787 Dreamliner flies to Kenya from Ethiopia

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — An official with Ethiopian Airlines says one of the company's Dreamliners is scheduled to fly from Ethiopia to Kenya's capital, the first commercial flight since air safety authorities grounded the passenger jets after incidents with smoldering batteries on two different planes in January.

The Boeing 787 passenger jet was scheduled to arrive in Nairobi from Addis Ababa on Saturday afternoon.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing's redesigned battery system, which the company says sharply reduces the risk of fire.

A Boeing engineer told reporters in Nairobi this week that all potential causes of battery fire have been eliminated with the new system.

There are 50 Dreamliners in service around the world. Boeing said Wednesday that deliveries of the 787 should resume in early May.

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SAfrica: Balloonist flies from old Mandela jail

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A man has strapped himself to large balloons filled with helium and floated from the island where Nelson Mandela was kept prisoner to the shores of the South African mainland.

The goal of Saturday's trip from Robben Island was to help raise money for the building of a children's hospital that will carry the name of the 94-year-old former president and anti-apartheid leader. Mandela was discharged Saturday from a hospital after treatment for pneumonia.

Balloonist Matt Silver-Vallance, a South African-born manager at a medical device company, dropped a rope near the coastline and a sea rescue craft pulled him to safety.

He had hoped to raise $1 million for the hospital, but organizers of the charity event have not yet announced the final tally.

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