Russia's foreign ministry has dismissed the UK as having little real influence over world affairs after the Foreign Secretary cancelled a visit to Moscow.
Boris Johnson decided not go to Russia amid growing pressure on President Vladimir Putin to cut his ties with Syria's Bashar al Assad in the wake of a suspected chemical attack that killed at least 87 people, including children.
Mr Johnson had been due in the Russian capital on Monday but will stay away as G7 foreign ministers draw up their coordinated response.
:: Sam Kiley - Airstrikes branded 'game of American thrones'
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is then expected to deliver a message that the Kremlin faces international isolation if it stands by the regime in Damascus.
Russia said Mr Johnson's decision showed a lack of understanding of events in Syria and claimed there was little point in speaking to Britain anyway as it was "in the shadow" of its partners.
The cancellation "once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don't have their own position on the majority of current issues", the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"We don't believe we need dialogue with London more than (London) needs it (with us)."
It was later announced that Russia, Iran and Hezbollah would increase their support for the Syrian military after the US fired 59 cruise missiles at the airbase from which it believes the gas attack was launched.
Mr Putin and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani also called for an investigation into events in Idlib.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday that Boris Johnson "should be in Moscow now".
"He should be saying to the Russians just how appalling this situation is and the role they should play," he said.
"We have got to be frank with them and we shouldn't just allow the Americans to go off and do that, we should be doing that ourselves."
Mr Tillerson said on Sunday that Russia's inaction had allowed the chemical attack to take place.
"I think the real failure here has been Russia's failure to live up to its commitments under the chemical weapons agreements that were entered into in 2013," he said on ABC's This Week.
"The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russia's part to achieve its commitment to the international community."
And British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has accused Moscow of being responsible "in proxy" for the civilian deaths in the attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun.
In The Sunday Times, Sir Michael said Russia needed to take action to make sure the "needless suffering" of Syrian civilians can be brought to an end.
"If Russia wants to be absolved of responsibility for future attacks, Vladimir Putin needs to enforce commitments, to dismantle Assad's chemical weapons arsenal for good, and to get fully engaged with the UN peacekeeping process," he wrote.
Russia has backed Syria for much of the six-year conflict, and has used its veto power in the UN Security Council on several occasions to prevent action being taken against the Damascus government.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
US warships sent towards North Korea over nuclear threat
The US has sent warships into waters near the Korean Peninsula in a show of force against North Korea's "reckless" nuclear threat.
It comes days after North Korea condemned America's strike on Syria as an act of "intolerable aggression", claiming the move justified "a million times over" their reasons for developing a nuclear deterrent.
President Donald Trump talked to China's leader Xi Jinping this week about the need for Beijing to encourage Kim Jong-Un to halt his nuclear weapons programme.
Ahead of the meeting, North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.
Now, in the latest sign that tensions are increasing, the US has deployed a Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier from Singapore.
It described the decision to divert the fleet from scheduled calls in Australia as "a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific".
Despite UN resolutions barring North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology, Mr Kim has been busy developing missile capabilities. So far five nuclear tests have been staged, two of them last year.
:: After Syria, could North Korea be next?
US Pacific Command spokesman Commander Dave Benham said: "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability."
It is feared Pyongyang may be preparing its sixth nuclear test.
Experts believe North Korea may be just two years away from developing long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States.
In February they fired four ballistic missiles towards Japan, an act Japanese PM Shinzo Abe called "absolutely intolerable".
Last August, Pyongyang successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometres (300 miles) towards Japan.
When it comes to putting a stop to North Korea's nuclear ambition, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said: "The policy of strategic patience has ended.
"We're exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table."
It comes days after North Korea condemned America's strike on Syria as an act of "intolerable aggression", claiming the move justified "a million times over" their reasons for developing a nuclear deterrent.
President Donald Trump talked to China's leader Xi Jinping this week about the need for Beijing to encourage Kim Jong-Un to halt his nuclear weapons programme.
Ahead of the meeting, North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.
Now, in the latest sign that tensions are increasing, the US has deployed a Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier from Singapore.
It described the decision to divert the fleet from scheduled calls in Australia as "a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific".
Despite UN resolutions barring North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology, Mr Kim has been busy developing missile capabilities. So far five nuclear tests have been staged, two of them last year.
:: After Syria, could North Korea be next?
US Pacific Command spokesman Commander Dave Benham said: "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability."
It is feared Pyongyang may be preparing its sixth nuclear test.
Experts believe North Korea may be just two years away from developing long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States.
In February they fired four ballistic missiles towards Japan, an act Japanese PM Shinzo Abe called "absolutely intolerable".
Last August, Pyongyang successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometres (300 miles) towards Japan.
When it comes to putting a stop to North Korea's nuclear ambition, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said: "The policy of strategic patience has ended.
"We're exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table."
U.S. Navy sends strike group toward Korean peninsula
SEOUL — A U.S. Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier was making its way towards the Korean peninsula Sunday “to maintain readiness” as Kim Jong Un’s regime in North Korea prepared to mark key anniversaries this coming week.
North Korea is expected to hold a huge military parade on April 15 to celebrate the 105th birthday of its founding president, Kim Il Sung, and to mark the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People's Army on April 25 with similar fanfare.
Analysts expect the recent barrage of missiles to continue, and activities around its known nuclear test site have raised concerns North Korea may be preparing for a sixth nuclear test.
Over the weekend, North Korea said it was not afraid of military strikes like those the United States launched on Syria last week, saying it could defend itself with its “tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force.”
In this atmosphere, the Carl Vinson strike group, which includes a carrier air wing and two guided-missile destroyers, was ordered to travel to the “western Pacific.” When the group left Singapore on Saturday, it was bound for Australia before receiving the new orders.
[ Will North Korea fire a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland? Probably. ]
“The U.S. Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific,” said Dave Benham, a spokesman for the Pacific Command.
“The number one threat in the region continues to the North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.
The Vinson group last month participated in joint drills with the South Korean military to prepare for a sudden change on the peninsula — including the collapse of the North Korean regime or an invasion.
North Korea has been testing medium-range missiles over recent months, and Kim in January said North Korea had “entered the final stage of preparation for a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile” capable of hitting the mainland United States. In response, President Trump tweeted: “It won’t happen!”
North Korea is expected to hold a huge military parade on April 15 to celebrate the 105th birthday of its founding president, Kim Il Sung, and to mark the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People's Army on April 25 with similar fanfare.
Analysts expect the recent barrage of missiles to continue, and activities around its known nuclear test site have raised concerns North Korea may be preparing for a sixth nuclear test.
Over the weekend, North Korea said it was not afraid of military strikes like those the United States launched on Syria last week, saying it could defend itself with its “tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force.”
In this atmosphere, the Carl Vinson strike group, which includes a carrier air wing and two guided-missile destroyers, was ordered to travel to the “western Pacific.” When the group left Singapore on Saturday, it was bound for Australia before receiving the new orders.
[ Will North Korea fire a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland? Probably. ]
“The U.S. Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific,” said Dave Benham, a spokesman for the Pacific Command.
“The number one threat in the region continues to the North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.
The Vinson group last month participated in joint drills with the South Korean military to prepare for a sudden change on the peninsula — including the collapse of the North Korean regime or an invasion.
North Korea has been testing medium-range missiles over recent months, and Kim in January said North Korea had “entered the final stage of preparation for a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile” capable of hitting the mainland United States. In response, President Trump tweeted: “It won’t happen!”
Egypt church bombings kill at least 31 people
Bomb attacks targeting worshippers marking Palm Sunday at two Egyptian churches have left at least 31 people dead.
The first explosion, in Tanta - about 70 miles north of Cairo, killed at least 25 at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church.
Officials said the blast happened "in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass" and that dozens more had been injured.
Video and pictures show crowds gathered around bodies and large blood stains on the pews and church walls.
Several hours later, the health ministry said six people had been killed and 66 injured after a suicide bombing in front of Saint Mark's Church in the coastal city of Alexandria.
Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic church, had earlier attended mass there.
"Either a bomb was planted or someone blew himself up," provincial governor Ahmad Deif told Nile TV of the Tanta blast.
A witness told the Reuters news agency: "There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe.
"I saw the intestines of those injured and legs severed entirely from their bodies."
Egypt is home to around nine million Coptic Christians and there have been previous attacks on them by groups linked to Islamic State.
It claimed responsibility for a bomb at a Cairo cathedral that killed at least 25 people in December 2016, many of them women and children.
Targeted killings in the country's Sinai peninsula also caused hundreds of Christians to flee the area in February, with an IS video urging more attacks.
However, no one has so far claimed responsibility for the latest atrocity.
Pope Francis, due to visit Egypt at the end of this month, condemned the attacks.
Egyptian state television said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had ordered an emergency defence council meeting.
Copts often suffer attacks in more rural areas of Egypt, usually over things such as the construction of a church or inter-faith relationships.
The first explosion, in Tanta - about 70 miles north of Cairo, killed at least 25 at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church.
Officials said the blast happened "in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass" and that dozens more had been injured.
Video and pictures show crowds gathered around bodies and large blood stains on the pews and church walls.
Several hours later, the health ministry said six people had been killed and 66 injured after a suicide bombing in front of Saint Mark's Church in the coastal city of Alexandria.
Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic church, had earlier attended mass there.
"Either a bomb was planted or someone blew himself up," provincial governor Ahmad Deif told Nile TV of the Tanta blast.
A witness told the Reuters news agency: "There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe.
"I saw the intestines of those injured and legs severed entirely from their bodies."
Egypt is home to around nine million Coptic Christians and there have been previous attacks on them by groups linked to Islamic State.
It claimed responsibility for a bomb at a Cairo cathedral that killed at least 25 people in December 2016, many of them women and children.
Targeted killings in the country's Sinai peninsula also caused hundreds of Christians to flee the area in February, with an IS video urging more attacks.
However, no one has so far claimed responsibility for the latest atrocity.
Pope Francis, due to visit Egypt at the end of this month, condemned the attacks.
Egyptian state television said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had ordered an emergency defence council meeting.
Copts often suffer attacks in more rural areas of Egypt, usually over things such as the construction of a church or inter-faith relationships.
The chemical brothers: Putin and Assad
This week the world witnessed yet another chemical attack in Syria. After horrendous footage from Khan Sheikhoun showed children suffocating from sarin gas and relatives crying over piles of dead bodies, Russia was forced to react. But while Washington used the attack as an excuse for missile strikes on a regime-held airbase in southern Syria, Moscow did the exact opposite - it used it as an excuse for more excuses. And the excuse was produced quickly: The ministry of defence announced that there was no chemical attack but that a rocket had hit a stockpile of "terrorists'" chemical weapons, which led to the release of the poisonous gas.
To many Russian journalists, this explanation sounded familiar. In 1999 during another "counterterrorism operation" (the one that brought Vladimir Putin to the presidency), a Russian rocket attack hit the central market in Chechnya's capital Grozny. Between 60 and 140 people died, hundreds were injured. The Russian authorities were quick to announce that the incident was caused by an explosion of a stockpile of weapons belonging to the "terrorists".
Eighteen years later the Kremlin is using the same excuses, but this time not to protect itself but its ally Bashar al-Assad. But who are these excuses for? The international community would hardly believe them, given how absurd they are: Even if the Syrian opposition had stockpiles of sarin gas or a similar nerve agent, an air strike couldn't have released the gas. The two sarin gas precursors are stored separately and are mixed only just before they are to be used. In other words, you would have the same success releasing sarin gas by bombing chemical stockpiles as you would making borscht soup by throwing a grenade into a vegetable market.
To many Russian journalists, this explanation sounded familiar. In 1999 during another "counterterrorism operation" (the one that brought Vladimir Putin to the presidency), a Russian rocket attack hit the central market in Chechnya's capital Grozny. Between 60 and 140 people died, hundreds were injured. The Russian authorities were quick to announce that the incident was caused by an explosion of a stockpile of weapons belonging to the "terrorists".
Eighteen years later the Kremlin is using the same excuses, but this time not to protect itself but its ally Bashar al-Assad. But who are these excuses for? The international community would hardly believe them, given how absurd they are: Even if the Syrian opposition had stockpiles of sarin gas or a similar nerve agent, an air strike couldn't have released the gas. The two sarin gas precursors are stored separately and are mixed only just before they are to be used. In other words, you would have the same success releasing sarin gas by bombing chemical stockpiles as you would making borscht soup by throwing a grenade into a vegetable market.
Stockholm attack suspect was ordered to be deported
The suspect behind the Stockholm truck attack had been facing deportation, Swedish police say.
The 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan is suspected of having driven a truck into a department store in the city on Friday.
Police said on Sunday the man is known to have had extremist sympathies.
His application for asylum was rejected in June last year and he was being sought by immigration officials, police said.
Four people are confirmed to have died in the attack - two Swedish nationals, a Briton and a Belgian, but police have not released their identities.
The truck, hijacked from a beer company, was driven into Ahlens department store in the capital on Friday afternoon.
The suspect, who was not named, was known to the security services and was arrested later on Friday.
However, he had been seen only as a "marginal character", National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson said.
The 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan is suspected of having driven a truck into a department store in the city on Friday.
Police said on Sunday the man is known to have had extremist sympathies.
His application for asylum was rejected in June last year and he was being sought by immigration officials, police said.
Four people are confirmed to have died in the attack - two Swedish nationals, a Briton and a Belgian, but police have not released their identities.
The truck, hijacked from a beer company, was driven into Ahlens department store in the capital on Friday afternoon.
The suspect, who was not named, was known to the security services and was arrested later on Friday.
However, he had been seen only as a "marginal character", National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson said.
North Korea missiles: US warships deployed to Korean peninsula
The US military has ordered a navy strike group to move towards the Korean peninsula, amid growing concerns about North Korea's missile programme.
The Carl Vinson Strike Group comprises an aircraft carrier and other warships.
US Pacific Command described the deployment - now heading towards the western Pacific - as a prudent measure to maintain readiness in the region.
President Trump has said the US is prepared to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat from North Korea.
"The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," US Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham said.
What is being deployed?
The Carl Vinson Strike Group comprises an aircraft carrier and other warships.
US Pacific Command described the deployment - now heading towards the western Pacific - as a prudent measure to maintain readiness in the region.
President Trump has said the US is prepared to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat from North Korea.
"The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," US Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham said.
What is being deployed?
The strike group comprises the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser.
As well as massive striking power, the carrier group - headed by Admiral Nora Tyson - has the capability to intercept ballistic missiles.
It was originally due to make port calls in Australia but instead has been diverted from Singapore to the west Pacific - where it recently conducted exercises with the South Korean Navy.
In detail: North Korea's missile programme
How advanced is North Korea's nuclear programme?
What is the context?
North Korea's missiles
North Korea has carried out several nuclear tests and experts predict more could be in the offing as it moves closer towards developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the US.
There have been indications from North Korea that it may test an intercontinental missile, even though it is banned from any tests under UN resolutions (restrictions it has consistently ignored).
On Wednesday, it test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile from its eastern port of Sinpo into the Sea of Japan. That test came a month after four ballistic missiles were fired towards the Sea of Japan, moves that provoked a furious reaction by Japan.
On its part, North Korea says it is provoked by military exercises between the US and South Korea, which it sees as preparation for an invasion.
Syria
North Korea has also been closely watching how US President Donald Trump has been responding in Syria.
Early on Friday, the US military launched air strikes against the Syrian government, in retaliation for a reported chemical attack.
North Korea called it an "intolerable act of aggression against a sovereign state", and said the strike showed it was justified in bolstering its own defences.
Is South Korea equipped to defend itself?
What can the outside world do about N Korea?
What are the moves behind the scenes?
The most recent test - condemned by Japan and South Korea - came on the eve of a visit by China's President Xi Jinping to the US to meet President Trump.
The two leaders discussed how to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as the US steps up the pressure on China, a historic ally of Pyongyang, to help reduce tension.
China has, however, been reluctant to isolate its neighbour and ally, fearing its collapse could spawn a refugee crisis and bring the US military to its doorstep.
China has long been North Korea's closest diplomatic ally and trading partner, but the relationship has become increasingly strained over Pyongyang's refusal to halt nuclear and missile testing.
Mr Trump said in a recent interview that Washington was ready to act without Beijing's co-operation: "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will."
The US Treasury recently slapped sanctions on 11 North Korean business representatives and one company, while US politicians overwhelmingly backed a bill relisting the North as a state sponsor of terror.
North Korea responded by warning that it will retaliate if the international community steps up sanctions, saying the US was forcing the situation "to the brink of war".
As well as massive striking power, the carrier group - headed by Admiral Nora Tyson - has the capability to intercept ballistic missiles.
It was originally due to make port calls in Australia but instead has been diverted from Singapore to the west Pacific - where it recently conducted exercises with the South Korean Navy.
In detail: North Korea's missile programme
How advanced is North Korea's nuclear programme?
What is the context?
North Korea's missiles
North Korea has carried out several nuclear tests and experts predict more could be in the offing as it moves closer towards developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the US.
There have been indications from North Korea that it may test an intercontinental missile, even though it is banned from any tests under UN resolutions (restrictions it has consistently ignored).
On Wednesday, it test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile from its eastern port of Sinpo into the Sea of Japan. That test came a month after four ballistic missiles were fired towards the Sea of Japan, moves that provoked a furious reaction by Japan.
On its part, North Korea says it is provoked by military exercises between the US and South Korea, which it sees as preparation for an invasion.
Syria
North Korea has also been closely watching how US President Donald Trump has been responding in Syria.
Early on Friday, the US military launched air strikes against the Syrian government, in retaliation for a reported chemical attack.
North Korea called it an "intolerable act of aggression against a sovereign state", and said the strike showed it was justified in bolstering its own defences.
Is South Korea equipped to defend itself?
What can the outside world do about N Korea?
What are the moves behind the scenes?
The most recent test - condemned by Japan and South Korea - came on the eve of a visit by China's President Xi Jinping to the US to meet President Trump.
The two leaders discussed how to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as the US steps up the pressure on China, a historic ally of Pyongyang, to help reduce tension.
China has, however, been reluctant to isolate its neighbour and ally, fearing its collapse could spawn a refugee crisis and bring the US military to its doorstep.
China has long been North Korea's closest diplomatic ally and trading partner, but the relationship has become increasingly strained over Pyongyang's refusal to halt nuclear and missile testing.
Mr Trump said in a recent interview that Washington was ready to act without Beijing's co-operation: "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will."
The US Treasury recently slapped sanctions on 11 North Korean business representatives and one company, while US politicians overwhelmingly backed a bill relisting the North as a state sponsor of terror.
North Korea responded by warning that it will retaliate if the international community steps up sanctions, saying the US was forcing the situation "to the brink of war".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)