Briefly

UNITED STATES

Boeing sued for $336m over canceled jet order

Boeing was sued for $336 million on Wednesday by a Kuwaiti leasing company that accused it of wrongly refusing to return advance payments on a now-canceled order for 40 of its troubled 737 Max planes. In a complaint filed in Chicago federal court, ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance Co accused Boeing of breach of contract for keeping the payments despite being unable to deliver the planes or provide a revised delivery schedule. ALAFCO said it canceled its order on March 6 after Boeing failed to deliver nine aircraft on time. It said Boeing has resisted its claim that the problems amounted to a "non-excusable delay" that would justify repayment. Boeing did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Max jets were grounded after the deaths of 346 people in crashes of two planes operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines.

SAUDI ARABIA

Tankers may reroute if US imposes ban

Saudi Arabia is exploring rerouting millions of barrels of oil on-board tankers sailing to the United States if US President Donald Trump decides to block imports of crude from the kingdom, shipping and trade sources have said. Nearly 40 million barrels of Saudi oil are on their way to the US and due to arrive in the coming weeks, piling more pressure on markets already struggling to absorb a glut of stocks, according to shipping data and sources. US officials have said in recent days that Washington is considering blocking Saudi shipments of crude oil, or putting tariffs on those shipments, adding to difficulties for the cargoes now on the water.

KOREAN PENINSULA

ROK to start building inter-Korean railway

The Republic of Korea has decided to launch the construction of the southern section of the inter-Korean railway along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The inter-Korean exchange and cooperation consultative committee decided to start the reconnection of a 111-kilometer railway from the eastern coastal city of Gangneung to the border town of Jejin, media reported on Thursday. The project has been pursued since 2000, and ROK President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, agreed at their first summit in 2018 to reconnect the inter-Korean railways and roads along the eastern and western peninsula.

LEBANON

Man detained over 'appalling' killing of 10

Lebanon has detained a man over the killing of 10 people including his wife, two brothers and two Syrian children, a judicial source said on Thursday, in a crime that shocked the country. The case has stirred public opinion since the discovery on Tuesday of the first nine bodies near the village of Baakline in the Chouf area southeast of Beirut, in what Prime Minister Hassan Diab described as an "appalling crime". Source said the man admitted that "he suspected his wife was cheating on him with his brother, so he decided to stab her to death in the marital home".

YEMEN

Thousands of displaced caught in floods in Aden

The United Nations is working with the government of Yemen to assess the needs of 14,700 internally displaced people reportedly caught in floods in Aden, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday. Heavy rains hit Yemen earlier this week causing flooding in northern governorates and Aden on Tuesday, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The government has declared the southern port city a disaster zone. Heavy rains were also reported in the Raymah, Taizz and Ibb provinces over Tuesday and Wednesday, and UN agencies were working with local authorities to assess the needs in these areas, he said.

Agencies - Xinhua