North Korea has threatened to target US airbases in Okinawa and Guam as it issued an air raid alert on Thursday and ordered its military to stand ready, the country’s state media reported.

“The United States is advised not to forget that our precision target tools have within their range the Anderson Air Force base on Guam where the B-52 takes off, as well as the Japanese mainland where nuclear powered submarines are deployed and the navy bases on Okinawa,” the North Korean command spokesman was quoted as saying by KCNA news agency.

The threats came as a response to the use of nuclear-armed US B-52 bombers in joint war games South Korea held with the US. “We cannot tolerate the US carrying out nuclear strike drills, setting us as targets, and advertising them as strong warning messages,” the spokesman said.

The air raid alert was… Continue reading →

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks on Monday during a daily news briefing, urging Washington to “act prudently.”

“All measures seeking to increase military capacities will only intensify antagonism and will not help to solve the problem,” Hong said.

“We hope that the relevant parties will… adopt a responsible attitude and deal with this issue in a cautious manner,” he also said, adding Beijing “has always sought to prevent missile proliferation.”

The remarks came after US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans on Friday to deploy 14 additional missile interceptors in Alaska, following North Korea’s threat to launch a “pre-emptive” nuclear strike against the US.

Hagel also said the US planned to increase missile facilities in Japan.

Tensions remain high in the region… Continue reading →

Local police official S.M. Afzal told AFP that the attackers “tied up the man and raped the woman in his presence” and added that the men robbed 10,000 rupees ($185) and a mobile phone.

The rape victim was conscious on Saturday and speaking to authorities, police said.  In her statement to the police, she said that the couple were both Swiss. However, police said they had not yet seen their passports to confirm their nationality.

“The victims, who belong to Switzerland, put up a tent to stay overnight” when the attack occurred,… Continue reading →

In a fresh round of cyberwarfare accusations, the Chinese Defense Ministry said two of the country’s major military sites endured about 144,000 hacking attacks a month last year, two-thirds of which originated in the United States.

“The Defense Ministry and China Military Online websites have faced a serious threat from hacking attacks since they were established, and the number of hacks has risen steadily in recent years,” ministry spokesperson Geng Yansheng said Thursday.

“According to the IP addresses, the Defense Ministry and China Military Online websites were, in 2012, hacked on average from overseas 144,000 times a month, of which attacks from the US accounted for 62.9 percent,” he added.

The Chinese official also said that the US has been unhelpful in efforts at international cooperation against hacking: “We hope that the US side can explain and clarify this.”

Earlier this month, US security firm Mandiant said… Continue reading →

Over 100 homes owned by Pakistani Christians have been set ablaze by thousands of angry Muslims in the eastern city of Lahore. Police said the violence was prompted by derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed, allegedly by a Christian resident. Around 3,000 Muslim protesters took part in multiple simultaneous arsons of Christian homes, that belonged to low to middle-class families from the minority community.

Police say 25 houses were burnt, but witnesses put the number at far more than one hundred. “At least 160 houses, 18 shops and two small churches were burnt by protesters,” the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP),Dr Ahmad Raza told AFP, as he was busy in rescue operations in the area. Media reports, citing eyewitness accounts, claimed that protesters broke into the homes, looted them and burnt the remaining belongings outside. There are no reports of any victims, but officials… Continue reading →

She further expressed concern over the current “highly complex and sensitive” situation on the divided Korean peninsula.

On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution, drafted by the United States and China, against North Korea, tightening Pyongyang’s financial dealings and adding new names to the UN sanctions blacklist. Ahead of the UN vote, Pyongyang threatened to launch “preemptive” nuclear strikes on the United States to defend itself in the event that Washington ignited a nuclear war. North Korea also cancelled all agreements… Continue reading →

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the withdrawal of US Special Forces from Wardak and Logar provinces within two weeks, accusing them of fuelling “insecurity and instability.”

“In today’s national security council meeting, Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered the ministry of defense to kick out the US Special Forces from Wardak and Logar provinces within two weeks,” presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said during a press conference on Sunday. Faizi added that US forces and “illegal armed groups created by them” were causing “insecurity and instability” and harassing local people in the two provinces.

A US Forces Afghanistan spokesman said he was aware of the statements released on Sunday and that the accusation would be looked into.

“We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them,” the spokesman said.

“Until we have had a chance to speak with senior (Afghan) officials… Continue reading →

North Korea has threatened the South with ‘final destruction’ during a debate at the UN Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday following an underground nuclear test, Reuters reports.

The North has warned that it could take “second and third steps” after a nuclear test conducted on February 12.

“As the saying goes, a new born puppy knows no fear of a tiger. South Korea’s erratic behavior would only herald its final destruction,” North Korean diplomat Jon Yong-ryong was cited by Reuters.

The North Korean diplomat has stressed that Pyongyang had recently taken a ”resolute step for self-defence” that Jon described as ”strong counter-actions to a foreign aggressor.”

“If the US takes a hostile approach toward the DPRK to the last, rendering the situation complicated, it (North Korea) will be left with no option but to take the second and third stronger steps in succession,” … Continue reading →

Assault rifles, shotguns and pistols worth over $3.8 million were revealed to be among the goods the UK has exported to Sri Lanka – a country accused of repeated human rights violations by the UN, and London itself.

The export report for the second half of 2012, published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, revealed that small arms and ammunition were sold to Sri Lanka last year. According to the report, more than $3.8 million in sales in 2012 fell into the ‘ML1’ category, which stands for small arms and weapons, the Campaign Against the Arms Trade said.

The arms sales are made despite reports by British authorities on human rights violations committed in the South Asian country. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recently said that that Sri Lanka’s human rights record was marked by negative developments over the last 3 months, “especially in relation to… Continue reading →