North Korea hints at its resumption of weapons tests
• Tensions have been rising between Washington and Pyongyang, with analysts fearing a return to provocation
Hyonhee Shin Seoul
NorthKorea willbolsterits defences againstthe USand considerresuming all temporallysuspended activities , state news agencyKCNA saidon Thursday,an apparentreference toa self-imposedmoratorium on testsof nuclearweapons and long-range missiles.
Tension has been rising over arecent seriesof NorthKorean missile tests. A US push for fresh sanctionswas followedby heated reactionfrom Pyongyang, raising thespectre of a returntothe periodofso-called fire and fury threats of 2017. North Koreanleader Kim Jong-unconvened ameetingof the politburo of the ruling Workers Party onWednesday to discuss important policyissues including countermeasures over hostile USpolicy, theofficial KCNA news agency said.
WE REMAIN PREPARED TO ENGAGE IN SERIOUS, SUSTAINED DIPLOMACY WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS TO MAKE TANGIBLE PROGRESS
Spokesperson
White House Security Council
The politburoordered a reconsideration oftrust-building measures and promptly examiningthe issueof restartingall temporally-suspended activities, while callingfor immediately bolstering more powerful physical means” KCNA said.
The decision appearsto be a step beyondKim s previous remarks atthe end of2019 that he would no longer be bound by themoratorium ontesting nuclear warheadsand longrange intercontinentalballistic missiles (ICBMs), afterthe US did not respond tocalls for concessions to reopen negotiations. Washington s hostilityand
threats had “reached a danger line”, thereport said,citing joint US-SouthKorea militaryexercises, the deployment of cuttingedge US strategic weapons in the region, andthe implementation ofindependent andUN sanctions. Weshould make more thoroughpreparation fora long-term confrontationwith the US imperialists,” the politburo concluded.
North Korea swarning came hours beforethe UNSecurity Council was due to convene a closed-doormeeting onThursdaytodiscuss therecentmissile tests, at the request of the US and several other countries.
President Joe Biden made no mention of NorthKorea during a nearly two-hour news confer-
ence on Wednesday held to mark hisfirst yearin office. When asked how the US would respond ifNorth Korearesumed ICBM and nuclear testing, a spokesperson forthe White HouseNational SecurityCouncil declined to getintohypotheticals but saidits goalremains the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. “Weremain preparedto engage in seriousand sustained diplomacy without preconditionsto maketangibleprogress, the spokespersonsaid, adding that Washington would continue its effortsin co-ordinationwith the international community to preventadvances inNorth Korea’s weapons programmes. South Korea s defencemin-
istry said it was monitoring the North s winter drills while maintaining readinessposture, calling the recentmissile tests serious threats
SABRE-RATTLING Theunification ministryhandling inter-Korean ties warned of furtherescalation, sayingthe peninsulashould notgo backto the confrontationalpast, and dialogue and diplomacyare the only way forward. We should brace for more sabre-rattling designed to create a warlike atmosphere and possibly more provocation testing, said Jean Lee,a fellow at the Washington-basedWilson Centre, addingthat Kimwill use every opportunity to justify
further weapons testing. North Koreacould possibly test a long-range missile or other powerfulweapon intime forthe 80th and 110th anniversaries of the birthdays ofKim s late father and grandfather inFebruary and April,both majorholidays inthe country,said YangMoo-jin,a professorat theUniversityof North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“It’s possible that the situation could go back to the vicious cycle of provocationsand sanctions we saw in 2017, he said. After test-firinga ballistic missile capableof strikingthe USmainland in2017,North Korealaunched aflurryof diplomacy and has not tested its ICBMs or nuclear weapons since. But it began testing a range
of new short-range ballistic missiles(SRBMs) afterdenuclearisation talks stalled and slipped back into a standoff following a failed summit in 2019.
Pyongyang has defended the missile launches as its sovereign right toself-defence and accused Washingtonof applyingdouble standardsover weapons tests.
On Monday,North Korea conducted its fourth missile test in2022, followingtwolaunches of hypersonic missiles capable of high speedand manoeuvring after lift-off, and another one involving a railway-borne missile system.
Theunusually rapidpaceof launchesprompted UScondemnation and apush for new UNsanctions, andPyongyang threatened stronger actions.
Daryl Kimball Director, Arms Control Association THE NORTH KOREAN MISSILE PROBLEM HAS NOT DISAPPEARED AND WILL ONLY GROW WORSE IN THE ABSENCE OF ACTIVE, SERIOUS DIPLOMACY
Jenny Town,director ofthe Washington-based Stimson Centre’s 38 North programme, said despite its strong language, the politburo report left room for Kim to ratchet rhetoricup or down as hesees fit , depending on future developments. The Bidenadministration needsto leadmoreconcerted, high-level international efforts to restart negotiationson step-forstep actionstowards peaceand denuclearisation, saidDaryl Kimball, executivedirector of the Arms Control Association in Washington.
The North Korean nuclear and missile problem has not disappeared and will only grow worse in the absence of active, serious diplomacy,” Kimball said. /Reuters
Resistance to antibiotics kills more than Aids
Irina Anghel
Resistance to antibiotics killed more people thanHIV/Aids or malaria in 2019, as common infections that could previously be treatedbecome impervious to existing cures.
Drug-resistant bacterial infections directly led to the deaths of 1.27-million people and played a part inalmost 5-million fatalities in 2019, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday. Scientistshave soundedthe alarm foryears onthe threatof intractable infections from bugs that have come to resist even themost potentantibiotics.The study an attempt to compile thefirst comprehensivetallyby bringingtogether datafrom hundreds ofcountries suggestsdeaths haveacceleratedat a quicker-than-expected pace. Previousestimates hadpredicted 10-millionannual deaths from antimicrobial resistance by 2050,but wenow knowfor certain that weare already far closer to thatfigure than we
PREVIOUS ESTIMATES HAD PREDICTED 10MILLION ANNUAL DEATHS BY 2050, BUT WE NOW KNOW WE ARE ALREADY FAR CLOSER TO THAT
thought, saidChris Murray,a study co-author and professor at the Institute for Health Metrics andEvaluation attheUniversity of Washington. Thesenew datarevealthe truescale ofantimicrobial resistance worldwide, and are a clear signal that we must act now. The scientiststraced deaths connectedto 23pathogensand 88 combinationsof pathogens and drugs using data from 204 countries and territories, according to the article. Most of thedeaths were causedby lowerrespiratory infections such as pneumonia, which weredirectly responsible for more than 400,000 fatalities. Bloodstream infectionswere next, accounting for about 370,000deaths, followedby abdominal onessuch asthose caused by appendicitis, which led to about 210,000 deaths. Low- andmiddle-income countries were the hardest hit. Sub-Saharan Africaand South Asia had the highest estimated direct death tolls, with 24 and 22 fatalities per 100,000 population, respectively. Children under the age of five yearsare especiallyat risk,and researchers estimatedthey made up a fifth of the deaths linked to antibiotic-resistant infections globally. The research wasfunded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationand theWellcomeTrust, among others. /Bloomberg
Charlotte Greenfield Kabul
In a small tailoring workshop in Kabul, 29-year-oldAfghan entrepreneur SohailaNoori looks onas herdramatically reduced workforce of about 30 women sew scarves, dresses and baby clothes.
Afew monthsago, beforethe hardlineIslamist Talibanmovement seized powerin August, she employed more than 80 people,mostly women,inthree textile workshops. In the past, wehad so much work to do, said Noori, who was determined to keep her business running toemploy asmany women as she could. We haddifferent typesof contracts, we could easily pay a salary to our master tailors and otherworkers, butcurrentlywe have no contracts. With Afghanistan s economy deep in crisis billions of dollars inaid andreserves havebeen cut off andordinary people have little money evenfor basics enterprises likeNoori s are struggling to stay afloat. Making mattersworse, the Talibanwill onlyallowwomen to work subject to their interpretation of Islamiclaw, prompting some to leave jobsout of fear of punishment by a group that severelyrestricted theirfreedom the last time it ruled.
Hard-won gainsin women s rightsoverthe pasttwodecades havebeen quicklyreversed,and reportsfrom internationalrights experts and labour organisations this weekpainted ableak picturefor femaleemploymentand access to public space. Though the economic crisis is hitting the entire country some agenciespredict itwill leavealmost theentirepopulation in poverty in the coming months theeffect isdisproportionately felt by women.
The crisis in Afghanistan has made an already challenging situation for women workers even worse, ” said Ramin Behzad, coordinator of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Afghanistan. Workin keysectorshas dried up while newly imposed restrictions onwomen s participationin someeconomicareas are also hitting home. Afghan women s employment levels fell an estimated 16% in the third quarter of 2021, according toan ILOreport released onWednesday, relative to 6% for men. Women s employment was expected to be 21% lowerthan itwas beforethe Taliban takeoverby mid-2022if current conditionscontinued, according to the ILO. For the workersat Noori’ s workshop, theopportunity to make some money outweighed other worries.
Mostlyour familiesare worried aboutour safety.They repeatedly call us when we don treachhome ontime,but weallcontinue towork... becausewe haveeconomic problems,” saidLailuma, who onlygaveone nameoutoffear for her safety. Another worker, Saleha, now provides for her entire family. My monthly income is 1,000 Afghanis ($10),and I mthe only personworkingin
Sohaila Noori
GLOBAL ANALYSIS
Fassi primed for a furious Shark attack
• Lions speedster cannot wait to get back on the field after lengthy break
George Byron
Exciting Sharksback division speedster Aphelele Fassi is expecting a fast and furious tempo whenhis team facethe Lions in aUnited RugbyCup (URC) showdown in Johannesburg on Saturday. Fassi isitching to getback on thefield afteralong periodof inactivity starting when he was not being usedby the Springboks in Australia during the Rugby Championship. The lasttime thedazzling fullbackstarted amatchwas when the Boks played Argentina in Gqeberha in August. Fassi burst ontothe scene when hescored ondebut against Georgia in July and many see him as a potential replacementfor WillieleRouxin theSA national team.
I havenot played ina very long timeand thereis somuch stuff thatI learntwhen Iwas withtheBoks thatIwantto transferon tothefield, the fullback said. “I ve listened to the other guysabout theirexperiencesof the URC so far and I am just superexcited to get out there this weekend andstart puttingin some good performances. Every player hasa regular position. Moving from the Boks backinto theSharkssetup shouldnotbe toobigatransition as Ihave two qualityBok wings alongside me in the back three in Makazole Mapimpi and Sbu Nkosi to make that job easier. We are expecting a really
ENGLISH
PREMIER LEAGUE
fastgame againstthe Lions.The Lions love to play with intensity and tempo andwith ball in hand, Fassi said. For some of us,this will be thefirsttime playingURCand that isreally exciting.It’s beena toughtwo weeksof trainingin scorchingheat afterthe timeoff andwe haveworked hardon thethings wewanted tofocus
on after taking a good look at how theinitial URCgames went for us. Playingthat firstoverseas leg wasobviously adifficult phase for us, butthere was lots of learning we took from it, and I feel that has improved us. We are lookingforward to gettingout thereandrectifying the mistakeswe madein those
Rangnick tells sloppy Man U to shape up, plays down Ronaldo sulk
Martyn Herman London
Manchester Unitedinterim managerRalf Rangnickcriticisedhis side s shoddy first-half performance after a flattering 3-1 victory away to Brentford in the Premier League on Wednesday. He also had to deal with a Cristiano Ronaldotantrum after substituting thePortuguese forward in the second half. Lacklustre United were outplayed by Brentford in the first half and were indebted to keeper David DeGea butgoals by AnthonyElanga, MasonGreenwoodand MarcusRashford capped amuch-improved second-half display. It was a vital win for United and keepsthem in thethick of the battlefor atop-four finish, but Rangnick was not impressed by what he saw in the opening 45 minutes.
Youhaveto behonest,withoutDavid andhis brilliantsaves it would havebeen difficult,” Rangnick toldreporters. “We weresloppy inour passing,not strong enoughin thetackles, losing the 50-50challenges and didn twin asingle secondball. When we did counter-attack we weretoo nervous.Brentford were aggressive andbrave and they were allthe aspects we spoke about at halftime.
Whatever Rangnicksaid at halftime itclearly workedas Unitedwere adifferentpropositionafter thebreak even ifthe scoreline was scarcely credible.
Yetthe winthat liftedUnited to within two points of fourthplacedWest HamUnited witha game in hand,was overshadowed by Ronaldo s reaction to being hauled offand replaced withdefender HarryMaguire when the score was 2-0. Ronaldo, whomissed thelast
2 is the number of points Manchester United are behind fourth placed West Ham with a game in hand
twogames becauseof aniggling injury,took anageto walkoff thepitch, scowlingatUnited’ s coaching staff andthrowing his jacketdown, beforecontinuing his debate from his seat. His reactionwas why me?’… I said to him I have to take a decision in theinterests of the club because wehad a situation at Villa where we were 2-0 up anddrew2-2and Iwasangryat myself for not switching to a back five. I decidedto switch toa back fivewith HarryMaguire.He (Ronaldo) wasnot happy,he isa goalscorerand wantedtostay on andscore agoal himself.But it was important to be compact. I said to him I understand, butmaybein acoupleofyears when you are a head coach you will take the same decision. I didn t expect him to hug me but I haveno issue with him whatsoever.
first games.
Afterbeating theStormersin their last outingseven weeks ago,theLions areanxiousto carry on from where they left off.
Ina perfectworld,we would veloved tohave justa game ortwo straightafter the Stormers win, said Lions assistant coach Ricardo Laubscher. Wefelt, justthe
His opposite number Thomas Frank was understandably frustratedatthe outcome,sayinghis team had destroyed Manchester United in the first half. Rangnick had some sympathy,praising Brentford s display and saying hisplayers should learnfromthem. I want us to play like Brentfordin the second half, I have great respect for what they havedone here, he said. You wouldn t seethat in Germany wherea teamnot in the top five or eight would play that kindof football. Wehave to develop inthat directionand if we dowe can playthe whole gamelikethat, notjust45 minutes /Reuters
concrete and solid, formerMilan playerMassimo Orlando told TMW. Though Allegri’s side are in great form, theyhave also faced their fair share of controversy recently. Talksover starstriker Paulo Dybala s contract,which expires atthe end ofthe season, have dragged onand the Argentina internationalpointedly glaredat theJuve directors insteadof celebratingafterscoring in a 2-0 win over Udinese on Saturday. The 28-year-old has beenlinkedwith amoveto Juve s fierce rivals Inter on a free transfer, something Nerazzurri director Giuseppe Marotta would not rule out. Wemust beambitiousand go looking forplayers who can raise thebar,” hesaid when asked about interest in Dybala. Thestrikerscored againina midweek 4-1 CoppaItalia victoryover Sampdoriaand thistime did celebrate, his third goal in the past four gamesin all competitions. There isanother big game in Rome on Saturday night when Maurizio Sarri s eighth-placed Lazio take on Atalanta, looking to keeptheir slimtop-fourhopes alive. /Reuters
Fourie on highveld assignment for De Kock
David Mollett
Leading Cape jockey Richard Fourie makes arare appearance at Turffontein onSaturday with the main objective of winning the grade3 SeaCottageStakes on Mikede Kock s three-yearold Aragosta. A R220,000 son of Rafeef, Aragosta looks certain to start favourite after his third behind Safe Passage in the Dingaans in November. The gelding had won his previous two starts. Three lengthsbehind Aragostain thatrace wasStuart Pettigrew s runnerCastletown, whostarteda wellbacked11-2 chance. A tardy start did not help the R500,000 sonof Silvano that day and hecan get a lot closer this time ifhe gets away on terms. Itis somethingof asurprise that Pettigrew has replaced
Diego DeGouveia withjockey Kabelo Matsunyane.The former has ridden a number of winners for thestable thisterm androde a superb finish toscore on Bold Fortune at the Vaal on Tuesday. De Kock alsosaddles the filly Clafoutis. Her careeris back on track aftera disappointingrun when favourite for the Fillies Mile inNovember. KeaganDe Melo was praised for the handling ofthe daughterof Flower Alley on her lateststart and he retains the ride.
Sean Tarry saddles Platinum Sky for the Hollywood Syndicate andthe colthaseach-way claims from afavourable draw. However, his meritrating is 11 pointsinferior toAragosta, whom he meets on level terms. Fourie isin for abusy meeting ashe hasrides inall 10races and he haswinning chances on Sybaris (first race), Linganomore (fourth)and Grapplerinthe
final leg of the jackpot. Sybaris went for a walk in the marketon hermost recentstart yet finisheda closefifth behind Flame Flower. That run will have benefited the daughter of Fastnet Rock whose chief rival may be Brett Crawford s four-year-old Halloween. Bothrace inthe colours of Wilgerbosdrift Stud. Supreme Dance probably the best horsein Brett Warren s stable will bidto notchthe fourth win of his career when he takes on thePaul Peter inmate Flying Bull in the R100,000 Middle Stakes. Gavin Lerena isthe regular pilotof thisFuturacolt andhe will fancy hischances after going down in a photo-finish when favourite forhis most recent start.
VictoryforFlying Bullwillbe a boost for Aragosta s chances as he finished under two lengths behindDe Kock s three-year-
old at Turffontein in October. Arunner worthincludingin trifectaandquartet betsinthe Middle Stakesis AlecLaird s filly Phoenix. She races in the colours ofBridgit Gerber,wife of the late Chris Gerber, the first owner of Rainbow Bridge. With Xola Jacobs claiming his apprentice allowance, Phoenix will carry only 51kg and swingers with Supreme Dance may be a goodway to bet on the race. Fourie
HORSE RACING
Cristiano Ronaldo