Record 6,542

ATLANTA The AssociATed Press at 0700-0711 (2200-2211 GMT Sunday). One travelled 390 km (240 miles) and the other 340 km, before they landed in the East Sea, it said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

It described the launches as “a serious provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean peninsula”, and called on North Korea to stop “immediately”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister warned the country was closely monitoring Washington and Seoul’s moves to deploy more US strategic assets to the region, vowing “corresponding counteraction” if Pyongyang deemed such moves a threat.

“The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends upon the US forces’ action character,”

Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published by KCNA. ‘surprise’ drill: Pyongyang said its Saturday ICBM launch was a “surprise” drill that demonstrated North Korea’s capacity to carry out a “fatal nuclear counterattack”.

Japan said that ICBM flew for 66 minutes and landed in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In response, Seoul and Washington staged joint air drills on Sunday, featuring a strategic bomber and stealth fighter jets.

Guns

The woman flying out of Philadelphia’s airport last year remembered to pack snacks, prescription medicine and a cell phone in her handbag. But what was more important was what she forgot to unpack: a loaded .380-caliber handgun in a black holster.

The weapon was one of the 6,542 guns the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intercepted last year at airport checkpoints across the country. The number — roughly 18 per day — was an all-time high for guns intercepted at US airports, and is sparking concern at a time when more Americans are

Turkey on Sunday said rescue efforts following last week’s devastating earthquake had ended in all but two provinces as visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $100 million in fresh humanitarian aid. The 7.8-magnitude tremor that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6 has killed more than 44,000 people, with the likelihood of finding survivors two weeks on extremely remote. The head of Turkey’s disaster agency Yunus Sezer on Sunday said search and rescue efforts had been completed in all provinces apart from Hatay and Kahramanmaras, the earthquake’s epicentre. They were continuing at around 40 buildings in the provinces on the 14th day, said Sezer, but he expected the number to fall by late Sunday. The agency head also said Turkey’s death toll had risen to 40,689. The total toll including Syria is now 44,377. Blinken also met members of the White Helmets rescue group, which operates in rebel-held areas of Syria, and discussed the relief effort there. The windingdown of rescue operations came as Blinken arrived in Turkey to show solidarity with a NATO ally and announce a new aid package worth $100 million. Washington’s top diplomat met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, through which the United States has shipped aid. Blinken then accompanied Cavusoglu in a helicopter to view the damage wrought by the disaster in Hatay province. The new aid “will be moving soon. Sadly, it’s less about search and rescue but longterm recovery,” Blinken told reporters. “This is going to be a long-term effort. It’s going to take a massive effort to rebuild but we’re committed to supporting that effort,” he said. Washington has now contributed $185 million in assistance to Turkey and Syria, he added The trip had been planned before the earthquake, the worst natural disaster to hit Turkey in its post-Ottoman history.

On Twitter, the White Helmets group said they had met Blinken in southern Turkey discuss “the response to the earthquake in NW #Syria, the humanitarian situation, ways to support affected civilians, and mechanisms for achieving early recovery. The group’s deputy director Farouk Habib told Blinken he was grateful for US support after the quake, while Blinken offered condolences and commended the rescuers’ “heroic efforts”, the group tweeted. Blinken, also referred to their meeting on Twitter, adding: “Thank you for your heroic efforts to rescue Syrians after the earthquakes. “The United States is proud to support you and other organizations providing lifesaving aid in response to this tragedy.” In the devastated southeastern city of Antakya, three bodies were retrieved from one building with a woman still thought to be inside, an official briefed on the recovery effort told AFP on condition of anonymity.