N.Korea seeks 'equilibrium' with US, says nuclear capability nearly complete
SEOUL, Sept 16 (AFP) - North Korea said Saturday it was seeking military “equilibrium” with the United States as leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to complete Pyongyang's nuclear programme, which he said had “nearly reached the terminal”.
North Korea successfully fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, responding to a new round of UN sanctions over its sixth nuclear test with its furthest-ever missile flight. “Our final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK,” leader Kim said, according to a report carried by the official KCNA news agency.
Kim said the country was close to the goal of completing its nuclear ambitions and should use all power at its disposal to finish the task, saying it had “nearly reached the terminal”, the official KCNA news agency reported.
Kim said Friday's launch, which it described as a drill rather than a test, had increased the North's “combat power of the nuclear force”, KCNA reported.
The UN Security Council condemned Friday's launch as “highly provocative” and US President Donald Trump scheduled talks with the leaders of Japan and South Korea to address the crisis.
The US Pacific Command confirmed Friday's rocket was an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) and said it did not pose a threat to North America or to the US Pacific territory of Guam, which Pyongyang has threatened with “enveloping fire”.
Seoul's defence ministry said it probably travelled around 3,700 kilometres and reached a maximum altitude of 770 kilometres.
Yang Uk, an analyst with the Korea Defence and Security Forum, told AFP that Kim's stated ambition of achieving a military balance was some way off.
“It's too unrealistic for North Korea to reach equilibrium in nuclear force with the US,” he said.
The North has raised global tensions with its rapid progress in weapons technology under Kim, who is regularly pic- tured by state media overseeing launches and visiting facilities. “The latest launch, which was apparently made from a TEL (transporter erector launcher or missile vehicle) instead of a makeshift launch pad, means the North is now ready to deploy the IRBM Hwasong-12 for combat purposes,” he said.
The North's previous missile launch, a Hwasong-12 IRBM just over two weeks ago, also overflew Japan's main islands and was the first to do so for years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron jointly appealed for talks with North Korea, saying this was the only way to resolve tensions over its nuclear programme.
The appeal was directed at the US and Japan, countries calling to ramp up pressure through sanctions rather than pin hopes on talks. Russia and China, North Korea's main ally, on Monday backed a US-drafted resolution at the Security Council to impose fresh sanctions on Pyongyang -- but they maintain dialogue is key to defuse the crisis.
In response to Friday's launch, South Korea's military immediately carried out a ballistic missile drill of its own, with the defence ministry saying it took place while the North's rocket was still airborne.
ST. LOUIS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets during clashes with protesters in St Louis early on Saturday after a white former policeman was acquitted of murdering a black suspect. A peaceful rally over Friday's not guilty verdict turned violent after police confronted a small group of demonstrators - three years after the shooting of another black suspect in the nearby suburb of Ferguson stirred nationwide anger and debate.
Officers fired tear gas as people broke windows at a library and two restaurants and threw bricks and water bottles at officers. Nine city officers and a state trooper were injured and at least 23 people were taken into custody.
Former city policeman Jason Stockley, 36, was found not guilty of the first-degree murder of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, shot to death on Dec. 20, 2011.
After the ruling, around 600 protesters marched from the courthouse through downtown St. Louis, chanting “No justice, no peace” and “Hey hey! Ho ho! These killer cops have got to go!” Some held “Black Lives Matter” signs.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" producer settles US suit linked to Malaysian fund
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The movie company that made “The Wolf of Wall Street”, and was co-founded by the Malaysian prime minister's step son, has settled a civil lawsuit brought by the US government to seize assets allegedly bought with money stolen from a Malaysian state fund.
Red Granite Pictures announced the settlement in a filing at the federal Los Angeles court on Friday, without revealing any sum. US prosecutors, pursuing a kleptocracy asset recovery initiative, had claimed the 2013 film, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was financed by Red Granite using funds stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). “The parties are pleased to inform the court that Red Granite and the government have reached a settlement in principle,” the filing stated.
The scandal has dogged Prime Minister Najib Razak, who had chaired 1MDB's advisory board until it was dismantled last year, but he has consistently denied any wrong doing related to the fund.
Pakistan army pushed political role for militant-linked groups
LAHORE, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A new Pakistani political party controlled by an Islamist with a $10 million US bounty on his head is backing a candidate in a by-election on Sunday, in what a former senior army officer says is a key step in a military-proposed plan to mainstream militant groups.
The Milli Muslim League party loyal to Hafiz Saeed - who the US and India accuse of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people - has little chance of seeing its favoured candidate win the seat vacated when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was removed from office by the Supreme Court in July.
But the foray into politics by Saeed's Islamist charity is following a blueprint that Sharif himself rejected when the military proposed it last year. Three close Sharif confidants with knowledge of the discussions confirmed that Sharif had opposed the “mainstreaming” plan, which senior military figures and some analysts see as a way of steering ultra-religious groups away from violent jihad.
Singaporeans hold rare protest over presidential vote