Briefly

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

DPRK fires ballistic missile, Seoul says

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters, said the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday. The JCS said in a statement that it detected the ballistic missile, which was launched toward the eastern waters from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at about 12:03 pm local time. The missile traveled about 470 kilometers at an altitude of around 780 km. The intelligence authorities of the ROK and the United States were analyzing further details. This marked the 14th projectile launch by the DPRK this year. The DPRK said it test-fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwasongpho-17, on March 24.

IRAN

Teheran vows to continue Vienna talks

Iran will continue the path of diplomacy until a final agreement in the Vienna nuke talks is achieved, said the Iranian foreign minister on Tuesday. Hossein Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on its website. In addition to developing and proposing political initiatives, Iran has shown that it is willing to reach a "good", "strong" and "lasting" agreement in the Vienna talks, Iran's top diplomat was quoted as saying. Coveney described Iran's initiatives in the Vienna talks as commendable, highlighting the necessity of reaching a "good" agreement through the diplomatic process that would be capable of safeguarding the interests of Teheran as well as the other parties.

KYRGYZSTAN

35 fall ill after mass food poisoning

Thirty-five people have fallen ill from mass food poisoning in the southern Osh Province of Kyrgyzstan. Among the sick are 18 individuals under the age of 14, according to the country's Department of Disease Prevention and Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance on Tuesday. The children are receiving treatment in hospital and are in stable condition. Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium often found on human skin, was discovered in gastric and intestinal lavage samples taken from six patients. The department said products produced by a local confectionery shop caused the food poisoning. The shop is closed, and the owners were fined. Roughly 1,000 boxes of goods were withdrawn from the store shelves.

Xinhua - Agencies