North Korea launched a military reconnaissance satellite early on Wednesday but it crashed into the sea.
North Korean space authorities "launched a military reconnaissance satellite, 'Malligyong-1', mounted on a new-type carrier rocket, 'Chollima-1'," early Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
The rocket crashed into the sea "after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine after the separation of the first stage during the normal flight," it said.
Scientists were examining the cause of the failure.
South Korea and Japan said the launch prompted brief evacuations there as the North appeared to be trying to put its first military spy satellite into orbit.
The rocket was launched about 6.30am from the North’s north-western Tongchang-ri area, home to the country’s main space launch centre, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
After the launch, the South Korean capital of Seoul issued alerts over public speakers and mobile phone text messages telling residents to prepare to be evacuated.
The alert prompted consternation and confusion on Twitter before Seoul's Interior Ministry minutes later said the alert had been "incorrectly issued".
The Japanese government activated a missile warning system for its Okinawa prefecture in south-western Japan, which was believed to be in the path of the rocket.
"Please evacuate into buildings or underground,” the alert said. Authorities later lifted the calls.
North Korea on Tuesday confirmed it planned to launch what it called "military reconnaissance satellite No 1" before June 11, having told Japan of its plans a day earlier.
A satellite launch by North Korea is a breach of UN Security Council resolutions that ban Pyongyang from using ballistic technology because it is regarded as a cover for missile tests.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned North Korea's military satellite launch on Wednesday.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the military satellite launch conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea," Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement.
Ri Pyong-chol, a top North Korean official and close associate of leader Kim Jong-un, said on Tuesday that the country was compelled to secure “a reliable reconnaissance and information" system because of what it said were escalating security threats by the US and its allies.
Mr Ri said the North would launch a spy satellite in June.
North Korea does not have a functioning satellite in space, experts say.
Since 1998, Pyongyang has launched five satellites, three of which failed immediately and two of which appeared to have been put into orbit.
But signals from them have never been independently detected, indicating they may have malfunctioned.
Pyongyang, which typically does not give advanced warning of missile launches, has been known to inform international bodies of purportedly peaceful satellite launch plans.
Since diplomatic efforts collapsed in 2019, North Korea has increased military development, conducting a string of banned weapons tests, including test-firing ICBMs.
Mr Kim last year declared his country an "irreversible" nuclear power and called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production, including atomic.
The US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said that it condemned the "launch using ballistic missile technology" and encouraged diplomacy.
"We urge all countries to condemn this launch and call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations. The door has not closed on diplomacy but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement," the NSC statement said.
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Key facilities
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
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- On sale: 2026
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
