SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – North Korea’s state media was silent Thursday after a suspected missile test ended in what Seoul said was total failure, exploding mid-air in the skies above the capital Pyongyang almost immediately after launch. The North test-fired what was most likely a ballistic missile from the Sunan area of the capital, home to some three million people, early Wednesday, South Korea’s military said. The projectile exploded moments after launch, with Seoul-based […]
International
Rescuers find three bodies after Peru landslide
by Said VELASQUEZ con Carlos MANDUJANO en LIMA Agence France-Presse RETAMAS, Peru (AFP) – Rescuers digging through a landslide in northern Peru said Wednesday they had recovered three dead bodies, including a one-month-old baby. A landslide Tuesday in the town of Retamas, around 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Lima, buried several homes and trapped at least eight people, five of whom are still missing, authorities said. “We were able to recover the body of […]
‘My life’s at risk’: Mexican journalists fear death every day
by Jennifer Gonzalez Covarrubias Agence France-Presse AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico (AFP) – Each time Maria Martinez leaves home, she fears it will be the last. Only her bodyguards prevent her from joining the eight journalists murdered already this year in Mexico, she believes. “I know that my life’s at risk every day and it’s terrible to live with the threat,” the 55-year-old reporter said in her house in the central city of Aguascalientes, protected by locks and […]
128 Cuban protesters given sentences of 6 to 30 years
HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) – A group of 128 Cubans who took part in unprecedented anti-government protests last July were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 30 years, the Supreme Court said Wednesday. In trials held in mid-December, 129 Cubans were “accused of committing and provoking serious disturbances and acts of vandalism” while participating in the protests, the court said in a statement. Of the defendants, 128 were found guilty of sedition and theft, […]
UPDATED: Four dead after powerful Japan quake rattles east coast
by Harumi OZAWA / Charly TRIBALLEAU Agence France-Presse Four people were reported dead and more than 100 injured in Japan on Thursday after a powerful overnight earthquake rattled large parts of the east coast and prompted a tsunami warning, authorities said. The 7.4-magnitude quake off the coast of Fukushima derailed a bullet train, opened cracks in highways and threw products from shelves in shops. A tsunami warning for waves of up to a metre (three […]
US, Iran ‘close to deal’ on reviving nuclear pact: State Dept
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States and Iran are near to reaching an agreement over reviving the 2015 deal on limiting Tehran’s nuclear program, the State Department said Wednesday. “We are close to a possible deal, but we’re not there yet,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “We do think the remaining issues can be bridged.” Speaking to reporters, Price declined to confirm Tehran’s claim that there were just two final issues […]
Vote at UN Council postponed again on Russia’s ‘humanitarian’ resolution on Ukraine
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – Moscow asked Wednesday to postpone again a UN Security Council vote on a resolution it drafted about the “humanitarian” situation in Ukraine, where Russian troops have launched an all-out assault. Some diplomats believe, however, that the text could ultimately be abandoned due to lack of support from Russia’s allies. Discussions are also underway, according to other diplomatic sources, to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak to the United […]
7.3-magnitude quake hits east Japan, tsunami advisory issued
A powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan on Wednesday night, rattling the capital Tokyo and prompting a tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake was centred off the coast of the Fukushima region at a depth of 60 kilometres (37 miles). Shortly after it hit at 11:36 pm (1436 GMT) an advisory for tsunami waves of one metre was issued for parts of the coast. There were […]
IEA cuts oil demand outlook, fears Russia supply ‘shock’
PARIS, France (AFP) – The International Energy Agency cut its world oil demand forecast for 2022 on Wednesday, warning that sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine could spark a global supply “shock”. “Faced with what could turn into the biggest supply crisis in decades, global energy markets are at a crossroads,” the IEA said in a monthly report. “While it is still too early to know how events will unfold, the crisis may […]
Polish, Czech, Slovenian PMs meet Zelensky in Kyiv
First visit of foreign leaders in Ukraine after Russia attack KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — The Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday in the first visit by foreign leaders to Ukraine’s besieged capital since Russia’s invasion. The prime ministers, who arrived by train, sat round a table with their Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmyhal amd and the Ukrainian president, who detailed the situation to them. “They are shelling […]
Vietnam ends Covid quarantine for international travellers
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam announced an end to quarantine for international travellers on Wednesday, as it seeks to restart its tourism industry after two years of strict Covid-19 restrictions. The only virus requirement for visitors will be a negative Covid test, the country’s ministry of health said in a statement. The communist state’s tourism sector was worth up to $32 billion a year before the pandemic, but it ground to a standstill during […]
Train station targeted in Ukraine refugee hub near Mariupol
DNIPRO, Ukraine (AFP) – Russian forces on Wednesday targeted the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, where thousands of refugees are taking shelter after escaping the besieged port city of Mariupol, regional officials said. “Civilian objects have been bombed for the first time in Zaporizhzhia,” the regional governor Alexander Starukh wrote on the Telegram social media platform. “The rockets landed in the area of the Zaporozhye-2 railway station,” he added, specifying that there were no casualties. […]





