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Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles (left) and Japan's Minister of Defense Koizumi Shinjiro shake hands during a Defence Ministers' Meeting at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Melbourne Saturday. ( AFP)
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Veterinarians and other staff members examining the condition of a wolf named Neukgu after it was recaptured following its escape from a zoo at O-World Theme Park in Daejeon on Friday. (AFP) A wolf that escaped from a South Korean zoo was recaptured on Friday, authorities said, after he caused a school closure, a huge nine-day search and a government gaffe over an AI-generated image.The young male canine, named Neukgu, dug himself out of his enclosure in the central city of Daejeon on April 8 and had been on the run ever since.Authorities deployed hundreds of officers, drones and thermal cameras to track down the elusive runaway, who kept slipping through the net despite several sightings.He was finally caught in the early hours of Friday, with the Daejeon city government writing on X: "Welcome back, #Neukgu!"Authorities finally caught up with the 30-kilogramme fugitive after receiving a tip about a sighting in a park in Daejeon, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing city officials.Officials shot Neukgu with a tranquilliser dart and captured him alive, it said.The city government posted a video of nighttime rescuers hauling a sleepy-looking Neukgu onto a sack and heaving him into a crate.It posted photos on X of the shaggy returnee lying asleep on a veterinary bed with a muzzle over his snout."Veterinary examination results: Both pulse and body temperature are within normal range," the post added."We would like to thank everyone who offered their support to ensure Neukgu's safe and healthy return. We also apologise to the public for the anxiety and concern (this incident) has caused," the government said in a statement.Neukgu, who was born in 2024, made his daring breakout by digging out of his enclosure and damaging a fence on his way to freedom.His escape prompted a local elementary school to close over safety concerns, and the local government dispatched hundreds of firefighters, police officers and military troops in a bid to get him back.Animal rights activists called for better animal protection measures after the wolf's return, noting a 2018 escape from the same facility in which a puma, Bborong, was reportedly shot dead."The fact that Neukgu has returned to his cage at the zoo does not signify a 'happy ending' to the incident," the Korean Animal Welfare Association said in a statement.After his escape, an image purporting to show a light-brown wolf trotting through a Daejeon intersection was shared widely online.The city government and several major media outlets widely shared the image, which turned out to have been generated by artificial intelligence.An AFP analysis confirmed that the image was inauthentic.AFP had initially redistributed the image and later withdrew it. Related Story
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Wall Street indexes touched fresh record highs and oil prices cratered yesterday after Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz was open for passage during a ceasefire in Lebanon and US President Donald Trump said he expected to reach a deal to end the war soon.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X that passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global energy flows, was declared completely open for the remainder of the 10-day truce brokered by the US that was agreed on Thursday.Benchmark Brent crude futures nosedived and were last trading around $88.90 per barrel, down 10.55% on the day, having hit a session low of $86.09. US crude fell 12.26% to $83.08 a barrel .That is still above pre-war levels that were around $70, but down significantly from late March's highs, which, for Brent, were close to $120 a barrel.Stocks marched higher, with the Wall Street benchmark S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting new record highs and the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching its highest level in over two months. The S&P 500 gained 1.49%, to 7,145.87. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.32%, to 49,708.17, and the Nasdaq added 1.68%, to 24,508.57. Europe's STOXX 600 also jumped after the news that the waterway would open, climbing more than 1.5%.'The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a critical step towards normalising transit through the waterway. But the reopening is limited in scope,' said James Reilly, senior markets economist at Capital Economics. 'That all being said, this is a significant and necessary step towards potentially ending the war.'
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US President Donald Trump told AFP yesterday that a peace deal with Iran was "very close" and had "no sticking points," as Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping. The upbeat signals from Washington came as a ceasefire took effect in Lebanon, raising hopes that two of the main obstacles to a US-Iran agreement may have been removed."We're very close. Looks like it's going to be very good for everybody. And we're very close to having a deal," Trump said in a brief telephone call with AFP from Las Vegas, adding there were "no sticking points at all" left with Tehran."The strait's going to be open, they already are open. And things are going very well."But Tehran quickly pushed back on one key point. Iran's foreign ministry said yesterday that its stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred "anywhere," rejecting an earlier claim by Trump that the Islamic republic had agreed to hand it over.Trump hailed a "GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD!" in celebratory posts praising mediator Pakistan and Gulf allies, while telling Nato to "STAY AWAY" as he rejected the alliance's offer to help secure the Hormuz strait.After the truce took hold in Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Islamic republic would lift its blockade on shipping through the key Gulf energy route. AFP
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A satellite image shows a cluster of ships near Dubai at sea yesterday. Reuters Shipping industry figures gave a cautious welcome yesterday to Iran's announcement that it was reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route to commercial freight after nearly seven weeks closed. Iranian forces' closure of the strait has trapped hundreds of ships in the Gulf and driven up the costs of shipping goods, with captains avoiding the region for fear of attacks or mines.A spokesman for German transportation giant Hapag-Lloyd, which has ships stuck in the Gulf, told AFP by phone that the reopening was "in general... good news".But he cautioned that shippers still needed details of what route vessels could take and in what order, citing fears of sea mines. "One thousand ships cannot just go now to the entrance of the strait, that will be chaos. They (the Iranians) need to give clear orders," said the spokesman, Nils Haupt. "We would be ready to go very soon if some of these open questions can be solved within the weekend."Bloomberg data indicated there were about 770 vessels used for carrying commodities sending transponder signals inside the Gulf on Thursday, of which about 360 were oil and gas carriers. Before the war, average daily crossings of the strait overall numbered about 120, according to industry journal Lloyd's List.Afer Iran's announcement on Friday, US President Donald Trump said the Islamic republic had declared the waterway "fully open and ready for full passage". Jakob Larsen, chief security officer of major shipping association BIMCO, said in a statement emailed to AFP that this claim was "inaccurate"."The status of mine threats in (Iran's maritime) traffic separation scheme is unclear, and BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area," he said.The secretary general of leading industry lobby the International Chamber of Shipping, Thomas Kazakos, said the announcement was "a positive step (but) there is still much uncertainty around what it means in practice".In a statement sent to AFP, he said it offered "a cautious measure of reassurance to" shippers and the thousands of seafarers stuck in the Gulf by the Middle East war for nearly seven weeks. "It is essential that it marks the beginning of a broader and more durable return, beyond the current ceasefire, to freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical maritime corridors," he said.
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c9f6bdaa-3c32-421d-8302-8125c9162aa1 HE Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Qatar Yun Hyunsoo and HE Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar Naoto Hisajima visited the ice rink at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, located at Al Sadd Sports Club, to review the facilities dedicated to ice sports. The recent visit came in response to an invitation from the Qatar Winter Sports Committee, as part of its ongoing efforts to develop and promote ice sports in the country and enhance their presence at both regional and international levels. The ambassadors were received by Hassan Hissam al-Hebabi, Secretary-General of the Committee, who accompanied them on a tour of the venue. The visit provided an overview of the rink’s capabilities, including its modern equipment and advanced infrastructure, reflecting Qatar’s progress in supporting various sports, including winter disciplines. During the visit, the two ambassadors took part in a friendly curling match alongside members and staff of their respective diplomatic missions, in an atmosphere marked by sportsmanship and reflecting the strong relations between their countries and Qatar. The Qatar Winter Sports Committee exchanged commemorative gifts with the ambassadors in appreciation of their interest in ice sports, in the presence of the accompanying delegations, in a gesture that reflects mutual respect and cooperation. On this occasion, Hassan Hissam al-Hebabi expressed his appreciation to the ambassadors for their visit, noting that ice sports in Qatar are entering a phase of notable infrastructure expansion, which will further strengthen their standing and support the future development of winter sports in the country. For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome, praising the advanced standard of the ice rink and its modern facilities, and noting that it represents a model of developed sports infrastructure reflecting the comprehensive progress witnessed by the sports sector in Qatar.
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Leah Remini Fight With Scientology Church Wants LAPD to Fork Over Answers About Shelly Miscavige Leak Published April 17, 2026 1:45 PM PDT The Church of Scientology is asking for a judge to make the
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Commercial artificial intelligence models are advancing quickly in vulnerability research and exploit development, sharpening concern across the cybersecurity industry that tools built for productivity and defence could also lower the barrier for offensive misuse. A
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OpenAI has moved deeper into the scientific market with the launch of GPT-Rosalind, a specialist artificial intelligence model designed for biology, drug discovery and translational medicine, marking the company’s first dedicated push into life sciences
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Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird Dunzo!!! Published April 17, 2026 12:34 PM PDT One of the most popular power couples in the sports world is no more -- Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird just announced they
