IN BRIEF (Page 12)

United States

Some Boeing 737 jets have faulty parts

Boeing announced on Sunday that some of its medium-haul 737s, including the 737 Max 8, could have a defective wing part, but that there had been no reports of flight issues linked to the defect. The US aviation giant, which has been rocked by an unprecedented crisis after its entire 737 Max 8 fleet was grounded in mid-March, said a subcontractor informed it of problems with a batch of a part involved in deploying the wings' leading edge. The leading edge of an aircraft is key to takeoff and landing because it is meant to improve the wing's drag and therefore the jet's aerodynamics. Boeing said in a statement that it had relayed the defective lot number to aircraft owners so they can inspect the parts in question. If operators find the defective parts on their aircraft, they should replace them before putting the plane back in service, the company said.

Japan

Former official held over son's killing

Police said on Monday that Hideaki Kumazawa, 76, a retired agricultural vice-minister, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly stabbing his 44-year-old son Eiichiro to death at home. NHK said Kumazawa told investigators his alarm over his son was provoked by news last week of a knife-wielding man who slashed at a group of schoolgirls, killing two and injuring 17. The suspect in that incident was also middle-aged and rarely left the house where he lived with his elderly aunt and uncle. He killed himself soon after the stabbings. The incidents spotlight Japan's growing legion of adult hikikomori, as they are known, people who live at home with their parents and seldom, if ever, venture out, spending their days in hermit-like seclusion.

AP - Reuters

(China Daily 06/04/2019 page12)