‘It will take years to rebuild’: Villagers pick up the pieces after devastating Japan earthquake
The roads that snake up the Noto peninsular get worse the further we drive.
What starts as a few small, irregular cracks turn into sizeable craters and fissures. In some places the concrete has totally buckled, making the route impassable.
It is no wonder rescue efforts have been rendered so complicated, and the full scale of the damage and casualties is still extremely unclear.
Indeed, some of the worst-hit areas remain almost inaccessible unless you have an army truck, or better a helicopter.
But you don’t need to be at the epicentre of this disaster to clearly see the destruction it has wrought.
That is plainly evident in village after village we pass.
Entire streets of old traditional houses are damaged or destroyed in the village of Kuroshima
Some of the worst-hit areas remain almost inaccessible
In one, entire streets of old traditional houses are, at best, damaged beyond what’s habitable, surrounded by shattered glass and fallen beams and, at worst, have completely collapsed.
There are clues in the rubble as to the traditional lives uprooted here.
In one destroyed home, wicker baskets lie scattered atop the fallen wooden walls, reinforced with just clay.
A lot might have been said about how good Japanese infrastructure is in the face of such quakes, but these homes didn’t stand a chance.
It’s here we meet Mamiko Nakatani. She is taking shelter in the village hall.
She takes us to her home – it’s been in her family for 45 years. It’s still standing, but only just and the damage is shocking.
Ceilings collapsed, windows smashed, and her broken possessions cover the floor.
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Japan earthquake shakes drinks
She described how, when the quake hit, her huge bookshelves collapsed right on top of her elderly husband.
It’s a miracle he was unhurt, she says.
And when I ask her how it feels to look at the devastation – “I’m at a loss,” she says, with tears in her eyes.
“It will take years to rebuild.”
It’s clear the danger isn’t over. Every so often we hear a deep rumble and the ground moves a little beneath us – tremors continuing.
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Back in the car, our phones sound with alarm warnings of further quakes expected.
Eventually, we reach a point where we can go no further. Landslides and trees block the roads and fissures in the concrete are too large for us to cross.
At one such blocking, we meet Takuya Yamagishi who is being picked up by car. He is shivering, his clothes and hair are soaked through and his feet are cracked with mud.
He has walked for over five hours in the cold and rain from his grandparent’s village near Wajima to meet others and fetch help.
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Scale of Japan quake damage becomes clearer
He couldn’t get here any other way, the roads are impassable by car.
He tells us the village has limited supplies, water and power are cut, and many people have been left homeless. He looks like he’s in shock.
Indeed, 33,000 people have had to evacuate their homes, and lots of people remain without water or electricity.
“Even those who narrowly escaped death cannot survive without food and water,” says Masuhiro Izumiya, the mayor of Suku – one of the worst affected towns.
Other local leaders have implied help has been too slow and have urged the government to hurry to clear the roads.
At a roadside hub for rescue and relief workers, there are dozens of people and trucks. They are preparing to work through the night.
Kenji Kamei is one of many who has been sent here from a neighbouring province.
A roadside hub has been set up for rescue and relief workers
He shows us the saws used to cut people out of rubble, but adds sadly the only people still being retrieved now are the dead.
It is still very unclear how many more bodies he will have to pull from their homes, but the plight of survivors continues.
It is bitterly cold and heavy rain today has increased the risk of landslides. There is a lot more suffering ahead for the people of this region.
Prince Harry has made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, a spokesperson for the royal has said.
Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, visited the city at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
The Duke of Sussex travelled to the capital to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
Pic: Railway of Ukraine Ukrzaliznytsia/AP
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also be travelling to Kyiv on Friday in what will be her first foreign trip since being appointed to the job last week.
Her visit coincides with the UK launching a new package of Russia-related sanctions targeting ships carrying Russian oil as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to make Russian weapons.
It comes as Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on on NATO’s doorstep on Friday, just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.
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Drones shot down in Poland
The Zapad-2025 exercise – a show of force by Russia and its close ally – will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Meanwhile on the frontline, Russian defence systems intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight,
including nine over the Moscow region, the ministry said on Friday.
The duke told the Guardian while on an overnight train to Kyiv: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.
“We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through.
“We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”
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Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, previously travelled to Ukraine in April, when he visited war victims as part of his work with wounded veterans.
The prince visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians.
Earlier this week, Harry said the King is “great” after he reunited with him at Clarence House for a private tea.
It was their first meeting in 19 months and lasted just 54 minutes.
The last time the father and son saw each other was in February 2024 when the prince flew to the UK after the monarch announced his cancer diagnosis.
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have lived in California since they quit roles as senior working royals in March 2020.
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup to stay in power after his 2022 election defeat.
The far-right politician, who ruled Brazil between 2019 and 2022, is currently under house arrest in the capital, Brasilia.
A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence several hours after they found the 70-year-old guilty on five counts.
The counts were trying to stage a coup, being part of an armed criminal organisation, attempting violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, being implicated in violence, and posing a serious threat to the state’s assets and listed heritage.
Bolsonaro‘s lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict.
Pic: AP
The ruling will deepen political divisions in Brazil and is also likely to prompt a backlash from the United States government – with Donald Trump already sharing his thoughts on the vote.
President Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, has said he was surprised and “very unhappy” with the decision.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro “outstanding” and said the conviction is “very bad for Brazil”.
Mr Trump previously called the case a “witch hunt”, slapped Brazil with tariff hikes, and revoked US visas for most members of Brazil’s high court.
Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup.
He has not attended the court proceedings, and on Thursday, he was seen at the garage of his property, but did not talk to the media.
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Justice Carmen Lucia. Pic: AP
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has been overseeing the case, said on Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organisation, and voted in favour of convicting him. Justices Flavio Dino, Carmen Lucia, and Cristiano Zanin sided with Justice Moraes in the trial.
On Wednesday, another justice, Luiz Fux, disagreed and voted to acquit the ex-president of all charges.
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Justice Lucia said she was convinced by the evidence the attorney general’s office put forward against Bolsonaro, saying: “He is the instigator, the leader of an organisation that orchestrated every possible move to maintain or seize power.”
Bolsonaro had been previously banned from running for office until 2030 in a different case.
He is expected to choose an heir who is likely to challenge President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next year.
The FBI and officials have released new video and images of a “person of interest” in connection with the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as the manhunt continues.
At a news conference on Friday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox showed video footage showing the suspect walking on the roof of the building from where the fatal shot was fired. He is then seen climbing down and heading toward a wooded area, where police say he abandoned his rifle.
Additional images released by police show the suspect wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a backpack.
Investigators have conducted nearly 200 interviews related to the case as 20 law enforcement partners are working on the investigation, Governor Cox said.
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the attacker, he said.
Follow the latest updates on Charlie Kirk’s killing
Authorities have released additional images of the attacker. Pic: Utah Public Safety
Earlier, authorities said the shooter was thought to have jumped off a roof and fled into a neighbourhood after firing one shot.
They also said the suspect was a male who “appears to be of college age” and blended in on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where Mr Kirk was killed.
Mr Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing influencer, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday afternoon while speaking to university students at an event. He died in hospital after being shot.
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University where he was later fatally shot. Pic: AP
The rifle suspected of being used in the shooting has been found.
In a briefing on Thursday, FBI agent Robert Bohls said: “I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting… is a high-powered bolt action rifle.
“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analysing this weapon.”
Investigators have collected a footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis.
Authorities have released additional images of the attacker. Pic: Utah Public Safety
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The father-of-two was the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.
He had millions of followers across social media.
Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November’s presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically drew large crowds.
Many people listened both in person and online to Mr Kirk, as he advocated for conservatism among younger generations and became a leading voice in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to Mr Kirk while on stage at a 9/11 memorial event in Virginia, saying he would be awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Authorities have released additional images of the attacker. Pic: Utah Public Safety
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“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt,” Mr Trump said.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children.”
He later added the FBI was making “big progress” in finding the shooter and he has “an indication” of the motive, but declined to expand.
“He’s an animal, total animal, hopefully they’ll have him and they’ll get him.”
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