Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV, citing a military statement, says the country ‘unintentionally’ shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 aboard. The statement came Saturday morning. It blames “human error” for the shootdown. The jetliner, a Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff just hours after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of its top general. Iran had denied for several days that a missile downed the aircraft. But then the U.S. and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believe Iran shot down the aircraft.
BEIJING (AP) — Health authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan are reporting the first death from a new type of coronavirus. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported Saturday that seven other people are in critical condition. It says a total of 41 are suffering from pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus as of Friday, down from the earlier figure of 59. It says those are in stable condition and at least two have been released from a hospital. Another 739 people who were in close contact with the patients, including 419 medical workers, have been placed under medical observation but no related cases have been found.
DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes have destroyed homes in Arkansas and Missouri and also caused damage in Oklahoma amid severe storms. The storms also unleashed downpours that caused widespread flash flooding. Dallas police say one person died Friday night when a car flipped into a creek west of downtown Dallas. Earlier in the afternoon, a tornado destroyed two homes near Fair Play, Missouri. Tornado watches Friday night covered parts of eastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southern Missouri and much of Arkansas. Forecasters say wicked weather also will pose a threat to Alabama and Georgia as the system moves eastward on Saturday.
BURRAGATE, Australia (AP) — Two wildfires have merged to form a massive inferno in southeast Australia, near where a man suffered serious burns protecting a home during a night of treacherous conditions. Authorities are assessing the damage Saturday after firefighters battled flames fanned by strong winds and lightning strikes sparked new blazes in the states of New South Wales and Victoria. Conditions are milder and forecast to remain relatively benign for the next week. Officials say a man suffered burns protecting a home and was airlifted to a Sydney hospital in a serious condition. Several firefighters got minor burns, and one suffered shortness of breath, but they didn't go to a hospital.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is considering dramatically expanding its much-litigated travel ban to additional countries amid a renewed election-year focus by President Donald Trump on immigration issues. That's according to a half-dozen people familiar with the deliberations. Two of the people said a document circulating in the White House outlines the plans, but the countries that would be affected were blacked out. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the measure has yet to be finalized. The expanded ban could include several countries that were initially included in the ban but later removed from the list.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
