Current World Issues

North Korea crisis: Washington denies 'war declared' The US has said a statement from North Korea accusing Washington of declaring war on it was "absurd". The White House also warned Pyongyang to stop provocations after it said it had the right to shoot down US bombers. A UN spokesman said fiery talk could lead to fatal misunderstandings. South Korea has called for a level-headed response, warning that accidental clashes in the region could quickly spiral out of control. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters on Monday that "the whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country". His comments were a response to a tweet from President Donald Trump suggesting North Korea would not "be around much longer" if its leaders continued their rhetoric. Two days ago US warplanes flew close to North Korea's coast in a show of force. Speaking as he left New York after the UN General As...

Cox's Bazar: Chaos all around at Rohingya camps Refugees who fled Myanmar endure dire conditions at impromptu camps as they wait for aid amid torrential rain. Balukhali, Cox's Bazar –  Hundreds of Rohingya, including children, were jostling to get hold of aid packages being thrown from trucks at Balukhali in the Bangladeshi city of Cox's Bazar bordering Myanmar. Women, many with babies on their shoulders, stood in torrential rain in the hope of getting food, tarpaulins and clothes distributed by local Bangladeshis. Chaos was all around at Balukhali, where a large number of Rohingya have taken refuge, as the rain added to the misery of the persecuted community. Highlighting the grave conditions for Rohingya refugees, aid agencies reported on September 15 that at least two children and one woman were killed in a stampede that broke out as aid was being distributed. More than half of the estimated 412,000 Rohingya who have escaped Myanmar's...

North Korea slapped with UN sanctions after nuclear test The United Nations has imposed a fresh round of sanctions on North Korea after its sixth and largest nuclear test. The measures restrict oil imports and ban textile exports - an attempt to starve the North of fuel and income for its weapons programmes. The US had originally proposed harsher sanctions including a total ban on oil imports. The vote was only passed unanimously after Pyongyang allies Russia and China agreed to the reduced measures. The sanctions, which were passed at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, were met with anger by North Korea. A statement on state news agency KNCA warned that if the US did eventually push through harsher sanctions, North Korea would "absolutely make sure that the US pays due price". The   US call last week   for a total ban on oil imports was seen as by some analysts as potentially destabilizing for the regime. The new sanctions agreed by the UN include: Lim...

Kenya: Arson caused fire that killed nine schoolgirls Education minister confirms reports of attacks around the country, including in Mombasa and Kisumu besides Nairobi. Kenya's education minister says arson was to blame for a fire that killed nine pupils at a girls' boarding school in Nairobi over the weekend and that there had been similar attacks on other schools around the country. Fred Matiangi said on Monday that some arson attacks were related to fights over staff appointments in schools, where senior positions can bring financial rewards. "It was not an accident, it was arson," Matiangi said of the blaze on Saturday at Moi Girls School in the capital in which nine girls were killed and 10 injured. Matiangi said there had been a spate of arson attacks on schools around the country, including in the coastal city of Mombasa and the western city of Kisumu. He did not give the total number of attacks. "Some of the fires we have faced before in t...