Headline

China’s First Locally Made Passenger Jet Makes Maiden Commercial Flight

Published

12 months ago

May 28, 2023

Editor

China’s first domestically produced passenger jet made its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, a milestone event in the nation’s decades-long effort to compete with Western rivals in the air.

Beijing hopes the C919 commercial jetliner will challenge foreign models like the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320, though many of its parts are sourced from abroad.

Its first homegrown jetliner with mass commercial potential would also cut the country’s reliance on foreign technology as ties with the West deteriorate.

“In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel by large, domestically produced aircraft,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191 from Shanghai “arrived smoothly” in Beijing just after 12:30 pm, around 40 minutes ahead of schedule, according to CCTV.

Footage showed passengers filing out of the plane and into the terminal, before a few dozen staff and officials posed for photographs in a brief ceremony on the tarmac.

“(The flight) was extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable. I think I’ll remember this fondly for some time to come,” a male passenger told CCTV.

The broadcaster had aired footage of the plane rising into the skies above Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on Sunday morning, saying it had 130 passengers on board.

State media footage showed passengers gathering at the sun-drenched Shanghai airfield to admire the sleek white jet before embarking.

Passengers received red boarding passes and a sumptuous “themed meal” to commemorate the flight, CCTV reported.

Other footage showed passengers waving national flags and singing a patriotic song while a cake was being cut during the flight.

China has invested heavily in the production of the homegrown jet as it seeks to become self-sufficient in key technologies.

The aircraft is manufactured by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, but many of its parts — including its engines — are sourced from overseas.

Zhang Xiaoguang, COMAC’s director of marketing and sales, told state news agency Xinhua the flight was a “coming-of-age ceremony (for) the new aircraft”, adding the C919 “will get better if it stands the test of the market”.

– ‘Important milestone’ –

From Monday, the C919 will operate on China Eastern’s regular route between Shanghai and the southwestern city of Chengdu, CCTV reported.

The first model of the narrow-body jet was formally handed over to China Eastern last year during a ceremony at an airport in Shanghai, hailed by state media as “an important milestone” for the country’s aircraft industry.

Zhang Yujin, COMAC’s deputy general manager, told state-backed Shanghai outlet The Paper in January that the company had taken around 1,200 orders for the C919.

COMAC planned to increase annual production capacity to 150 models within five years, Zhang said at the time.

Asia and China in particular are key targets for European manufacturer Airbus and its American rival Boeing, which are looking to capitalise on the growing demand for air travel from the country’s vast middle class.

Last month, Airbus said it would double its production capacity in China, signing a deal to build a second final assembly line for the A320 in Tianjin.

The first assembly site in the northern city opened in 2008 and produces four A320s a month, with Airbus hoping to increase that to six per month before the end of the year.
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Headline

32-year-old Nigerian Doctor Killed In US, Father Mourns

Published

57 mins ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

A 32-year-old Nigerian doctor, Uzochukwu Davis Igboanugo, has been killed by a drunk driver in the United States of America.

Uzochukwu, the son of prominent Igbo businessman, Chief I.K.B. Igboanugo, the founder of I.K.B Industries Limited, was killed while driving home after work three weeks ago.

The grieving father who confirmed the tragic incident in a Facebook post on Monday, May 13, 2024, said the drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel while speeding on the highway and rammed into his son’s car.

He described his son as a very happy, intelligent, friendly, caring, nice and loving boy.

“I lost my son 3 weeks ago, I have been crying like a baby. A medical doctor ( Ophthalmologist) in America,” Chief Igboanugo wrote.

His post reads further: “An accident victim of a drunkard who fell asleep while speeding on the highway, jumped his lane in the opposite direction and hit with speed force on the driver’s side door where my son was as he was driving home after work.

“We can’t question God as He has the final decision.

“Always pray as a parent not to loose any of your child irrespective of his behaviour because loss of a child can kill any parent.

“Uzochukwu my son was a very nice boy, always happy, intelligent, friendly, caring, loving, sociable etc.

“He was 32yrs old, not yet married despite my nagging, he sacrificed all his time and achieved Ophthalmology which is a very difficult medical course in the history of reading medicine to become a medical doctor.

“Since his death I have been going through mental and psychological trauma as my doctor has been warning me.

“My wife also has not been her self. Pls don’t wish your worst enemy this type of tragedy, now I pray for anybody who has not lost his child never to experience it. It is hellish and a disaster.

“Uzochukwu my son you are now in God’s bosom and working for Him that was why he took you this early. As your soul will rest in God’s bosom in Jesus name.”

Headline

Miss USA Teen 2023 Runner-up Declines Title After Winner Stepped Down

Published

1 hour ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

The news comes after a shocking beauty pageant scandal, which saw both Miss USA 2023 and Miss Teen USA 2023 announcing that they were resigning within days of each other amid reports of bullying and harassment.

Miss USA Noelia Voigt, 24, first shared her surprise resignation via Instagram, explaining that she wanted to focus on her “physical and mental well-being.”

It was then followed by 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava announcing she too was stepping down because her personal values “no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”

Now, Miss New York Teen USA Stephanie, 19, who was the first runner-up of the Miss Teen USA pageant, has revealed that she was offered the crown but ultimately refused it because she can’t “give up [her] character.”

Stephanie, 19, told People in an interview published May 13: “I worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this goal to become Miss Teen USA and although this title was a dream of mine, I believe one thing I will never give up is my character.”

While the Miss New York Teen USA admitted that it was an “extremely difficult” choice to make, she said she was confident that it was “the right decision.”

Stephanie’s rejection of the title arrives less than a week after UmaSofia, 17, shared that she was leaving behind her Miss Teen USA role in the wake of Miss USA 2023 winner Noelia Voigt’s resignation.

“After careful consideration,” UmaSofia wrote in a May 8 Instagram post, “I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”

Her statement further adds to the speculation about the dark underbelly surrounding the pageant.

“Hi everyone. As many of you know, on August 6, 2023, I was crowned Miss New York Teen USA 2023,” Stephanie wrote on Instagram on Sunday, May 12.

She went on to note that she had put “every ounce of [her] being” into achieving her dream of winning and “sacrificed” many things in her life.

The 19-year-old explained that her life changed when she was awarded Miss Teen USA runner-up and was given the opportunity to take up the crown when UmaSofia stepped down.

She added: “In light of recent events, I have decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA 2023. This was not an easy decision. I hope for respect of my choice as this was a decision I never asked to make. My word is my everything.”

In her announcement, Stephanie made her opinions on the previous winners extremely clear as she noted that she stood with them.

“In addition, although I don’t know what Uma and Noelia went through to lead them to resign, I am sending them immense love and support. What I do know is that my core values are integrity, honor, kindness, and most importantly, I will always stand for female empowerment,” she said.

Headline

Columbia University Student Rips US Diploma At Commencement Ceremony In Solidarity With Palestine

Published

1 hour ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

A Columbia student has ripped up her diploma during a graduation ceremony, in a pro-Palestinian protest.

Tarsis Salome, a Columbia social work graduate, tore up her certificate while on stage, after weeks of protests at the university over investments linked to Israel.

Other students zip-tied their hands and showed pro-Palestinian signs.

This action by the students comes a fortnight after police were brought in to disband the occupation of a university building and close down an “encampment” on one of the institution’s lawns.

Columbia opted for a smaller graduation ceremony, cancelling its usual university-wide event, in anticipation of more protests.

A university spokesman said that ceremonies would be held at a sports complex five miles from the campus, due to security concerns.

Columbia, one of the elite group of Ivy League colleges, became the epicentre of a nationwide student protest movement last month, when students pitched tents on the university’s South Lawn.

The protest was copied at other institutions across the world, including Oxford and Cambridge, before being closed down by police.

Baroness Shafik, the British-American peer who serves as Columbia’s president, has called for a “healing” process. She refused student demands for Columbia to divest from Israel companies and cancel a planned foreign centre in Tel Aviv.