This just in from The Economist.
---------- Forwarded message --------- From: 'The Economist' via louv <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Date: Sun, Jan 18, 2026 at 9:11β―AM Subject: The story behind British Airways Flight 149 To: <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > <https://www.movable-ink-1505.com/p/up/b46a36d5a9a906bf/o.gif?mi_u=0033z000033xrkzAAA&mi_ecmp=2155673> Also: How museums decide what to save in a disaster <https://click.e.economist.com/open.aspx?ffcb10-fe9216717061027a76-fe27167770670d74771770-fe8d13727c650c7976-ff3311707066-fe3016737167017e701674-ff5d1d717d&d=70250&bmt=0> β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babc7db729cb7ddfe4b5fbf32da3f1ece017a351204f25a230abf7471e677026c693c95af7929e44a587b4de63477bb580125db6e6f55a631fb> January 18th 2026 <https://image.e.economist.com/lib/fe8d13727c650c7976/m/1/ffa6fc0c-6543-4f34-aefd-2a57f0f097ff.png> The Extraordinary Story Compelling long reads, delivered every Sunday <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab1adba91c49e2f9d0d7102efd7b07861c34e0a15333ab6f0c9d4372f9d162f208a199cc6de10baeb2e656331a651b9529ec19dd894d1f76da> <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab1adba91c49e2f9d0d7102efd7b07861c34e0a15333ab6f0c9d4372f9d162f208a199cc6de10baeb2e656331a651b9529ec19dd894d1f76da> <https://pas.economist.com/t/2/56932/0033z000033xrkzAAA/2155673?pid=1&ad_region=North+America&ad_country=United+States&send_date=18/01/2026&segment=1-US> <https://pas.economist.com/extt/2/56932/0033z000033xrkzAAA/2155673?pid=1&ad_region=North+America&ad_country=United+States&send_date=18/01/2026&segment=1-US> <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babee28df8969c609b2e6d7810f4d8fe06aed7a9dfed7c53470f446f9abfc2fd04ced61757210f084de2782343f0385829b> They thought they were going on holiday. They ended up in Saddamβs clutches <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babee28df8969c609b2e6d7810f4d8fe06aed7a9dfed7c53470f446f9abfc2fd04ced61757210f084de2782343f0385829b> ILLUSTRATION: Petra Zehner August 1st 1990 was blisteringly hot. In Liverpool the entire stock at a chocolate factory melted, and at a castle in Essex a waxwork knight turned into a puddle. It was so warm that the tarmac at Heathrow Airport was beginning to soften. British Airways Flight 149 was scheduled to fly to Kuwait at 4.15pm. It would then refuel and carry on to Madras (now Chennai) in India, before embarking on the final leg to Kuala Lumpur. Under the ferocious blaze of the early afternoon sun, passengers at Heathrow boarded the Boeing 747 and began to find their seats. Shortly afterwards they were told there would be a slight delay: repairs were being carried out on a power unit in the aircraftβs tail which provided air conditioning. After the unit was fixed, Richard Brunyate, the captain, decided that the passengers would need to wait a little while longer while he sought information on the situation 3,000 miles away in Kuwait. For almost two weeks the newspapers had been full of speculation that Saddam Hussein, the dictator who ruled Iraq, was about to invade his smaller neighbour. Desperate for cash after a gruelling eight-year war with Iran, Saddam accused Kuwait of driving down the value of Iraqβs oil by overproducing from its own wells, and issued a series of escalating demands and threats while moving troops to the border. Diplomats in Western capitals had convinced themselves that this was just bluster; Britainβs official position was that an invasion was not imminent. <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab8c9f7f5f2d74677ba94eb57121a358cbea326c810982c3d10c3ce2d521afb90b319402aeafe89d7eca6fff2860e5ecff> Read the full article β <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab54fd00dfda22a937080713f0188551a8c692f7713719b6fe3536248bcf7544b541688d9316ffbbae5fbae8ac6a62472bd277f7613ab70210> <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab54fd00dfda22a937080713f0188551a8c692f7713719b6fe3536248bcf7544b541688d9316ffbbae5fbae8ac6a62472bd277f7613ab70210> <https://pas.economist.com/t/2/56931/0033z000033xrkzAAA/2155673?pid=1&ad_region=North+America&ad_country=United+States&send_date=18/01/2026&segment=1-US> <https://pas.economist.com/extt/2/56931/0033z000033xrkzAAA/2155673?pid=1&ad_region=North+America&ad_country=United+States&send_date=18/01/2026&segment=1-US> >From the archive <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab2e682e9bb22b3113567e3c0524de3fe662c75f44fe223ae6933c0377f5ac30680c8db4c1cdc28a1f0c6ba30f9243d563> Art <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babb7e4009a7e5012429ac890ee47e4c59843195c1641dfe569ab2025ead961ce1fbd0e204fced25e2bee9178fe91af284b> How museums decide what to save in a disaster Billions of dollarsβ worth of art is imperilled by climate change. Curators will have to make sacrifices <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab9b676f1e4414d7a10aaf92d74f82c5b855b6475288965f88d065c565668b42fb5750132d656bb18b6a9c86a43f158b99> Syria <https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab3e447827fef07334836c0cb944f26680c573b6a26b2a5f6039c93e60a2cf2766d7e3584c840fd8ff757aa615babff9f6> The great Syrian beach trip A visit to the seaside once risked arrest and torture. Now people are soaking up the sun <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babaa786aad7c6b2883669fc07084c269c6c2c18db045f8be96c27f7f209ee693f120931c85e7b7cdb7d4bb8c0a50c1522cef731670845d92ce> <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babf7dd0f78e45e942d38c49df77051e0a49f7018bd72d6be7e95d4e41f9100e288c806d99a93e1c340be06cbf0dba6cd6ba1b38d00d1053737> <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babe5145a0567ebf7942c99b48cf09bd36eb9a09a17468d77d6fb466923997da9bc930d62887c83ce4743dd0e3d07f310b2c7e2f1c9f68654b7> <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab9c88cbfe5448a5fc757fcbbe7c75e457b072cf02eb6b18644dc6be657cefca00d11bdcb4d250483dcafda4b0baf51646e39f9136fb61c852> <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab5b6a823593f491a9d46720500b0166186f196d0012190f9e8c7dab3c69779725b479be5e3fcdd7e9de7d96e4d4c4fa53a4dffdc3f1b60216> Download our app for <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8babd49937e3fb2fb18de4e87215163f922435c62c7d23cdfd47a8cf392e3a8c6948a1bde93454dc8c4f79f454273406e74b> iOS and <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab9233d579313561f7f44a5f872d6d5dac7bcfd6a6014bedbc569a10836d13a4420b40c1094771c0750d1f12a3b0a3aa77> Android _____ <https://myaccount.economist.com/s/preferences?contactId=0033z000033xrkzAAA&newslettercode=the_extraordinary_story> Unsubscribe <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab643497e103ce25983aa6c72c540fad3ab501ae03b8a4872b27b194e92683582c1cc38e01cf963aa8751fd72bbc782437e925912583f85ec4> Contact us <https://click.e.economist.com/u/?qs=8374ce6372ea8bab9d8975f1eb26290d1be452900e3268b46aabc6edc467f6a87cd1647c646036c91d2edb14505d59b185d7d387faf4d9fe3d0fa34d5b418420> Update your details This email has been sent to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> because you signed up for this newsletter or because it is included in your subscription. _____ Registered in England and Wales. 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