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Cockpit window crack forces ANA Boeing flight in Japan to turn back
A domestic All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight in Japan has returned to its departure airport after a crack was reported on the cockpit window during the flight.
The crack appeared in the outermost of the four layers of window surrounding the cockpit. There were no injuries to anyone on board.
ANA flight NH1182 was flying from the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido to Toyama, on Japan’s main island, Honshu.
The plane, a Boeing 737, landed back at Sapporo’s New Chitose airport at around 12:10 local time (3:10 GMT).
A spokesperson for ANA, Japan’s largest carrier, said that the crack had been found as the flight passed over Hakodate. “The crack was not something that affected the flight’s control or pressurisation,” the spokesperson said. The plane headed back to the airport where a safe landing was carried out.
Aviation expert John Strickland said the cause of the crack was still unknown. “These things do sometimes happen, something may have struck the window, for example a bird, a large hailstone, it’s not unheard of”. “You might occasionally get a stress fracture too, from wear and tear,” he added, “but that’s very rare”.
He said the airline would likely have to replace the whole window, not just the broken layer, to make sure the aircraft was completely safe.
There were 59 passengers and six crew members on board. Alternative flights were arranged for the passengers.
This is the second incident involving a Boeing 737 model aircraft in as many weeks. However the ANA flight was not one of Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 airplanes, but an earlier version which was “by no means old”, Mr Strickland said.
All Boeing 737-9 aircraft have been grounded by the US aviation regulator the FAA after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that saw a cabin panel fall off a new plane in mid air, leaving a gaping hole in the side of its fuselage last week. That plane, carrying 177 passengers and crew, had to make an emergency landing in the US state of Oregon. On Friday the FAA extended the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes indefinitely for further safety checks and said it would tighten oversight of Boeing itself.
The FAA said the 171 planes with the same configuration as the one in the incident had to stay grounded “for the safety of American travellers”.
(BBC)
European leaders have rallied behind Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump’s furious exchange with the Ukrainian president in the White House.
The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine – with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.
The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who “retains unwavering support for Ukraine”, Downing Street said.
It comes after extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office on Friday as US President Trump clashed with Zelensky, telling him to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”.
[BBC]
South Africa comfortably completed a thorough thrashing of an out-of-sorts England with a seven-wicket victory in Karachi, heading to the semis in style. They’d locked in their spot in the top-four by the halfway stage after bundling out England for just 179. Heinrich Klaasen made a seamless return to the side after missing the tournament opener through injury, notching up his fifth successive half-century in the format. Rassie van der Dussen scored his fifty too, and added 127 runs for the third wicket with Klaasen before wrapping up the game in the 30th over.
The England bowlers started slightly better than their batters as Jofra Archer struck twice in the PowerPlay. Tristan Stubbs fell for a five-ball duck in his first-ever opening gig in professional cricket when he played a ball onto his stumps in the third over. Saqib Mahmood then offered Ryan Rickleton a reprieve but Archer ensured that didn’t matter as he knocked back the stumps of the other opener in the ninth over. But England struggled to break through any further as van der Dussen and Klaasen put their side comfortably on course to surmount the small target ahead of them.
Jos Buttler tried throwing everything at the pair in search of a wicket. One of England’s best bowlers – Adil Rashid – tried in vain from both ends to break the partnership. Buttler even brought back Archer for his eighth over, in just the 21st of the innings. Klaasen back foot-punched the quick twice to mark his first game of the tournament with a 41-ball 50. By the halfway of the chase, van der Dussen brought up his fifty. With just six to get, Rashid ended the partnership with the wicket of Klaasen but David Miller sealed the chase with a straight six in the 30th over.
This humbling end to England’s woeful Champions Trophy campaign originated in the first half, when Buttler chose to bat in the hope of repeating what South Africa did to Afghanistan at the venue. What transpired though was disappointingly contrasting for his side. Marco Jansen sent the trio of Phil Salt, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett packing by the seventh over. A 62-run partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook turned out to be the best England could offer, as their downward spiral hastened once Keshav Maharaj dismissed Brook, through a sensational catch from Jansen.
Root, who started well, was then cleaned up by Wiaan Mulder, while Maharaj lured Liam Livingstone out of his crease to have him stumped. Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer showed a modicum of resistance in a 42-run stand but that barely moved the needle for England. Mulder dismissed the latter and finished with figures of 3-25 in 7.2 overs as England folded in the 39th over. Any hopes that Archer kindled with his opening spell were clinically crushed by the South African batters as the chase was wrapped up with 125 balls to spare.
Brief Scores:
England 179 in 38.2 overs (Joe Root 37; Wiaan Mulder 3-25, Marco Jansen 3-39, Keshav Maharaj 2-35) lost to South Africa 181/3 in 29.1 overs (Rassie van der Dussen 72*, Heinrich Klaasen 64; Jofra Archer 2-55) by 7 wickets
The Matara Magistrate’s Court has imposed an overseas travel ban on former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon following a request made by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today [01]
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Pope has ‘peaceful night’ after breathing crisis, Vatican says
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