<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">SEOUL:&nbsp;North Korea performed its first ballistic missile tests in five months Wednesday, days before US President Donald Trump and other leaders are expected to meet in South Korea. South Korea&rsquo;s military said it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles that were launched from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 350 kilometers (220 miles) toward the northeast. The South&rsquo;s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn&rsquo;t release more specific flight details but said the missiles didn&rsquo;t land in the sea. The Joint Chiefs added that the South&#39;s military remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its solid military alliance with the United States. Japan&rsquo;s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul, including by sharing real-time missile warning data. North Korea didn&rsquo;t immediately comment on the launches. Trump is to leave for Asia at the end of the week in the first trip to the region of his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before travelling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, an annual summit meant to promote economic integration and trade. Trump was expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju ahead of the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, but South Korean officials say Trump won&#39;t likely attend APEC&#39;s main conference set for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Experts earlier said North Korea could conduct provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underscore its commitment to gain recognition as a nuclear weapons state. Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would need that status to call for the UN to lift the economic sanctions punishing it for its weapons program. Wednesday&#39;s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country on May 8 tested short-range systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces. They were also North Korea&#39;s first ballistic missile testing activities since Lee took office in June with a promise to push to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. Kim has been sharply accelerating the pace of weapons tests since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over the U.S.-led economic sanctions. But last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if the US drops its demand for North Korea&#39;s denuclearization, after Trump repeatedly expressed his hopes for new diplomacy. Earlier this month, Kim displayed a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade attended by Chinese, Russian and other top officials. The parade highlighted Kim&rsquo;s growing diplomatic footing and his relentless drive to build a reliable arsenal of nuclear missiles targeting the US and its allies. North Korea&#39;s state media said the Oct. 10 parade featured the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, which it described as the country&rsquo;s &ldquo;most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system.&rdquo; Observers said the new ICBM is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to defeat US missile defenses and that North Korea could test-launch it in coming months.<figure class="fr-media"> </figure>

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Asia

Americas

North Korea performed its first ballistic missile tests in five months Wednesday, days before US President Donald Trump and other leaders are expected to meet in South Korea.

North Korea test-fires ballistic missiles ahead of Trump's Asia trip

VIENNA: A landmark 10-year deal world powers signed with Iran to rein in its nuclear programme officially ends Saturday. But the deal began to fall apart years ago, and wide-ranging UN sanctions were reimposed last month on the Islamic republic, effectively burying the agreement but creating space for something new, according to experts. What does &#39;Termination Day&#39; mean?&nbsp;The deal&#39;s &quot;termination day&quot; was set for October 18, 2025, exactly 10 years after the adoption of resolution 2231, with which the UN Security Council enshrined it. Officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement between Iran and China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States saw the lifting of international sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on Tehran&#39;s nuclear programme. But Washington left the deal in 2018 during President Donald Trump&#39;s first term in office and reinstated sanctions. Tehran then began stepping up its nuclear programme. Talks to revive the agreement have failed so far, and in August, Britain, Germany and France triggered the so-called &quot;snapback&quot; process, leading to the re-imposition of the UN sanctions. &quot;Termination day is relatively meaningless due to snapback,&quot; Arms Control Association expert Kelsey Davenport told AFP. A diplomat close to Iran&#39;s nuclear issues told AFP that Iran would mark termination day with a statement Saturday at the UN in New York. Where are we now?&nbsp;Though &quot;lifeless&quot; for years, snapback &quot;officially buried&quot; the nuclear deal, with &quot;its sorry fate continuing to cast a shadow over the future&quot;, said Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group&#39;s Iran project director. Western powers and Israel have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran denies. Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers are currently deadlocked. &quot;Iran remains sceptical of the utility of engaging with the US given its history with President Trump, while Washington still seeks a maximalist deal,&quot; Vaez told AFP. On Monday, Trump said that he wanted a peace deal with Iran, but stressed the ball was in Tehran&#39;s court. Tehran has repeatedly said it remains open to diplomacy with the United States, provided Washington offers guarantees against military action during any potential talks. The US joined Israel in striking the Islamic republic&#39;s nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June. The three European powers also last week announced they will seek to restart talks to find a &quot;comprehensive, durable and verifiable agreement&quot;. Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said during an interview last week that Tehran does &quot;not see any reason to negotiate&quot; with the Europeans given they triggered the snapback mechanism. What&#39;s next?&nbsp;Despite the challenges, the death of the 2015 deal &quot;creates space to explore creative solutions to the Iranian nuclear crisis&quot;, analyst Davenport said. &quot;Diplomacy remains the only viable option to reduce Iran&#39;s proliferation risk in the long-term,&quot; she added. But she warned the more time elapsed, &quot;the more challenging it will be to negotiate a deal down the road and the greater the risk of conflict re-erupting&quot;.

Middle East

The Iran nuclear deal ended on October 18, 2025, after UN sanctions were reimposed. The agreement’s collapse deepens tensions but may open space for new diplomatic efforts to address Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran nuclear deal officially ends as UN sanctions return

Reuters

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">WELLINGTON:&nbsp;New  Zealand is reimposing sanctions on Iran due to concerns about Iran&#39;s non-compliance with its nuclear obligations, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Friday. The statement said the reimposition of United Nations sanctions is a result of Iran not complying with the terms of the internationally recognised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which was signed in 2015, and will take effect on October 18. The announcement comes after Britain, France and Germany also reimposed the U.N. sanctions citing Iranian breaches, and after Australia in August accused Iran of directing two antisemitic arson attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and gave Tehran&#39;s ambassador seven days to leave the country. The sanctions introduce a range of restrictions including an asset freeze and travel bans for sanctioned persons, import and export bans on certain nuclear and military goods, and a duty on New Zealanders to exercise vigilance in dealings with Iran, it added. &ldquo;This reimposition of U.N.-mandated sanctions reflects the international community&rsquo;s deep concerns about Iran&rsquo;s non-compliance with its nuclear obligations and unjustifiable levels of uranium enrichment activity,&rdquo; Peters said. &ldquo;New Zealand has consistently supported diplomatic efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons from any source. We strongly encourage Iran to re-engage in negotiations and resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.&rdquo; Peters said New  Zealand will also be introducing a compulsory registration scheme for New Zealanders who intend to do business with Iran, which comes into effect on February 1, 2026.

FILE PHOTO: New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters attends a press conference, following his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing, China February 26, 2025. 

Europe

Reimposing sanctions on Iran due to concerns about Iran's non-compliance with its nuclear obligations, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Friday.

New Zealand reimposes sanctions on Iran over nuclear non-compliance

Portrait of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iranian President says Washington demands Tehran hand over all its enriched uranium in return for a three-month reprieve from sanctions, rejecting this as "unacceptable".


Iran awaits 'snapback' of UN sanctions over its nuclear program

LONDON: US President Donald Trump&#39;s state visit to the UK has delivered pledges from US tech giants to invest tens of billions of dollars in the AI sector. The UK and US governments, meanwhile, agreed on co-operation over nuclear and space technology as part of a &quot;Tech Prosperity Deal&quot;, and British pharmaceutical group GSK pledged investment in the United States. The single biggest planned investment comes from US private equity firm Blackstone, which said it would plough &pound;90 billion ($123 billion) into UK assets over the next decade. Below is a list of the main deals, including some &pound;150 billion of inward investment from US companies. Big tech&nbsp;Microsoft&#39;s &quot;largest ever commitment to the UK&quot; comprises a $30-billion investment over four years, half of which will be spent on cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. It includes plans to build Britain&#39;s largest supercomputer. &quot;We&#39;re committed to creating new opportunities for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and to ensuring America remains a trusted and reliable tech partner for the United Kingdom,&quot; said Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968034916832338396&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=cf79ef42d9fb17a3be7b88c63f48942b4be50699&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;That is why we are doubling down on our investment in the UK.&quot; Google plans UK investment of &pound;5 billion over the next two years to power its AI drive, help &quot;fortify cybersecurity&quot; and create 8,250 jobs annually. Nvidia, Stargate UK&nbsp;British firm Nscale has partnered with ChatGPT maker OpenAI and chip giant Nvidia to establish a UK version of Stargate -- a large-scale AI infrastructure initiative. The government stated that the project aims to &quot;develop a platform designed to deploy OpenAI&#39;s technology on sovereign infrastructure in the UK.&quot; Working alongside UK firms, Nvidia pledged to deploy a total of 120,000 advanced GPU chips across the country, representing its biggest ever rollout in Europe.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968068880951087365&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=cf79ef42d9fb17a3be7b88c63f48942b4be50699&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>GSK&nbsp;British pharmaceutical group GSK has announced it will invest $30 billion in the United States over the next five years, as drugmakers face pressure from the Trump administration to relocate production to the country. GSK will expand its research and development investments and production capacities, the company said, including a $1.2 billion plan to build a biologics factory in Pennsylvania for the development of respiratory and cancer treatments.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968100899093369078&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=cf79ef42d9fb17a3be7b88c63f48942b4be50699&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 861px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>&quot;This week&#39;s state visit brings together two countries that have led the world in science and healthcare innovation,&quot; GSK chief Emma Walmsley said in a statement. Blackstone&nbsp;The group gave no details of the nature of its planned investments, which comes after its announcement last year to invest &pound;10 billion in an AI data centre in northern England. Bank of America, BlackRock, Citi Group, PayPal and S&amp;P Global are together investing around &pound;1.75 billion in their UK operations. Government partnerships&nbsp;Britain and the United States plan to speed up the development of new nuclear power projects. &quot;This golden age of nuclear is central to the government&#39;s mission to build more clean homegrown power to ensure energy security,&quot; the UK government said. The two countries plan to &quot;drive AI-powered healthcare solutions in areas such as precision medicine and chronic disease&quot;.The UK and U.S. plan also to partner over &quot;revolutionary quantum computers and speed up the deployment of this technology across areas like healthcare, defence and finance&quot;. NASA and the UK Space Agency intend to develop AI models to support science and exploration missions.

Business

The single biggest planned investment comes from US private equity firm Blackstone, which said it would plough £90 billion ($123 billion) into UK assets over the next decade.

Articles tagged with "Nuclear"

North Korea test-fires ballistic missiles ahead of Trump's Asia trip

Iran nuclear deal officially ends as UN sanctions return

New Zealand reimposes sanctions on Iran over nuclear non-compliance

Iran awaits 'snapback' of UN sanctions over its nuclear program

US President Trump's UK visit lands AI, pharma and nuclear pledges