News Story: DPRK condemns latest U.N. Security Council press statement

PYONGYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday condemned the press statement released last week by the United Nations Security Council, which urges implementation of Resolution 2375 after the DPRK conducted another medium-range ballistic missile test.

In a spokesman's statement, the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifically pointed the finger at the United States for its alleged role in bringing about the U.N. Security Council press statement, and lashed out at the latest U.N. sanctions on the DPRK in response to its nuclear programs.

It said that "the anti-DPRK sanctions campaign of the U.S. has grown so reckless as to impose a full-scale blockade of all sections to include areas directly related to the livelihood of civilian population as well as foreign trade of the country."

"This is the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of the DPRK, let alone its system and government," it said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Pakistan's strong response to Trump's criticism continues

by Jamil Bhatti

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- All walks of life in Pakistan, including political and military leadership, civil society, analysts and public gave a strong response to the U.S. President Donald Trump's new policy about South Asia and Afghanistan, in which he blamed Pakistan for harboring terrorist groups.

In his first formal address as commander-in-chief outlining a new U.S. security strategy in South Asia, Trump said "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists."

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has summoned a session of National Assembly (the lower house) which is to be held on Tuesday in order to give a unanimous befitting response to the allegations from Trump.

Ayaz Sadiq, speaker and custodian of the house, has asked all parliamentarians to make sure their attendance in the session, saying "We shall not allow U.S. to threaten Pakistan and favor India. America has forced us to rethink our policies by not acknowledging Pakistan's sacrifices in the war on terror."

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, talking to international media on Monday, stressed the need for a political settlement in Afghanistan, saying that like previous U.S. plans Trump's new strategy for America's longest-running war in that country (Afghanistan) will also fail.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: 'Bloodthirsty Policies' - US Consecutively Loses Southeast Asian Allies

Following the fall out with the Philippines, the United States now has another sharp critic in Southeast Asia. The authorities of Cambodia have accused the US of "brutal and bloodthirsty" policies and "interference in other’s affairs."

The conflict is linked to aid that Washington is providing to the Cambodian opposition on the eve of the nationwide elections, RIA Novosti contributor Igor Gashkov wrote.

Relations between Cambodia and the United States have been deteriorating rapidly throughout 2017, as the nationwide elections scheduled for June next year are approaching. 

The Cambodian authorities believe that Washington is betting on the opposition, The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which enjoys significant support in the cities. The municipal elections held a few months earlier brought success to opponents of the current government. 

News Story: Army Won’t Act Against Haqqani, Says Pakistan’s DPC Chief

Defense of Pakistan Council (DPC) chief Maulana Samiul Haq said at a press conference this week that the Pakistan Army would not take any action against the Haqqani network.

According to Dawn News, Haq on Wednesday slammed US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Pakistan and said that those he was affiliated with “were still fighting the Americans in Afghanistan”.

In his speech earlier this week, Trump accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terrorist organizations .

Haq, who is the chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-S), also issued a call for ‘jihad’ to every section of society.

Dawn news stated that when asked about terrorist attacks being carried out in Pakistan by local actors affiliated with religious groups, Haq claimed that no Pakistani was involved in killing innocent people.

“The West has been defaming jihad, [equating it] with terrorism, but we need to raise a call to jihad and ask each prayer leader in every mosque to preach the importance of jihad, so that our youth is prepared all the time,” he said.

Dawn News quoted him as saying: “We are fighting the Americans in Afghanistan and those who cannot fight are waging jihad with their words and pens; the whole nation needs to rise up to defeat the West.”

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: DPRK condemns U.S. VP's attempt to turn LatAm against Pyongyang

PYONGYANG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday condemned U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's pressure on some Latin American countries to break ties with Pyongyang, saying this is another example of U.S. interference into other countries' internal affairs.

"This was not the first time for the U.S. to urge the countries which have friendly and cooperative relations with the DPRK to sever the diplomatic and economic relations with it," the DPRK official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs as saying.

On Wednesday, Pence called several Latin American countries to join U.S. efforts to isolate the DPRK.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Duterte 'fast becoming a disappointment,' Karapatan warns

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte

By Artemio Dumlao

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has turned his back on good beginnings with progressive groups and has bowed down to the “dictates of pro-US lackeys,” a human rights group said.

Duterte was described by Karapatan, which is affiliated with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, as “fast becoming a disappointment.”

Duterte is to blame for a breakdown in peace negotiations with communist rebels “as he forces a bilateral ceasefire deal while undermining discussions on socioeconomic and political reforms, and is blatantly violating agreements on human rights and international humanitarian law” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general.

“Duterte has reneged on his promise to release all political prisoners through a general amnesty” and, she said “has willingly surrendered people’s rights [in favor of] military rule.”

Duterte has said in the past that he has already conceded too much to the communists—nominees of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, which negotiates with the government in peace talks, sit in the Cabinet. He said he will release all political prisoners once a ceasefire agreement is signed. 

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Report: 'Defensive Play' - Pyongyang's Nuclear Umbrella Almost Ready in Face of US Threat

Commenting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch, Russian experts noted that it reflects Pyongyang's drive to complete the creation of a multi-layer nuclear umbrella in order to tackle what Pyongyang sees as a regional threat emanating from Washington and its allies.

On Monday morning, South Korean media reported that the country's military had detected what was believed to be a missile launch by North Korea.

It was later confirmed by the US as a short-range ballistic missile, which flew about 450 kilometers before landing in the Sea of Japan, approximately 300 kilometers off the coast of Japan.

South Korea' Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the projectile is "estimated to be a Scud type [missile]," and that the South Korean President "was immediately notified of the situation".

News Report: How US Used G7 Summit to 'Pressure China on Its Sore Spots'

On Saturday, G7 countries wrapped up their summit in Taormina with a joint communique, expressing concern about the situation in the East China and South China Seas. Russian political analysts told Sputnik that the US and Japan used the gathering to intensify their pressure on Beijing instead of reaching consensus on global trade and climate.

The annual G7 summit, which wrapped up on Saturday in the Sicilian city of Taormina, Italy, ended with a joint communique in which the group stated it is committed to "maintaining a rules-based order in the maritime domain based on the principles of international law."

The statement expressed concerns about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

On Sunday, China strongly denounced the result of the two-day gathering, accusing it of interfering in the East China Sea and South China Sea disputes in the "guise of international law."

China's position on the East China Sea and South China Sea issues is clear and consistent, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement.

News Report: President Moon 'Can Do Very Little' About THAAD Deployment in South Korea

The multifaceted issue of the US Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system deployment in South Korea could be resolved only with the participation of the United States and China, analysts told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — South Korean President-elect Moon Jae-in will probably be unable to prevent the deployment of the US THAAD system in his country despite his expressed opposition to it.

"There is very little he [Moon] can do about THAAD now," University of Illinois International Law Professor Francis Boyle said on Friday. "[US President Donald] Trump rammed it in there before Moon’s election precisely to preempt Moon from taking any steps to stop THAAD.

Moon, who advocates peacefully reducing tensions between North and South Korea and who has expressed skepticism about deploying THAAD, was elected president by a wide margin on Tuesday.

Boyle said Moon would have no choice but to accept US military diktats because of Washington’s massive armed presence in his country.

News Story: DPRK blames U.S., South Korea for tension on Korean Peninsula

PYONGYANG, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Sunday that the U.S.-South Korea joint exercises and U.S. buildup of nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula are the root cause of high tension here.

Explaining the situation on the Korean Peninsula to Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora, DPRK Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Song Ryol said the DPRK will "steadily take measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrence in order to defend the sovereignty and vital rights of the country and peace on the peninsula from the U.S. nuclear war threat."

The Russian side expressed its understanding of the stand of the DPRK and hoped the tension on the Korean Peninsula would be defused as soon as possible, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Time for West to discard mindset of "China threat"

by Xinhua writer Chen Shilei

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- In history, the rise of big powers was realized via expansion and aggression. But today, the rise of China is an exception. It is peaceful.

Unfortunately, the West never abandons its illusion about the so-called threat from China and sticks to its prejudice against China's moves of benign intention.

China launched a new aircraft carrier on Wednesday in a shipyard in Dalian of Liaoning province in northeastern China. It was the first home-made aircraft carrier of the country.

The launch of the indigenous carrier aims to enhance China's role as a defender of peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

However, the move was viewed by some Western observers as a "display of power" and an effort to "get China in the aircraft carrier game." Some media reports even compared the Chinese carrier with its U.S. peers.

On the contrary, for China, a country which strictly abides by a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, it has no intentions to project its military might to deter any country within the region and globally.

Read the full story at Xinhua

---

PacificSentinel: The people's of Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan & those around the South China Sea would have different point's of view & so much for the "West" category in the title of this story.

News Story: Okinawans call for U.S. military to go home after further provocations

TOKYO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Local residents of Kadena on Okinawa's main island said the United States military conducting parachute training drills over Okinawa's mainland on Monday morning was completely unacceptable with the latest provocation coming amid rising anti-U.S. military sentiment on the island.

Local media reported that residents in the area still remember a tragic incident that occurred in 1965 involving an elementary schoolgirl being crushed to death by a trailer being parachuted down to a village during such a drill.

The area hasn't seen parachute drills by the U.S. military since a drill at the base in 2011, that saw 30 personnel deploy from a MC-130 special mission aircraft, official accounts showed.

The aircraft used to deploy the airmen are designed for infiltration and exfiltration missions and can also be used for resupply of special operation forces.

The large transporter-looking planes can also be configured to be used for air refueling of primarily special operation helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft like the controversial Osprey, also hosted in Okinawa and mainland Japan, and the cause of great condemnation here for its checkered safety record.

The latest drill saw the local residents notified of the parachute exercise less than a day before it occurred, when notice was sent out on Sunday night by the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: DPRK says U.S. sending nuclear carrier taskforces to Korean Peninsula

PYONGYANG, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Sunday that the United States is sending nuclear carrier taskforces to waters off the Korean Peninsula around April 25, the 85th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK army.

The official Minju Joson Sunday, published by the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, quoted unspecified military sources as saying that the U.S. plans to "hurl several nuclear carrier taskforces, including Carl Vinson and Nimitz, into the operational theater of the Korean Peninsula around April 25."

The DPRK army will hit back "whether they are on the peninsula, at military aggression bases in the Pacific or in the U.S. mainland across the ocean" if provoked, the newspaper said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Karzai Calls Daesh A ‘Tool’ Of The United States

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai
(Image: Wiki Commons)

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday said Daesh was a “tool” of the United States and that he does not differentiate between Daesh and America. 

Karzai told VOA’s Afghan service: "After it (the U.S) dropped the bomb on Afghanistan, it did not eliminate Daesh."  

"I consider Daesh their tool," he said. 

"I do not differentiate at all between Daesh and America."

Karzai also dismissed criticism of Moscow's ties with the Taliban. 

"They (Russia) talk to the Taliban," Karzai said. 

"The U.S. also talks to the Taliban. Norway, Germany and other countries also talk to them. Russia also has the right to hold talks with the Taliban."

However, he told VOA: "The Taliban is a major reality in today's Afghanistan. The Americans themselves say that they (Taliban) control 50 percent of the Afghan territory. When a force controls 50 percent, countries have no option but to talk to them. The U.S itself talks to them — they meet them in their office in Qatar."

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Report: Trump's 'Stakes' in North Korean Game 'Risk Bringing Catastrophic Consequences'

As the Pentagon sent the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson-led strike group toward the Korean Peninsula amid Pyongyang's threat of a preemptive strike, the US president risks "bringing catastrophic consequences, " defense analyst Igor Korotchenko told Radio Sputnik.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump pledged to "take care of" the North Korean "problem." The North Korean military responded by pledging to launch a "preemptive strike" in the event of any "US provocation," as well as to target US bases in South Korea, Japan and the USS Carl Vinson.

However, earlier on Sunday, Pyongyang supposedly launched an unidentified projectile, but the test appeared to have failed. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the attempted launch was conducted from the area near North Korea's eastern port city of Sinpo, but likely ended in failure.

According to the US Pacific Command, the North Korean missile "blew up almost immediately," adding that its type is yet to be identified.

News Report: US Airstrike on North Korea Risks Leading to '5-6 Chernobyl-Type Disasters'

If Washington decides to carry out a unilateral military action against Pyongyang, the attack could lead to a nuclear disaster affecting the entire Korean Peninsula, Director of the Center of South Korean Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Zhebin told Sputnik.

"Approximately 30 nuclear power plants are operational in South Korea. Several of them could be destroyed even if conventional bombs and shells are used. This could lead to five-six Chernobyl-type disasters on a relatively small area of 99 square kilometers that could instantly turn into a place unsuitable for life," he explained.

Earlier this week, United States President Donald Trump suggested that Washington was ready to deal with North Korea on its own, indicating that all options were on the table. "North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!" he tweeted.

North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2017

​Such remarks "point to how much the Americans really care about the well-being of their allies," Zhebin observed.

News Report: Cambodia Slams Critics, Claiming They're Part of US-funded Regime-change Plot

Sokummono Khan

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Cambodia's foreign ministry has issued a broad rebuttal to accusations of human rights abuses and political repression that have dogged the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen for decades.

Titled "To Tell the Truth," the report released Tuesday describes the allegations of abuses and repression as a campaign of misinformation spread by a conspiracy of foreign powers led by the United States.

Local and international investigators have documented many of the abuses, which Cambodia claims are a "distortion of facts, lies and amplification of minor issues" aimed at discrediting the government while rallying NGOs and the opposition.

"Cambodia has been submerged, months after months, years after years, by reports from opposition media, biased NGOs and misinformed institutions, which twisted the historical facts and events in an attempt to portray a negative image of Cambodia and to lay the blame on the government," the report said.

News Report: Cambodia Raises Diplomatic Alarm with Seabee Decision

Luke Hunt

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's decision to walk out on a contract with a U.S. military unit has set-off alarm bells within the diplomatic community and raised concerns that Prime Minister Hun Sen is prepared to sacrifice millions of dollars worth of humanitarian work to appease regional powers like Russia and China.

Diplomats and political analysts said they were stunned by a government notification ending work on schools and hospitals by the U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion, or the Seabees.

“Well, I will find it extraordinary that Cambodians would happily cancel these types of projects without something coming in to replace it,” said Billy Chia-Lung Tai, an independent human rights consultant at CL Consulting.

“But who's going to be building these projects and where's that money going to come from? Or are these schools and hospitals simply just not going to be built and if that is the case are these projects now going to be picked up as Chinese funded projects,” he said.

News Story: DPRK accuses U.S. of trying to "maintain colonial rule" in South Korea

PYONGYANG, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday accused the united States of trying to "maintain its colonial rule" in South Korea by helping the conservative forces remain in power.

Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the ruling Korean Workers' Party, said the United States is "displeased with the ever increasing possibility of the collapse of the conservative regime and regime change by the progressive pro-reform forces in South Korea."

"The reality is clear that the U.S. remains unchanged in its wild ambition for maintaining its colonial rule over South Korea and gets ever more sly and vicious in its methods to quench the South Korean people's growing desire for independence," said the newspaper in a commentary.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: North Korea Implores South Koreans to Join ‘Anti-War’ Campaign Against US

On Friday, North Korea appealed to the people, organizations and political parties of South Korea to join them in their “anti-war” effort against the US.

In a letter of plea, the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party wrote, "All the parties and people from all walks of life in South Korea should rise up in the anti-US, anti-war struggle for peace, clearly seeing through the nature of the US, the chieftain of aggression and disturber of peace." 

The already strained relationship between the northern and southern parts of the Korean peninsula has grown more tense lately as Seoul engages in its annual joint military exercises with the US, which has prompted many threats from Pyongyang and its supreme leader, Kim Jong-un.

Pyongyang isn’t alone in its aggressive posturing, however. US President Donald Trump has accused the communist nation of "acting very badly," as his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heavily implied that Washington is willing to take military action against provocation from North Korea, signaling the end of what he called the “strategic patience” used by former President Barack Obama.