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North Korea’s Kim oversees test of latest anti-aircraft missile system: state media

North Korea’s Kim oversees test of latest anti-aircraft missile system: state media
This picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on March 8, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (front C) inspecting a shipbuilding project at a major shipyard in North Korea. (AFP/File)
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Updated 21 March 2025
AFP
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North Korea’s Kim oversees test of latest anti-aircraft missile system: state media

North Korea’s Kim oversees test of latest anti-aircraft missile system: state media
Updated 21 March 2025
AFP
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SEOUL: North Korea on Thursday conducted a test fire of its latest anti-aircraft missile system in a drill watched by leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang’s state media reported.
The launch proved the system’s “combat fast response,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, and came just over a week after South Korea began a major annual joint military drill with the United States.

Topics: North Korea

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Danish foreign minister scolds Trump administration for its criticism of Denmark and Greenland

Danish foreign minister scolds Trump administration for its criticism of Denmark and Greenland
Updated 26 sec ago
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Danish foreign minister scolds Trump administration for its criticism of Denmark and Greenland

Danish foreign minister scolds Trump administration for its criticism of Denmark and Greenland
Updated 26 sec ago
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism,” Rasmussen said
“But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies”

NUUK, Greenland: The Danish foreign minister on Saturday scolded the Trump administration for its “tone” in criticizing Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the US
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, make the remarks in a video posted to social media after US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the strategic island.
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism,” Rasmussen said speaking in English. “But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.”
Vance on Friday said Denmark has “underinvested” in Greenland’s security and demanded that Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump pushes to take over the Danish territory.
Vance visited US troops on Pituffik Space Base on mineral-rich Greenland alongside his wife and other senior US officials for a trip that was ultimately scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were not consulted about the original itinerary.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance said Friday. “You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”
Vance said the US has “no option” but to take a significant position to ensure the security of Greenland as he encouraged a push in Greenland for independence from Denmark.
“I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States,” Vance said. “We could make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they’d fare a lot better economically as well.”
The reaction by members of Greenland’s parliament and residents has rendered that unlikely, with anger erupting over the Trump administration’s attempts to annex the vast Arctic island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back on Vance’s claim that Denmark isn’t doing enough for defense in the Arctic, calling her country “a good and strong ally.”
And Greenlandic lawmakers on Thursday agreed to form a new government, banding together to resist Trump’s overtures. Four of the five parties elected to Greenland’s parliament earlier this month have agreed to form a coalition that will have 23 of 31 seats in the legislature.
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated Saturday outside the US Embassy in the Danish capital Copenhagen with some lifting signs saying, “back off, USA” Danish broadcaster TV2 reported.
Løkke Rasmussen, in his video, reminded viewers of the 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. Since 1945, the American military presence in Greenland has decreased from thousands of soldiers over 17 bases and installations on the island, he said, to the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest with some 200 soldiers today.
The 1951 agreement “offers ample opportunity for the United States to have a much stronger military presence in Greenland,” the foreign minister said. “If that is what you wish, then let us discuss it.”
Løkke Rasmussen added that Denmark has increased its own investment into Arctic defense. In January, Denmark announced 14.6 billion Danish kroner ($2.1 billion) in financial commitments for Arctic security covering three new naval vessels, long-range drones and satellites.

US judge halts deportation of Turkish student at Tufts

US judge halts deportation of Turkish student at Tufts
Updated 14 min 21 sec ago
Reuters
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US judge halts deportation of Turkish student at Tufts

US judge halts deportation of Turkish student at Tufts
  • Oncu Keceli, a spokesperson for Turkiye’s foreign ministry, said efforts to secure Ozturk’s release continued
  • US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston said that to provide time to resolve whether her court retained jurisdiction over the case, she was barring Ozturk’s deportation temporarily
Updated 14 min 21 sec ago
Reuters

BOSTON: A federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday temporarily barred the deportation of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, who voiced support for Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza and was detained by US immigration officials this week.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was taken into custody by US immigration authorities near her Massachusetts home on Tuesday, according to a video showing the arrest by masked federal agents. US officials revoked her visa.
The US Department of Homeland Security has accused Ozturk, without providing evidence, of “engaging in activities in support of Hamas,” a group which the US government categorizes as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Oncu Keceli, a spokesperson for Turkiye’s foreign ministry, said efforts to secure Ozturk’s release continued, adding consular and legal support was being provided by Turkish diplomatic missions in the US
“Our Houston Consul General visited our citizen in the center where she is being held in Louisiana on March 28. Our citizen’s requests and demands have been forwarded to local authorities and her lawyer,” Keceli said in a post on X.
Ozturk’s arrest came a year after she co-authored an opinion piece in Tufts’ student newspaper criticizing the university’s response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”
A lawyer soon after sued to secure her release, and on Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union joined her legal defense team, filing a revised lawsuit saying her detention violates her rights to free speech and due process.
Despite a Tuesday night order requiring the PhD student and Fulbright Scholar not to be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice, she is now in Louisiana.
In Friday’s order, US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston said that to provide time to resolve whether her court retained jurisdiction over the case, she was barring Ozturk’s deportation temporarily.
She ordered the Trump administration to respond to Ozturk’s complaint by Tuesday.
Mahsa Khanbabai, a lawyer for Ozturk, called the decision “a first step in getting Rumeysa released and back home to Boston so she can continue her studies.”
The DHS had no immediate comment.
President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and has accused them of supporting Hamas, being antisemitic and posing foreign policy hurdles.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration conflates their criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
Several students and protesters have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration, which says it may have revoked over 300 visas.

Topics: Tufts University Rumeysa Ozturk trump administration federal judge

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Trump names Egyptian American as interim US attorney in Illinois

Trump names Egyptian American as interim US attorney in Illinois
Updated 29 March 2025
RAY HANANIA
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Trump names Egyptian American as interim US attorney in Illinois

Trump names Egyptian American as interim US attorney in Illinois
  • Andrew Boutros, former federal prosecutor, will serve in Northern District from April 7
  • Judge William Haddad tells Arab News he is ‘very proud to have Arab American serving in Justice Department in Illinois’
Updated 29 March 2025
RAY HANANIA

CHICAGO: President Donald Trump on Friday approved the naming of an Egyptian-American former federal prosecutor to serve as interim US attorney for the Northern District of the state of Illinois.

The appointment of Andrew Boutros was made by US Attorney General Pam Bondi at Trump’s direction. It takes effect on April 7 and was applauded by Arab-American community leaders.

The son of immigrants from Egypt, Boutros is co-chair of Government Investigations and White-Collar Practice for the prestigious Chicago law firm Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP.

His nomination comes a week after Trump named Iraqi-American Alina Saad Habba as interim US attorney representing the state of New Jersey.

By appointing his candidates in an interim capacity, Trump is circumventing approval by the US Senate.

“Interim” candidates can serve up to four months without Senate approval or scrutiny at a public hearing that would include Democratic members who are critical of the president. That is not unusual in US politics.

Boutros told Arab News that he had “no comment at the moment” on his nomination.

He was a highly respected federal prosecutor in the Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Section of the Chicago US Attorney’s Office.

Arab-American officials applauded the appointments, saying the community can rise beyond partisan political battles.

“Arab Americans being promoted will let others realize how much we contribute to the US,” Mohammed Jaber, an elected trustee on the High School District 230 board in suburban Chicago, told Arab News. “This is huge to have Arab Americans in important US federal government positions.”

Arab-American former Cook County Judge William Haddad told Arab News: “I’m very proud to have an Arab American serving in the Justice Department in Illinois. It comes at a great time as we’re about to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month (in April). We’re very proud of him.”

Topics: Arab Americans for Trump

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‘We need aid’: rescuers in quake-hit Myanmar city plead for help

‘We need aid’: rescuers in quake-hit Myanmar city plead for help
Updated 29 March 2025
AFP
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‘We need aid’: rescuers in quake-hit Myanmar city plead for help

‘We need aid’: rescuers in quake-hit Myanmar city plead for help
  • Exhausted, overwhelmed rescuers in Myanmar’s second-biggest city pleaded for help Saturday as they struggled to free hundreds of people trapped in buildings destroyed by a devastating earthquake
Updated 29 March 2025
AFP

MANDALAY: Exhausted, overwhelmed rescuers in Myanmar’s second-biggest city pleaded for help Saturday as they struggled to free hundreds of people trapped in buildings destroyed by a devastating earthquake.
Friday’s shallow 7.7-magnitude quake destroyed dozens of buildings in Mandalay, the country’s cultural capital and home to more than 1.7 million people.
In one street, a monastery’s clock tower lay collapsed on its side, its hands pointing to 12:55 p.m. — just minutes after the time the quake struck.
Among the worst-hit buildings in the city is the Sky Villa Condominium development, where more than 90 people are feared to be trapped.
The building’s 12 storys were reduced to six by the quake, the cracked pastel green walls of the upper floors perched on the crushed remains of the lower levels.
A woman’s body stuck out of the wreckage, her arm and hair hanging down.
Rescuers clambered over the ruins painstakingly removing pieces of rubble and wreckage by hand as they sought to open up passageways to those trapped inside.
Scattered around were the remains of people’s lives — a child’s plastic bunny toy, pieces of furniture and a picture of the New York skyline.
Some residents sheltered under the shade of nearby trees, where they had spent the night, a few possessions they had managed to salvage — blankets, motorbike helmets — alongside them.
Elsewhere, rescuers in flip-flops and minimal protective equipment picked by hand over the remains of buildings, shouting into the rubble in the hope of hearing the answering cry of a survivor.
“There are many victims in condo apartments. More than 100 were pulled out last night,” one rescue worker who requested anonymity told AFP.


Widespread power cuts have hampered rescue efforts, with emergency personnel relying on portable generators for power.
After more than 24 hours of desperate searching, many are exhausted and desperate for relief.
“We have been here since last night. We haven’t got any sleep. More help is needed here,” the rescue worker told AFP.
“We have enough manpower but we don’t have enough cars. We are transporting dead bodies using light trucks. About 10-20 bodies in one light truck.”
Myanmar is accustomed to regular earthquakes, bisected north to south by the active Sagaing Fault, but the violent fury of Friday’s quake was exceptional.
More than 1,000 deaths have been confirmed already, with nearly 2,400 injured, and with the scale of the disaster only beginning to emerge, the toll is likely to rise significantly.
“Yesterday, when the earthquake happened, I was in my home. It was quite scary,” Mandalay resident Ba Chit, 55, told AFP.
“My family members are safe, but other people were affected. I feel so sorry for them. I feel very sad to see this kind of situation.”
Myanmar’s ability to cope with the aftermath of the quake will be hampered by the effects of four years of civil war, which have ravaged the country’s health care and emergency systems.
In an indication of the potential enormity of the crisis, the junta has issued an exceptionally rare call for international aid.
Previous military rulers have spurned all foreign assistance even after major natural disasters.
“We need aid. We don’t have enough of anything,” resident Thar Aye, 68, told AFP.
“I feel so sad to see this tragic situation. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”

Topics: Myanmar

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New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africa’s most remote regions

New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africa’s most remote regions
Updated 29 March 2025
AP
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New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africa’s most remote regions

New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africa’s most remote regions
  • A groundbreaking initiative could soon be bringing surgeons closer to patients in Africa’s remote corners
  • The way it works is patients enter the van where cameras capture their 3D image
Updated 29 March 2025
AP

KOFORIDUA: Charles Owusu Aseku has traveled across Ghana and beyond in search of care for the large growth of tissue called a keloid on his neck since 2002. The 46-year-old was growing increasingly frustrated after two unsuccessful surgeries and a trip to South Africa that ended with just a consultation.
Aseku was preparing for yet another medical trip until late February when he joined others in the first trial of 3D telemedicine technology in Ghana powered through computer screens in the back of a van.
Those behind the initiative, developed by Microsoft’s research team in partnership with local doctors and researchers, say the remote assessment will help provide medical consultations for patients awaiting surgery or after an operation, in a region where the doctor-to-patient ratio is among the lowest in the world.
The project builds on earlier trials in Scotland and now works as a portable system with enhanced lighting and camera upgrades.
Once inside the van, cameras will capture a 3D model of each patient and the image is then projected onto a large computer screen. Multiple doctors can join the consultation session online and manipulate the 3D model to assess the patient.
“The idea behind the van is to allow it to travel to those remote villages that don’t have specialized care ... to perform a pre or post-surgical consult,” said Spencer Fowers, principal software developer and 3D-telemedicine project lead at Microsoft Research.
The initiative also gives patients the opportunity to have multiple opinions. Aseku’s session had doctors from Rwanda, Scotland and Brazil, an experience that he said gave him hope.
“I see a lot of doctors here and I am very happy because experience will come from each of them and maybe they will find a solution to my problem,” the 46-year-old said.
Researchers hope the trial at the Koforidua Regional Hospital, in Ghana’s eastern region, is the start of a wider project that could expand the service and explore new use cases.
Recent years have seen growing use of telemedicine, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say such digital tools can benefit patients in Africa the most because there are so few specialist doctors for the continent’s 1.4 billion people.
George Opoku, 68, was referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital Accra — nearly 100 kilometers away from the Koforidua hospital, which is much closer to his home — where he had first gone to seek care for sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues.
Upon hearing about the 3D telemedicine trial, his doctor decided to register him for the process, saving him the extra expenses and stress of long-distance travel.
“This time I had to sit in a van and to introduce myself and condition to not only one doctor but several of them. I was able to answer all their questions and I am hopeful that they will discuss and cure me of my condition,” Opku said. “I feel well already and I am hopeful.”
A key challenge for the project is the lack of stable Internet access, a common problem in remote parts of Africa.
At the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the technology is helping patients in need of plastic surgery. An inadequate number of plastic surgeons means that patients often have to consult with different doctors during each visit.
Dr. Kwame Darko, consultant plastic surgeon at the hospital and one of the principal investigators on the project, said that 3D telemedicine could give patients the chance to be seen by multiple doctors during one session.
The 3D technology could make a difference if replicated in Ghana and elsewhere, according to Dr. Ahensan Dasebre, chief resident doctor at the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Center at Korle-Bu, who was not part of the project.
“We are already behind in terms of how many doctors are available to care for a certain number of the population,” he said.
“If somebody is in a remote part of town where he doesn’t have access to these specialized services, but needs it, the referring doctor could actually use this telemedicine thing to get access to the best of care.”

Topics: Africa

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