North Korea evades sanctions
NEW YORK –– North Korea received almost $200 million from January to September 2017 from exports of coal, iron, steel and other commodities banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions meant to crack down on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, according to a U.N. report.
Coal was delivered to China, Malaysia, South Korea, Russia and Vietnam by ships using a combination of“deceptive navigation patterns, signalsshipment ,” U.N. monitors said in the confidential report, which was seen by Bloomberg.
The report noted that increased sanctions have created lucrative markets for North Korean traders to procure petroleum products and export natural resources, and that more action is needed to stop such oil and coal transfers.
In January, the Trump administration announced anew round of sanctions targeting North Korea’s oil industry and shipping companies, and individuals or entities in China and Russia, two countries the U.S. says needs to do more to reinin Mr. Kim’s nuclear weapons program.
#MeToo in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank— A young Palestinian-Americanis the driving force behind a nascent #MeToomovement in this patriarchal corner of the world, selling T-shirts, hoodies and denim jackets with the slogan “Not Your Habibti [darling].”
Yasmeen Mjalli, whose parents immigrated to the U.S.and returned to the West Bank five years ago, wants to encourage Palestinian society to confront sexualharassment, a largely taboo subject.
The 21-year-old, who moved to the West Bank herself last year after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in art history, has faced backlash from conservatives and from some activists who say fighting Israel’s occupation is the priority for Palestinians.
Wage hike backlash
SEOUL, South Korea — Abacklash against a minimumwage hike shows the challenge facing President Moon Jae-in as he seeks to becomethe “jobs president.”
While millions of workers are happy with higher pay, others say employers are dodging the increases andeven laying off people instead of paying them more. Businesses complain that they can’t afford to pay thenew wage, which rose by16 percent to 7,530 won ($7.05)an hour as of Jan. 1.
While some U.S. cities have pushed ahead with big increases, nationwide hikes like South Korea’s have been rare. Its impact will be closelywatched.
Ancient tomb found
CAIRO— Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb near the country’s famed pyramids at the Giza plateau just outside Cairo, the Antiquities Ministry said Saturday.
The tomb was found in a wider area of Giza’s western necropolis, which is known to be home to tombs fromthe Old Kingdom. It likely belonged to a woman known as Hetpet, who archaeologists believe was closeto ancient Egyptian royals of the 5th Dynasty.
The tomb is made of mudbrick and includes wall paintings in good condition depicting Hetpet observing different hunting and fishing scenes.