At least 103 dead in bomb blasts near Iran general Qasem Soleimani’s tomb – state TV
By David Gritten BBC News
At least 103 people have been killed by two bomb explosions near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the US, Iran’s state media report.
State broadcaster Irib said dozens more people were wounded when the blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman.
It cited Kerman’s deputy governor as saying it was a “terrorist attack”.
Videos showed bodies on a road and ambulances rushing to the scene.
Japan jet crash: passenger plane was cleared to land, say officials
Smaller plane on runway was not cleared for takeoff, however, say authorities as investigations begin
A passenger jet that collided with a coastguard plane at Haneda airport in Tokyo had been given permission to land, but the smaller plane was not cleared for takeoff, Japanese authorities have said, as police reportedly prepared to investigate whether the crash involved professional negligence.
Five people on the coastguard aircraft died but all 379 passengers and crew escaped to safety down emergency slides minutes before the Japan Airlines Airbus was engulfed in flames on Tuesday.
Congo: Will Tshisekedi’s reelection ease concerns?
From bustling Kinshasa streets to war-torn eastern villages, the DRC navigates a delicate dance between hope and skepticism. Many call for development amid unfulfilled promises as Felix Tshisekedi secures a second term.
The Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said on Sunday that the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi had secured more than 73% of the vote in the country’s December 20 election — versus around 18% for his nearest challenger, businessman Moise Katumbi.
The DRC’s Constitutional Court is expected to announce definitive results on January 10.
In the meantime, the news of a likely second term in office for Tshisekedi triggered a mixture of optimism and apprehension amongst Congolese — but a deeper analysis revealed a nation grappling with a burning desire for change.
‘Make Britain great’: right-wing upstarts threaten UK Tories
A fringe right-wing political party founded by Eurosceptic populist Nigel Farage is once again posing a headache for Britain’s ruling Conservatives before this year’s UK general election.
Reform UK — formerly called the Brexit Party and whose leader admires ex-US president Donald Trump — rails against immigration, net zero energy policies and “nanny state” government regulations.
With slogans including “Let’s make Britain great” and “Let’s save Britain”, Reform is trying to tap into disgruntlement among Britons struggling from the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
It is currently polling at around 10 percent in national surveys before a vote that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said will be held some time in 2024.
Freight trains up to 3.6km long incite fears in regional towns
Catherine Naylor
Gary Roberts and his wife have had to race over the railway line to hospital more than once since they moved to their South Wagga Wagga home five years ago, including one trip in the back of an ambulance.
The emergency dash usually takes about four minutes, but Roberts fears federal plans to put bigger freight trains on regional tracks could double the length of his hospital run and cost him vital time, should he have to sit and wait for a 3.6-kilometre train to rumble through the level crossing that stands between his home and hospital.
“The increased rail traffic through town will cut the city in half,” Roberts said of the federal Inland Rail project, which is seeking state government approval to upgrade the track through Wagga Wagga. “It will make the city much less liveable than it is now.”
How safety rules ‘written in blood’ saved lives in Tokyo plane crash
Watching the footage of the Japan Airlines collision at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, it seems miraculous that anyone has emerged unscathed.
Yet while, tragically, five of six crew on the Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 plane it struck during landing on Tuesday have died, all 379 passengers and crew onboard the Airbus A350 have survived the accident.
While investigations into what happened in the incident, which saw the JAL plane erupt in a fireball, are ongoing, experts say the successful evacuation is down to a combination of modern safety standards and Japan Airlines’ own rigorous safety culture.
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