Business life, stock market, international news… All the news of the day can be followed here.
> This Thursday’s news feed:
6:50 a.m. – Beijing will “crush” any violation of its sovereignty in the South China Sea
“We hope the South China Sea will remain a sea of peace,” Chinese Army Lt. Gen. He Lei said, but “if the United States moves behind the scenes … the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will resolutely crush any foreign hostile incursion,” the senior Chinese military official said on the sidelines of a security forum in Beijing.
6:48 a.m. – Riots in New Caledonia: prosecutor opposes relocation of judicial case
The Noumea attorney general has indicated that he has rejected the request to transfer the proceedings against officials from the field action coordination unit (CCAT), suspected of being the instigators of the riots that affected New Caledonia.
“All the arguments that have been raised, from my point of view, are not relevant arguments,” explained Bruno Dalles during an interview given to local radio station RRB, while the lawyers of eight of the 13 indicted, imprisoned in metropolitan France, requested such a change of scenery.
6:46 a.m. – Gaza: 18 dead in Israeli strike on school, UN denounces “unacceptable” attack
Gaza’s Civil Defense announced that 18 people, including UN staff, were killed yesterday in an Israeli airstrike on a school converted into a shelter for displaced people, with the Israeli army claiming to have targeted Hamas “terrorists.” The death toll stands at 18, including two staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal, who had previously put the death toll at 14. At least 18 people were also injured, according to the source.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed the deaths of UNRWA staff at the site, giving the death toll at six. “A school converted into a shelter for 12,000 people was again targeted by Israeli airstrikes today. Six of our UNRWA colleagues are among the dead,” he wrote on the X network. “What is happening in Gaza is completely unacceptable,” Guterres stressed once again, declaring that “these dramatic violations of international humanitarian law must stop immediately.”
6:45 am – Egg candidates to become next Japanese Prime Minister
Japan’s race for prime minister has kicked off with a record number of candidates to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the party said. Nine people, including two women, have officially declared themselves to lead the LDP in the Sept. 27 election. Under Japan’s political system, the winner of the internal election is guaranteed to succeed Fumio Kishida, the current prime minister.
6:43 a.m. – Emmanuel Macron expected in Le Havre
The head of state is going to the city of his former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to commemorate his liberation from the Nazi yoke in September 1944. An unexpected step in his memorial cycle for this 80th anniversary. It is “the first time” that Le Havre is organizing “major ceremonies”, “because of the trauma” caused by the Allied bombings, they say at the Elysée.
6:40 a.m. – Alaska Airlines Boeing: Co-pilot only discovered door fall after landing
The co-pilot of the Alaska Airlines Boeing that lost a door in mid-flight in January said in an interview broadcast last night that she surprisingly didn’t discover the gaping hole until she was back on the tarmac. “A blast in my ears, then a rush of air,” Emily Wiprud recalled in the interview with CBS News. “My body was pushed forward, and there was a loud bang as well,” she added. “It was incredibly loud.”
Together with the pilot, she will receive an award today from the Air Line Pilots Association for her professionalism. The incident, on a brand new plane, exposed quality problems at the aircraft manufacturer. In turmoil since then, Boeing is likely to face a strike starting tomorrow that would freeze production of the 737 and the 777 jumbo jet if the 33,000 union members in the Seattle area reject the proposed new collective agreement.
6:39 a.m. – Peru: Former President Alberto Fujimori dies at 86
Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), pardoned in December after being sentenced to sixteen years in prison for “crimes against humanity”, died Tuesday at the age of 86 in Lima, his family announced on the X network. “After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just gone to meet the Lord. We ask those who loved him to accompany us in prayer for the eternal rest of his soul. Thank you for everything, Dad!” announced his children Keiko, Hiro, Sachie and Kenji Fujimori.
The Presidency of the Republic confirmed “the sad news”, presenting its “sincere condolences to the family”. “May God rest his soul and may he rest in peace”, concluded the presidential statement. The former leader, born in Japan, had been released in December by order of the Constitutional Court “for humanitarian reasons”, despite the opposition of the Inter-American justice, after having served almost his entire sentence in a prison in the east of Lima.
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, pictured here on May 19, 2006.Martin BERNETTI/AFP
6:35 AM – Fires threaten near Los Angeles, razing homes
The fire, which has been raging since yesterday in the heights of Los Angeles, has already destroyed dozens of homes and burned, in 24 hours, nearly 20,000 hectares. In the north of the megalopolis, the inhabitants of the towns of Wrightwood and Mt Baldy have been ordered to evacuate their homes. At least 33 homes and several cabins have been destroyed by the fire which has also crossed a ski resort, according to the commander of the Los Angeles County fire department, Anthony Marrone.
6:32 a.m. – North Korea fired an “unidentified ballistic missile” into the sea
Pyongyang “fired an unidentified missile toward the East Sea” – the Korean name for the Sea of Japan – said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, specifying that it was analyzing the incident.
Pyongyang has a history of launching missiles around September 9, the anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948. In a speech this week marking the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding, leader Kim Jong-un said North Korea plans to strengthen its nuclear arsenal to “counter any threatening acts from its rival nuclear-armed states.”
6:30 a.m. – Video games: EU receives complaint for misleading practices
Consumer protection organisations have announced that they have filed a complaint with the European Commission against “unfair practices” by video game publishers that encourage players, especially children, to spend more. Companies such as Epic Games (Fortnite), Supercell (Clash of Clans) and Electronic Arts (EA Sports FC 24) are accused of using virtual currencies in their games, such as gems or coins, to deceive consumers.
