North Korea says it tested solid-fuel missile with hypersonic warhead
Latest test ratchets up tensions days after Kim Jong Un designated South Korea as an enemy state. North Korea said it has tested a new solid-fuel missile fitted with a hypersonic warhead as it continued efforts to develop more powerful, harder-to-detect weaponry. The launch took place on Sunday afternoon and came as Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui headed to Moscow amid concerns in the United States and elsewhere that Pyongyang was selling weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine in return for Russian technological expertise. Detected by neighbouring Japan and South Korea, the launch was designed to test the reliability of new multi-stage, high-thrust solid-fuel engines and an intermediate-range hypersonic manoeuvrable controlled warhead, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday. KCNA added that the test-firing “never affected the security of any neighbouring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation”. The missile flew towards the East Sea, travelling approximately 1,000km (621 miles), Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement on Sunday, adding that authorities in Seoul, Washington, DC and Tokyo were analysing the specifications. Japan’s Defence Ministry said its maximum altitude was at least 50km (30 miles). North Korea’s last missile test was of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it fired into the East Sea on December 18. It previously tested new solid-fuel engines for an intermediate ballistic missile on November 11 and November 14. Leader Kim Jong Un last week branded Seoul his “principal enemy” and warned he would not hesitate to annihilate South Korea. “The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea [South Korea],” Kim was reported as saying by KCNA. Analysts said the timing of the latest test was a concern. “This launch is more than just a test as it comes immediately after the Kim regime escalated warlike rhetoric toward South Korea and just before North Korea’s foreign minister travels to Russia,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul said in emailed comments. “Pyongyang’s show of force should be of concern beyond Seoul, as its military cooperation with Moscow adds to the violence in Ukraine, and because it may be more willing to challenge the U.S. and its allies while global attention is fixed on the Middle East.” In separate KCNA commentary on Monday, North Korea accused Seoul of escalating tensions in the region with military drills and calls for more armaments by South Korean officials. “Even a little spark can be a catalyst for enormous physical conflicts between the two most hostile countries,” the commentary said. Analysts say Kim’s move to designate South Korea as a separate, enemy state, could potentially help justify the use of nuclear weapons against Seoul in a future war. Despite its difficult economic situation, Pyongyang conducted a record-breaking series of weapons tests in 2023, including its first solid-fuel ballistic missile, which experts called a major technological breakthrough. It also put its first spy satellite into orbit, after two failed attempts. Analysts say it benefitted from Russian expertise after Kim travelled to Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome to meet President Vladimir Putin. Kim detailed a wish list of sophisticated military equipment, including hypersonic weapons multi-warhead missiles, spy satellites, solid-fuel long-range missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles in 2021. Solid-fuel missiles can be launched more quickly and are easier to move and conceal, which theoretically makes them harder to detect. Hypersonic weapons are designed to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. If perfected, such systems could potentially pose a challenge to regional missile defence systems because of their speed and manoeuvrability. Adblock test (Why?)
Volcano erupts in Iceland, sending lava into fishing town
Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson describes disaster as a ‘black day’ for country, though no fatalities reported. A volcano has erupted in Iceland, sending molten lava flows to the outskirts of a small fishing town and engulfing homes. At least three houses were set alight on Sunday as lava reached the edge of the port of Grindavik, according to live images broadcast on public television. There were no reports of deaths or injuries and airline flights were not affected. Iceland’s President Gudni Johannesson described the disaster as a “black day” for his country. “No lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be under threat,” Johannesson said on the social media site X. The eruption occurred just before 8am local time (8:00 GMT) after local authorities evacuated the 4,000-strong population of the town following a series of small earthquakes, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. A crack that opened in the ground about 450 metres (500 yards) from Grindavik on Sunday morning had turned into a fissure measuring about 900 metres (984 yards) long as of 18:45 GMT, the Meteorological Office said. A second fissure opened at about midday on the edge of town, measuring about 100 metres (109 yards) by evening, according to the office. It is the second time the volcano located southwest of the capital Reykjavik has erupted in less than a month and the North Atlantic nation’s fifth volcanic eruption in less than three years. Grindavik was evacuated in November after large cracks opened in the earth in advance of an eruption on December 18. Before Sunday’s eruption, emergency workers had been building defensive walls around the town, which residents had returned to on December 22, but had not completed work on the barriers. Local resident Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson described the disaster as “tragic” for the close-knit community, which he likened to a family. “It’s unreal, it’s like watching a film,” Gudjonsson, 55, told the AFP news agency. Iceland, which is home to about 370,000 people and located some 1,300km (807 miles) northwest of the United Kingdom, is home to more than 30 active volcanoes, making the north European island a prime destination for volcano tourism. Adblock test (Why?)
Hezbollah says US strikes on Yemen’s Houthis harm maritime security
Hassan Nasrallah said security in the Red Sea and regional countries hinges on putting an end to Israel’s war on Gaza. The leader of the Lebanese group Hezbollah has said United States actions in the Red Sea will harm the security of all shipping as the area has now become a conflict zone. “The US should realise that the security of the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen are all hinged on one single thing: putting an end to the war in Gaza,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Sunday. “Rather than providing a remedy to the symptoms, they should treat the cause,” he added. Nasrallah was referring to a joint operation by US and United Kingdom air forces that launched a series of strikes against Yemen on Friday and Saturday, targeted at Houthi rebels who say they have been attacking ships linked to Israel during the war on Gaza. The strikes, which the US said targeted Houthi facilities, have further stoked fears of a regional spillover of the war in Gaza. The Houthis have also promised to retaliate. The Houthi assaults against international shipping have disrupted global commerce and raised costs, which influenced Western countries to intervene. The rebels say their actions are in response to Israel’s war and have pledged to continue as long as bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues. Both the Houthis and Hezbollah are backed by Iran and also form part of the so-called “axis of resistance” to Israel. ‘Theatre of fighting’ On Sunday, Nasrallah said the US was wrong if it thought the Houthis would stop confronting Israel in the Red Sea. “The more dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea will harm the security of all maritime navigation, even the ships that are not going to Palestine, even the ships which are not Israeli, even the ships that have nothing to do with the matter,” he said, “because the sea has become a theatre of fighting, missiles, drones and warships.” The Lebanon-based group has so far refrained from entering the war. It has, however, kept high pressure on Israel by conducting nearly daily attacks along its southern border with its neighbour. While the exchanges of fire from both sides have largely remained confined to the border area, the risk of a major escalation remains. The first week of January saw tensions reaching new heights over such a risk after a senior Hamas leader was killed in a suburb of Beirut in a targeted attack widely attributed to Israel. This was followed by the killing of at least three other Hezbollah members, including a senior commander. To add to the military pressure, the continued exchanges of fire have forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate. More than 96,000 Israelis are now living in temporary accommodation, a condition that Hezbollah says it plays in its favour. “Our front is inflicting losses on the enemy in putting pressure on the displaced whose voices have grown louder,” Nasrallah said. “This is a key strategy for Hezbollah,” said Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Ebel el-Saqi, in south Lebanon. “All those Israelis who have had to leave their homes in the north and can’t come back. [Nasrallah] wants them to rise up and start putting pressure on the Israeli government.” Adblock test (Why?)
Landslide in small-scale mine leaves 22 dead in Tanzania
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed ‘great sadness’ at the loss. Twenty-two people have been killed following a landslide at a small-scale mine in northern Tanzania, government officials said. The accident occurred at the Ng’alita mine in the Bariadi district of Simiyu region, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Sunday, expressing “great sadness” at the loss. “These brothers of ours were small miners in this area, earning a living for themselves, their families and contributing to the development of our nation,” she said in a post on the social media platform X. Nimepokea kwa masikitiko makubwa taarifa ya vifo vya watu zaidi ya 21 kufuatia ajali ya kufunikwa na ardhi katika Mgodi wa Ng’alita, Wilaya ya Bariadi, mkoani Simiyu. Ndugu zetu hawa walikuwa wachimbaji wadogo katika eneo hili, wakijitafutia riziki zao, familia zao na kuchangia… — Samia Suluhu (@SuluhuSamia) January 14, 2024 Faustine Mtitu, acting commander for the region’s fire and rescue force, told AFP news agency that rescue operations closed on Sunday and all 22 deceased were men. “We are convinced that there are no more bodies trapped in the rubble,” he said, adding that safety procedures had not been followed at the mine. The accident happened early on Saturday after a group of people aged between 24 and 38 years old started mining in an area where activity had been restricted due to ongoing heavy rains, Simon Simalenga, the region’s Bariadi district commissioner, told Reuters news agency. “Initially we were told that there were 19 to 20 people who were trapped in the mines, but unfortunately we ended up retrieving 22 bodies,” he said. Simalenga said the group had discovered an area rich in minerals around two to three weeks prior and moved to start mining before the government had approved physical and environmental safety and procedures. The group defied the order, he added, starting to mine late on Friday before part of the area caved in and buried them inside. Mining accidents are not uncommon, with workers often lacking the tools and materials considered necessary to operate safely. Torrential downpours in the country since December have also led to landslides and floods in the region, adding obstacles to miners. The government has worked for years to improve safety for small-scale miners, but unsafe and unregulated illegal mining still occurs in Tanzania, which is Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer after South Africa, Ghana and Mali. Adblock test (Why?)
How long can Israel’s war on Gaza continue?
One hundred days of relentless bombardment passes – with more killing of Palestinians. For 100 days, Israel’s war on Gaza has gone on unabated – a massacre of Palestinians in full view of the world. Israel has failed to meet its stated objectives and the bombardment continues. So what will end the suffering? Or is the real goal the ethnic cleansing of Gaza? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Hanan Ashrawi – Palestinian political leader and a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan – Paediatric neurologist and co-founder of @GazaMedicVoices Gideon Levy – Columnist at the Haaretz newspaper and author of the book The Punishment of Gaza Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s war on Gaza: 100 days of death and suffering
Over the past 100 days, Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground assault of Gaza has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians – roughly one percent of the besieged strip’s population of 2.3 million. The brutal assaults have uprooted almost the entire population, with most people now squeezed into the territory’s far south, while a lack of basic necessities including food is pushing the enclave to the brink of famine. In the north, which was Israel’s first target, mountains of rubble fill the landscape. Much of Gaza City and surrounding districts have been flattened. Many residents who fled fear they will never be allowed to return, or if they are, their neighbourhoods will be uninhabitable. In parts of southern Gaza, where Israel advised people to evacuate, rescuers dig through smouldering piles of concrete, stone and dust, looking for survivors of non-stop air strikes and shelling. At least 60,000 people have been injured in Gaza, including at least 8,663 children and 6,327 women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the Palestine Red Crescent Society and Save the Children. Tent camps have sprawled over any empty piece of land. Hungry Palestinians line up at distribution sites for food, under Israel’s siege of the territory. Nine out of 10 people are going for 24 hours or more without food, according to data released by the World Food Programme. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the International Court of Justice, which has begun hearing a genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa, cannot end the war in Gaza. South Africa is seeking a court intervention to halt the war. Israel says it wants to eradicate Hamas fighters, who carried out a deadly attack on October 7 in which about 1,100 people were killed in Israel. Adblock test (Why?)
Taiwan elects ruling party candidate that China disapproves of
NewsFeed Taiwan has elected William Lai Ching-te, a candidate Beijing sees as a ‘dangerous separatist’, to lead the self-governing island. In his victory speech, he said his ruling Democratic Progressive Party has always sought good relations with China. Published On 14 Jan 202414 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Why are antidepressants so popular in Iceland?
Mindset travels to Iceland to explore why it has the highest rate of antidepressant use in Europe. Iceland is known for its stunning landscapes, sparse population, long winters – and high use of antidepressants. Pills are about seven times cheaper than therapy and easier to access, contributing to the country having Europe’s highest rate of antidepressant use. But locals say medication isn’t a panacea, with deeper issues within Iceland’s society and mental health system remaining unresolved. In this special series on mental health approaches around the world, Mindset meets Icelanders to understand the impact of antidepressants and those turning to community, self-enrichment, and old traditions in search of relief. Adblock test (Why?)
Global pro-Palestinian protests call for Gaza ceasefire
NewsFeed Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in major world cities to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Rallies were held the day after Israel defended its 100-day war against genocide charges at the ICJ. Published On 14 Jan 202414 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Who is Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te?
William Lai Ching-te from the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who is seen as a “dangerous separatist” by China, has won Taiwan’s presidential election. Lai, the current vice president, who has asserted the self-ruled island’s sovereignty, beat his nearest rival Hou Yu-ih of the conservative Kuomintang (KMT) by more than 900,000 votes in Saturday’s elections. With Lai’s win, the DPP secured an unprecedented third consecutive term in power, signifying that the majority of Taiwanese stand behind the party’s values of preserving democracy. The DPP does not represent the mainstream public opinion on the island, Beijing said after Lai was named the winner of Saturday’s vote, adding that the vote “will not impede the inevitable trend of China’s reunification”. In his victory speech, the 64-year-old Lai congratulated voters for refusing to be swayed by “external forces” trying to influence the election in an apparent reference to China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory. He said he wanted to cooperate with China – Taiwan’s biggest trade partner – and maintain peace and stability, but pledged not to be “intimidated” by Beijing. Here’s more about the president-elect that China has vocally opposed: Steering Taiwan as vice president In his most recent role as vice president, Lai helped promote Taiwan’s interests internationally. Last August, he made a diplomatic mission to Paraguay, a move criticised by Beijing. The Latin American country is one of a dozen that still maintains formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwan, however, has trade ties with countries around the world. Lai has also drawn a line between Taiwan and Ukraine and the rise of authoritarianism globally, saying the phenomenon has “awakened the international community to the fragility of democracy”. During his and outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s tenure, Taiwan increased arms acquisitions from the United States, which is bound by law to provide the island with weapons needed to protect itself. Washington does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in line with its “one China” policy. As such, during his run as VP, Lai talked about the need to build up Taiwan’s military deterrence capabilities, strengthen its economic security, and forge partnerships with democracies worldwide. “We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy,” Lai told his supporters on Saturday night. Relations with China China has been vocal about its opposition to Lai, calling him a dangerous separatist. Beijing had, in fact, called the poll a choice between war and peace. The new president-elect, however, has repeatedly said during the campaign that he wanted to keep the status quo with China and has on numerous occasions offered to talk to Beijing. Lai once said the head of state he would most like to have dinner with is Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he said needs to “chill out a little”. With the leader now elected, what is at stake is peace, social stability and prosperity on the island, as Beijing builds up military activity around the island, which it has said could be retaken by force if necessary. Taiwan is home to the world’s leading semiconductor industry, producing tiny chips used in everything from Bluetooth headphones to missile systems. These silicon wafers are the lifeblood of the modern global economy, placing great responsibility on Lai to maintain a careful balance on tensions as the United States and China tussle over technology exports. In running for president, Lai advocated for domestic issues such as reviving the sluggish economy and housing affordability. From humble origins to Harvard-educated Lai grew up in northern Taiwan and hails from a humble background as the son of a coal miner who died when the president-elect was a small child. He left his medical career as a physician specialising in spinal cord injuries to pursue politics. Before becoming president-elect, Lai held several prominent jobs including vice president, premier, legislator and mayor of the southern city of Tainan. The new leader of Taiwan has a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University in the US. Adblock test (Why?)