While it is too early to determine with any certainty what caused a devastating airplane crash in Brazil last week, air disaster experts say the incident bears similarity to a landmark crash 30 years ago that triggered major safety reforms.

Friday’s Voepass 2283 flight from Cascavel, near Brazil’s border with Paraguay, to Guarulhos in São Paulo state, crashed after flying through an area where “severe icing” was forecast between 12,000 and 21,000 feet, according to a publicly available alert to pilots.

The flight was cruising at 17,000 feet, according to data from FlightAware, when the pilots appeared to lose control.

Numerous videos posted on social media show the turboprop ATR 72 in an apparent flat spin as it spiraled toward the ground with no visible forward movement. All 62 passengers and the crew were killed when the plane crashed near Vinhedo, making it 2024’s deadliest crash of a commercial airliner.

In-flight icing can “distort the flow of air over the wing and adversely affect handling qualities,” according to Federal Aviation Administration documents, triggering an airplane to “roll or pitch uncontrollably, and recovery may be impossible.”

“Icing is perhaps the leading theory,” said former NTSB co-chair Bruce Landsberg. “As we progress through the investigation, things will start to solidify.”

A crash in 1994

The French-Italian ATR 72 has “checkered record” Goelz said. On October 31, 1994, an ATR 72 crashed in Roselawn, Indiana; the American Eagle flight 4184 had encountered severe, in-flight icing from freezing drizzle.

All 68 people on board were killed.

Significant testing followed that crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration mandated a modification to the deicing system on the front edge of ATR 72 wings as well as more training for pilots on severe ice encounters.

Today, and in the light of the Voepass incident, Goelz says, “I think the question of whether this plane is safe in icing is worth a serious revisit.”

There are roughly 800 ATR 72s flying worldwide today, according to Goelz. But no major airlines in the United States currently operate the ATR 72, meaning travelers in the US are unlikely to encounter them domestically, but could very well fly in one while traveling abroad.

The ATR 72 utilizes deicing “boots,” designed to expand and physically break apart ice that accumulates on wings. Jet airliners often use heat ducted from the engines to melt ice on the wings, known as bleed air.

“Turboprop aircraft don’t do as well as jet aircraft in severe weather conditions,” said Landsberg, who is writing a book on aviation safety including the Roselawn crash. “A jet likely would not have been at that altitude.”

Following reports of Friday’s crash, ATR said it was aware of an accident and is working to support investigators.

“Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this event. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer,” the statement said.

Until investigators from Brazil and France begin to seriously dig into the crash, the cause will remain a mystery, Landsberg says. “Aviation safety doesn’t lend itself to quick answers.”

A charity working with homeless people in Auckland, New Zealand unknowingly distributed candies filled with potentially lethal doses of methamphetamine in its food parcels after the sweets were donated by a member of the public.

The Auckland City Mission told reporters on Wednesday that staff had started to contact up to 400 people to track down parcels that could contain the sweets — which were solid blocks of methamphetamine enclosed in candy wrappers. New Zealand’s police have opened a criminal investigation.

The amount of methamphetamine in each candy was up to 300 times the level someone would usually take and could be lethal, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation — a drug checking and policy organization, which first tested the candies.

Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.

Ben Birks Ang, a foundation spokesperson, said disguising drugs as innocuous goods was a common cross-border smuggling technique and more of the candies might have been distributed throughout New Zealand.

The sweets had a high street value of NZ$ 1,000 ($608) per candy, which suggested the donation by an unknown member of the public was accidental rather than a deliberate attack, Birks Ang said.

The City Missioner, Helen Robinson, said eight families, including at least one child, had reported consuming the contaminated candies since Tuesday. No one was hospitalized and Robinson said the “revolting” taste meant most had immediately spat them out.

The charity’s food bank only accepts donations of commercially produced food in sealed packaging, Robinson said. The pineapple candies, stamped with the label of Malaysian brand Rinda, “appeared as such when they were donated,” arriving in a retail-sized bag, she added.

Auckland City Mission was alerted Tuesday by a food bank client who reported “funny-tasting” candy. Staff tasted some of the remaining candies and immediately contacted the authorities.

The candies had been donated sometime in the past six weeks, Robinson said. It was not clear how many had been distributed in that time and how many were made of methamphetamine.

Some of those who had received the food parcels were clients of the charity’s addiction service and the news that drugs had been distributed had provoked distress.

“To say that we are devastated in an understatement,” Robinson said.

Rinda did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will not run for a second term as leader of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) next month following a series of political scandals that have fueled calls for him to resign.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Kishida said it is necessary to present the LDP as a “changed party.”

“Transparent and open elections and a free and vigorous debate are more important than ever. The most obvious first step, to show that the LDP will change, is for me to step aside,” he said.

“I have made the heavy decision with a strong desire to move forward with political reform, because the people’s trust is what makes politics work.”

The LDP, which has held power almost continuously since its founding in 1955, has in recent months been embroiled in one of Japan’s biggest political scandals in decades.

Two of the most influential factions in the LDP have been accused of failing to properly declare their income and expenditure and, in some instances, allegedly rerouting political funds to lawmakers as kickbacks.

During nearly three years in office, Kishida has vowed to take anti-corruption measures and institute party reforms, including dissolving factions and taking disciplinary action against any corrupt lawmakers.

Concerns about Japan’s economy, including the weakening of the yen against the US dollar, have also undermined confidence in Kishida’s economic policies.

He had previously denied he would step down as party leader despite public criticism and sinking disapproval ratings.

His decision to quit comes a month before LDP elections are slated, with the date in September yet to be announced.

His successor will be tasked to lead the world’s fourth-largest economy at a time of increasing living costs, which has been exacerbated by a weak yen.

Japan has been at the center of US President Joe Biden’s alliance building in the Indo-Pacific. American officials have seen a willing partner in Kishida, who has significantly shifted the country’s defense posture in recent years and provided ongoing support to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

This story has been updated with additional information.

A court in Bangladesh has ordered an investigation into former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s alleged role in the police killing of a man during the deadly protests that led to her ouster, state media reported Tuesday.

Hasina, who fled the country earlier this month following weeks of unrest, is accused, along with other top officials, in the death of a grocery store owner on July 19, according to news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

The murder complaint, filed Tuesday in the Dhaka Metropolitan Court, is the first legal case to be filed against Hasina following her deadly crackdown on huge protests against government employment quotas, that erupted across Bangladesh last month.

About 300 people were killed in clashes between students, government supporters and armed police, according to analysis by local media and agencies. At least 32 of those killed were children, according to the United Nations’ children’s agency.

The murder case also names Hasina’s former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, the general secretary of her party, and four former top police officers.

In her first public remarks since leaving Bangladesh, Hasina on Tuesday called for an investigation into the “heinous killings and acts of sabotage” during the protests.

Her statement, posted on X via her son, did not mention the murder case against her, but said acts of “sabotage, arson, and violence” had resulted in “many innocent citizens of our country losing their lives.”

“I demand a thorough investigation to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these heinous killings and acts of sabotage,” Hasina said.

What started as protests against the government’s quota system, which reserves 30% of civil service posts for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, became a nationwide movement to push Hasina out.

The violent response from Hasina’s government only added further fuel to the fire, even as quotas were rolled back.

When the protests escalated, Hasina blamed the opposition for the violence and imposed internet blocks and an indefinite curfew across the country.

In the end, Hasina fled to neighboring India, ending her 15-year rule and prompting jubilation on the streets of Dhaka as crowds stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents.

The country’s parliament was dissolved, and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is now heading a caretaker government, with elections due to be held within 90 days.

The Russian border region of Belgorod declared an emergency on Wednesday after new attacks by Ukrainian forces, with Kyiv claiming control of hundreds of square miles of Russian territory after its rare cross-border incursion.

“The situation in the Belgorod region continues to be extremely difficult and tense,” Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a video message posted on his Telegram account.

The declaration came after Belgorod began evacuations on Monday as a result of Ukrainian advances, following Kyiv’s surprise incursion into the neighboring Kursk region last week.

It was a notable change in tactics for Ukraine and marked the first time foreign troops had entered Russian territory since World War II.

Regional authorities are now appealing to the Russian government to declare a federal emergency, Gladkov said.

Two locations in Belgorod, the city of Shebekino and the village of Ustinka, had been attacked by Ukrainian drones, he added. There were no casualties but two residences were damaged.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday that it destroyed dozens of drones and four tactical missiles over the Kursk region, part of a barrage including 117 “aircraft-type” drones downed by the country’s air defenses overnight.

The southwest region of Voronezh, which borders both Kursk and Belgorod, destroyed more than 35 Ukraine-launched drones, Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said Wednesday.

There were no casualties, but properties, vehicles and municipal infrastructure were damaged by falling debris, he added, saying the risk of further drone attacks remains.

Since Ukraine’s incursion began, tens of thousands of Russians have fled their homes while Moscow scrambles to contain the attack, imposing counter-terror operations in Kursk, Belgorod and another border region, Bryansk.

On Monday, Kyiv claimed to have gained control of nearly the same amount of land that Russia had seized so far this year – though that is still dwarfed by the total Ukrainian territory held by Russia since the conflict started in 2014.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said its forces were in control of 74 settlements in Kursk and that they are making preparations for “next steps” in the region.

The incursion has posed a major embarrassment for the Kremlin, with Russian President Vladimir Putin vowing to “kick the enemy out” of Russia – though his troops have yet to stop the Ukrainian advance.

US President Joe Biden addressed the incursion on Tuesday, saying he was receiving regular updates from staff and that it was “creating a real dilemma for Putin.”

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been removed from office after a court ruled he had violated the constitution, in a shock decision that plunges the kingdom into further political uncertainty.

The verdict comes a week after the same court dissolved the country’s popular progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in last year’s election, and banned its leaders from politics for 10 years.

The Constitutional Court in Bangkok ruled Wednesday that Srettha, a real estate tycoon and relative political newcomer, had breached ethics rules by appointing a lawyer who had served prison time to the Cabinet.

Five of the court’s nine judges voted to dismiss Srettha and his Cabinet, ruling that the prime minister was “well aware that he appointed a person who seriously lacked moral integrity.”

A new government must now be formed, and the ruling Pheu Thai-led coalition will nominate a new candidate for prime minister, which will be voted on by the 500-seat parliament.

The verdict means more upheaval for Thailand’s already turbulent political landscape, in which those pushing for change have frequently run afoul of the establishment – a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites.

Over the past two decades, dozens of lawmakers have faced bans, parties have been dissolved and prime ministers have been overthrown in coups or by court decisions – with the judiciary playing a central role in the ongoing battle for power.

Srettha’s appointment to the top job last August ended three months of political deadlock after the 2023 elections but resulted in his Pheu Thai party entering a governing coalition with its longtime military rivals.

The case against Srettha was filed in May by a group of 40 military-appointed former senators, who sought to remove him from office due to the Cabinet appointment of Pichit Chuenban, a close aide to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Pichit was jailed for six months in 2008 for contempt of court after trying to bribe Supreme Court officials in a land case involving Thaksin.

Srettha has denied wrongdoing and has said Pichit, who has since resigned, was properly vetted and the party followed proper procedures.

Srettha’s popularity has declined in recent months, polls showed, as his key economic policies have faced opposition and delays.

But Wednesday’s ruling shocked political analysts who believed the court would side with the prime minister.

Srettha’s priority since taking office has been to fix the country’s sluggish economy.

The deposed leader had touted a signature 500 billion baht ($13.8 billion) digital wallet handout scheme that he said would create jobs and spur spending in underdeveloped regions. The plan is yet to be rolled out.

Srettha also set a goal for Thailand to attract more foreign investment and become a global tourism hub, expanding visa-free policies and announcing plans to host major events in a bid to boost the economy.

Pheu Thai and the establishment

Populist Pheu Thai is the latest incarnation of parties aligned with divisive former leader Thaksin, who was ousted by the military in a 2005 coup.

Thaksin, a telecoms billionaire and former owner of Manchester City Football Club, is the head of a famed political dynasty that has played an outsized role in Thai politics for the past two decades.

His dramatic return from a 15-year self-imposed exile last year coincided with the Senate’s vote to appoint Srettha as the country’s 30th prime minister.

That vote secured Pheu Thai as the head of a multi-party coalition. Move Forward, which pulled off a stunning election victory in May 2023 with its hugely popular reform agenda, was forced into opposition.

Move Forward had proposed radical reforms to capitalize on years of rising anger with how Thailand is governed, including amendments to the country’s notoriously strict lese majeste laws that criminalize insulting senior members of the royal family.

In July 2023, conservative senators prevented Move Forward from forming a government over its reform campaign. And last week, the Constitutional Court accused the party of “undermining the monarchy” and ordered it to be disbanded, in a blow to the vibrant progressive movement. The former members have since reconstituted the party under a new name.

With Srettha now out of office, political negotiations will restart, with coalition partners jostling for Cabinet positions and the top job.

Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter, would be among the likely prime ministerial candidates.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

In a secluded part of Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, river transport is far more common than road travel. Here, boats glide along the Wichimi River, a wide channel that snakes through the dense foliage, and powering the silent vessels is the Ecuadorian sunshine.

Five boats, each boat topped with a sleek solar-panelled roof, are being used by 12 indigenous Achuar communities across a stretch of eastern Ecuador bordering Peru. The boats have been provided by Kara Solar, a non-profit organization based in the region. Not only are the Achuar responsible for fixing, running and maintaining the boats — the solar vessels are shaping daily life for the community by offering transport for education, health services and eco-tourism.

For years, many Achuar here have used gasoline-powered boats on the river, but the fuel must be flown in by plane from Ecuador’s capital, Quito, making it more expensive and adding to the carbon emissions associated with its use.

“Local people (are) increasingly buying gasoline motors that use a lot of oil and contaminate the river,” said Angel Wasump, Kara Solar’s director of operations, who and a member of the Achuar community.

“Since the (solar) boats arrived, families have been giving up these motors completely,” he added.

Sustainable solar power

Kara Solar founder Oliver Utne traveled to Ecuador from Minnesota 16 years ago after graduating college. Working at an Achuar-owned local business in a remote Amazon community, he saw firsthand the difficulties people had in accessing basic resources such as electricity and transportation. It was then Utne realized the potential for using technology as a tool for the conservation of Achuar territory and culture.

“They (the Achuar) showed me that they do have a desire for agency and autonomy. I realized that I wanted to help empower them to reach this goal.”

Utne returned to the US with newfound inspiration, studying solar energy before qualifying as a solar installer. He immediately returned to the Amazon and began working with the community to navigate the best use of solar technologies.

“The idea of (solar) boats at first was kind of a joke,” said Utne. “We’d talked about its feasibility, but no one had really taken it seriously.”

He said that in 2013 he collaborated with MIT and two Ecuadorian universities — Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral and Universidad San Francisco de Quito — on a study of river navigability and electric propulsion systems adapted for the Amazon.

“The study came back very positive; the solar boats could work if powered correctly,” he said. It also revealed that the boats only needed a relatively small motor to move a lot of people, requiring less solar panels.

The first electric boat was completed in 2016, named “Tapiatpia” after the legendary electric eel featured in Achuar folklore. Utne stresses that the Achuar community was consulted throughout the three-year design process.

Each boat varies in size, the biggest with capacity for up to 20 passengers. They travel at up to 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour with a range of up to 60 miles (97 kilometers). If the boats’ electric batteries run out of power they can be charged via nine onshore charging stations, which are solar energy grids located in communities along the river. In addition to charging boats, these provide power for schools, internet access, computer labs and eco-lodges.

Kara Solar formally launched in 2018 and is staffed on the ground by members of the Achuar community. The organization estimates that the boats operating in Ecuador have completed over 300 trips in total, carrying over 1,000 passengers and collectively traveling over 450 kilometers per month. The most common uses are transporting local children to and from school and providing wildlife tours for eco-tourists

“These are not our boats, these belong to the indigenous people who are there, and we are their support system,” said Utne. “We are accompanying them and providing advice and sharing these lessons learned across the Amazon.”

As well as reducing carbon emissions and pollution, the silent vessels mean eco-tourists can get a closer view of wildlife without scaring it away.

“The boat serves as a tangible symbol of what conservation could look like,” said Wasump. “It’s (like) a return to what’s most important in Achuar culture. These boats have represented a way for us to reconnect with this vision of what development could look like.”

Growing the vision

Part of Kara Solar’s mission is to provide communities with technical training and skills development in solar installation, which is entirely led by Achuar technicians in the Achuar language. The organization has built four solar centers in Ecuador, providing an open space for educators and students, powered entirely by solar energy.

It has also adopted this model in other countries and earlier this year Kara Solar partnered with the Wampís Nation, in northern Peru, having installed two shuttle boats and two solar centers there in November 2023, with funding from the Welsh government.

In 2025, Kara Solar will launch a new project on the Kapawari River, in Pastaza, eastern Ecuador, that aims to replace 50 gasoline-powered boats with solar-electric ones. The initiative will connect four isolated settlements along the Kapawari, which also serves as a vital sanctuary for endangered pink river dolphins.

Cheryl Martens, director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Inequalities at the San Francisco University of Quito, believes the model could be expanded. “Kara Solar has the potential to be scaled up, not only in terms of river transport systems within and beyond the Amazon,” she said. “The solar technology developed for this project is also providing sustainable solutions to communication systems such as high frequency radio in some of the most remote areas of the Amazon … where cell phone communication is not available.

“The project has involved Achuar communities throughout and has trained Achuar technicians to install and fix the solar technology required for running the boats. For that reason, this solar canoe technology has a greater chance of success.”

Kara Solar’s executive director, Nantu Canelos, a former solar boat captain, agrees that community involvement is key. For him, true progress is only possible if the Achuar are leading the way, with support from others. “I want to invite everyone to join us in a collective effort to make these dreams come true in the Amazon, because the Amazon is truly at risk, and we can feel it here,” he said.

“The climate is changing, and we are experiencing those changes,” he added. “It’s also important for us to change ourselves from within our territory.

“This is a call to the global community, especially young people, to understand that the actions we take in the Amazon are crucial, not only for Indigenous people but for the entire world.”