Search continues for survivors after biggest Japan quake since 2011
- 15 April 2016
- Asia
Rescuers have been searching for anyone trapped under rubble after a powerful earthquake hit southern Japan.
At least nine people died and more than 860 were injured, officials said, as shaking toppled buildings.
The magnitude 6.5 quake struck at 21:26 on Thursday (12:26 GMT), near Kumamoto city, on the island of Kyushu.
The intensity of the quake was similar to that of the one in 2011, which sparked a huge tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Fukushima.
Most of those who died in Thursday's quake were in the town of Mashiki, near Kumamoto, where an apartment building collapsed and many houses were damaged.
More than 40,000 people had initially fled their homes, with many of those closest to the epicentre spending the night outside. Some are now returning to their homes despite the frequent aftershocks.
China condemns North Korean 'sabre-rattling' after failed missile launch
Beijing issues sharp commentary after US and South Korea say regime carried out unsuccessful test-firing of Musudan missile for Kim Il-sung’s birthday
China has condemned as “sabre-rattling” the latest weapons test by North Koreaafter the launch of a medium-range Musudan missile to mark the birthday of Kim Il-sung apparently ended in failure.
North Korea tried and failed to test fire the missile on Friday to honour its founding leader, South Korean and US military officials said.
The test followed widespread reports that the North was preparing for the first-ever flight of its mobile medium-range Musudan missile, believed to be capable of striking US bases in the Pacific island of Guam.
Russia is running out of money
Low oil profits, sanctions and structural problems have got Russia's economy stuck in a crisis; their emergencyRESERVES
are drying up. Still, the conflict with the West could escalate.
are drying up. Still, the conflict with the West could escalate.
Russia is increasingly suffering under an economic crisis. Last year economic performance dropped by 3.7 percent, and the International Monetary Fund is expecting a further drop of about 1.8 percent this year.
There are a whole series of problems: first, oil prices dropped by more than half in the last year. The country and companies alike are faced with remarkably lower revenues.
"Low oil and natural gas prices make it extremely difficult to finance the budget," said Stefan Meister, Russia expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), a Berlin-based think tank. The government, he said, can only plug the budget deficit if they draw from assetRESERVES, which were built up years ago from the booming profits that came from the energy market.
, which were built up years ago from the booming profits that came from the energy market.Iranian woman defies authorities to run male-only marathon
An Iranian woman defied the rules of Iran’s international marathon, which was only open to men, and ran the 26 miles from Shiraz to Persepolis on April 9.
Mahsa Torabi, an Iranian mountaineer and runner, wanted to compete in “I run Iran”, Iran’s first international marathon, which was organised by a tourism organisation with the support of Iranian authorities. But she was told that the event, set for April 9, 2016, was not open to women.
That didn’t discourage Torabi, who decided to start the course two hours before the official start to the race. She ran all 26 miles from Shiraz to the historic city of Persepolis. No one stopped her, asked her questions or even bothered her during her run.
Brazil court rejects bid to halt Rousseff's impeachment
Denial of request for injunction paves way for lower house of Congress to vote on sending president to trial in Senate.
| Dilma Rousseff, Brazil, Politics, Latin America, Corruption
A majority of Brazil's Supreme Court have rejected a last-ditch attempt by President Dilma Rousseff to halt an impeachment process against her in advance of a vote in Congress.
Justices denied a request on Thursday for an injunction against proceedings that Brazil's attorney general - the government lawyer - called "Kafkaesque" and said amounted to denying Rousseff the opportunity to defend herself.
Brazil's lower house of Congress is due to vote on Sunday on sending Rousseff to trial in the Senate.
Israel roiled by plans to charge soldier who shot wounded Palestinian with manslaughter
April 15, 2016 - 1:53PMIsabel Kershner
Jerusalem: Israel's military said prosecutors intended to file a manslaughter charge against a soldier who fatally shot a Palestinian assailant in the head as he lay wounded on a road in the West Bank city of Hebron last month.
The case has roiled Israel, pitting the military's chief of staff and defence minister, who condemned the soldier's action as a grave breach of military norms, against some rightist politicians, the soldier's relatives and Israeli sympathisers who hailed the soldier as a hero.
The soldier's supporters have flooded social media with expressions of outrage over what they saw as premature public judgment by his critics, and in particular, a pronouncement by the military the day after the shooting that it was investigating the soldier on suspicion of murder.
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