US to take 'immediate' action on Boeing jet if needed: official
Washington: US federal aviation authorities said Monday they will order Boeing to modify its 737 MAX 8 aircraft, including anti-stalling software and maneuvering system updates, after two of the planes crashed in five months.
The Federal Aviation Administration told international civil aviation authorities that it "anticipates mandating these design changes... no later than April," although it did not ground the fleet.
Boeing is also set to update its training requirements and flight crew manuals to reflect the changes.
"The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of US commercial aircraft," it said earlier.
"If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action." The FAA has notified other global civil aviation authorities that it may soon share safety information concerning Boeing's 737 MAX 8, the statement said.
One of the aircraft, operating as Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302, crashed Sunday southeast of Addis Ababa shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 passengers and crew members aboard.
The same model -- a more fuel-efficient version of the 737 -- crashed in late October in Indonesia during a flight operated by Lion Air, leaving 189 people dead, also just moments after takeoff.
It is especially rare that a new aircraft model is involved in two deadly incidents over such a short period of times.
An FAA team is currently in Ethiopia participating in a probe into the latest crash with investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, but the airline says investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the Nairobi-bound jet.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
