All passengers aboard a Japan Airlines plane escape alive after a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft which killed five; Severe weather risks and recovery efforts continue across the country's east coast; Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic claim victories as the tennis season heats up.
All 379 people aboard a Japan Airlines plane have escaped the burning airliner after a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda airport that killed five of six crew on the smaller craft.
Live footage on public broadcaster N-H-K showed the airliner burst into flames at about 6pm last night [[2nd Jan]] as it skidded down the tarmac.
Video shared on social media showing passengers shouting inside the plane's smoke-filled cabin and escaping via an evacuation slide.
Japan Airlines' managing executive officer Noriyuki Aoki says they have begun investigating the circumstances for the crash.
“At the moment, we understand the accident happened on the runway. We are checking whether permission for landing was given by the airport control centre and we're looking into communications that were exchanged, because those could have had an impact on the accident. I can't say more, but we are investigating.”
The fire was not extinguished until shortly after midnight, after burning for more than six hours.
Much of Australia's east coast continues to be lashed with rainfall as wild weather moves south into parts of New South Wales and Victoria.
Southeast Queensland is waking to the aftermath of a week-long barrage of storms and heavy rain with the risk of severe storms continuing today [[3rd Jan]].
Dozens of Australian Defence Force troops have been deployed across the state to help with storm recovery efforts while authorities continue work to restore power to about 11,000 homes.
Hundreds of roads remain closed because of flooding with heavy rainfall increasing the potential for landslides and fallen debris.
Dozens of people have needed to be rescued from flood waters since the severe weather began over Christmas.
Russia has rained missiles down on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities after Russia warned of an intensifying air bombardment.
Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelenskyy says four were killed in the attacks and the mayor of Kyiv says at least 41 were wounded in the city.
Multi-storey buildings and civilian infrastructure were severely damaged in the explosions.
One local resident says it was a terrifying moment.
“I heard a very loud explosion. We live in the furthest block from here, but our closed plastic windows got opened up. I thought that the apartment block was hit because there was a very bright light.”
The attacks are part of a days-long escalation, less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would intensify strikes on Ukraine.
He says the attacks are in response to an unprecedented Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod which he labeled a "terrorist act".
New data shows the rising property market continues to have a flow-on impact for rental prices across Australia, with affordability forecast to be an ongoing issue.
CoreLogic has found that rents rose nationally by 8.3 per cent in the last year.
That's a reduction from the previous two years, but is still far above the pre-Covid decade average of 2 per cent per annum.
CoreLogic Research Director Tim Lawless has told SBS News it's "good news" for renters that rents are no longer rising as quickly as they did in 2020.
But, he says, the underlying issues of rental supply and vacancy rates have not been addressed.
"I think for renters, absolutely we'll continue to see upwards pressures on rents but not as much as what we saw the last couple of years. But I think rental affordability will be an ongoing challenge through this year and probably into the next.”
In tennis,
U-S Open champion Coco Gauff has started her 2024 season with a victory over fellow American Claire Liu at the Auckland Tennis Classic.
The World number 3 used her powerful forehand well but took time to find her range, finally securing a 6-4 6-2 win.
Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the U-S Open final for her first grand slam title last year, boosting expectations for her Australian Open campaign later this month.
And in Perth, Novak Djokovic overcame a wrist issue to defeat Czech opponent Jiri Lehecka and keep alive Serbia's hopes of qualifying for the United Cup quarter-finals.
The world number one was troubled by his right wrist during practice, with the injury requiring intense treatment from his physio.
Cleared to play, the 24-time grand slam winner was on track for an easy victory after winning the first set and shooting out to a 3-1 lead in the second.
One local Serbian fan says Djokovic always overcomes obstacles.
"His strengths are - he never gives up. And this is why we're really proud of him, in the Serbian community in Australia. And yeah I think he'll do really really good. He'll take this grand slam. He'll take the Australian open for sure."
