Three hundred people onboard Emirates flight EK521 have escaped moments before the plane became engulfed in flames.
The aircraft skidded down the runway before exploding in to flames. One firefighter dead from fighting the blaze and 13 people suffered minor injuries. The Dubai government’s media office said the firefighter, Jassim Essa Al-Baloushi, died “while saving the lives of others”. The flight from India, co-piloted by an Australian, was scheduled to land in Dubai at 12:50pm. The crash shut down the airport for several hours.
The cause of the crash is still unclear, though images show the plane sitting on the ground without its landing gear. The chairman of Emirates said an investigation was underway and he did not want “to jump to conclusions” about the cause of the accident.
Protests in Zimbabwe as public discontent grows
Protests against President Robert Mugabe’s alleged corruption and handling of the economic crisis have broken out in Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Crowds gathered outside the finance minister’s office yesterday demanding a stop to his plan to reintroduce local currency alongside the US dollar, which is already in short supply. A second group of protesters marched to parliament wearing graduation gowns and calling for Mr Mugabe’s resignation. The protest turned ugly when police allegedly began beating protesters and journalists reporting at the scene as they approached the building. Property was damaged by police in breaking up the demonstration.
North Korean missile lands in Japanese Territory
A North Korean missile has landed in Japanese-controlled waters overnight. This is the latest in a series of launches in clear defiance of the United Nations Security Council rulings, but it was the first to hit near Japanese territory. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he was “deeply troubled” by this launch. His spokesman also added that “such actions seriously undermine regional peace and stability,”.
UN Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric addressed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, “We reiterate the call on the DPRK to heed the united call of the international community to reverse its course and return to the process of sincere dialogue.”
U.S police officer charged with helping the Islamic State
A Washington State transport officer was arrested last Wednesday and has been charged with attempting to support a terrorist organisation. Nicholas Young, 36, had been under investigation by the FBI since 2010 and is the first US official to be charged with aiding the Islamic State.
According to the FBI, Young sent $250 worth of credits to messaging accounts used by ISIS fighters and he travelled to Libya in 2011 to fight with rebels. He was immediately fired after his arrest. Paul Wiedefeld, the general manager of the transport system, said “the allegations are profoundly disturbing”. – Compiled from various web sources by Samantha Besgrove and Ariana Norton
Image of the Emirates plane wreckage from Gulf News TV’s Youtube account.
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