South Korean authorities have found that two fighter jets collided mid-air in 2021 because the pilots were taking pictures and videos.

The incident took place while the jets were on a flight mission in the central city of Daegu, according to Seoul’s Board of Audit and Inspection.

The pilots survived with no injuries, but the collision damaged the planes, costing the military 880 million won ($596,000; £440,500) in repairs.

One of the pilots, who has since left the military, was made to pay a fine of 88 million won.

The incident took place because that pilot had wanted to take photos to commemorate his last flight with his military unit.

Taking photos of significant flights was “a widespread practice among pilots at the time”, the audit board said in a report published on Wednesday.

The pilot had declared his intent to do so in a briefing before the flight, according to the report.

He was flying the wingman aircraft and was following the lead aircraft during the mission. While flying back to their base, he started taking pictures using his personal mobile phone.

Upon noticing this, the pilot of the lead aircraft then asked another pilot on his plane to film a video of the wingman aircraft.

The wingman pilot then abruptly flew his jet up higher and flipped it so that it could be better captured on camera. This manoeuvre brought the two planes very close to each other.

To avoid a crash, the lead aircraft tried to rapidly descend. But the two F-15K jets eventually collided, damaging the lead aircraft’s left wing and the wingman aircraft’s tail stabiliser.

South Korea’s air force suspended the wingman pilot, who has since left the military to work for a commercial airline.

Subsequently, the air force sought to fine the wingman pilot 880 million won to cover the full amount of the repair costs. When the pilot appealed against the fine, it prompted an investigation by the audit board.

The wingman pilot acknowledged his sudden manoeuvre led to the collision, but argued that the lead aircraft’s pilot had “tacitly consented” to the manoeuvre since he was aware that filming was taking place.

The audit board eventually ruled that the wingman pilot should only pay a tenth of what the air force sought.

It said that the air force should bear some responsibility for not properly regulating pilots’ personal use of cameras.

The board also took into account that the wingman pilot had a good track record prior to the incident, and that he had managed to prevent further damage by promptly commandeering a safe return of his aircraft to the base.

The report did not mention whether any action was taken against the other pilots involved in the incident.

[BBC]

A strong magnitude 7.5 earthquake has struck off northern Japan, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning for waves of up to 3 metres (10 feet).

The quake hit on Monday at 4:53pm local time (07:53 GMT) in waters off Iwate prefecture on Japan’s Pacific coast, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). It was felt across a wide area, shaking buildings in Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres (miles) to the south.

The JMA warned that the first tsunami waves could reach parts of the northern coastline immediately. “Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building,” the agency said.

“Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted.”

Live footage from public broadcaster NHK showed no immediate signs of damage at several ports in Iwate.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up a crisis management team and was working to assess the impact of the earthquake.

“For those of you who live in areas for which the warnings have been issued, please evacuate to higher, safer places such as higher ground,” Takaichi told reporters.

[Aljazeera]

Thousands of prisoners in Myanmar have been granted amnesty or had their sentences reduced. The pardon order by Min Aung Hlaing is one of his first official acts since the coup leader became president this month.

The move comes as the lawyer for jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the Reuters news agency that her sentence has been reduced. Former president Win Myint, detained since the 2021 coup, was also pardoned of his convictions, a statement from the presidency said.

Min ‌Aung Hlaing approved an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, Myanmar’s state television MRTV reported.

A communique on behalf of Min Aung Hlaing said “those serving death sentences shall have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment”, without naming specific prisoners.

“The President has pardoned Win Myint,” said another statement from Min Aung Hlaing’s office. Win Myint was “granted a pardon and the reduction of his remaining sentences under ⁠specified conditions”, ⁠MRTV said.

Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a 27-year sentence on charges her allies describe as politically motivated. Her sentence was cut by one-sixth, her lawyer told Reuters, but ‌it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest. Min Aung Hlaing placed Suu Kyi under arrest after the coup.

Amnesties ⁠typically happen as Myanmar marks Independence Day in January and its New Year in April.

Among those to be released are 179 foreign nationals, who will be deported. The amnesty also includes the commutation of all death sentences to life imprisonment, life sentences reduced to 40 years, and a one-sixth reduction in term lengths for all other prisoners.

[Aljazeera]