Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash complicated by dangers
Australian officials were working on Friday to extricate the bodies of three U.S. firefighters from a plane that crashed in remote bushland, as the area’s “active” bushfire status complicated an investigation into the accident.
South Korea’s push for tourism in North poses tricky balancing act
South Korea’s push to resume tourism with the North is aimed at resetting border ties, but must overcome Pyongyang’s skepticism and chart a careful course around U.S. efforts to pressure leader Kim Jong-un into eliminating his nuclear arsenal.
China central bank raises limit on small bank payments amid virus outbreak
China’s central bank said on Friday it would temporarily raise the upper limit on small bank batch payments to 500 million yuan ($72.42 million) from Friday until Jan. 30, to ease fund transfers amid a coronavirus outbreak.
China shuts down transport, temples as virus death toll rises to 25
China stepped up measures to contain a virus which has killed 25 people and infected more than 800, with public transport suspensions in 10 cities, temples shutting, and the rapid construction of a new hospital to treat those infected.
Air tanker dropped fire retardant shortly before fatal crash: Australian safety bureau
An air tanker that crashed in Australia on Thursday killing three U.S. firefighters dropped fire retardant shortly before the fatal accident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said on Friday.
Singapore ramps up virus fight, reviving memories of SARS pandemic
Schools in Singapore asked parents to declare overseas holiday plans as authorities screened travelers at air, land and sea checkpoints on Friday, to combat the spread of a deadly flu virus that has revived memories of the SARS pandemic in 2003.
Australia bushfires contribute to big rise in global CO2 levels: UK’s Met Office
Australia’s bushfires are contributing to one of the biggest annual increases in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago, according to a forecast published by Britain’s Met Office …
China province at center of virus outbreak asks for more money
China’s central province of Hubei, which is at the center of a coronavirus outbreak, has sought more financial support from the central government, officials of the provincial capital, Wuhan, said on Friday.
U.S. denies Britain’s extradition request for diplomat’s wife
The United States has declined Britain’s request for the extradition of a U.S. diplomat’s wife who was involved in a car crash last year that killed a British teenager, the State Department said on Thursday.
Wuhan virus does not appear to be as deadly as SARS, Singapore PM says
Singapore’s prime minister said on Friday that the city-state was well prepared to tackle the Wuhan flu virus, adding that it did not appear to be as deadly as the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic.
