By Ju-min Park and Daewoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) -Air raid sirens and a mobile phone alert calling for evacuations rattled residents of South Korea’s capital, Seoul, early on Wednesday after North Korea tried to launch what it said was a satellite. Nuclear-armed North Korea’s sixth satellite launch ended in failure, with the booster and payload…
By Ira Dugal MUMBAI (Reuters) -On a hot summer afternoon, 23-year old Nizamudin Abdul Rahim Khan is playing cricket on a muddy, unpaved road in the Rafiq Nagar slum in India’s financial capital, Mumbai. Here, there is scant evidence of India’s fast-growing economy. Bordering what was once Asia largest garbage dumping ground, Rafiq Nagar and…
By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Wednesday that he had asked prosecutors to investigate whether senior Russian defence officials had committed any “crime” before or during the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin’s request is his most blatant public challenge to date against President Vladimir Putin’s top military brass,…
By Soo-hyang Choi SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to weigh over 140 kg (308 lb) according to an artificial intelligence (AI) estimate, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday in a remark reflecting abiding interest in the health of the North’s secretive ruler. The health of North Korean leaders…
By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will encourage businesses diversify their trade into new and emerging markets, Trade Minister Don Farrell will say in a speech on Thursday, even as ties heal with China, its largest trading partner. “It’s why this government has spent the last year working to diversify our trading relationships,” he…
HONG KONG (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday warned “uncertainty” caused by the Chinese government could hurt investor confidence at home and abroad, and said the U.S. and China need “real engagement” on security and trade issues. Dimon is on his first visit to China since the beginning of the…
By Lisa Barrington DUBAI (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it was no longer taking part in operations by a U.S.-led task force protecting Gulf shipping, which has been subjected to renewed tanker seizures by Iranian naval forces in recent weeks. The UAE was responding to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday…
BERLIN (Reuters) – A global employment divide between high-income and low-income countries is worsening as rising debt levels hit developing countries disproportionately, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Wednesday. It urged nations to offer global financial support on job creation and social protection to help narrow the gap. While global unemployment is expected to…
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s defence chief said on Wednesday the United States warned him in 2021 that allegations Australian special forces soldiers killed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan may trigger a law prohibiting assistance from the United States. The United States is Australia’s biggest security alliance partner and Angus Campbell’s comments are…
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Latvia’s parliament has elected long-serving Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics as the country’s next president, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said on Wednesday. Rinkevics will represent Latvia, a European Union and NATO member nation, at NATO’s Vilnius summit in July. Rinkevics, 49, takes the largely ceremonial role after serving as Latvia’s foreign minister since…
