South central asia

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - Former U.S. President Donald Trump tried threats of "fire and fury,” followed by personal letters and made-for-TV summits to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. As U.S. President Joe Biden now maps out his own strategy for North Korea, many former U.S. officials want the White House to base its approach on a less flashy but in some ways even more provocative idea: that North Korea has no plans to abandon the nuclear program it spent decades building. The United States has long demanded the complete denuclearization of North Korea, even as a wide range of Korea watchers agreed that will likely never happen. For many, the alternative is simply unfathomable; recognizing North Korea as a nuclear weapons state could convince other nations to pursue the bomb, leading to a regional or global arms race. But with or without recognition, North Korea has made steady progress on its nuclear and missile programs. According to recent … [Read more...] about As Biden Mulls North Korea, Some Urge Arms Control Approach

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - The National Bank of Cambodia, the country’s central bank, is aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. dollar with the introduction of digital currencies and the phasing out of small-denomination U.S. currency – $1, $2 and $5 bills – in favor of the local currency, the riel. Cambodia has run a dual-currency system since United Nations peacekeepers arrived to oversee elections in 1993, bringing with them U.S. dollars, which circulated in tandem with riel, providing much-needed currency stability amid postwar reconstruction. National Bank of Cambodia Governor Chea Chanto said in September that demand for the riel had increased an average of 16% a year for two decades, with annual economic growth rates of 7.8%, adding that fewer U.S. dollars in circulation would give the central bank greater control over the economy. “I firmly believe all ministries, institutions, companies, enterprises and those who actively participate in the process of … [Read more...] about Cambodia Aims to Reduce Dependency on US Dollar

WASHINGTON - Experts are urging the Biden administration to send an early signal to North Korea, conveying its interest in keeping diplomacy open even as Washington conducts policy reviews on how to deal with the regime so that it can gauge Pyongyang’s response for possible talks. “I believe that as part of the administration’s policy review, it makes sense to establish a private channel of communications to reach out to North Korea and to evaluate North Korea’s response,” said Scott Snyder, director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. “That message should indicate parameters and framing for potential follow-up dialogue opportunities.” Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Ro Khanna urged President Joe Biden to “promptly seek” talks with North Korea in a letter sent on Wednesday . “We hope that your administration’s North Korea policy review concludes that a step-by-step process — which tailors sanctions relief to the scope of a North Korean … [Read more...] about Early Signals to North Korea Seen as Key to Keeping Door Open to Diplomacy

South African Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier slammed preferential “Black Economic Empowerment” as “racial discrimination” Sunday, saying such favoritism smacks of apartheid. Cardinal Napier, the archbishop of Durban, wrote on Twitter that Affirmative Action, Black Economic Empowerment and even Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment are all forms of racial discrimination “on a par with apartheid policies” that also favored another group by race. The cardinal put his assertion in the form of a “Lenten Resolution”: to give up on trying to figure out how preferential treatment for blacks based on skin color can be anything other than discrimination. A Lenten Resolution: — Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 7, 2021 Cardinal Napier has also been a vocal critic of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which he said is “committed to dismantling the very values, structure and institutions” central to a healthy society. The mission statement of Black Lives Matter “indicates … [Read more...] about African Cardinal: Affirmative Action Is ‘Racial Discrimination’ Like Apartheid

Border Patrol Agents apprehended 105 migrants as they attempted to illegally enter the United States through the Texas southern border on Thursday, authorities announced. Initially, border patrol agents found a group consisting of 43 illegal immigrants who were smuggled through Havana, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement . As the agents processed the group, smugglers sent 62 other migrants across the precarious Rio Grande river. “Despite the inherent dangers of crossing the treacherous Rio Grande, subjects continue to risk their lives to enter the United States illegally,” CBP said in a statement. The Rio Grande’s rapid-moving waters, as well as the quicksand underneath, often causes drowning. Texans were warned never to enter it , not even to briefly cool off. “Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great … [Read more...] about 105 Illegal Immigrants Arrested At Texas Border