Briefly

NORTH PACIFIC

Crew members saved after fire in cargo ship

The crew of a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles to Mexico, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned ship after they could not control a fire aboard the vessel in waters off Alaska's Aleutian island chain. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles Tuesday, according to US Coast Guard photos and a Wednesday statement from the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime. There were no reported injuries among the 22 crew members of the Morning Midas. The crew members abandoned the ship, were evacuated onto a lifeboat and rescued by the crew of a nearby merchant vessel called the Cosco Hellas in the North Pacific.

SOUTH KOREA

Bills passed to probe Yoon's charges, wife

South Korea's parliament on Thursday passed bills to appoint special counsels and probe the ousted president Yoon Suk-yeol's insurrection charge and scandals involving his wife, Kim Keon-hee. Of the 198 National Assembly lawmakers attending the parliamentary plenary session, 194 voted for the bills with three dissents and one abstention. Under the bills, the newly elected President Lee Jae-myung is required to appoint an independent counsel from among candidates recommended by the ruling liberal Democratic Party and the left-leaning Rebuilding Korea Party.

JAPAN

Annual births fall to another record low

The number of newborns in Japan is decreasing faster than projected, with the number of annual births falling to another record low last year, according to government data released Wednesday. The Health Ministry said 686,061 babies were born in Japan in 2024, a drop of 5.7 percent from the previous year and the first time the number of newborns fell below 700,000 since records began in 1899. It's the 16th straight year of decline. It's about one-quarter of the peak of 2.7 million births in 1949 during the postwar baby boom. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has described the situation as "a silent emergency".

NORTH ATLANTIC

2023 heat wave driven by weak winds

Australian scientists have revealed the unprecedented North Atlantic heat wave in 2023 was driven by record-breaking weak winds, increased solar radiation, and ongoing climate change. The North Atlantic Ocean experienced a basin-wide marine heat wave in the summer of 2023, with water temperatures rising at a rate equivalent to two decades' worth of typical warming in just a few months, said a new study led by researchers from the University of New South Wales on Thursday.

Agencies - Xinhua