China warns party members not to accept online Tet lucky money
The Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of China warned officials and party members not to receive online lucky money during the Lunar New Year.
According to SCMP, receiving or giving gifts online, especially via WeChat, can violate party discipline. The government is concerned that online red envelopes have become a form of covert bribery, affecting the fairness of public service.
China is tightening party discipline and stepping up anti-corruption oversight. President Xi Jinping has stressed his determination to crack down on corruption in the new year.
Korean plane catches fire while preparing to take off
An Air Busan plane caught fire at Gimhae Airport, Busan, at around 10:30 p.m. on January 28 while preparing to depart for Hong Kong (China).
Fire broke out in the tail section, forcing the emergency evacuation of 169 passengers and seven crew members. One person was transferred to a hospital in Gyeongsang for treatment.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, but heavy smoke and flames caused panic at the airport. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The world's most modern American fighter exploded
A US F-35 fighter jet was completely destroyed after crashing near the runway of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on January 28.
The accident occurred at 1 p.m. (local time), shortly after takeoff. Video from the scene showed the fighter jet falling freely before exploding upon impact with the ground. The pilot ejected and was taken to hospital.
The US has cordoned off the area and is investigating the cause. This is the latest in a series of accidents involving the F-35 in recent times.
World's billionaires suffer painful losses due to DeepSeek earthquake
China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) earthquake has caused the world's 500 richest billionaires to lose a total of $108 billion in just one day, according to SCMP.
Jensen Huang (NVIDIA) suffered the biggest loss with $20.1 billion lost, while Larry Ellison (Oracle) lost $22.6 billion. Other tech billionaires such as Michael Dell and Changpeng Zhao also lost tens of billions of dollars.
The reason is that DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, caused a stir when it launched a powerful AI chatbot at a cost of only $5.6 million, shaking the faith of Western AI "giants".
Plane crash in the US, 67 people died
Two planes collided in midair near Washington D.C. on the evening of January 29, killing 67 people, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A Black Hawk military helicopter crashed into American Airlines Flight 5342 as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. All 64 passengers on board the civilian plane and three military personnel on board the helicopter were killed.
Initial investigation reports indicate that the Reagan National Airport air traffic control tower was understaffed at the time of the crash.
Plane crash in Philadelphia, USA
A Learjet 55 medical transport plane carrying six people crashed in northeast Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. local time on January 31. Witnesses and security camera footage captured a flash of light in the sky before the crash, followed by an explosion and thick clouds of smoke.
According to Fox News, all six people on board the plane were killed, including two doctors, two pilots, one patient and his family. Many people on the ground were injured.
The Emergency Management Agency confirmed this was a "major incident."
