US probe opened into Boeing after Alaska Airlines incident
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an investigation into Boeing’s quality control on Jan 11, after a near-catastrophic incident last week involving an Alaska Airlines-operated 737 Max.
“This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again,” the FAA said in a statement, after a panel known as a “door plug” blew out of the plane over the western US state of Oregon.
The Alaska Airlines jet successfully executed an emergency landing with no fatalities or major injuries.
US regulators have since grounded 171 737 Max 9 planes with the same configuration as the jet involved in the Jan 5 incident.
Pentagon inspector to probe Austin’s hospitalisation
The Pentagon’s independent inspector-general will investigate US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to report his hospitalisation to the rest of the government, a memo released on Jan 11 said.
Mr Austin kept President Joe Biden and Congress in the dark about his prostate cancer diagnosis for weeks and did not inform them about his hospitalisation at the beginning of the year, leading to growing calls for him to resign or be fired.
The situation is a major headache for Mr Biden in an election year, putting the president on the defensive and providing an opening for attacks by Republicans who are already painting him as too old to manage the job.
Harvard sued by students over campus anti-Semitism
Harvard University has been sued by Jewish students who accused it of allowing its campus to become a bastion of rampant anti-Semitism.
In a complaint filed on the night of Dec 10, six students accused Harvard of selectively enforcing its anti-discrimination policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment, ignoring their pleas for protection, and hiring professors who support anti-Jewish violence and spread anti-Semitic propaganda.
“Based on its track record, it is inconceivable that Harvard would allow any group other than Jews to be targeted for similar abuse or that it would permit, without response, students and professors to call for the annihilation of any country other than Israel,” the complaint said.
Jill Biden slams ‘cruel’ Republicans over Hunter attacks
US First Lady Jill Biden on Jan 11 defended her son Hunter against “cruel” attacks by Republicans, in a rare public intervention as President Joe Biden ramps up his re-election campaign.
The 72-year-old spoke out a day after a chaotic Congressional hearing at which a lawmaker brandished naked pictures of Hunter Biden, who has become a target for Republicans as they try to inflict damage on his father ahead of the November election.
“I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel. And I’m really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction,” Mrs Biden told MSNBC’s Morning Joe talk show.
Newcastle not immune from having to sell top talent
Newcastle’s backing from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund does not mean they will not have to sell some of their top players, the club’s chief executive admitted after posting a £73 million (S$120 million) loss for the 2022/2023 season.
The Magpies have improved on the pitch since a takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund in October 2021 when they sat 19th in the Premier League table.
Newcastle finished fourth last season, to return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, and reached the League Cup final. However, they were not as active as expected in the summer transfer window and have paid a price this season as an injury crisis has left Eddie Howe’s squad on its knees.
