United Airbus catches fire at Chicago, airport halts all flight operations
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The Seattle-bound United A320 flight 2091 was towed back to a gate and all 148 passengers and five crew safely deplaned. The mishap held up flight operations at O'Hare.
The disruption compounded the travel chaos caused by a bevy of twisters in most places upsetting a Memorial Day** weekend that was expected to kick off a busy summer season.
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CHICAGO, May 28: A United Airlines Airbus caught fire while taxiing at the
Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Monday afternoon. Thick smoke was gushing
out of one of its engines that burst into flames and the take-off was aborted.
The mishap halted all flight operations at the airport.
Nobody was hurt in the incident. The plane was towed back to a gate to evacuate
the passengers and the crew. They all safely deplaned. But the mishap played
spoilsport to Memorial Day** weekend celebrations for many passengers as the
United mishap held up other flights too, adding to the mayhem created by the
thunderstorms elsewhere.
The Seattle-bound United A320 flight 2091 with 148 passengers and five crew
on board was halted around 2 pm Monday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA). An engine caught fire, it confirmed.
The cause of the engine fire is still under investigation, and the passengers
were accommodated on alternative flights.
A passenger, Ivan Paloalto, said he heard an explosion when the plane was about
to take off. “I felt the impact on my window. As I looked, the engine was on
fire and smoke was coming out,” he said.
Ground crew and emergency responders 'immediately addressed' the issue.
Meanwhile, the John F Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, was
issued a ground stop on Monday afternoon by the Air Traffic Control System Command
Center, a part of the FAA, in view of the severe thunderstorms battering most
of the US. JFK airport is one of the most bustling airport hubs in the US.
All flights were grounded at New York's JFK on Monday - an occurrence attributed
to ongoing thunderstorms seen across much of the US, the FAA said.
The travel chaos comes as citizens in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and
Tennessee were all hit over Memorial Day weekend by a bevy of twisters, heavy
winds and flooding, which, so far, have killed at least 21 people, reported
Daily Mail. In fact, Memorial Day weekend was expected to kick off a busy summer
travel season.
Yet, the US Transportation Security Administration said it screened 2.95 million
airline passengers on Friday, the highest number ever on a single day. United
Airlines too had forecast it would handle 3 million travellers during the Memorial
Day travel period.
**What is Memorial Day: It was started as Decoration Day in 1860s after
the Civil War in remembrance of those Americans who sacrificed their life, but
post-World War the day is observed to honor all American soldiers who died in
any war. In 1971, Congress renamed the holiday as Memorial Day and changed its
observance to the last Monday of every May, from May 30. As Christians usually
celebrate the dead, the long weekend is widely used for travel and revelry.
Living veterans, however, advise the countrymen not to say "Happy Memorial Day"
as it is a solemn day to remember the fallen.
Veterans Day: There is also a Veterans Day holiday alongside, on every
November 11, which is, instead, a celebration of all veterans, living and dead.
Both are Federal holidays in the US. If Veterans Day falls on a Saturday, the
Federal offices are closed on Friday, November 10, and if it falls on a Sunday
they are closed on Monday, November 12.
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SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
Two shot dead inside salon in south-west Delhi's Najafgarh
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One of them is seen in CCTV being shot at close range. The motive is suspected to be personal enmity.
TAILPIECE: Almost every other day we hear of shootings in one place or other in the country. India will very soon replace the US as the world's No 1 in the incidence of mass shooting. It will eclipse terrorism as a source of concern. Who can help? At least, has it occurred to anyone's mind?
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India shines at Grammys with Best Global for 'Shakti' fusion
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'This Moment' of Shakti fusion won the Best Global Music Album at the Grammys. Zakir Hussain has won two other awards too. In a great victory for Indians, five of them have won the Grammys this time. In other sections, Taylor Swift got her fourth Album of the Year award and Miley Cyrus got an award for the first time.
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Climate protesters attack Mona Lisa in Louvre, spray pumpkin soup
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“Two activists from the environmental movement ‘Riposte Alimentaire’ sprayed pumpkin soup on the armoured glass protecting the Mona Lisa, this Sunday, January 28, 2024, around 10 am (4aET),” a statement from the museum said.
It is not understood how undesirable elements are allowed to get so close to her
and play havoc with the artwork. Several times over this has happened in the
past, deranged minds masquerading as tourists and cultists venting their frustration.
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TRAVEL ALERT: Dog attacks on the rise in Delhi-NCR; woman mauled by three strays
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Two days earlier, in a similar incident in the area, a domestic help was bitten by a pet dog in the lift when she was going for work.
Tailpiece: Sometimes appearing to outnumnber men and women on the streets, the stray dogs are turning more and more daring with sections of anti-social elements out there to feed and protect them in order to find a window for their unfulfilled love! There is an all-pervading feeling of lack of authority.
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Tamil Nadu police arrest ED official for accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe
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Ankit Tiwari had told the employee that “instructions had been received
from the Prime Minister’s Office to conduct an enquiry” and reopen the
“already disposed of” case and asked him to appear before the ED office
at Madurai on October 30, DVAC said. The doctor was allegedly
threatened with arrest and told to pay a bribe of Rs 3 cr to avoid the ED
probe, which was later negotiated down to Rs 50 lakh.
Tailpiece: We are made to believe RBI, CBI, ED, Judiciary as sacrosanct
and all others like railways, transport, revenue, education, PWD
departments are composed of us the mortals, absolutely corrupt! As if in
the sacrosanct places the angels descend from the heavens to work in the
night and fly away before day-break! Let's be true to ourselves, we are all
cut from the same cloth. |
Centre blocks Mahadev Book, 21 other online betting apps
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Betting through Dubai-based Mahadev Book in India is conducted through a countrywide network. Probes reveal that the online gambling is worth several millions and top politicians, officials and celebs have been beneficiaries.
TAILPIECE: Polling dates for some States are round the corner. Top
politicians have begun their acrimonious debate who looted more, even as
Mahadev is washing their dirty laundry in the open ghat. Come what may,
one needs to seize power to amass "thy wretched pelf!" One simple
question is, why else one should spend lakhs or crores to get elected! A
question every Indian should ask to oneself at least once a day!
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State Govt-Guv ding-dong reaches Supreme Court's door: Kerala joins
TN... |
His inaction amounts to defeating the rights of the people of the State to
welfare measures sought to be implemented through the Bills, the Kerala
Government's petition submitted, while the State of Tamil Nadu remarked
that its "Governor is acting as a political rival."
Tailpiece: Coming up back to back, the petitions in their totality seem to question the provision of Raj Bhavan, and not motives of a Governor as a
person.
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10, including kids, die of heart failure at Garba dance performances in
Gujarat
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Doctors reasoned how the incidence of heart attacks is spiking over time and
advise the simple way to play safely is to take a break and rehydrate
yourself.
But how come ten people, including children, die of cardiac arrest at
Garba in 24 hours, and that at different places of Gujarat? Garba had been going on
for six days, and every year it is celebrated.
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Retailers ask UK Govt to act against surging cases of shoplifting, assaults
on workers |
Shocking news from the UK: Leading grocers have started bribing policemen with free food and drinks to persuade them to take action against shoplifters.
Shoplifting has risen by about 27 per cent in 10 major cities across the UK
this year. The cost of retail crime last year was $2.15 billion. Besides, “We
are seeing organised gangs threatening staff with weapons and emptying
stores," Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium,
said. Data shows that the police failed to respond to 73 per cent of serious
retail crimes that included assault and abuse of workers, apart from
shoplifting.
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Kamala bopping to rap in pink marks hip-hop anniversary on VP's lawn |
Harris said hip-hop is “the ultimate American art form” that “shapes every
aspect of American popular culture.” “Hip-hop culture is American
culture,” she said in a talk at her official residence at the US Naval
Observatory in Washington, D.C.
The social media had mixed reaction. There was much appreciation that
she dances better than any VP in American history. But some called her
"moves" as “cringe” while others did not like her pink pants - "pink pants
don’t look good.” In fact, her ensembles have always been incongruous.
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Visit Indian Travel Sites
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