news in brief 2025-01-08
Wednesday, 8 January 2025
New hypersonic missile will deter 'rivals': Kim
SEOUL, Jan 07: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un said it tested a new hypersonic missile this week aimed at deterring the country's Pacific rivals, state media reported Tuesday, as Washington's top diplomat visited the region. The test came two weeks before the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, who previously tried to woo North Korea, and coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the South. "The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state," Kim, who oversaw the launch, said in comments carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday. —AFP
Israeli attacks kill 31 in Gaza in 24 hours
GAZA STRIP, Jan 07: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that 31 people were killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours in Israeli attacks, taking the overall death toll to 45,885 as the war entered its 16th month. The ministry also said in a statement that at least 109,196 people had been wounded in the war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack. —AFP
Investigators seek new warrant to arrest Yoon
SEOUL, Jan 07: South Korean anti-graft investigators were waiting on Tuesday for a new court-ordered arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose failed martial law bid threw the country into turmoil. The former star prosecutor has refused questioning three times over a bungled martial law decree last month and is holed up in his residence surrounded by hundreds of guards preventing his arrest. It is likely a new warrant will be granted by the same court that issued the first order, which expired after seven days, but investigators refused to disclose the duration of the new warrant they were seeking. — AFP
Over 90 people executed in Iran in 2024
GENEVA, Jan 07: More than 900 people were reportedly executed in Iran last year, including around 40 in a single week in December, the United Nations rights chief said on Tuesday. —AFP