Cry for help
The week's news at a glance.
Athens
A steward on a doomed Cypriot airliner radioed “Mayday! Mayday!” two seconds before the plane slammed into a mountain outside Athens, investigators said this week. The pilots had lost consciousness when the Helios Airways jet suddenly lost cabin pressure after leaving Cyprus for Athens on Aug. 14. Steward Andreas Prodromou, who had taken flying lessons, managed to stay conscious and grappled with the controls for about 30 minutes. Investigators believe the aircraft ran out of fuel at 35,000 feet before crashing outside Athens. All 121 people on board were killed.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
An ingredient in Coca-Cola may be funding Sudan's war
Under the Radar Global trade in gum arabic centres on the African nation – and proceeds bankroll conflict between the army and paramilitary rebels
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Homes for multi-generational families
Feature Featuring a 1900 Jacobean-style mansion in Massachusetts and a 22.5-acre compound in California
By The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Foot PSA
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published