Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly trains cancelled in morning of chaos - all we know so far

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Friday reiterated Pyongyang's rejection of South Korea's offer to provide humanitarian medical assistance, criticizing the gesture as a "farce." Kim's statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) came a day after she rejected Seoul's plan to send 1,431 medical items across 166 categories to a hospital in Pyongyang, as part of a humanitarian medical support program. She called the offer an "insult" and "political provocation." "The racket of 'mine explosion' and the farce of 'medical equipment support' orchestrated by the ROK are just the two sides of the same coin minted by its inveterate bad habit of escalating confrontation with our state." ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. Kim claimed that South Korea's medical aid proposal and its accusations against North Korea over a recent land mine explosion near the inter-Korean border were intended to damage Pyongyang's reputation and image. North Korea has denied responsibility for the Sept. 21 mine blast insi

The industry ministry on Friday formally dismissed a local news report alleging U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had voiced dissatisfaction with South Korea's spy agency during bilateral negotiations on strategic investment projects. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources issued the denial in response to a local newspaper article claiming Lutnick had conveyed Washington's discontent with South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS). "We clearly state that the claim that Commerce Secretary Lutnick expressed distrust of the NIS to Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan during negotiations on strategic investment projects in the U.S. is not true," the ministry said. The ministry called on the newspaper to report accurately to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and confusion. The NIS issued a similar notice to the press, saying it had received no information regarding the alleged remark by Lutnick. Washington has partially restricted Seoul's access to intelligence on North Korea-related technology since April in protest against the unification minister's disclosure of information

North Korea has held a series of events marking the upcoming founding anniversary of the country's ruling party, state media reported Friday, revving up a festive mood ahead of this week's celebration. The General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea and the Socialist Women's Union of Korea held separate concerts Thursday in celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Workers' Party, which falls on Saturday this year, according to the Rodong Sinmun, one of the North's most-widely read newspapers. China's Ambassador to Pyongyang Wang Yajun also delivered a flower basket to the North's ruling party on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party on Thursday to mark the anniversary, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). A separate flower basket from the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang was also delivered alongside those from other foreign missions in the country, including Vietnam, Iran and Cuba. The U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that preparations for a possible celebratory event for the anniversary appear to be under way at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang,

A recent snub of Seoul's spy agency during a trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo has heightened concerns over possible friction in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, sources said Friday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Thursday acknowledged that it had been excluded from the June meeting on North Korean cyber threats, after a news report said the agency had been left out at Washington's request. While the NIS downplayed the incident, the exclusion has fueled concerns over bilateral ties, with continued reports of friction between the two partners. Earlier in the day, the industry ministry dismissed a local news report alleging U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had voiced distrust of the NIS during bilateral negotiations on strategic investment projects. In light of the reports, a senior ruling bloc insider acknowledged that "various issues" between the two sides have had an impact on overall bilateral ties. "It is not good for bilateral relations to be shaky like this," the official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "It is never desirable for problems to arise in the

Avanti and Northern are among the trains to and from Stockport cancelled

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China and the Philippines have traded accusations over a medical evacuation near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, as Manila reports a near-doubling of Chinese military and coastguard vessels around contested South China Sea features in September. The latest exchange centred on the evacuation on Thursday of an injured Filipino serviceman from the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine naval vessel grounded on Second Thomas Shoal decades ago. Known as Renai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the...

The emergency services, including the air ambulance, were called to a serious incident.