Latest news with #tensions
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
South Korea police detain six Americans trying to send cash, rice to North Korea
SEOUL, June 27 (Reuters) - South Korean police have detained six U.S. citizens who were attempting to deliver around 1,300 plastic bottles filled with rice, dollar notes and Bibles to North Korea, a police official said on Friday. The group had been trying to float the bottles by sea at a border island west of the capital Seoul near the isolated North before being spotted by a military patrol, the official at the Incheon Ganghwa Police Station told Reuters. The six are suspected of violating the country's disasters and safety act through their actions in an area recently designated as a "risk zone" which prohibits activities deemed harmful to residents, the official said. "We're investigating them through an interpreter and will decide after 48 hours whether to release them or not," the official said. Since taking office earlier in June, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged to improve relations with neighbouring North Korea after a spike in tensions between the neighbours. Lee has suspended anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts on the border and asked activists in the South launching helium balloons carrying leaflets criticising the authoritarian state's leaders to stop in a bid to prevent inflaming ties. Chung Dong-young, who has been nominated as South Korea's unification minister, said on Wednesday that the leaflet-laden balloons acted as "a catalyst for confrontation and hostilities" between the two Koreas, expressing hopes to rebuild communications with the North. The activists, often defectors who have fled North Korea and members of Christian groups, also sometimes try to send items such as Bibles and USB sticks loaded with South Korean TV dramas in plastic bottles by sea. North Korea has described the activists as "human scum" and retaliated last year by launching trash-filled balloons into the South and blaring anti-Seoul broadcasts along the border. Complaints by residents that the actions of activists put them at risk have led some border areas in South Korea including Ganghwa island to be designated "risk zones" since late last year, enabling authorities to step up monitoring of balloon launches and other anti-North Korea campaigns.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
AeroVironment shares soar as drone demand fuels quarterly results beat
June 25 (Reuters) - AeroVironment's (AVAV.O), opens new tab shares soared on Wednesday after the company beat Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter results, driven by sustained demand for its military drones. Shares jumped 25% in early trading, on track for its biggest daily percentage rise since March 5 last year. Defense sector demand for unmanned systems and military hardware continues to be robust, with analysts forecasting continued growth amid rising global tensions. Revenue in the quarter rose 40% to $275.1 million, topping analysts' expectations of $241.6 million, per LSEG data. Adjusted profit per share came in at $1.61, above consensus of $1.39.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Slimmon Still Bullish on Tech Stocks
Bloomberg Markets: The Close Andrew Slimmon, Morgan Stanley Investment Management senior portfolio manager, talks about the record run in stocks as tensions in the Middle East ease. He is on "Bloomberg The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
Times of Oman
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Oman stands in full solidarity with Qatar, supports security measures
Muscat: An official spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry has voiced the Sultanate of Oman's strong condemnation of the escalating tensions in the region, sparked by Israel's unlawful missile strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran on 13 June and the subsequent cycle of retaliatory attacks. This includes Iran's recent missile strike targeting sovereign sites in the State of Qatar—an act Oman deems unacceptable and reprehensible, as it violates the sovereignty of a GCC member state, contravenes the principles of good neighbourliness, and risks further destabilising the region. Such actions only deepen conflict, threaten security, and endanger the lives and stability of the region's people. The spokesperson reiterated Oman's full solidarity with Qatar and its right to take all necessary measures to ensure its security and stability. Additionally, Oman urges an immediate halt to all military and missile operations, calling instead for dialogue, peaceful negotiations, and strict adherence to international law to address the root causes of the crisis and reach a fair and lasting resolution through legitimate means.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Oil Majors Scale Back Iraq Personnel as Mideast Tensions Rise
BP Plc, TotalEnergies SE and Eni SpA have reduced staff at oil fields in Iraq as a precaution, as tensions escalate in the region. The temporary move by the three European oil majors has not impacted production, according to a statement from the Basrah Oil Co., the state-owned oil and gas operator in the area. The companies work on some of Iraq's largest production assets.
