SOFIA, Bulgaria (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to drum up EU pressure on North Korea on Sunday in Sofia, while pledging to boost economic cooperation with Bulgaria and the Balkans. “During today’s talks we discussed the constantly worsening security situation in Eastern Asia and we were unanimous with Premier Boyko Borisov about the importance of close cooperation on the North Korea issue,” Abe said. He met with his Bulgarian counterpart Borisov as […]
Tag: sanction
Trump decision looms over Iran deal as Europe watches
by Dave Clark with Damon Wake in Brussels Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump met his national security team Thursday to decide whether to put the 2015 Iran nuclear deal at risk by re-imposing American sanctions. European leaders queued to beg Trump to renew the sanctions relief that Washington agreed to in the accord, which Trump has denounced as one of the worst of all time. US officials expect […]
South Korea seizes Hong Kong ship for oil transfer to North: Seoul
SEOUL. South Korea (AFP) — South Korea briefly seized and inspected a Hong Kong-registered ship in November for transferring oil products to a North Korean vessel and breaching UN sanctions, a foreign ministry official said Friday. The Lighthouse Winmore, which was chartered by a Taiwanese company and carrying around 600 tonnes of oil products from South Korea’s Yeosu port, transferred part of its cargo to a North Korean vessel on October 19, the official said. South […]
Trump ‘disappointed’ in China over NKorea sanctions
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump — who has often hailed China’s efforts to put pressure on North Korea — hit out at Beijing Thursday for failing to cut off Pyongyang’s oil supply, saying such moves prevented a “friendly solution” of the crisis. “Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea,” Trump said on Twitter. “There will never be a friendly solution to the […]
US sanctions two N. Koreans over ballistic missile program
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States sanctioned two North Korean officials on Tuesday over the development of ballistic missiles, as Russia and America’s top diplomats held talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Tensions have escalated after the isolated but nuclear-armed regime staged a series of atomic and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, most recently on November 28. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have also traded personal insults. “Treasury is […]
Japan expands sanctions aimed at N. Korea
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan said Friday it had added 19 more entities to its list of organizations and individuals targeted by asset-freeze sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions list now comprises 103 entities and 108 individuals in total, including seven Chinese entities, five Chinese individuals, one Singaporean entity and two Namibian entities, it said. They include organizations involved in financial services, coal and minerals trading, transportation and sending North Korean laborers abroad, the foreign […]
US warns companies smuggling fuel to North Korea
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — White House National Security Advisor HR McMaster warned Tuesday that shipping companies caught smuggling goods into North Korea could be making their “last delivery” anywhere. McMaster said UN sanctions have not halted deliveries of essential goods like refined fuel products that North Korea wants. The smuggling is done by ship-to-ship transfers, he said, suggesting that foreign vessels are moving the goods on the high seas to North Korean ships that take them […]
US vows to again oppose UN vote against Cuba embargo
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will once again vote against an annual UN resolution condemning its embargo against Cuba, one year after it abstained for the first time in a quarter of a century. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that US Ambassador Nikki Haley would oppose the measure when Cuba brings it before the General Assembly on Wednesday. “We’ve historically voted against that resolution. Last year, the US abstained,” Nauert said, looking […]
US adds sanctions on North Korea for rights abuses
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States layered a new round of sanctions on North Korea Thursday, blacklisting individuals and organizations involved in security and forced labor policies for “ongoing and serious human rights abuses.” Amid the ongoing standoff over Pyongyang’s threatening nuclear posture towards Japan and the United States, the US Treasury sought to boost pressure by placing the financial restrictions on seven senior officials and three state units. The move came as […]
Vicious sanctions will only speed up nuclear program: N. Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea bitterly denounced new sanctions on its economy as “vicious, unethical and inhumane” and warned the measures would only accelerate progress on its nuclear weapons program, state media reported Monday. The angry statement from Pyongyang’s foreign ministry came as the crisis surrounding the reclusive state was set to dominate the annual UN gathering of world leaders. The UN Security Council last week imposed a new raft of sanctions on […]
Iran can quit nuclear deal if US keeps adding sanctions
by Ali Noorani Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that Iran could abandon its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers within hours if the United States keeps on imposing new sanctions. In a speech to parliament outlining plans for his new term, Rouhani also hit out at US counterpart Donald Trump, saying he had shown the world that Washington was “not a good partner.” Rouhani’s comments come with the […]
Tillerson: World united to disarm North Korea
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday that a United Nations Security Council vote to impose sanctions on North Korea showed that world powers were united behind a push for a denuclearized Korean peninsula. Speaking at a security forum in Manila, Washington’s top diplomat said Kim Jong-Un’s regime must halt ballistic missile tests if it wanted to talk to the US about resolving the standoff. “It’s quite clear in terms […]





