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North Korea launches Ballistic Missile: Seoul Military

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According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch but provided no additional information, citing the need for further analysis.

Updated On – 10:56 AM, Wed – 13 September 23


North Korea launches Ballistic Missile: Seoul Military



Seoul: North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, as Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong-un is currently in Russia to hold a rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the South Korean military said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the launch but gave no further details, pending an analysis, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Pyongyang’s latest saber-rattling came as the country’s leader departed for Russia on Sunday to meet Putin amid concerns over a possible arms deal that could support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

It remains unknown exactly when and where Kim and Putin would hold their meeting, although some foreign media reports said the summit would likely take place on Wednesday at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space centre in the Amur region.

The North has continued to press ahead with weapons tests in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions banning the country from launches using ballistic missile technology.

The country last fired two short-range ballistic missiles on August 30.

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High-ranking US officials plan to visit South Korea

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According to the Yonhap news agency’s report, “ranking US officials from the departments of defense and commerce will soon travel to South Korea for talks on ways to enhance the countries’ joint deterrence against North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats.”

The agency says that the visits will take place “amid North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia.”

Earlier, it was reported that Kim had arrived in the Primorye Region on Monday. After a welcoming ceremony at the Khasan station, the North Korean leader held talks with Russian Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov.

Prior to that, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a meeting between the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un would take place in the coming days. The Korean Central News Agency also reported on the DPRK leader’s upcoming visit to Russia. The DPRK’s state radio Voice of Korea said that Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on the afternoon of September 10 on a special train heading for Russia.

MNA/PR

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At least 5200 dead in devastating floods in Libyan city

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The spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior in the government appointed by the House of Representatives, Tariq Al-Kharaz, said on Tuesday that the death toll of Storm Daniel, which struck the eastern region of the country, reached 5,200 people in Derna alone, adding that 1,300 bodies out of that number were buried after the families had identified them, while there were entire families who died, The Libya Observer reported.

Al-Kharaz said the number of bodies that had not been identified was massive and couldn’t be buried at present because of the lack of resources and support, expecting the death toll from the floods in Derna to rise to more than 10,000 people.

He also said there were still many unrecovered bodies, adding that specialized rescue teams from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt were working to recover the bodies that had been swept into the sea by the torrents. 

Storm Daniel swept through several areas in eastern Libya on Sunday, especially the cities of Derna, Benghazi, and Al-Bayda, in addition to Sousse and Al-Marj, leaving thousands dead and missing, and causing major infrastructure damage.

On Monday, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah declared all the municipalities that were hit by Storm Daniel and ensuing floods in the east of the country as disaster areas.

He also declared, during an emergency Cabinet session, mourning for a period of 3 days, directing all “officials and ministers without exception to assess the conditions in the eastern region.”

RHM/PR

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Vladimir Putin applauds PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative

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During his speech at the 8th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Tuesday, Putin cited India as an example in response to a question about Russian-made automobiles.



Updated On – 11:56 AM, Wed – 13 September 23


Vladimir Putin applauds PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative



Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again lauded the ‘Make in India’ initiative and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “doing the right thing” by promoting the policy.

In his address to the plenary session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Tuesday, Putin gave India‘s example while responding to a query about Russian-manufacture automobiles.

“You know, we did not have domestically made cars then, but we do now. It is true that they look more modest than Mercedes or Audi cars, which we bought in vast amounts in the 1990s, but this is not an issue.

“I think that we should emulate many of our partners, for example, India. They are focused on the manufacture and use of Indian-made vehicles.

“I think that Prime Minister Modi is doing the right thing in promoting the ‘Make in India‘ programme. He is right,” the Russian leader said.

He went on to say that it is “absolutely fine” to use Russian-made automobiles.

“This will not lead to any infringements of our WTO obligations, absolutely not. It will concern state purchases. We must create a certain chain regarding what cars different classes of officials can drive, so that they will use domestically-made cars.

“You probably know about the proposals to continue buying these cars. It would be easy to do, because the logistics are streamlined,” Putin added.

In June while addressing an economic forum in Moscow, Putin had called Modi “a great friend of Russia” and praised the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

“Our friends in India and our big friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative several years ago. It has had a truly impressive effect on the Indian economy. It would do no harm to emulate what is working well, even if it was not us but our friends who created it,” the President had said.

The ‘Make in India’ initiative was launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2014 aimed to to create and encourage companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products made in the country and incentivise dedicated investments into manufacturing.

Putin and Modi last met on the sidelines of a regional security bloc summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022.

The President did not attend the G20 Summit held in New Delhi on September 9-10. He was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

World

Iran’s snooker player defeated by Mark Selby

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Iranian athlete lost the game against Mark Selby 6-5 and was eliminated from the tournament.

Earlier, Vafaei defeated his Chinese rival Gong Chenzhi 6-1 to face Selby.

The 2023 Shanghai Masters is being held in China from September 11-17.

Some 16 stars from various countries are competing at the prestigious event.

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Radioactive material leak detected at Japan’s Nuclear Research Facility

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Plutonium Fuel Development Room No. 3 identified radioactive contamination at four locations within the facility on September 8.

Updated On – 10:57 AM, Wed – 13 September 23


Radioactive material leak detected at Japan’s Nuclear Research Facility

Representational Image.

Tokyo: The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has confirmed the detection of radioactive material leaks in one of its nuclear fuel research facilities but reported no adverse effects on the health of the staff or the surrounding environment, local media reported on Wednesday.

In its report, Kyodo News citing the JAEA said that the leaks were detected within the Plutonium Fuel Development Room No. 3 at the JAEA’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, located in Tokai village, Ibaraki prefecture, reports Xinhua news agency.

On September 8, the Plutonium Fuel Development Room No. 3 identified pollution caused by radioactive materials at four locations within the facility.

The pollution was discovered during a routine inspection of the glovebox equipment, which is designed to be airtight.

The contamination was found both above and below the glovebox, with the highest level of radioactive activity measuring approximately 33 becquerels.

Although the glovebox contained nuclear fuel materials, it had not been in recent use and was solely undergoing a biennial routine inspection, said the JAEA.

The JAEA has reassured the public that the leak of nuclear material has not had any negative consequences for the health of the facility’s four staff members or the surrounding environment.

At present, the cause of the radioactive material leak is under investigation.

Authorities at the laboratories suspected that the radioactive materials may have seeped out of the equipment.

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Iran says supports regional initiatives aimed at resolving Afghan woes

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) meets with Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan Affairs, in Tehran on September 12, 2023. (Photo by the Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has underlined the need to support regional initiatives designed to settle challenges in Afghanistan.

During a meeting with Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan Affairs, in Tehran on Tuesday, Amir-Abdollahian highlighted the influential role of Iran and Pakistan in developments in Afghanistan and the entire region.

The top Iranian diplomat further expressed hope that continued consultations between Tehran and Islamabad will enhance peace in the region, especially in Afghanistan.

He stressed the need for supporting “regional initiatives” developed by Afghanistan’s neighbors to help resolve challenges gripping the Central Asian country.

Durrani, for his part, expressed satisfaction with his talks with the Iranian foreign minister.

Presenting an assessment of Afghanistan’s political and security conditions, the Pakistani envoy said his country is resolved to cooperate with the Islamic Republic in a bid to help establish peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, who had previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, took power again in August 2021 as the US was in the middle of a chaotic troop withdrawal.

Following the Taliban’s takeover, the US and its allies rushed to cut off Afghanistan’s access to international aid and froze assets belonging to the country’s central bank.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank followed suit, compounding one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and sparking a new refugee wave.

The Taliban has failed to form an inclusive government that accurately reflects Afghanistan’ multi-ethnic society and protects the rights of all people.

World

Backing regional initiatives for Afghanistan's peace needed

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Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with Asif Ali Khan Durrani, the Pakistani prime minister’s special envoy for Afghanistan on Tuesday in Tehran.

Emphasizing the effective role of Iran and Pakistan in the developments of the region and Afghanistan, Iran’s foreign minister expressed hope that the continuation of these consultations will contribute to greater peace and tranquility in the region, especially in Afghanistan.

Amir-Abdollahian also stressed the need to support regional initiatives within the framework of neighbors in order to solve Afghanistan’s challenges.

Asif Ali Khan Durrani, for his part, announced Pakistan’s readiness to cooperate with Iran on helping to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan.

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Putin meets N Korea's Jong Un at Russia Vostochny Cosmodrome

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have had a brief talk at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday, Sputnik reported.

“Thank you for inviting us, despite your tight schedule,” Kim told Putin during the meeting.

The ceremony took place at the main entrance to the Unified Technical Complex Launch Vehicles assembly and test buildings.

Putin and Kim will inspect the Vostochny Cosmodrome and then will hold bilateral talks.

When asked about cooperation with North Korea in space, Vladimir Putin emphasized that this is the very reason why they came to Vostochny Cosmodrome.

“The North Korean leadership is interested in rocket construction, they are also trying to develop space technologies,” Putin said.

Referring to the issue of potential cooperation with North Korea in military and technological spheres, Vladimir Putin also said that “they will discuss all issues in no particular hurry” because “they have time”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier that the two leaders would discuss bilateral cooperation in various areas, as well as regional and international cooperation. Moreover, Peskov stated Putin and Kim would also discuss “sensitive” issues, which he stressed, “should not become the subject of any public disclosure or announcement”.

This is the North Korean leader’s first trip abroad in four years and his second trip to Russia. Kim last visited the country in 2019.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the launch facility of the Soyuz-2 space rocket complex at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Region, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The leaders have also inspected the process of construction of the launch facility of the Angara space rocket complex, which started in 2019.

Earlier in the day, Kim arrived at the railway station of the cosmodrome by train as part of his first visit to Russia since 2019.

RHM/PR