Trump Grounds All Boeing 737 Flights, Along With Other Countries

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On Wednesday, President Trump announced that the United States will ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in the United States, joining the European Union, India, and China, among others, which have suspended flights by the airplane after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 on Sunday that killed 157 people. Trump stated, “Those planes are grounded effective immediately. Safety is our paramount concern.” . . .

Last October, a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight was lost over the Java Sea, killing 189 people. After that incident, the FAA sent out an emergency airworthiness directive to carriers and pilots in training on the 737 MAX 8 “to disengage the aircraft’s automated controls if there are anomalies.”

As The Daily Wire reported on Tuesday, the European Union and India announced they were banning the Boeing 737 Max from flying over their airspace, according to the BBC. The United Kingdom and China had banned the airplane already; the FAA in the U.S. had said the plane was airworthy, although Southwest Airlines, which operates 34 Boeing 737 Max airplanes, the most of any in America, said passengers booked on any flight with that airplane will be permitted to change their reservations. American Airlines, which operates 24 of the planes, stated its “standard policies for changes still apply.”

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation said the 737 would be grounded “immediately,” adding, “These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.” The EU Aviation Safety Agency stated the flights would be banned “as a precautionary measure.” It also stated, “The accident investigation is currently ongoing, and it is too early to draw any conclusions as to the cause of the accident.” . . .

Boeing has described the 737 series, which includes the 737 Max 7, 737 Max 8, 737 Max9, and 737 Max 10. Each new edition features more seats, as the “most popular jet aircraft of all time.” The 737 Max 8 typically contains between 162-178 seats, with a maximum of 210. It has a range of 6,570 kilometers, or roughly 4082 miles. It is almost 130 feet long and has a wingspan of almost 118 feet. As with the other aforementioned planes, its engine is a LEAP-1B from CFM International. (Read more from “Trump Grounds All Boeing 737 Flights, Along With Other Countries” HERE)

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Bishop Accused of Sexual Abuse Invited to Private Retreat With Pope Francis

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An Argentinean bishop and personal friend of Pope Francis who suddenly resigned and fled his diocese after being accused of the sexual abuse of seminarians and who now holds a high-ranking post in the Vatican, is currently participating in a private spiritual retreat with Pope Francis and other senior Vatican officials, according to an article published today in the Catholic Herald.

The Herald reports that Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, who is the former bishop of Orán, Argentina, is attending the exclusive retreat, which is being conducted for the Pope and 64 members of the Roman Curia by a Benedictine abbot at a retreat center outside of Rome. The retreat began yesterday and is scheduled to last until March 15.

The inclusion of Zanchetta in the retreat follows reports that Vatican officials, apparently including Pope Francis himself, have been aware since 2015 of well-substantiated accusations against Zanchetta of inappropriate conduct with male seminarians, as well as other forms of personal misbehavior on the part of the bishop, including his sharing naked selfies on Whatsapp showing the bishop in a posture of self-abuse.

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti has denied it was informed of the accusations in 2015, but admits that it has known of them since autumn of last year, when it says an internal investigation was begun of Zanchetta.

In addition, prosecutors in Argentina say they have opened two criminal investigations based on accusations of sexual abuse filed against Zanchetta in the province of Salta, where Zanchetta was a bishop. (Read more from “Bishop Accused of Sexual Abuse Invited to Private Retreat With Pope Francis” HERE)

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Iran Reaches Verdict in Case Against Detained Navy Veteran

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By ABC News. Iran’s judiciary has delivered a verdict against U.S. Navy veteran Michael White who was detained last July in Iran but there is no information as to what the ruling contained, a semi-official news agency reported Monday.

A prosecutor in the northeastern city of Mashdad, Gholamali Sadeghi, was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency that the “verdict has been issued” against White and that he faced unspecified security charges.

Sadeghi’s remarks counter a February statement by the Iranian foreign ministry, which said White faces no security or espionage charge. There was no immediate explanation on the discrepancies. . .

White, who has been held in Mashhad, is the first American known to be detained since Donald Trump became president. Trump has pursued a maximalist campaign against Tehran that includes America’s withdrawal of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Iran has in the past detained Westerners and dual nationals to use them as leverage in negotiations.

White’s family says he traveled to Iran to visit his girlfriend — the two met online — and was arbitrarily detained. Joanne White, the detainee’s mother, said in January that he was undergoing cancer treatment and that she feared he would not survive prolonged detention. (Read more from “Iran Reaches Verdict in Case Against Detained Navy Veteran” HERE)

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Verdict Issued Against US Navy Veteran Held in Iran

By AP. Iran’s judiciary has delivered a verdict against U.S. Navy veteran Michael White who was detained last July in Iran but there is no information as to what the ruling contained, a semi-official news agency reported Monday.

A prosecutor in the northeastern city of Mashdad, Gholamali Sadeghi, was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency that the “verdict has been issued” against White and that he faced unspecified security charges.

Sadeghi’s remarks counter a February statement by the Iranian foreign ministry, which said White faces no security or espionage charge. There was no immediate explanation on the discrepancies. (Read more rom “Verdict Issued Against US Navy Veteran Held in Iran” HERE)

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China Is Furious With U.S. – Here’s Why

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By The Daily Caller. China lashed back Saturday at the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom’s claim that Beijing is “at war with faith,” calling it slander.

Sam Brownback urged China in a Friday speech in Hong Kong to allow investigations of its detainment camps, in which former Uighur Muslim detainees said they experienced inhumane conditions, torture and brainwashing, and also said the Chinese government must correct the wrongs it has committed against religious freedom in general.

The Chinese foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong in turn demanded that critics stop their “slander” of China’s policies and stop using religious issues to interfere in Chinese affairs. . .

The office called on U.S. officials to “cease their slander of China’s policies on religion and the situation with freedom of faith and cease using religious issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs,” according to The Associated Press.

Brownback said the Trump administrations is “deeply concerned” by China’s oppression of Uighur Muslims, which he characterized as “a deliberate attempt by Beijing to redefine and control these Muslim minority groups, [their] identity, culture and faith.” (Read more from “China Is Furious With U.S. – Here’s Why” HERE)

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China Protests U.S. Criticism of Policies on Religion

By AP. China has issued a protest over remarks the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom made criticizing Beijing’s polices toward Muslim and Tibetan Buddhist minorities and saying the country was “at war with faith.” . . .

China’s constitution and laws protect freedom of religion and critics should “cease their slander of China’s policies on religion and the situation with freedom of faith and cease using religious issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs,” the office said in a statement.

U.S. officials and UN experts say China is believed to be holding 1 million Uighurs, Muslims and members of other majority Muslim ethnic groups in political education camps in Xinjiang. The U.S. and other governments have criticized the crackdown. (Read more from “China Protests U.S. Criticism of Policies on Religion” HERE)

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Venezuela Goes Dark in Worst Blackout in DECADES

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Venezuela entered its fourth day of blackouts in an “electricity crisis” that plunged most of the country’s 23 states, including the state home to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, into complete darkness.

Reuters reports that international non-governmental organizations estimate that at least 17 people have died, nine of whom were waiting for emergency medical attention. Reuters was not able to independently verify the numbers, but they are being tabulated by the non-partisan NGO, Doctors For Health, which has been treating patients in Venezuela.

“The outage is by far the longest in decades. In 2013, Caracas and 17 of the country’s 23 states were hit by a six-hour blackout, while in 2018 eight states suffered a 10-hour power outage, government officials said at the time,” Reuters reported Sunday. Six of the country’s 23 states have no power at all.

Bloomberg reports that the outage began when a transformer exploded at the Guri Dam, one of the nation’s most important hydroelectric plants. The government says the explosion was “sabotage,” but it’s not immediately clear what caused the system to collapse. One government official blamed the problem on eroding infrastructure. . .

Hospitals can’t even use emergency generators because of Venezuela’s ongoing fuel shortage. Without gasoline to power the generators, the country is reliant on the grid system to deliver power, even in emergency situations. (Read more from “Venezuela Goes Dark in Worst Blackout in DECADES” HERE)

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Flight Crashes Killing 157, Including 8 Americans

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An Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff in Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board, including at least eight Americans, according to the Associated Press and other news agencies on the ground in Africa.

Reuters reports that all 149 passengers and eight crew members died aboard the flight, which crashed less than 50 miles (and less than ten minutes) into its planned journey. Eight Americans are among th dead, but Ethiopian state broadcasters listed “Kenyan, Ethiopian, American, Canadian, French, Chinese, Egyptian, Swedish, British, Dutch, Indian, Slovakian, Austrian, Swedish, Russian, Moroccan, Spanish, Polish, and Israeli citizens” among the victims.

Many of the passengers were part of a United Nations delegation, including four members of the U.N.’s World Food Program, headed to an environmental conference in Kenya, also according to Reuters.

The Ethiopian prime minister offered condolences to the friends and family of those who perished in the flight, the Associated Press reports; the airline — Africa’s largest — says that it is still engaged in a search and rescue operation, but that they have found no survivors.

“Tewolde Gebremariam, who is at the accident scene now, regrets to confirm that there are no survivors. He expresses his profound sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of passengers and crew who lost their lives in this tragic accident,” read a post on Ethiopian Airline’s social media accounts mid-day on Sunday. (Read more from “Flight Crashes Killing 157, Including 8 Americans” HERE)

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Japanese Woman Honored by Guinness as Oldest Person

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A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello was honored Saturday as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

The global authority on records officially recognized Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan’s southwest. Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate.

Tanaka was born Jan. 2, 1903, the seventh among eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child. . .

Japanese tend to exhibit longevity and dominate the oldest-person list. Although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it’s still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat. Age is also traditionally respected here, meaning people stay active and feel useful into their 80s and beyond.

But Tanaka has a ways to go before she is the oldest person ever, an achievement of a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years, according to Guinness World Records. (Read more from “Japanese Woman Honored by Guinness as Oldest Person” HERE)

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Ending U.S. War Games With South Korea Will Help Prevent War

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“The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed,” President Trump tweeted Sunday of his administration’s decision to end large-scale war games with South Korean forces. “Also,” Trump added, “reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!” In a follow-up tweet Monday, he redoubled the argument from thrift, insisting the move was not discussed during his recent second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and that anyone saying otherwise is “FAKE NEWS.”

The savings here are not inconsequential—the Pentagon estimates the two annual exercises in question cost about $14 million each—but are easily overshadowed by the more than $800 million the Defense Department spends annually to station U.S. troops in South Korea, to say nothing of the Pentagon’s $700 billion annual budget. But for all Trump downplayed it, the strategic rationale here is more important than the money: It is good to reduce tensions with North Korea, and ending these drills is a positive step toward that end.

That’s why this move comes with South Korean support—indeed, at Seoul’s request. It should be one piece of a broader strategy of Korean-led diplomacy which prioritizes concrete shifts toward peace and normalcy over creation of a tidy but unrealistic denuclearization deal.

This requires a sharp shift away from the rut in which U.S.-North Korean relations have floundered across multiple decades and presidencies. It rejects conceptualizing the United States as the “indispensable nation,” to borrow the Clinton administration’s infamous phrase, and hands the diplomatic reins to our South Korean partners. While Trump’s latest meeting with Kim seems to have done little to move negotiations along, ongoing conversations between Seoul and Pyongyang have racked up a steady stream of small but significant wins over the last year.

Guiding talks with North Korea is a task to which South Korea is uniquely suited in terms of cultural and physical proximity alike. The obscene destruction South Korea would suffer should war break out—far more serious than anything Kim could hope to inflict on the United States—necessitates an invaluable prudence and patience in Seoul’s negotiating which Washington seems incapable of reproducing. (Read more from “Ending U.S. War Games With South Korea Will Help Prevent War” HERE)

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Miami Reporter Missing in Politically Collapsed Venezuela

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WPLG Local 10 News in Miami, Florida lost their contributor in Venezuela Wednesday.

Cody Weddle’s sister, Kelsey McMahan, told Bristol Herald Courier that she believes the country’s authorities arrested him at 8 a.m. that morning after raiding his home in Caracas. Their mother, Sherry Weddle, said that the U.S. Embassy contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but have yet to hear back. She last contacted her son Tuesday on Facebook messenger.

“[I heard from him at] maybe about 6 or 7 yesterday evening and yesterday morning about 10,” Sherry Weddle told CNN. “I asked him how he was doing. He said he was fine and wanted to know how I was.” . . .

Weddle lived in Venezuela since June 2014, covering the economic turmoil, political struggle and humanitarian crisis in the area. One of his recent articles detailed the growing deadlock between political opposition leader Juan Guaido and President Nicolas Maduro as the National Assembly brought in a new board of directors for their oil sector. The new faces of the board consist of people who will give the opposition side more say in Venezuela’s government. . .

“We are working through various channels to get as much information as we can and to see that Cody is released.” said WPLG President & CEO E. R. Bert Medina. “Cody has been dedicated and committed to telling the story in Venezuela to our viewers here in South Florida. The arrest of a journalist doing his job is outrageous and unacceptable.” (Read more from “Miami Reporter Missing in Politically Collapsed Venezuela” HERE)

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CRISPR Babies: The Chinese Government May Have Known More Than It Let On

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When scientist He Jiankui announced he’d conducted an experiment that led to the birth of twin girls with CRISPR-edited genomes in November, the international scientific community swiftly condemned him. In the uproar that followed, the Chinese government, He’s university, and the hospital where the babies were born distanced themselves from the researcher, who claimed he was the first scientist known to use CRISPR to edit human embryos resulting in a live birth — and that a third CRISPR baby was on the way.

But there were also glaring inconsistencies in the official version of events. As the Washington Post reported, a hospital executive appeared on camera in an Associated Press video applauding He’s work, which seemed strange given that the hospital later denounced him. And an informed consent form He used stated that his university funded the experiment. . .

Shortly after He announced his experiment, China’s National Health Commission ordered an investigation of He’s research. In January, an initial government report found that He “seriously violated” state laws in pursuit of “personal fame and fortune.” His university, the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, fired him and said his experiment was done “outside of the school.” . . .

Overall, He has been painted in the media — including in China — as a rogue actor and bad apple, tinkering quietly in a lab while smashing through norms and local laws to feed his ego. He also claimed that he privately funded the work while on unpaid leave from his job as a professor.

But according to a slide presentation, the clinical trials registry, and patient consent forms obtained by journalist Jane Qiu for Stat, three Chinese government institutions were listed as the funders of He’s experiment: the Ministry of Science and Technology (the nation’s federal science agency), the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, and Southern University of Science and Technology, where He was a professor. (Read more from “CRISPR Babies: The Chinese Government May Have Known More Than It Let On” HERE)

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