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Year: 2023

North Korea to launch 3 new satellites in 2024, as Kim warns war inevitable

North Korea to launch 3 new satellites in 2024, as Kim warns war inevitable

North Korea has said it will launch three more military spy satellites, build military drones and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024, continuing a military modernisation programme that saw a record number of weapons tests this year. Pyongyang put a spy satellite into orbit in November at its third attempt and this month, again launched its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is seen as having the range to deliver a nuclear warhead to anywhere in the United States. “The task of launching three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024 was declared” as one of the key policy decisions for 2024 at the end of a five-day party meeting chaired by leader Kim Jong Un, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Kim wrapped up the meeting on Saturday, lashing out at the US, which he blamed for making war inevitable. “Because of reckless moves by the enemies to invade us, it is a fait accompli that a war can break out at any time on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim said, according to KCNA. He ordered the military to prepare to “pacify the entire territory of South Korea”, including with nuclear bombs if necessary, in response to any attack. Experts say North Korea aims to continue its policy of military pressure to try and increase any leverage around November’s presidential elections in the US, where former President Donald Trump is bidding to return to power. When Trump was last in office, he held two summits with Kim and met him at the demilitarised zone that divides the two Koreas, but while the events made lots of headlines, they failed to make any breakthrough. US President Joe Biden’s administration has deepened political and military ties with South Korea and imposed new sanctions as Pyongyang has tested more weapons. Washington has also deployed nuclear-powered submarines in South Korea as well as flown its long-range bombers in drills with Seoul and Tokyo. “Pyongyang might be waiting out the US presidential election to see what its provocations can buy it with the next administration,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, wrote in an email. Kim said he could not ignore such US deployments, claiming such weapons had completely transformed South Korea into a “forward military base and nuclear arsenal” of the US. “If we look closely at the confrontational military actions by the enemy forces… the word ‘war’ has become a realistic reality and not an abstract concept,” Kim said. Kim said he has no choice but to press forward with his nuclear ambitions and develop deeper relations with other countries that oppose the US. North Korea has deep ties with both China and Russia. South Koreans will also go to the polls in April for a parliamentary election that could affect the domestic and foreign agenda of President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative who has maintained a hawkish stance towards Pyongyang. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) warned on Thursday that there was a “high possibility that North Korea could unexpectedly conduct military provocations or stage a cyberattack in 2024, when fluid political situations are expected with the elections”. Speaking at the end of the party meeting, Kim said he would no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea, noting the “persisting uncontrollable crisis situation”. Relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated sharply this year, with Pyongyang’s spy satellite launch prompting Seoul to partially suspend a 2018 military agreement that was supposed to help reduce tensions on the peninsula. In response, North Korea said it would move more troops and military equipment to the border and would not be constrained by the 2018 pact. “I believe that it is a mistake that we should no longer make to consider the people who declare us as the ‘main enemy’… as a counterpart for reconciliation and unification,” KCNA cited Kim as saying. ‘Can’t match’ South Korea Pyongyang declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power last year and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear programme, which it views as essential for its survival. The United Nations Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since it first conducted a nuclear test in 2006. The last test was in 2017. Kim promised to strengthen nuclear and missile forces, build unmanned drones, expand the submarine fleet and develop its capabilities in electronic warfare in 2024, but Easley said that even with such developments, it would remain far behind Seoul. “The Kim regime may believe it can violate UN sanctions on its weapons programs with impunity, but even with the support of Moscow and Beijing, Pyongyang can’t match South Korea’s sophisticated defence acquisitions and training coordinated with the United States and Japan,” he said. “Seoul is pushing ahead both in outer space and with aerial drones, so despite North Korea’s cyber hacking and efforts at launching spy satellites, it will likely fall further behind on military technology and intelligence in the New Year.” North Korea’s successful launch of a spy satellite followed two high-profile failures and came a couple of months after Kim visited Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin who promised to help North Korea build satellites. South Korean officials have said Russian assistance probably contributed to the success of the third mission. Seoul and Washington are also concerned that Pyongyang has been selling weapons to Russia in exchange for such technological know-how. Adblock test (Why?)

Nepal court finds former cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of rape

Nepal court finds former cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of rape

Court in Nepal finds Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman at a Kathmandu hotel in 2022. A court in Nepal has found the country’s highest profile cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman and has fixed January 10 for his sentencing. The judgement was announced after a repeatedly delayed trial that had left him free to continue his sporting career. The 23-year-old has been the face of cricket in Nepal and was the only player from the country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues across the world. He was suspended as Nepal’s captain last year and taken into custody after police issued an arrest warrant for him over the assault in 2022. He was later released on bail. Lamichhane could face up to 10 years in jail. His lawyers said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court. “We did not expect this judgement … we are frustrated,” lawyer Sabita Bhandari Baral told the Reuters news agency about Friday’s verdict by the Kathmandu District Court. “We’ll definitely appeal,” she said. District Court official Ramu Sharma confirmed the verdict to the AFP news agency. “The event was not consensual,” he said. The former captain’s on-field success has boosted the sport’s profile in the Himalayan nation over the past few years. When authorities issued an arrest warrant, Lamichhane initially failed to return from Jamaica, where he was playing in the Caribbean Premier League. He was dismissed as national captain and arrested last year, but Nepal lifted his playing ban after he was freed on bail. This allowed him to remain in the national team, including for the World Cup qualifiers and September’s Asia Cup. Lamichhane has consistently denied the charge against him and enjoyed strong public support despite the accusations. Hundreds of cheering cricket fans welcomed him when he returned to the field in February. But his continued playing career has also sparked anger and caused numerous Nepalis to disavow the team. Scotland’s cricketers refused to shake hands with him after their matches during an international tournament in Dubai. The case took more than a year to conclude after repeated delays on procedural grounds. Cricket has been growing in popularity in Nepal and the country was given one-day international status by the world governing body in 2018. Lamichhane has been a major part of this rise as the most sought-after Nepali cricketer in lucrative leagues around the world. The leg spinner’s big break came when he was snapped up for the lucrative Indian Premier League, the world’s richest cricket tournament, in 2018. Adblock test (Why?)

Heat and fire, rains and drought: How 2023 broke climate records

Heat and fire, rains and drought: How 2023 broke climate records

The year 2023 has been the hottest on record, according to scientists. According to observers, sizzling heatwaves, devastating floods, and storms have all contributed to global weather records being smashed this year. “[Year] 2023 has now had six record-breaking months and two record-breaking seasons,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), said in a statement this month. The world has experienced the highest mean temperature on record for the first 11 months of the year, 1.46 degrees Celsius (2.63 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average. From January to November, the 11-month average was 0.13C (0.234F) higher than 2016, which was previously the warmest calendar year on record. In June, scientists announced the arrival of the El Nino climate pattern. Emerging in the central and eastern Pacific near the equator, El Nino is responsible for the warming and cooling of large areas of the ocean, which significantly influences where and how much it rains and changes in global temperature. The strong weather pattern, responsible for higher global temperatures, has contributed to the catastrophic extremes seen in 2023. Here is a timeline of how the climate record-breaking unfolded: Scientists say the record-breaking extremes of 2023 serve as a sobering warning of what is to come if society does not curtail its use of coal, oil and gas. “As long as greenhouse gas concentrations keep rising, we can’t expect different outcomes from those seen this year,” C3S director Carlo Buontempo said. “The temperature will keep rising and so will the impacts of heatwaves and droughts. Reaching net zero as soon as possible is an effective way to manage our climate risks.” The warm temperatures experienced so far throughout the year show no signs of letting up. The last month once again was the warmest November ever recorded. On November 17 and 18, the Earth’s global average surface temperature was more than 2C (3.6F) higher than pre-industrial levels — the first time scientists have ever recorded such a reading. With El Nino set to reach its full strength in the Northern Hemisphere winter, more extreme weather events are likely to be unleashed around the world in 2024. Adblock test (Why?)