North Korea suspends nuclear and missile tests
Seoul, April 21: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has announced the immediate suspension of nuclear and missile tests, media reports said on Saturday.
"From April 21, North Korea will stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles," Efe quoted Kim as saying.
North Korea will also "shut down a nuclear test site in the country's northern side to guarantee transparency in suspending nuclear tests," the report added.
Having established a nuclear deterrent, North Korea can now turn to overhauling its economy, Kim said.
Pyongyang's move comes ahead of Kim's April 27 summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries.
The last in-person talks between the leaders of North and South Korea took place 11 years ago.
What will be the first-ever encounter between the leaders of North Korea and the US is expected to happen in late May or early June.
US President Donald Trump, who accepted Kim's proposal for a meeting after months that saw the two men trade insults and threats, hailed the announcement from Pyongyang.
"North Korea has agreed to suspend all Nuclear Tests and close up a major test site. This is very good news for North Korea and the World -- big progress! Look forward to our Summit," Trump wrote on Twitter.
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In a first, Bengaluru woman loses Rs 2 lakh after pressing ‘1’ on fake IVR call: Report
Bengaluru: In what appears to be the first such cybercrime reported in Bengaluru, a 57-year-old woman reportedly lost Rs 2 lakh after following instructions and pressing a key during a fake IVR (Interactive Voice Response) call from a nationalised bank.
The woman, a resident of Dattatreyanagar in Hosakerehalli, received a call that appeared to be from the State Bank of India (SBI), a bank she holds an account with. The IVR message claimed that Rs 2 lakh was being transferred from her account and instructed her to press '1' if she did not authorize the transaction, as reported by the Times of India on Thursday.
"I was shocked on hearing the voice note as I had not done any such transaction. I didn't press any number. The voice note repeated, saying that I have not responded. I was confused. After three rounds of such announcements, I pressed 1 as I had not initiated the transaction. Soon after that, there was a second announcement stating, ‘Please visit your bank and contact the manager immediately.' Subsequently, the call got disconnected," she told the national daily.
Shortly after, the call disconnected, and she discovered a Rs 2 lakh loss in her account. She immediately contacted her bank and filed a complaint with the police.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer explained that fraudsters often use IVR calls to ask for personal details like the last four digits of a debit card, bank account number, date of birth, email ID, or other information needed to access online banking. "Once the victim shares the information, the money is siphoned off. Without sharing the credentials, it is not possible to siphon off money just by pressing the options 3 or 1 or 9," he told TOI.
The officer noted that the victim may have shared some information in response to the voice message, which could have allowed the fraudsters to access her account and steal the money. If she didn't provide any details, this type of scam would be new to them, and the investigation will provide more clarity.
A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS section 318 (cheating).
