Southwest flight plummets, injuring flight attendants

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating the "incident". It comes less than one week after a similar near-miss.

The crew "responded to two onboard traffic alerts... requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts", Southwest said in a statement.

Flight 1496 from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Las Vegas plummeted rapidly, lifting passengers out of their seats and injuring two flight attendants.

A Southwest Airlines plane rapidly dropped in elevation after departing from the Los Angeles area on Friday, with passengers posting online that the pilot was forced to rapidly change course to avoid a potential collision with another aircraft.

"Ensuring the safety of everyone in the national airspace system remains our top priority," the FAA statement added.

Stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore was onboard the plane, and was among the passengers saying that the erratic move was due to a near-miss with another plane.

"Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us. Wow," Dore wrote on X. "A flight attendant needed medical attention."

His colleague Stef Zamorano added that all the passengers applauded when the plane landed.

Caitlin Burdi told Fox News that passengers were "screaming" as the plane rapidly fell.

"It was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," she said.

She added that the pilot came over the speaker afterwards to say that the plane had almost hit another plane, and that they had lost contact with air traffic control.

"I just remember him saying, 'What just happened was we almost collided with another plane, and I had to make the emergency attempt to go under because we lost service with the air traffic controller,'" she said.

According to CNN, the plane was nearly intercepted by a privately owned Hawker Hunter fighter jet after less than six minutes in the air.

The jet crossed less than two miles in front of it, and within a few hundred feet of its altitude, CNN reported, citing flight tracking data. It had departed from El Pas, Texas and was flying to Oxnard, California.

The Southwest statement said that the flight continued on to Las Vegas, "where it landed uneventfully", and that the airline is "engaged" with the FAA "to further understand the circumstances".

"We appreciate the professionalism of our Flight Crew and Flight Attendants in responding to this event. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."

It comes less than one week after a Delta regional flight from Minneapolis was forced to make a sudden evasive manoeuvre to avoid a US military bomber.

Insect boom for UK after warmest, sunniest spring on record

7 minutes ago Share Save Elizabeth Rizzini Lead Weather Presenter Share Save

Frank Gardner

Certain insects - including ladybirds, butterflies and wasps - are thriving after the warmest and sunniest spring on record across the UK. Aphid numbers, the main food source of ladybirds, boomed according to the Royal Horticultural Society after a warm start to the summer. But the relative lack of rain this spring and summer could lead to lower insect and amphibian numbers next year since eggs may not be laid and wetland areas are drying up. Insect numbers are difficult to quantify but research suggests that in the longer term, the UK's flying insect population is in decline.

The warm weather has seen a sharp rise in the number of aphids, the main food source of ladybirds

An abundance of aphids

Whilst the long term picture for the decline of flying insects looks pretty bleak, there is no denying that this year has been a visibly bumper one. Kathryn Brown is director of climate change and evidence at The Wildlife Trusts, a federation of 46 independent wildlife conservation charities in the UK. She said: "Many people across the UK are noticing more ladybirds, wasps and other insects this summer – off the back of a very poor year last year for species like butterflies." These are all species that thrive in warm, dry conditions. Earlier in the year the Royal Horticultural Society correctly predicted that we were in for an abundant year for aphids. Whilst that has proved a bit of a headache for gardeners, aphids form an important part of the food chain and are eaten by birds and other insects. Dr Hayley Jones, principal entomologist at the Royal Horticultural Society, says that their numbers are now beginning to drop off as their natural predator - the ladybird - is taking over and playing catch up.

'Extraordinary' year for early butterfly sightings

PA Media A male purple emperor. Record numbers have been spotted on the Knepp Estate in West Sussex this year

Another much loved flying insect, the butterfly, is often seen as an important indicator of the general health of the immediate environment. These have been in general decline since the 1970s. Dr Richard Fox, head of science at the Butterfly Conservation charity, says that 2025 has been quite extraordinary in terms of early sightings with 18 species spotted at least two weeks earlier than average and a further 24 species seen at least a week early. This is in contrast to last year's 'butterfly emergency', declared when the lowest numbers of butterflies were ever recorded. This followed a cloudy, wet spring and cool summer. Some varieties, such as the dark green fritillary did not have a single sighting in 2024. Butterflies, like all insects, are ectothermic (cold-blooded) and need the warmth and light of the sun to regulate their body temperature and give them energy to fly. This year's warmth has helped them move through their lifecycle quickly meaning their survival rate has been remarkably good; spending less time as caterpillars and as potential bird food. Lepidopterist Martin Wills, who records numbers at Hutchinson's Bank Nature Reserve in south London, confirmed that it has been a fantastic butterfly season so far with record numbers of early sightings. You can take part in 2025's Big Butterfly Count which is on until 10 August and go to BBC Weather to find out what the weather is doing in your area.

Bumper year for lavender

Lavender fields provide an ideal habitat for butterflies and bees

Not far from Hutchinson's Bank Nature Reserve in south London lie some of the UK's most beautiful lavender fields which are fantastic habitats for butterflies and especially bees. Lavender thrives in sunny, warm conditions with dry summers and mild winters. This year in the UK it has come into full bloom much earlier than usual, meaning more bees and butterflies earlier in the year. Lorna May, the owner of Mayfield Lavender in Surrey, told BBC Weather she had seen a tenfold increase on last year in honey production which she put down to the happy and soaring bee population. But the number of pests have increased too including the tiny, shiny rosemary beetle which has exploded in number this year. To avoid using pesticides, an army of volunteers remove the beautiful bugs by hand. One cause for concern of an early lavender bloom for Lorna May is that the plant may die earlier and this could in turn have a notable effect on the local biodiversity for the rest of the summer.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images A stripy, iridescent rosemary beetle on a lavender plant

An 'air scooter' attempted to cross the English Channel on 25 July but fell just short, splashing down near the cliffs of Dover.

It was created by the company Zapata, whose CEO Franky Zapata piloted the flight.

His ultimate vision is to provide the "dream mobility" seen in old Hollywood films allowing users to "take off from your garden and land in your friend's garden for a barbecue".

School-leavers losing their lives for Russia in Putin's war with Ukraine

42 minutes ago Share Save Anastasia Platonova & Olga Ivshina BBC News Russian Share Save

VK/BBC Alexander (L) and Vitaly died not long after they arrived on the frontline in February

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised that no 18-year-olds called up to serve Russia will be sent to fight in Ukraine, but a BBC Russian investigation has found at least 245 soldiers of that age have been killed there in the past two years. New government rules mean teenagers fresh out of school have been able to bypass military service and go straight into the regular army as contract soldiers. They may make up only a fraction of Russian losses, but cash bonuses and patriotic propaganda have made signing up an attractive choice. Alexander Petlinsky enlisted two weeks after his 18th birthday. He was killed in Ukraine just 20 days later: one of hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed in Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine which has also claimed the lives of at least 13,500 Ukrainian civilians since Putin launched the invasion in February 2022.

Petlinsky's aunt Ekaterina said he had dreamed of a career in medicine and won a place at a medical college in Chelyabinsk, an industrial regional centre in the Urals. "But Sasha had another dream," she told a school memorial event. "When the special military operation began, Sasha was 15. And he dreamed of going to the front." In Ukraine, the call-up age is 25. Russia has managed to avoid a national mobilisation by offering lavish sums to men of fighting age - an especially attractive deal for those in poorer regions with few job prospects. Initially, men had to have at least three months of conscript service under their belts before signing a contract. That restriction was quietly dropped in April 2023, despite protests from some MPs, so now any young man who has reached the age of 18 and finished school can sign up to join the army. Russia's education system has ensured they are ready to enlist.

Alexander Petlinsky/VK Alexander Petlinsky had always intended to become a doctor but signed an army contract as soon as he turned 18

Since the full-scale invasion began, teachers have been required by law to hold classes dedicated to the "special military operation", as the war is officially known. Soldiers returning from the front visit schools to talk about their experiences, children are taught how to make camouflage nets and trench candles, and even nursery school pupils are encouraged to send letters and drawings to the frontline. At the start of the last school year on 1 September 2024, a new subject was brought into the curriculum. In a throwback to the Soviet era, senior students are once again being taught how to use Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades as part of a course called "The Basics of Safety and Homeland Defence". In many regions, military recruiters now attend careers lessons in schools and technical colleges, telling young people how to sign up as contract soldiers after they graduate. Vitaly Ivanov grew up in a small village in Siberia and dropped out of college where he was learning to be a mechanic. He got into trouble with police, and when he was accused of robbing a small shop in November 2024, he complained to his mother and girlfriend he had been beaten into giving a confession.

Vitaly Ivanov/VK Vitaly Ivanov complained he had been beaten into confessing to a robbery

His friend Mikhail told the BBC that Vitaly had always planned to do his military service when he turned 18. Then, together, they would go and find work building roads in Kazan, ​​a city about 3,700km (2,300 miles) to the west. Instead, he signed a contract to join the army. His family have not ruled out that it was the police who "persuaded" him. The day before he left he called his mother, Anna, to say he was about to leave. "I'm off to the North-Eastern Military District," he explained. In other words, he was heading for Ukraine. He and Alexander reached the frontline at about the same time in February. Vitaly's last message home on 5 February was to say he was being sent into combat. "This was his first and last combat mission," says Anna. The enlistment office rang her a month later to say he had died on 11 February.

As part of BBC Russian's ongoing project using open sources to count Russia's war dead, we have identified and confirmed 245 names of 18-year-old contract soldiers killed in Ukraine between April 2023 - when the rules for joining up were eased - and July 2025. All were enlisted as contract servicemen and, judging from published obituaries, most joined the armed forces voluntarily. Overall, according to our research, since the start of the full-scale invasion at least 2,812 Russian men aged 18-20 years have been killed in Ukraine. The BBC's figures are based on open-source information and because not every death is publicly reported, the real losses are bound to be higher. By late July the BBC had established the names of 120,343 Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale war. Military experts estimate that makes up 45-65% of the real death toll, which would equate to 185,143 to 267,500 dead.

Salon owner 'ready' for key L'Oréal dispute hearing

18 minutes ago Share Save Jodi Law BBC News, East Midlands Share Save

BBC Rebecca Dowdeswell described the ongoing legal proceedings as a "hard slog"

A salon owner says she is "ready to fight again" ahead of a crucial hearing in her long-running trademark dispute with global cosmetics firm L'Oréal. Rebecca Dowdeswell attempted to renew the trademark of her Leicester-based business - nkd - in 2022 but the French firm opposed the move. L'Oréal has its own trademark on a series of beauty products called Naked, and claims her use of the name nkd would cause "consumer confusion". The 49-year-old said she was feeling in a "much stronger position", now an Intellectual Property Office (IPO) hearing date had been set for the case. It will take place later this year.

The mother of two, from Radcliffe-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, held the nkd trademark name since 2009, and it expired in 2019. She said she had a six-month window to renew it but forgot, which she described as a "big mistake". "That six-month window ran into the start of Covid and chaos ensued for all businesses - including beauty salons - and I missed the expiry," she previously told the BBC. "When I came to re-register the trademark, I was essentially starting from scratch, not renewing an existing one." She said L'Oréal objected on the basis it owned the Urban Decay make-up brand, which has a range of eye shadow palettes called Naked. She added: "There has never been any evidence of consumer confusion. In 15 years of trading, no-one has ever said 'are you the same brand as Naked by Urban Decay?'" Ms Dowdeswell told the BBC the matter was due to be decided by the government's IPO, but that hearing had been postponed. The IPO blamed the delay on "very significant" caseloads, in part due to Brexit. It said before Brexit, trademarks could be registered with either the European Union (EU) or the UK, or both. After Brexit, 1.4 million trademarks that were with the EU transferred over to take effect in the UK. Speaking to the BBC, Ms Dowdeswell - who has spent more than £30,000 contesting L'Oréal's opposition - said she had "enjoyed" a temporary break from the proceedings.

Ms Dowdeswell disputes that the brand names can be confused

"When I came to re-register them post-Covid, L'Oréal logged its objections and I've been having to defend myself for the last three years," Ms Dowdeswell said. "It's been really stressful to deal with, but I've enjoyed metaphorically putting it away and having a break from it. "In hindsight, I realised how much of a toll it took on me last year. On me personally with my family, my young children and with the business. "I am ready to fight again. I think L'Oréal thinks I'm just going to go away - and I'm not."

Ms Dowdeswell remains determined despite admitting that the long legal battle had "taken a toll"

In response, a spokesperson for L'Oréal said: "We are wholly committed to resolving any misunderstanding there might have been with Rebecca Dowdeswell. "From the beginning of our exchanges with her lawyers in 2022, we have communicated an offer that supports her business aspirations whilst respecting our longstanding trademark rights. "We look forward to resolving this matter in a mutually agreeable way." The IPO confirmed a hearing date had been set for 5 November. It added a decision would usually be expected about nine months later. Ms Dowdeswell added: "To coin a phrase that L'Oréal knows very well, I've often asked myself - 'is it worth it?'"