SEOUL: North Korea is experiencing its worst drought in over a century, official media reported yesterday, days after the World Food Programme expressed “very serious concerns” about the situation in the country. The isolated, impoverished North – which is under several sets of sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic
WASHINGTON: SpaceX postponed a launch of 60 satellites into low-Earth orbit that was scheduled for Thursday night, possibly until next week, citing a need for software updates. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral was to be the first of potentially thousands in its Starlink project to beam
KOLKATA: Police made new arrests following clashes and poured thousands of security forces into the eastern city of Kolkata yesterday as tensions mounted ahead of the final round of voting in India’s marathon election. Supporters of right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition followers clashed in the eastern metropolis late
SYDNEY: Australia’s political leaders made last-gasp pitches to voters yesterday, on the eve of an election that polls show is going down to the wire. “This will be the closest election we’ve seen in many, many years,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted while campaigning in north Queensland, home to a
HANOI: Vietnam has sentenced 10 people to death for smuggling meth, ketamine and ecstasy across the country by train, state media reported yesterday as the communist country deepens its crackdown on drugs. The gang shifted 300kgs of drugs from northern Vietnam to the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh
TOKYO: Japanese car giant Nissan shook up its executive board yesterday, adding a top director from partner Renault as it battles the fallout from the Carlos Ghosn saga and disappointing results. The firm will propose to shareholders a new board structure with 11 members, six of whom will be external,
SHANGHAI: Chinese internet giant Baidu has posted its first quarterly loss since going public in 2005, and the head of its core search business resigned as the company struggles to grow sales. China’s Nasdaq-listed online search leader also warned of a “challenging environment” ahead, saying revenue in the second quarter
KOKOPO: Papua New Guinea dispatched assessment teams Wednesday to get a full picture of the damage caused by a violent 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck an island chain off the north coast overnight. An AFP reporter and residents on New Britain said electricity was still out and radio stations off
COLOMBO: A Briton whose bride died on their honeymoon two days after arriving in Sri Lanka will be allowed to return home after a court lifted a travel ban Wednesday. Khilan Chandaria was expected to leave Sri Lanka on Thursday following a magistrate’s decision to put off a full inquest
PHNOM PENH: Eleven women allegedly paid to be surrogate mothers have been released on bail after agreeing to keep the babies, Cambodia’s trafficking czar said Wednesday, as the poor Southeast Asian nation seeks to regulate the womb-for-hire trade. The women were charged in November with human trafficking and acting as