Biden Approval Falls to Lowest Level Since April, Finds Poll

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Bidenomics" economic agenda and his Investing in America agenda at an Amtrak facility in New Castle County, Delaware, on November 6, 2023. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Bidenomics" economic agenda and his Investing in America agenda at an Amtrak facility in New Castle County, Delaware, on November 6, 2023. (AFP)
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Biden Approval Falls to Lowest Level Since April, Finds Poll

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Bidenomics" economic agenda and his Investing in America agenda at an Amtrak facility in New Castle County, Delaware, on November 6, 2023. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Bidenomics" economic agenda and his Investing in America agenda at an Amtrak facility in New Castle County, Delaware, on November 6, 2023. (AFP)

US President Joe Biden's popularity slipped this month to its lowest level since April, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed, the latest data point raising concerns about the Democrat's re-election bid next year.

The two-day opinion poll, which ended on Saturday, showed 39% of respondents approved of Biden's performance as president, matching April's reading and down marginally from 40% in October and 42% in September. The poll had a margin of error of about three percentage points.

Biden is widely expected to face a November 2024 rematch with former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Other recent polls have pointed to a potentially close race between the two.

The share of poll respondents who rated "war and foreign conflicts" the No. 1 problem rose to 8% in November from 4% in October, a sign of unease over a sharp escalation in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

It was the highest measure of concern about war since April 2022, when 9% of respondents cited it as their top concern during the early months of the Russia-Ukraine war.

A larger share - 20% - said the economy was the top concern. By comparison, 9% cited crime and 7% cited the environment.

Biden's public approval rating has held below 50% since August 2021, and this month's rating was close to the lowest levels of his presidency - 36% - seen in mid-2022.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses online from 1,019 adults, using a nationally representative sample.



South Korea Says Will Send Jeju Air Crash Black Box to US

Officials take part in an investigation at the site where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on January 1, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)
Officials take part in an investigation at the site where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on January 1, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)
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South Korea Says Will Send Jeju Air Crash Black Box to US

Officials take part in an investigation at the site where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on January 1, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)
Officials take part in an investigation at the site where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on January 1, 2025. (Photo by YONHAP / AFP)

South Korean investigators probing a Jeju Air crash which killed 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on its soil said Wednesday they will send one of the retrieved black boxes to the United States for analysis.

The plane was carrying 181 people from Thailand on Sunday when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before hitting a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except two flight attendants pulled from the burning wreckage.

South Korean and US investigators, including from Boeing, have been combing the crash site in southwestern Muan since the disaster Sunday.

"The damaged flight data recorder has been deemed unrecoverable for data extraction domestically," said South Korea's deputy minister for civil aviation, Joo Jong-wan.

"It was agreed today to transport it to the United States for analysis in collaboration with the US National Transportation Safety Board."

Joo earlier said both of the plane's black boxes were retrieved, and for the cockpit voice recorder, "the initial extraction has already been completed".

"Based on this preliminary data, we plan to start converting it into audio format," he said, meaning investigators would be able to hear the pilots' final communications.

The second black box, the flight data recorder, "was found with a missing connector", AFP quoted Joo as saying.

"Experts are currently conducting a final review to determine how to extract data from it."

Officials initially pointed to a bird strike as a possible cause of the disaster, but they have since said the probe was also examining a concrete barrier at the end of the runway, which dramatic video showed the Boeing 737-800 colliding with before bursting into flames.

They also said that a special inspection of all Boeing 737-800 models operated by local carriers was examining their landing gear after questions over a possible mechanical failure in the crash.

The ongoing inspections are "focusing mainly on the landing gear, which failed to deploy properly in this case", said the director general for aviation safety policy, Yoo Kyeong-soo.

Local media reported the landing gear had deployed properly on Jeju Air Flight 2216's first failed landing attempt at Muan airport before failing on the second.

The issue "will likely be examined by the Accident Investigation Board through a comprehensive review of various testimonies and evidence during the investigation process", the ministry of land, which oversees civil aviation, said at a briefing.