Bomb that killed children in Yemen was supplied by US
Washington, Aug 19 : A bomb used by the Saudi-led coalition in a devastating attack on a school bus in Yemen was sold as part of a US State Department-sanctioned arms deal with Saudi Arabia, munitions experts told CNN.
Working with local Yemeni journalists and munitions experts, CNN has established that the weapon that left dozens of children dead on August 9 was a 227 kg laser-guided MK 82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of the top US defence contractors.
The bomb was very similar to the one that wreaked devastation in an attack on a funeral hall in Yemen in October 2016 in which 155 people were killed and hundreds more wounded.
Doctor treats children injured by air strike in Saada, Yemen on 9 August (Reuters)
The Saudi coalition blamed "incorrect information" for that strike, admitted it was a mistake and took responsibility.
In the aftermath of the funeral hall attack, former US President Barack Obama banned the sale of precision-guided military technology to Saudi Arabia over "human rights concerns".
The ban was overturned by the Trump administration's then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in March 2017. The August 9 bomb's impact as it landed on the bus full of excited schoolchildren on a day trip was devastating.
Of the 51 people who died in the airstrike, 40 were children. The UN has called for a separate investigation into the strike, one of the deadliest since Yemen's war began in early 2015.
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Air India CEO Campbell Wilson resigns, says source
Mumbai (PTI): Tata Group-owned Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson has resigned from the position, according to a source.
Wilson was appointed as Air India's CEO and MD in July 2022 , following former Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker Ayci's decision not to take up the top job in March 2022 amid a controversy.
Tata Group acquired Air India from the government in January 2022.
"He expressed his desire to resign, conveyed it (to the Board) and resigned," the source privy to the development said.
A response from Air India on the developments was awaited.
Earlier this year, a source had said that the Tata Group was scouting for a suitable candidate to head Air India, as Wilson's five-year tenure at the airline was set to end in 2027.
Air India's low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express also does not have a head since March 19 this year following the resignation of then Managing Director Aloke Singh's exit from the airline after he completed his 5-year tenure at the airline.
Wilson has been under fire since June 12 last year following the crash of the airline's London-bound flight soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 of the 242 persons on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
