Donald Trump warns of 'major, major conflict' with North Korea
US president says he wants to seek a diplomatic solution to Korean crisis and reveals China is helping to pressure Kim Jong-un
Donald Trump has said that a “major conflict” was possible with North Korea though he would prefer to solve the standoff over the country’s nuclear and missile programme through diplomacy.
Trump’s warning on Thursday came towards the end of a week where the administration has made a concerted effort to restrain Pyongyang from carrying out major new weapons tests.
At the same time, US officials sought to clarify US policy after a variety of mixed signals in the administration’s first 100 days.
Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, said that the US would be prepared to enter into direct talks with the regime of Kim Jong-un, but that it would have to prepare to negotiate getting rid of all its nuclear weapons.
India bans 22 social media sites in Kashmir over alleged abuse videos
Ruling hits Facebook and Twitter and marks crackdown on viral clips discrediting state forces in disputed territory
Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir have banned 22 social media sites in an effort to calm tensions in the disputed region after videos depicting the alleged abuse of Kashmiris by Indian forces fuelled protests. But the sites remained online Thursday as the local telecom company struggled to block them.
The government said Wednesday that the one-month ban was necessary for public safety because social media were being “misused by anti-national and anti-social elements.”
“It's being felt that continued misuse of social networking sites and instant messaging services is likely to be detrimental to the interests of peace and tranquillity in the state,” the public order said.
North Koreans in Japan sense growing hostility
The group that represents Koreans loyal to Pyongyang is accused of abetting the Kim regime by providing funds and banned technology. It is also linked to the abduction of Japanese, organized crime and drug distribution.
As an ethnic North Korean, Kim Myong-chol says he lives in "a hostile environment" in Japan. There have so far been no reports of Japanese targeting North Koreans living here, but as concern over the possibility of a missile or nuclear attack rises, Kim says incidents have happened in the past and are possible to occur again.
"There have been attacks by right-wingers on children from North Korean schools at times of tension in the past, but it has been quiet so far," he told DW. He added that police have had a higher presence close to schools affiliated with Chongryon, the association that represents North Korean residents of Japan, since previous incidents.
When Pyongyang confirmed in September 2002 that its agents had abducted 13 Japanese citizens, there was an upsurge in anger aimed at the North Korean community in Japan. There were demonstrations outside the fortress-like headquarters of Chongryon, which serves as North Korea's embassy in Japan as the two nations have no diplomatic ties, while schools received threatening phone calls and pupils were roughed up on their way to and from schools.
Detainees found in 'secret cell' in Philippines: rights group
A dozen people have been found stuffed inside a closet-sized cell hidden behind a book shelf in a Philippine police station, triggering further alarm about abuse under President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly war on drugs.
Members of the government's human rights commission, accompanied by journalists, found the men and women in a surprise visit to the station in the heart of Manila's slum area on Thursday evening.
Cries of "here we are, here we are" were heard from behind a wall, according to the rights workers and journalists. The rights workers then found a hidden door behind a bookshelf, leading to the cell.
Stunned detainees came stumbling out of the room, some begging for water while others, in tears, pleaded with the rights workers not to abandon them.
The detainees said they had been held for about a week after being arrested on allegations of drug use or trafficking and that police were demanding hefty payments in exchange for their freedom.
FORMERLY IMPRISONED JOURNALIST BARRETT BROWN TAKEN BACK INTO CUSTODY BEFORE PBS INTERVIEW
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST Barrett Brown was re-arrested and taken into custody Thursday, the day before he was scheduled to be interviewed for a PBS documentary.
Brown quickly became a symbol of the attack on press freedom after he was arrested in 2012 for reporting he did on the hacked emails of intelligence-contracting firms. Brown wrote about hacked emails that showed the firm Stratfor spying on activists on behalf of corporations. Brown also helped uncover a proposal by intelligence contractors to hack and smear WikiLeaks defenders and progressive activists.
Seoul rejects Trump demand it pays for THAAD missile system
The South Korean government on Friday brushed aside U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that it should pay for a $1 billion missile defense system the two allies are installing in South Korea to guard against threats from the North.
The first parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system have already been delivered to a former golf course in the South -- infuriating China -- at a time of heightened tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.
Top U.S. officials have said THAAD will be operational "within days".
"I informed South Korea it would be appropriate if they paid. It's a billion-dollar system," Trump was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. "It's phenomenal, shoots missiles right out of the sky."
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