VP Harris to visit DMZ after North Korean missile tests
US Vice President Kamala Harris is capping her four-day trip to Asia with a stop at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula as she tries to demonstrate the US commitment to the security of its Asian allies, Associated Press reported.
The visit on Thursday comes on the heels of North Korea’s latest missile launches and amid fears that it may conduct a nuclear test. Visiting the DMZ has become something of a ritual for American leaders hoping to show their resolve to stand firm against aggression.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, while Harris was in Japan, and had fired one before she left Washington on Sunday. The launches contribute to a record level of missile testing this year.
Before going to the DMZ, Harris met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at his office in Seoul and praised the alliance between the countries as a “linchpin of security and prosperity.” Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, called her visit “another turning point” in strengthening ties. Harris and Yoon were expected to discuss the growing North Korean nuclear threats and the U.S. commitments to defend the South. They were also expected to discuss expanding economic and technology partnerships and repairing recently strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo to strengthen their trilateral cooperation with Washington in the region.
Harris earlier spent three days in Tokyo, where she denounced North Korea’s “illicit weapons program” during a speech on an American destroyer at a naval base and attended the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the latest missile tests would not deter Harris from the DMZ and that she wanted to demonstrate America’s “rock-solid commitment” to regional security.
“As you know, North Korea has a history of doing these types of tests,” Jean-Pierre said, calling it “not unusual.”
Yoon had anchored his campaign with vows to deepen Seoul’s economic and security partnership with Washington to navigate challenges posed by the North Korean threat and address potential supply chain risks caused by the pandemic, the US-China rivalry and Russia’s war on Ukraine. But the alliance has been marked by tension recently, according to Associated Press.
A new law signed by President Joe Bidenprevents electric cars built outside of North America from being eligible for U.S. government subsidies, undermining the competitiveness of automakers like Seoul-based Hyundai.
South Koreans have reacted with a sense of betrayal, and Harris acknowledged the dispute in a conversation with the country’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, on Tuesday in Tokyo.
“They pledged to continue to consult as the law is implemented,” the White House said of the meeting.
Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the dispute over electric vehicles has swiftly become a firestorm that US officials cannot ignore, although there may not be a simple solution, Associated Press reported.
Nord Stream leak: West shores up pipeline security, blaming Russia 'sabotage'
European countries say they will ramp up security around oil and gas installations after the suspected sabotage of two major pipelines, BBC reported.
The EU, US and Nato have suggested damage to the pipelines between Russia and Germany was deliberate, but have not blamed Russia directly.
Russia has said it was not involved, and asked if the US was instead.
Russia has previously been accused of using gas supplies as a weapon against the West over its support for Ukraine.
The leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were discovered on Monday and Tuesday.
Neither pipeline was operating at the time, as the Nord Stream 2 project was abandoned when Russia invaded Ukraine, and Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 in September, citing a need for maintenance.
But both pipelines were still full of gas, which bubbled to the surface in an area a kilometre wide on the sea's surface.
Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said the leaks were likely to last for at least a week, until the gas escaping from the pipes runs out. An investigation has been launched.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed accusations of sabotage as "predictable, stupid and absurd".
Mr Peskov said he was "extremely concerned" about the leaks, adding that the possibility of a deliberate attack could not be ruled out.
In the aftermath of the alleged attacks, Norway - now Europe's largest gas supplier - has decided to deploy its military to protect crucial infrastructure.
Any attack would be handled jointly with allies, he said, according to BBC.
The Navy would be deployed to protect offshore installations, while police could increase presence at onshore facilities, he said.
Equinor, a Norwegian state-owned energy company, also said on Wednesday that it had also stepped up security measures.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he had discussed the protection of critical infrastructure with the defence minister of Denmark, the country closest to the damage.
And in the US, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the country would continue its work to safeguard Europe's energy security.
"We stand ready to provide support and assistance in close coordination with our allies and partners, if needed," Cpt Tamara Lawrence said.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline - which consists of two parallel branches stretches 745 miles (1,200km) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany.
Seismologists reported underwater blasts before the leaks emerged. Denmark's Defence Command has released footage of the leaks which shows bubbles - the largest is 1km (0.6 miles) in diameter - at the surface of the Baltic Sea.
"There is no doubt that these were explosions," said Bjorn Lund of Sweden's National Seismology Centre.
Mike Fulwood, a senior research fellow at the independent Oxford Institute for Energy Studies told the BBC sabotage was, indeed, the most likely cause of the leaks.
"To rupture an offshore pipeline is a rare occurrence, so three in 18 hours would be a big coincidence," he said.
If the sabotage was indeed committed by Russia, this was a "bizarre" move, he said, as it had already shut supplies off, BBC reported.
He estimated that repairs could take between three and six months, as the damaged sections would need to be replaced. Similar damage to a different pipeline in the past took nine months.
DSP lawmaker Chaudhary joins NC
Democratic Socialist Party leader and incumbent lawmaker Chanda Chaudhary joined the Nepali Congress on Wednesday. Party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Arzu Deuba welcomed her in the party. Leaders closed to her said that she joined the party after being assured of getting a ticket of first-past-the-post (FPTP) ticket.
Koirala faction stages sit-in at party headquarters in Sanepa (In pictures)
The Shekhar Koirala faction staged a sit-in at the party headquarters in Sanepa on Wednesday arguing that party President Sher Bahadur Deuba submitted the closed list of the Proportional Representation category to the Election Commission without holding discussions with other leaders.
The Koirala faction staged the sit-in demanding equal opportunities and justice in the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly.
They have demanded that the closed list be corrected at the earliest.
The Koirala faction said that they should get at least 40 percent of the total tickets to contest the elections.
On Tuesday, party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat had said that the list was submitted to the Elections by holding consultations with all the leaders.
Earlier this morning, a meeting was held among the party office bearers in Baluwatar to address the demands of the Koirala faction.
