Category: News

Alaska Airlines experienced an emergency that could have had serious consequences for the 177 passengers and crew last Friday, when a piece of the plane broke off mid-air, leading to a grounding order for further inspection of the Boeing 737 Max 9.

The wreckage was found in a residential area of Oregon.

A missing door plug that could be key to the investigation into what caused it to detach from a plane midflight has been found in the backyard of a Portland area resident, officials say. https://t.co/PsFfckvaWy

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 8, 2024

An investigation is now underway into the incident involving Alaska Airlines flight 1282, during which a door plug on the Boeing 737 MAX 9 separated from the aircraft at an altitude of 16,000 feet. Shortly after takeoff, the flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, as the detachment of the plug caused rapid decompression in the cabin.

This situation caused chaos among passengers and crew.

Fortunately, the emergency landing was uneventful. The 171 passengers on board and the six crew members suffered no serious injuries. This incident is just one of many challenges the Boeing 737 Max has faced, including two fatal crashes in five months between 2018 and 2019.

In total, 346 people lost their lives.

The immediate grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9s, which share a similar configuration to the aircraft involved in the Alaska Airlines incident, has been ordered. This directive will affect around 171 aircraft worldwide, which will have to undergo an immediate inspection of cabin door plugs, components and fastenings.

The cancellation of several hundred flights has caused major disruption to the networks of both airlines. While the carriers deal with the consequences of these cancellations, customers have been advised to check the status of their flights and consider rebooking.

The airline industry claims that the 737 Max is a reliable aircraft, but the recent incident will do little to reassure an already nervous public…

Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, unleashed a storm of criticism with his most recent remarks at a rally in New Hampshire, when Trump’s remarks were compared to quotes from Adolf Hitler, sparking outrage from his political opponents and even members of his own party.

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1736633803139961012

During his speech to supporters, Donald Trump declared that immigrants, particularly those from Africa and Asia, were contaminating America and poisoning the blood of Americans.

Joe Biden’s campaign reacted strongly to Trump’s remarks. The former president was described by a spokesman as an emulator of dictatorial figures. In a press release, Joe Biden’s campaign said Donald Trump was “drawing inspiration from his role models by quoting Vladimir Putin, echoing Adolf Hitler and praising Kim Jong Un”.

Other well-known Republicans also distanced themselves from Trump’s remarks.

With the former president hoping for a rematch between himself and President Joe Biden in 2024, debates are heating up and it’s hard to predict the finality of this election cycle.

Pope Francis has approved a document that will allow priests to bless same-sex partners, the BBC reports.

This is a historic decision for the Roman Catholic Church!

https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1736781117196259409

The document recently approved by the Vatican specifies that if blessings of this nature are permitted, they must not be confused with or included in the usual ecclesiastical rituals. Nor should they be celebrated at the same time as civil union ceremonies. This careful wording is intended to differentiate blessings from the sacrament of marriage. Marriage, as understood by the Church, remains a lifelong union between a man and a woman.

The decision is part of Pope Francis’ efforts to reach out to and include LGBTQ+ Catholics.

It represents a reversal of the Vatican’s previous position, affirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2021.

Church conservatives are firmly opposed to the Pope’s inclusion efforts, needless to say…

The European Union has launched its first official investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA) into X (formerly Twitter). The investigation will determine whether X has failed in its duty to combat illegal content, misinformation and manipulation, BBC reports.

EU takes action against Elon Musk's X over disinformation https://t.co/RmB2kboF3N

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 18, 2023

Thierry Breton is the European Commissioner for the Information Society. He stressed that the EU suspects X of having breached its transparency obligations.

Another point of contention concerns X’s recent changes to its verification process, the so-called blue brackets.

X has stated that it is cooperating with the regulatory authorities.

If X is found guilty of breaching data protection law, it could face significant penalties, including fines of up to 6% of its global sales, which could have a major impact on its financial situation, which is already stormy and fluctuating, to say the least.

The action was also prompted by wider EU concerns, notably about the proliferation of violent or terrorist content.

The European Commission is still gathering evidence, and no legal deadline has been set for the conclusion of the investigation.