North Korea: The U.S. confrontational posture will force The Dprk to react harder
North Korea's Foreign Ministry warned Friday that the recent launch of so-called hypersonic missiles is a exercise of self-defense, and if the United States imposes new sanctions and continues to adopt such a confrontational posture, North Korea will be forced to react more forcefully. After North Korea launched what was said to be a newly developed hypersonic missile on Tuesday, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the ballistic missile program. The North Korean side pointed out that the newly developed new weapons are only part of the dprk's national defense capability modernization efforts, do not target any specific country or force, and do not cause any damage to the security of neighboring countries, saying that the US move is an obvious provocation and hooligan logic, is a deliberate escalation of the situation, and said that the DPRK will not give up its own justice. In an email to Yonhap News Agency, the U.S. State Department once again condemned North Korea's test firing, demanding that North Korea not provoke further, but should continue to engage in substantive dialogue.
U.S. Senate sanctions against Russia draft exposed: Putin on the list
There is still no progress in the US-Russia dialogue, and although the US side has repeatedly expressed the use of diplomatic dialogue channels to solve the problem, it has also arranged sanctions plans. In the draft proposed by the Democratic Party, in addition to targeting the Russian financial system, even Russian President Vladimir Putin was included in the sanctions. Government officials under President Joe Biden also revealed that the United States has roughly prepared sanctions against Russia. Senate Democrats on Wednesday unveiled draft sanctions against Russia, targeting the Russian government, including Mr. Putin, top military officials, as well as banks and domestic businesses, such as the Global Bank financial telecommunications association, which cut off banks from exchanging key information with other financial institutions. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council pointed out that as long as the aggression is launched, the bill will cause significant economic damage to Russia. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told some reporters that the sanctions against Russia were in line with Biden's tough stance that if Russia invaded Ukraine, it would face serious economic consequences.
UN: Afghans are on the brink of death
UN Secretary-General Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York on the 13th that due to the multiple impacts of cold temperatures, economic downturn and the new crown epidemic, Afghans are on the verge of death, at least 22 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance, almost everyone may face extreme poverty, and the Afghan problem has become one of the fastest growing humanitarian crises in the world. Guterres called on individual countries to unfrozen funds from the Afghan government to avoid economic collapse. He called on States to suspend the relevant rules and conditions and release Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves, and he welcomed the Security Council's humanitarian exemptions to Afghanistan-related sanctions.
Britain's Prince Andrew sexual assault case affected the reputation of the royal family, and the royal title was withdrawn
After the U.S. appeal was dismissed in the sexual assault case of Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom against the American woman Jufrey, the British lawyer believed that the options before Andrew were very limited, and out-of-court settlement may be the best option. Under the pressure of public opinion in the British society, Buckingham Palace announced on the 13th that Andrew's honorary rank and royal title have been taken back by the queen and will respond to the lawsuit as an individual citizen. Earlier, it was reported that Jufrey may have asked Andrew to pay $5 million in damages, but Jufrey's lawyer believes that the possibility of her claiming compensation is very low, and more to ask Andrew to admit to his wrongdoing. In british local society, many of Queen Lisabeth's supporters have also called for the removal of Andrew's royal title and honorary rank, and the opposition believes that it is time to put the issue of royal family survival on the agenda again.
For the first time, a German court sentenced a former Syrian military officer to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity
A German district court ruled on the 13th that a former Syrian agent had committed murder, rape and crimes against humanity and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The defendant will appeal. The defendant, Raslan, was brought to trial in the High District Court of Koblenz, Germany, which ruled that he, as head of the Khatib Detention Centre in Damascus, was directly responsible for the murder of 27 people. Raslan's prosecution is based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, the first time a third-country judiciary has tried alleged crimes against humanity in Syria. Raslan, 58, a former Colonel in the Syrian Army, was charged with crimes against humanity during the 2011 and 2012 Syrian civil wars. Raslan was charged with being responsible for the torture of at least 4,000 people in the prison of the General Intelligence Directorate in damascus, the capital. The tactics used included "electric shocks, punches and kicks, whipping with wires and whips", rape and sexual abuse, and sleep deprivation.
Source: Phoenix TV Information Station
Edit: Motoyama