Seven members of UN Security Council asks Secretary-General Guterres for briefing on Myanmar

Seven members of the United Nations Security Council, including the United States and Britain, on Friday asked UN chief Antonio Guterres to publicly brief the 15-member body next week on the violence in Myanmar that he has described as ethnic cleansing. Sweden, the United States, Britain, France, Egypt, Senegal, and Kazakhstan want Ethiopia, president of the council for September, to arrange the briefing for next week, according to the request. More than 422,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled…

What military options are open to the US in tackling North Korea?

The United States has not been shy about threatening military action against North Korea.
As Pyongyang continues its march towards nuclearisation, US President Donald Trump has threatened to “totally destroy” the reclusive authoritarian regime with “fire and fury”, reiterating that “all options are on the table”. But he did not say how and when.
US Secretary of Defence James Mattis earlier threatened North Korea with a “massive military response”…

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urges UN to help create safe zones for Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh’s prime minister on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing a military crackdown to seek refuge in her country.
“These people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the UN General Assembly.
The UN says more than 420,000 Rohingya have fled for safety to Bangladesh in the face of an army campaign in northern Rakhine state that…

Buddhist mob try to block Red Cross aid shipment to Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar

Hundreds of Buddhists in Myanmar tried to block a shipment of aid to Muslims in Rakhine state where the United Nations has accused the military of ethnic cleansing, with a witness saying protesters threw petrol bombs before police dispersed them by firing into the air.
The shipment, being organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was bound for the north of the state where insurgent attacks on August 25 sparked a military backlash.
The violence has sent more than 420,000…

Philippines’ Duterte says son will be killed if involved in drugs after explosive claims he’s linked to Chinese triad

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he would have his son killed if drug trafficking allegations against the younger politician were true, and that the police who carried out the hit would be protected from prosecution.
Paolo Duterte, 42, this month appeared before a senate inquiry to deny accusations made by an opposition lawmaker he was a member of a Chinese triad who helped smuggle in a huge shipment of crystal methamphetamine from China.
President Duterte did not refer to the…

Europe to set up cybersecurity agency

The European Commission has proposed measures to improve cybersecurity in the EU, including a cybersecurity agency that would help EU countries hit by cyber- attacks and a European certification scheme to ensure that digital products and services are safe to use.