Russia accuses US of seeking to place weapons in space

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launches the SES 20 and SES 21 communications satellites at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on October 4, 2022.(FIle/AFP)
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Updated 21 May 2024
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Russia accuses US of seeking to place weapons in space

MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday said the United States was seeking to place weapons in space, the latest accusation in an ongoing row, that came a day after Washington vetoed a Russian non-proliferation motion at the United Nations.
“They have once again demonstrated that their true priorities in the area of outer space are aimed not at keeping space free from weapons of any kind, but at placing weapons in space and turning it into an arena for military confrontation,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.


Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes Japan’s Chugoku region

Cracks are seen on the ground in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, following an earthquake. (AP)
Updated 06 January 2026
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Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes Japan’s Chugoku region

  • Japan’s Nuclear ⁠Regulation Authority said there were ‌no irregularities at the plant

TOKYO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude ​of 6.2 hit the western Chugoku region of Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, followed by a series of sizeable aftershocks.
The epicenter of the ‌first earthquake was ‌in eastern ‌Shimane prefecture, ⁠the ​agency ‌said, adding that there was no danger of a tsunami. Chugoku Electric Power operates the Shimane Nuclear Power Station, about 32 km (20 miles) away.
Japan’s Nuclear ⁠Regulation Authority said there were ‌no irregularities at the plant.
A ‍spokesperson said ‍the utility was checking ‍on any impact on the plant’s No.2 unit, which has been operating since December 2024 after being ​shut down following the March 2011 disasters in Fukushima.
Earthquakes are ⁠common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas.
The earthquake had a seismic intensity of upper-5 on Japan’s 1-7 scale, strong enough to make movement difficult without support.
West Japan Railway said it had suspended Shinkansen bullet-train operations ‌between Shin-Osaka and Hakata following the quake.