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April
U.S. envoy vows 'strongest possible deterrent' over N.Korea weapons tests
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States and South Korea would maintain the "strongest possible joint deterrent" over North Korea's "escalatory actions", the U.S. envoy on North Korea said on Monday, amid concerns that Pyongyang was preparing to resume nuclear testing.
U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim and his deputy, Jung Pak, met South Korean officials, including nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, after arriving in Seoul early on Monday for a five-day visit.
"It is extremely important for the United Nations Security Council to send a clear signal to the DPRK that we will not accept its escalatory tests as normal," Kim told reporters after his talks with Noh.
Kim was referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We agreed on the need to maintain the strongest possible joint deterrent capability on the peninsula," he said.
Kim also said the allies would "respond responsibly and decisively to provocative behaviour," while underlining his willingness to engage with North Korea "anywhere without any conditions."
Kim's arrival coincided with the start of a nine-day annual joint military drill by U.S. and South Korean troops.
The exercise consists of "defensive command post training using computer simulation" and will not involve field manoeuvres by troops, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday.
North Korea has condemned the joint drills as rehearsals for war, and they have been scaled back in recent years amid efforts to engage Pyongyang in diplomacy, and because of COVID-19 restrictions.
On Saturday, North Korea test fired what state media said were missiles involved in delivering tactical nuclear weapons.
The U.S. envoy has repeatedly offered to re-engage with North Korea, but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing Washington of maintaining hostile policies such as sanctions and the military drills.
Kim was also expected to meet with the transition team for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office in May.
A spokesperson for the team said there was no meeting confirmed between Yoon and Kim, but Yoon's foreign minister nominee, Park Jin, said he planned to meet Kim.
Kim also said at his talks with Noh that Washington looks forward to working closely with Yoon's team.(Reuters)
April
Kremlin says Ukraine is not consistent when it comes to peace talks
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Kremlin on Monday accused Ukraine of constantly changing its stance when it comes to issues that have already been agreed at peace talks.
"Contacts continue at an expert level within the framework of the negotiation process", Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
"Unfortunately the Ukrainian side is not consistent in terms of the points that have been agreed", he said.
"It is often changing its position and the trend of the negotiating process leaves much to be desired."
Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called "a special military operation." Ukrainian forces have mounted fierce resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia.(Reuters)
April
Russia says it launched mass strikes on Ukrainian military overnight
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia said on Monday it had launched mass strikes overnight on the Ukrainian military and associated military targets, using its air force, missile forces, artillery and air defence systems to hit hundreds of targets across its southern neighbour.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that air-launched missiles had destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities overnight, including five command posts, a fuel depot and three ammunition warehouses, as well as Ukrainian armour and forces.
It said those strikes took place in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions and in the port of Mykolayiv, and that the Russian air force had launched strikes against 108 areas where it said Ukrainian forces and armour were concentrated.
The defence ministry accused Ukraine of planning "monstrous provocations" with mass civilian casualties designed to cast Russian forces in a bad light.
Specifically, it said Ukraine was plotting to shell Orthodox churches and cathedrals in various Ukrainian regions on the night of April 23, the eve of Orthodox Easter which is celebrated by most Ukrainians and Russians. It said it had evidence to back its assertions but did not provide any. There was no immediate response to the allegations from Ukraine.
Ukraine's defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The Russian defence ministry also spoke of destroying 12 Ukrainian strike drones and tanks in other parts of Ukraine and of using Iskander missiles to destroy four arms and equipment depots in the Luhansk, Vinnytsia and Donetsk regions.
Russia, which sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, has pledged to continue what it calls "a special military operation" to degrade the Ukrainian military and root out people it calls dangerous nationalists, until it has met all its objectives.
It is currently focused on trying to take full control of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which has been besieged for weeks.
The defence ministry said Russian artillery had also struck 315 Ukrainian military targets overnight and that air defence systems had been used to bring down two MiG-29 fighters and one SU-25 plane.(Reuters)
April
Senior U.S. officials to visit the Solomon Islands amid China security concerns
Written by Nur Yasmin
White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and the State Department's top official for Asia will travel this week to the Solomon Islands, the White House said on Monday, amid concerns that the Pacific Island country is making a security pact with China.
Campbell and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will lead a delegation that includes Department of Defense and U.S. Agency for International Development officials to three countries: the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, the White House National Security Council said in a statement.
"The delegation will meet with senior government officials to ensure our partnerships deliver prosperity, security, and peace across the Pacific Islands and the Indo-Pacific," it said without giving dates for the trip.
The team will also stop in Hawaii to "consult with senior military officials and regional partners at United States Indo-Pacific Command," it said.
In February, the United States announced it would open an embassy in the Solomon Islands, part of an effort by the Biden administration to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the Indo-Pacific to counter China's drive for greater influence.
The Solomon Islands said in March that it was creating a partnership with China to tackle security threats and ensure a safe environment for investment in what would be a major inroad for Beijing in a region that U.S. allies Australia and New Zealand have for decades seen as their "backyard."
But after a regional backlash, the Solomon Islands said it would not allow a Chinese military base there.
Australia's Defence Minister Peter Dutton has said that China hopes to gain a military foothold in the Pacific Islands, including a "military port" in Papua New Guinea.
China offered to redevelop a naval base in Papua New Guinea in 2018 but Australia's closest northern neighbor decided to have Australia to develop the base instead.(Reuters)
April
Second Global COVID-19 Summit scheduled for May 12
Written by Nur Yasmin
A second Global COVID-19 Summit will be held virtually next month for countries to discuss efforts to end the pandemic and prepare for future health threats, according to a joint statement on Monday.
"The emergence and spread of new variants, like Omicron, have reinforced the need for a strategy aimed at controlling COVID-19 worldwide," the White House said in a news release with the Group of Seven and Group of 20 nations.
The announcement comes amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in parts of the United States and around the world prompted by easily transmissible variants of the virus.
China's most populous city, Shanghai, is trying to return to normal after a nearly three-week shutdown, which, along with wider China curbs, are taking a toll on the world's No. 2 economy.
The summit will build on efforts and commitments made at the first global summit in September, including getting more people vaccinated, sending tests and treatments to highest-risk populations, expanding protections to health care workers and generating financing for pandemic preparedness, the statement said.
"We know we must prepare now to build, sustain, and finance the global capacity we need, not only for emerging COVID-19 variants, but also future health crises," it said.(Reuters)
April
Putin discusses Russia-Ukraine talks, Middle East with Palestinian leader Abbas
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday.
They also talked about "the problems of the Middle East settlement in the context of escalating tensions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem", the Kremlin said.
Last Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli riot police inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.(Reuters)
April
Pakistan's new ruling alliance takes control of parliament with new speaker
Written by nuke
A general view of the Parliament House building in Islamabad, Pakistan, Apr 10, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Akhtar Soomro) -
Pakistan's new ruling alliance took control of the lower house of parliament on Saturday (Apr 16) with the election of a new speaker, cementing control of the assembly after former premier Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
The previous speaker and his deputy, both Khan allies, had attempted to block and then delay the vote, only for the country's top court to deem their actions illegal.
The lower house of parliament eventually voted in favour of removing Khan from office on Sunday.
The new ruling alliance has already elected their candidate, Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister.
The new speaker is Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, a former prime minister who belongs to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), part of the new ruling alliance. He was elected unopposed in the absence of Khan's party, which resigned en masse from the house on Monday.
"Raja Pervaiz Ashraf took oath as the 22nd Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan," said a Twitter account run by the staff of Pakistan's National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.
The resignations are yet to be fully processed. If accepted, Pakistan faces the prospect of close to 100 by-elections within two months, a major distraction for Sharif and his coalition partners and a potential platform for Khan to mobilise support.
Sharif is expected to name his Cabinet in the coming days with a number of policy challenges facing the new government, in particular dealing with an economy in deep trouble//CNA
April
Japan's Shanghai consul airs concerns over virus curbs
Written by nuke
A worker in a protective suit walks at an entrance to a tunnel leading to the Pudong area, after restrictions on highway traffic amid the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Shanghai, China, Mar 28, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Aly Song) -
Japan's top representative in Shanghai urged China's most populous city to address concerns of Japanese businesses over losses and other disruptions caused by lockdowns aimed at containing a COVID-19 surge.
Consul general Shuichi Akamatsu's letter, posted on the consulate's website on Saturday (Apr 16), comes as most of Shanghai's 25 million residents remain under strict lockdowns that have hobbled economic activity in the financial centre. The city reported a record 3,590 symptomatic cases on Saturday.
The US State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency US government workers to leave the consulate due to surging virus numbers and China's measures to control its spread.
The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on Saturday. China's foreign ministry has termed the State Department concerns over coronavirus control measures in Shanghai "groundless accusations".
Akamatsu acknowledged the city's efforts at curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the letter to the vice mayor, dated Friday.
"However, with the extension of virus control measures, the situation of production and operations not being able to function normally has already lasted for more than a month," he said. "The impact on business activities is clearly becoming more severe by the day."
Akamatsu cited a survey published on Friday by a Japanese chamber representing more than 2,300 businesses, which indicated members' concerns over virus curbs, including interrupted supply chains, difficulty in securing food supplies and an inability to make payments including employee salaries due to bank closures.
"There is no room for optimism about the current reality," he said, adding that a lack of information about when lockdowns will end has made it impossible for companies to conduct business.
"Apart from the losses and impact on employees of work and production halts that have continued for more than a month, the future uncertainty has also become a major factor affecting companies," he said//CNA
April
North Korea marks founder's birth without a military parade
Written by nuke
North Korea marked the birthday of its founding leader on Apr 15. (Photo: AFP/Kim Won Jin) -
Kim Jong Un oversaw a huge public procession to celebrate the birthday of North Korea's founding leader, state media images showed on Saturday (Apr 16), but the anniversary passed without an anticipated show of military strength.
Known as the Day of the Sun in the nuclear-armed country, the Apr 15 birthday of the late Kim Il Sung - grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un - is one of the most important dates in Pyongyang's political calendar.
Analysts and South Korean and US officials had widely predicted a military parade or even a nuclear test, but the celebrations on Friday involved a civilian parade, synchronised dancing and fireworks.
Photographs released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency showed thousands of colourfully dressed people marching through the capital's Kim Il Sung Square as Kim Jong Un looked on from a balcony.
"Columns of workers, peasant dancers and others marched past the square," carrying banners and boards bearing socialist slogans, and a giant national flag, KCNA said.
Three generations of the Kim family have ruled the country since 1948.
Kim also visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il lie in state.
There was a steady drumbeat of celebratory coverage in state media leading up to the day, including the opening of new apartment complexes, light festivals and floral tributes.
It was a calculated decision to highlight new apartments and citizens with smartphones taking pictures of flowers, said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
"The Kim regime needs more sources of national pride and legitimacy than military parades," he said.
"So the public commemorations around its founder's birthday tried to portray an economy that is not only resilient but growing."
The anniversary celebrations came three weeks after North Korea staged its largest intercontinental ballistic missile test ever - the first time Kim's most powerful weapon had been fired at full range since 2017.
That test was the culmination of a record-breaking blitz of sanctions-busting launches this year and signalled an end to a self-imposed moratorium on long-range and nuclear tests.
The absence of military activity on the holiday "does not represent a shift away from North Korea's military build-up", Easley added.
Satellite imagery has shown signs of new activity at a tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site, which North Korea said was demolished in 2018 ahead of a summit between Kim and then-US president Donald Trump.
South Korean officials have said Pyongyang could still stage a military parade or carry out a weapons test on or around Apr 25, the anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army//CNA
April
South Africa braces for more flooding as rains restart in east
Written by nuke
People find their late relative's church uniform in the rubble of a building, which was destroyed during flooding at the KwaNdengezi Station, near Durban, South Africa, Apr 16, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Rogan Ward) -
Rains that have killed around 400 people and left thousands homeless in South Africa this week began pounding the east coast again on Saturday (Apr 16), threatening more flooding and forcing many to take refuge in community centres and town halls.
The rains, which have left at least 40,000 people with no shelter, power or water, had died down by Friday, but are now expected to continue until early next week.
"I'm so worried," said Gloria Linda, sheltering under a large umbrella by a muddy road in her township of Kwandengezi, about 30km inland from the main eastern coastal city of Durban.
This week's heavy downpours in Kwazulu-Natal Province knocked out power lines, shut down water services and disrupted operations at one of Africa's busiest ports of Durban, as well as closing roads leading into the city.
"A lot of people's houses are damaged, a lot of people died. We’ve got no water, no electricity, even our phones are dead – we're stuck," Linda said, before meandering down a dirt track to a funeral of a friend killed by the floods.
Elsewhere, a family stood in the rain looking at their collapsed metal shack, one of several homes that lay in ruins.
State broadcaster SABC said on Saturday the death toll was now 398, with 27 people still missing. In places wrecked by flooding, many relatives were searching only to recover victims' bodies for burial.
"We phoned the police, we phoned the ambulance, we phoned fire brigade, none of them responded in time," Muzi Mzobe, 59, told Reuters in front of a pile of rubble - what was left of a house he was renting out to tenants who were killed in it.
"Four people were covered in rubble here, and when we got them out, they had already passed on."//CNA