19/09/2025

FRIDAY | SEPT 19, 2025

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SYDNEY: The former Australian broadcaster and Wallabies coach Alan Jones had some of his historic sex crime charges dropped or altered in a Sydney court yesterday. The 84-year-old is a household name across Australia and for years held immense sway through his conservative radio talk show. He was arrested last year at his luxury Sydney apartment by detectives from a dedicated child abuse squad. He faced 44 offences against several alleged victims between 2001 and 2019. But prosecutors yesterday changed several charges, including dropping 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault. Jones now reportedly faces a total of 27 counts of indecent assault and sexually touching another person without consent. Defence lawyer Bryan Wrench pleaded not guilty to the updated charges on Jones’s behalf as the former radio host was not required in court, the national broadcaster ABC said. Wrench said the changes were a “very big development” and “significant concession”. The matter will return to court on Nov 11. Jones, who remains on bail, previously denied the charges, saying he was “certainly not guilty”. “These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth,”he told reporters in December. Jones said that before his arrest police had given him no opportunity to “answer any of these allegations”. “I have never indecently assaulted these people. The law assumes that I’m not guilty, and I am not guilty,” he said. Jones, who coached the Wallabies, the Australian men’s rugby union team, for four years from 1984, was a speechwriter for a prime minister and taught at one of the country’s most prestigious schools. He guided the Wallabies to a rare northern hemisphere“Grand Slam”of Test wins over England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland in 1984. But it was Jones’ subsequent career as a radio talkback host that cemented his influence in Australian public life. At the height of his powers, politicians from both sides would scramble to stay friendly with right leaning Jones and his hit radio show. Jones retired from the show in 2020. – AFP Some sex crime charges dropped against ex-coach Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign defence pact DUBAI: Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a formal mutual defence pact on Wednesday, in a move that significantly strengthens a decades-long security partnership amid heightened regional tensions. The enhanced defence ties come as Gulf Arab states grow increasingly wary about the reliability of the United States as their longstanding security guarantor. “This agreement is a culmination of years of discussions. This is not a response to specific countries or specific events but an institutionalisation of longstanding and deep cooperation between our two countries,” a senior Saudi official said. The pact could shift the strategic calculus in a complex region. Allies of Washington, Gulf monarchies have sought to stabilise ties with both Iran and Israel to resolve longstanding security concerns. Asked whether Pakistan would be obliged to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella under the pact, the Saudi official said: “This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means.” Pakistani state television showed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, embracing after signing the agreement. In attendance was Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, regarded as the country’s most powerful person. – Reuters

Boeing, Honeywell sued over Air India crash

Patel, who were among the 229 passengers who died. Twelve crew members and 19 people on the ground were also killed. One passenger survived. The plaintiffs are citizens of India or the United Kingdom, and live in one of those countries. Indian, UK and American investigators have not conclusively determined the crash’s cause. A preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in July depicted confusion in the cockpit before the crash. Also in July, Bryan Bedford, the administrator of the US FAA, expressed a “high level of confidence” that a mechanical problem or inadvertent movement of fuel control components were not to blame. Boeing incurred more than US$20 billion (RM83.9 billion) of legal and other costs from two fatal crashes of its 737 MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019. – Reuters

switch, knew about that risk, especially after the US Federal Aviation Administration cautioned in 2018 about disengaged locking mechanisms on several Boeing aircraft. By putting the switch directly behind thrust levers, “Boeing effectively guaranteed that normal cockpit activity could result in inadvertent fuel cutoff,” the complaint said. “What did Honeywell and Boeing do to prevent the inevitable catastrophe? Nothing.” Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, declined to comment on Wednesday. Honeywell, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both companies are incorporated in Delaware. The lawsuit appears to be the first in the United States over the crash. It seeks unspecified damages for the deaths of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Naavya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel and Babiben

o Fuel cutoff switch, negligence blamed

NEW YORK: The families of four passengers who died in the June crash of Air India Flight 171 sued Boeing and Honeywell, blaming their negligence and a faulty fuel cutoff switch for the accident, which killed 260 people. Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London on June 12. In a complaint filed on Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court, the plaintiffs said the locking mechanism for the switch on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner could be turned off inadvertently or missing, causing a loss of fuel supply and loss of thrust needed for takeoff. They said Boeing and Honeywell, which respectively installed and manufactured the

Taiwan unveiled its Chiang-Kong missile on Wednesday. – AFPPIC

Taiwan arms show draws more firms TAIPEI: Taiwan opened its largest arms fair yesterday, with about double its previous number of exhibitors, as firms flock for a slice of the island’s increased defence spending at a time when it is looking to expand international military cooperation.

only to buy more but also to jointly build weapons. On Wednesday, Taiwan unveiled its first missile, Chiang-Kong, jointly made with a US company, marking a major step in their fast growing defence cooperation. The military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology said it would also sign deals with US and Canadian companies for weapons such as anti-drone rockets from Canada’s AirShare and underwater surveillance drones from US firm Anduril. Taiwan’s increased defence spending in coming years was likely to lead to minimum procurement between US$50 billion (RM210 billion) and US$60 billion (RM252 billion), said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council. – Reuters

960 booths in 2023, when it was last held. Karin Lang, deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy, told the opening ceremony that the US pavilion had doubled in size since two years ago, with more than 40 companies this time around. “When American and Taiwan companies collaborate, they create solutions that enhance not just bilateral interests but contribute to broader regional security and prosperity,” she said to an audience that included Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo. “Supply chain vulnerabilities, technological competition, evolving security threats require us to work even more closely with trusted partners.” The United States is Taiwan’s most important arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties and Taiwan has been keen not

Taiwan is racing to bolster its armed forces as China, which views the island as its own territory, steps up military pressure by staging war games and regularly sending warplanes and warships into nearby areas. Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims, has set a goal of spending 5% of its GDP on defence by 2030, up from 3.3% for next year. The Taipei Aerospace and Defence Technology Exhibition features 490 exhibitors at 1,500 booths, up from 275 exhibitors at about