely due to a heart attack, he says, although we don't have confirmation of that detail. while the seven people who were critically injured sustained head injuries, one crew member hospitalised. lots of people, as you can see from these latest pictures, treated in this field hospital on the tarmac. a huge emergency response to deal with the 211 people on board and 18 crew members. now, we havejust heard in on board and 18 crew members. now, we have just heard in the last few minutes from andrew davies who was on that plane, he has been speaking to bbc radio 5 live and this is what he told them. i’m to bbc radio 5 live and this is what he told them-— to bbc radio 5 live and this is what he told them. i'm a regular business traveller, he told them. i'm a regular business traveller. i'm _ he told them. i'm a regular business traveller, i'm used _ he told them. i'm a regular business traveller, i'm used to _ he told them. i'm a regular business traveller, i'm used to planes. - he told them. i'm a regular business traveller, i'm used to planes. it - traveller, i'm used to planes. it was fairly smooth, no issues, just enjoying a film. as i recall, the seat belt sign came on and as soon
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as i saw it, i put my seat belt on and at that very moment the plane just suddenly dropped. the thing i remember the most isjust just suddenly dropped. the thing i remember the most is just seeing things flying through the air and i was covered in coffee from the gentleman next to me. it was incredibly severe turbulence, as i say, i travel an awful lot but haven't experienced anything close to this. after it finished, i can't say how long it lasted, i'm guessing two or three seconds, it was only when i looked behind me that i realised the severity, some of the oxygen masks had come down, there was a poor elderly lady with an awful gash on her head, covered in blood and there was a gentleman... during the few seconds of the plane
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dropping, there was awful screaming, what sounded like a third, i guess it was just belongings and bikes hitting the roof. coffee splattering my shoes. once it settled, it was a little bit surreal. i got up because i was able to and i should say are not injured, i had my seat belt on and thank goodness i did, if i didn't i'm not sure what would have happened. i wasn't injured so i got up happened. i wasn't injured so i got up and helped, got some water, there was a lady screaming in agony with a bad back. someone turned to me, again, covered in blood, lying on the floor. not too sure what
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happened to that person, a lot of injured people...— happened to that person, a lot of injured people... andrew davies who was on that — injured people... andrew davies who was on that flight _ injured people... andrew davies who was on that flight when _ injured people... andrew davies who was on that flight when it _ was on that flight when it encountered the severe turbulence. interesting to hear, well, many interesting things but he did say the seat belt science went on, he put his seat belt on and then almost immediately, they felt this turbulence which does fit with what some airline experts were telling us here at bbc news earlier that while it is highly unusual for there to be no warning of turbulence, it does sometimes happen and i have an update on the injuries for you. the authorities are saying a british man likely died of a heart attack, we are told it is a 73—year—old british man who has died. seven people in a critical condition following that turbulence, 23 others injured, nine crew members sent to hospital with minor injuries. that is the latest we have on that incident on the
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the bank of england has scope to cut interest rates up to three times this year, according to the international monetary fund, its comment came as it upgraded the uk's growth forecast for 2024 saying the economy is approaching a soft landing after last year's mild recession. however, it advised against any further tax cuts as it warned of a potential £30 billion hole in the public finances. with me is our economics editor, faisal islam. give us your overview festival of what the imf has said today? it does it with all of — what the imf has said today? it does it with all of its — what the imf has said today? it does it with all of its members _ what the imf has said today? it does it with all of its members every - it with all of its members every year, an article four consultation, a deep type on that specific economy
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on how both tax and spend and monetary interest rate policy, long—term economic policies, where they should take them. for the uk, obviously we have had that mild recession that ended last year and for the growing figures that we saw just at the end of last week, growth was surprisingly good, 0.6%, surprisingly on the upside. as a result of that, the imf says actually the uk is on course for a soft landing from two or three years of turbulence because of global crises we have seen that have affected and ramped up inflation rates, it has upgraded its estimate of how much the uk will grow this year a touch from 0.5% to 0.7% but on the other side of things, it says hang on a minute, it doesn't believe the government's assumption is that it is going to squeeze on public services and therefore, it projects the uk debt will be higher than is predicted and says tough decisions on tax rises or spending squeeze
quote
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will be required and certainly they don't advise tax cuts which is what you tend to get ahead of a general election. ., . ., election. indeed, in an election ear, election. indeed, in an election year. most _ election. indeed, in an election year, most probably. _ election. indeed, in an election year, most probably. and - election. indeed, in an election year, most probably. and lotsl election. indeed, in an election. year, most probably. and lots of people of course will be listening to the line, the bank of england has scope to cut interest rates up to three times this year, that line in particular. i wonder, three times this year, that line in particular. iwonder, will the three times this year, that line in particular. i wonder, will the bank of england agree? it particular. i wonder, will the bank of england agree?— of england agree? it isn't 'ust three times i of england agree? it isn't 'ust three times this i of england agree? it isn't 'ust three times this year, it h of england agree? it isn'tjust three times this year, it is - of england agree? it isn'tjust three times this year, it is a l three times this year, it is a further four times next year so three times this year, it is a furtherfour times next year so by the end of 2025, with interest rates in the uk at five .25 now, they are recommending interest rates should be 3.5%. a very different situation underlines the idea of there being a turning point in the uk economy and that the inflation crisis somewhat behoves us —— behind us. the bank of england makes its decisions month by month, they are a bit worried inflation is proving sticky, similar situation as in america. they will take this one by one butjust to give an idea of where things might head and perhaps more cuts than many
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people expect. head and perhaps more cuts than many peeple exam-— people expect. faisal, thank you very much. _ people expect. faisal, thank you very much. our— people expect. faisal, thank you very much, our economics - people expect. faisal, thank you | very much, our economics editor. let's return to that news about the plane travelling from london to singapore having to divert to bangkok after encountering severe turbulence. we are hearing a bit more detail now about what happened on board in those terrifying moments as we heard from a man who was on the plane a few minutes ago, we will try and bring you that clip from the passenger again but we now know a 73—year—old british man has died as a result of that turbulence. he was travelling with his wife, we understand, she has been admitted to hospital in bangkok, her condition isn't known. we are now showing you some pictures that were taken inside the aircraft in the moments after this severe turbulence. we understand the plane had dropped into an air pocket in thai airspace
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and then that was when the passengers really felt this episode of turbulence. we heard from a passenger who was interviewed by bbc radio 5 live that the seat belt science had come on, he had just put his seat belt on when the turbulence started, you can see oxygen masks in the back of that picture, some sort of damage to the lockers above the seats there, you have oxygen masks again have fallen down. a big emergency response on the tarmac at the field hospital to look after the passengers and crew. the general manager of bangkok airport has told a news conference that people were putting on their seat belts as the turbulence hit and this fits with what we heard from former pilots and airline experts earlier today who said it is possible that a plane can
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encounter turbulence without any warning. often turbulence is picked up warning. often turbulence is picked up but sometimes it happened is that it isn't picked up and people were just putting on their seat belts or perhaps hadn't managed to, clearly in some instances, when the turbulence struck. now, the plane was a boeing 777, boeing has issued a statement saying it is in contact with singapore airlines regarding this flight sq321 with singapore airlines regarding this flight 50321 and stand ready to support singapore airlines. just taking you through these images from inside the aircraft again. they reveal some of what was clearly an absolutely terrifying experience for the passengers, plunging into the air pocket and then dealing with this period of severe turbulence before, as we heard from a passenger in a short time ago, everything
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calmed at least in terms of the movement of the plane but clearly what was left inside were some incredibly dazed, horrified and badly injured people. so, we know that a 73—year—old british man has died, his wife has been taken to hospital, we don't know her condition at the moment. we also know that 23 passengers have been injured in addition, around nine crew taken to hospital with minor injuries, i'm getting updates on this all the time. based on the severity of injuries, a number with slight injuries and some passengers waiting to travel on to the destination that they were hoping to
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arrive at but seven people critically hurt, we understand this relates to head injuries sustained during the turbulence. we will bring you all the developments on this story throughout the rest of the day. you can also look on the bbc news website for updates there as well. do stay with us here on bbc news. hello. rain clouds are looming and we are in for a wet day tomorrow. as far as today's concerned, showers and thunderstorms are possible across some parts of the country, but for many of us, it's actually going to be a relatively dry day, be it on the cloudy side. certainly more cloud around today compared to yesterday. now, this is the forecast for the second half of the afternoon. some rain there across east anglia in the south—east where you see the lightning bolts. that's where the thunderstorms are more likely to develop. is there any sunshine today?
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yes, there is, across the western isles and the north of scotland and it feels warmest here too. now through this evening and overnight, the rain's going to come become more extensive across central and eastern areas of the uk. the winds will freshen too and by the morning really quite soggy across this part of the world, but not everywhere — dry across the bulk of scotland, northern ireland and some of these western areas as well — mild around 12 or 13. now, this low will hang around through wednesday, thursday and into friday, and it will deliver a substantial amount of rainfall, particularly to more northern parts of the country. so here it is, a thoroughly wet gray day across many parts of england wales. eventually the rain will reach southern scotland too, and later in the day should just about nudge into northern ireland. now, the south coast will probably have some sunny spells, but showers are possible too and even downpours much cooler tomorrow. and also a noticeable wind blowing in from the north. now, by thursday, the rain won't be quite so heavy,
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but it will transfer northwards. look at the winds again, coming in from the north. so in scotland it really will feel very cool indeed. temperatures in some areas could be no higher than around 11 or 12 degrees. more like 16,17 in the south with a bit of sunshine, but again, a fair amount of cloud. so how much rainfall are we going to get? well, there is a possibility of widely 30 to 40 millimetres of rain. and in some spots, the met office warns there could be as much as 100 millimetres of rain or more. so there could be some impacts through the week from that heavy rain. now, this is the outlook into the weekend. there are indications that, as we head into the bank holiday weekend, high pressure will start to build. so the weather will settle down. but overall, it does look like it's going to be a mixed bag. now, here's that high pressure from monday. it could be a very decent day, reliably dry, i think. but come tuesday, i think just one or two showers.
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future. big tech firms plan to use ai responsibly. soft landing for the uk economy. the international monetary fund upgrades its growth forecast for the uk but warns against tax cuts. welcome to business today. markets have had a muted opening as investors hold their nerve ahead of chip leader invidious's earnings later this week. macy's turnaround plan appears to be working. also in the last hour we have heard from federal reserve governor who says he believes rate increases are probably unnecessary but he would like to see several more months of good inflation data before lowering interest rates. how are traders responding to this? we can speak to
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