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Rescue workers carry wreckage at the crash site of flight ET 302. Photograph: STR/EPA

Monday briefing: Airlines ground Boeing jets after Ethiopia crash

This article is more than 5 years old
Rescue workers carry wreckage at the crash site of flight ET 302. Photograph: STR/EPA

China suspends 737 Max 8 as disaster raises safety questions … PM fights for political future … climate warrior Greta Thunberg on her unlikely celebrity

Top story: UN ‘in mourning’ after staff killed in disaster

Good morning. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this Monday morning.

Chinese airlines have been ordered to ground all their Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopia Airlines crash yesterday, which killed all 157 passengers and crew on board. China’s aviation regulator said this morning that it had told domestic airlines to suspend operation of the new model of plane, which was also involved in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October which killed 189 people. Ethiopia Airlines said it had grounded its four other Max 8 planes and Cayman Airways also said it would suspend operation of its two aircraft of that type. The involvement of the plane in the two disasters has alarmed aviation experts and has raised more doubts about its autopilot functions. China has taken delivery of about 60 of the aircraft since its launch, making the size of its fleet second only to the US.

As the investigation into the Ethiopia crash continued, the international aid community was mourning the loss of many leading figures in the disaster. The flight from Addis Ababa was carrying dozens of United Nations and humanitarian workers to a UN environment assembly meeting in Nairobi. Inger Andersen, the incoming head of the UN environment programme, said: “We’re devastated by what transpired. This is a house in mourning.” Seven Britons were on board the plane. The first to be identified was Joanna Toole, who worked for the UN and was described by her boss as “a wonderful human being who loved her work with a passion”.


Brexit endgame – Theresa May faces yet another gruelling week as she tries to persuade MPs to back her Brexit proposal tomorrow amid the growing prospect that pro-leave MPs will try to oust her if there is any delay to quitting the EU. The Commons is unlikely to back her deal and will more likely vote to extend article 50 and rule out a no-deal. Such a scenario means the prime minister would lose control of the Brexit process, spelling a certain challenge to her leadership according to former cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Dominic Raab. There is also a possibility that she might pull the meaningful vote tomorrow. Either way, May will not find succour from the Labour side as unions warn opposition MPs thinking of backing her deal that her promises on workers’ rights post-Brexit are not credible.


Poison case collapses – A woman accused of poisoning Kim Jong-un’s estranged brother with a nerve agent has been released by a court in Malaysia after murder charges against her were dropped. Siti Aisyah, from Indonesia, has always denied murdering Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur international airport in February 2017. She claims that she and a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, were tricked by North Korean agents into rubbing the nerve agent VX into Kim’s face in the belief that were playing a prank for a Japanese comedy show. Doan was set to appear in court on Thursday.

Siti Aisyah walks free from court in Kuala Lumpur. Photograph: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images

Sharp rise – Knife crime is rising more quickly in the home counties and rural areas than it is in London, according to a Guardian analysis of crime statistics. There has been a 45.7% average increase in offences in 34 English and Welsh counties since 2010, compared with an 11% rise in the capital, the figures show. Kent recorded the biggest increase of such crimes in England and Wales, up 152% since April 2010, as police blame the spread of “county lines” drug gangs. It comes as the capital’s latest stabbing victim remained in a critical condition after being attacked on a bus in Muswell Hill on Saturday afternoon. A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.


End of history – Humanities courses such as history, English and languages could be “hung out to dry” by Britain’s top universities if cuts in undergraduate tuition fees are not matched by extra government funding. A review of higher education funding ordered by Theresa May is expected to recommend cutting the current £9,250 fee to £7,500. But the Russell Group of research universities said the move could jeopardise student places because without extra compensation from the government to cover teaching costs the numbers taking popular humanities and social sciences courses would have to be reduced.


Selfie harm – A woman in Arizona has been mauled by jaguar after climbing into the animal’s enclosure in a zoo to take a selfie. The woman, who is in her 30s, suffered a badly gashed arm after scaling the barrier at Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix. She was treated at hospital before returning to the zoo to apologise to staff. The zoo said the animal would not be put down.

Today in Focus podcast: Trump, Brexit and the rise of populism

Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters

It has become the political buzzword of the decade: populism is said to explain political movements from Brexit to the rise of Donald Trump. But how has it taken hold – and can it be quantified? Paul Lewis investigates. Plus: Sam Delaney on the problem with men and mental health.

Lunchtime read: The schoolgirl who would change the world

Greta Thunberg: ‘We are only seeing the beginning.’ Photograph: Adam Berry/Getty Images

When Greta Thunberg takes her usual spot outside the Swedish parliament this week to protest about lack of action on climate change, she won’t be alone. Unlike when she began her famous school strike movement last year, she will be joined by hundreds of thousands of students around the world this Friday who have been inspired by her single-minded determination. In a fascinating interview, Thunberg tells our environment editor, Jonathan Watts, how she turned from an introverted, autistic teenager with “nothing happening in my life” to an internationally renowned campaigner who works up to 15 hours as she fits writing and making speeches around her school life (“I don’t have much spare time”). But she believes the hard work is worth it: “We are only seeing the beginning. I think that change is on the horizon and the people will stand up for their future.”

Sport

Unai Emery’s Arsenal have the Champions League in their sights after a 2-0 victory over Manchester United. Following the game at the Emirates, the manager called for respect after United defender Chris Smalling was shoved by a fan. That incident came on the same day Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was assaulted on the pitch by a spectator, prompting calls to improve player safety. Meanwhile, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino were ably assisted by Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s front three gave glimpses of their rampaging best in victory over Burnley. England ended their tour of the Caribbean in a blaze of glory after routing West Indies for the second time in three days to secure a 3-0 series victory against the T20 world champions. Ronnie O’Sullivan became the first snooker player to make 1,000 career century breaks after successfully defending his Players Championship title with a convincing 10-4 victory over Neil Robertson. One of America’s finest and most remarkable cyclists, Kelly Catlin, has died at the age of 23, USA Cycling confirmed on Sunday. Eddie Jones’s England have been strong for much of the Six Nations but a gritty Wales team are on the verge of northern supremacy. And Francesco Molinari overhauled Matt Fitzpatrick with a final-round 64 for his second PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Business

NatWest customers could soon make contactless payments for more than £30 if a trial of fingerprint technology starting in April is a success. Customers issued with special cards will hold their finger on a certain point and wave it at the retailer’s terminal without having to enter a pin number, the bank says. Asian markets were sluggish overnight after Friday’s poor US jobs figures. The pound is weaker at $1.298 and €1.156.

The papers

Given the big week of Brexit news ahead, it is no surprise that that subject leads on many of the front pages, as does news of the Ethiopia Airlines crash and pictures of the first named British victim.

Guardian front page, Monday 11 March 2019 Photograph: The Guardian

The Guardian has “May fights to save her Brexit deal and her job as Eurosceptics circle”, the Times reports “Brexit vote must be put on hold, MPs warn May” and the Express says “Last chance to take control of Brexit”. The Telegraph’s lead is “EU ready to charge £1bn a month for Brexit delay”, the Mail issues the decree “It’s time to unite Britain” and the FT has this dire story: “Lenders told to triple liquid assets as Brexit protection.”

The i splashes with the death of Joanna Toole, the British victim of the air crash: “‘It’s hard to imagine life without her’” and the Mirror reports: “7 Brits die in jet hell”.

The Sun’s lead story is about the Birmingham fan who hit Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, with the headline “Jackass”.


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