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Kamis, 19 November 2020

Thai protesters take on authorities in 'rubber duck revolution' - CNA

BANGKOK: On top of a giant yellow inflatable duck, a rebel Buddhist monk in saffron robes displayed a defiant three finger salute at a protest in central Bangkok.

Scores of the pool toys bobbed through a crowd about 20,000 strong on Wednesday (Nov 18) as activists descended on the Thai national police headquarters to throw paint and scrawl obscene anti-royal slogans on the streets.

The cute yellow birds are fast becoming a symbol of the Thai protests after demonstrators used them a day earlier as shields against the burning spray of police water cannon and tear gas at a rally near parliament.

Tuesday saw the most violent confrontations since the rallies kicked off in July - six people were shot during scuffles between royalists and democracy activists.

READ: Thai PM says all laws to be used against protesters

A monk at a Bangkok rally Nov 18, 2020 — A man wearing monk robes and a gas mask carries a water pistol as he holds up the three-finger salute during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on Nov 18, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Mladen Antonov)

Yellow inflatable ducks are fast becoming a symbol of the Thai pro-democracy protests — Yellow inflatable ducks are fast becoming a symbol of the Thai protests. (Photo: AFP/Jack Taylor)

The youth-led movement is demanding a new constitution, making unprecedented calls to reform the untouchable monarchy, and for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Footage of Thailand's so-called "rubber duck revolution" has gone viral on social media this week.

"If the politics are good, ducks will only be used in the pool," one Twitter user remarked.

"Here you go, the most terrifying weapon from the protesters' side: An inflatable duck," a Facebook user wrote.

"Duck is a fighter, no matter how much people bully him, he still keeps smiling," a Thai man tweeted alongside a picture of a battered and slightly deflated duck.

READ: Protesting the Thai way: With pork barbecue

Large inflatable ducks are lined up on the road in Bangkok Nov 18, 2020 — Large inflatable ducks are lined up on the road during an anti-government rally at a major intersection in Bangkok on Nov 18, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Mladen Antonov)

Thailand's 'rubber duck revolution' is calling for a new constitution, reforms to the — Thailand's "rubber duck revolution" is calling for a new constitution, reforms to the monarchy and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. (Photo: AFP/Jack Taylor)

The duck protest appearances have also inspired a bevy of artwork.

Thai artist Wannasin "Matthew" Inpin used a tablet computer to whip up a cartoon of a part-duck part-strong man figure protecting protesters.

"Rubber ducks are very fragile and I think it is not a fair fight at all but I think this act shows the protesters? fearlessness and strength to fight back," he told AFP.

"That's why I drew the duck as a strong animal who protects protesters and is not afraid of dictatorship."

The inflatable pool ducks are retailing on Lazada Thailand, an online shopping portal, for 499 baht (US$15).

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DUCKS GONE GLOBAL

It's not the first time the bathtime buddies have been used as symbols of defiance and protest.

In 2013 Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's 16m inflatable duck sculpture floated in Hong Kong's harbour but swiftly became mired in controversy.

COMMENTARY: The Milk Tea Alliance sweeping through Thailand is a force to be reckoned with

A demonstrator uses a shield as a protection against water cannons during an anti-government protes — A demonstrator uses a shield as a protection against water cannon during an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

Demonstrators use inflatable rubber ducks as shields to protect themselves from water cannons durin — Demonstrators use inflatable rubber ducks as shields to protect themselves from water cannon during an anti-government protest outside the parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

A Weibo user edited a famous image from the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, replacing tanks with ducks prompting a Chinese government internet search ban on "big yellow duck".

Giant inflatable rubber ducks featured in protests in Brazil in 2016 during a push to impeach then-president Dilma Rousseff and highlight the economic "quackery" of her government amid a downturn.

And they also became a symbol of protest in Russia in 2017 when it emerged then-prime minister Dmitry Medvedev had multiple luxury estates including one that featured a special house for ducks on a pond.

READ: Thai police fire tear gas, water cannon at parliament protest

A rubber duck in Bangkok — A rubber duck is seen on the fence outside the National Police's Central Investigation Bureau in Bangkok on Nov 18, 2020. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

A pro-democracy protester walks with an inflatable duck during an anti-government rally in Bangkok — A protester walks with an inflatable duck during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on Nov 18, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Jack Taylor)

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2020-11-19 14:33:56Z
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Thai protesters direct anger against police after violent clash near parliament - South China Morning Post

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Thai protesters direct anger against police after violent clash near parliament South China Morning Post
Thai Parliament rejects monarchy reform as protesters spray paint at police HQ The Straits Times
Duck and cover: Blow-up mascots star at Thai protests Yahoo Singapore News
Protesting the Thai way: with pork barbecue CNA
Thailand's protests shatter taboos but so far produce little change The Straits Times
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2020-11-19 09:11:38Z
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‘We will not go back in history’: Xi pledges to sign new free-trade agreements - South China Morning Post

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2020-11-19 05:04:48Z
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Rabu, 18 November 2020

Victims of deadly crashes overshadow Boeing 737 MAX flight restart - CNA

NEW YORK: Brittney Riffel was seven months pregnant when the Boeing 737 MAX her husband was aboard slammed into a field in Ethiopia. Now, the plane's imminent return to the skies worries her.

"There are still a lot of issues to be fixed before it can fly again," Riffel told AFP earlier this week. "I feel like they are again cutting corners."

Riffel, who also lost her brother-in-law to the crash, is among around 140 family members of victims from the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines flight now suing Boeing over the calamity, the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.

More than a year and a half after grounding the MAX, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday (Nov 18) cleared the jet for service after requiring a series of upgrades, including to a flight handling system that downed both jets after activating improperly.

READ: US lifts Boeing 737 MAX flight ban after crash probes, tough hurdles remain

The FAA's move opens the way for airlines to resume service on the jet as soon as late December. Aviation experts say the MAX can eventually become a fixture in air fleets again if it develops a reputation for safe and reliable service.

But the jet will face skepticism at the outset - a challenge sharpened by the presence of victims' families who plan to remain vocal as they await their day in court with Boeing.

Riffel said she feels "blessed with family and friends" who have supported her and her and her daughter since the tragedy, but "nothing can heal the fact that your loved one died due to corporate greed, money, politics and power," she said.

She plans to keep speaking out.

"We are not just grieving family members, but we are concerned as members of the flying public," Riffel said. "We care about this not happening to anyone else."

WITHERING CRITICISM

The Ethiopian Airlines crash came less than five months after a 737 MAX flying for Lion Air crashed in Indonesia. In both cases, an anti-stall system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) repeatedly pointed the jets downward, preventing pilots from regaining control of the planes.

Subsequent reviews and congressional investigations have raised pointed questions about why Boeing and the FAA did not ground the jet after the Lion Air crash.

Recovered debris from the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT 610 shown in October 2018 shortly after its crash. (Photo: AFP/Adek Berry)

There have been revelations about employees inside Boeing who complained about a lax approach to safety and damning internal messages between Boeing employees about misleading regulators, including one 2017 missive that said the MAX was "designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys".

A 239-page congressional report released in September summarized the calamities as "the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing's engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing's management and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA."

ENOUGH TRANSPARENCY?

In clearing the MAX, the FAA said it followed an exhaustive process to vet the jet before its recertification, which included a test flight by Administrator Stephen Dickson.

In August, the agency released a 91-page technical review document outlining its rationale for the proposed airworthiness declaration.

Boeing, too, has emphasized its legwork in meeting regulatory demands, conducting about 1,400 test flights as part of a process that includes revamped pilot training and system upgrades to ensure the jet's safe return.

READ: Losing more 737 MAX orders, Boeing eyes jet's US return but Europe tariffs loom

But critics complain that the process remains cloaked in secrecy.

The nonprofit group FlyersRights is suing the FAA for disclosure of documents on the recertification "so independent experts and the public can review the basis on which the FAA intends to unground the plane," the group says on its website.

Attorneys representing the victims in the Boeing litigation say the aviation giant has also refused to share key documents on what happened in the Ethiopian Airlines accident. Boeing said they are barred from releasing such information because the crash is still being probed by Ethiopian authorities.

Hiral Vaidya, who lost several family members in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, fought back tears at an April 2019 Chicago press conference announcing a lawsuit against Boeing. (Photo: AFP/Scott Olson)

"Boeing has been very slow in producing relevant materials, documents that will help the relatives understand why their loved ones died," said Chicago attorney Bob Clifford, the lead counsel in the case.

Clifford expects the litigation to play out over at least a couple more years. Some families will likely settle, but others want to confront Boeing.

"Every person has different goals," Clifford said. "You can be sure that there will be some families who will insist on seeing Boeing admit its negligence and fault or will go to trial."

Riffel is among those who plan to keep fighting.

"I don't care about the money," she said. "I want justice."

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2020-11-19 01:13:17Z
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US lifts Boeing 737 MAX flight ban after crash probes, tough hurdles remain - CNA

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE: The United States lifted a 20-month-old flight ban on Boeing's 737 MAX on Wednesday (Nov 18), easing a safety crisis that left its top exporter with a tarnished reputation and hundreds of idle jets. But relatives of crash victims denounced the move.

US Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson signed an order lifting the longest jet grounding in commercial aviation history, and the agency released final details of the software, system and training upgrades Boeing and airlines must complete before carrying passengers.

When flights resume, Boeing will be running a 24-hour war room to monitor all MAX flights for potential problems, from stuck landing gear to health emergencies, three people familiar with the matter said.

The 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people within five months in 2018 and 2019 and triggered a hailstorm of investigations, frayed US leadership in global aviation and cost Boeing some US$20 billion.

READ: FAA chief '100 per cent confident' of 737 MAX safety as flights to resume

READ: Losing more 737 MAX orders, Boeing eyes jet's US return but Europe tariffs loom

"This airplane is the most scrutinised airplane in aviation history," Dickson told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "The design changes that are being put in place completely eliminate the possibility of an accident occurring that is similar to the two accidents."

"I feel 100 per cent confident," he added. "We have run this thing top to bottom ... We’ve done everything humanly possible to make sure."

While US airlines can start flying commercially once they complete the FAA's requirements, including a one-time simulator training session for all MAX pilots, flights elsewhere will depend on approval from other regulators across the globe.

In a show of independence, Canada and Brazil said on Wednesday they were continuing their own reviews but expected to conclude the process soon, illustrating how the 737 MAX crashes upended a once US-dominated airline safety system in which nations large and small for decades moved in lock-step with the FAA.

Questions remain over how quickly other regulators, especially in China, will lift their flight bans.

The US planemaker's best-selling jet will make its comeback facing headwinds from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, new European trade tariffs and mistrust of one of the most scrutinized brands in aviation.

The 737 MAX is a re-engined upgrade of a jet introduced in the 1960s. Single-aisle jets like the MAX and rival Airbus A320neo are workhorses that dominate global fleets and provide a major source of industry profit.

Boeing shares were down 2.3 per cent at US$205.27 late on Wednesday afternoon.

Families of the Ethiopian crash victims said in a statement they felt "sheer disappointment and renewed grief" following the FAA's decision to return the aircraft to service.

"Our family was broken," Naoise Ryan, whose 39-year-old husband died aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, said on Tuesday.

LONG RUNWAY AHEAD

While regulators were quick to ground the plane globally after the second MAX crash in March 2019, the process of putting it back in the air is long and complex.

The FAA is requiring new pilot training and software upgrades to deal with a stall-prevention system called MCAS, which in both crashes repeatedly shoved down the jet's nose as pilots struggled to regain control.

READ: Boeing reports more 737 MAX cancellations, deliveries fall

READ: Boeing 737 MAX safety upgrades are 'positive progress': NTSB

US airlines with 737 MAX jets said on Wednesday they would complete the FAA's maintenance and training requirement as they gradually return the plane to schedules that have been drastically reduced in the pandemic.

American Airlines plans to relaunch the first commercial MAX flight since the grounding on Dec 29, followed by United Airlines in the first quarter of 2021 and Southwest Airlines in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines expects to receive its first 737 MAX early next year and begin passenger service in March.

However, in a sign of the worsening economy since the MAX was grounded, Boeing customer Norwegian Air sought bankruptcy protection on Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The FAA, which has faced accusations of being too close to Boeing in the past, said it plans in-person inspections of some 450 737 MAXs built and parked during the flight ban which could take at least a year to complete, prolonging the jets' deliveries.

A humbled Boeing is scrambling to keep up maintenance and find new buyers for many of its mothballed 737 MAXs. Boeing, which in normal years describes itself as the largest US exporter, has removed more than 1,000 MAX jets from its official backlog because orders were cancelled or were in doubt.

"Every next plane we deliver is an opportunity to rebuild our brand and regain trust," Boeing's chief executive, Dave Calhoun, told employees in a memo.

Even with all the hurdles, resuming deliveries of the 737 MAX will generate cash for Boeing and hundreds of strained parts suppliers.

Boeing Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said last month he expects about half of the 450 stored jets to be delivered by the end of next year, with the majority of remaining jets handed over in 2022.

Investigation reports have faulted Boeing and the FAA on the plane's development and for concealing information about MCAS from pilots, while a Justice Department criminal probe is ongoing. Dickson said the FAA is still reviewing Boeing's actions in the MAX and could take additional enforcement actions. Boeing also faces lawsuits from victims' families.

US lawmakers are also weighing proposals to reform the jet safety certification process.

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2020-11-18 23:48:40Z
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Canada feared for safety of Meng witness in Macau who refuses to testify - South China Morning Post

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2020-11-18 19:05:20Z
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US lifts Boeing 737 MAX flight ban after crash probes, tough hurdles remain - CNA

WASHINGTON: The US government gave the green light to Boeing Co's 737 MAX on Wednesday (Nov 18) after fatal crashes halted flights 20 months ago, starting a lengthy process for clearing hundreds of grounded jets as the planemaker faced criticism from victims' families.

US Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson signed an order lifting the longest jet grounding in commercial aviation history, and the agency released details of the software, system and training upgrades Boeing and airlines must complete before carrying passengers.

READ: FAA chief '100 per cent confident' of 737 MAX safety as flights to resume

READ: Losing more 737 MAX orders, Boeing eyes jet's US return but Europe tariffs loom

"We've done everything humanly possible to make sure" these types of crashes do not happen again, Dickson told Reuters, saying he felt "100 per cent confident" in the plane's safety.

Questions remain over how quickly other regulators, especially in China, will lift their flight bans.

Boeing shares were up 0.9 per cent at US$211.95 on Wednesday afternoon amid a slightly higher broader market. Shares of major US airlines also rose.

When flights resume, Boeing will be running a 24-hour war room to monitor all MAX flights for issues that could impact the jet's return, from stuck landing gear to health emergencies, three people familiar with the matter said.

Families of the Ethiopian crash victims said in a statement they felt "sheer disappointment and renewed grief" following the FAA's decision to return the aircraft to service.

"Our family was broken," Naoise Ryan, whose 39-year-old husband died aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, said on Tuesday.

LONG RUNWAY AHEAD

While regulators were quick to ground the plane globally after the second MAX crash in March 2019, the process of putting the planes back in the air is long and complex.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines expects to receive its first 737 MAX early next year and begin passenger service in March.

READ: Boeing reports more 737 MAX cancellations, deliveries fall

READ: Boeing 737 MAX safety upgrades are 'positive progress': NTSB

A humbled Boeing is scrambling to keep up maintenance and find new buyers for many of its mothballed 737 MAXs after receiving cancellations from their original buyers.

"Every next plane we deliver is an opportunity to rebuild our brand and regain trust," Boeing's chief executive, Dave Calhoun, told employees in a memo.

Calhoun's message and a company statement avoided references to the "MAX" brand, referring to it instead as the "737-8" and "737-9".

Even with all the hurdles, resuming deliveries of the 737 MAX will generate cash for Boeing and hundreds of strained parts suppliers.

Investigative reports have faulted Boeing and the FAA on the plane's development and for concealing information about MCAS from pilots, while a criminal probe is under way at the US Department of Justice. Boeing also faces lawsuits from victims' families.

US lawmakers are also weighing proposals to reform the jet safety certification process.

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