News Story: China's army to put forward medical assistance worldwide

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military will continue to participate in global medical assistance, especially in African countries, according to an article run by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily Friday.

Assistance will include medical cooperation with Africa after the Ebola breakout, and sending experts to the African Union to support the development of a disease control system, said PLA Daily.

In recent years, China's military has sent out more than 170 medical team groups to over 50 countries and regions, according to the article, which quoted an official from the Central Military Commission's Logistical Support Department.

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News Story: U.S. sanctions one DPRK entity, 11 individuals for alleged links to weapons programs

DPRK Ballistic Missile Test

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government announced Friday sanctions on one entity and 11 individuals for their links to the nuclear and missile programs by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"Today's action targets North Korean nationals working as agents of the regime in Russia, China, Vietnam, and Cuba to provide financial support or WMD procurement services for UN- or U.S.-designated sanctioned entities," the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

The action was taken "in response to North Korea's ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and continued violations of United Nations Security Council Resolutions," it added.

The one entity that was sanctioned is the DPRK-based Paeksol Trading Corporation (Paeksol), which the U.S. alleged has sold, supplied, transferred, or purchased metal or coal to earn revenue that may have benefited the DPRK.

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News Story: DPRK reaffirms strategy to develop nuclear strike capability to foil U.S. ambition

PYONGYANG, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has reaffirmed its strategy to develop a nuclear strike capability to foil the U.S. ambition to annex it and "reduce all Koreans to modern-day slaves," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Friday.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un "laid down a fresh strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force at the March 2013 Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea," said KCNA, quoting a memorandum it said was released by the DPRK government on Thursday.

The memorandum praised Kim for setting "the line as a strategic one of the party and the state by carrying forward the exploits of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il who accomplished the great cause of having access to nuclear weapons despite all difficulties."

"He thus broke the world political structure centered on the existing nuclear powers and fundamentally changed the world political landscape ...," it said.

The fresh line provided the army and people of the DPRK with a firm guarantee for frustrating "the U.S. imperialists' wild ambition to annex the northern half of the Republic and reduce all Koreans to modern-day slaves," it added.

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News Story: Japan's SDF deploys largest-ever military transport aircraft

TOKYO, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) on Thursday held a ceremony at Miho Air Base in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, to mark the official deployment there of three new C-2 transport aircraft.

The three advanced military transport aircraft, the largest transport planes operated by the Self-Defense Forces here, are designed and manufactured by Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and are to replace its smaller C-1 predecessor.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force plans to have 10 of the transport aircraft deployed at the base by March 2021, with KHI having already taken orders for 40 C-2s to be built.

With similar dimensions and payload capacity to the Airbus A400M, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force's procurement of the twin-engine jet is purportedly to boost its transportation capacity.

Col. Yasuji Kitamura, the highest-ranking official at the Miho base, said that the role of the C-2 would be important in reinforcing aviation transportation capacity.

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News Story: Indonesia extends military operation against IS-linked group in C. Sulawesi

JAKARTA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian security authorities have decided to extend military operation in Poso of Central Sulawesi province to hunt for a group which has linkages with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization.

Police Chief of Central Sulawesi Province Brigadier General Rudy S said Friday that the operation, which should end on April 3, has been prolonged for another three months.

The number of militants in the group has decreased to nine from about 36 since the operation was launched in January of last year, the general said.

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News Story: Malaysia urges DPRK to hand over 4 suspects over airport killing

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia on Friday called on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to hand over four suspects in connection with the death of Kim Jong Nam.

Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters Friday that a criminal investigation into the case of Kim's death is still ongoing even after both sides freed each other's nationals.

Khalid made the remarks while attending an event here. He said the criminal investigation was not compromised by negotiations between the governments of Malaysia and DPRK.

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News Story: Bangladesh elite force intelligence chief dies from blast injuries

DHAKA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The intelligence chief of Bangladesh's anti-crime elite force -- Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) died from blast injuries Friday at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

An official said, "RAB Intelligence Wing Director Abul Kalam Azad died at CMH at around 12:05 a.m. (local time) on Friday."

Azad, hit by splinters in the March 25 blast in Sylhet, was flown back to Dhaka Wednesday night on life support from a Singapore hospital where he had been taken on Sunday for better treatment.

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News Story: 5 non-ceasefire signatory armed groups to join signing of Myanmar government's ceasefire accord

YANGON, March 30 (Xinhua ) -- Five non-ceasefire signatory armed groups in Myanmar have disclosed that they will joint in signing the government' Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA), according to an announcement of the State Counselor's Office Thursday night.

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News Story: Death toll rises to 22 in market blast in NW Pakistan, 70 injured

ISLAMABAD, March 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 22 people were killed and 70 others injured when a blast hit a market area in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Parachinar Friday morning, local officials said.

Local officials confirmed the death toll, adding that the killed and injured people included women and kids.

The explosion ripped through the central Noor Market of Parachinar at Kurram Agency located along Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Sajid Turi, an elected member of National Assembly from the area, said the explosion happened outside a Shia mosque in the market.

He said the blast happened at the time when the market was crowded and Shia devotees were also coming to the mosque to prepare for Friday prayers.

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News Story: U.S General Accuses Russia Of Assisting Taliban

By Anisa Shaheed

The Commander of the United States Central Command General Josef Votel said at a session in the U.S Senate this week that Russia might provide support to the Taliban in order to be an influential party in Afghanistan.

“It’s fair to assume they may be providing some kind of support to them in terms of weapons or other things that maybe there. I think that is the possibility.

I believe what Russia is attempting to do is they are attempting to be an influential party in this part of the world,” Votel said in response to a question from a U.S senator on what support Russians are sending to the Taliban and how direct their involvement is.

He said the U.S war in Afghanistan has reached a deadlock but the situation overall is in favor of Afghanistan.

Read the full story at TOLOnews