While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 21, 2025
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Passengers leaving the Delta Air Lines regional jet after it landed and turned over at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Fast descent warning triggered on Delta jet that went belly-up
A safety warning system went off in a Delta Air Lines regional jet, signalling a fast descent before it landed and flipped over at Canada’s largest airport in February, the country’s Transportation Safety Board said on March 20.
Despite nearly two dozen injured passengers, none of the 80 people died on board flight DL4819, a CRJ900 jet operated by Delta’s Endeavor Air subsidiary from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport.
The plane hit the runway at a 50 per cent greater descent velocity than the rate its landing gear was designed to absorb, according to a preliminary report from the TSB, an independent transportation safety agency.
The sink rate warning came on less than three seconds before touchdown, said TSB investigator Ken Webster who is handling the probe.
Scientist denied entry to US over opinion on Trump policy
A French scientist has been denied entry into the US, apparently because the scientist had expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy, the French Education Ministry said on March 20.
“I learned with concern that a French researcher on assignment for the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) who was travelling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled,” Mr Philippe Baptiste, Minister for Higher Education and Research, said in a statement to AFP.
The measure was apparently taken because the scientist had expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy, he added, but did not elaborate.
Trump brings the bling with gold-plated Oval Office
Donald Trump promised a new “Golden Age” for America. In the Oval Office, at least, he has lived up to his promise with a blingy makeover.
The Republican has decked out the inner sanctum of the US presidency with gilded trophies and gold-plated, Trump-branded coasters, and filled almost every available inch of wall space with portraits of his predecessors.
Almost every day seems to bring something new. This week, Mr Trump unveiled a copy of the Declaration of Independence – the historic document triggering America’s freedom from the British monarchy 250 years ago.
ChatGPT faces libel complaint over murder ‘horror story’
OpenAI is facing a complaint about its chatbot making up a “horror story”, by falsely describing a Norwegian man as having murdered his children, a privacy campaign group said on March 20.
The US tech giant has faced a series of complaints that its ChatGPT gives false information, which can damage people’s reputations.
Norwegian user Arve Hjalmar Holmen “was confronted with a made up horror story” when he wanted to find out if ChatGPT had any information about him, campaign group Noyb said. The chatbot presented him as a convicted criminal who murdered two of his children and attempted to murder his third son.
New IOC chief wants sit-down with Trump on LA 2028 Games
International Olympic Committee’s newly-elected President Kirsty Coventry wants to sit down with United States President Donald Trump to make sure the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are successful, she said on March 20.
Since taking office on Jan 20, Trump has announced a number of executive orders that focus on stricter border entry requirements, tighter visa vetting procedures and a crackdown on undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Several IOC members on March 20 who said they had long waits for US visas expressed concerns over entry regulations for athletes travelling to the LA 2028 Olympics, asking US Games organisers for clarifications, given Mr Trump’s hardline border policies.
