US&nbsp;President Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two leaders stressed the importance of the UN-led peace process in resolving the Syrian civil war, the White House said in a statement.

In the more than hour-long phone call, Trump and Putin also agreed to explore ways to cooperate in the fight against militant groups such as Islamic State, the statement said.

In addition, the two leaders discussed how to achieve peace in Ukraine and the need to keep the pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear programme, it said.

In the more than hour-long phone call, Trump and Putin agreed to explore ways to cooperate in the fight against militant groups such as Islamic State

US President Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two leaders stressed the importance of the UN-led peace process in resolving the Syrian civil war, the White House said in a statement. In the more than hour-long phone call, Trump and Putin also agreed to explore ways to cooperate in the fight against militant groups such as Islamic State, the statement said. In addition, the two leaders discussed how to achieve peace in Ukraine and the need to keep the pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear programme, it said.

Trump, Putin discuss support for UN peace process in Syria: White House

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/hafiz-saeed-released-no-longer-under-house-arrest-in-pakistan-24840">Hafiz Saeed to be released from house arrest in Pakistan</a>

Hafiz Saeed is to be released from house arrest in Pakistan after a &nbsp;Judicial Review Board of Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province refused Wednesday to extend his detention for another three months.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-padmavati-row-after-madhya-pradesh-gujarat-bans-the-film-24851">Padmavati row: After Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat bans the film</a>

Padmavati will not be screened in Gujarat. The chief minister of the state, Vijay Rupani, on Wednesday, stated that the home department of the state had decided to ban the film to avoid breakdown of law and order in the state which is headed for an election.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-successfully-test-fires-brahmos-missile-from-sukhoi-30-fighter-jet-24828">Watch: India successfully test-fires BrahMos missile from Sukhoi-30 fighter jet</a>

India successfully test-fired the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Indian Air Force&#39;s Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet for the first time today. The test-flight will significantly increase the IAF&#39;s air combat operations capability, the defence ministry said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mladic-sentenced-to-life-for-bosnia-genocide-war-crimes-24845">Ratklo</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mladic-sentenced-to-life-for-bosnia-genocide-war-crimes-24845"> Mladic, &#39;Butcher of Bosnia&#39;, sentenced to life for genocide</a>

UN judges Wednesday sentenced former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes in the brutal Balkans conflicts over two decades ago.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-slams-wrong-us-sanctions-on-north-korea-tied-chinese-firms-24838">China slams &#39;wrong&#39; US sanctions on North Korea-tied Chinese firms</a>

China on Wednesday rejected new United States sanctions targeting Chinese traders doing business with North Korea as &quot;wrong&quot;, stressing that it has enforced UN sanctions over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear provocations.

Hafiz Saeed to be released from house arrest in Pakistan Hafiz Saeed is to be released from house arrest in Pakistan after a Judicial Review Board of Pakistan's Punjab province refused Wednesday to extend his detention for another three months. Padmavati row: After Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat bans the film Padmavati will not be screened in Gujarat. The chief minister of the state, Vijay Rupani, on Wednesday, stated that the home department of the state had decided to ban the film to avoid breakdown of law and order in the state which is headed for an election. Watch: India successfully test-fires BrahMos missile from Sukhoi-30 fighter jet India successfully test-fired the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet for the first time today. The test-flight will significantly increase the IAF's air combat operations capability, the defence ministry said. Ratklo Mladic, 'Butcher of Bosnia', sentenced to life for genocide UN judges Wednesday sentenced former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes in the brutal Balkans conflicts over two decades ago. China slams 'wrong' US sanctions on North Korea-tied Chinese firms China on Wednesday rejected new United States sanctions targeting Chinese traders doing business with North Korea as "wrong", stressing that it has enforced UN sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear provocations.

WION evening news brief, November 22, 2017

Donald Trump&rsquo;s Asia tour was his first overseas trip as the American president and also his longest. Also, it was the most anticipated as it happened at a time when Asia was passing through a politically volatile phase. In the context of belligerent war threats from North Korea, the intensification of geopolitical conflicts among dominant players and the ensuing power realignments, the visit was significant not only for Asian politics but for global peace and security.

While the jury is still out as to whether Trump succeeded in protecting America&rsquo;s politico-economic interests in the region and assuaging the concerns of &lsquo;allies&rsquo; like Japan and South Korea, the American President clearly signaled his intent to work towards initiating a &lsquo;new security order&rsquo; in Asia by strengthening Washington-Tokyo-New Delhi partnership as a counter to the developing Beijing-Pyongyang-Islamabad axis.

It was significant that Trump decided to combine his visits to Japan, South Korea and Vietnam with three major regional summits - the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asia and ASEAN Summits-that involved all the major powers around the Indo-Pacific.

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<h5>Trump did not broach contentious issues like trade imbalances, human rights violations, and China&rsquo;s control over the South China Sea or its support to North Korea&rsquo;s nuclear program.</h5>
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During his tour, contrary to expectations, Trump did not broach contentious issues like trade imbalances, human rights violations, and China&rsquo;s control over the South China Sea or its support to North Korea&rsquo;s nuclear program. Also, he failed to extract tangible commitments from China to intensify pressure on North Korea. Again, what was most noteworthy that at no point, either in his speeches or comments, he made any reference to the American leadership in the region.

It was a major departure as all the previous presidents had tried to push the U.S. into the driver&rsquo;s seat as the guarantor of peace and stability in Asia. It might be construed as Trump&rsquo;s strategy to put &lsquo;America First&rsquo; in foreign policy that signifies a conscious attempt to disengage America from different global crises-gradually withdrawing from conflict zones-and focus primarily upon augmenting its own national power and security.

Trump&rsquo;s rather moderate and conciliatory approach was quite apparent during his China visit where he received a grand welcome and described Chinese President Xi Jinping as &lsquo;a very special man&rsquo;. During his visits to Japan and South Korea, where the focus of meetings was on containing North Korea, his tone was on the whole measured and resolute than expected. In South Korea, Trump talked about strengthening bilateral partnership belying Seoul&rsquo;s fears regarding any disruption in relations. There was a sense of relief that Trump made no further threats of unilateral strikes against North Korea and pointed towards the possibility of exploring diplomatic options to normalise the situation and establish peace.

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<h5>Praising India&rsquo;s role, the American President offered a &ldquo;renewed partnership with America&rdquo; to strengthen the cooperation, regionally and bilaterally, in the interest of Indo-Pacific.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Praising India?s role, the American President offered a ?renewed partnership with America? to strengthen the cooperation, regionally and bilaterally, in the interest of Indo-Pacific." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Amidst all these, Trump did outline his broad vision for Asia as he floated a new framework for the region-the &lsquo;Indo-Pacific&rsquo;, in his speech on November 10 at APEC Summit at Danang in Vietnam. The idea, centered around the notion of a &ldquo;free and open Indo-Pacific&rdquo;, is considered as Trump&rsquo;s alternative to Obama&rsquo;s &lsquo;Pivot to Asia&rsquo; strategy&rsquo;, at least in form, if not completely in substance. Praising India&rsquo;s role, the American President offered a &ldquo;renewed partnership with America&rdquo; to strengthen the cooperation, regionally and bilaterally, in the interest of Indo-Pacific.

For Donald Trump, the basis of this cooperation should be built on free and fair trading and commerce environment. What is important to note is that Trump&rsquo;s repeated referral to Indo-Pacific was not merely rhetorical in nature, but rather was part of a grand strategy to forge the strategic coalition between the U.S. India, Japan and Australia that could counter growing power and influence of China in Asia. In this context, one of the most important strategic takeaways from Trump&rsquo;s trip was the revival of the Quadrilateral Dialogue comprising the four countries, which met at the level of senior officials on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Manila almost after a decade.

The United States, of late, has enhanced its military operations both in the South China Sea and the&nbsp;Korean peninsula,&nbsp;emphasising freedom of navigations and resisting Chinese assertions. These issues were discussed throughout Trump&rsquo;s Asia trip and are likely to remain on top of his Asia agenda for some time.

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<h5>Trump&rsquo;s speech castigating Asian nations for &ldquo;chronic trade abuses&rdquo; and strident stand against Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) did not help in creating confidence among his partners.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump?s speech castigating Asian nations for ?chronic trade abuses? and strident stand against Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) did not help in creating confidence among his partners." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Still, doubt prevails over Trump&rsquo;s sincerity in pushing this strategy as the American President neither devised any concrete roadmap for its implementation nor suggested what exactly would be America&rsquo;s role in the proposed regional order. Also, Trump&rsquo;s speech castigating Asian nations for &ldquo;chronic trade abuses&rdquo; and strident stand against Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) did not help in creating confidence among his partners. It is believed that Trump&rsquo;s rigid stance on &lsquo;economic unilateralism&rsquo;, in the form of &lsquo;America First&rsquo;, would hamper its economy in long-term and also affect its standing in important multilateral forums.

Shunning America, the remaining eleven signatories of the TPP chose to carry forward the initiative and work towards mutually beneficial economic exchanges. The Danang Declaration reflected the mood as it referred to &ldquo;importance of non-discriminatory, reciprocal and mutually advantageous trade and investment frameworks&rdquo;.

Thus, there is more continuity than change in Trump administration&rsquo;s approach towards Asia. Rhetoric is replaced by realism as America braces for a new world order where the American supremacy as a dominant player is fading away rapidly. Trump, much to the dismay of his supporters, is treading a cautious path on contentious issues without attempting any radical shift. This is quite apparent as he tones down his diatribe and tries to introduce a credible and coherent policy on Asia that would bear his unique stamp and at the same time protect American interests.

It is really difficult to predict as to whether the Trump Administration would push for a new security order in Asia by promoting the framework of &lsquo;Indo-Pacific&rsquo; or would rather choose to strategically disengage itself from the regional quagmire engulfing the continent.

However, America&rsquo;s determination to counter China&rsquo;s growing assertions, both in economic and strategic spheres and the emergence of the &lsquo;Quad&rsquo; as a dominant block might usher in new power equilibrium in Asia, changing the contours of existing power relationships. Trump&rsquo;s Asia tour has signalled a new beginning or at least a step forward in that direction.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

America?s determination to counter China?s growing assertions is changing the contours of existing power relationships

Donald Trump’s Asia tour was his first overseas trip as the American president and also his longest. Also, it was the most anticipated as it happened at a time when Asia was passing through a politically volatile phase. In the context of belligerent war threats from North Korea, the intensification of geopolitical conflicts among dominant players and the ensuing power realignments, the visit was significant not only for Asian politics but for global peace and security. While the jury is still out as to whether Trump succeeded in protecting America’s politico-economic interests in the region and assuaging the concerns of ‘allies’ like Japan and South Korea, the American President clearly signaled his intent to work towards initiating a ‘new security order’ in Asia by strengthening Washington-Tokyo-New Delhi partnership as a counter to the developing Beijing-Pyongyang-Islamabad axis. It was significant that Trump decided to combine his visits to Japan, South Korea and Vietnam with three major regional summits - the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asia and ASEAN Summits-that involved all the major powers around the Indo-Pacific. Trump did not broach contentious issues like trade imbalances, human rights violations, and China’s control over the South China Sea or its support to North Korea’s nuclear program. × During his tour, contrary to expectations, Trump did not broach contentious issues like trade imbalances, human rights violations, and China’s control over the South China Sea or its support to North Korea’s nuclear program. Also, he failed to extract tangible commitments from China to intensify pressure on North Korea. Again, what was most noteworthy that at no point, either in his speeches or comments, he made any reference to the American leadership in the region. It was a major departure as all the previous presidents had tried to push the U.S. into the driver’s seat as the guarantor of peace and stability in Asia. It might be construed as Trump’s strategy to put ‘America First’ in foreign policy that signifies a conscious attempt to disengage America from different global crises-gradually withdrawing from conflict zones-and focus primarily upon augmenting its own national power and security. Trump’s rather moderate and conciliatory approach was quite apparent during his China visit where he received a grand welcome and described Chinese President Xi Jinping as ‘a very special man’. During his visits to Japan and South Korea, where the focus of meetings was on containing North Korea, his tone was on the whole measured and resolute than expected. In South Korea, Trump talked about strengthening bilateral partnership belying Seoul’s fears regarding any disruption in relations. There was a sense of relief that Trump made no further threats of unilateral strikes against North Korea and pointed towards the possibility of exploring diplomatic options to normalise the situation and establish peace. Praising India’s role, the American President offered a “renewed partnership with America” to strengthen the cooperation, regionally and bilaterally, in the interest of Indo-Pacific. × Amidst all these, Trump did outline his broad vision for Asia as he floated a new framework for the region-the ‘Indo-Pacific’, in his speech on November 10 at APEC Summit at Danang in Vietnam. The idea, centered around the notion of a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, is considered as Trump’s alternative to Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ strategy’, at least in form, if not completely in substance. Praising India’s role, the American President offered a “renewed partnership with America” to strengthen the cooperation, regionally and bilaterally, in the interest of Indo-Pacific. For Donald Trump, the basis of this cooperation should be built on free and fair trading and commerce environment. What is important to note is that Trump’s repeated referral to Indo-Pacific was not merely rhetorical in nature, but rather was part of a grand strategy to forge the strategic coalition between the U.S. India, Japan and Australia that could counter growing power and influence of China in Asia. In this context, one of the most important strategic takeaways from Trump’s trip was the revival of the Quadrilateral Dialogue comprising the four countries, which met at the level of senior officials on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Manila almost after a decade. The United States, of late, has enhanced its military operations both in the South China Sea and the Korean peninsula, emphasising freedom of navigations and resisting Chinese assertions. These issues were discussed throughout Trump’s Asia trip and are likely to remain on top of his Asia agenda for some time. Trump’s speech castigating Asian nations for “chronic trade abuses” and strident stand against Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) did not help in creating confidence among his partners. × Still, doubt prevails over Trump’s sincerity in pushing this strategy as the American President neither devised any concrete roadmap for its implementation nor suggested what exactly would be America’s role in the proposed regional order. Also, Trump’s speech castigating Asian nations for “chronic trade abuses” and strident stand against Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) did not help in creating confidence among his partners. It is believed that Trump’s rigid stance on ‘economic unilateralism’, in the form of ‘America First’, would hamper its economy in long-term and also affect its standing in important multilateral forums. Shunning America, the remaining eleven signatories of the TPP chose to carry forward the initiative and work towards mutually beneficial economic exchanges. The Danang Declaration reflected the mood as it referred to “importance of non-discriminatory, reciprocal and mutually advantageous trade and investment frameworks”. Thus, there is more continuity than change in Trump administration’s approach towards Asia. Rhetoric is replaced by realism as America braces for a new world order where the American supremacy as a dominant player is fading away rapidly. Trump, much to the dismay of his supporters, is treading a cautious path on contentious issues without attempting any radical shift. This is quite apparent as he tones down his diatribe and tries to introduce a credible and coherent policy on Asia that would bear his unique stamp and at the same time protect American interests. It is really difficult to predict as to whether the Trump Administration would push for a new security order in Asia by promoting the framework of ‘Indo-Pacific’ or would rather choose to strategically disengage itself from the regional quagmire engulfing the continent. However, America’s determination to counter China’s growing assertions, both in economic and strategic spheres and the emergence of the ‘Quad’ as a dominant block might usher in new power equilibrium in Asia, changing the contours of existing power relationships. Trump’s Asia tour has signalled a new beginning or at least a step forward in that direction. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Does Trump's Asia Tour sidelines China?

China called Tuesday for extra efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis through talks after<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-declares-north-korea-state-sponsor-of-terror-24690"> US President Donald Trump re-branded Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism.</a>

Beijing has repeatedly pushed for negotiations to end the standoff. Some analysts warned that the terror designation could further inflame tensions.

&quot;We still hope all relevant parties can contribute to easing tensions, that the relevant parties can resume talks and (adopt) the correct track to resolving the Korean peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation,&quot; said foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang.

&quot;More should be done in that regard.&quot;

China has pushed for a &quot;dual-track approach&quot; which would require the United States to freeze its military drills in South Korea while North Korea would halt its weapons programmes, but the proposal has not gained traction.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gap-in-india-us-ties-will-likely-suck-new-delhi-into-us-orbit-china-daily-24702">Trump on Monday promised </a>a rapid escalation of US Treasury sanctions against the North after adding its name to a terror blacklist previously led by Iran and Syria.

&quot;Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago,&quot; Trump said.

He cited the death of a US student who had been held in a North Korean jail and the assassination by nerve agent of Kim&#39;s elder half-brother on foreign soil as reasons for the move.

However, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said sanctions and diplomacy could still pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un into talks on nuclear disarmament.

&quot;We still hope for diplomacy,&quot; he said, adding that punitive measures were already having a significant impact on Pyongyang&#39;s economy.

There was no immediate reaction from North Korea, but an editorial in the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun before the announcement described Trump as a &quot;mentally deranged money-grabber&quot; who was leading the US down an &quot;irretrievable road to hell&quot;.

The White House has said it will not tolerate the North&#39;s testing or deployment of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to US cities.

Experts believe Pyongyang is within months of such a threshold, having carried out six nuclear tests since 2006 and test-fired several types of missiles, including multi-stage rockets.

Japan said it &quot;welcomes and supports&quot; Trump&#39;s announcement. But there was a more restrained response from South Korea.

Seoul&#39;s foreign ministry said the US measure was &quot;part of the international community&#39;s common efforts to bring North Korea to the path of denuclearization through strong sanctions and pressure&quot;.

Some analysts warned of a possible backlash.

&quot;North Korea will consider it as a thing next to a declaration of war,&quot; Professor Yang Moo-Jin of the University for North Korean Studies in Seoul told AFP.

&quot;There is a possibility that it may retaliate by test-launching an ICBM in the near future.&quot;

&#39;Maximum pressure&#39;&nbsp;

Both Trump and Kim have previously raised fears of open conflict erupting over the North&#39;s banned nuclear missile programme, as they exchanged insults and threats of a devastating military response.

But US officials say their main hope is that Pyongyang will back down, in the face of what Tillerson described as an inexorable increase in Chinese-backed economic and diplomatic pressure.

&quot;We know that there are current shortages of fuel based upon what we can gather anecdotally and also from certain intelligence sources,&quot; Tillerson said.

&quot;We know that their revenues are down,&quot; he said. &quot;So I think it is having an effect. Is this the reason we haven&#39;t had a provocative act in 60 days?&quot;

North Korea is already under a crushing sanctions regime, and Monday&#39;s terror designation will not have much immediate economic impact.

But Trump said his declaration was the prelude to a two-week period of announcements -- starting with a &quot;very large&quot; US Treasury sanctions measure -- that would amount to a &quot;maximum pressure campaign&quot;.

US officials see the designation -- which was removed by then-president George W. Bush in 2008 -- as a way of intensifying pressure on other nations and foreign banks which may be failing to fully enforce the sanctions.

Tortured in custody?&nbsp;

&quot;In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil,&quot; Trump said.

Trump invoked Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old who died this year after being repatriated from detention in North Korea in a coma. US officials allege he was tortured in custody.

In February Kim&#39;s potential rival and elder half-brother, Kim Jong-Nam died after he was sprayed with a nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport, in an assassination blamed on Pyongyang.

US officials would not say what new sanctions might be announced but an expert predicted secondary measures against Chinese banks, and an Asian diplomat said there could be action against individual North Korean traders working in China.

The diplomat said Washington would like to impose a total oil embargo on the North but China was not yet ready to accept a move that could cause Kim&#39;s regime to topple and unleash chaos on its border.

China called Tuesday for extra efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis through talks after US President Donald Trump re-branded Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism

China called Tuesday for extra efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis through talks after US President Donald Trump re-branded Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism. Beijing has repeatedly pushed for negotiations to end the standoff. Some analysts warned that the terror designation could further inflame tensions. "We still hope all relevant parties can contribute to easing tensions, that the relevant parties can resume talks and (adopt) the correct track to resolving the Korean peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation," said foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang. "More should be done in that regard." China has pushed for a "dual-track approach" which would require the United States to freeze its military drills in South Korea while North Korea would halt its weapons programmes, but the proposal has not gained traction. Trump on Monday promised a rapid escalation of US Treasury sanctions against the North after adding its name to a terror blacklist previously led by Iran and Syria. "Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago," Trump said. He cited the death of a US student who had been held in a North Korean jail and the assassination by nerve agent of Kim's elder half-brother on foreign soil as reasons for the move. However, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said sanctions and diplomacy could still pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un into talks on nuclear disarmament. "We still hope for diplomacy," he said, adding that punitive measures were already having a significant impact on Pyongyang's economy. There was no immediate reaction from North Korea, but an editorial in the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun before the announcement described Trump as a "mentally deranged money-grabber" who was leading the US down an "irretrievable road to hell". The White House has said it will not tolerate the North's testing or deployment of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to US cities. Experts believe Pyongyang is within months of such a threshold, having carried out six nuclear tests since 2006 and test-fired several types of missiles, including multi-stage rockets. Japan said it "welcomes and supports" Trump's announcement. But there was a more restrained response from South Korea. Seoul's foreign ministry said the US measure was "part of the international community's common efforts to bring North Korea to the path of denuclearization through strong sanctions and pressure". Some analysts warned of a possible backlash. "North Korea will consider it as a thing next to a declaration of war," Professor Yang Moo-Jin of the University for North Korean Studies in Seoul told AFP. "There is a possibility that it may retaliate by test-launching an ICBM in the near future." 'Maximum pressure' Both Trump and Kim have previously raised fears of open conflict erupting over the North's banned nuclear missile programme, as they exchanged insults and threats of a devastating military response. But US officials say their main hope is that Pyongyang will back down, in the face of what Tillerson described as an inexorable increase in Chinese-backed economic and diplomatic pressure. "We know that there are current shortages of fuel based upon what we can gather anecdotally and also from certain intelligence sources," Tillerson said. "We know that their revenues are down," he said. "So I think it is having an effect. Is this the reason we haven't had a provocative act in 60 days?" North Korea is already under a crushing sanctions regime, and Monday's terror designation will not have much immediate economic impact. But Trump said his declaration was the prelude to a two-week period of announcements -- starting with a "very large" US Treasury sanctions measure -- that would amount to a "maximum pressure campaign". US officials see the designation -- which was removed by then-president George W. Bush in 2008 -- as a way of intensifying pressure on other nations and foreign banks which may be failing to fully enforce the sanctions. Tortured in custody? "In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil," Trump said. Trump invoked Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old who died this year after being repatriated from detention in North Korea in a coma. US officials allege he was tortured in custody. In February Kim's potential rival and elder half-brother, Kim Jong-Nam died after he was sprayed with a nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport, in an assassination blamed on Pyongyang. US officials would not say what new sanctions might be announced but an expert predicted secondary measures against Chinese banks, and an Asian diplomat said there could be action against individual North Korean traders working in China. The diplomat said Washington would like to impose a total oil embargo on the North but China was not yet ready to accept a move that could cause Kim's regime to topple and unleash chaos on its border.

China urges talks after US brands North Korea a terror sponsor

A North Korean soldier who was shot by his own side and severely injured while dashing across the border into South Korea has regained consciousness, a report said Tuesday.

The defector is awake after undergoing two major operations at a hospital in Suwon just south of Seoul, according to an unidentified government official quoted by Yonhap news agency.

&quot;The soldier has regained consciousness and he requested to watch television,&quot; the official was quoted as saying, adding he was being shown South Korean movies for his &quot;psychological comfort&quot;.

The defector ran across the border at the Panmunjom truce village on November 13 as former comrades from the North opened fire on him, hitting him at least four times.

He was pulled to safety by three South Korean soldiers who crawled to reach him just south of the dividing line.

It is very rare for the North&#39;s troops to defect at Panmunjom, a major tourist attraction and the only part of the border where forces from the two sides come face-to-face.

The patient was now able to express his thoughts to medical staff, the official said.&nbsp;

To allay his fears and reassure him he was indeed in the South, medical staff apparently placed a South Korean flag in his room and were also using psychotherapy.

In addition to his gunshot injuries, the defector was found to be riddled with intestinal parasites, an apparent result of poor food hygiene in the impoverished North.

Depending on medical advice, an interrogation team is expected to question him in four or five days&#39; time, according to the official.&nbsp;

'The soldier has regained consciousness and he requested to watch television,' a government official said

A North Korean soldier who was shot by his own side and severely injured while dashing across the border into South Korea has regained consciousness, a report said Tuesday. The defector is awake after undergoing two major operations at a hospital in Suwon just south of Seoul, according to an unidentified government official quoted by Yonhap news agency. "The soldier has regained consciousness and he requested to watch television," the official was quoted as saying, adding he was being shown South Korean movies for his "psychological comfort". The defector ran across the border at the Panmunjom truce village on November 13 as former comrades from the North opened fire on him, hitting him at least four times. He was pulled to safety by three South Korean soldiers who crawled to reach him just south of the dividing line. It is very rare for the North's troops to defect at Panmunjom, a major tourist attraction and the only part of the border where forces from the two sides come face-to-face. The patient was now able to express his thoughts to medical staff, the official said. To allay his fears and reassure him he was indeed in the South, medical staff apparently placed a South Korean flag in his room and were also using psychotherapy. In addition to his gunshot injuries, the defector was found to be riddled with intestinal parasites, an apparent result of poor food hygiene in the impoverished North. Depending on medical advice, an interrogation team is expected to question him in four or five days' time, according to the official.

North Korean soldier who defected regains consciousness, asks to watch TV

A week after returning from a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-declares-north-korea-state-sponsor-of-terror-24690">five-nation Asia tour, US President Donald Trump</a> today declared North Korea as a &quot;state sponsor of terrorism&quot; as the standoff between the US and its allies and Kim&#39;s regime continued to build on Monday.

&quot;Should have <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-sends-envoy-to-n-korea-trump-hails-big-move-24455">happened a long time ago.</a> Should have happened years ago,&quot; Trump said, adding the Treasury Department would announce additional sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday.

&quot;In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil,&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said the sanctions as a result of designating North Korea a terrorist state would lead to &quot;very large&quot; US Treasury sanctions that would eventually amount to a &quot;maximum pressure campaign.&quot;

&quot;This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea and related persons and supports our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime,&quot; the US president said.

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had traded insults during the president&#39;s trip to Asia last week with the US refusing to back down over conducting military drills on Korean waters with its allies Japan and South Korea.

North Korea&#39;s neighbour Japan said it &quot;welcomes and supports&quot; the US move to relist Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Amid the sanctions and rhetoric, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has been using diplomatic back channels with the Korean government and its ally China to bring a semblance of compromise, Tillerson said sanctions were already having a &quot;significant effect&quot; on Pyongyang&#39;s economy.

The US and its allies fear Kim may be preparing for yet another nuclear test as pressure grows on the North Korean nation to give up its hardline stance.

&quot;We know that there are current shortages of fuel based upon what we can gather anecdotally and also from certain intelligence sources,&quot; Tillerson said.

&quot;We know that their revenues are down,&quot; he said. &quot;So I think it is having an effect,&quot; the US secretary of state added.

Amid the sanctions and rhetoric, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has been using diplomatic back channels with the Korean government and its ally China

A week after returning from a five-nation Asia tour, US President Donald Trump today declared North Korea as a "state sponsor of terrorism" as the standoff between the US and its allies and Kim's regime continued to build on Monday. "Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago," Trump said, adding the Treasury Department would announce additional sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday. "In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil," Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said the sanctions as a result of designating North Korea a terrorist state would lead to "very large" US Treasury sanctions that would eventually amount to a "maximum pressure campaign." "This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea and related persons and supports our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime," the US president said. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had traded insults during the president's trip to Asia last week with the US refusing to back down over conducting military drills on Korean waters with its allies Japan and South Korea. North Korea's neighbour Japan said it "welcomes and supports" the US move to relist Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism. Amid the sanctions and rhetoric, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has been using diplomatic back channels with the Korean government and its ally China to bring a semblance of compromise, Tillerson said sanctions were already having a "significant effect" on Pyongyang's economy. The US and its allies fear Kim may be preparing for yet another nuclear test as pressure grows on the North Korean nation to give up its hardline stance. "We know that there are current shortages of fuel based upon what we can gather anecdotally and also from certain intelligence sources," Tillerson said. "We know that their revenues are down," he said. "So I think it is having an effect," the US secretary of state added.

Declaring North Korea a terrorist state should have happened years ago: Trump

President Donald Trump on Monday declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, returning Kim Jong-Un&#39;s nuclear-armed pariah regime to a short blacklist of targeted US foes. &nbsp;

&quot;Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago,&quot; Trump declared, announcing the designation at the start of a White House cabinet meeting.

North Korea is already under a wide array of United States and United Nations sanctions, and the terror designation will not have much immediate economic impact in itself.

But US officials see the designation -- lifted by then-president George W. Bush in 2008 -- as a way of ratcheting up the pressure on Pyongyang and especially on other states that may be failing to fully enforce the sanctions already in place.

&quot;In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil,&quot; Trump said.

In February, Kim&#39;s potential rival and elder brother Kim Jong-Nam died after he was sprayed with a nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport, in an assassination blamed on Pyongyang.

&quot;As we take this action today, our thoughts turn to Otto Warmbier and others affected by North Korean oppression,&quot; Trump continued, underlining the legal case for the designation.

US student Warmbier did this year aged only 22 after he was repatriated from detention in North Korea already in a coma. US officials allege he was tortured in custody.

Trump warned that, in addition to the terror designation, Washington is preparing yet another round of sanctions to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear missile program.

&quot;The Treasury Department will be announcing an additional sanction -- and a large one -- on North Korea,&quot; he said.

&quot;This will be going on over the next two weeks and it will be the highest level of sanctions,&quot; he warned.&nbsp;

&quot;The North Korean regime must be lawful and end its unlawful nuclear ballistic missile development and cease all support for international terrorism, which it is not doing.&quot;&nbsp;

The White House has declared it will not tolerate Kim&#39;s regime testing or deploying an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to US cities.

Experts believe Pyongyang is within months of such a threshold, having carried out six nuclear tests since 2006 and test-fired several types of missiles, including multi-stage rockets.

Kim&#39;s government insists it will defy international sanctions to develop a capability it believes is essential to defending itself from the threat of US and South Korean invasion.

Washington is also pressuring the North&#39;s key trade partner and traditional ally China to turn up the sanctions pressure and force Kim to come to the table to discuss his disarmament.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago,' Trump declared

President Donald Trump on Monday declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, returning Kim Jong-Un's nuclear-armed pariah regime to a short blacklist of targeted US foes. "Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago," Trump declared, announcing the designation at the start of a White House cabinet meeting. North Korea is already under a wide array of United States and United Nations sanctions, and the terror designation will not have much immediate economic impact in itself. But US officials see the designation -- lifted by then-president George W. Bush in 2008 -- as a way of ratcheting up the pressure on Pyongyang and especially on other states that may be failing to fully enforce the sanctions already in place. "In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil," Trump said. In February, Kim's potential rival and elder brother Kim Jong-Nam died after he was sprayed with a nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport, in an assassination blamed on Pyongyang. "As we take this action today, our thoughts turn to Otto Warmbier and others affected by North Korean oppression," Trump continued, underlining the legal case for the designation. US student Warmbier did this year aged only 22 after he was repatriated from detention in North Korea already in a coma. US officials allege he was tortured in custody. Trump warned that, in addition to the terror designation, Washington is preparing yet another round of sanctions to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear missile program. "The Treasury Department will be announcing an additional sanction -- and a large one -- on North Korea," he said. "This will be going on over the next two weeks and it will be the highest level of sanctions," he warned. "The North Korean regime must be lawful and end its unlawful nuclear ballistic missile development and cease all support for international terrorism, which it is not doing." The White House has declared it will not tolerate Kim's regime testing or deploying an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to US cities. Experts believe Pyongyang is within months of such a threshold, having carried out six nuclear tests since 2006 and test-fired several types of missiles, including multi-stage rockets. Kim's government insists it will defy international sanctions to develop a capability it believes is essential to defending itself from the threat of US and South Korean invasion. Washington is also pressuring the North's key trade partner and traditional ally China to turn up the sanctions pressure and force Kim to come to the table to discuss his disarmament.

Trump declares North Korea state sponsor of terror

Parasitic worms found in a North Korean soldier, critically injured during a desperate defection, highlight nutrition and hygiene problems that experts say have plagued the isolated country for decades.

At a briefing on Wednesday, lead surgeon Lee Cook-jong displayed photos showing dozens of flesh-coloured parasites - including one 27 cm (10.6 in) long - removed from the wounded soldier&rsquo;s digestive tract during a series of surgeries to save his life.

&ldquo;In my over 20 year-long career as a surgeon, I have only seen something like this in a textbook,&rdquo; Lee said.

The parasites, along with kernels of corn in his stomach, may confirm what many experts and previous defectors have described the food and hygiene situation for many North Koreans.

&ldquo;Although we do not have solid figures showing health conditions of North Korea, medical experts assume that parasite infection problems and serious health issues have been prevalent in the country,&rdquo; said Choi Min-Ho, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine who specializes in parasites.

The soldier&rsquo;s condition was &ldquo;not surprising at all considering the north&rsquo;s hygiene and parasite problems,&rdquo; he said.

The soldier was flown by helicopter to the hospital on Monday after his dramatic escape to South Korea in a hail of bullets fired by North Korean soldiers.

He is believed to be an army staff sergeant in his mid-20s who was stationed in the Joint Security Area in the United Nations truce village of Panmunjom, according to Kim Byung-kee, a lawmaker of South Korea&rsquo;s ruling party, briefed by the National Intelligence Service.

North Korea has not commented on the defection.

While the contents of the soldier&rsquo;s stomach don&rsquo;t necessarily reflect the population as a whole, his status as a soldier &ndash; with an elite assignment - would indicate he would at least be as well nourished as an average North Korean.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He was shot in his buttocks, armpit, back shoulder and knee among other wounds, according to the hospital where the soldier is being treated.

The best fertiliser

Parasitic worms were also once common in South Korea 40 to 50 years ago, Lee noted during his briefing, but have all but disappeared as economic conditions greatly improved.

Other doctors have also described removing various types of worms and parasites from North Korean defectors.

Their continued prevalence north of the heavily fortified border that divides the two Koreas could be in part tied to the use of human excrement, often called &ldquo;night soil.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Chemical fertilizer was supplied by the state until the 1970s, but from the early 1980s, production started to decrease,&rdquo; said Lee Min-bok, a North Korean agriculture expert who defected to South Korea in 1995. &ldquo;By the 1990s, the state could not supply it anymore, so farmers started to use a lot of night soil instead.&rdquo;

In 2014, supreme leader Kim Jong Un personally urged farmers to use human faeces, along with animal waste and organic compost, to fertilize their fields.

A lack of livestock, however, made it difficult to find animal waste, said Lee, the agriculture expert.

Even harder to overcome, he said, is the view of night soil as the &ldquo;best fertilizer in North Korea,&rdquo; despite the risk of worms and parasites. 
&ldquo;Vegetables grown in it are considered more delicious than others,&rdquo; Lee said.

Limited diets

The medical briefing described the wounded soldier as being 170 cm (5 feet 5 inches) and 60 kg (132 pounds) with his stomach containing corn. It&rsquo;s a staple grain that more North Koreans may be relying on in the wake of what the United Nations has called the worst drought since 2001.

Imported corn, which is less preferred but cheaper to obtain than rice, has tended to increase in years when North Koreans are more worried about their seasonal harvests.

Between January and September this year, China exported nearly 49,000 tonnes of corn to North Korea, compared to only 3,125 tonnes in all of 2016, according to data released by Beijing.

Despite the drought and international sanctions over Pyongyang&rsquo;s nuclear programme, the cost of corn and rice has remained relatively stable, according to a Reuters analysis of market data collected by the defector-run Daily NK website.

Since the 1990s, when government rations failed to prevent a famine hitting the country, North Koreans have gradually turned to markets and other private means to feed themselves.

The World Food Programme says a quarter of North Korean children 6-59 months old, who attend nurseries that the organization assists, suffer from chronic malnutrition.

On average North Koreans are less nourished than their southern neighbours. The WFP says around one in four children have grown less tall than their South Korean counterparts. A study from 2009 said pre-school children in the North were up to 13 cm (5 inches) shorter and up to 7 kg (15 pounds) lighter than those brought up in the South.

&ldquo;The main issue in DPRK is a monotonous diet &ndash; mainly rice/maize, kimchi and bean paste &ndash; lacking in essential fats and protein,&rdquo; the WFP told Reuters in a statement last month.

The worms highlight nutrition and hygiene problems that experts say have plagued the isolated country for decades

Parasitic worms found in a North Korean soldier, critically injured during a desperate defection, highlight nutrition and hygiene problems that experts say have plagued the isolated country for decades. At a briefing on Wednesday, lead surgeon Lee Cook-jong displayed photos showing dozens of flesh-coloured parasites - including one 27 cm (10.6 in) long - removed from the wounded soldier’s digestive tract during a series of surgeries to save his life. “In my over 20 year-long career as a surgeon, I have only seen something like this in a textbook,” Lee said. The parasites, along with kernels of corn in his stomach, may confirm what many experts and previous defectors have described the food and hygiene situation for many North Koreans. “Although we do not have solid figures showing health conditions of North Korea, medical experts assume that parasite infection problems and serious health issues have been prevalent in the country,” said Choi Min-Ho, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine who specializes in parasites. The soldier’s condition was “not surprising at all considering the north’s hygiene and parasite problems,” he said. The soldier was flown by helicopter to the hospital on Monday after his dramatic escape to South Korea in a hail of bullets fired by North Korean soldiers. He is believed to be an army staff sergeant in his mid-20s who was stationed in the Joint Security Area in the United Nations truce village of Panmunjom, according to Kim Byung-kee, a lawmaker of South Korea’s ruling party, briefed by the National Intelligence Service. North Korea has not commented on the defection. While the contents of the soldier’s stomach don’t necessarily reflect the population as a whole, his status as a soldier – with an elite assignment - would indicate he would at least be as well nourished as an average North Korean. He was shot in his buttocks, armpit, back shoulder and knee among other wounds, according to the hospital where the soldier is being treated. The best fertiliser Parasitic worms were also once common in South Korea 40 to 50 years ago, Lee noted during his briefing, but have all but disappeared as economic conditions greatly improved. Other doctors have also described removing various types of worms and parasites from North Korean defectors. Their continued prevalence north of the heavily fortified border that divides the two Koreas could be in part tied to the use of human excrement, often called “night soil.” “Chemical fertilizer was supplied by the state until the 1970s, but from the early 1980s, production started to decrease,” said Lee Min-bok, a North Korean agriculture expert who defected to South Korea in 1995. “By the 1990s, the state could not supply it anymore, so farmers started to use a lot of night soil instead.” In 2014, supreme leader Kim Jong Un personally urged farmers to use human faeces, along with animal waste and organic compost, to fertilize their fields. A lack of livestock, however, made it difficult to find animal waste, said Lee, the agriculture expert. Even harder to overcome, he said, is the view of night soil as the “best fertilizer in North Korea,” despite the risk of worms and parasites. “Vegetables grown in it are considered more delicious than others,” Lee said. Limited diets The medical briefing described the wounded soldier as being 170 cm (5 feet 5 inches) and 60 kg (132 pounds) with his stomach containing corn. It’s a staple grain that more North Koreans may be relying on in the wake of what the United Nations has called the worst drought since 2001. Imported corn, which is less preferred but cheaper to obtain than rice, has tended to increase in years when North Koreans are more worried about their seasonal harvests. Between January and September this year, China exported nearly 49,000 tonnes of corn to North Korea, compared to only 3,125 tonnes in all of 2016, according to data released by Beijing. Despite the drought and international sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, the cost of corn and rice has remained relatively stable, according to a Reuters analysis of market data collected by the defector-run Daily NK website. Since the 1990s, when government rations failed to prevent a famine hitting the country, North Koreans have gradually turned to markets and other private means to feed themselves. The World Food Programme says a quarter of North Korean children 6-59 months old, who attend nurseries that the organization assists, suffer from chronic malnutrition. On average North Koreans are less nourished than their southern neighbours. The WFP says around one in four children have grown less tall than their South Korean counterparts. A study from 2009 said pre-school children in the North were up to 13 cm (5 inches) shorter and up to 7 kg (15 pounds) lighter than those brought up in the South. “The main issue in DPRK is a monotonous diet – mainly rice/maize, kimchi and bean paste – lacking in essential fats and protein,” the WFP told Reuters in a statement last month.

Enormous parasitic worms found in North Korean defector

China dispatched a special envoy to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/satellite-images-indicate-aggressive-schedule-by-north-korea-to-build-ballistic-missile-submarine-institute-24433">North Korea&nbsp;</a>on Friday, a trip hailed as a &quot;big move&quot; by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-hits-out-at-democrat-accused-of-groping-24422">US President Donald Trump</a>, who has urged Beijing to pile pressure on its nuclear-armed ally.

Diplomat Song Tao was travelling to the North on behalf of President Xi Jinping to brief officials on the recent Chinese Communist Party congress and other &quot;issues of mutual interest&quot;, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

But analysts expect Song to address the nuclear standoff, which has roiled relations between the two Cold War-era allies as China has backed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-stays-defiant-in-face-of-fresh-un-sanctions-18664">United Nations sanctions on North Korea</a> over its missile tests and sixth nuclear blast.

Trump, who warned Xi during his trip to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/beijing-wont-show-any-restraint-in-future-6752">Beijing</a> last week that time was &quot;quickly running out&quot; to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;to hail the mission as &quot;a big move, we&#39;ll see what happens!&quot;.

The US leader wants China, which accounts for 90 percent of North Korea&#39;s foreign trade, to put more economic pressure on the reclusive regime.

But experts doubt Song&#39;s visit will yield major breakthroughs.

&quot;China has virtually no political influence on<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-us-reaffirm-need-for-peaceful-resolution-of-north-korea-problem-24417"> North Korea</a>. Its influence is derived from economic leverage,&quot; Bonnie Glaser, China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told AFP.

&quot;Relations are extremely stressed. Perhaps the lowest point since the Korean War,&quot; she said. &quot;Perhaps (the mission) will put a floor under China-North Korea relations, preventing further deterioration.&quot;

Ties at &#39;lowest point&#39;&nbsp;

China has imposed its own banking restrictions on North Koreans in addition to enacting a series of UN measures that include bans on imports of coal, iron ore and seafood from the North.

But Beijing fears that squeezing Pyongyang too hard would cause its collapse.

Song will be the first <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/chinese-envoy-denies-blocking-un-proposal-to-ban-masood-azhar-12689">Chinese envoy</a> to make an official trip to North Korea since October 2016, when vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin visited.

Geng gave scant details about the trip, saying he did not know if Song had arrived in Pyongyang, who he will meet or what topics he will discuss. South Korea&#39;s Yonhap news agency said it had spotted him at Beijing&#39;s airport earlier&nbsp;on Friday.

China&#39;s relations with North Korea are currently at &quot;the lowest point they&#39;ve been in history&quot;, leaving the North diplomatically at its most isolated, said Lu Chao, director of the North Korea Research Centre at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.&nbsp;

As a high-level diplomat, Song would likely meet directly with North Korea&#39;s top leaders, he said.

&quot;As far as North Korea is concerned, China&#39;s opinion is still an important one and will certainly arouse their full attention,&quot; Lu said.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;&#39;Freeze for freeze&#39;&nbsp;

As nuclear tensions have soared, Xi has pushed for negotiations and a &quot;dual track approach&quot; in which the United States would freeze its military drills in the region while North Korea halts its weapons programmes.

Trump claimed this week that Xi had agreed to drop his plan during their talks last week, but Beijing stood by its policy.

&quot;We believe that at the moment, this is the most realistic, feasible, fair and reasonable plan,&quot; Geng told a regular news briefing.

Yuan Jingdong, a specialist in Asia-Pacific security issues at the University of Sydney, expects little from Song&#39;s mission.

&quot;We can expect some face-saving, assuring but very general and abstract commitments with no substance changes in North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programmes,&quot; Yuan said.

The visit is &quot;more about warning North Korea against going to extremes than forcing it to give up the nukes&quot; because China&#39;s top priority remains maintaining regional stability, he said.

Song would likely &quot;assure Kim that if he behaves within a reasonable bound he can expect Beijing to continue providing some assistance and resist broadening the sanctions.&quot;

Trump, who warned Xi Jinping during his trip to Beijing last week that time was 'quickly running out' to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter?on Thursday?to hail the mission as 'a big move, we'll see what happens!'

China dispatched a special envoy to North Korea on Friday, a trip hailed as a "big move" by US President Donald Trump, who has urged Beijing to pile pressure on its nuclear-armed ally. Diplomat Song Tao was travelling to the North on behalf of President Xi Jinping to brief officials on the recent Chinese Communist Party congress and other "issues of mutual interest", foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. But analysts expect Song to address the nuclear standoff, which has roiled relations between the two Cold War-era allies as China has backed United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its missile tests and sixth nuclear blast. Trump, who warned Xi during his trip to Beijing last week that time was "quickly running out" to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter on Thursday to hail the mission as "a big move, we'll see what happens!". The US leader wants China, which accounts for 90 percent of North Korea's foreign trade, to put more economic pressure on the reclusive regime. But experts doubt Song's visit will yield major breakthroughs. "China has virtually no political influence on North Korea. Its influence is derived from economic leverage," Bonnie Glaser, China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told AFP. "Relations are extremely stressed. Perhaps the lowest point since the Korean War," she said. "Perhaps (the mission) will put a floor under China-North Korea relations, preventing further deterioration." Ties at 'lowest point' China has imposed its own banking restrictions on North Koreans in addition to enacting a series of UN measures that include bans on imports of coal, iron ore and seafood from the North. But Beijing fears that squeezing Pyongyang too hard would cause its collapse. Song will be the first Chinese envoy to make an official trip to North Korea since October 2016, when vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin visited. Geng gave scant details about the trip, saying he did not know if Song had arrived in Pyongyang, who he will meet or what topics he will discuss. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said it had spotted him at Beijing's airport earlier on Friday. China's relations with North Korea are currently at "the lowest point they've been in history", leaving the North diplomatically at its most isolated, said Lu Chao, director of the North Korea Research Centre at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences. As a high-level diplomat, Song would likely meet directly with North Korea's top leaders, he said. "As far as North Korea is concerned, China's opinion is still an important one and will certainly arouse their full attention," Lu said. 'Freeze for freeze' As nuclear tensions have soared, Xi has pushed for negotiations and a "dual track approach" in which the United States would freeze its military drills in the region while North Korea halts its weapons programmes. Trump claimed this week that Xi had agreed to drop his plan during their talks last week, but Beijing stood by its policy. "We believe that at the moment, this is the most realistic, feasible, fair and reasonable plan," Geng told a regular news briefing. Yuan Jingdong, a specialist in Asia-Pacific security issues at the University of Sydney, expects little from Song's mission. "We can expect some face-saving, assuring but very general and abstract commitments with no substance changes in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes," Yuan said. The visit is "more about warning North Korea against going to extremes than forcing it to give up the nukes" because China's top priority remains maintaining regional stability, he said. Song would likely "assure Kim that if he behaves within a reasonable bound he can expect Beijing to continue providing some assistance and resist broadening the sanctions."

China sends envoy to North Korea, Trump hails 'big move'

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dual-suspension-proposal-most-feasible-plan-on-north-korea-china-24400">North Korea</a> has petitioned the Russian parliament to help 3,500 migrant workers from the isolated Asian country stay in<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-targets-international-media-6747"> Russia </a>despite new UN&nbsp;sanctions, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing a Russian lawmaker.

Tougher sanctions on North Korea, imposed by the United Nations Security Council over Pyongyang&#39;s ballistic missile and nuclear programs on Sept. 11, banned countries from providing new work permits for North Korean nationals, but allowed existing workers to remain.

Most of the around 30,000-40,000 <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-defector-was-shot-six-times-by-border-troops-unc-24148">North Korean migrants</a> legally working in Russia were hired before the new sanctions entered into force and the ban will not affect them, Interfax said, quoting an earlier statement from Maxim Topilin, Russia&#39;s labour minister.

But the ban could apply to 3,500 workers who only signed their contracts in September, the month when the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-envoy-says-north-korean-leader-begging-for-war-as-un-mulls-sanctions-19865">UN&nbsp;Security Council</a>, including Russia, voted for the new sanctions, Interfax reported.

It cited Kazbek Taysayev, a lawmaker in the lower house of parliament and a member of a &quot;friendship group&quot; between the Russian and North Korean parliaments, as saying:

&quot;North Korea&#39;s embassy officially addressed us. We supported them and sent our petitions in order to let these people stay so that they can work.&quot;

Even if the workers signed their contracts after the ban took effect, they had started making arrangements and preparing the documents earlier and could be allowed to stay, said Taysayev.

The UN&nbsp;resolution said it did not apply to work permits &quot;for which written contracts have been finalized prior to the adoption of this resolution.&quot;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-us-reaffirm-need-for-peaceful-resolution-of-north-korea-problem-24417">North Korea&#39;s embassy</a> in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-16-dead-in-moscow-warehouse-fire-5655">Moscow</a> was not available for immediate comment.

?North Korea has petitioned the Russian parliament to help 3,500 migrant workers from the isolated Asian country stay in Russia despite new UN?sanctions

North Korea has petitioned the Russian parliament to help 3,500 migrant workers from the isolated Asian country stay in Russia despite new UN sanctions, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing a Russian lawmaker. Tougher sanctions on North Korea, imposed by the United Nations Security Council over Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear programs on Sept. 11, banned countries from providing new work permits for North Korean nationals, but allowed existing workers to remain. Most of the around 30,000-40,000 North Korean migrants legally working in Russia were hired before the new sanctions entered into force and the ban will not affect them, Interfax said, quoting an earlier statement from Maxim Topilin, Russia's labour minister. But the ban could apply to 3,500 workers who only signed their contracts in September, the month when the UN Security Council, including Russia, voted for the new sanctions, Interfax reported. It cited Kazbek Taysayev, a lawmaker in the lower house of parliament and a member of a "friendship group" between the Russian and North Korean parliaments, as saying: "North Korea's embassy officially addressed us. We supported them and sent our petitions in order to let these people stay so that they can work." Even if the workers signed their contracts after the ban took effect, they had started making arrangements and preparing the documents earlier and could be allowed to stay, said Taysayev. The UN resolution said it did not apply to work permits "for which written contracts have been finalized prior to the adoption of this resolution." North Korea's embassy in Moscow was not available for immediate comment.

North Korea petitions Russia to let workers stay despite UN sanctions: Report

Satellite images taken this month of a North Korean naval shipyard indicate Pyongyang is pursuing an &ldquo;aggressive schedule&rdquo; to build its first operational ballistic missile submarine, a US&nbsp;institute reported on Thursday.

Washington-based 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project, cited images taken on November 5th showing activity at North Korea&rsquo;s Sinpo South Shipyard.

&ldquo;The presence of what appear to be sections of a submarine&rsquo;s pressure hull in the yards suggests construction of a new submarine, possibly the SINPO-C ballistic missile submarine - the follow-on to the current SINPO-class experimental ballistic missile submarine,&rdquo; 38 North said in a report.

The report said that throughout 2017 there had been a continued movement of parts and components into and out of two parts yards adjacent to the constructions halls in the center of the shipyard.

It said the November 5th images showed two large circular objects that could be sections of a submarine&rsquo;s pressure hull. It said these appeared larger than those for North Korea&rsquo;s ROMEO-class attack submarine.

Images of a test stand indicated continued testing of a mechanism for ejection launch of missiles from a submarine. However, the report said no activity could be seen suggesting preparations for a new test of a submarine-launched missile.

North Korea has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States, sparking a major international crisis in which US&nbsp;President Donald Trump has said that all options are under consideration, including military ones.

North Korea is also thought to be working on a solid-fuel missile for submarine launches.

Last month, The Diplomat magazine quoted a US&nbsp;government source as saying US&nbsp;military intelligence had detected a new diesel-electric submarine under construction at Sinpo and dubbed it the Sinpo-C. It said the submarine was likely a larger successor to North Korea&rsquo;s single experimental ballistic missile submarine.

North Korea has conducted dozens of missile tests this year and its largest and biggest nuclear test on Sept. 3. The past two months have seen a relative lull and it has not tested a missile since firing one over Japan on September 15.

Another article in The Diplomat last month quoted a US&nbsp;government source as saying that North Korea had tested a new solid fuel engine sometime between Oct. 15 and Oct. 21. US&nbsp;intelligence officials have declined to comment on this.

Washington-based 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project, cited images taken on November 5th showing activity at North Korea?s Sinpo South Shipyard

Satellite images taken this month of a North Korean naval shipyard indicate Pyongyang is pursuing an “aggressive schedule” to build its first operational ballistic missile submarine, a US institute reported on Thursday. Washington-based 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project, cited images taken on November 5th showing activity at North Korea’s Sinpo South Shipyard. “The presence of what appear to be sections of a submarine’s pressure hull in the yards suggests construction of a new submarine, possibly the SINPO-C ballistic missile submarine - the follow-on to the current SINPO-class experimental ballistic missile submarine,” 38 North said in a report. The report said that throughout 2017 there had been a continued movement of parts and components into and out of two parts yards adjacent to the constructions halls in the center of the shipyard. It said the November 5th images showed two large circular objects that could be sections of a submarine’s pressure hull. It said these appeared larger than those for North Korea’s ROMEO-class attack submarine. Images of a test stand indicated continued testing of a mechanism for ejection launch of missiles from a submarine. However, the report said no activity could be seen suggesting preparations for a new test of a submarine-launched missile. North Korea has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States, sparking a major international crisis in which US President Donald Trump has said that all options are under consideration, including military ones. North Korea is also thought to be working on a solid-fuel missile for submarine launches. Last month, The Diplomat magazine quoted a US government source as saying US military intelligence had detected a new diesel-electric submarine under construction at Sinpo and dubbed it the Sinpo-C. It said the submarine was likely a larger successor to North Korea’s single experimental ballistic missile submarine. North Korea has conducted dozens of missile tests this year and its largest and biggest nuclear test on Sept. 3. The past two months have seen a relative lull and it has not tested a missile since firing one over Japan on September 15. Another article in The Diplomat last month quoted a US government source as saying that North Korea had tested a new solid fuel engine sometime between Oct. 15 and Oct. 21. US intelligence officials have declined to comment on this.

Satellite images indicate 'aggressive schedule' by North Korea on missile submarine: US Institute

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-south-korea-vow-strong-measures-to-prevent-norths-nuclear-test-14389">The nuclear envoys of South Korea</a> and<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pm-modi-trump-to-hold-bilateral-talks-in-manila-24052"> the United States held bilateral talks</a> on Friday and addressed measures to resolve <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/why-north-koreas-nuclear-threat-must-be-taken-more-seriously-than-ever-22933">the North Korean nuclear issue</a> peacefully and diplomatically, the South&#39;s foreign ministry said.

South Korea&#39;s Lee Do-hoon and his US&nbsp;counterpart, Joseph Yun, held &quot;deep discussions&quot; aimed at finding a way to bring <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dual-suspension-proposal-most-feasible-plan-on-north-korea-china-24400">North Korea</a> to &quot;meaningful talks&quot;, the foreign ministry said in a statement without providing further details.

The two agreed to hold more talks on the issue, the ministry said.

South Korea's Lee Do-hoon and his US?counterpart, Joseph Yun, held "deep discussions" aimed at finding a way to bring North Korea to "meaningful talks", the foreign ministry said in a statement without providing further details

The nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held bilateral talks on Friday and addressed measures to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully and diplomatically, the South's foreign ministry said. South Korea's Lee Do-hoon and his US counterpart, Joseph Yun, held "deep discussions" aimed at finding a way to bring North Korea to "meaningful talks", the foreign ministry said in a statement without providing further details. The two agreed to hold more talks on the issue, the ministry said.

North Korea crisis: South Korea, US reaffirm need for peaceful resolution

China said on Thursday it backed<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-aircraft-carriers-japanese-navy-conduct-joint-drill-amid-north-korea-tensions-24332"> &quot;dual suspension&quot; plan on&nbsp;North Korea as the best </a>solution to handle the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Under the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-aircraft-carriers-japanese-navy-conduct-joint-drill-amid-north-korea-tensions-24332">&quot;dual suspension&quot; plan the US and South Korea</a> would stop military exercise close to North Korea in exchange Kim&#39;s regime would halt its nuclear weapons programme, both China and Russia back the move.

&quot;We believe that the &#39;dual suspension&#39; proposal is the most feasible, fair and sensible plan in the present situation,&quot; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.&nbsp;

&quot;Not only can it relieve the present tense situation, it can also resolve all parties most pressing security concerns, and provide an opportunity and create conditions to resume talks, and find a breakthrough point to get out of trouble,&quot; Shuang added.

US President Trump had rejected the &nbsp;&quot;freeze for freeze&quot; agreement which is similar to the dual suspension plan during his meeting President Xi when the two leaders had met recently.

&quot;We hope that all sides can conscientiously treat and proactively consider China&#39;s proposal, and at the same time we welcome relevant parties to put forward proposals that can benefit the promotion of a peaceful resolution for the peninsula nuclear issue,&quot; Chinese foreign ministry spokesman felt.

The US too is watching the situation closely, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: &quot;Both sides made their positions clear. They are different, but we agreed that there are going to be different positions and therefore it&#39;s not going to move forward.&quot;

Even as the two sides talk on diffusing the North Korean crisis, US aircraft carriers, South Korean destroyers recently concluded their naval exercise on the Korean peninsula.

USS Nimitz, the Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt had carried out the operation off the east coast of South Korea on Sunday

On Thursday, Japan and the US began their naval drill in southern Japan to increase the defensive readiness and interoperability of Japanese and American forces through training in air and sea operations building pressure on North Korea not to act in haste over its missile programme.

Under the "dual suspension" plan the US and South Korea would stop military exercise close to North Korea

China said on Thursday it backed "dual suspension" plan on North Korea as the best solution to handle the crisis on the Korean peninsula. Under the "dual suspension" plan the US and South Korea would stop military exercise close to North Korea in exchange Kim's regime would halt its nuclear weapons programme, both China and Russia back the move. "We believe that the 'dual suspension' proposal is the most feasible, fair and sensible plan in the present situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. "Not only can it relieve the present tense situation, it can also resolve all parties most pressing security concerns, and provide an opportunity and create conditions to resume talks, and find a breakthrough point to get out of trouble," Shuang added. US President Trump had rejected the "freeze for freeze" agreement which is similar to the dual suspension plan during his meeting President Xi when the two leaders had met recently. "We hope that all sides can conscientiously treat and proactively consider China's proposal, and at the same time we welcome relevant parties to put forward proposals that can benefit the promotion of a peaceful resolution for the peninsula nuclear issue," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman felt. The US too is watching the situation closely, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: "Both sides made their positions clear. They are different, but we agreed that there are going to be different positions and therefore it's not going to move forward." Even as the two sides talk on diffusing the North Korean crisis, US aircraft carriers, South Korean destroyers recently concluded their naval exercise on the Korean peninsula. USS Nimitz, the Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt had carried out the operation off the east coast of South Korea on Sunday On Thursday, Japan and the US began their naval drill in southern Japan to increase the defensive readiness and interoperability of Japanese and American forces through training in air and sea operations building pressure on North Korea not to act in haste over its missile programme.

'Dual suspension' proposal most feasible plan on North Korea: China

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-opens-new-high-tech-airport-terminal-23222">Singapore</a> has suspended trade relations with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-aircraft-carriers-japanese-navy-conduct-joint-drill-amid-north-korea-tensions-24332">North Korea</a>, the latest of Pyongyang&#39;s major trade partners to cut commercial ties under toughening UN&nbsp;sanctions over its weapons programme, a customs notice obtained on Thursday showed.

The move comes about two months after the United States imposed North Korea-related sanctions on a number of firms and individuals, including two entities based in Singapore.

&quot;Singapore will prohibit all commercially traded goods from, or to, <a href="http://mediaexpress.reuters.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2017%3Anewsml_KBN1DG0P5%3A1">the Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea</a> (DPRK),&quot; the city-state&#39;s customs said in the notice sent to traders and declaring agents last Tuesday, referring to the country by its official name.

The suspension would take effect from November&nbsp;8, Fauziah A. Sani, head of trade strategy and security for the director-general of customs, said in the notice.

Repeated breach of the new prohibitions is punishable by a fine of up to $200,000 ($147,340.50) or four times the value of the goods traded, imprisonment of up to three years, or both, it added.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-passport-is-worlds-most-powerful-22873">Singapore</a> is North Korea&#39;s seventh largest trading partner. The Philippines, Pyongyang&#39;s fifth biggest trading partner, suspended trade with North Korea in September to comply with a UN&nbsp;resolution.

Tension on the Korean peninsula has escalated as North Korea&#39;s young leader, Kim Jong Un, has stepped up the development of weapons in defiance of UN&nbsp;sanctions.

North Korea has tested a series of missiles this year, including one that flew over Japan, and conducted its sixth and biggest <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-nuclear-program-hj-bhabhas-dream-remains-unfulfilled-23120">nuclear test</a> in September.

Pyongyang maintains a diplomatic presence in Singapore, with an embassy in its financial district.

In September, Singapore issued a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to North Korea, where it does not have diplomatic representation.

In an interview with National Public Radio in May, Singapore&#39;s minister of foreign affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, had said the country was not ready to cut all diplomatic ties with North Korea.

In January last year, Singapore-based Chinpo Shipping Company (Private) Ltd was fined S$180,000 for facilitating a shipment of arms to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-defector-in-serious-condition-from-gunshot-wounds-24312">North Korea</a> in violation of UN&nbsp;sanctions.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Singapore has suspended trade relations with North Korea, the latest of Pyongyang's major trade partners to cut commercial ties under toughening U.N. sanctions over its weapons programme, a customs notice obtained on Thursday showed

Singapore has suspended trade relations with North Korea, the latest of Pyongyang's major trade partners to cut commercial ties under toughening UN sanctions over its weapons programme, a customs notice obtained on Thursday showed. The move comes about two months after the United States imposed North Korea-related sanctions on a number of firms and individuals, including two entities based in Singapore. "Singapore will prohibit all commercially traded goods from, or to, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," the city-state's customs said in the notice sent to traders and declaring agents last Tuesday, referring to the country by its official name. The suspension would take effect from November 8, Fauziah A. Sani, head of trade strategy and security for the director-general of customs, said in the notice. Repeated breach of the new prohibitions is punishable by a fine of up to $200,000 ($147,340.50) or four times the value of the goods traded, imprisonment of up to three years, or both, it added. Singapore is North Korea's seventh largest trading partner. The Philippines, Pyongyang's fifth biggest trading partner, suspended trade with North Korea in September to comply with a UN resolution. Tension on the Korean peninsula has escalated as North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, has stepped up the development of weapons in defiance of UN sanctions. North Korea has tested a series of missiles this year, including one that flew over Japan, and conducted its sixth and biggest nuclear test in September. Pyongyang maintains a diplomatic presence in Singapore, with an embassy in its financial district. In September, Singapore issued a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to North Korea, where it does not have diplomatic representation. In an interview with National Public Radio in May, Singapore's minister of foreign affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, had said the country was not ready to cut all diplomatic ties with North Korea. In January last year, Singapore-based Chinpo Shipping Company (Private) Ltd was fined S$180,000 for facilitating a shipment of arms to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions.

Singapore suspends trade relations with North Korea

A North Korean soldier shot multiple times while fleeing to the South in a rare and dramatic defection has had a second round of surgery but remains in a serious condition, his doctor said Wednesday.

The soldier suffered at least six gunshot wounds Monday as he dashed across the border at the Panmunjom truce village amid relentless firing by North Korean guards.

Lee Cook-Jong, a doctor treating the soldier, told reporters he was suffering a &quot;prolonged state of shock from heavy bleeding&quot; and although the surgery had gone well, he would likely have to undergo further operations.He is currently on life support, Lee added.&nbsp;

The soldier was found&nbsp;collapsed and bleeding in a pile of fallen leaves on the South Korean side of the border and was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment.

It is very rare for the North&#39;s troops to defect at Panmunjom, a major tourist attraction and the only part of the border where forces from the two sides come face-to-face.

Unlike the rest of the frontier, the village is not fortified with minefields and barbed wire, with the demarcation line marked only by a low concrete divider.

Dozens of North Korean soldiers have fled to the South through the DMZ over the decades since the peninsula was divided, including two soldiers who crossed the frontier in June.

More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have also fled their homeland since the two nations came into being in 1948, but it is rare for them to cross the closely guarded border.

A North Korean soldier shot multiple times while fleeing to the South in a rare and dramatic defection has had a second round of surgery but remains in a serious condition, his doctor said Wednesday

A North Korean soldier shot multiple times while fleeing to the South in a rare and dramatic defection has had a second round of surgery but remains in a serious condition, his doctor said Wednesday. The soldier suffered at least six gunshot wounds Monday as he dashed across the border at the Panmunjom truce village amid relentless firing by North Korean guards. Lee Cook-Jong, a doctor treating the soldier, told reporters he was suffering a "prolonged state of shock from heavy bleeding" and although the surgery had gone well, he would likely have to undergo further operations.He is currently on life support, Lee added. The soldier was found collapsed and bleeding in a pile of fallen leaves on the South Korean side of the border and was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment. It is very rare for the North's troops to defect at Panmunjom, a major tourist attraction and the only part of the border where forces from the two sides come face-to-face. Unlike the rest of the frontier, the village is not fortified with minefields and barbed wire, with the demarcation line marked only by a low concrete divider. Dozens of North Korean soldiers have fled to the South through the DMZ over the decades since the peninsula was divided, including two soldiers who crossed the frontier in June. More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have also fled their homeland since the two nations came into being in 1948, but it is rare for them to cross the closely guarded border.

North Korea defector in serious condition from gunshot wounds

The use of nuclear capability as insurance for its defence was cited as the main reason by every country, which added nuclear weapons to its armoury, ever since it was invented. It spiralled into a competition, which came under some control after the realisation of its devastation in Japan, and potentials of mutually assured destruction (MAD).

When Israel went nuclear, it developed a survival capability to dissuade all hostile neighbouring Arab countries. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) required checking proliferation of nuclear weapon technology was selectively leaked by some irresponsible countries, leading to a situation where humanity suffers from a threat of nuclear blackmailing by states, as well as militants if tactical nukes accidentally fall into their hand. Interestingly, both countries accused of nuclear blackmailing happen to be Frontline states of China.

North Korea

When President Trump started his visit to Asia, after a series of provocative statements by the US and North Korea, it was being speculated that some concrete action plan will emerge in his handling of North Korea. During this marathon visit, as President Trump came closer to reality, it is quite clear now that it will end with no worthwhile option on the table, except the efforts to outsource the problem to China again, (which is also part of the problem) despite being disappointed earlier, with reasonable suspicion that it will not work.

North Korea has its own point of view for all its missiles/nuclear tests/ misadventures so far, which revolves around its own security concerns and survival of regime of Kim. It justifies it as a defensive measure against the backdrop of US threat of past regime changes efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other countries not following its dictate, as they happened to be Non-nuclear/incapable of threatening some part/colony of US.

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<h5>North Korea has been able to create a capability which dissuades the strongest military power US (having all instruments of military deterrence) to take any military action.</h5>
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The threat from US regional allies has also been given as an excuse. The Korean War is also an unforgettable historical event when the US might be used against them. The blackmailing part is that their leadership is ready to endanger lives of its own people, by continuing with nuclear tests, despite mountain collapsing, to save the current autocratic regime, using &lsquo;Hate America&rsquo; theme as the rallying point.

By doing so they expect that the world should behave on their terms to save lives of people of other countries, despite the risk of suicidal destruction of their own country, like in case of fidayeen attacks. Sanctions had little effect to the extent that North Korea is now signalling to be ready to talk to the US, but without preconditions.

The reality, therefore, is that by getting the missile and nuclear technology from some country/countries who would have obviously violated NPT, North Korea has been able to create a capability which dissuades the strongest military power US (having all instruments of military deterrence) to take any military action.&nbsp;It is also using its nuclear capability claims, to threaten Japan and South Korea and blackmail the US to talk without preconditions.

Pakistan

Pakistan has also been using this Nuclear Blackmailing/Dissuasion Theory against India for quite some time. It acquired nuclear and missile capability from some country/countries, which must have violated NPT at that time, and the world community ignored it. Today, Pakistan is hosting and training a maximum number of terrorist organisations in the world. It blatantly launches the proxy war against India through militants and has been able to dissuade India to use its conventional capability to prevent it, by nuclear blackmail/ threat to use nukes.

It has thus been able to prevent full use of hard power by India, against the inhuman use of proxy war by militants on innocent people; hence this theory seems to be working.

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<h5>The danger of this technology passing into the hand of terrorists to share the technology and steal some fissile material, sufficient for mini nuke/ dirty bomb is not impossible in future.</h5>
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It is surprising that the whole world rightly criticises North Korea, but not many are talking of Pakistani tactical nukes, despite the fact that the risk of tactical nuclear/dirty bomb sneaking to militants is much more from Pakistan. The stage is slowly setting in Pakistan, for the next level of terrorism with tactical nukes/dirty bombs.

The danger of this technology passing into the hand of terrorists by coercion of scientists/security personals/handlers, to share the technology and steal some fissile material, sufficient for mini nuke/ dirty bomb is not impossible in future.

The Nuclear Security Summit held in the US on 02 Apr 2016, exhibited grave concern of global powers, about the danger of mini-nukes falling in hands of terrorist organisations. A possibility of Pakistan covertly passing the tactical nuclear technology/ dirty bomb to terrorists to explode it in India, as part of a proxy war, and later deny it, is an option which cannot be ruled out, as its overt use by their Army may be difficult to be justified to the world community.

Implications

Despite best efforts a worthwhile solution to control unilateral missile and nuclear tests by North Korea has been found by World community, as the sanctions alone are unlikely to yield results, may be due to selective leakages.

A status quo in this regard will render world helpless, and it will become a new normal. Surprisingly, when newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister is talking of use of tactical nuclear weapons against India, not much criticism appeared on world media (perhaps many countries still feel that it is a local affair). Let me enumerate some of the implications of silent acceptance by the global community of this &lsquo;Nuclear Blackmailing Theory&rsquo;.

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<h5>There is a need to collectively have some global mechanism in place to prevent miniaturisation of nukes/tactical nukes/dirty bombs over and above the existing UN conventions.</h5>
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Iran may be encouraged to go nuclear looking at the fate of Iraq, and over arming of Saudi Arabia.

Japan may go in for creating its own military capabilities and later go nuclear.

South Korea may ask for tactical nukes from the US to protect itself from North Korea if China and Russia are not able to push North Korea to negations table.

Vietnam may also get an idea to request for nuclear technology.

India may have to speed up enlarging stockpile of existing nukes, not to suffer disadvantage on the deterrence capability, despite being well placed to respond to any tactical nukes threat of Pakistan. There is a need to collectively have some global mechanism in place to prevent miniaturisation of nukes/tactical nukes/dirty bombs over and above the existing UN conventions.

There is a need to implement some mechanism towards safety and security of nukes and accountability of fissile material. While a large number of analysts may be convinced that North Korea is the biggest challenge in terms of nuclear blackmailing, but in my opinion, the bigger global challenge is yet to come in the form of tactical nukes/dirty bombs/biological and chemical weapons being acquired by terrorists.

No country should assume that it&rsquo;s safe forever from blackmailing by terrorists having acquired such capability, even if it appears fiction today.

No doubt North Korea is the challenge in terms of nuclear blackmailing but the bigger global challenge is yet to come in the form of nuclear weapons possessed by terrorists.

The use of nuclear capability as insurance for its defence was cited as the main reason by every country, which added nuclear weapons to its armoury, ever since it was invented. It spiralled into a competition, which came under some control after the realisation of its devastation in Japan, and potentials of mutually assured destruction (MAD). When Israel went nuclear, it developed a survival capability to dissuade all hostile neighbouring Arab countries. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) required checking proliferation of nuclear weapon technology was selectively leaked by some irresponsible countries, leading to a situation where humanity suffers from a threat of nuclear blackmailing by states, as well as militants if tactical nukes accidentally fall into their hand. Interestingly, both countries accused of nuclear blackmailing happen to be Frontline states of China. North Korea When President Trump started his visit to Asia, after a series of provocative statements by the US and North Korea, it was being speculated that some concrete action plan will emerge in his handling of North Korea. During this marathon visit, as President Trump came closer to reality, it is quite clear now that it will end with no worthwhile option on the table, except the efforts to outsource the problem to China again, (which is also part of the problem) despite being disappointed earlier, with reasonable suspicion that it will not work. North Korea has its own point of view for all its missiles/nuclear tests/ misadventures so far, which revolves around its own security concerns and survival of regime of Kim. It justifies it as a defensive measure against the backdrop of US threat of past regime changes efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other countries not following its dictate, as they happened to be Non-nuclear/incapable of threatening some part/colony of US. North Korea has been able to create a capability which dissuades the strongest military power US (having all instruments of military deterrence) to take any military action. × The threat from US regional allies has also been given as an excuse. The Korean War is also an unforgettable historical event when the US might be used against them. The blackmailing part is that their leadership is ready to endanger lives of its own people, by continuing with nuclear tests, despite mountain collapsing, to save the current autocratic regime, using ‘Hate America’ theme as the rallying point. By doing so they expect that the world should behave on their terms to save lives of people of other countries, despite the risk of suicidal destruction of their own country, like in case of fidayeen attacks. Sanctions had little effect to the extent that North Korea is now signalling to be ready to talk to the US, but without preconditions. The reality, therefore, is that by getting the missile and nuclear technology from some country/countries who would have obviously violated NPT, North Korea has been able to create a capability which dissuades the strongest military power US (having all instruments of military deterrence) to take any military action. It is also using its nuclear capability claims, to threaten Japan and South Korea and blackmail the US to talk without preconditions. Pakistan Pakistan has also been using this Nuclear Blackmailing/Dissuasion Theory against India for quite some time. It acquired nuclear and missile capability from some country/countries, which must have violated NPT at that time, and the world community ignored it. Today, Pakistan is hosting and training a maximum number of terrorist organisations in the world. It blatantly launches the proxy war against India through militants and has been able to dissuade India to use its conventional capability to prevent it, by nuclear blackmail/ threat to use nukes. It has thus been able to prevent full use of hard power by India, against the inhuman use of proxy war by militants on innocent people; hence this theory seems to be working. The danger of this technology passing into the hand of terrorists to share the technology and steal some fissile material, sufficient for mini nuke/ dirty bomb is not impossible in future. × It is surprising that the whole world rightly criticises North Korea, but not many are talking of Pakistani tactical nukes, despite the fact that the risk of tactical nuclear/dirty bomb sneaking to militants is much more from Pakistan. The stage is slowly setting in Pakistan, for the next level of terrorism with tactical nukes/dirty bombs. The danger of this technology passing into the hand of terrorists by coercion of scientists/security personals/handlers, to share the technology and steal some fissile material, sufficient for mini nuke/ dirty bomb is not impossible in future. The Nuclear Security Summit held in the US on 02 Apr 2016, exhibited grave concern of global powers, about the danger of mini-nukes falling in hands of terrorist organisations. A possibility of Pakistan covertly passing the tactical nuclear technology/ dirty bomb to terrorists to explode it in India, as part of a proxy war, and later deny it, is an option which cannot be ruled out, as its overt use by their Army may be difficult to be justified to the world community. Implications Despite best efforts a worthwhile solution to control unilateral missile and nuclear tests by North Korea has been found by World community, as the sanctions alone are unlikely to yield results, may be due to selective leakages. A status quo in this regard will render world helpless, and it will become a new normal. Surprisingly, when newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister is talking of use of tactical nuclear weapons against India, not much criticism appeared on world media (perhaps many countries still feel that it is a local affair). Let me enumerate some of the implications of silent acceptance by the global community of this ‘Nuclear Blackmailing Theory’. There is a need to collectively have some global mechanism in place to prevent miniaturisation of nukes/tactical nukes/dirty bombs over and above the existing UN conventions. × Iran may be encouraged to go nuclear looking at the fate of Iraq, and over arming of Saudi Arabia. Japan may go in for creating its own military capabilities and later go nuclear. South Korea may ask for tactical nukes from the US to protect itself from North Korea if China and Russia are not able to push North Korea to negations table. Vietnam may also get an idea to request for nuclear technology. India may have to speed up enlarging stockpile of existing nukes, not to suffer disadvantage on the deterrence capability, despite being well placed to respond to any tactical nukes threat of Pakistan. There is a need to collectively have some global mechanism in place to prevent miniaturisation of nukes/tactical nukes/dirty bombs over and above the existing UN conventions. There is a need to implement some mechanism towards safety and security of nukes and accountability of fissile material. While a large number of analysts may be convinced that North Korea is the biggest challenge in terms of nuclear blackmailing, but in my opinion, the bigger global challenge is yet to come in the form of tactical nukes/dirty bombs/biological and chemical weapons being acquired by terrorists. No country should assume that it’s safe forever from blackmailing by terrorists having acquired such capability, even if it appears fiction today.

Is nuclear blackmailing going to be a new normal?

A UN agency said today the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-soldier-shot-and-wounded-24099">North Korean soldier who crossed over to South Korea </a>on Monday was &quot;shot six times by North Korean border troops&quot; as he made his way across the heavily guarded border separating the two countries.

United Nations Command(UNC) said the soldier had driven close to the heavily-guarded, military demarcation line in a vehicle.

The man who is&nbsp;reportedly a low ranking soldier, was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was picked up bleeding on the south side of the border known as the Joint Security Area (JSA).

&quot;He then exited the vehicle and continued fleeing south across the line as he was fired upon by other soldiers from North Korea,&quot; UNC said in a statement.

A JCS official quoted by Yonhap news agency said the South&#39;s soldiers heard a gunshot and then retrieved the unarmed soldier in the mid-afternoon.

&quot;He has at least six gunshot wounds on his body and the penetrating wound in the abdomen is the most serious&quot;, the doctor, Lee Cook-Jong, told reporters, AFP said.

No tourists were in the Joint Security Area at the time and there was no exchange of gunfire between the two sides.

United Nations Command said soldier had driven close to the heavily-guarded, military demarcation line in a vehicle.

A UN agency said today the North Korean soldier who crossed over to South Korea on Monday was "shot six times by North Korean border troops" as he made his way across the heavily guarded border separating the two countries. United Nations Command(UNC) said the soldier had driven close to the heavily-guarded, military demarcation line in a vehicle. The man who is reportedly a low ranking soldier, was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was picked up bleeding on the south side of the border known as the Joint Security Area (JSA). "He then exited the vehicle and continued fleeing south across the line as he was fired upon by other soldiers from North Korea," UNC said in a statement. A JCS official quoted by Yonhap news agency said the South's soldiers heard a gunshot and then retrieved the unarmed soldier in the mid-afternoon. "He has at least six gunshot wounds on his body and the penetrating wound in the abdomen is the most serious", the doctor, Lee Cook-Jong, told reporters, AFP said. No tourists were in the Joint Security Area at the time and there was no exchange of gunfire between the two sides.

North Korean defector was shot six times by border troops: UNC

In a first, three US aircraft carriers carried out <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-south-korea-continue-joint-naval-drills-amid-pyongyang-threats-15088">joint exercise off the east coast of South Korea on Sunday</a> even as &nbsp;President Donald Trump reached Manila for the ASEAN summit.

US warships USS Nimitz, the Ronald Reagan, <a href="http://the Theodore Roosevelt including South Korean">the Theodore Roosevelt including South Korean </a>naval vessels were involved in the exercise amid tensions in North Korea.

The South Korea conducted the exercise with seven vessels including three destroyers.

This is the first time all three US aircraft carriers are taking part at the same time in a military exercise in over a decade.

&quot;The exercise is aimed at enhancing deterrence against North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile threats and showing off preparedness to fend off any provocative acts by the North,&quot; a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said.

South Korean military said it was keeping a close watch on North Korea&#39;s military activities while &quot;maintaining military readiness for any possible provocations by North North Korea.&quot;

During talks with President Xi in Beijing last Thursday, Trump had urged the Chinese leader to do more to rein in the Pyongyang regime, warning that &quot;time is quickly running out&quot;.

North Korea hit back saying Trump&#39;s current trip was &quot;nothing more than a war-dealer&#39;s business of taking money from its allies&#39; pockets&quot;, quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry.

This is the first time all three US aircraft carriers are taking part at the same time in a military exercise in over a decade.

In a first, three US aircraft carriers carried out joint exercise off the east coast of South Korea on Sunday even as President Donald Trump reached Manila for the ASEAN summit. US warships USS Nimitz, the Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt including South Korean naval vessels were involved in the exercise amid tensions in North Korea. The South Korea conducted the exercise with seven vessels including three destroyers. This is the first time all three US aircraft carriers are taking part at the same time in a military exercise in over a decade. "The exercise is aimed at enhancing deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and showing off preparedness to fend off any provocative acts by the North," a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said. South Korean military said it was keeping a close watch on North Korea's military activities while "maintaining military readiness for any possible provocations by North North Korea." During talks with President Xi in Beijing last Thursday, Trump had urged the Chinese leader to do more to rein in the Pyongyang regime, warning that "time is quickly running out". North Korea hit back saying Trump's current trip was "nothing more than a war-dealer's business of taking money from its allies' pockets", quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry.

US aircraft carriers, South Korean destroyers conduct joint naval excercise

A North Korean soldier was shot and injured by his own side Monday while defecting to South Korea at the border truce village of Panmunjom, the South&#39;s military said.

The soldier, thought to be low ranking, was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was picked up bleeding on the South side of a portion of the border known as the Joint Security Area (JSA).

It is rare for the North&#39;s troops to defect at the truce village, a major tourist attraction bisected by the borderline and the only part of the frontier where forces from the two sides come face-to-face.

&quot;Our military has taken in a North Korean soldier after he crossed from a North Korea post towards our Freedom House,&quot; Seoul&#39;s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, referring to a building on the South side of the village.&nbsp;

A JCS official quoted by Yonhap news agency said the South&#39;s soldiers heard a gunshot and then retrieved the unarmed soldier in the mid-afternoon.

He was evacuated to a private hospital by a UN helicopter, the official added, saying the solider had regained consciousness but declining to comment on whether his injuries were life-threatening.

No personal details have been released but the soldier&#39;s uniform suggested he was low-ranking, Yonhap said.

No tourists were in the Joint Security Area at the time because tours do not run on Mondays, a spokesman for United States Forces Korea, which approves the visits, said.

There was no exchange of gunfire between the two sides, but the South&#39;s military said it has raised its level of alertness against any North Korean provocations.

Also on Monday, South Korean police arrested an American for entering a restricted zone -- in a separate border area -- with the apparent intention of crossing to the North, Yonhap reported.

The man, identified only as a 58-year-old from Louisiana, had arrived in South Korea last week and wanted to enter the North for &quot;political purposes&quot;, but was reported by a local villager, Yonhap said.&nbsp;

He is currently under questioning by the South&#39;s police, army and spy agency.

- Tense relations - 
Relations on the peninsula have been tense for months as the North has stepped up its missile tests. In September, it carried out its sixth and largest nuclear test -- of what it described as &quot;a hydrogen bomb&quot;.

Military officials from the North and South have used Panmunjom frequently in the past for talks. Unlike the rest of the frontier, Panmunjom is not fortified with minefields and barbed wire and the border is marked only by a low concrete divider.

Dozens of North Korean soldiers have fled to the South through the DMZ over the decades since the peninsula was divided, including two soldiers who crossed the frontier in June.

More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have also fled their homeland since the two nations came into being in 1948, but it is rare for civilians to cross the closely guarded border.

Most flee across the North&#39;s porous frontier with China and then move on to a third country to seek passage to South Korea.&nbsp;

The soldier, thought to be low ranking, was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was picked up bleeding on the South side of a portion of the border known as the Joint Security Area

A North Korean soldier was shot and injured by his own side Monday while defecting to South Korea at the border truce village of Panmunjom, the South's military said. The soldier, thought to be low ranking, was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was picked up bleeding on the South side of a portion of the border known as the Joint Security Area (JSA). It is rare for the North's troops to defect at the truce village, a major tourist attraction bisected by the borderline and the only part of the frontier where forces from the two sides come face-to-face. "Our military has taken in a North Korean soldier after he crossed from a North Korea post towards our Freedom House," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, referring to a building on the South side of the village. A JCS official quoted by Yonhap news agency said the South's soldiers heard a gunshot and then retrieved the unarmed soldier in the mid-afternoon. He was evacuated to a private hospital by a UN helicopter, the official added, saying the solider had regained consciousness but declining to comment on whether his injuries were life-threatening. No personal details have been released but the soldier's uniform suggested he was low-ranking, Yonhap said. No tourists were in the Joint Security Area at the time because tours do not run on Mondays, a spokesman for United States Forces Korea, which approves the visits, said. There was no exchange of gunfire between the two sides, but the South's military said it has raised its level of alertness against any North Korean provocations. Also on Monday, South Korean police arrested an American for entering a restricted zone -- in a separate border area -- with the apparent intention of crossing to the North, Yonhap reported. The man, identified only as a 58-year-old from Louisiana, had arrived in South Korea last week and wanted to enter the North for "political purposes", but was reported by a local villager, Yonhap said. He is currently under questioning by the South's police, army and spy agency. - Tense relations - Relations on the peninsula have been tense for months as the North has stepped up its missile tests. In September, it carried out its sixth and largest nuclear test -- of what it described as "a hydrogen bomb". Military officials from the North and South have used Panmunjom frequently in the past for talks. Unlike the rest of the frontier, Panmunjom is not fortified with minefields and barbed wire and the border is marked only by a low concrete divider. Dozens of North Korean soldiers have fled to the South through the DMZ over the decades since the peninsula was divided, including two soldiers who crossed the frontier in June. More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have also fled their homeland since the two nations came into being in 1948, but it is rare for civilians to cross the closely guarded border. Most flee across the North's porous frontier with China and then move on to a third country to seek passage to South Korea.

North Korean soldier shot while defecting to South

US President Donald Trump took his verbal jousting with Kim Jong-Un to a new level Sunday, taunting the North Korean leader over his height and weight before musing over the idea of them eventually becoming friends.

While they have never met, Trump and Kim have form when it comes to name-calling, with the US president a more than willing match for the highly rhetorical flourishes deployed by his adversary in Pyongyang.

Trump has referred to Kim as a &quot;madman&quot; and &quot;Rocket Man&quot; while the 33-year-old responded by calling the 71-year-old former reality TV star a &quot;mentally deranged dotard&quot;.

On Sunday Trump got down to basics, with a sarcastic tweet prompted by recent descriptions of him in the North&#39;s state media as a &quot;lunatic old man&quot;.

&quot;Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me &#39;old,&#39; when I would NEVER call him &#39;short and fat&#39;?&quot; the president tweeted from Hanoi -- the latest leg of a lengthy Asia tour that had, until then, appeared to have moderated his Twitter habit.

&quot;Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!&quot; he wrote.

&nbsp;

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Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me &quot;old,&quot; when I would NEVER call him &quot;short and fat?&quot; Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/929511061954297857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Sarcastic or not, the dig about Kim&#39;s weight, which has increased significantly since he came to power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in 2011, is unlikely to go down well in Pyongyang.

The members of the ruling Kim dynasty -- past and present -- enjoy near god-like status in North Korea, which has demonstrated extreme sensitivity to any remark that might be seen as mocking or disrespectful of the leadership.

Foreign tourists to Pyongyang are generally obliged to pay homage -- laying flowers and bowing deeply -- before giant statues of Kim&#39;s father and his grandfather -- founding leader Kim Il-Sung -- at some point during their visit.

Questioned later about his Tweet, Trump insisted he had not been entirely joking about one day befriending the man he described just last week as a dictator with &quot;twisted fantasies&quot;.

&quot;That might be a strange thing to happen but it&#39;s certainly a possibility,&quot; he told reporters at a press conference in the Vietnamese capital.

&quot;If that did happen, it would be a good thing, I can tell you, for North Korea ... I don&#39;t know that it will, but it would be very, very nice if it did,&quot; he added.

Trump has played hawk and dove with the North during his sweep of five Asian countries -- denouncing it as a &quot;cruel dictatorship,&quot; while offering Kim Jong-Un a diplomatic way out of the crisis over Pyongyang&#39;s growing nuclear arsenal.

During his election campaign, Trump said he would be willing to sit down with Kim and negotiate over a &quot;hamburger&quot; - an offer the North Korea leader has so far chosen to ignore.

US President Donald Trump has said he would never call Kim Jong-Un "short and fat", after months of trading personal insults and threats of war with the North Korean leader

US President Donald Trump took his verbal jousting with Kim Jong-Un to a new level Sunday, taunting the North Korean leader over his height and weight before musing over the idea of them eventually becoming friends. While they have never met, Trump and Kim have form when it comes to name-calling, with the US president a more than willing match for the highly rhetorical flourishes deployed by his adversary in Pyongyang. Trump has referred to Kim as a "madman" and "Rocket Man" while the 33-year-old responded by calling the 71-year-old former reality TV star a "mentally deranged dotard". On Sunday Trump got down to basics, with a sarcastic tweet prompted by recent descriptions of him in the North's state media as a "lunatic old man". "Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat'?" the president tweeted from Hanoi -- the latest leg of a lengthy Asia tour that had, until then, appeared to have moderated his Twitter habit. "Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!" he wrote. Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat?" Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2017 × Sarcastic or not, the dig about Kim's weight, which has increased significantly since he came to power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in 2011, is unlikely to go down well in Pyongyang. The members of the ruling Kim dynasty -- past and present -- enjoy near god-like status in North Korea, which has demonstrated extreme sensitivity to any remark that might be seen as mocking or disrespectful of the leadership. Foreign tourists to Pyongyang are generally obliged to pay homage -- laying flowers and bowing deeply -- before giant statues of Kim's father and his grandfather -- founding leader Kim Il-Sung -- at some point during their visit. Questioned later about his Tweet, Trump insisted he had not been entirely joking about one day befriending the man he described just last week as a dictator with "twisted fantasies". "That might be a strange thing to happen but it's certainly a possibility," he told reporters at a press conference in the Vietnamese capital. "If that did happen, it would be a good thing, I can tell you, for North Korea ... I don't know that it will, but it would be very, very nice if it did," he added. Trump has played hawk and dove with the North during his sweep of five Asian countries -- denouncing it as a "cruel dictatorship," while offering Kim Jong-Un a diplomatic way out of the crisis over Pyongyang's growing nuclear arsenal. During his election campaign, Trump said he would be willing to sit down with Kim and negotiate over a "hamburger" - an offer the North Korea leader has so far chosen to ignore.

Trump says he would never call North Korea leader 'short and fat'

WION evening news brief, Nov 11, 2017

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/odd-even-called-for-now-delhi-transport-minister-23985">Delhi calls off odd-even car rationing scheme for now</a>

The Delhi transport minister Kailash Gehlot on Saturday afternoon said that odd-even car rationing scheme has been called off for the time being. The scheme, proposed by the Delhi government, was supposed to be rolled out on Monday.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/my-son-is-completely-innocent-and-is-being-tortured-by-cbi-father-of-accused-class-11th-student-23993">Pradyuman murder: My son is innocent and tortured by CBI, says father of accused</a>

The father of the class 11 student arrested in connection with the murder of Pradyuman on Saturday accused the CBI of torturing his son. However, the CBI denied the allegations. The Class 11 student, who has been sent to Faridabad observation home until the next hearing on 22nd November, said that his son was completely innocent and got nothing to do with the murder.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-says-trump-begged-for-a-war-during-his-asia-trip-23983">Trump begged for a war during his Asia trip: North Korea</a>

North Korea said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s first trip to Asia showed he was a &quot;destroyer&quot; and he had begged for war on the Korean peninsula. The North&#39;s state-run television KRT also said the Trump&#39;s current trip was &quot;nothing more than a war-dealer&#39;s business of taking money from its allies&#39; pockets&quot;, quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pok-is-part-of-pakistan-farooq-abdullah-23989">&#39;Pok is part of Pakistan&#39;: Farooq Abdullah</a>

Opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday claimed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to Pakistan and &quot;this won&#39;t change&quot; no matter how many wars India and Pakistan fight against each other. Talk of an independent Kashmir was &quot;wrong&quot; as the Valley is landlocked and surrounded by three nuclear powers -- China, Pakistan and India.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cong-says-credit-for-gst-rate-cuts-goes-to-rahul-gandhi-23995">Cong says credit for GST rate cuts goes to Rahul Gandhi</a>

The Congress today claimed credit for the the GST Council&#39;s decision to cut tax rates on 178 items of daily use, saying the government was forced to do so due to the pressure mounted by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and the &quot;huge response&quot; his campaign had been receiving in poll-bound Gujarat.

 
&nbsp;

The Delhi transport minister Kailash Gehlot on Saturday afternoon said that odd-even car rationing scheme has been called off for the time being. The scheme, proposed by the Delhi government, was supposed to be rolled out on Monday.

WION evening news brief, Nov 11, 2017 Delhi calls off odd-even car rationing scheme for now The Delhi transport minister Kailash Gehlot on Saturday afternoon said that odd-even car rationing scheme has been called off for the time being. The scheme, proposed by the Delhi government, was supposed to be rolled out on Monday. Pradyuman murder: My son is innocent and tortured by CBI, says father of accused The father of the class 11 student arrested in connection with the murder of Pradyuman on Saturday accused the CBI of torturing his son. However, the CBI denied the allegations. The Class 11 student, who has been sent to Faridabad observation home until the next hearing on 22nd November, said that his son was completely innocent and got nothing to do with the murder. Trump begged for a war during his Asia trip: North Korea North Korea said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump's first trip to Asia showed he was a "destroyer" and he had begged for war on the Korean peninsula. The North's state-run television KRT also said the Trump's current trip was "nothing more than a war-dealer's business of taking money from its allies' pockets", quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry. 'Pok is part of Pakistan': Farooq Abdullah Opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday claimed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to Pakistan and "this won't change" no matter how many wars India and Pakistan fight against each other. Talk of an independent Kashmir was "wrong" as the Valley is landlocked and surrounded by three nuclear powers -- China, Pakistan and India. Cong says credit for GST rate cuts goes to Rahul Gandhi The Congress today claimed credit for the the GST Council's decision to cut tax rates on 178 items of daily use, saying the government was forced to do so due to the pressure mounted by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and the "huge response" his campaign had been receiving in poll-bound Gujarat.

WION evening news digest

North Korea said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s first trip to Asia showed he was a &quot;destroyer&quot; and he had begged for war on the Korean peninsula.

The North&#39;s state-run television KRT also said the Trump&#39;s current trip was &quot;nothing more than a war-dealer&#39;s business of taking money from its allies&#39; pockets&quot;, quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry.

The outburst came as Trump nears the tail end of his sweep through Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines that has seen him rail against the North`s nuclear ambitions and deliver his &quot;America First&quot; vision of global trade.

Trump has urged the region to take a united front against the threat posed by isolated North Korea, which has sparked global alarm with its nuclear and missile tests in recent months.

On Friday he warned world leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang that the Asia-Pacific region &quot;must not be held hostage to a dictator`s twisted fantasies&quot;.

Tensions over the North`s weapons programme have surged in recent months, as Pyongyang carried out a sixth nuclear test -- by far its largest to date -- and test fired dozens of missiles, some capable of reaching the US mainland.

 
In a speech to the South Korean parliament on Wednesday, Trump warned Pyongyang not to underestimate the United States, while offering leader Kim Jong-Un a better future if he gives up his nuclear ambitions.

Trump has also prodded Chinese President Xi Jinping to pile pressure on North Korea.&nbsp;

&quot;I`d like to have him ratchet it up, and I think he`s doing that,&quot; Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Hanoi Saturday following a regional trade meeting in the coastal city of Danang.&nbsp;

Though China has backed UN sanctions, Washington would like to see Beijing clamp down on unauthorised trade along the North Korean border.

(Agencies)

The North Korean spokesman said nothing would deter Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump's first trip to Asia showed he was a "destroyer" and he had begged for war on the Korean peninsula. The North's state-run television KRT also said the Trump's current trip was "nothing more than a war-dealer's business of taking money from its allies' pockets", quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry. The outburst came as Trump nears the tail end of his sweep through Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines that has seen him rail against the North`s nuclear ambitions and deliver his "America First" vision of global trade. Trump has urged the region to take a united front against the threat posed by isolated North Korea, which has sparked global alarm with its nuclear and missile tests in recent months. On Friday he warned world leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang that the Asia-Pacific region "must not be held hostage to a dictator`s twisted fantasies". Tensions over the North`s weapons programme have surged in recent months, as Pyongyang carried out a sixth nuclear test -- by far its largest to date -- and test fired dozens of missiles, some capable of reaching the US mainland. In a speech to the South Korean parliament on Wednesday, Trump warned Pyongyang not to underestimate the United States, while offering leader Kim Jong-Un a better future if he gives up his nuclear ambitions. Trump has also prodded Chinese President Xi Jinping to pile pressure on North Korea. "I`d like to have him ratchet it up, and I think he`s doing that," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Hanoi Saturday following a regional trade meeting in the coastal city of Danang. Though China has backed UN sanctions, Washington would like to see Beijing clamp down on unauthorised trade along the North Korean border. (Agencies)

Trump begged for a war during his Asia trip: North Korea

It is not important what Donald Trump achieved by accepting the invitation for the red-carpet gala reception from Xi Jinping during his short tour to China: it is rather, what China gained by offering a grand reception to the American President.

If the outcome of the Trump-Xi meet has to be read carefully this week, a lot is changing in Sino-US relations, especially to China&rsquo;s favour that the world will not afford to ignore.

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<h5>A lot is changing in Sino-US relations, especially to China&rsquo;s favour that the world will not afford to ignore.</h5>
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Trump&rsquo;s visit to China has perhaps lead to a new beginning in Sino-US relations.

Though the contours of this new beginning are yet to be well-defined, it has positioned the Sino-US relationships within a new framework while acknowledging each other as &lsquo;deciders&rsquo; of global politics in a complex international environment. This seems to be emerging as the fundamental premise.

The moot point of this premise is to manage the looming global challenges, from North Korea to terrorism to climate change, within a shared framework. Though it is too early to assume that the Sino-US relations will progress within a shared framework, but there are references in Xi&rsquo;s and Trump&rsquo;s speech that can&rsquo;t be overlooked completely.

For President Xi Jinping, the development of both China and the United States are &ldquo;mutually reinforcing&rdquo;. Donald Trump on a reciprocal note has stated that the United States would like to build a &ldquo;stronger relationship&rdquo; with China. These expressions probably point to their rhetorical political skills, but underlying these affirmations are a recognition that the United States needs the support of China and vice-versa. Importantly, this recognition comes at a time when both have emerged as the largest economies in the world and continue to lead the global economy as two key &ldquo;engines of global economic growth&rdquo;.

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<h5>The US trade deficit with China which is around US$350 billion has been a thorn in the flesh which Trump addressed maturely without blaming China much during his visit.</h5>
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Trump-Xi meet witnessed both discussing a set of same old issues, bilateral and global, that have troubled the Sino-US relations for decades. Bilateral issues, such as the American demand to have greater access in the Chinese market, particularly in the field of financial sectors, addressing the trade imbalance that exists in China&rsquo;s favour and to work towards a closer economic cooperation. A US$ 250 billion two-way investment proposal and commercial deals were also the highlights of Trump&rsquo;s discussion with Xi.

The US trade deficit with China which is around US$350 billion has been a thorn in the flesh which Trump addressed maturely without blaming China much during his visit. Simply discussing these issues at a political level were not a big attainment. Most of these discussions between Trump and Xi were confined to forging a cooperative understanding between each other. However, a concrete set of agreements to address the American trade deficit with China and how to forge a better market access in China is still missing. Trump-Xi meet has promised to have a more keen understanding between the two countries on these bilaterally economic-centric issues which may mark a new beginning to their relationship.

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<h5>By gaining an open American support, China can convince the international community better about the merits of the BRI.</h5>
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Forging these bilateral-centric understanding with China was important to American interest since Trump is continuously trying to impress the domestic constituency in the United States by creating jobs and growth in United States economy. Addressing trade deficit, and having better Chinese market access will help Trump to create more jobs in the United States. More than Trump advancing American interest, Xi Jinping seems to have struck a better deal with Trump while discussing these bilaterally economic-centric issues.

To formulate a better economic cooperation, address the trade imbalance, and market access among other impending issues, the Chinese President pointed that both sides need to have a practical understanding on key areas, including on the flagship &lsquo;Belt and Road Initiative&rsquo; (BRI), to enhance cooperation. This is a significant development since China wants to gather an open American support on the BRI. By gaining an open American support, China can convince the international community better about the merits of the BRI.

Besides, this is a Chinese strategy to characterise the next phase of Sino-US economic cooperation within the belt and road framework. That meansChina would not like to move ahead on core bilateral issues, particularly in relation to the Sino-US trade conflict without a formal endorsement from the United States over &lsquo;Belt and Road Initiative&rsquo; (BRI).

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<h5>The highpoint of the Trump-Xi meet was the concrete discussion over North Korea which has been a prickly issue between them for some time now.</h5>
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A new beginning was also noticed in Sino-US relations on managing the global affairs, particularly the international security environment. Tackling global terrorism, bringing stability in Afghanistan, meeting the climate change challenges could be the crucial aspects of Trump-Xi meet, but these are old issues.

The highpoint of the Trump-Xi meet was the concrete discussion over North Korea which has been a prickly issue between them for some time now. Both Trump and Xi expressed their mutual commitment over &ldquo;complete denuclearisation&rdquo; of North Korea.

Strikingly, both expressed concern over the deteriorating security conditions in Northeast Asia and how the international community must generate a consensus to tackle nuclear North Korea. Discussion over North Korea is not a new topic of discussion between China and the United States. But to have a virtual understanding to handle the North Korean issue maturely is certainly an important development which puts China in a respectable position as the determining power on the northeast Asian security.

Trump&rsquo;s visit to China may not have offered anything new to the Sino-US relations. But a subtle change is noticed in their relationship which is more advantageous to China and that marks to a new beginning. This change is more noticed in their bilateral engagement where the Chinese are slowly projecting themselves as a peer-partner of the United States. This points to also a scenario that the Sino-US ties are moving towards a more engaging relationship factoring the &lsquo;Belt and Road Initiative&rsquo; (BRI) of Beijing where the United States would be required to pursue a more consultative relationship with China no matter how much the US strategic community might like to repudiate.

More than Trump advancing American interest, Xi Jinping seems to have struck a better deal with Trump.

It is not important what Donald Trump achieved by accepting the invitation for the red-carpet gala reception from Xi Jinping during his short tour to China: it is rather, what China gained by offering a grand reception to the American President. If the outcome of the Trump-Xi meet has to be read carefully this week, a lot is changing in Sino-US relations, especially to China’s favour that the world will not afford to ignore. A lot is changing in Sino-US relations, especially to China’s favour that the world will not afford to ignore. × Trump’s visit to China has perhaps lead to a new beginning in Sino-US relations. Though the contours of this new beginning are yet to be well-defined, it has positioned the Sino-US relationships within a new framework while acknowledging each other as ‘deciders’ of global politics in a complex international environment. This seems to be emerging as the fundamental premise. The moot point of this premise is to manage the looming global challenges, from North Korea to terrorism to climate change, within a shared framework. Though it is too early to assume that the Sino-US relations will progress within a shared framework, but there are references in Xi’s and Trump’s speech that can’t be overlooked completely. For President Xi Jinping, the development of both China and the United States are “mutually reinforcing”. Donald Trump on a reciprocal note has stated that the United States would like to build a “stronger relationship” with China. These expressions probably point to their rhetorical political skills, but underlying these affirmations are a recognition that the United States needs the support of China and vice-versa. Importantly, this recognition comes at a time when both have emerged as the largest economies in the world and continue to lead the global economy as two key “engines of global economic growth”. The US trade deficit with China which is around US$350 billion has been a thorn in the flesh which Trump addressed maturely without blaming China much during his visit. × Trump-Xi meet witnessed both discussing a set of same old issues, bilateral and global, that have troubled the Sino-US relations for decades. Bilateral issues, such as the American demand to have greater access in the Chinese market, particularly in the field of financial sectors, addressing the trade imbalance that exists in China’s favour and to work towards a closer economic cooperation. A US$ 250 billion two-way investment proposal and commercial deals were also the highlights of Trump’s discussion with Xi. The US trade deficit with China which is around US$350 billion has been a thorn in the flesh which Trump addressed maturely without blaming China much during his visit. Simply discussing these issues at a political level were not a big attainment. Most of these discussions between Trump and Xi were confined to forging a cooperative understanding between each other. However, a concrete set of agreements to address the American trade deficit with China and how to forge a better market access in China is still missing. Trump-Xi meet has promised to have a more keen understanding between the two countries on these bilaterally economic-centric issues which may mark a new beginning to their relationship. By gaining an open American support, China can convince the international community better about the merits of the BRI. × Forging these bilateral-centric understanding with China was important to American interest since Trump is continuously trying to impress the domestic constituency in the United States by creating jobs and growth in United States economy. Addressing trade deficit, and having better Chinese market access will help Trump to create more jobs in the United States. More than Trump advancing American interest, Xi Jinping seems to have struck a better deal with Trump while discussing these bilaterally economic-centric issues. To formulate a better economic cooperation, address the trade imbalance, and market access among other impending issues, the Chinese President pointed that both sides need to have a practical understanding on key areas, including on the flagship ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI), to enhance cooperation. This is a significant development since China wants to gather an open American support on the BRI. By gaining an open American support, China can convince the international community better about the merits of the BRI. Besides, this is a Chinese strategy to characterise the next phase of Sino-US economic cooperation within the belt and road framework. That meansChina would not like to move ahead on core bilateral issues, particularly in relation to the Sino-US trade conflict without a formal endorsement from the United States over ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). The highpoint of the Trump-Xi meet was the concrete discussion over North Korea which has been a prickly issue between them for some time now. × A new beginning was also noticed in Sino-US relations on managing the global affairs, particularly the international security environment. Tackling global terrorism, bringing stability in Afghanistan, meeting the climate change challenges could be the crucial aspects of Trump-Xi meet, but these are old issues. The highpoint of the Trump-Xi meet was the concrete discussion over North Korea which has been a prickly issue between them for some time now. Both Trump and Xi expressed their mutual commitment over “complete denuclearisation” of North Korea. Strikingly, both expressed concern over the deteriorating security conditions in Northeast Asia and how the international community must generate a consensus to tackle nuclear North Korea. Discussion over North Korea is not a new topic of discussion between China and the United States. But to have a virtual understanding to handle the North Korean issue maturely is certainly an important development which puts China in a respectable position as the determining power on the northeast Asian security. Trump’s visit to China may not have offered anything new to the Sino-US relations. But a subtle change is noticed in their relationship which is more advantageous to China and that marks to a new beginning. This change is more noticed in their bilateral engagement where the Chinese are slowly projecting themselves as a peer-partner of the United States. This points to also a scenario that the Sino-US ties are moving towards a more engaging relationship factoring the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) of Beijing where the United States would be required to pursue a more consultative relationship with China no matter how much the US strategic community might like to repudiate.

Over Trump-Xi meet, China seeks US approval for OBOR

US President Donald Trump on Friday said the Asia-Pacific region was being held hostage by the &quot;twisted fantasies&quot; of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, as he called on countries to stand united against Pyongyang.

Trump has embarked on a tour of Asia this week trying to rally regional support for curbing North Korea&#39;s nuclear weapons programme, warning that time is running out over the crisis.

&quot;The future of this region and its beautiful people must not be held hostage to a dictator&#39;s twisted fantasies of violent conquest and nuclear blackmail,&quot; he said during a speech in Vietnam to the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The region, he added, must &quot;stand united in declaring that every single step the North Korean regime takes toward more weapons is a step it takes into greater and greater danger&quot;.

The US administration thinks China&#39;s economic leverage over North Korea is the key to strong-arming Pyongyang into halting its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

On Thursday, Trump was in Beijing meeting President Xi Jinping, where he called on China to &quot;act fast&quot; over North Korea.&nbsp;&quot;China can fix this problem easily and quickly, and I am calling on China and your great president to hopefully work on it very hard,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Washington has also worked in recent months to convince allies across Asia to oppose Pyongyang, an issue that will remain prominent during his two day trip to Vietnam, which is currently hosting a major regional summit. Alongside Trump, the leaders of Japan, Russia, China and South Korea are also attending the APEC summit.

'The future of this region and its beautiful people must not be held hostage to a dictator's twisted fantasies of violent conquest and nuclear blackmail,' he said

US President Donald Trump on Friday said the Asia-Pacific region was being held hostage by the "twisted fantasies" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, as he called on countries to stand united against Pyongyang. Trump has embarked on a tour of Asia this week trying to rally regional support for curbing North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, warning that time is running out over the crisis. "The future of this region and its beautiful people must not be held hostage to a dictator's twisted fantasies of violent conquest and nuclear blackmail," he said during a speech in Vietnam to the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The region, he added, must "stand united in declaring that every single step the North Korean regime takes toward more weapons is a step it takes into greater and greater danger". The US administration thinks China's economic leverage over North Korea is the key to strong-arming Pyongyang into halting its nuclear weapons and missile programmes. On Thursday, Trump was in Beijing meeting President Xi Jinping, where he called on China to "act fast" over North Korea. "China can fix this problem easily and quickly, and I am calling on China and your great president to hopefully work on it very hard," he said. Washington has also worked in recent months to convince allies across Asia to oppose Pyongyang, an issue that will remain prominent during his two day trip to Vietnam, which is currently hosting a major regional summit. Alongside Trump, the leaders of Japan, Russia, China and South Korea are also attending the APEC summit.

Trump says Asia held hostage by North Korea's 'twisted fantasies'

Three United States aircraft carriers are set to perform rare drills starting Saturday in the Western Pacific, in the midst of the North Korean crisis, and coinciding with the Asia tour of the American president, the US Navy said Thursday.

The nuclear powered USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt will conduct the drills to show the US Navy&#39;s unique capability to operate multi-carrier strike groups, according to the Seventh Fleet in a statement released from its headquarters on the Japanese base of Yokosuka.

During the drill, the first of its kind in a decade, the warships will carry out air strike and defense simulations, maritime surveillance, sea supply, coordinated fenced maneuvers and other training, added the Navy.

It is the first time that three aircraft carriers are conducting drills together in the western Pacific since the Valiant Shield exercises in 2006 and 2007 off the coast of the island of Guam.

The drills, rare due to the complexity of the ships&#39; action coordination, will last until Nov. 14.

A spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Defense told EFE in Seoul that the three US aircraft carriers will also carry out maneuvers with the South Korean Navy, closer to North Korean territory, in the Sea of Japan &ndash; alternatively called the East Sea in the two Koreas.

The spokesperson could only specify that this second drill will be held on future dates, since most of the details of these joint exercises have not yet finalized.&nbsp;

The drills on Saturday will begin during the final leg of Trump&#39;s five-nation Asia tour amid mounting tension with North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile programs development.

The drill is seen as a show of strength in the face of the challenge posed by Pyongyang&#39;s repeated weapons tests.

These weapons tests, along with Trump&#39;s belligerent rhetoric, have escalated tensions to unprecedented levels since the end of the Korean War (1950-1953).

(All the rights of the contents (text, photo, video, multimedia products and others) included in the services supplied to the user in this test are EFE-EPA property and shall be reproduced under EFE-EPA @copyright. Contents shall be reproduced only in the terms agreed with EFE and by no mean can those be redistributed, transferred or traded. User shall be held responsible for the alteration or misuse of the contents and products included in EFE-EPA services. User is compelled to follow the national law and will be the only responsible for the use or misuse of the contents provided by EFE-EPA.)

During the drill, the first of its kind in a decade, the warships will carry out air strike and defense simulations, maritime surveillance, sea supply, coordinated fenced maneuvers and other training, added the Navy.

Three United States aircraft carriers are set to perform rare drills starting Saturday in the Western Pacific, in the midst of the North Korean crisis, and coinciding with the Asia tour of the American president, the US Navy said Thursday. The nuclear powered USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt will conduct the drills to show the US Navy's unique capability to operate multi-carrier strike groups, according to the Seventh Fleet in a statement released from its headquarters on the Japanese base of Yokosuka. During the drill, the first of its kind in a decade, the warships will carry out air strike and defense simulations, maritime surveillance, sea supply, coordinated fenced maneuvers and other training, added the Navy. It is the first time that three aircraft carriers are conducting drills together in the western Pacific since the Valiant Shield exercises in 2006 and 2007 off the coast of the island of Guam. The drills, rare due to the complexity of the ships' action coordination, will last until Nov. 14. A spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Defense told EFE in Seoul that the three US aircraft carriers will also carry out maneuvers with the South Korean Navy, closer to North Korean territory, in the Sea of Japan – alternatively called the East Sea in the two Koreas. The spokesperson could only specify that this second drill will be held on future dates, since most of the details of these joint exercises have not yet finalized. The drills on Saturday will begin during the final leg of Trump's five-nation Asia tour amid mounting tension with North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs development. The drill is seen as a show of strength in the face of the challenge posed by Pyongyang's repeated weapons tests. These weapons tests, along with Trump's belligerent rhetoric, have escalated tensions to unprecedented levels since the end of the Korean War (1950-1953). (All the rights of the contents (text, photo, video, multimedia products and others) included in the services supplied to the user in this test are EFE-EPA property and shall be reproduced under EFE-EPA @copyright. Contents shall be reproduced only in the terms agreed with EFE and by no mean can those be redistributed, transferred or traded. User shall be held responsible for the alteration or misuse of the contents and products included in EFE-EPA services. User is compelled to follow the national law and will be the only responsible for the use or misuse of the contents provided by EFE-EPA.)

Three US aircraft carriers to conduct drills in Asia amid North Korean crisis

US President Donald Trump urged China and Russia on Thursday to act fast to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, warning that &quot;time is quickly running out&quot;.

&quot;We must act fast. And hopefully China will act faster and more effectively on this problem than anyone,&quot; Trump said as he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Trump thanked Xi for his efforts to restrict trade with North Korea and cut off all banking ties with China&#39;s ally, but he urged him to do more.

&quot;China can fix this problem easily and quickly, and I am calling on China and your great president to hopefully work on it very hard,&quot; the US leader said.

&quot;I know one thing about your president: If he works on it hard, it will happen. There&#39;s no doubt about it.&quot;

Trump, who is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an APEC summit in Vietnam this weekend, appealed for help from Moscow, which also has economic ties with North Korea.

&quot;I&#39;m also calling on Russia to help rein in this potentially very tragic situation,&quot; he said.

Trump earlier said he and Xi believe there is a solution to the nuclear standoff.

He did not elaborate on what the solution might be but his administration believes that China&#39;s economic leverage over North Korea is the key to strong-arming Pyongyang into halting its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

China has called for negotiations to resolve the matter peacefully.

'We must act fast. And hopefully China will act faster and more effectively on this problem than anyone,' Trump said as he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing

US President Donald Trump urged China and Russia on Thursday to act fast to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, warning that "time is quickly running out". "We must act fast. And hopefully China will act faster and more effectively on this problem than anyone," Trump said as he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Trump thanked Xi for his efforts to restrict trade with North Korea and cut off all banking ties with China's ally, but he urged him to do more. "China can fix this problem easily and quickly, and I am calling on China and your great president to hopefully work on it very hard," the US leader said. "I know one thing about your president: If he works on it hard, it will happen. There's no doubt about it." Trump, who is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an APEC summit in Vietnam this weekend, appealed for help from Moscow, which also has economic ties with North Korea. "I'm also calling on Russia to help rein in this potentially very tragic situation," he said. Trump earlier said he and Xi believe there is a solution to the nuclear standoff. He did not elaborate on what the solution might be but his administration believes that China's economic leverage over North Korea is the key to strong-arming Pyongyang into halting its nuclear weapons and missile programmes. China has called for negotiations to resolve the matter peacefully.

Trump urges China & Russia to act fast on North Korea, warns 'time is quickly running out'

&nbsp;

US President Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;toured the Forbidden City with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday as he began the crucial leg of an Asian tour intended to build a global front against North Korea&#39;s nuclear threats.

After warning North Korea&#39;s &quot;cruel dictatorship&quot; against testing the United States during a speech in Seoul,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and First Lady Melania&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;were met by Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan for tea at the former imperial palace.

But the genial gathering will be followed on Thursday by a full day of thorny talks, with&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;looking to prod Xi into doing more to squeeze North Korea economically and to address China&#39;s massive trade surplus with the United States.

The&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;administration sees Beijing as the key to controlling Pyongyang, which depends on China for its economic survival and for 90 percent of its trade.

Earlier,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;congratulated Xi on his reappointment as China&#39;s Communist Party chief, tweeting: &quot;I very much look forward to meeting with President Xi who is just off his great political victory.&quot;

Trump&#39;s use of the term &quot;political victory&quot; for the outcome of last month&#39;s Communist Party congress was seen by analysts as an attempt to conciliate Xi before tough talks on trade and North Korea.

&quot;He&#39;s laying it on thick to put Xi in a good mood because he will have unpleasant things to tell him,&quot; said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, China politics specialist at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Xi has prepared an extravagant &quot;state visit-plus&quot; for&nbsp;Trump, with opera and a lavish banquet, and the US leader has brought a business delegation along for the ride. Deals are expected to be signed, though they may not be enough to allay US concerns about China&#39;s massive trade surplus, which narrowed in October but remained high at a monthly $26.6 billion.

US President Donald?Trump?toured the Forbidden City with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday as he began the crucial leg of an Asian tour intended to build a global front against North Korea's nuclear threats.

US President Donald Trump toured the Forbidden City with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday as he began the crucial leg of an Asian tour intended to build a global front against North Korea's nuclear threats. After warning North Korea's "cruel dictatorship" against testing the United States during a speech in Seoul, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were met by Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan for tea at the former imperial palace. But the genial gathering will be followed on Thursday by a full day of thorny talks, with Trump looking to prod Xi into doing more to squeeze North Korea economically and to address China's massive trade surplus with the United States. The Trump administration sees Beijing as the key to controlling Pyongyang, which depends on China for its economic survival and for 90 percent of its trade. Earlier, Trump congratulated Xi on his reappointment as China's Communist Party chief, tweeting: "I very much look forward to meeting with President Xi who is just off his great political victory." Trump's use of the term "political victory" for the outcome of last month's Communist Party congress was seen by analysts as an attempt to conciliate Xi before tough talks on trade and North Korea. "He's laying it on thick to put Xi in a good mood because he will have unpleasant things to tell him," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, China politics specialist at Hong Kong Baptist University. Xi has prepared an extravagant "state visit-plus" for Trump, with opera and a lavish banquet, and the US leader has brought a business delegation along for the ride. Deals are expected to be signed, though they may not be enough to allay US concerns about China's massive trade surplus, which narrowed in October but remained high at a monthly $26.6 billion.

Watch: Trump arrives in China amid North Korea tensions

As US President Donald Trump<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-a-cruel-dictatorship-says-trump-in-seoul-23705"> slammed North Korea from China in a tweet telling Kim&#39;s regime </a>not to test &quot;America&#39;s past restraint as weakness&quot;, North Korean ambassador said sanctions on its country was affecting vulnerable families.

Han Tae Song, ambassador of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-denounces-cruel-dictatorship-of-north-korea-23701">North Korea to the United Nations said: &quot;The United States</a> and other hostile forces impede the enjoyment by our people of their human rights in every possible way, resorting to the vicious ways and means of all kinds in their attempt to stifle the ideas and system of the DPRK.&quot;

&quot;Due to these inhumane economic sanctions, vulnerable peoples like women and children are becoming...victims,&quot; he said.

North Korea&#39;s neighbour South Korea had imposed additional sanctions with Japan declaring on Tuesday it would also follow suit in retaliation to Kim&#39;s continued missile testing over the Korean peninsula.

&quot;Such sanctions against humanity which block even the delivery of the medical equipment and medicines for maternal and child health and the basic goods for daily life including even children&rsquo;s bicycles threaten the protection and promotion of our women&rsquo;s rights and even the right to survival of the children,&quot; Song added.

US president Donald Trump continued to put pressure on North Korea declaring, &quot;do not underestimate us and do not try us&quot; as he left South Korea earlier in the day as part of his Asia tour.

Speaking at the South Korean National Assembly the US president said: &quot;Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state.&quot;

&quot;We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction,&quot; he said, adding, &quot;America does not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will never run from it.&quot;

&quot;We will not permit America or our allies to be blackmailed or attacked,&quot; the US president asserted.

North Korean ambassador said sanctions on its country was affecting vulnerable families

As US President Donald Trump slammed North Korea from China in a tweet telling Kim's regime not to test "America's past restraint as weakness", North Korean ambassador said sanctions on its country was affecting vulnerable families. Han Tae Song, ambassador of North Korea to the United Nations said: "The United States and other hostile forces impede the enjoyment by our people of their human rights in every possible way, resorting to the vicious ways and means of all kinds in their attempt to stifle the ideas and system of the DPRK." "Due to these inhumane economic sanctions, vulnerable peoples like women and children are becoming...victims," he said. North Korea's neighbour South Korea had imposed additional sanctions with Japan declaring on Tuesday it would also follow suit in retaliation to Kim's continued missile testing over the Korean peninsula. "Such sanctions against humanity which block even the delivery of the medical equipment and medicines for maternal and child health and the basic goods for daily life including even children’s bicycles threaten the protection and promotion of our women’s rights and even the right to survival of the children," Song added. US president Donald Trump continued to put pressure on North Korea declaring, "do not underestimate us and do not try us" as he left South Korea earlier in the day as part of his Asia tour. Speaking at the South Korean National Assembly the US president said: "Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state." "We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction," he said, adding, "America does not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will never run from it." "We will not permit America or our allies to be blackmailed or attacked," the US president asserted.

Sanctions threatening women and children: North Korea

Donald Trump slammed North Korea&#39;s &quot;cruel dictatorship&quot; and the severe political oppression inflicted on its people in a speech to Seoul&#39;s parliament on Wednesday.

South Korean lawmakers applauded as the US president, whose tour of Asia has been dominated by fears over the nuclear-armed North, vowed not to be intimidated and warned Pyongyang that it should not test American resolve.

He called for global solidarity against the isolated nation, but he also offered leader Kim Jong-Un a possible &quot;path towards a much better future&quot;.

&quot;Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state,&quot; Trump said in the address.&nbsp;

The North, which this year carried out its sixth nuclear test, generating by far the largest yield to date, has also fired dozens of missiles in recent months.

Two have overflown key US ally Japan, and the regime has claimed that it now has the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile that can travel as far as the US mainland.

Trump, who previously vowed a North Korean Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capability would &quot;never happen&quot;, again warned Pyongyang not to consider an attack.

We will not &quot;allow American cities to be threatened with destruction,&quot; he said in Seoul.

&quot;America does not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will never run from it.

&quot;We will not permit America or our allies to be blackmailed or attacked,&quot; he added.

The mercurial US president, who earlier Wednesday aborted a visit to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas, heads later in the day to China, Pyongyang&#39;s sole major diplomatic ally and protector.

Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said the world had to unite to counter the threat from North Korea.

&quot;All responsible nations must join forces to isolate the brutal regime of North Korea,&quot; he said.

&quot;You cannot support, you cannot supply, you cannot accept,&quot; he said, singling out China and Russia.

&#39;A much better future&#39;&nbsp;

While the speech was heavy on Trump&#39;s usual anti-North Korean bombast, he also offered an olive branch, in what he said was a direct message to the country&#39;s young leader.

&quot;The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer,&quot; he said. &quot;They are putting your regime in great danger.&nbsp;

&quot;Yet despite every crime, you have committed against God and man, we will offer a path towards a much better future.&quot;

The US leader&#39;s tone in Seoul, just an hour from the DMZ and a city whose 10 million inhabitants would find themselves on the frontline of any conflict, has been in marked contrast to his previous warnings of &quot;fire and fury&quot;.

&quot;Ultimately, it will all work out,&quot; he said on Tuesday. &quot;It always works out. It has to work out.&quot;

Even so, the North&#39;s Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers&#39; Party, condemned his visit Wednesday.

In an article published before his parliamentary address, the paper called the trip &quot;a deliberate scheme aimed at strengthening military threats against us and to light the fuse of nuclear war&quot;.

&quot;War maniac Trump is pushing tensions to the extreme by spewing threats of war against us,&quot; it said in an editorial.

Donald Trump slammed North Korea's 'cruel dictatorship' and the severe political oppression inflicted on its people in a speech to Seoul's parliament on Wednesday

Donald Trump slammed North Korea's "cruel dictatorship" and the severe political oppression inflicted on its people in a speech to Seoul's parliament on Wednesday. South Korean lawmakers applauded as the US president, whose tour of Asia has been dominated by fears over the nuclear-armed North, vowed not to be intimidated and warned Pyongyang that it should not test American resolve. He called for global solidarity against the isolated nation, but he also offered leader Kim Jong-Un a possible "path towards a much better future". "Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state," Trump said in the address. The North, which this year carried out its sixth nuclear test, generating by far the largest yield to date, has also fired dozens of missiles in recent months. Two have overflown key US ally Japan, and the regime has claimed that it now has the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile that can travel as far as the US mainland. Trump, who previously vowed a North Korean Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capability would "never happen", again warned Pyongyang not to consider an attack. We will not "allow American cities to be threatened with destruction," he said in Seoul. "America does not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will never run from it. "We will not permit America or our allies to be blackmailed or attacked," he added. The mercurial US president, who earlier Wednesday aborted a visit to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas, heads later in the day to China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic ally and protector. Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said the world had to unite to counter the threat from North Korea. "All responsible nations must join forces to isolate the brutal regime of North Korea," he said. "You cannot support, you cannot supply, you cannot accept," he said, singling out China and Russia. 'A much better future' While the speech was heavy on Trump's usual anti-North Korean bombast, he also offered an olive branch, in what he said was a direct message to the country's young leader. "The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer," he said. "They are putting your regime in great danger. "Yet despite every crime, you have committed against God and man, we will offer a path towards a much better future." The US leader's tone in Seoul, just an hour from the DMZ and a city whose 10 million inhabitants would find themselves on the frontline of any conflict, has been in marked contrast to his previous warnings of "fire and fury". "Ultimately, it will all work out," he said on Tuesday. "It always works out. It has to work out." Even so, the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, condemned his visit Wednesday. In an article published before his parliamentary address, the paper called the trip "a deliberate scheme aimed at strengthening military threats against us and to light the fuse of nuclear war". "War maniac Trump is pushing tensions to the extreme by spewing threats of war against us," it said in an editorial.

North Korea a 'cruel dictatorship' says Trump in Seoul

US President Donald Trump slammed North Korea&#39;s &quot;cruel dictatorship&quot; and the severe political oppression inflicted by the regime in his speech to Seoul&#39;s parliament on Wednesday.

&quot;Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state,&quot; Trump said in the address.&nbsp;

&quot; Won&#39;t allow American cities to be threatened with destruction&quot; Trump said further.

US President Donald Trump slammed North Korea's 'cruel dictatorship' and the severe political oppression inflicted by the regime in his speech to Seoul's parliament on Wednesday

US President Donald Trump slammed North Korea's "cruel dictatorship" and the severe political oppression inflicted by the regime in his speech to Seoul's parliament on Wednesday. "Far from valuing its people as equal citizens, this cruel dictatorship measures them, scores them, and ranks them based on the most arbitrary indication of their allegiance to the state," Trump said in the address. " Won't allow American cities to be threatened with destruction" Trump said further.

Trump denounces 'cruel dictatorship' of North Korea

US President Donald Trump was forced to abandon a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas on Wednesday due to bad weather, leaving him &quot;pretty frustrated&quot; according to the White House.

South Korean leader Moon Jae-In, who had flown earlier before the weather closed in, was left waiting at the border which bristles with electric fences, minefields and anti-tank barriers.

The US chief executive, who the White House had previously said would not go to the symbolic spot, took off from the Yongsan military base in Seoul, but his helicopter then had to turn back due to fog.

Moon had flown to the border earlier, before the weather closed in, the South&#39;s presidential office said according to reports, and was left waiting for Trump at a guard post on the frontline.

Visiting US presidents have regularly gone to the DMZ, where soldiers from North and South Korea face off along a border marked by concrete blocks between emblematic blue huts.&nbsp;

Administration officials had said before Trump&#39;s Asia tour that he would not make the trip, saying it was &quot;becoming a little bit of a cliche, frankly&quot; after visits by Vice-President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

But reporters accompanying Trump were summoned earlier than scheduled Wednesday and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told them: &quot;This is where we&#39;re going,&quot; holding up a piece of notepaper on which the letters &quot;DMZ&quot; were scrawled.

Trump&#39;s helicopter Marine One took off from Yongsan, but was forced to turn back. The group waited nearly an hour for conditions to improve, but the weather worsened instead and the trip was abandoned.&nbsp;

&quot;He&#39;s actually pretty frustrated,&quot; said Sanders.

Moon suggested the joint visit to Trump during their summit on Tuesday, the South&#39;s Yonhap news agency cited a Seoul presidential office official as saying.

Sanders said she believed it would have been a &quot;historic moment&quot; as the first time US and South Korean presidents had visited together.

The plan showed the strength &quot;and importance of the alliance between the two countries,&quot; she added.

&quot;We are going to have an exciting day tomorrow for many reasons that people will find out,&quot; Trump said at a state dinner Tuesday, without elaborating.

&#39;Make a deal&#39;&nbsp;

Trump was due to address South Korea&#39;s national assembly later before heading to China on an Asia tour that has largely been dominated by the North&#39;s nuclear programme.

Standing alongside Moon on Tuesday, he reiterated that he was prepared to use the full range of American military might to halt Pyongyang&#39;s march towards becoming a full-fledged nuclear power.

Pyongyang has launched missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland, and in September carried out by far its most powerful nuclear test to date.

But Trump&#39;s tone in Seoul, just an hour from the DMZ and a city whose 10 million inhabitants would find themselves on the front line of any conflict, was in marked contrast to his previous threats of &quot;fire and fury&quot;.

&quot;Ultimately, it will all work out,&quot; he said. &quot;It always works out. It has to work out.&quot;

He left room for dialogue with the North, saying: &quot;It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table to make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and the people of the world.&quot;

South Korean media were relieved Wednesday that the summit with the notoriously impulsive US leader went smoothly without any surprises.

&quot;We are extremely glad that the first day of President Trump&#39;s visit passed successfully,&quot; said the JoongAng Ilbo in an editorial.

But it pointed out: &quot;President Trump can pressure us at anytime at anywhere with a card we&#39;d never thought of.&quot;

In his 20-minute parliamentary address, Trump is expected to touch on key issues including North Korea&#39;s nuclear threats as well as the trade imbalances between the US and South Korea.

His administration has caused consternation in Seoul by demanding the renegotiation of the five-year-old US-Korea free trade agreement, which Trump called Tuesday &quot;quite unsuccessful and not very good for the United States&quot;.

Some observers have fretted that a gaffe by a president given to off-the-cuff remarks during his parliamentary address could send tensions rising on the peninsula.

&quot;If Trump says anything that can provoke North Korea, it could send military tensions soaring again,&quot; said professor Koo Kab-Woo from the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

US President Donald Trump was forced to abandon a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)? that divides the two Koreas on Wednesday due to bad weather, leaving him 'pretty frustrated' according to the White House

US President Donald Trump was forced to abandon a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas on Wednesday due to bad weather, leaving him "pretty frustrated" according to the White House. South Korean leader Moon Jae-In, who had flown earlier before the weather closed in, was left waiting at the border which bristles with electric fences, minefields and anti-tank barriers. The US chief executive, who the White House had previously said would not go to the symbolic spot, took off from the Yongsan military base in Seoul, but his helicopter then had to turn back due to fog. Moon had flown to the border earlier, before the weather closed in, the South's presidential office said according to reports, and was left waiting for Trump at a guard post on the frontline. Visiting US presidents have regularly gone to the DMZ, where soldiers from North and South Korea face off along a border marked by concrete blocks between emblematic blue huts. Administration officials had said before Trump's Asia tour that he would not make the trip, saying it was "becoming a little bit of a cliche, frankly" after visits by Vice-President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. But reporters accompanying Trump were summoned earlier than scheduled Wednesday and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told them: "This is where we're going," holding up a piece of notepaper on which the letters "DMZ" were scrawled. Trump's helicopter Marine One took off from Yongsan, but was forced to turn back. The group waited nearly an hour for conditions to improve, but the weather worsened instead and the trip was abandoned. "He's actually pretty frustrated," said Sanders. Moon suggested the joint visit to Trump during their summit on Tuesday, the South's Yonhap news agency cited a Seoul presidential office official as saying. Sanders said she believed it would have been a "historic moment" as the first time US and South Korean presidents had visited together. The plan showed the strength "and importance of the alliance between the two countries," she added. "We are going to have an exciting day tomorrow for many reasons that people will find out," Trump said at a state dinner Tuesday, without elaborating. 'Make a deal' Trump was due to address South Korea's national assembly later before heading to China on an Asia tour that has largely been dominated by the North's nuclear programme. Standing alongside Moon on Tuesday, he reiterated that he was prepared to use the full range of American military might to halt Pyongyang's march towards becoming a full-fledged nuclear power. Pyongyang has launched missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland, and in September carried out by far its most powerful nuclear test to date. But Trump's tone in Seoul, just an hour from the DMZ and a city whose 10 million inhabitants would find themselves on the front line of any conflict, was in marked contrast to his previous threats of "fire and fury". "Ultimately, it will all work out," he said. "It always works out. It has to work out." He left room for dialogue with the North, saying: "It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table to make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and the people of the world." South Korean media were relieved Wednesday that the summit with the notoriously impulsive US leader went smoothly without any surprises. "We are extremely glad that the first day of President Trump's visit passed successfully," said the JoongAng Ilbo in an editorial. But it pointed out: "President Trump can pressure us at anytime at anywhere with a card we'd never thought of." In his 20-minute parliamentary address, Trump is expected to touch on key issues including North Korea's nuclear threats as well as the trade imbalances between the US and South Korea. His administration has caused consternation in Seoul by demanding the renegotiation of the five-year-old US-Korea free trade agreement, which Trump called Tuesday "quite unsuccessful and not very good for the United States". Some observers have fretted that a gaffe by a president given to off-the-cuff remarks during his parliamentary address could send tensions rising on the peninsula. "If Trump says anything that can provoke North Korea, it could send military tensions soaring again," said professor Koo Kab-Woo from the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Trump aborts surprise visit to Korean Demilitarized Zone

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