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January
Russia-West tensions could be put to UN Security Council: US officials
Written by nuke
The United Nations logo is seen inside the United Nations in New York City, New York, US, Feb 25, 2021. (File photo: AFP) -
If Moscow escalates the Ukrainian security crisis, the United States may refer the matter to the UN Security Council, US officials said Friday (Jan 14), stressing Washington still favors a diplomatic solution.
Tensions have mounted between the West and Russia over accusations Moscow is preparing to invade Ukraine.
"If Russia takes action, we're not going to hesitate to pursue an appropriate response in the Council and defend the principles of the UN Charter," a US official told reporters, on condition of anonymity.
"All options for Security Council response are on the table and we're discussing all of those with other Security Council members and with partners here in New York," the official added. "We are looking at the appropriate time to raise the issue in the Council."
Russia has amassed tanks, artillery and tens of thousands of troops near the border of Ukraine as it demands guarantees that its neighbor will never join NATO.
US officials said earlier Friday they had obtained intelligence showing Russia is planning a "false-flag" operation to create a pretext for an invasion.
"If Russia further escalates tension to really go to the heart of the principles and commitments that all nations states have made in the UN Charter ... there will be obviously an opportunity for discussion at the UN Security Council," another US official said, also on condition of anonymity.
The second official said the Security Council will in part be a forum "where you can see publicly a debate between the US and Russia in the event of they choose (an) escalatory path."
But he reiterated the US stance that Washington and its allies "vastly prefer ... a path of diplomacy."
So far, the UN has stayed silent on the recent mounting tensions between Moscow and Washington, two permanent members of the Security Council with veto power over its decisions.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has himself made few comments on the Ukraine issue, and none of the other 13 members of the Security Council has so far requested a meeting on the crisis//CNA
January
North Korea used railway-borne missile in Friday's test: KCNA
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A North Korean flag flutters at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo -
North Korea tested a railway-borne missile in its firing drills on Friday (Jan 15), state media KCNA said on Saturday, marking its third weapons test this month.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected what it presumed were two short-range ballistic missiles launched eastward from North Pyongan Province on the northwest coast of North Korea.
The official KCNA news agency said a firing drill was held to "check and judge the proficiency in the action procedures of the railway-borne regiment," which the country tested for the first time last September, designed as a potential counter-strike to any threatening forces.
Earlier on Friday, North Korea berated the Biden administration for imposing fresh sanctions against the country over its latest missile tests and warned of stronger and more explicit action if Washington maintains its “confrontational stance”.
In a statement carried by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesperson defended the North’s recent launches of purported hypersonic missiles as a righteous exercise of self-defence.
The spokesperson said the new sanctions underscore hostile US intent aimed at “isolating and stifling” the North despite Washington’s repeated calls for Pyongyang to resume diplomacy that has stalled over disagreements about sanctions relief and nuclear disarmament steps.
The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on five North Koreans over their roles in obtaining equipment and technology for the North’s missile programs in its response to the North’s latest missile test this week and also said it would seek new United Nations sanctions.
The announcement by the Treasury Department came just hours after North Korea said leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful test of a hypersonic missile on Tuesday that he claimed would greatly increase the country’s nuclear “war deterrent”//CNA
January
US households can order 4 free COVID-19 tests starting Jan 19: White House
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Take home COVID-19 self testing kits provided by the District of Columbia government, which provides city residents four free take home tests per day, are seen in this illustration taken January 11, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Illustration -
US households can order four free at-home COVID-19 tests from the website COVIDTests.gov starting on Jan 19 with shipping expected within seven to 12 days of ordering, the White House said on Friday (Jan 14).
The batch of free tests are aimed at easing a shortage of COVID-19 tests across the country amid increased demand during the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
The US government has contracted already for more than 420 million tests, the White House said.
President Joe Biden has pledged to procure 1 billion free tests for Americans, and more may be ordered in the future. "We're not saying we're stopping there," one senior administration official told reporters on a conference call.
The administration also plans to launch a phone line for people who do not have access to the web to order tests.
Once ordered, the tests will ship to US households by the US Postal Service. Each household is limited to four masks.
American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein said the union had agreed to allow the USPS to use up to 7,000 temporary workers to label and package the test kits at 43 existing facilities. Many of those are holiday workers being held over for the project.
The kits could be mailed to as many as 160 million US addresses, Dimondstein said. The USPS has already brought in some labeling machines. “We’re off and running,” Dimondstein said.
The Biden administration has contracted for more than 420 million tests and additional contracts will be awarded over the coming weeks, the White House said. It expects to pay some US$4 billion to cover the first 500 million tests Biden promised, the administration official said.
Fighting the pandemic is one of Biden's top priorities and its persistence, coupled with fatigue among the public, has hurt his approval ratings roughly a year after he took office promising to do a better job of taming the virus than his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
Critics have said that while the administration focused its attention on getting Americans vaccinated, it did not do enough to encourage mask-wearing and spur testing, a deficit the White House has seemed to try to address with the at-home test deliveries and a pledge to get more masks out to the public as well//CNA
January
Netherlands won't send diplomatic group to Beijing Olympics
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A baking creation of the Olympic rings is on display during breakfast for guests of a hotel ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China January 8, 2022. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo -
The Netherlands will not send an official diplomatic delegation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday (Jan 14).
"Because of the COVID-19 measures in place in China there would only be limited opportunities for (...) bilateral contacts with the host country where the Netherlands' great concern about the human rights situation could be discussed in a meaningful way," Frits Kemperman told Reuters.
The Dutch decision comes amid a US-led diplomatic boycott to protest against China's human rights record, joined by Australia, Britain, Canada and Japan. China denies rights abuses and has condemned the boycott as betraying Olympic principles//CNA
January
Pakistan to seek peace, economic connectivity under new security policy
Written by nuke
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan gestures during an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan, June 4, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Saiyna Bashir) -
Pakistan on Friday (Jan 14) launched its first-ever comprehensive National Security Policy that it said was centred on regional peace and economic connectivity, and stressed that it wanted improved relations with arch-rival neighbouring India.
The National Security Policy, seven years in the making, is meant to act as a comprehensive framework tying together policies in different sectors. Economic security is listed as the top priority.
"I am confident that effective implementation of this policy will contribute immensely to our country's economic security," Prime Minister Imran Khan said, speaking at an event to launch the public version of the policy in Islamabad.
Officials say the details of the policy, prepared by a department jointly headed by civil and military leaders, will remain confidential.
The policy revolves around seeking peace with neighbours and exploring opportunities to make Pakistan a trade and investment hub.
"Pakistan is poised to take advantage of its geo-economically pivotal location to operate as a production, trade and investment, and connectivity hub for our wider region to strengthen our economic security," the policy document stated.
It also sought peace and better relations with rival India but warned that policies being pursued by its eastern neighbour could lead to conflict."The political exploitation of a policy of belligerence towards Pakistan by India's leadership has led to the threat of military adventurism and non-contact warfare to our immediate east," it said.
Pakistan and India, both of which have nuclear weapons, have fought three wars since 1947 and had a number of military skirmishes, most recently a limited engagement between their air forces in 2019.
Pakistan has long been considered by analysts as a security state, where military policy has always trumped other considerations.
Aside from three wars with India, Pakistan has been entangled in two wars in neighbouring Afghanistan, and also dealt with violent Islamist militancy and separatist movements.
"It is like summarizing a wish list of concerns for Pakistan and ambitions, but with no reference to dearth of resources or how will consensus be developed," author and defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa told Reuters//CNA
January
North Korean hackers stole US$400 million in crypto in 2021: Chainalysis
Written by nuke
Pyongyang's cyberwarfare abilities first came to global prominence in 2014 when it was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment as revenge for "The Interview", a satirical film that mocked leader Kim (Photo: AFP/Ed Jones) -
North Korean hackers stole around US$400 million worth of cryptocurrency through cyberattacks on digital currency outlets last year, blockchain data platform Chainalysis said on Thursday (Jan 13).
Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its atomic bomb and ballistic missile developments but analysts say the North has also built up its cyber capabilities with an army of thousands of well-trained hackers who extract finances to fund the state's weapons programs.
In 2021, the hackers launched seven attacks on crypto platforms, extracting assets from "internet-connected 'hot' wallets" and moving them to North Korean controlled accounts, according to Chainalysis.
"Once North Korea gained custody of the funds, they began a careful laundering process to cover up and cash out," Chainalysis said in a report published on its website.
"These complex tactics and techniques have led many security researchers to characterize cyber actors for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as advanced persistent threats."
The report highlighted the rise of Lazarus Group, which gained notoriety in 2014 when it was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment as revenge for "The Interview," a satirical film that mocked leader Kim Jong Un.
"From 2018 on, The group has stolen and laundered massive sums of virtual currencies every year, typically in excess of US$200 million."
The hackers also target a diverse variety of cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin, the world's largest digital currency, accounting for only a quarter of stolen assets.
"The growing variety of cryptocurrencies stolen has necessarily increased the complexity of DPRK's cryptocurrency laundering operation," Chainalysis said.
North Korea's cyber-programme dates back to at least the mid-1990s, but has since grown to a 6,000-strong cyberwarfare unit, known as Bureau 121, that operates from several countries including Belarus, China, India, Malaysia and Russia, according to a 2020 US military report.
The US imposed new sanctions on North Korea this week following what Pyongyang called hypersonic missile tests on Jan 5 and Jan 11.
On Friday South Korean and Japanese officials said North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward in its third suspected weapons test in just over a week//CNA
January
Argentine towns sizzle amid 'hottest days in history'
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A girl plays with water as Argentina is facing a historic heat wave with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) straining power grids and forcing residents to seeking sanctuary in the shade, in Salta, Argentina January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Javier Corbalan -
Cities and towns in Argentina and neighboring countries in South America have been setting record high temperatures as the region swelters during a historic heat wave.
"Practically all of Argentina and also neighboring countries such as Uruguay, southern Brazil and Paraguay are experiencing the hottest days in history," said Cindy Fernandez, meteorologist at the official National Meteorological Service.
Many towns have posted their highest temperatures since records began, with some zones heating up to 45 degrees Celsius (113°F), according to the weather service.
"In Argentina, from the center of Patagonia to the north of the country, thermal values are being recorded that are reaching or exceeding 40 degrees," Fernandez said.
The heat and a prolonged drought have hit the grains-producing country's crops, though there is hope that an expected drop in temperature next week will bring a period of rainfall to cool both plants and people.
"It's another hellish day," said Elizabeth Bassin as she waited for a bus in Buenos Aires. "But well, we live through a week of hot weather and it's almost as if the body is getting used to that heat."
Emanuel Moreno, who was delivering soft drinks, said he was working through the heat but had to keep hydrating.
"Truthfully it is really hot and heavy, though when you are working you don't realize so much. You realize that you are very thirsty and you have to drink a lot of water, water and more water because if you don't, you can't go on," he said.
Fernandez, the meteorologist, said a warm air mass had formed over Argentina, right in the middle of the southern hemisphere summer.
"We're having many days of clear skies where solar radiation is very intense and in a context of an extreme drought Argentina has been going through for about two years," she said.
"This means that the soil is very dry, and earth that is dry heats up much more than soil that is moist."//CNA
January
Iran nuclear talks enjoy 'better atmosphere' after painful start
Written by nuke
Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani leaves the nuclear talks at Palais Coburg in Vienna on December 27. The EU says the atmosphere has improved since Christmas. (Photo: AFP/ALEX HALADA) -
Despite a painful start weeks ago, international talks to save the Iran nuclear deal have entered the New Year with positive signals emerging, including the EU saying Friday (Jan 14) that a deal remained possible.
There has been a marked shift in tone since the current round began in November, even if the Western powers complain how slow the process is at a time when Iran accelerates its nuclear work.
"There's a better atmosphere since Christmas - before Christmas I was very pessimistic," European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday.
"Today I believe reaching an accord is possible," even within the coming weeks, he said after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest, France.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said earlier this week that efforts by "all parties" to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement had resulted in "good progress" during the Vienna talks.
And Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the negotiations had "accelerated" and that "the chances of reaching a solution have risen".
But French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking next to Borrell on Friday, reiterated his view that the talks were progressing "much too slowly to be able to reach a result".
France currently chairs the EU's rotating presidency.
Continuous negotiations to salvage the nuclear deal resumed on 29 November after they were suspended in June as Iran elected a new, ultraconservative president.
The 2015 deal - agreed by Iran, the United States (under Democratic president Barack Obama), China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme to ensure it would not develop atomic weapons.
But Republican president Donald Trump pulled the US out in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions, prompting Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments.
Determined to revive the deal, Trump's successor Joseph Biden, a Democrat who was Obama's vice president, sent an American delegation to Vienna to participate indirectly in the talks.
European diplomats have been shuttling between the talks venue at a luxury hotel and where the US team is based.
US State Department Ned Price said on Wednesday that although there had been "modest progress in recent weeks" this was "not sufficient" to secure a return to the deal.
The main aims of the talks are to take the US back into the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and bring Iran back into line with the limits the deal laid down on its nuclear activities.
Among the outstanding bones of contention between Iran and Western powers are "sanctions relief, guarantees that the US will never again renege, ... (and) the degree to which Iran has to roll back its nuclear program," according to Ali Vaez, Iran specialist at the International Crisis Group.
He said that when it comes to verifying sanctions have been lifted, this will be "possible in two areas: Iran's oil exports and its ability to repatriate the generated oil revenues and frozen assets".
But the subject of future US actions is trickier as "there is no guarantee that any US administration can provide that would bind the hands of its successor," he said.
But Vaez said the Biden administration "can and should provide assurances that companies that engage the Iranian market are immune to US penalties as long as Iran is in compliance with the deal."
When it comes to dealing with the physical evidence of Iran's increased nuclear activity, "the West wants Iran to destroy its advanced centrifuges" and the uranium enriched above JCPOA limits "will either have to be shipped to Russia or blended down".
A European diplomat told AFP that while Iran was resisting the idea of destroying centrifuges, "putting them under seal or a range of intermediate solutions" were also on the table.
While the various delegations haven't set a deadline for success, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that there were only "a few weeks left" to save the deal, pointing to the increases in uranium enrichment Iran has been undertaking.
Blinken said that in the case of the talks failing, the US was "looking at other steps, other options" with its allies.
Vaez said new UN sanctions could be an option but US hawks, mainly among the Republicans, opposed to the deal want a campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure backed up by the option of military action.
Julia Masterson from the Arms Control Association think tank said the deal can be restored if both sides "are creative and flexible."//CNA
January
Number of French COVID-19 ICU patients falls, despite record infections
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Medical personnel work at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for COVID-19 patients at the Emile Muller GHRMSA hospital in Mulhouse, France, December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman -
The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units in France has fallen for the second day in a row, despite a record infection rate, health ministry data showed on Friday (Jan 14).
France reported 3,895 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care units on Friday, 44 fewer than Thursday, and the second consecutive fall, despite the seven-day moving average of new infections reaching a new high of nearly 294,000 on Thursday.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 rose by 357 to 24,511, but the week-on-week increase of 13.5per cent was the lowest since the start of the year.
France's Institut Pasteur said on Wednesday that it expected to see a peak of new Omicron variant coronavirus infections in mid-January, followed by a peak in hospital admissions in the second half of January.
France on Friday also reported 191 new deaths from COVID-19, taking the cumulative total to 126,721//ANT
January
Italy reports 186,253 COVID-19 cases on Friday, 360 deaths
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: People wait to get a dose of the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on the day Italy brings in tougher rules for the unvaccinated, at a Red Cross vaccination centre by Termini main train station in Rome, Italy, January 10, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane -
Italy reported 186,253 COVID-19 related cases on Friday (Jan 14), against 184,615 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths rose to 360 from 316.
Italy has registered 140,548 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 8.36 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 18,019 on Friday, up from 17,648 a day earlier.
There were 136 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 156 on Thursday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,679 from a previous 1,668.
Some 1.13 million tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 1.18 million, the health ministry said//CNA