Boeing agreed on Wednesday to acknowledge liability for compensatory damages in lawsuits filed by families of the 157 people killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash, according to a filing in US District Court in Chicago. As a result of the agreement between Boeing and the families, lawyers for the victims will not seek punitive damages and Boeing will not challenge the lawsuits being filed in Illinois. "Boeing is committed to ensuring that all families who lost loved ones in the accidents are fully and fairly compensated for their loss," the planemaker said Wednesday. "By accepting responsibility, Boeing’s agreement with the families allows the parties to focus their efforts on determining the appropriate compensation for each family." Lawyers for the victims noted that Boeing admitted under the agreement "that the 737 MAX had an unsafe condition, and that it will not attempt to blame anyone else" for the crash. "This is a significant milestone for the families in their pursuit of justice against Boeing, as it will ensure they are all treated equitably and eligible to recover full damages under Illinois law while creating a pathway for them to proceed to a final resolution, whether through settlements or trial," the lawyers said. They added the compensation "will serve to hold Boeing fully accountable for the deaths of the 157 people who perished." A judge has set a hearing for next Tuesday on the agreement. Boeing's best-selling plane was grounded for 20 months after 346 people died in two 737 MAX crashes - in Indonesia in 2018 and in Ethiopia in 2019. <br/>
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Egypt’s national airline opened an office in the Qatari capital Tuesday, in a further sign that Egypt-Qatar relations are getting back to normal. EgyptAir inaugurated its Doha office during a conference for airlines in the Arab world. The airline’s chairman, Amr Abu El-Enein, attended the ceremony, as did Akbar Al-Baker, who is CEO of Qatar Airways, the Egyptian state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram reported. Egypt and Qatar started mending ties in January when Kuwait brokered an end to the Qatar diplomatic crisis. In 2017, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain all severed relations with Qatar, accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism, which Qatar has denied. <br/>