News in Brief (2023-06-02)

N Korea will 'correctly' put spy satellite
into orbit soon, Kim's sister says
SEOUL, June 01: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Thursday that Pyongyang would "correctly" place a spy satellite into orbit soon, a day after their first attempt crashed. Pyongyang has pitched its military satellite as a necessary counterbalance to the growing US military presence in the region, pointing to Washington's ongoing joint drills with Seoul as one example of many. North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket lost thrust and plunged into the sea with its satellite payload on Wednesday, state media said in a rare same-day announcement following the failed launch. — AFP
Khartoum market attack kills 18
KHARTOUM, June 01: Rockets hit a market in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, killing 18 people and leaving more than 100 wounded, doctors and residents say. The fighting between rival military forces comes as truce talks mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia collapsed. Wednesday's violence around a market in Mayo in the south of Khartoum included artillery fire and aerial bombardment. It caused the most civilian casualties in a single incident in the capital since the war began in April. — BBC
Canada battles 'unprecedented' wildfires
OTTAWA, June 01: Firefighters on Wednesday faced a grueling uphill battle against wildfires in Canada's Nova Scotia province, including one threatening suburbs of Halifax. Federal help was coming, officials said, along with firefighters from the United States. "We're in a crisis in the province and we want and we need and we will take all the support we can get," Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told a news conference. "These fires are unprecedented." Already, additional kit have been shipped in from Ontario, and a dozen water bombers from neighboring regions and the Coast Guard joined efforts to douse the flames and assist with evacuations. — AFP
US, Japan modernising military alliance
TOKYO, June 01: The United States and Japan are working to modernise their military alliance in the face of threats from China, North Korea and Russia, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday. Austin is in Tokyo on a brief trip for bilateral talks before heading to the Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit in Singapore. Speaking before talks with his Japanese counterpart, Austin said the alliance faced "common challenges from the PRC's (China's) coercive behaviour, North Korea's dangerous provocations and Russia's cruel war of choice in Ukraine. — AFP