SEOUL/WASHINGTON: North Korea said it successfully tested a powerful new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Wednesday that put the entire US mainland within range of its nuclear weapons.
North Korea’s first missile test since mid-September came a week after US President Donald Trump put North Korea back on a US list of countries it says support terrorism, allowing it to impose more sanctions.
North Korea, which also conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test in September, has tested dozens of ballistic missiles under its leader, Kim Jong Un, in defiance of international sanctions. The latest was the highest and longest any North Korean missile had flown, landing in the sea near Japan.
North Korea said the new missile reached an altitude of about 4,475 km (2,780 miles) — more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station — and flew 950 km (590 miles) during its 53-minute flight.
“After watching the successful launch of the new type ICBM Hwasong-15, Kim Jong Un declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power,” according to a statement read by a television presenter.
North Korea described itself as a “responsible nuclear power,” saying its strategic weapons were developed to defend itself from “the US imperialists’ nuclear blackmail policy and nuclear threat.”
The UN Security Council was scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss the launch.
Many nuclear experts say the North has yet to prove it has mastered all technical hurdles, including the ability to deliver a heavy nuclear warhead reliably atop an ICBM, but it was likely that it soon would.
“We don’t have to like it, but we’re going to have to learn to live with North Korea’s ability to target the United States with nuclear weapons,” said Jeffrey Lewis, head of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of Strategic Studies.
US, Japanese and South Korean officials all agreed the missile, which landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, was likely an ICBM. The test did not pose a threat to the US, its territories or allies, the Pentagon said.
“It went higher, frankly, than any previous shot they’ve taken, a research and development effort on their part to continue building ballistic missiles that can threaten everywhere in the world, basically,” US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters at the White House.
Trump spoke by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-In, with all three reaffirming their commitment to combat the North Korean threat.
“It is a situation that we will handle,” Trump told reporters.
Trump, who was briefed on the missile while it was in flight, said it did not change his administration’s approach to North Korea, which has included new curbs to hurt trade between China and North Korea.
Abe and Moon, in a separate telephone call, said they would “no longer tolerate” North Korea’s increasing threats and would tighten sanctions, the South’s presidential office said.
Washington has said repeatedly that all options, including military ones, are on the table in dealing with North Korea while stressing its desire for a peaceful solution.
“Diplomatic options remain viable and open, for now,” US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
Other than enforcing existing UN sanctions, “the international community must take additional measures to enhance maritime security, including the right to interdict maritime traffic” traveling to North Korea, Tillerson said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the launch.
“This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community,” his spokesman said in a statement.
China, North Korea’s lone major ally, expressed “grave concern” at the test, while calling for all sides to act cautiously.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also urged all sides to stay calm, saying this was necessary to avoid a worst-case scenario on the Korean peninsula.
The new Hwasong-15, named after the planet Mars, was a more advanced version of an ICBM tested twice in July, North Korea said. It was designed to carry a “super-large heavy warhead.”
Based on its trajectory and distance, the missile would have a range of more than 13,000 km (8,100 miles) — more than enough to reach Washington D.C. and the rest of the United States, the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said.
However, it was unclear how heavy a payload the missile was carrying, and it was uncertain if it could carry a large nuclear warhead that far, the nonprofit science advocacy group added.
Minutes after the North fired the missile, South Korea’s military said it conducted a missile-firing test in response.
Moon said the launch had been anticipated. There was no choice but for countries to keep applying pressure, he added.
“The situation could get out of control if North Korea perfects its ICBM technology,” Moon said after a national security council meeting.
“North Korea shouldn’t miscalculate the situation and threaten South Korea with a nuclear weapon, which could elicit a possible pre-emptive strike by the United States.”
The test comes less than three months before South Korea hosts the Winter Olympics at a resort just 80 km (50 miles) from the heavily fortified border with the North.
US stocks briefly pared gains on the news but the S&P 500 index closed up almost 1 percent and Asian markets largely shrugged off the news.
North Korea has said its weapons programs are a necessary defense against US plans to invade. The US, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, denies any such intention.
Last week, North Korea denounced Trump’s decision to relist it as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling it a “serious provocation and violent infringement.”
Trump has traded insults and threats with Kim and warned in September that the US would have no choice but to “totally destroy” North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies.
North Korea says new long-range missile puts US mainland within range of nuclear weapons
North Korea says new long-range missile puts US mainland within range of nuclear weapons
Trump names Iraqi American as interim US attorney for New Jersey
- Alina Saad Habba served as his legal spokesperson during his court battles
- ‘Alina will lead with the same diligence and conviction that has defined her career’
CHICAGO: President Donald Trump on Monday named Iraqi American Alina Saad Habba as interim US attorney representing New Jersey.
Habba served as the legal spokesperson for Trump before his reelection during his court battles, and as a senior adviser to his super PAC MAGA Inc.
In December, after winning his reelection, Trump named Habba as counselor to the president in one of his first acts before his inauguration.
“It is with great pleasure that I am announcing Alina Habba, esquire, who is currently serving as Counselor to the President, and has represented me for a long time, will be our interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, her home state, effective immediately,” Trump said in a statement published Monday on X.
“Alina will lead with the same diligence and conviction that has defined her career, and she will fight tirelessly to secure a Legal System that is both ‘Fair and Just’ for the wonderful people of New Jersey.”
Habba wrote on social media: “I am honored to serve my home state of New Jersey as Interim U.S. Attorney and I am grateful to President Trump for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility.
“Just like I did during my time as President Trump’s personal attorney, I will continue to fight for truth and justice. We will end the weaponization of justice, once and for all.”
Habba and her two siblings were born in the city of Summit in New Jersey. Her family are Chaldean Catholics from Iraq.
She is the managing partner of New Jersey-based law firm Habba, Madaio & Associates. Habba will oversee a federal office that employs more than 150 attorneys.
Chad warns could retaliate if Sudan attacks
- Yasser Al-Atta warned that the airport in the Chadian capital N’Djamena and at Amdjarras in northeastern Chad ‘are legitimate targets for the Sudanese armed forces’
- Chad has accused the Sudanese government for over six decades of doing everything it can to destabilize its neighbor
N’DJAMENA: Chad on Monday warned its traditional foe Sudan that it “reserves the legitimate right to respond” if attacked, following threats made by a senior Khartoum military official.
In a video broadcast Sunday on Al Jazeera, the deputy commander of the Sudanese forces, Yasser Al-Atta, warned that the airport in the Chadian capital N’Djamena and at Amdjarras in northeastern Chad “are legitimate targets for the Sudanese armed forces.”
The remarks “could be interpreted as a declaration of war if followed through,” Chadian foreign ministry spokesman Ibrahim Adam Mahamat said.
“Such rhetoric could lead to a dangerous escalation for the entire sub-region,” and “Chad reserves the legitimate right to respond vigorously to any attempted aggression,” he added.
“Sudan has just declared war on Chad,” declared former Chadian prime minister Saleh Kebzabo on his official Facebook page.
“We must take this very seriously, prepare for it militarily, and mobilize,” he added.
Chad has accused the Sudanese government for over six decades of doing everything it can to destabilize its neighbor, notably by “orchestrating rebellions” and supporting the Boko Haram Islamist group.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a conflict pitting General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of the army and de facto ruler of the country since a 2021 coup, against his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, the chief of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At the end of October 2024, N’Djamena denied any involvement in the Sudanese conflict but Khartoum’s de facto rulers accused it of playing an active role in arms deliveries to the RSF.
The alleged support for the RSF has been highlighted in various reports — including one from the United Nations in January 2024 — but Chad and the UAE have consistently denied involvement.
The presence in El Fasher in Sudan’s perennially restive Darfur region of a Zaghawa rebellion — an ethnic group also present in Chad — is N’Djamena’s main concern.
It is led by Ousman Dillo, the younger brother of Chadian opposition leader Yaya Dillo Djerou who was killed by the Chadian army.
In February 2008, a Zaghawa rebellion based in Sudan launched a lightning offensive in Chad alongside other groups, forcing former president Idriss Deby Itno to take refuge in his presidential palace, before successfully repelling the rebels with decisive support from former ruler France.
The war in Sudan since April 2023 has left tens of thousands dead, displaced more than 11 million people and created the risk of widespread famine, in what the UN considers the worst humanitarian crisis in recent times.
Two million people have also fled to neighboring countries, including 1.5 million to Chad.
Ramadan festival promotes heritage of Sri Lanka’s Muslim communities
- Sri Lanka’s diverse Muslim groups include Moors, Memons, Malays and Dawoodi Bohras
- The Salam Ramadan festival opened on Friday and will run until March 31 in the Sri Lankan capital
COLOMBO: A Ramadan festival in Colombo is promoting the heritage of Sri Lanka’s diverse Muslim communities by showcasing their rich cultures in the heart of the capital.
Muslims make up less than 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people, who are predominantly Sinhalese Buddhists.
The Salam Ramadan festival, which opened on Friday and will run until the end of the month, is putting the spotlight on the Moor, Memon, Malay and Dawoodi Bohra ethnic groups.
Throughout the event, they are set to participate in cultural performances and interactive sessions to highlight their customs, while also sharing their traditional food to the residents of Colombo.
The event is organized by the government of Western Province, home to the Sri Lankan capital and the country’s most densely populated region.
“This is to show harmony, peacefulness with all communities, and we want to spend our spirit of a great month of holy Ramadan to everyone that’s around,” Western Province Gov. Hanif Yusuf told Arab News.
Festive lights and decorations will be on display in Colombo’s main shopping areas throughout the festival, as restaurants and food stalls across the capital serve up special dishes popular among the Sri Lankan Muslim community, such as watalappam, a coconut custard pudding, and adukku roti, a layered crepe pie.
One of Salam Ramadan’s main goals is to shift the mainstream perspective that Sri Lankan Muslims comprise only one ethnic group, says Aman Ashraff, deputy chairman of the Salam Ramadan program.
“The Sri Lankan Muslim community is a very diverse Muslim community. It comprises four ethnic groups: the Sri Lankan Moors, the Sri Lankan Malays, the Sri Lankan Memons, and the Sri Lankan Dawoodi Bohras; all of whom have had a lasting impact in the social fabric of Sri Lanka for centuries,” he told Arab News.
Each ethnic group has “a rich, distinctive cultural fabric” of its own, Ashraff added.
“Our hope for all our guests … to this event … is that they are able to discover the warmth, the fellowship, and the spirit of Ramadan that is enjoyed normally by Muslims, that is cherished by Muslims,” he said.
The festival is also an opportunity for Muslims to showcase the Ramadan “spirit of brotherhood and fellowship,” including the practice of inviting non-Muslims to their homes to break fast for iftar.
“In hosting an event of this nature, we are able to do it at a larger scale, we are able to invite Sri Lankans from all walks of life, the public … to experience all of this firsthand, and to to be able to understand why Muslims cherish this sense of brotherhood amongst themselves,” Ashraff said.
“To the Muslim community, their fellow Sri Lankans, be they Sinhalese, Tamil, or Burghers, are as near and dear as brothers and sisters of their own.”
Indonesian students lead nationwide protests against controversial military law
- Controversial changes allow active military officers to take up more government posts
- New revisions hark back to dark days of Suharto’s ‘New Order’ military dictatorship
JAKARTA: Indonesian students staged nationwide protests on Monday against a contentious revision to the military law that activists say threatens the nation’s young democracy.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at regional government offices in various Indonesian cities, including Batam, Kupang, Lampung and Sukabumi, as well as the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya. A smaller group also turned up in front of the parliament building in Jakarta.
With most of them clad in black, protesters held banners that read “Return the military to the barracks” and “Watch out! New ‘New Order’ is right before our eyes.”
Activists have taken to the streets since Wednesday to protest against controversial amendments to the 2004 Law on Indonesian Armed Forces, which aimed to broaden the military’s role beyond defense.
Indonesia’s House of Representatives unanimously passed the revisions on Thursday, allowing active military officers to take up more government posts, including the Attorney General’s Office, the Supreme Court and the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs.
The changes also raise retirement ages by several years for most ranks. Highest-ranking four-star generals can now serve until 63, for example, up from 60.
Puan Maharani, the speaker of the lower house who led the vote in a plenary session, said the revised law would remain “grounded in democratic values and principles, civilian supremacy (and) human rights.”
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, a former three-star army general, said it will make the military more effective.
In a speech after the bill was passed into law, he said the amendments were necessary because “geopolitical changes and global military technology require the military to transform … to face conventional and non-conventional conflicts.”
The revisions were proposed by allies of President Prabowo Subianto, who took office last October and served as a general under the dictator Suharto.
Activists have warned that the move is a threat to Indonesia’s democracy, which the nation gained in 1998, after 32 years of Suharto’s “New Order” military dictatorship.
“The bill was not made with proper public consultation. It was rushed,” Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Arab News. “This law elevates the threats to Indonesia’s democracy. It’s not only regressing but going back to square one.”
He highlighted how youth protests erupted immediately across Indonesia, with students “demanding the amendments to be canceled,” as the revisions still have to be signed into law by Prabowo.
“I am pretty surprised to see their anger. It showed that these young people are not happy with the bigger roles of the military in non-security affairs,” he said.
Okky Madasari, Indonesian novelist and sociologist, said the law could be used as a “legal tool to further expand military’s involvement in businesses” and jobs that have nothing to do with defense or military, which are “reminiscent of Suharto’s New Order Regime.”
She told Arab News: “The immediate results will (mean) the further deterioration of Indonesia’s democracy, with less and less freedom of speech.”
But the nationwide protests, along with active social media campaigns across platforms, show that such dangers are not lost on some Indonesians.
“Indonesian youths, who have been exposed to cosmopolitanism and globally accepted values and are very aware of their rights and obligation, will continue to forge a resisting force against this growing authoritarianism and militarism under Prabowo Subianto,” Madasari said.
Holocaust survivor questioned by UK police after laying flowers at Gaza protest
- Stephen Kapos, 87, called on British government to condemn Israel, cease arms exports
- Politicians, campaigners, Holocaust survivors, lawyers condemn police over ‘repressive and heavy-handed’ arrests
LONDON: A Holocaust survivor was questioned by police after laying flowers in London’s Trafalgar Square to commemorate Palestinians killed in Gaza.
Stephen Kapos, 87, took part in a demonstration in the UK capital on Jan. 18. He was among nine people later questioned by the Metropolitan Police, after 77 others were arrested in what critics say was an example of “repressive and heavy-handed policing.”
Kapos survived the Holocaust after Nazi Germany occupied his home country of Hungary. He lived in hiding in Budapest as a child, losing his mother in the process. His father was imprisoned in the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
After questioning by police, Kapos told The Independent that he was “proud” to demonstrate in support of the Palestinian people, adding that members of his family accompanied him on protests.
Speaking outside Charing Cross Police Station in central London, he said he wanted to dispel ideas that “there is solid support from all Jews” for Israel’s actions.
“The sort of killing that’s going on, it’s unbearable to watch and one wonders where it’s leading to because there is no defence to speak of. They are defenceless people out in the open,” Kapos, surrounded by supporters including other Holocaust survivors and their relatives, told The Independent.
“Their homes have been bombed to smithereens and they are in tents and now they are going to be bombed.
“It’s unbearable and I don’t understand how the world can stand it. And, I’m ashamed of our government and everybody else who facilitates it and enables it.”
Kapos called for the UK government to condemn Israel and immediately suspend military contracts with the country.
“They should at the very minimum condemn Israel’s actions, which they don’t do, and immediately stop all supplies of armaments and any other logistical and information support that they do give,” he said.
“All that should be stopped immediately because there’s no doubt about this being an atrocity and international crime, what’s going on, what’s perpetrated by Israel. So, how can you hesitate in the face of that?”
Kapos added that protesting would “make it clear that all this will have electoral consequences” for the UK government, stressing that marches in support of the Palestinians “are not hate marches” and “are not no-go areas for Jews, which is again claimed.”
Dr. Agnes Kory, another Holocaust survivor who stood with Kapos, said: “In the name of a Holocaust survivor, which is me, and a Holocaust researcher, which is also me, I say no, not in our names, and I have to be at the forefront of peace for Palestine movements.”
Mark Etkind, co-organizer of Holocaust Survivors and Descendants Against the Gaza Genocide, described the behavior of the Metropolitan Police as “terrifying, not just for the Palestine movement, but for anyone who wants to protest and believes in British democracy.”
The Metropolitan Police did not disclose why Kapos had been questioned, and said protesters were detained at the march on Jan. 18 for a breach of the Public Order Act.
A group of more than 50 politicians, trade unionists and lawyers wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in the aftermath of the 77 arrests to complain about the behavior of the police.
Another group of around 40 Holocaust survivors wrote an open letter condemning the treatment of Kapos.
“Any repression of the right to protest is bad enough — but to persecute a Jewish 87-year-old whose Holocaust experiences compel him to speak out against the Gaza genocide, is quite appalling,” the group said.
