North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology for a recent launch was condemned by the UN and the US. Meanwhile, Japan expressed uncertainty about Pyongyang's claim. South Korea partially suspended a 2018 military agreement with North Korea and resumed aerial border surveillance operations on Wednesday after Pyongyang was said to have launched a military spy satellite. "The military agreement has been partially suspended," a government spokesperson told the news agency AFP. "The remaining procedure is for the Defense Ministry to notify North Korea. But since communication lines with North Korea have been cut off, the Defence Ministry will just announce it." Pyongyang calls launch successful Earlier, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that on Tuesday a rocket carrying the satellite took off from North Phyongan province and "accurately put the reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyong-1' on its orbit." North Korean leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the launch, the state media reported. The successful putting of the satellite into orbit follows two earlier unsuccessful attempts. North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology for the launch was condemned by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The United States called it a "brazen violation" of UN sanctions. Japan skeptical if spy satellite in orbit At the same time, Japan expressed uncertainty about North Korea's claim of successfully orbiting a satellite and said it was "currently analyzing" the launch. "The (Japanese) government at this point is not confirming whether the satellite had entered into an orbit around the Earth," chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said. Shortly after the launch on Tuesday evening, Japan issued an evacuation alert to its residents in Okinawa in the south, which was later withdrawn. Meanwhile, the US nuclear-powered submarine SSN Santa Fe docked in South Korea's Jeju Island, highlighting rising regional tensions.

North Korea told Japan it would launch a satellite between November 22 and December 1. The announcement comes as US aircraft carrier arrives in the South Korean port of Busan. North Korea has notified Japan that it plans to launch a rocket carrying a military satellite in the direction of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the Japanese government said on Tuesday.  The third attempt to send the reconnaissance satellite into orbit — following two failed attempts earlier in the year — is set to take place at some point between November 22 and December 1. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan was coordinating its response with its partners South Korea and the US, and that the use of any ballistic missile technology would be a breach of UN resolutions. How did North Korea's neighbors react? North Korea notified Japan, as the coordinating authority for the International Maritime Organization for those waters, of its plans all three times. Kishida condemned the announcement and said he had instructed government agencies "to make utmost efforts in collecting information and providing it to the Japanese people, to demand cancellation of the launch in cooperation with relevant countries, and to make utmost efforts in preparing for unpredictable situations." South Korea responded to the announcement by warning its northern neighbor against carrying out the planned launch. It also issued a sail warning. "We sternly warn North Korea to... immediately suspend the current preparations to launch a military spy satellite," Kang Ho-pil, chief director of operations at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday. "If North Korea goes ahead with the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite despite our warning, our military will take necessary measures to guarantee the lives and safety of the people," he added. The announcement also coincided with the arrival of US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the South Korean port of Busan. The vessel had been sent to increase preparedness against missile threats from Pyongyang. North Korea's satellite plans The launch follows a rare trip to Russia by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September. He visited a modern space launch center, where Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would assist Pyongyang with building satellites. North Korea wants to put a military spy satellite into orbit, as it wishes to monitor moves by US and South Korean troops. Since North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapons testin 2006, the UN Security Council adopted several resolutions calling for it to halt nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Earlier this week, North Korea denounced the potential US sale of hundreds of missiles to Japan and South Korea, saying it would raise tensions in the region. North Korea has earlier made attempts to launch "observation" satellites, of which two appeared to have successfully reached orbit including one in 2016. However, Seoul officials have raised doubts about whether they are transmitting any signals.

Myanmar's western Rakhine state has been the site of new clashes between the Arakan Army militia group and the junta, which overthrew the civilian government early in 2021. Fighting was also reported in Chin state. More than 26,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar's western Rakhine state this week, the United Nations said on Friday. Meanwhile, a leading opposition group and residents in a village in the western Chin state said 11 civilians were killed in an air strike. Myanmar's junta has been fighting on multiple fronts against rebel groups in various states. What did the UN say about displaced persons in Rakhine? Militants of the Arakan Army (AA) launched attacks on security forces in Rakhine and neighboring Chin state on Monday, which ended a cease-fire and opened another front in the conflict in Myanmar. The AA militant group has for years demanded more autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population. The ethnic group form the majority of the population in Rakhine, which also traditionally houses the stateless Rohingya people. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said the "clashes have resulted in the displacement" of 26,175 people. UNOCHA said at least 11 people had been killed in military shelling of AA positions since Monday. The AFP news agency cited local residents as saying that junta troops shelled the Chin town of Paktauw after AA militants briefly seized the police station. UNOCHA said 19,000 people had been displaced from Pauktaw. The UN agency said that "virtually all" roads and waterways connecting townships in Rakhine had been blocked and that most humanitarian activities had been suspended. It said that over 100 people had reportedly been detained by authorities since the start of the clashes. Strike kills 11 civilians in Chin state An attack on Wednesday on the village of Vuilu in the southern Matupi township in Chin state killed at least 11 civilians, according to an opposition group and residents cited by the Associated Press. The junta has not announced any attacks at the location. Ngai Tam Maung, an official in the opposition National Unity Government, told the Associated Press that two military jets dropped bombs on buildings in Vuilu. He said a church, two school buildings and 18 houses in the village were damaged. The village has around eight houses.

The cause of the blaze that has killed at least 25 people is unclear, but mining accidents are not uncommon in China, as it tries to improve safety conditions. A fire at a coal company's office in China's northern Shanxi province on Thursday killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more,  according to Chinese state media. Shanxi is a major coal-producing hub in China.  What we know about the China coal mine company fire  Reports said the fire broke out at the Yongju Coal Industry Joint Building at 6:50 am local time. The blaze appeared to be in a building with offices and dormitories and not where coal was being mined. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. By Thursday afternoon, the fire had been contained and rescue operations were underway, state broadcaster CCTV reported. District officials said rescue and emergency services have evacuated 63 people. It was unclear whether the dead were among those, according to a CCTV report.  Mining accidents are not uncommon in China. Lately, coal producers have been under scrutiny as Beijing tries to improve on safety standards at mines.

Iranian actresses who defy Iran's so-called morality police and go out in public without a headscarf have been banned from working. Many remain defiant even as locals pay an increasingly high price for protest. In late October, Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance published a list of actresses barred from their profession for appearing in public without a headscarf. Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili said it was not possible to work with those who did not observe the mandatory hijab law. For now, the list contains some 20 names, including world-famous artists like Taraneh Alidoosti. Now 39, she starred in the internationally acclaimed drama "The Salesman" in 2016. The film won director Asghar Farhadi an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017. Actress arrested for social media post Alidoosti used to wear a headscarf in public even when she was abroad. But that changed in November 2022 as Iran was rocked by protests following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old was arrested by the so-called morality police for violating the country's Islamic dress code and later died in police custody. On Instagram, Alidoosti posted a picture of herself without a headscarf. Her account has over 8 million followers. The image shows her holding a slip of paper that reads "women, life, freedom” to show support for the Iranian women's rights movement and anti-government protests. Shortly after posting the image, Alidoosti was arrested and only released two weeks later after friends and family posted bail. On social media, she responded to her employment ban: "I will not comply with your headscarf that is still dripping with the blood of my sisters." Failure to cover one's head in public can be deadly for women in Iran as the recent death of 17-year-old Armita Geravand unfortunately proves. In early October, the teenager was on her way to school without a headscarf. After an alleged assault by the so-called morality police on the Tehran metro, the teenager fell unconscious and was hospitalized with severe head trauma. There she remained in a coma until she was declared brain dead. She was buried October 29. Young Iranian women outraged An Iranian student from the capital Tehran told DW, "we risk our lives every day because we are outside without our headscarves. It is sad to see that many actresses still wear one." She pointed to the recent gathering of film industry insiders at the funeral of murdered Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, screenwriter Vahideh Mohammadifar, on October 18. Mid-October, both had been found dead in their home with knife wounds. The movie industry and wider public was shocked to learn of the couple's murder. Authorities spoke of a robbery at the hands of a former gardener. But many remained skeptical. Like many other filmmakers in Iran, Mehrjui was often at loggerheads with state authorities. In March 2022, when his last film "La Minor" was censored, the 83-year-old posted an angry message to the Iran culture ministry on social media, stating: "Kill me, do whatever you want with me … destroy me, but I want my rights."  At the burial, many noteworthy actresses wore headscarves. The only woman to defy the obligatory hijab mandate was 16-year-old Mona Mehrjui, the murdered couple's daughter. 'The price of resistance is high' "I understand that the younger generation is angry with us. My generation is conservative and cautious," Shole Pakravan told DW. The stage actress and author has been living in Germany since 2017. Three years prior, her daughter Reyhaneh Jabbari was executed in Iran for killing the man who tried to rape her. Pakravan fought long and hard to save her daughter's life but was unsuccessful. Now she raises her voice for others. "I know that right now the price of resistance in Iran is very high," she said. "If you don't want to vanish out of sight, you must reluctantly wear a headscarf." She added that she did not believe that resistance in Iran had ended though. "It has changed and will reappear in new forms. Those in power can never undo what happened last year in Iran. They are now facing a young and courageous generation of women who know what they want: Freedom and the end of oppression."

As heavy rains continue to wreak havoc on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu, authorities have issued the highest-level warnings and ordered evacuations.   Authorities in Japan ordered thousands of people to leave their homes after landslides triggered by the region's "heaviest rain ever" killed at least one person and left three missing on Monday. Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu saw torrential rains unleash landslides, prompting authorities in parts of Fukuoka and Oita prefectures to issue the highest-level warning for heavy rain. A 77-year-old woman in Fukuoka Prefecture was killed when a landslide hit her home at night. In Saga Prefecture, three people were reported as missing after a landslide hit two homes, public broadcaster NHK reported. The heavy downpour also forced suspension of the Shinkansen bullet train's service that runs between western Hiroshima and Fukuoka. Japan on alert   Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) has urged people to leave their homes and take shelter as the heavy rains could unleash floods and more landslides across the Fukuoka and Oita regions. Non-mandatory orders were issued for evacuation in parts of Fukuoka, Oita and adjoining prefectures. "A special heavy rain warning has been issued for municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture. This is the heaviest rain ever experienced" in the region, Satoshi Sugimoto of the JMA said. Kyushu prepares for disaster   It is expected that northern regions in Kyushu will receive additional rainfall of up to 200 millimeters (7.87 inches) in the next 24 hours, Sugimoto said. "There is a very high possibility that some kind of disaster has already occurred... The situation is such that lives are in danger and safety must be secured," he added. A taskforce has been constituted to oversee and coordinate the appropriate disaster response, according to the prime minister's office. Japan is currently witnessing its annual rainy season wherein it often sees heavy rainfall that sometimes leads to floods and landslides.  

Constructing check dams could be a viable solution to flooding along highways if the ones constructed at Aieslip along the Gelephu-Zhemgang Highway are anything to go by. Check dams are structures built across water bodies to reduce erosion by lowering water speed.  At Aieslip, the structures which were built around two months ago have proved to be a success so far. This has come as a huge relief to commuters along the stretch, which has been experiencing landslides every summer, for over a decade. This is the Aieslip stretch along the highway. It is almost eight kilometres away from Gelephu town. Travellers, especially from Zhemgang, Trongsa, Bumthang and Sarpang use the road. However, every summer they dread roadblocks on the road as soon as the monsoon season starts.  The erstwhile Department of Roads used to spend millions of ngultrum annually just to keep the road open to traffic. However, the situation has improved this year, thanks to these newly constructed check dams. No roadblock has been reported so far. “It has become convenient this year compared to last year after the construction of the dams. We don’t get stuck on the road anymore,” said Kinzang, a taxi driver. “It has become much safer to travel on this road now. In the past, they used to keep an excavator on either side of the stretch to clear the road. It used to be very risky driving through this point because of shooting boulders,” said Madhan Kumar Rai, a resident. “We had a tough time commuting through this road till last year. This year we have not faced any problem,” said Narayan Bandhari, another resident. The Department of Surface Transport’s regional office in Sarpang constructed four such structures out of reinforced concrete, which are 10 meters tall.  These structures control the flow of debris and slow down runoff. Construction began in October last year and was completed in April this year. The construction was done with a budget of around Nu 3 M. SOURCE: The Bhutan Live.com