Paris gas explosion wounds five; North Korea test fires another missile: Top stories today

Catch up with the latest of what's making news this Friday.

New Delhi | Updated: April 1, 2016 07:41 PM IST

4 min read

In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, photo, missiles are paraded in Pyongyang, North Korea during the 70th anniversary celebrations of its ruling party’s creation. With tensions high and the United States and South Korea preparing to hold their massive annual wargames, Pyongyang is warning it will respond to any violations of its territory with merciless retaliation, including strikes on Seoul and the U.S. mainland itself. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

From a gas explosion in Paris to Donald Trump’s campaign admitting the abortion remarks as ‘simple misspeaks’, here are the top world stories this Friday in a one-minute read.

Gas explosion rocks building in central Paris, five injured: An explosion occurred in a building in central Paris on Friday leaving five injured, according to reports. The cause of the blast may have been a gas explosion, it said. READ FULL STORY

Syria: Death toll from east Damascus airstrikes rises to more than 30: The death toll from air strikes in the Deir al-Asafir district southeast of Damascus has risen to more than 30, mostly women and children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the White Helmet civil defence group. READ FULL STORY

Hours after nuclear summit warning, North Korea test-fires another missile: North Korea fired a missile into the sea off its east coast on Friday, the South’s military said, hours after the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States warned Pyongyang to end provocations or face more pressure. The projectile was fired from a region near the North’s east coast, a South Korean military official said by telephone. READ FULL STORY

Donald Trump’s campaign calls abortion remarks ‘simple misspeak’, struggle to contain fallout: Republican front-runner Donald Trump’s campaign sought on Thursday to contain the fallout from his comments on punishing women for having an abortion, characterizing the flap as a “simple misspeak” as his White House rivals pounced on the controversy. READ FULL STORY

Myanmar army MPs slam bill to create Suu Kyi ‘advisor’ role: Myanmar military MPs today said a plan to bolster Aung San Suu Kyi’s power with a special advisory role was unconstitutional, as the new civilian government tussled with the army just days after taking office. READ FULL STORY

This is how Syrian Army is clearing mines in Palmyra after liberation from IS: This video shows Syria Army soldiers de-mining and clearing the landmines here after the IS was expelled from the ancient city on March 27, following three weeks of intense fighting with Syrian troops. READ FULL STORY

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Strong 6.0-magnitude quake hits off Japan coast; no tsunami: A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s southwest coast Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but local authorities said there was no danger of a tsunami. The quake hit at 11:39 am (02:39 GMT) off the coast of Japan’s main Honshu island, at a location about 350 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, USGS and the Japan Meteorological Agency said. READ FULL STORY

Brazil Supreme Court takes over probe into ex-president Silva: Brazil’s Supreme Court handed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a victory on Thursday, ruling against returning a corruption investigation involving the ex-leader to a judge he accuses of unfairly targeting him. READ FULL STORY

North Korea now blocking Facebook, Twitter, other websites: North Korea has officially announced it is blocking Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and South Korean websites in a move underscoring its concern with the spread of online information. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications announcement was posted this week at the country’s main mobile service provider, Koryolink, and other places serving Internet users. READ FULL STORY

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