Twin earthquakes jolt Nepal’s Baitadi district
Two back-to-back earthquakes struck Baitadi district in western Nepal on Friday.
The first earthquake of magnitude 5.1 was recorded at 1.48 am, with the epicenter at Khalanga, the district headquarters, said Chintan Timalsina, the Head of the Earthquake Monitoring Centre, Surkhet.
This was followed by a second earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale at 2.00 am. After two consecutive tremors, the local residents here had scurried out of their homes.
The tremor was felt in Darchula, Bajhang, and Dadeldhura, said the Centre's chief Timalsina.
Details of the damage caused by the earthquake are yet to be received.
North Korean warship launch fails, Kim Jong Un blames ‘criminal act’
A North Korean warship capsized during a launch on Wednesday in Chongjin, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the accident a “criminal act” caused by carelessness, BBC reported.
The 5,000-ton destroyer was damaged during a side launch, which analysts say was risky. Kim ordered the ship restored before a June party meeting, calling it a political issue. South Korea said the vessel is now on its side and noted North Korea fired cruise missiles nearby at the time.
Turkish police detain 272 in major drug operation
Turkish police detained 272 suspected street-level drug dealers in a major operation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Thursday.
The raids followed four months of surveillance and intelligence gathering in several Istanbul districts. Targets were individuals selling drugs in local neighborhoods, according to Xinhua.
Yerlikaya shared the update on X, stressing continued efforts against drug crimes.
Turkey, a key transit point between Asia and Europe, regularly conducts anti-drug operations to combat trafficking and abuse, Xinhua reported.
Vietnam says more tariff negotiations with US needed
The United States and Vietnam concluded a second round of tariff negotiations in Washington from May 19–22, making progress but leaving key issues unresolved, Vietnam’s trade ministry said Thursday.
Vietnamese Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer led the talks, which identified areas of near consensus and others requiring further discussion, Reuters reported.
Both sides agreed to resume negotiations in early June.
Vietnam, a major exporter to the US, currently faces a 46 percent reciprocal tariff rate, though these duties are paused until July. The US Trade Representative’s office has not yet commented, according to Reuters.
