North Korea internet hit by a major outage, analyst says
SEOUL (Reuters) -- North Korea's internet is experiencing a major outage on Saturday, said a UK-based researcher, adding that the cause may be internal rather than a cyberattack.

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Asahi Shimbun
20 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Modi coming in August to seal deal on bullet trains for India
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviews the honor guard at the Government House in Bangkok on April 3. (Reuters) Japanese and Indian officials are putting the final touches on a trip to Japan in late August by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will see Tokyo reaping a windfall sale of the latest Shinkansen bullet train technology to New Delhi. East Japan Railway Co. is planning to start commercial operations of its new E10 series of bullet trains in fiscal 2030, which the government has already said it is willing to share with India, according to several diplomatic sources in the two nations. 'This would be the first case of the latest model being introduced simultaneously in Japan and another country,' said a government source in Tokyo. During Modi's visit in late 2015 when Shinzo Abe was prime minister, it was agreed that India's first high-speed railway network would use Japanese technology. Initially, the E5 series used on the Tohoku Shinkansen line was to be exported to India. But then JR East in March announced plans to begin development of the next-generation E10 series of bullet trains, so officials approached their Indian counterparts about using that technology instead, according to sources. Modi last visited Japan in May 2023 as one of the invited leaders to join the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. One aim of the August trip is to set a pattern of reciprocal visits by the leaders of the two nations. India will host the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad meeting, that groups Australia, India, Japan and the United States this autumn. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to attend. Arrangements are now being worked out for Modi and Ishiba in August to visit the plant in Miyagi Prefecture where the E10 prototype is being developed. Modi will also get an update on a plan announced in 2022 by Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida, for Japan to invest 5 trillion yen ($34.2 billion) in India over a five-year period. The two leaders are also expected to discuss cooperation in constructing a supply chain for semiconductors and other vital products. Modi may visit China after his Japan trip to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, according to diplomatic sources. Russia is also a member of that organization. By visiting Japan prior to China, Modi will alleviate concerns in Tokyo that New Delhi, with its longstanding nonaligned diplomatic policy, is too dependent on Beijing, a government source said. (This article was written by Nen Satomi in Tokyo and Takashi Ishihara in New Delhi.)


Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan to Lead Charge on International Rules for Space Debris Removal; U.K., N.Z., Developing Countries Eyed as Partners
Courtesy of Astroscale Holdings Inc. A satellite operated by Astroscale Holdings Inc. captures an image of space debris created by a rocket launch. GENEVA — With the aim of creating international rules for space debris removal, the government is set to form a group of like-minded countries to discuss related challenges. Japan aims to take the initiative in establishing the rules by leveraging its technological advantage in the field. Its goal is ensuring the security of outer space and expanding the space business market. Minoru Kiuchi, state minister for science and technology policy who is in charge of space policies, will reveal the plan at a U.N. meeting to be held in Vienna on Wednesday. Along with defunct satellites, debris is also generated by rocket launches. Such debris orbits the Earth at extremely high speeds, and the amount is rapidly increasing amid a surge in space development. According to NASA, there are currently more than 20,000 pieces of debris, both small and large. The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space compiled guidelines in 2007 due to the risk of collision between operational satellites or the International Space Station and space debris. The guidelines ask countries to design probes and satellites which do not generate space debris when launched. However, the guidelines are not legally binding, so any response by a country is voluntary. There are also no rules for the removal of existing space debris, raising concerns among companies seeking to enter the space business. In Japan, Astroscale Holdings Inc., a Tokyo-based startup, has been developing its own space debris capture technology where tools such as robotic arms on a satellite capture debris and drop it into the atmosphere where it burns up before reaching the surface. The company is a global leader in the field. The government has decided to take on establishing international rules with countries that share a common understanding of the importance of space debris removal. It plans to discuss legal issues such as the removal of space debris generated by other countries, envisioning the results to be incorporated into future U.N. guidelines. The government expects the United Kingdom and New Zealand, countries which share an understanding on developing international rules with Japan, as well as developing countries seeking to enter the space business, will be founder members of the group. Japan aims to take the initiative in establishing international rules as soon as possible, as space debris removal technology could potentially be utilized by a country to neutralize another's satellites. It also seeks to establish order in space to head off China, which aims to become the space power.


Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
SpaceX Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk's Mars mission
Flames rise as a SpaceX rocket explodes in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., June 18, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. TheRocketFuture via X/via REUTERS By Jaspreet Singh and Cassell Bryan-Low SpaceX's massive Starship spacecraft exploded into a dramatic fireball during testing in Texas late on Wednesday, the latest in a series of setbacks for billionaire Elon Musk's Mars rocket program. The explosion occurred around 11 p.m. local time while Starship was on a test stand at its Brownsville, Texas Starbase while preparing for the tenth test flight, SpaceX said in a post on Musk's social-media platform X. The company attributed it to a "major anomaly" and said all personnel were safe. Its engineering teams were investigating the incident, and it was coordinating with local, state and federal agencies regarding environmental and safety impacts, the company said. "Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure," Musk said in a post on X, in a reference to a nitrogen gas storage unit known as a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel. "If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design," he continued. The Starship rocket appeared to experience at least two explosions in quick succession, lighting up the night sky and sending debris flying, according to video capturing the moment it exploded. The 400-foot (122-meter) tall Starship rocket system is at the core of Musk's goal of sending humans to Mars. But it has been beset by a string of failures this year. In late May, SpaceX's Starship rocket spun out of control about halfway through a flight without achieving some of its most important testing goals. The Starship lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site, flying beyond the point of two previous explosive attempts earlier this year that sent debris streaking over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to divert course. Two months earlier, the spacecraft exploded in space minutes after lifting off from Texas, prompting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to halt air traffic in parts of Florida. Videos on social media showed fiery debris streaking through the dusk skies near South Florida and the Bahamas after Starship broke up in space shortly after it began to spin uncontrollably with its engines cut off, a SpaceX live stream of the mission showed. Musk called that explosion "a minor setback." The FAA said earlier this month that it had closed an agency-required investigation into the mishap, citing the probable cause as a hardware failure in one of the engines. SpaceX identified eight corrective actions to prevent a recurrence and the FAA said it verified SpaceX implemented those prior to the late May Starship mission. In January, a Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas, raining debris over Caribbean islands and causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands. © Thomson Reuters 2025.