HONG KONG, July 28 -- There are deep-rooted interests in the New Territories originating from the governance, development and planning of land. When the British leased the New Territories from the Qing government in 1898, the existing inhabitants – the “indigenous villagers” – fought back in the “Six-Day War.” To govern a piece of land ten times the size of the crown colony of Hong Kong and Kowloon, the British needed to cooperate with the village clans. The rural advisory body, the Heung Yee Kuk, was set up to represent the interests of the indigenous villagers in 1926. After World War II, Hong Kong experienced rapid population growth and industrialization, and new towns were planned in the New Territories. To gain support of the villagers, the government introduced the Small House Policy in 1972. Under the policy, every indigenous male villager would be entitled to build a three-storey, 700 sq ft small house – either on his own village land, by exchanging his non-village land with government land, or through a concessionary grant of land. Rural tradition provided justification for the policy. In turn, the “traditional rights and interests” of indigenous New Territories villagers was enshrined in Article 40 of the Basic Law after lobbying from late Heung Yee Kuk chairman Lau Wong-fat. This April, the High Court struck down the latter two methods of obtaining permission for a small house as unconstitutional, but the ruling will not be enforced pending an appeal.Yet many male descendants of indigenous villages have turned large profits through the Small House Policy by colluding with property developers. Developers are known to buy up swathes of low-cost agricultural land, and transfer them to villagers as trustees. In turn, the villagers obtain building licenses and sell the land back to the developers, who can effectively develop residential land at a far lower cost than had they purchased that land directly from the government. This practice entails the making of a false declaration to the government, but prosecutions are rare. The Liber Research Community has estimated that almost 10,000 small houses (23 per cent of those in existence) have been built this way, including 46 percent of all small houses in Yuen Long. The boom of rural land The rural land economy was given another boost in 1983, when the Full Court ruled in Attorney General v Melhado Investment Ltd that old crown leases to indigenous villagers containing the word “agricultural” would not actually bind them to using their land for farming. It interpreted the word as merely descriptive of the state of the land in the 1900s. Henceforth, the rural New Territories witnessed a large expansion in storage facilities, car parks and light industries – “brownfield” sites – all of which were legal so long as no buildings were constructed. The value of “brownfielded” agricultural land steeply increased, and so did the amount of compensation payable by the government for requisitioning that land. Despite the government’s attempts to slow down changes to the rural landscape through zoning regulations, the Liber Research Community has estimated that New Territories brownfield sites increased from 792 to 1,521 hectares between 1993 and 2017. Allegations of forcible destruction of farmland through the dumping of waste – to create a fait accompli of “brownfielding” or kick out existing farmers – are now commonplace. Over the course of a week this April, unknown men turned the farmland of a 75-year-old Hung Shui Kiu villager into a mountain of rubble. The district had been marked by the government for imminent development. Property developers have also been accused of “hoarding” land for years as an investment, waiting for prices to increase before developing it or allowing it to be resumed by the government. The practice has only added to the city’s ongoing housing crisis. To reform the rural economy, politicians such as Eddie Chu have called for democratising the Heung Yee Kuk. Former assistant director of planning Augustine Ng has even proposed that the government announce the non-renewal of New Territories land leases after 2047 – when most of them will expire – to deflate the property market. The rural-triad nexus Furthermore, it has been suggested that organised crime has established a foothold in the New Territories over time. Nam Pin Wai – where the armed mob moved to on Sunday night – is the territory of the city’s second-largest triad group: Wo Shing Wo, according to Apple Daily. While Chinese triads were historically hired by the Kuomintang government that fled from the mainland to Taiwan, Beijing is known to have established relations with Hong Kong groups long before the 1997 handover. In 1993, then Chinese minister for public security Tao Siju famously told reporters that “some triads love the country and love the party”. Generally, triads do not profess any explicit political alignment. Yet Sunday was not the first time they have been involved in attacking protesters – in October 2014, the Mong Kok encampment of the Umbrella Movement was assaulted by dozens of men. In the rural New Territories, the influence of triads may stem from their involvement in the land economy. They reportedly engage in work such as “brownfielding” and evictions to ensure the smooth operation of vested commercial and clan interests. The media often allude to the alleged personal triad connections of certain rural leaders. In a 2016 Initium Media interview, land researcher Chan Kim-ching explained their role in the context of commercial acquisitions of village land: “The first actor is the village chief, who asks as a consultant for property developers. He will politely discuss with villagers the sale of their land.” “But if you don’t sell, then I’m sorry, the work will be handed to the triads. Once you publicly expose the incident, they will go back to the original method. They will go back and forth between the approaches.” Meanwhile, it has proven difficult to police the vast rural landscape and its semi-private villages, and village elections have been marred by a history of organised violence. “Once the New Territories landlord class have triad backing, it’s like they have an army,” wrote Chan more recently. “They can sway the government’s land policy and ability to negotiate pricing, and influence half of Hong Kong. That’s how the New Territories rural gentry built up their interests.”
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Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 28 -- Starting grid for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Starting Grid
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* Sebastian Vettel: Suffering a suspected turbo issue ** Charles Leclerc: Suffering fuel system problem *** Lando Norris: Grid penalty for exceeding power unit components
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 27 -- Full results from qualifying for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Qualifying Results
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* Sebastian Vettel: suffering a suspected turbo issue ** Charles Leclerc: suffering fuel system problem Lora Smith ROTTERDAM, July 27 -- On Friday, more temperature records are falling in parts of Europe as the historic heat wave that brought the hottest weather ever recorded in Paris, London, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany shifts northward. In a few days, the weather system responsible for the heat wave will stretch all the way across the top of the globe. It's what this system, characterized by a strong area of high pressure aloft — often referred to as a heat dome — will do to the Arctic that has some scientists increasingly concerned. First, Norway, Sweden, and Finland will be the focus of unusually high temperatures through the weekend, as a potentially record strong area of high pressure in the mid-levels of the atmosphere sets up over the region, blocking any cold fronts or other storm systems from moving into the area, like a traffic light in the sky. Temperatures in parts of Scandinavia will reach into the 90s or higher, on the heels of an intense heat wave in 2018 that led to an outbreak of damaging wildfires on parts of the region. Bergen, Norway, already set an all-time record high on Friday with a temperature of 91 degrees (32.8 Celsius). So far this year, Arctic sea ice extent has hovered at record lows during the melt season. Weather patterns favorable for increased melt have predominated in this region, and an unusually mild summer has also increased melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Unlike with sea ice melt, runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet increases sea levels, since it adds new water to the oceans. If the entire ice sheet were to melt, it would raise global average sea levels by 23 feet. Ruth Mottram, a researcher with the Danish Meteorological Institute, tells The Washington Post that as the high-pressure area, also referred to as a "blocking ridge," sets up over Greenland, it could promote a widespread and significant melt event last seen in 2012. During that summer, nearly all of the ice sheet experienced melting, including the highest elevations that rarely exceed 32 degrees. "... Assuming this comes off (and it seems likely) we would expect a very large melt event over the ice sheet," Mottram said via email. "This was a very similar situation to 2012 where melt reached all the way up to Summit station. As you have probably seen the Arctic sea ice is already at record low for the time of year so clearly we may be looking at a situation where both Arctic sea ice and Greenland ice sheet have record losses even over and above 2012 — though we won't know for sure until after the event." Zack Labe, a climate researcher at the University of California at Irvine who focuses on Arctic climate change, said the upcoming Arctic heat wave could have major ramifications and may push sea ice to another record low at the end of the melt season. "This appears to be a very significant event for the Arctic," he said of the upcoming weather pattern. "A massive upper-level ridge will position itself across the North Atlantic and eventually Greenland in the next few days. This negative North Atlantic Oscillation-like pattern will be associated with well above average temperatures in Greenland. In fact, simulations from the MARv3.9 model suggest this may be the largest surface melt event of the summer," Labe said, referring to a computer model projection of surface ice melt in Greenland. "Whether or not we set a new record low this year, the timing and extent of open water on the Pacific side of the Arctic has been unprecedented in our satellite record. This is already having significant impacts to coastal communities in Alaska and marine ecosystems," Labe said. Elsewhere in the Arctic, this summer has been similarly extreme. Alaska had its warmest June on record, and more than 2 million acres have gone up in flames across the state as a result of a long stretch of above-average temperatures. Arcticwide, an unusual spate of wildfires is burning, affecting vast stretches of Siberia as well. Smoke from these fires is circling the globe, tracked via satellite imagery. These fires are a positive feedback in the climate system, since they are emitting greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Linda Lim HONG KONG, July 27 -- On July 21, an armed mob indiscriminately attacked returning demonstrators, journalists and civilians at Yuen Long MTR station in one of the most violent episodes of Hong Kong’s anti-extradition bill protests. Hong Kong’s reputation as one of the safest cities in the world has repeatedly been cited as a reason for opposing the now-suspended bill. But on this occasion, the police stand accused of colluding with city’s dark underbelly. Victims decried the 39-minute delay before their arrival, the closure of police stations and the poor response of the 999 emergency line, as well as footage of a commander chatting with the men who appeared to be part of the mob. As of Friday, 12 men have been arrested – with some linked to triads – although certain perpetrators are rumoured to have left the city. Fingers have also been pointed at Yuen Long’s rural leaders, whom – prior to the attacks – reportedly warned villagers not to leave their homes. According to a Democratic Party councillor, they had been told by China Liaison Office official Li Jiyi at an earlier dinner ceremony not to let protesters enter Yuen Long. Then on the day, the mob gathered in a nearby village before storming Yuen Long’s MTR station. When riot police eventually arrived, the men retreated to Nam Pin Wai village as an hours-long standoff between them and officers ensued. As Hong Kong reels from what some activists now call a “terrorist incident”, the alleged connections between officials, organised crime and rural leaders have been placed under the spotlight – and not for the first time. If the person or group behind the violence remains a matter of speculation, does the unique political landscape of the rural New Territories explain how such an attack was able to take place?
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 27 -- Full results from third practice for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Free Practice 3 Results
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* Linda Lim From early in the morning, many citizens laid flowers and bowed before giant statues of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il, the current leader's grandfather and father, on Mansu Hill in the heart of the capital. North Korean university students -- the men wearing suits and the women clad in the country's high-waisted, long-skirted traditional dresses -- gathered at squares across Pyongyang to dance and celebrate the anniversary.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday that the test of the "new-type tactical guided weapon" on Thursday morning was aimed at sending a "solemn" warning against South Korea's plan to carry out a joint military drill with the United States next month. North Korea has long called on the United States and the South to halt joint military exercises that Pyongyang regards as rehearsals for invasion. On June 30, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed at their meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom that the two countries would resume stalled denuclearization talks within weeks. North Korea designates July 27 as a holiday. In the nation's capital, slogans to celebrate the "victory" in war appear in public spaces. Western countries including Japan share the view that in the war that started in 1950, the U.S.-led United Nations forces had fought alongside South Korea following the North's invasion of the South in June of that year, supported by China and the Soviet Union. In contrast, North Korea claims that the United States waged the war in conspiracy with the South to topple the North. Ensuring the continuation of the political system led by the Kim family is a long-sought goal by Pyongyang. Hostilities ceased with an armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953, by the U.N. Command, North Korea's military and Chinese armed forces. U.N. Security Council resolutions have banned North Korea from using ballistic missile technology, but Trump has downplayed Pyongyang's latest ballistic missile launches just as he had done after similar missile tests in May. "They haven't done nuclear testing. They really haven't tested missiles other than, you know, smaller ones," Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox News, emphasizing that he is getting along with Kim "very well." Pyongyang fired two missiles from its east coast that fell in the Sea of Japan on Thursday morning, with Seoul saying they were a new type of short-range ballistic missile that flew about 600 kilometers. At working-level talks ahead of the second Trump-Kim summit in February, the United States and North Korea, which have no diplomatic relations, were preparing to declare an end to the Korean War. But at their meeting in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, Kim and Trump fell short of a deal over the gap between Washington's insistence on denuclearization and Pyongyang's demand for economic sanctions relief. At the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in June 2018 in Singapore, Trump promised to provide security guarantees to Pyongyang, while Kim committed to the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Lora Smith WASHINGTON, July 27 -- The US Supreme Court on Friday (July 26) handed President Donald Trump a victory by letting his administration redirect US$2.5 billion (S$3.4 billion) in money approved by Congress for the Pentagon to help build his promised wall along the US-Mexico border even though lawmakers refused to provide funding. The conservative-majority court voted 5-4 - with the court's liberals in dissent - and blocked in full a ruling by a federal judge in California barring the Republican president from spending the money. The basis was that Congress did not specifically authorize the funds to be spent on the wall project fiercely opposed by Democrats and Mexico's government. "Wow! Big VICTORY on the Wall. The United States Supreme Court overturns lower court injunction, allows Southern Border Wall to proceed. Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!" Trump tweeted just minutes after the court acted. A brief order explaining the court's decision said the government "made a sufficient showing" that the groups challenging the decision did not have grounds to bring a lawsuit. In a highly unusual move, Trump on Feb 15 declared a national emergency in a bid to fund the wall without congressional approval, an action Democrats said exceeded his powers under the US Constitution and usurped the authority of Congress. The administration has said it plans to redirect US$6.7 billion from the Departments of Defense and Treasury towards wall construction under the emergency declaration after failing to convince Congress to provide the money, including the US$2.5 billion in Pentagon funding. Congress earlier failed to provide US$5.7 billion in wall funding demanded by Trump in a showdown in which the president triggered a 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government that ended in January. The case arose from a challenge to Trump's action brought by Sierra Club, a leading environmental group, and the Southern Border Communities Coalition, a group advocating for people living in border areas. The challengers have said the wall would be disruptive to the environment in part because it could worsen flooding problems and have a negative impact on wildlife. US District Judge Haywood Gilliam ruled on May 30 in Oakland, California, that the administration's proposal to build parts of the border wall in California, New Mexico and Arizona with money appropriated for the Defense Department to use in the fight against illegal drugs was unlawful. The judge issued an injunction barring use of the Pentagon funds for a border wall. The administration asked that the injunction barring use of the reprogrammed funds be put on hold pending an appeal but the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to do so. Linda Lim SEOUL, July 27 -- Two South Koreans died and several others, including athletes attending world aquatic championships, were injured after a balcony collapsed under the weight of party-goers at a South Korean nightclub, local police said Saturday. The balcony at the venue close to the athletes’ village in Gwangju was a mangled wreck after it gave way and dropped around five meters, as clubbers ran to the exit screaming.A 38-year-old and a 27-year-old were rushed to hospital in grave condition after the inside balcony gave away at around 2.30am on Saturday, but both died from their injuries, according to local media, reporting that 16 people sustained injuries in the accident."An internal balcony collapsed at a club in Gwangju, killing two and injuring many, though the number of those injured could increase," said Mr Song Gi-ju, a detective with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency." An autopsy is planned for the two tomorrow. The two, who are locals, are not related to the swimming competition." The 16 injured comprised of 10 foreigners, of which eight are athletes participating in the championships.The eight injured athletes include three Americans, two New Zealanders, one Dutch, one Brazilian and one Italian. Police said earlier that among the Americans was a male diver and a female polo player. Two athletes were treated at Chosun University Hospital, one was treated at an unnamed Gwangju hospital, and the remainder went to the athletes village medical center for treatment for minor injuries, it said. "This is an awful tragedy,” said Mr Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo. "Players from our men’s and women’s teams were celebrating the women’s world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club. "Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families." Mr Ramsey added that all the American water polo players were "safe". Pictures showed the mangled wreckage of the balcony that collapsed under the weight of party-goers. "The site of the collapse was at the center of the club where customers were most heavily located," said the party-goer, surnamed Kim. The New Zealand water polo teams were also present, according to the New Zealand Herald. Their men’s captain told Radio Sport: "We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five or six meters and everyone started rushing out of the club after that. We, I guess, fell on top of the heads of other people that were beneath us." Water Polo Australia said some of its players were in the club but were unhurt. "Water Polo Australia can confirm that members of the Australian women’s water polo team were celebrating their world championship bronze medal win at an establishment in Gwangju, South Korea last night when part of the balcony collapsed," it said a statement. Organizers Fina said it "deeply regrets the situation and sends its best wishes to any victims of this accident". "As some Championships’ participants were present at the moment of the accident, Fina is carefully monitoring the situation and will activate all measures to ensure health care and assistance is provided whenever necessary," it said in a statement. The world championships end on Sunday.
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 26 -- Full results from second practice for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Free Practice 2 Results
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* Linda Lim SEOUL, July 26 -- Following the world's second-largest chip maker SK hynix's decision to reduce memory chip production this year, investors and market experts are turning their attention to the largest chip maker, Samsung Electronics. SK hynix said Thursday it will turn part of its DRAM fabrication line in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, over to non-memory CMOS image sensor (CIS) lines. It will reduce DRAM production capacity starting in the fourth quarter, the firm said, adding it also plans to reduce NAND wafer input by more than 15 percent this year, up from its earlier plan to decrease it by 10 percent. The move comes as the firm's second-quarter operating profit plummeted 89 percent from a year earlier to 637.6 billion won ($589 million) on lower memory chip prices and weak demand, in addition to persisting uncertainties in the global economy. Samsung Electronics is also expected to announce disappointing earnings for the second quarter, given it stated in its earnings guidance announced on July 5 that its operating profit might have plunged 56 percent from a year earlier. According to price tracker DRAM eXchange, the DRAM price was $3.31 per unit in June, down from $7.25 in December. Amid the chip industry downturn, the third-largest memory maker Micron Technology has also announced plans to cut DRAM and NAND flash output. A Samsung Electronics official said, "There is nothing I can talk about." Industry analysts said if Samsung joins moves to adjust memory chip production, it will reduce supply in the global market that is dominated by the three companies and this would contribute to curbing the price slump. "If the chip prices continue to decrease at the current pace, SK hynix and Micron's DRAM business will suffer operating losses within the year, and Samsung Electronics will go into deficit within the first half of next year," Yuanta Securities analyst Lee Jae-yoon said. "The necessity to cut production capacity will inevitably expand among memory chip makers." Meritz Securities analyst Kim Seon-woo said the smartphone market has continued to slow, while major clients have delayed the purchase of memory chips for their servers. "A fall in chip prices has failed to expand demand," Kim said. "To make SK hynix's strategy to adjust production capacity valid, Samsung Electronics will also need to join moves to systematically cut output. Samsung will need to make a bold decision to adjust manufacturing capacity." But from Samsung's point of view, it would be hard to announce a decision to cut production even if it is necessary as the move would exert enormous pressure on the global IT industry. If the tech giant joined the moves of the two other major chip makers, it could also possibly provoke a price-fixing controversy. Samsung, SK hynix and Micron have often been embroiled in price-fixing allegations in the United States, Europe and China. The Chinese government is investigating the three firms over their alleged involvement in fixing memory chip prices. Pete McGee BANGKOK, July 26 -- The Bank of Thailand (BOT)’s latest measure to manage the inflow of foreign money should not affect long-term foreign investment in the country, BOT director of economic analysis Pornpen Sodsrichai said on Thursday. "Our latest measure to prevent baht speculation by reducing the limit on the outstanding balance of non-resident baht accounts (NRBA) and non-resident baht accounts for Securities (NRBS) from Bt300 million to Bt200 million is focused on foreign investors who are speculators, but the BOT continues to welcome foreign investors seeking to expand investment in the country for the long term," said Pornpen. She added that the bank had taken the measure to cap non-resident accounts in response to an increase of foreign inflows in June that helped push up the baht. Pornpen said the BOT had plenty of measures in hand to manage the baht according to future developments, but would always leave room open for foreign individuals and organisations interested in expanding their long-term investment in Thailand. Kobsit Silapachai, economic and capital markets research manager for Kasikorn Bank, said that following the BOT measure the baht had effectively weakened from Bt30.60 per US$ to Bt30.90. The measure to reduce currency speculation, especially in the bond market, was effective in reducing short-term foreign bond purchases from Bt120 billion to just over Bt80 billion. However, Kobsit forecast that the upward trend of the baht would continue this year. "I believe the baht will appreciate because, along with short-term investors the country also still has long-term investors who will drive up the baht till the end of this year," he said. Meanwhile, at its end-of-July meeting the US Federal Reserve is expected to cut the interest rate by 0.25 per cent, which should serve to weaken the dollar and perhaps cause a short-term impact on the baht, he said.
Pete McGee
HOCKENHEIM, July 26 -- Full results from first practice for the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim Circuit, round eleven of the 2019 Formula 1 season.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 Results
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* Linda Lim HONG KONG, July 26 -- Protesters calling for democracy converged on Hong Kong International Airport on Friday, as travelers there were advised to leave early if they plan to catch a flight out. Airport authorities said flight operations would not be affected, but advised passengers to allow for extra travelling time to the airport . The former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997, is embroiled in its worst political crisis for decades after two months of increasingly violent protests that have posed one of the gravest populist challenges to China's leader Xi Jin Ping since he took office. The demonstrations, mushrooming up almost daily, saw the defacement of China's main representative office last weekend, triggering warnings from Beijing this was an attack on China's sovereignty. What started as an angry response to a now-suspended extradition bill, which would have allowed defendants to be sent to the mainland for trial, now includes demands for greater democracy, the resignation of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, and even keeping mainland Chinese tourists out of Hong Kong. Some protesters, dressed in helmets and seated on the ground of the arrivals hall, held up signs calling on the government to withdraw the extradition bill completely, while chants of "Free Hong Kong" reverberated around the building. "The world has been watching us in the past few weeks," said Jeremy Tam, a former pilot and lawmaker who helped organize the protest with other aviation sector employees. "We simply believe that the airport is the most direct way for all tourists to explain what is happening in Hong Kong." Singapore also issued a travel notice on Friday, advising citizens to avoid area of Hong Kong where protests may be taking place, and making reference to the airport demonstration. "If you are already in Hong Kong, you should take all necessary precautions to ensure your personal safety," it said. "Protests which are meant to be peaceful may still have the potential to turn violent with little or no notice." Some protesters handed out flyers explaining the city's crisis to tourists. Others condemned the failure of police to protect citizens and protesters from a frenzied attack by armed men at a train station last Sunday, and incident that shocked the city. Police sources said some of the attackers had triad backgrounds. Members of the public, tourists and pilots, flight attendants and other aviation workers signed a petition urging the Hong Kong government to prosecute the attackers. The Flight Attendants' Union for Hong Kong's main carrier Cathay Pacific had earlier urged its members to "stand up for our human rights and be connected with the rest of the Hong Kongers" on its Facebook page. "United Hong Kong Stands!" it added. Linda Lim WASHINGTON, July 26 -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday did not condemn North Korea for launching two new short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said North Korea has not tested missiles other than "smaller ones" and that he is getting along "very well" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In his first reaction to the launches earlier Thursday, Mr Trump said, "They haven't done nuclear testing. They really haven't tested missiles other than you know smaller ones." The remarks came after the State Department urged Pyongyang to refrain from further provocations. "We urge no more provocations," department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said at a press briefing, as she expressed hope that the two sides will promote negotiations to address North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. "We want to have diplomatic engagement with the North Koreans," Ms Ortagus said. "We continue to press and hope for these working-level negotiations to move forward." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said separately that the door remains open for diplomacy with North Korea despite Thursday's launches, and that he hopes working-level talks will begin as early as August. "President Trump has been incredibly consistent here: We want diplomacy to work," Mr Pompeo said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "If it takes another two weeks or four weeks, so be it." Mr Pompeo described the launches as more of a negotiating tactic than a move that would create a rupture or lead Mr Trump to reverse his commitment to talks with Mr Kim. "Everybody tries to get ready for negotiations and create leverage and create risk for the other side," he said. "We remain convinced that there's a diplomatic way forward, a negotiated solution to this." Thursday's launches came less than a month after Mr Trump and Mr Kim agreed to restart denuclearization talks that stalled after their meeting in February in Hanoi. In their talks on June 30 in the Demilitarised Zone dividing the two Koreas, Mr Trump said he and Kim agreed to each designate a team to work out details. "What would be most productive is for chairman Kim and all his staff and for President Trump and his staff to continue upon the path that was laid out for us both in Vietnam and the DMZ, and that is a diplomatic resolution and the end of North Korea's nuclear weapons," Ms Ortagus said. She was referring to Kim's title as head of the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Ms Ortagus added that sanctions "will remain in effect" until the US achieves the goal of denuclearizing North Korea. The spokeswoman suggested Mr Pompeo is unlikely to hold talks with North Korean officials during his visit to Thailand next week for Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related foreign ministerial meetings. "There's no component to announce on the trip as it relates to North Korea," she said. "We don't have any announcements about meetings with North Koreans." Ms Ortagus declined comment on news reports that North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has cancelled his attendance at the Asean Regional Forum, a 27-member security forum, slated for Aug 2 in Bangkok. |
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