Briefly

DPRK

Drill held to launch strategic cruise missile

The armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea conducted a drill to launch strategic cruise missile "Hwasal-2" in waters off its west coast on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday, citing a report of the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army. The launch drill "made a contribution to checking the KPA's rapid counterattack posture and improving its strategic striking capability", the KCNA report said. The drill had no adverse effect on the security of any neighboring country, it added.

ROK

US fighter jet crashes off western coast

A US fighter jet crashed in waters off the Republic of Korea's western coast, Yonhap News Agency said on Wednesday. The F-16 fighter of the US Forces Korea crashed in waters near Jikdo island in Gunsan, about 180 kilometers south of the capital Seoul, at around 8:40 am local time. No casualty was reported as the pilot was reportedly rescued safe. The cause of the crash was being investigated. The incidents in the country follow a Nov 29 crash of a US Air Force Osprey aircraft during a training mission off Japan's coast that killed all eight people on board.

FRANCE

Enshrining abortion right clears 1st hurdle

France's lower house of parliament overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday a measure to inscribe abortion as a "guaranteed freedom" in the constitution, a pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron last year. But the controversial plan now goes to the Senate, the upper house, where it faces resistance from the conservative Republicans and the far-right National Rally. The measure passed the National Assembly by a vote of 493 to 30. Senate will start examining the text on Feb 28.

Agencies - Xinhua