News Headlines - 05 January 2019
▽China's Xi calls on army to be battle-ready | Reuters
China’s armed forces must strengthen their sense of urgency and do everything they can to prepare for battle, President Xi Jinping told a meeting of top brass on Friday.
China is keen to beef up its armed forces amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea and escalating tension with the United States over issues ranging from trade to the status of Taiwan.
The official Xinhua news agency said Xi told a meeting of the top military authority that China faced increasing risks and challenges, and the armed forces must work to secure its security and development needs.
Cuba, long a source of inspiration for leftist Latin American governments, celebrated the 60th anniversary of its revolution on Tuesday (Jan 1) facing increasing isolation in a region dominated by a resurgent right.
Former president Raul Castro lashed out at what he called a return by the United States government to "confrontation with Cuba" after restoration of diplomatic ties and a friendlier tone under the former administration of president Barack Obama.
▽Yemen rebels slam WFP for 'rotten' food aid | Daily Mail Online
Yemen's Huthi rebels on Tuesday rejected UN accusations of selling aid meant for civilians, slamming the World Food Programme (WFP) for sending "rotten food" to the war-torn country.
The WFP, which plans to provide food to up to 12 million Yemenis a month in 2019, on Monday accused Huthi rebels of "criminal behaviour" and of selling food aid in markets in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.
▽Sharp rise in air crash deaths in 2018 - BBC News
Last year saw a sharp rise in fatalities from air crashes compared with 2017 but 2018 was still the ninth safest year on record, figures show.
Airliner accidents killed 556 people last year compared with 44 in 2017, the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) reports. Last year's worst civilian accident was in October when a Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia, killing 189.
The year 2017 was the safest in history for commercial airlines with no passenger jet crashes recorded.
The first tuna auction of the year at Tokyo’s new fish market set a high bar on Saturday after a restaurant chain paid a record price — more than $3 million — for a giant bluefin tuna... Saturday’s high bidder, Kiyoshi Kimura, the self-styled “King of Tuna,” runs the Sushi Zanmai chain of restaurants. He paid 333.6 million yen, or over $3 million, for the 612-pound bluefin, a value of around $4,900 per pound.
