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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s disaster reconstruction minister resigned Wednesday after remarking it was lucky the catastrophic 2011 earthquake-tsunami had hit a largely rural region rather than Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was forced to apologize to residents of the devastated northeastern region of Tohoku, which is still recovering more than six years on, after Masahiro Imamura sparked outrage with his comments. “It was good that it (the disaster) occurred over there in Tohoku,” he […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — United States troops began delivering a missile defense system that has infuriated China to a deployment site in South Korea Wednesday, amid heightened tensions over the North’s nuclear ambitions. Washington is urging Beijing — Pyongyang’s sole major ally — to do more to rein it in, but the Asian giant has reacted with fury to the planned installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The US and ally […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Nuclear-armed North Korea on Tuesday marked a military anniversary with a conventional firing drill, reports said, as the South announced joint naval exercises with a United States aircraft carrier in the flashpoint region. Speculation had mounted that Pyongyang could carry out a sixth nuclear test or another missile launch to mark 85 years since the founding of its army. But no such event — which usually happens in the morning […]
TOKYO , Japan (Reuters) — Representatives of the United States, South Korea and Japan spoke to reporters on Tuesday (April 25) after holding trilateral talks regarding the evolving situation in North Korea. Joseph Yun, the United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy, said that member countries that have signed United Nations Security Council’s resolutions have a critical role to play. He also highlighted the importance of China’s role. Kim Hong-kyun, the Republic of Korea’s Special […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Suspected Maoist rebels killed 12 paramilitary commandos on Monday in a remote part of central India, a police official said, the latest attack in the country’s simmering internal conflict. “So far, we know that 12 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel have been martyred in the Maoist attack,” Bhagwati Singh, a police spokesperson in restive Chhattisgarh state, told AFP by telephone.
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “restraint” on North Korea during a phone call Monday with United States President Donald Trump, days before an American supercarrier is due to arrive in the Korean Peninsula. The conversation came amid growing concerns that Pyongyang will conduct another nuclear or missile test to mark the 85th anniversary on Tuesday of the founding of its Korean People’s Army. “(China) hopes that the relevant parties can maintain restraint […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A United States citizen has been arrested as he tried to fly out of North Korea, becoming the third American to be detained there, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said Sunday. The US State Department said it was aware of the reports, but there was no official confirmation of the arrest, which would come at a tense time in relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Yonhap quoted sources as saying the […]
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — China’s foreign minister called Sunday for the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula amid rising tension over North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. “China is firmly supporting the denuclearization of the area in the name of stability and peace,” Wang Yi told reporters in Athens after meeting Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias. “China may not have the key to this solution … but we are happy that more sides are accepting our point […]
PYONGYANG, North Korea (Reuters) — North Korean faculty members of Kim Il Sung University and displaced people on Thursday (April 20) moved into new flats on Ryomyong street in Pyongyang, state media reports. Video filmed by the North’s state news agency KCNA, which could not be independently verified by Reuters, showed people moving into their new high-rise flat in central Pyongyang. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the colorful opening ceremony of […]
GUNSAN, South Korea (Reuters) — The United States and South Korea air forces conducted a joint drill on Thursday (April 20) at Gunsan Air Base, amid mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula. About 1,500 US and South Korean pilots participated in the annual Max Thunder exercise, with 80 aircraft including F-16s and F-15Ks mobilized from both sides, in a bid to boost cooperation in combat situations. Tension has escalated sharply on the Korean peninsula, amid concerns that […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The head of a global arms watchdog said Wednesday that “incontrovertible” test results from an alleged chemical strike in Syria showed sarin gas or a similar substance had been used. Samples from 10 victims of the April 4 attack on Khan Sheikhun analyzed at four laboratories “indicate exposure to sarin or a sarin-like substance,” said Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The suspected attack […]
