Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Campaigners call for digital cannabis market for the UK
The UK should have a legal, digital-only cannabis market, according to a new report.
The regulated market would limit access to anyone younger than 21, with checks similar to buying alcohol online.
The report, from pro-drug legalisation think tank Volte Face, argues that a controlled market would offer safer products and offer the ability for revenues to be taxed - potentially raising around £800m for the exchequer.
"We believe that Britain's multibillion-pound cannabis market should be developed and operated exclusively online by a private sector that is stringently controlled and regulated by democratically elected governments," the report, called The Green Screen, argues.
But anti-drugs campaigners have called the suggestion an "opportunity for national disaster" and "absolutely the most irresponsible thing to do".
Around 2.1 million people use cannabis every year, according to government figures, despite it being illegal.
Mike Power, the author of The Green Screen report, told Sky News: "The current situation, any young person with five or ten pounds can come to Camden and buy a bag of cannabis.
"They can't go to a supermarket and buy alcohol without having their identity checked and verified."
"We would argue that a digital model would enable that to be the case. So that every purchase would have to have age and ID verified before you actually bought it.
"As well as that, it would mean that you could tax every single purchase, and monitor it, and make sure that money was going directly into the taxpayers' pocket."
North Korea tensions: US submarine arrives in South Korea
A US submarine has arrived in South Korea, amid worries of another North Korean missile or nuclear test.
The missile-armed USS Michigan is set to join an incoming group of warships led by aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.
North Korea is celebrating its army's 85th founding anniversary on Tuesday. Reports suggest it has marked the event with its "largest ever firing drill".
Tensions have risen in the area in recent weeks, with the US and North Korea exchanging heated rhetoric.
Experts fear Pyongyang could be planning more tests - it has marked some key anniversaries in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches.
Why Beijing should lead on North Korean crisis
North Korea 'detains American citizen'
What can the outside world do about N Korea?
However, South Korea's defence ministry said "no unusual development had been detected".
Instead, the North conducted a large live-fire drill to mark its military anniversary, South Korean news agency Yonhap said, citing a government source.
North Korea conducted a failed ballistic missile test on 16 April, prompting US Vice-President Mike Pence to warn it not to "test" President Donald Trump.
In an unusual move, the entire US Senate has been asked to attend a briefing on North Korea on Wednesday at the White House.
The USS Michigan docked at South Korea's Busan port on Tuesday, in what it called a routine visit. It is a nuclear-powered submarine carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 60 special operations troops and mini-subs, reported the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
Analysis: Stephen Evans, BBC News, Seoul
The North Korean crisis is moving on many fronts.
The US submarine docking in South Korea is a routine event - but in this time of heightened tension it has extra significance
Pyongyang remains defiant, including of China, warning that if it helped the US, the results would be "catastrophic".
Envoys from South Korea, the US and Japan are discussing North Korea in Tokyo.
What this all adds up to depends on whether President Trump has rejected the advice given to his predecessors that attacking North Korea could provoke an attack on Seoul, with one expert saying there could be tens of thousands of deaths on the first day.
It may be that President Trump has decided that the cost of North Korea eventually getting nuclear weapons that could strike the US means that the risk of war has to be taken. We simply do not know.
The submarine is expected to take part in military exercises with the Carl Vinson warship group, which the US said it was dispatching to North Korea earlier this month to "maintain readiness" in the region.
At the time, Mr Trump said that he was sending an "armada" to the region and that the US had submarines which were "very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier".
Pyongyang reacted angrily to the aircraft carrier deployment, threatening to sink it and launch a "super-mighty pre-emptive strike" against what it called US aggression.
However, the US warships caused some confusion and attracted mockery when it emerged that they actually sailed in the opposite direction, away from North Korea, after the announcement. However, US Navy officials said they are now proceeding to the region as ordered.
China is North Korea's only ally and main trading partner - and the US has been urging Beijing to help put pressure on Pyongyang.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Mr Trump on Monday, urging all sides to "maintain restraint and avoid actions that would increase tensions".
The missile-armed USS Michigan is set to join an incoming group of warships led by aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.
North Korea is celebrating its army's 85th founding anniversary on Tuesday. Reports suggest it has marked the event with its "largest ever firing drill".
Tensions have risen in the area in recent weeks, with the US and North Korea exchanging heated rhetoric.
Experts fear Pyongyang could be planning more tests - it has marked some key anniversaries in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches.
Why Beijing should lead on North Korean crisis
North Korea 'detains American citizen'
What can the outside world do about N Korea?
However, South Korea's defence ministry said "no unusual development had been detected".
Instead, the North conducted a large live-fire drill to mark its military anniversary, South Korean news agency Yonhap said, citing a government source.
North Korea conducted a failed ballistic missile test on 16 April, prompting US Vice-President Mike Pence to warn it not to "test" President Donald Trump.
In an unusual move, the entire US Senate has been asked to attend a briefing on North Korea on Wednesday at the White House.
The USS Michigan docked at South Korea's Busan port on Tuesday, in what it called a routine visit. It is a nuclear-powered submarine carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 60 special operations troops and mini-subs, reported the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
Analysis: Stephen Evans, BBC News, Seoul
The North Korean crisis is moving on many fronts.
The US submarine docking in South Korea is a routine event - but in this time of heightened tension it has extra significance
Pyongyang remains defiant, including of China, warning that if it helped the US, the results would be "catastrophic".
Envoys from South Korea, the US and Japan are discussing North Korea in Tokyo.
What this all adds up to depends on whether President Trump has rejected the advice given to his predecessors that attacking North Korea could provoke an attack on Seoul, with one expert saying there could be tens of thousands of deaths on the first day.
It may be that President Trump has decided that the cost of North Korea eventually getting nuclear weapons that could strike the US means that the risk of war has to be taken. We simply do not know.
The submarine is expected to take part in military exercises with the Carl Vinson warship group, which the US said it was dispatching to North Korea earlier this month to "maintain readiness" in the region.
At the time, Mr Trump said that he was sending an "armada" to the region and that the US had submarines which were "very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier".
Pyongyang reacted angrily to the aircraft carrier deployment, threatening to sink it and launch a "super-mighty pre-emptive strike" against what it called US aggression.
However, the US warships caused some confusion and attracted mockery when it emerged that they actually sailed in the opposite direction, away from North Korea, after the announcement. However, US Navy officials said they are now proceeding to the region as ordered.
China is North Korea's only ally and main trading partner - and the US has been urging Beijing to help put pressure on Pyongyang.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Mr Trump on Monday, urging all sides to "maintain restraint and avoid actions that would increase tensions".
First double execution in the US since 2000 goes ahead in Arkansas
Two inmates have been given lethal injections as Arkansas completed the first double execution in the US since 2000.
It comes just days after the state ended a nearly 12-year hiatus on capital punishment.
Rapist and murderer Jack Jones was executed on schedule and pronounced dead at 7.20pm local time - 14 minutes after the procedure began.
Lawyers for the second man, Marcel Williams, convinced a judge minutes later to briefly delay his punishment over concerns about how Jones had died.
They claimed he was "gulping for air" and may have suffered - an account the state's attorney general denied.
However, the judge lifted her stay of execution about an hour later and Williams was pronounced dead at 10:33pm.
The last state to put more than one inmate to death on the same day was Texas, which executed two killers in August 2000.
Arkansas' last double execution occurred in 1999.
Jack Jones was sent to death row for the 1995 rape and killing of Mary Phillips, 34.
He was also convicted of attempting to kill Phillips' 11-year-old daughter, Lacy, who police thought was dead and only regained consciousness when crime scene experts were taking photos.
Jones was also convicted of another rape and killing in Florida.
Before his execution, Jones delivered a two-minute final statement where he apologised to Phillips' family, ending with: "I'm sorry."
Addressing Phillips' daughter, now 32, he told her: "Over time you can learn who I really am and I am not a monster."
Marcel Williams was sent to death row for the 1994 rape and killing of 22-year-old Stacy Errickson.
He kidnapped the mother-of-two from a petrol station at gunpoint and strangled her.
Williams also admitted to the state Parole Board last month that he had abducted and raped two other women in the days before his arrest over Errickson's murder.
"I wish I could take it back, but I can't," Williams told the board.
Attorney General Leslie Routledge said she hoped his execution would bring "much-needed peace" to Errickson's children, now adults.
The men challenged their executions on the basis that because they were both obese and had diabetes, the execution could be cruel and unusual and cause "severe pain".
Williams weighed 28 stone (400 pounds) and his lawyers said it meant the line carrying the lethal drugs could be placed incorrectly and cause him damage like a collapsed lung.
Arkansas had planned to stage four double-executions within an 11-day period because its stock of lethal injection drug midazolam is due to pass its use-by date at the end of April.
The first three executions were cancelled because of court rulings.
But Ledell Lee was put to death on 21 April, with the clock ticking down on two impending deadlines.
Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said it is "a serious and reflective time" in the state but that residents should know that justice has been carried out.
Nine people have been executed in the US so far this year, including Jones and Williams.
Twenty were executed last year, down from 98 in 1999 and the lowest number since 14 in 1991.
It comes just days after the state ended a nearly 12-year hiatus on capital punishment.
Rapist and murderer Jack Jones was executed on schedule and pronounced dead at 7.20pm local time - 14 minutes after the procedure began.
Lawyers for the second man, Marcel Williams, convinced a judge minutes later to briefly delay his punishment over concerns about how Jones had died.
They claimed he was "gulping for air" and may have suffered - an account the state's attorney general denied.
However, the judge lifted her stay of execution about an hour later and Williams was pronounced dead at 10:33pm.
The last state to put more than one inmate to death on the same day was Texas, which executed two killers in August 2000.
Arkansas' last double execution occurred in 1999.
Jack Jones was sent to death row for the 1995 rape and killing of Mary Phillips, 34.
He was also convicted of attempting to kill Phillips' 11-year-old daughter, Lacy, who police thought was dead and only regained consciousness when crime scene experts were taking photos.
Jones was also convicted of another rape and killing in Florida.
Before his execution, Jones delivered a two-minute final statement where he apologised to Phillips' family, ending with: "I'm sorry."
Addressing Phillips' daughter, now 32, he told her: "Over time you can learn who I really am and I am not a monster."
Marcel Williams was sent to death row for the 1994 rape and killing of 22-year-old Stacy Errickson.
He kidnapped the mother-of-two from a petrol station at gunpoint and strangled her.
Williams also admitted to the state Parole Board last month that he had abducted and raped two other women in the days before his arrest over Errickson's murder.
"I wish I could take it back, but I can't," Williams told the board.
Attorney General Leslie Routledge said she hoped his execution would bring "much-needed peace" to Errickson's children, now adults.
The men challenged their executions on the basis that because they were both obese and had diabetes, the execution could be cruel and unusual and cause "severe pain".
Williams weighed 28 stone (400 pounds) and his lawyers said it meant the line carrying the lethal drugs could be placed incorrectly and cause him damage like a collapsed lung.
Arkansas had planned to stage four double-executions within an 11-day period because its stock of lethal injection drug midazolam is due to pass its use-by date at the end of April.
The first three executions were cancelled because of court rulings.
But Ledell Lee was put to death on 21 April, with the clock ticking down on two impending deadlines.
Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said it is "a serious and reflective time" in the state but that residents should know that justice has been carried out.
Nine people have been executed in the US so far this year, including Jones and Williams.
Twenty were executed last year, down from 98 in 1999 and the lowest number since 14 in 1991.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Pregnant Ferne McCann's ex-boyfriend in court over acid attack
The father of reality TV star Ferne McCann's unborn child has appeared in court charged over an acid attack in an east London nightclub.
Arthur Collins is charged with 14 counts of grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent against four men and 10 women, and one count of throwing an acidic liquid with intent to do GBH to multiple people.
Two people were partially blinded by the attack at the Mangle nightclub in Hackney on 17 April, while other victims were left disfigured.
Collins, 24, wearing a green jacket over a grey hooded top and walking with crutches, spoke only to confirm his name and address when he appeared at Thames Magistrates Court on Monday.
In a statement released earlier McCann, best known for her appearances on The Only Way Is Essex and I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! said her thoughts are with the victims of what she described as an "horrific" attack.
McCann's agent said: "Ferne is grateful for the sympathetic way news of her pregnancy has been covered and people's support and obviously her first concern is for her child's health."
She added that McCann, who has a presenting role on daytime television show This Morning, is under "immense strain".
The agent said: "Ferne is in no way seeking sympathy for her situation and is determined to do all she can to have a happy and healthy child and face the challenges of being a single parent with all her energy."
Andre Phoenix, of Clyde Road, Tottenham, appeared alongside Collins, of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
Phoenix, 21, is charged with seven counts of throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to do GBH to three men and four women.
Prosecutor Ciro D'Alessio told the court there was a third unidentified suspect at large.
Both defendants, who had family members looking on from the public gallery, were remanded in custody to appear at Wood Green Crown Court on 22 May.
Arthur Collins is charged with 14 counts of grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent against four men and 10 women, and one count of throwing an acidic liquid with intent to do GBH to multiple people.
Two people were partially blinded by the attack at the Mangle nightclub in Hackney on 17 April, while other victims were left disfigured.
Collins, 24, wearing a green jacket over a grey hooded top and walking with crutches, spoke only to confirm his name and address when he appeared at Thames Magistrates Court on Monday.
In a statement released earlier McCann, best known for her appearances on The Only Way Is Essex and I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! said her thoughts are with the victims of what she described as an "horrific" attack.
McCann's agent said: "Ferne is grateful for the sympathetic way news of her pregnancy has been covered and people's support and obviously her first concern is for her child's health."
She added that McCann, who has a presenting role on daytime television show This Morning, is under "immense strain".
The agent said: "Ferne is in no way seeking sympathy for her situation and is determined to do all she can to have a happy and healthy child and face the challenges of being a single parent with all her energy."
Andre Phoenix, of Clyde Road, Tottenham, appeared alongside Collins, of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
Phoenix, 21, is charged with seven counts of throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to do GBH to three men and four women.
Prosecutor Ciro D'Alessio told the court there was a third unidentified suspect at large.
Both defendants, who had family members looking on from the public gallery, were remanded in custody to appear at Wood Green Crown Court on 22 May.
Labour wants to create four patron saints' day bank holidays
A Labour government will seek to create four new UK-wide bank holidays on the patron saint's day of each of the home nations, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
Speaking today on St George's Day, the Labour leader said the move would bring together England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while giving workers a well-deserved break.
But a Conservative source told Sky News that the British economy "would be on permanent holiday if Mr Corbyn got near Downing Street".
Under the proposal, there would be public holidays on St David's Day (1 March), St Patrick's Day (17 March), St George's Day (23 April) and St Andrew's Day (30 November).
:: Can we really afford to have more bank holidays?
Mr Corbyn said: "For years, Britain's workers haven't had a proper pay rise, with wages for most people still below 2007 levels.
"After seven years of painful austerity, our workers deserve a break - and under a Labour government, they will have the opportunity of four more days off a year.
"The four nations that make up our great country have rarely been more divided due to the damaging and divisive policies of this Conservative Government."
Meanwhile, Theresa May is expected to propose slashing energy prices by as much as £100 for 17 million families in the Conservative manifesto.
The Prime Minister will call for a cap on gas and electricity bills for seven out of 10 households that pay standard variable tariffs.
Allies of Ed Miliband, though, have accused Mrs May of "stealing" his flagship 2015 plan as part of her bid to win seats in Labour's northern heartlands.
The policy is the centrepiece of a manifesto that the Conservatives say will set out a bold vision for Britain, with new rights for workers and proposals to tackle rogue bosses.
UKIP look likely to tack right in this election with a pledge to ban the full-face veils worn by some Muslim women.
Party leader Paul Nuttall will launch what he calls an "integration agenda" on Monday.
The election manifesto is expected to include banning wearing the burka and niqab in public which they argue is a barrier to social harmony, as well as a security risk.
He will also propose outlawing Sharia law - the religious rules that form part of Islamic tradition.
And UKIP will call for postal voting to be largely abolished, because of concerns over electoral fraud.
In the latest election polls, a Comres poll for Sunday Mirror found that 50% of people would vote Conservative, 25% would vote Labour, 11% would vote Liberal Democrat and 7% UKIP.
The 50% support is a Comres poll's highest for a party since 1991.
An opinium poll of 2,003 people for the Observer found that 45% of voters would back the Conservatives if an election was held tomorrow - up seven points from last week - with 26% saying they would vote Labour (down three points), 9% for UKIP (down five points) and the Lib Dems on 11% (up four points).
YouGov for The Sunday Times, meanwhile, also has the Conservatives well ahead on 48% - a 23-point lead over Labour on 25%. It has the Lib Dems on 12% while support for UKIP is just 5%.
Speaking today on St George's Day, the Labour leader said the move would bring together England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while giving workers a well-deserved break.
But a Conservative source told Sky News that the British economy "would be on permanent holiday if Mr Corbyn got near Downing Street".
Under the proposal, there would be public holidays on St David's Day (1 March), St Patrick's Day (17 March), St George's Day (23 April) and St Andrew's Day (30 November).
:: Can we really afford to have more bank holidays?
Mr Corbyn said: "For years, Britain's workers haven't had a proper pay rise, with wages for most people still below 2007 levels.
"After seven years of painful austerity, our workers deserve a break - and under a Labour government, they will have the opportunity of four more days off a year.
"The four nations that make up our great country have rarely been more divided due to the damaging and divisive policies of this Conservative Government."
Meanwhile, Theresa May is expected to propose slashing energy prices by as much as £100 for 17 million families in the Conservative manifesto.
The Prime Minister will call for a cap on gas and electricity bills for seven out of 10 households that pay standard variable tariffs.
Allies of Ed Miliband, though, have accused Mrs May of "stealing" his flagship 2015 plan as part of her bid to win seats in Labour's northern heartlands.
The policy is the centrepiece of a manifesto that the Conservatives say will set out a bold vision for Britain, with new rights for workers and proposals to tackle rogue bosses.
UKIP look likely to tack right in this election with a pledge to ban the full-face veils worn by some Muslim women.
Party leader Paul Nuttall will launch what he calls an "integration agenda" on Monday.
The election manifesto is expected to include banning wearing the burka and niqab in public which they argue is a barrier to social harmony, as well as a security risk.
He will also propose outlawing Sharia law - the religious rules that form part of Islamic tradition.
And UKIP will call for postal voting to be largely abolished, because of concerns over electoral fraud.
In the latest election polls, a Comres poll for Sunday Mirror found that 50% of people would vote Conservative, 25% would vote Labour, 11% would vote Liberal Democrat and 7% UKIP.
The 50% support is a Comres poll's highest for a party since 1991.
An opinium poll of 2,003 people for the Observer found that 45% of voters would back the Conservatives if an election was held tomorrow - up seven points from last week - with 26% saying they would vote Labour (down three points), 9% for UKIP (down five points) and the Lib Dems on 11% (up four points).
YouGov for The Sunday Times, meanwhile, also has the Conservatives well ahead on 48% - a 23-point lead over Labour on 25%. It has the Lib Dems on 12% while support for UKIP is just 5%.
University lecturer Tony Kim named as American held in North Korea
An American citizen who has been arrested in North Korea had been lecturing at a university in Pyongyang, officials have confirmed.
Tony Kim, also known as Kim Sang-duk, was detained as he attempted to travel from Pyongyang Airport to China with his wife on Saturday.
The 58-year-old had taught accounting at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) for around a month before his arrest.
The university's chancellor, Park Chan-mo, said he was informed the detention had "nothing to do" with Mr Kim's work at PUST but did not know further details.
North Korean authorities have not yet confirmed why Mr Kim was arrested and the US State Department has declined to comment "due to privacy considerations".
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Mr Kim had also been involved in an aid programme for children in rural parts of North Korea.
It cited a source familiar with the matter who described Kim as a "religiously devoted man".
Tony Kim is the third American to be held in North Korea.
Last year, Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old university student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in prison after he confessed to trying to steal a propaganda banner.
Meanwhile, South Korea-born Kim Dong-Chul is serving a 10-year sentence for espionage.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions between North Korea and the US, which has sent a carrier strike group towards the Korean Peninsula.
Chinese state media says that President Xi Jinping called for restraint over the situation during a phone call with Donald Trump on Monday morning.
"If all sides bear the responsibilities they're supposed to bear and come together, the nuclear issue on the peninsula can be resolved as quickly as possible," Mr Xi reportedly told the US president.
Pyongyang has warned it will respond to any US aggression and threatened a nuclear strike on Australia after urging the country to think twice before "blindly and zealously toeing the US line".
Tony Kim, also known as Kim Sang-duk, was detained as he attempted to travel from Pyongyang Airport to China with his wife on Saturday.
The 58-year-old had taught accounting at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) for around a month before his arrest.
The university's chancellor, Park Chan-mo, said he was informed the detention had "nothing to do" with Mr Kim's work at PUST but did not know further details.
North Korean authorities have not yet confirmed why Mr Kim was arrested and the US State Department has declined to comment "due to privacy considerations".
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Mr Kim had also been involved in an aid programme for children in rural parts of North Korea.
It cited a source familiar with the matter who described Kim as a "religiously devoted man".
Tony Kim is the third American to be held in North Korea.
Last year, Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old university student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in prison after he confessed to trying to steal a propaganda banner.
Meanwhile, South Korea-born Kim Dong-Chul is serving a 10-year sentence for espionage.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions between North Korea and the US, which has sent a carrier strike group towards the Korean Peninsula.
Chinese state media says that President Xi Jinping called for restraint over the situation during a phone call with Donald Trump on Monday morning.
"If all sides bear the responsibilities they're supposed to bear and come together, the nuclear issue on the peninsula can be resolved as quickly as possible," Mr Xi reportedly told the US president.
Pyongyang has warned it will respond to any US aggression and threatened a nuclear strike on Australia after urging the country to think twice before "blindly and zealously toeing the US line".
Sunday, April 23, 2017
North Korea threatens to strike US aircraft carrier to show 'military's force'
North Korea threatened Sunday to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier to demonstrate its military prowess as two Japanese Navy ships joined a U.S. strike group for exercises in the Philippine Sea.
“Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a single strike," according to North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party’s newspaper, the Rodong Sinmum.
The paper also likened the USS Carl Vinson to a “gross animal” and said a strike on the carrier would be “an actual example to show our military’s force.”
President Trump ordered the USS Carl Vinson to sail to waters off the Korean Peninsula in response to the rising tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests and threats to attack the U.S. and its allies. Vice President Pence said Saturday that group would arrive “within days.”
The Vinson and two other U.S. warships were joined by two Japanese destroyers as they continued their journey north in the western Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The U.S. group also includes a guided-missile cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer.
The aircraft carrier had canceled a scheduled visit to Australia to divert toward North Korea in a show of force, though it still conducted a curtailed training exercise with Australia before doing so.
The Navy called the exercise "routine" and said it is designed to improve combined maritime response and defense capabilities, as well as joint maneuvering proficiency.
The Vinson group has conducted three previous bilateral exercises with the Japanese Navy since leaving San Diego on Jan. 5 for a western Pacific deployment. The most recent one was in March.
Analysts believe that North Korea could be gearing up for its sixth nuclear test in wake of a failed missile launch and ahead of the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, which takes place Tuesday.
North Korea conducted two of its five nuclear tests last year and is believed to be working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that could reach the mainland U.S.
“Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a single strike," according to North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party’s newspaper, the Rodong Sinmum.
The paper also likened the USS Carl Vinson to a “gross animal” and said a strike on the carrier would be “an actual example to show our military’s force.”
President Trump ordered the USS Carl Vinson to sail to waters off the Korean Peninsula in response to the rising tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests and threats to attack the U.S. and its allies. Vice President Pence said Saturday that group would arrive “within days.”
The Vinson and two other U.S. warships were joined by two Japanese destroyers as they continued their journey north in the western Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The U.S. group also includes a guided-missile cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer.
The aircraft carrier had canceled a scheduled visit to Australia to divert toward North Korea in a show of force, though it still conducted a curtailed training exercise with Australia before doing so.
The Navy called the exercise "routine" and said it is designed to improve combined maritime response and defense capabilities, as well as joint maneuvering proficiency.
The Vinson group has conducted three previous bilateral exercises with the Japanese Navy since leaving San Diego on Jan. 5 for a western Pacific deployment. The most recent one was in March.
Analysts believe that North Korea could be gearing up for its sixth nuclear test in wake of a failed missile launch and ahead of the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, which takes place Tuesday.
North Korea conducted two of its five nuclear tests last year and is believed to be working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that could reach the mainland U.S.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)