Briefly

JAPAN

Ishikawa earthquake death toll rises to 232

The death toll from the powerful earthquake, which struck the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa, rose to 232 on Wednesday, according to local authorities. The prefectural government said the updated figure came as of 9 am, with an additional 10 casualties reported by Wajima city, one of the hardest-hit regions by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

THAILAND

23 killed in fireworks factory explosion

Twenty-three people have died after an explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand on Wednesday, a rescue worker said. The blast occurred at around 3:00 pm near Sala Khao township, in central Suphan Buri Province. There was no indication of what may have caused the explosion.

FRANCE

Low birthrate prompts parental leave reform

French President Emmanuel Macron promised on Tuesday to overhaul parental leave so it pays better, after France saw the lowest number of births since World War II last year, in a blow to its traditionally strong demographic profile. France registered 678,000 births last year, representing a decrease of 7 percent from 2022, the national statistics agency INSEE said.

Agencies via Xinhua