PYONGYANG (Anadolu) – North Korea said Sunday that the latest proposed U.S. weapons sales will not “save” South Korea from a strategic deficiency, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).  Accusing the U.S. of intensifying weapons aid to allies in what it called an attempt to cement its “hegemonic status,” Pyongyang said the arms provisions to Seoul reflect the U.S.’ “attempt to destroy the balance of power in the region and solidify its hegemonic status,” it said in a commentary. It comes after the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency recently announced proposed sales of weapons to South Korea, which will include BQM-177A subsonic sea-skimming aerial targets for Aegis-equipped destroyers and GQM-163 target drones, according to Seoul-based Yonhap news agency. The U.S., “the world’s biggest war merchant is getting worked up, more than ever, on its weapons sales scheme to nations that follow (the U.S.,” said KCNA, stressing that the sales are increasingly becoming “persistent.” “No weapons aid from the U.S. can redeem (South Korea) from its fate of strategic deficiency ... the U.S. will not be able to realize its ambition due to our righteous power,” it said.

 

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OREGON (Dispatches) – Two individuals were fatally shot, and three others sustained injuries in Clatskanie on Saturday afternoon, as reported by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrived at the scene on Ilmari Road around 1:30 p.m., where they discovered two deceased victims, one of whom is suspected to have initiated the shooting. Among the injured, one person was airlifted to the hospital in a critical state, reports KPTV, the Newsbreak Magazine reported. The deputies have assured that there is no continuing threat to the community, and an investigation into the shooting is underway.  Elsewhere, in Oregon, two teens have been arrested after an Oregon dad was shot and killed while trying to stop a mugging at a Fred Meyer grocery store. The pair, aged 15 and 16, are being held in a juvenile detention center following the tragic death of Jonathan Trent, 47, in northeast Portland. He had gone to the grocery store on January 13 to complete a ‘quick errand’ when he spotted the youths attempting to steal a woman’s purse.

 

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BUENOS AIRES (AP) – Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires and in cities across the country to protest President Javier Milei’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, during which he slammed ‘wokeism,’ feminism and other progressive ideals. Rights’ groups, unions and political parties also joined the protest. In Switzerland, Milei sharply criticized “sick wokeism,” social welfare, feminism, identity politics and the fight against climate change. Protester Germán Paladino, an industrial engineer, said Milei’s government was not taking care of public issues such as healthcare and education and was instead lashing out at people’s private life.

 

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AMSTERDAM (AFP) – Police on Saturday said they had arrested a man suspected of fatally stabbing an 11-year-girl in the Dutch town of Nieuwegein.  The girl was attacked in the street at 3:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) and medics were unable to save her life, police said. “In the immediate vicinity, the police arrested a 29-year-old suspect based on information from bystanders and others,” a statement from the Utrecht regional police said. The authorities gave no indication of the motives for the attack. ANP news agency reported that police had confirmed that the suspect was foreigner. The agency cited police as saying they were investigating reports that the suspect had been acting “confused” in the week prior to the attack.

 

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that excluding his country from talks between the U.S. and Russia about the war in Ukraine would be “very dangerous” and asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Zelensky said Russia does not want to engage in ceasefire talks or to discuss any kind of concessions, which the Kremlin interprets as losing at a time when its troops have the upper hand on the battlefield. He said U.S. President Donald Trump could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the table with the threat of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy and banking system, as well as continued support of the Ukrainian military. “I think these are the closest and most important steps,” he said in the interview in the Ukrainian capital that lasted for more than an hour.

 

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AMSTERDAM (CBS News) – Hundreds of Roman-era gold and silver coins were found in a field outside a village in the Netherlands, officials announced this week. The coins are thousands of years old, the Netherlands’ Cultural Heritage Agency said in a news release, and are a mix of Roman and British coins. Bunnik, the village where they were buried, was once along the northern border of the Roman Empire. It’s the first time such a find has been made on the European mainland, the agency said, with the only other comparable discovery having been made in Great Britain. Two metal detectorists made the discovery, then formally reported the coins to authorities. An archaeologist then examined the findings to confirm their veracity, and a larger excavation was conducted.