Briefly

UNITED STATES

Troubled 737 Max takes to the skies

Pilots and test crew members from the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Co are slated to begin a three-day certification test campaign for the 737 Max on Monday, sources said. The grounding of the fast-selling 737 Max in March last year after crashes killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia triggered lawsuits, investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice and cut off a key source of Boeing's cash. After a preflight briefing over several hours, the crew will board a 737 Max 7 outfitted with test equipment at Boeing Field near Seattle, one of the sources said. The crew will run methodically scripted mid-air scenarios such as steep-banking turns, progressing to more extreme maneuvers on a route primarily over Washington state.

IRELAND

Micheal Martin chosen as new PM

Fianna Fail party leader Micheal Martin was elected as new prime minister of Ireland in a vote on Saturday at a special meeting of the lower house of parliament. Announcing the voting results, Sean O Fearghail, speaker of the lower house of parliament, declared that Martin had won the election by receiving 93 votes in favor, 63 votes against and three abstentions. Following the announcement of his win in the vote, Martin delivered a short speech to the deputies sitting sparsely in the 2,000-seat auditorium of the Convention Center Dublin, a venue chosen to ensure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that there is no question of what this government's most important work will be and there is no part of his country that has escaped untouched from COVID-19. "Our country has shown time and time again that we can overcome the toughest of challenges－and we will do so again," Martin said.

NIGERIA

8 killed, 8 injured in road accident

Eight people were confirmed killed and eight others injured on Saturday following a road accident in central Nigeria, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps. Joel Dagwa, a commander of the road safety police in the north-central state of Niger, said the accident involved a bus and an articulated vehicle at Labozhip village, along the Mokwa-Bida road in the state. A total of 22 people were involved in the accident, and six were unhurt, Dagwa said. The accident was caused by speeding and loss control, Dagwa said, adding a further investigation will be done.

Xinhua - Agencies