News In Brief for January 29
Fire destroys Air Busan plane at South Korean airport
(NYT) — An Air Busan plane caught fire at an airport in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday night, forcing all passengers and crew members to evacuate, officials said.
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The plane, an Airbus A321, had been scheduled to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport, fire officials said, when a fire broke out near its tail around 10:30 p.m. before takeoff.
All 176 people on board — 169 passengers, six flight attendants and a flight engineer — escaped through evacuation slides, South Korea’s Transport Ministry said in a statement. Some minor injuries were reported, Busan’s fire department said.
CNN anchor Jim Acosta to step down
(NYT) — Jim Acosta, a CNN anchor who earned notice for grilling Trump administration officials in the White House Briefing Room, said Tuesday that he was leaving the network after nearly 20 years.
Acosta announced the decision at the end of his 10 a.m. show, which will be his last for CNN. He is stepping down after clashing with the network over a decision to move his show to start at the midnight hour, a cable news backwater, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.
The network is moving Wolf Blitzer, a well-known CNN anchor, into his time slot, along with a co-anchor, Pamela Brown. Acosta’s show is third place in his time slot for total viewers, behind both MSNBC and Fox News, though he has outperformed his MSNBC competitor in the key demographic for advertisers.
North Korea’s Kim calls for bolstering nuclear forces,
SEOUL (Reuters) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstering nuclear forces this year during a visit to the country’s nuclear material production base and nuclear weapons institute, state media KCNA said on Wednesday.
Kim praised scientists and other workers there for achieving “remarkable successes” and “amazing production results” in their work last year as he was briefed about the process for producing weapons-grade nuclear materials and their plan for 2025 and beyond, KCNA said.
Kim called for further success in producing weapons-grade nuclear materials this year and strengthening the country’s nuclear forces.
Coca-Cola recalls drinks in parts of europe over high levels of chlorate
(NYT) — Coca-Cola’s bottler in Europe said on Monday that it had recalled some drinks sold in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands after discovering high levels of a chemical called chlorate during routine testing at a bottling facility.
The recalled products included Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Fuze Tea, Minute Maid, Nalu, Royal Bliss and Tropico in cans and glass bottles, according to a statement from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.
Exposure to chlorate, a byproduct of using chlorine dioxide as a disinfectant and to control the odor and taste of water, can cause kidney problems and affect thyroid function, according to the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration.