Nepal Air Crash, China's COVID-19 Toll, and Iconic MLK Speeches

Yeti Air Flight 691

At least 68 people were killed, and four others were left missing, after a plane crashed into a gorge while attempting to land near a Nepali resort town yesterday morning. It was the country's worst air disaster in three decades, according to officials. 

Operated by Yeti Airlines, the turboprop plane (see 101) was making a short, 27-minute flight from the capital city of Kathmandu to the nearby tourist destination of Pokhara, whose newly constructed airport opened Jan. 1. The cause of the disaster has not been identified; however, video captured moments before impact (warning—sensitive content) showed the plane banking sharply to the left during its landing descent. The aircraft eventually crashed into the bank of the nearby Seti Gandaki river. 

Nepal's elevation, rugged geography, and high winds make it one of the most difficult regions to fly. See a history of recent crashes here.

China Reveals COVID-19 Toll

Nearly 60,000 people in China died from COVID-related illness between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12, according to Chinese health officials Saturday. The announcement is the first official indicator of the magnitude of the country's outbreak since it lifted its aggressive zero-COVID policies in December.

The number is 12 times the total death count in China for the three years since the pandemic began in 2019 (see data), a number many countries suspect has been underreported. After antilockdown protests led to the removal of most COVID-19 safety protocols in November, cases skyrocketed to an estimated 37 million per day. China has long defined COVID-19 death narrowly as deaths due to respiratory failure or pneumonia; Saturday's announcement is the first that included fatalities from underlying issues, which comprised over 54,000 of the latest tally.

Officials observed 90% of deaths were in those ages 65 or older, the age group with the lowest vaccination rate. See photos of the wave of infections here. 

Bolsonaro Added to Brazil Probe

Brazil's Supreme Court ordered investigators to include former President Jair Bolsonaro in a probe of last Sunday's storming of the country's Congress by crowds of protesters. Prosecutors allege Bolsonaro, who lost reelection to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by a 1.8-point margin in October, may have incited his followers in the weeks leading up to the riot with claims of voter fraud.

More than 80 people were injured, and almost 2,000 were detained, after pro-Bolsonaro supporters invaded and vandalized buildings housing the country's Congress, supreme court, and presidential residence (see footage). Bolsonaro himself was in Florida at the time, having traveled there postelection, and was reportedly hospitalized Monday with abdominal pain. The former president has struggled with complications since being stabbed in the stomach at a 2018 campaign rally. 

Related to the incident, former Bolsonaro justice minister Anderson Torres was arrested on charges he colluded to organize the riot. His specific role in coordinating plans, if any, has not been described by officials.

Science & Technology

Business & Markets

Politics & World Affairs

Eight of Martin Luther King Jr.'s most iconic speeches. 

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Historybook: Hiram Revels, first African American to serve in Congress, dies (1901); 18th Amendment ratified, banning alcohol in the US (1919); Pop singer Aaliyah born (1979); "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda born (1980); Persian Gulf War begins (1991).