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34 woRlD NewS
17 April 2013, Wednesday
North Korea could launch nuclear missile, Pentagon says WASHINGTON : North Korea probably has advanced its nuclear knowhow to the point where it could arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, but the weapon wouldn't be very reliable, the Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has rattled much of Asia with threats to launch a nuclear strike, although top US intelligence officials said on Thursday they believe Kim is using those threats to win concessions on foreign aid rather than trying to start a war.
G8 warns N Korea against more missile tests LONDON : North Korea would face "a robust international response", including further sanctions, if it continued its fiery rhetoric and carried out tests or launched any further missiles, the G8 countries said on Thursday after meeting in London. UK's foreign minister William Hague said China's patience was running thin and a further missile test would make the G8 nations return to the table of the UN Security Council to advocate further sanctions against Pyongyang. "North Korea needs to take note of China's strong irritation with the present posturing," Hague said. Pyongyang has made threats against South Korea, Japan and the US, and appears to be preparing to test several missiles, possibly simultaneously. G8 said it would urge China to use its strong influence on North Korea to quell the tensions.
President Barack Obama warned North Korea to end its belligerence after discussing the threats with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the White House. "We both agree that now is the time for North Korea to end the belligerent approach they have taken and to try to lower temperatures," Obama told reporters. "Nobody wants to see a conflict on the Korean Peninsula." But, he said, "the United States will take all necessary steps to protect its people." The North on Thursday delivered a fresh round of war
ADB asks Nepal to create political stability for growth Kathmandu : Asian Development Bank has asked Nepal to create enabling business environment and political stability in the country as they are key to improving economic performance. Releasing the 'Asian Development Outlook 2013', Kenichi Yokoyama, the country director of ADB, Nepal, said, "We all agree Nepal has huge potential for growth, but there are also substantial hurdles to overcome in triggering the high growth process." In its annual report, Manila-based ADB has projected Nepal's gross domestic product growth to slow to 3.5% in the fiscal year 2013 due to shortage of fertilizers, poor monsoon season, low investor confidence and the lack of a full budget, which is also causing funding shortages for ongoing development activities.
US Senate agrees to debate gun bill WASHINGTON: The US Senate voted Thursday to debate the nation's most ambitious gun safety legislation in almost two decades, after a bipartisan group of lawmakers agreed on expanding background checks. With relatives of the 20 children killed in the Newtown massacre watching from the visitors' galleries, years of Senate refusal to address gun laws in the United States, and Republican obstruction, was swept aside. Some 16 Republicans joined the Democrats, setting up crucial votes next week on amendments to a bill that would tighten checks for firearms buyers, stiffen penalties for gun trafficking and boost school safety measures. "The hard work starts now," top Democrat Harry Reid told his Senate colleagues moments after the 68-31 vote. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the "bipartisan progress"
rhetoric with claims it has "powerful striking means" on standby. The statement was the latest in a torrent of warlike threats seen by outsiders as an effort to scare and pressure South Korea and the US into changing their North Korea policies, and to show the North Korean people that their young leader is strong enough to stand up to powerful foes. Secretary of state John Kerry was headed on Thursday to East Asia, where he planned talks with officials in Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo about North Korea.
was encouraging, but stressed Thursday's vote was just the "first stage in an effort to get sensible, common-sense legislation." President Barack Obama, who has leaned heavily on Congress to adopt his proposals after the tragedy in Connecticut in December, called families of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims to congratulate them on the vote result and pledge his continued support in the fight. Jillian Soto, sister of slain Newtown first-grade teacher Victoria Soto and who spent days pressing lawmakers on Capitol Hill to enact tighter gun laws, said she had hoped for a tougher background check amendment, but "I'm happy that we are getting somewhere." The key ingredient in the complex gun control recipe is the compromise on background checks reached by Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey.
Business confidence is lowering mainly due to political instability, policy inconsistency and power outage in the country, said ADB's assistance economic officer Chandan Sapkota. Despite inflation maintained by the developing Asia at 4% Nepal is experiencing more than double
the rate with 8.5% inflation mainly due to high prices for domestic products fuelled by low agricultural production and high fuel prices, ADB report said. India's
China out to regain influence in Myanmar Yangon : China is intensifying efforts to regain influence in Myanmar as its long-held dominance founders in the face of a transformation in its former armyruled neighbour, the experts say. Observers say long-time ally Beijing had assumed the end of junta rule was merely cosmetic and has been left stumbling to define its role amid nervousness over the growing influence of foreign rivals. The relationship between the Asian giant and its neighbour is under the spotlight this week with a visit to China by President Thein Sein. The trip includes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping to set out future ties and comes at an “important” time, according to an interview with China’s ambassador to Myanmar Yang Houlan, published on the embassy website Wednesday. Yang said the two nations were faced with a “new factor” including the removal of US sanctions and activity by “outside forces”, “some of which do not want to see the healthy, smooth and rapid development of Sino-Myanmar relations”.
7.5% inflation in the recent period is also contributing to the growing influence facing Nepalese economy, said Sapkota. ADB also advises to control money supply for checking inflation rates. "While the recent regulatory and monitoring directives by the Central Bank to deal with banking sector issues are steps in the right direction to handle the sector's immediate problems, the report states that much more needs to be done if Nepal is to address structural changes required to shield the banking sector and the economy from internal and external shocks," the report pointed out. Developing Asia needs to get more engaged with countries like China and India for greater economic growth by looking beyond US, Europe and Japan for growth, said the report.
Sri Lanka: India to be blamed for protracted war Colombo : Sri Lanka Wednesday blamed India for the Tamil separatist war which dragged for 30 years on the island. The information department quoted Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as telling the local media that India could never absolve itself of the responsibility for creating terrorism in Sri Lanka. India’s former permanent representative to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, called for an investigation into specific allegations of war crimes during the last 100 days of military operations in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa, however, said those demanding accountability on Sri Lanka’s part for alleged atrocities committed during the last 100 days of the conflict were silent on the origin of terrorism in Sri Lanka. He said Puri should realise that India’s intervention in Sri Lanka had caused a major regional crisis when “Indian-trained Sri Lankan terrorists” raided the Maldives in November 1988.
Rape during conflict will now be considered a war crime
LONDON: In a historic agreement between nations, rape during a conflict will now be considered a war crime. An agreement has been reached by G8 countries which include the US and the UK to actively search for, prosecute or hand over for trial anyone accused of these crimes, regardless of their nationality and wherever they are in the world. The agreement aims to "shrink and then to eradicate safe havens for those responsible for warzone rape." The agreement was announced by UK's foreign minister William Hague who said the G8 will develop a comprehensive international protocol on the investigation and documentation of rape and sexual violence in conflict. The UK will take the lead in developing this protocol with experts from all over the world. It will set out ideal international standards for the investigation of rape and sexual violence to ensure that evidence is collect-
ed, survivors receive sensitive and sustained support to provide a basis to increase the number of successful prosecutions. The G8 also declared that there should be no amnesty for sexual violence in peace agreements. "We have promised to review the doctrine and training we provide to our national military and police. We will ensure that those deployed in warzones are trained to respond to sexual violence in conflict. This is an essential step since members of armed forces are often the first to come into contact with survivors and could also have an important role to play in helping to change male attitudes," Hague said along with Zainab Bangura who is UN Secretary General's Special Representative on sexual violence in conflict and Angelina Jolie. The G8 countries also increased funding for international prevention and response efforts.