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Japan downgrades tsunami warning after earthquake rocks region, at least four confirmed dead

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Japan downgrades tsunami warning after earthquake rocks region, at least four confirmed dead

A series of major earthquakes rocked Japan on Monday, killing at least four people and trapping others under collapsed houses, according to local reports. 

Kyodo News reported on the four deaths, citing the Ishikawa prefectural government.

Later Monday, the government downgraded its highest-level tsunami alert but warned residents not to return home as deadly waves and aftershocks could still linger. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen strong quakes – including a magnitude of 7.6 – in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures starting shortly after 4 p.m. local time.

A tsunami warning is shown on TV in Yokohama, near Tokyo Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan.  (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

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The meteorological agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Honshu, as well as for the northernmost of the country’s main islands, Hokkaido.

Cracks are seen on the ground in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, following an earthquake. Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the sea could still generate waves of up to 10 feet. Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, the agency said.

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More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing. The quakes started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. 

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Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned that torrents of water could reach as high as 16.5 feet. The network continued to air warnings hours later as aftershocks rocked the region.

A house is damaged by an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

Footage of the chaos showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.

This image from a video shows a fire occurring following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Japan issued tsunami alerts and told people to evacuate seaside areas after a series of strong quakes on its western coastline Monday (Kyodo News via AP)

Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.

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Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of a highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren’t working.

At least six homes off the coast of Ishikawa were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households. 

A part of a commercial facility collapses in Kaga, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Japan issued tsunami alerts and told people to evacuate seaside areas after a series of strong quakes on its western coastline Monday.  (Kyodo News via AP)

Hayashi stressed that people needed to move away from coastal areas. He said there were no confirmed reports of deaths or injuries were confirmed from the quakes. Japan’s military was taking part in rescue efforts. 

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The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation, but a tsunami warning of the magnitude of Monday’s had not been issued since a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant in March 2011.

 

Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area did not report any irregularities Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Budapest marks 22 years in the EU after political transition

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Budapest marks 22 years in the EU after political transition

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One day after the new parliament convened and Péter Magyar was sworn-in as prime minister, thousands have been celebrating Europe Day in Budapest, along with the 22nd anniversary of Hungary’s accession to the European Union.

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On 9 May 1950, the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Schuman Declaration was issued, laying the foundations for the community now known as the European Union. Seventy-six years later, on the same day, Hungary swore in a new prime minister, something that will no doubt reshape the often tense relationship between Brussels and Budapest. The change of government has also left its mark on this year’s Europe Day.

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“We are all very happy. I’ve never come out for Europe Day before, so I can’t compare it, but you can really feel the good mood, especially after yesterday,” said a young woman on Szabadság tér, the main venue for the events.

“I’m really pleased about it, to be honest, and I feel there is a much more enthusiastic and motivated atmosphere. Not least because we now have a chance to set off again on a shared path with Europe,” is how another participant summed up their feelings about the change of government.

The organisers have lined up a host of programmes for Europe Day, including concerts. As tradition dictates, the event was launched with a running race: this time the runners took on a half marathon, but they could also compete in relay teams if they did not want to cover the full 21 kilometres.

The Europe Day programme continues into the evening. The detailed schedule can be browsed here (source in Hungarian), with the band hiperkarma headlining tonight’s programme.

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Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands

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Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands

TENERIFE, Spain (AP) — A hantavirus-stricken cruise ship with more than 140 people on board has arrived at Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa, where the passengers and some of the crew are to disembark.

The World Health Organization, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions have said that nobody on board the MV Hondius is currently showing symptoms of the virus. Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.

As a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship is set to arrive at Granadilla port in Tenerife, Spain on Sunday morning, the WHO, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expedition are coordinating the disembarkation of passengers and some crew on ground.

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The ship will not dock but will remain at anchor, with people ferried off in small boats. Everyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms, and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations.

There are currently people of more than 20 different nationalities on board.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, were to be supervising the evacuation of the ship. Authorities have said the passengers and crew members who will disembark will have no contact with the local population.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

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North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

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North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

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North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

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North Korea launched two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon on Sunday, April 12, 2026, according to North Korean state media. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated provision states.

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KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang on Feb. 15, 2026. (KCNA via KNS/AFP)

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the “most hostile” state.

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Kim Jong Un reportedly observed missile test launches in North Korea on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)

Kim has also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression,” and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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