N Korea sanctions

WASHINGTON: The US has sanctioned 55 companies and vessels and one person connected to North Korea, its Treasury Department said.

Eighteen of the shipping companies and vessels were either used to export coal from North Korea or used in ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products prohibited by UN sanctions.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a global shipping advisory with information about North Korea’s deceptive shipping practices, as well as an alert about the potential of sanctions against those who enable the shipment of goods to or from North Korea.

Politician misbehaves

BEIJING: A senior Chinese politician has been removed from his administrative positions and is under investigation for suspected “serious disciplinary violations”, state media Xinhua said.

Yang Jing will be kept under observation for one year. The secretary of the central committee, state councillor and secretary-general of the State Council allegedly violated party discipline and had “inappropriate” relationships with illegal businesses among other activities.

‘No drug damage’

MOSCOW: Russia’s foreign ministry is brushing off suggestions that the discovery of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in a school attached to Moscow’s Argentinian embassy harmed the mission’s reputation.

“The success of this operation was ensured by the effective actions of the Russian ambassador and diplomatic personnel,” it said on Friday.

Argentina’s security minister announced this week 389kg drugs were discovered in luggage in 2016. Five people were arrested last year.

Fall in net migration

LONDON: Brexit is little more than a year away but there is mounting evidence it’s having a major impact on the number of European citizens looking to live and work in Britain.

Figures released this week show net migration – the difference between those coming into Britain and those leaving – from other EU countries falling below 100000 for the first time since March 2013.

Concern about immigration was a key reason behind Britain’s vote in June 2016 to leave the EU. Brexit is due in March 2019.

Catholics protest

MANILA: About 1000 Catholics in the Philippines marched in Manila yesterday to protest against President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs and efforts to reinstate the death penalty.

The protests come a day after students and provincial universities held demonstrations against Duterte, and a day before the 32nd anniversary of the “People Power” revolution that drove Ferdinand Marcos into exile.

Catholic devotees prayed and sang hymns as the Philippines’ cardinal read sermons against what they said were not “pro-life” policies. – Reuters

Sources: Ap/dpa/sputnik/reuters/ Xihua/african News Agency (ANA)