International
China says ready to support North Korea in Covid battle
AFP
China said Thursday it was ready to “fully support” North Korea in its pandemic prevention efforts after Pyongyang reported its first official Covid-19 case and declared a national emergency.
North Korea, which imposed a rigid blockade of its borders at the start of the pandemic in 2020, had not previously reported any Covid-19 cases.
But samples taken from patients with fevers in Pyongyang “coincided with Omicron BA.2 variant”, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday, as leader Kim Jong Un and top officials announced they would implement the “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system”.
China is North Korea’s biggest trade partner and close ally.
“We sympathise with the current (coronavirus) outbreak situation in North Korea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Thursday at a regular presser.
“As comrades, neighbours and friends, China is ready to provide full support and assistance to North Korea in its fight against the epidemic,” Zhao said, without offering details on whether China will send vaccines, medical equipment or aid.
North Korea has so far rejected any kind of vaccine programme — even when offered supplies by the World Health Organization, China and Russia — and has tried to prevent an outbreak by sealing its borders.
Experts say the nation’s 25 million people are vulnerable due to the lack of Covid-19 vaccines, and that the country’s crumbling health infrastructure would struggle to deal with a major outbreak.
China is one of the biggest donors of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries, but exports have dropped sharply in recent months as it battles major virus outbreaks in several provinces.
International
Rubio and Lavrov Hold Talks After Large-Scale Russian Assault on Ukraine
The United States remains willing to mediate in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaid Tuesday following a large-scale Russian attack against Kyiv.
“Every time you see these large attacks by either side, it is a reminder of why this is a terrible war (…) that must come to an end,” Rubio told reporters after holding a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Speaking during an official visit to India, Rubio stated that the United States is “ready and prepared to do whatever it can” to help facilitate an end to the conflict.
“We hope the opportunity presents itself at some point,” he added.
Russia warned on Monday that it could launch additional strikes against Kyiv, including attacks targeting what it described as “decision-making centers,” after carrying out weekend bombardments involving dozens of drones and missiles across Ukraine. The attacks reportedly killed four people.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Lavrov urged the United States during the call to evacuate diplomats from its embassy in Kyiv.
Rubio later clarified that Moscow had issued a warning to all embassies in the Ukrainian capital, not only to the U.S. diplomatic mission.
International
Omar García Harfuch Announces Arrest of “El Chapo’s” Nephew
Mexican security forces captured a nephew of convicted drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán during an operation carried out in the northern border state of Sonora, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The suspect, identified as Isai “N,” is reportedly wanted by authorities in the United States.
Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of security, stated on X that the detainee is a “nephew of ‘El Chapo,’” the former leader of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, who is currently serving a life sentence in the United States.
Mexican media identified the suspect as Isai Martínez Zepeda, who had reportedly been arrested in June 2008 while allegedly carrying high-caliber weapons.
However, the press office of Mexico’s Security Ministry told AFP that it did not have additional details regarding the earlier arrest.
Two sons of Joaquín Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López, are also imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges.
International
Diplomatic Talks Continue as Iran Accuses U.S. of Ceasefire Violations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran accused the United States on Tuesday of violating the fragile ceasefire over the past 48 hours in the province of Hormozgan Province, although officials did not specify the exact incident.
The accusations came after the United States Central Command announced on Monday that U.S. forces had targeted Iranian missile-launch facilities and vessels allegedly attempting to deploy mines in the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that its forces fired on a U.S. aircraft that allegedly attempted to enter Iranian airspace.
“The terrorist U.S. military, which has continued its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire (…) committed a serious violation of the ceasefire in Hormozgan Province over the past 48 hours,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also warned that Iran “will not leave any hostile act unanswered and will not hesitate to defend itself,” without providing further details.
The accusations emerged while a high-level Iranian delegation was in Qatar for diplomatic talks aimed at ending the conflict with Washington.
The confrontation began on February 28 following attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against Tehran.
Rubio and Lavrov Hold Talks After Large-Scale Russian Assault on Ukraine
Omar García Harfuch Announces Arrest of “El Chapo’s” Nephew
Diplomatic Talks Continue as Iran Accuses U.S. of Ceasefire Violations
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