International

North Korea says more missiles to come as UN condemns launch (with video)

(Video courtesy AFPTV)   by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation’s provocative launch was a mere “curtain-raiser,” in the face of United Nations condemnation and United States warnings of severe repercussions. The Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang unleashed on Tuesday represented a major escalation in the face of tensions over its weapons programs. In recent […]

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North Korea’s missile launch: Why Japan?

  by Shingo Ito Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — When nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan this week, it sparked international condemnation. But it also raised the question: Why Japan? Location It might seem obvious, but geography is frequently a huge factor in geopolitical wrangling. The Japanese archipelago forms a long string off the coast of mainland north Asia, so by definition, any regional player that wants to fire a […]

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Thousands rescued as rain continues to fall over Houston

EAST HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) — Families that thought they could ride the storm out have come out in search of help and dry land in East Houston on Tuesday (August 29). Some 3,500 people have been rescued from high waters in the Houston area with police, firefighters and National Guard troops continuing to try to locate those marooned in high waters. The nation’s fourth most populous city was inundated with between 15 and 30 inches […]

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Trump visits Texas disaster zone before Harvey return

by Katie Schubauer with Jennie Matthew in Winnie, Texas HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump headed to storm-ravaged Texas Tuesday in a show of solidarity and leadership in the face of the deadly devastation wrought by Harvey — as the battered United States Gulf Coast braces for even more torrential rain. Four days after Harvey slammed onshore as a monster Category Four hurricane, turning roads to rivers in America’s fourth-largest city, emergency crews […]

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Suicide bombing kills four in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan (CCTV) — Four people were killed and several others wounded as a suicide bomber blew himself up near a bank not far from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Tuesday. The suicide bombing was confirmed by Najib Danish, a spokesman with Afghanistan’s interior ministry. The blast went off outside a bank in Microrayani-eDuwum locality in the 9th Police District of the Afghan capital. The location is some 200 meters from the U.S. Embassy, […]

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Finland releases 2 suspects in knife attack probe

  HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Finnish authorities on Tuesday said they had released two of the four suspects held in custody following this month’s stabbing attack that killed two and wounded eight. All four had been placed in pre-trial detention last week on suspicion of murder and attempted murder with terrorist intent but two of them were later cleared, a statement from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said. “There is no longer any reason […]

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Video: Japan deploys PAC-3 missile defense system after N. Korea missile launch

Japan deploys a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile defense system at a US military base in Tokyo as part of a previously scheduled drill, after North Korea’s launch of a missile over its territory. Hiroaki Maehara, commander of the air self defense forces explained to the Japanese troops the importance of drills for a missile defense system. “Practicing this kind of drill allows us to maintain our fast response system in the event of a […]

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Russia ‘extremely worried’ about N. Korea situation

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday said it was “extremely worried” about the situation in North Korea, hitting out at a “tendency towards an escalation” after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan. “We see a tendency towards an escalation … and we are extremely concerned by the general developments,” Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti state news agency. Tokyo also said the missile overflew Hokkaido, […]

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Chronology of North Korean missile development

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japanese territory on Tuesday, in a surprise move that ramped up international alarm over its weapons program. Here are the key dates in Pyongyang’s quest to develop a missile capable of hitting the United States: Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C […]

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Missing in China landslide climbs to 32

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The number of people missing after a landslide struck dozens of homes in rural southwestern China has climbed to 32, authorities said Tuesday. At least three people were found dead and seven were injured in Monday’s disaster in a township in Bijie city in Guizhou province, according to a report on the official news site of the local government. The search is continuing, it said, adding that rescuers were carrying out […]

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North Korea’s Kim has third child: reports

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has fathered another child, reports said Tuesday, after his wife dropped out of the public eye for several months. First lady Ri Sol-Ju delivered the couple’s third child in February, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by the National Intelligence Service. Ri had disappeared for an extended period last year, raising speculation that she could be pregnant. News […]

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UK’s Boris Johnson “outraged” by North Korea missile launch

Reuters — UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson said in a tweet late on Monday (August 28) he was “outraged” by “reckless provocation” of North Korea’s latest missile launch. North Korea fired a missile early on Tuesday that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific waters off the northern region of Hokkaido, South Korea and Japan said, in a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula. The last North Korean projectile to fly over […]

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