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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 11 January 2020
Huge wildfire forms; resident injured in Australia crisis

By NICK PERRY both cities.
BURRAGATE, Austra- Australia is the world's big-
lia (AP) — Two wild- gest exporter of coal and
fires have merged to liquid natural gas. Austra-
form a 600,000-hectare lians are also among the
(2,300-square mile) inferno worst green-house gas
in southeast Australia and emitters on a per capita
a resident was injured pro- basis.
tecting their home during On Friday, thousands of
a night of extraordinarily people in the path of fires
treacherous conditions as fled to evacuation cen-
the nation's unprecedent- ters, while some chose to
ed fire crisis continues. ignore evacuation orders
Authorities were assessing and stayed to defend their
the damage Saturday after homes.
firefighters battled flames Evan Harris, who lives in the
fanned by strong winds New South Wales rural vil-
through the night and lage of Burragate, said po-
lightning strikes sparked lice and fire crews told him
new blazes in New South he should leave his cottage
Wales and Victoria, Austra- because of the threat, but
lia's most populous states. he told them he wasn't go-
Conditions were milder on Smoke hangs in layers in the mountains near Bemboka Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. ing anywhere.
Saturday and forecast to Associated Press Burragate was choked with
remain relatively benign for smoke for several hours on
the next week. Gladys Berejiklian said The fire crisis in southeast late Friday in Sydney and Friday and was directly in a
"In the scheme of things, we there had been a "serious Australia has claimed at Melbourne, the respec- fire's path.
did OK last night," Victorian injury of somebody pro- least 26 lives, destroyed tive capitals of New South A fire strike team and sev-
Emergency Management tecting their property." She more than 2,000 homes Wales and Victoria, calling eral members of the Aus-
Commissioner Andrew said that person had been and scorched an area for Morrison to be fired and tralian Army arrived in the
Crisp told Nine Network taken to a Sydney hospital, twice the size of the U.S. for Australia to take tough- village to try to save prop-
television on Saturday. but gave no other details. state of Maryland since er action on global warm- erties, and the assembled
New South Wales Rural With no heavy rain fore- September. ing. team was prepared to hun-
Fire Service Commissioner cast, the 600,000-hectare It has also brought accu- The protesters carried plac- ker down in the local fire
Shane Fitzsimmons told re- fire in southern New South sations that Prime Minister ards that said: "We de- station if the flames overran
porters "we're extremely Wales near the Victorian Scott Morrison's conserva- serve more than your neg- them.
relieved" the fires were not border is expected to burn tive government needs to ligence," "This is ecosystem In the end, the winds died
been more destructive for weeks, the New South take more action to coun- collapse" and "We can't down and so did the fire.
overnight. Wales Rural Fire Service ter climate change. Thou- breathe," referring to wild- The crisis was averted, for
New South Wales Premier said. sands of protesters rallied fire smoke that has choked now. q

S. Korea conveys Trump's

birthday message to Kim Jong Un

ing a meeting at the White But the Koreas still operate sume negotiations. But
House this week. a liaison office in the North an October working-level
Chung didn't disclose what Korean border town of meeting in Sweden broke
the message specifically Kaesong. down over what the North
said, but said Seoul sent it Seoul had lobbied hard for Koreans described as the
to Pyongyang on Thursday the resumption of nuclear Americans' "old stance
through "proper means." negotiations, with Chung and attitude."
Kim last week opened the shuttling between Pyong- Despite the standstill in
new year expressing deep yang and Washington to talks, Trump and Kim have
frustrations over stalled nu- help set up the first summit both described their per-
clear negotiations with the between Kim and Trump in sonal relationship as good.
Chung Eui-yong, South Korea's presidential national security Trump administration and June 2018. Trump has boasted about
director, speaks to the media after returning from Washington
at the Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Friday, Jan. vowed to bolster his nucle- But negotiations have fal- the "beautiful" letters he
10, 2020. ar arsenal as a deterrent tered since the collapse has received from Kim.
Associated Press against "gangster-like" U.S. of the second Kim-Trump North Korea has never offi-
sanctions and pressure. meeting in February last cially confirmed Kim's birth
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Returning from a visit to The North in past months year, when the U.S. side date. While covering a
South Korea said Friday it Washington on Friday, has severed virtually all co- rejected North Korean de- 2014 visit to the country by
conveyed a message by Chung Eui-yong, South operation with the South, mands for major sanctions Dennis Rodman, North Ko-
President Donald Trump Korea's presidential na- while demanding Seoul to relief in exchange for a rean state media said the
to North Korean leader tional security director, break away from Washing- partial surrender of its nu- former NBA star organized
Kim Jong Un wishing him told reporters that Trump ton and restart inter-Kore- clear capabilities. an exhibition game on
a happy birthday, which is requested Seoul to deliver an economic projects held Trump and Kim met again Jan. 8 to celebrate Kim's
believed to be Jan. 8. the message to Kim dur- back by U.S.-led sanctions. in June and agreed to re- birthday.q