TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s defense minister said Friday he believed North Korea “has Guam in mind” after its most recent missile launch, noting it had sufficient range to hit the United States territory. Pyongyang has threatened the US Pacific territory with “enveloping fire,” sparking dire warnings from US President Donald Trump. Itsunori Onodera told reporters that Friday’s missile, which overflew Japanese territory, flew 3,700 kilometers — “long enough to cover Guam,” which is 3,400 […]
Tag: United Nations
Chinese foreign minister: China working with UN on North Korea response
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is working with other members of the United Nations Security Council on a response to North Korea’s missile launch over Japan, the Chinese foreign minister said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke hours after the UN Security Council unanimously condemned Tuesday’s test and Japan’s UN ambassador suggested that a new sanctions declaration could come next. Wang said China — which is Pyongyang’s only major ally — was “now working with […]
North Korea says more missiles to come as UN condemns launch (with video)
(Video courtesy AFPTV) by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation’s provocative launch was a mere “curtain-raiser,” in the face of United Nations condemnation and United States warnings of severe repercussions. The Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang unleashed on Tuesday represented a major escalation in the face of tensions over its weapons programs. In recent […]
Colombia declares conflict with FARC over with disarmament complete
BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) — Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos declared the country’s 50-year conflict with the FARC guerrilla group “truly over” Tuesday, with the disarming of the rebel group complete. The United Nations-supervised process concluded with the delivery of the last truckloads of weapons from areas where the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) began demobilizing at the start of the year. “With the laying down of arms … the conflict is truly over and a new […]
UN toughens sanctions on North Korea
by Carole Landry Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously backed a US-drafted resolution that significantly strengthened sanctions on North Korea, imposing a ban on exports aimed at depriving Pyongyang of $1 billion in annual revenue. The sweeping measures were the first of that scope to be imposed on North Korea since US President Donald Trump took office and highlighted China’s willingness to punish its […]
President Duterte lashes out at N. Korean leader Kim; calls him “a crazy man” playing with “dangerous toys”
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte only had harsh words for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Wednesday, ahead of a regional summit in Manila to be attended by the regime’s foreign minister. In a speech during the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s 113th founding anniversary celebration, President Duterte said Kim was a “crazy man” who could destroy Asia by triggering a nuclear war. “Baka nga si Kim, yung taran****. He is playing with dangerous toys and […]
Qatar accuses Gulf states of ‘stubbornness’, wants UN to help
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Qatar’s foreign minister on Thursday accused Gulf neighbors and Egypt of “stubbornness” in their ongoing diplomatic dispute and said the United Nations should step in to help resolve the crisis. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York to discuss tensions after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5. The four countries accuse Qatar […]
Daunting aid challenges as civilians flee Syria’s Raqa
by Sara Hussein Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon – The battle to oust the Islamic State group from its stronghold of Raqa is creating daunting challenges for aid groups responding to the latest humanitarian crisis in the Syrian conflict. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled Raqa and its surroundings since the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began its operation to capture the jihadist stronghold last year. But new waves of displacement are expected as the […]
News in photos: PHL delegation presents the country’s HR situation in Geneva
Malacanang questions UN Special Rapporteur’s objectivity, professionalism
(Eagle News) — Malacanang has put into question the objectivity and professionalism of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Dr. Agnes Callamard. A Palace spokesperson pointed out that her visit to the Philippines in an unofficial capacity mainly to criticize the country’s drug war, was done while a Philippine delegation had been sent to the UN office in Geneva to report and explain the human rights situation in the […]
UN Special Rapporteur condemns drug war; PHL to lodge UN protest
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings has condemned the use of violence to combat illegal drugs, as she made an unofficial visit to the Philippines. Agnes Callamard had since last year wanted to travel to the Philippines to investigate Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. In a speech at the University of the Philippines, Callamard warned of the many pitfalls of governments globally adopting violent responses to illegal drugs, and said she […]





