ITALY ORDERS NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO GO HOME

Italy has ordered North Korea’s incoming new ambassador to leave the country in a protest over Kim Jong-Un’s missile launches and nuclear tests.

Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano announced the move in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, published on Sunday.

“We have taken the firm decision to interrupt the accreditation procedure. The ambassador will have to leave the country,” Alfano said.

“We want to make Pyongyang understand that isolation is inevitable if it does not change course.”


Alfano stressed however that Italy was not breaking off diplomatic relations, “because it can always be useful to maintain a channel of communications.”

North Korea nominated long-serving foreign ministry official Mun Jong-Nam as its new ambassador to Rome in July, filling a post that had been vacant for over a year, according to South Korean reports. The diplomat had started working in Rome but not completed his registration with the Italian authorities.

The Italian move came as the international community seeks to ratchet up pressure on Kim’s regime to give up its nuclear weapons, with China notably agreeing to limit oil exports to and textile imports to its neighbour from Sunday.

CHINA ORDERS NORTH KOREAN FIRMS TO LEAVE COUNTRY

China has ordered North Korean companies in the country to shut down by January as it applies UN sanctions imposed following Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test, the commerce ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said the companies, including joint ventures with Chinese firms, have 120 days to close from the date the United Nations resolution was adopted, September 11.

The announcement comes days after China confirmed that it will apply another major part of the sanctions: a limit on exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea starting October 1 and a ban on textiles from its neighbour.

China’s application of UN sanctions is particularly biting for North Korea. Beijing is Pyongyang’s main ally and trading partner, responsible for around 90 percent of the hermit nation’s commerce.

The United States has pressed China to use its economic leverage to strongarm North Korea into giving up its nuclear ambitions.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Beijing this weekend for talks with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

NORTH KOREA SAYS TRUMP HAS DECLARED WAR

North Korea's foreign minister on Monday accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war against his country and said Pyongyang was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.

The latest threats stoked a week-long war of words that began when the American leader threatened in his address to the United Nations General Assembly to "totally destroy" North Korea if it launches an attack.

Alarm over Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile program has dominated this year's gathering of world leaders at the UN, amid fears the heated rhetoric could accidentally trigger a war -- fears further heightened after US bombers flew off the coast of North Korea on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters outside his New York hotel, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho offered a response to Trump after the US leader warned on Twitter at the weekend that North Korea "won't be around much longer" if it keeps up its threats.

Ri said that the international community had hoped that the "war of words between the DPRK and the United States not turn into real actions."

"However, last weekend, Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer," Ri said. "He declared a war on our country."

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take counter-measures including the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country," he said.

"The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then."

Ri noted that the statement from Trump was "clearly a declaration of war" even if it came from the US president. Under the US Constitution, Congress is the sole power that can declare war.

- Military options -



In his first address to the General Assembly, Trump last week threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea and derided leader Kim Jong-un as a "rocket man" who was "on a suicide mission."

Kim hit back with a rare personal attack on Trump, branding him "mentally deranged" and a "dotard," and warning he would "pay dearly" for his threat.

NORTH KOREA, GREATEST THREAT TO MANKIND - PRES. BUHARI

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday demanded that the United Nations sends a delegation to North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un, to pressure him to end the nuclear crisis which he says has become the greatest threat to mankind.

Delivering Nigeria’s statement at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, he said diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to ensure a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

North Korea has recently increased the pace of its nuclear weapons development in defiance of all entreaties to halt the programmes.

Buhari said: “The most pressing threat to international peace and security today is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea. Since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we have never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as we have now.

“All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis. As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic and devastating human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.

“Nigeria proposes a strong UN delegation to urgently engage the North Korean Leader. The delegation, led by the Security Council, should include members from all the regions.

“The crisis in the Korean peninsula underscores the urgency for all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, to ratify without delay the Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which will be open for signature here tomorrow.”

The president also drew the world body’s attention to the suffering of the Muslim minorities, the Rohingyas in Myanmar, accusing the government of that country of carrying out ethnic cleansing against them.

Speaking about new conflicts and the need for the world body not to loose sight of old ones including the Palestinian question, the president regretted the humanitarian situation in Myanmar which he said was reminiscent of the situation in 1995 Bosnia and 1994 Rwanda.

According to him, “Additionally, we are now confronted by the desperate human rights and humanitarian situations in Yemen and most tragically in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The Myanmar crisis is very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994.

“The international community cannot remain silent and not condemn the horrendous suffering caused by what, from all indications is a state-backed programme of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the bases of ethnicity and religion.

“We fully endorse the call by the Secretary-General on the Government of Myanmar to order a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya to their homes in safety and dignity.

“In all these crises, the primary victims are the people, the most vulnerable being women and children. That is why the theme of this session: Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet” is most apposite.

“While the international community grapples to resolve these conflicts, we must be mindful and focus on the widening inequalities within societies, and the gap between the rich and the poor nations. These inequalities and gaps are part of the underlining root causes of competition for resources, frustration and anger leading to spiralling instability.”

NORTH KOREA DISMISSES TRUMP'S THREAT

United States President Donald Trump’ s threat to totally destroy North Korea has been dismissed by a North Korean organ as an ‘ impotent’ threat .

In a tweet by the country ’ s news agency , DPRK, News Service , Trump’ s threat was likened to “ the twitching of a dog licking its flea- riddled scrotum . ”

The tweet also described Trump as an ” international shouting magnate . ”




"Impotent threats by international shouting magnate Donald Trump are dismissed , as the twitchings of a Dog licking its flea- riddled scrotum."




Trump in his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly had called North Korea’ s leader Kim Jong Un a “ rocket man on a suicide mission, ” adding that the United States will totally destroy the country if it fails to stop its nuclear programme.

Loud murmurs filled the green -marbled U. N . General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea , whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests had rattled the globe.

Unless North Korea backs down , he said , “ We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea . ”

“ Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime , ” he said .

North Korea’ s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’ s remarks .

A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation ’ s front-row seat for Trump ’ s speech , the North Korean U. N . mission said .

In his first appearance at the annual gathering of world leaders , the president used a 41 - minute speech to take aim also at Iran ’ s nuclear ambitions and regional influence , Venezuela ’ s collapsing democracy and the threat of Islamist extremists .

He also criticised the Cuban government .

But his strongest words were directed at North Korea . He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its “ hostile ” behaviour .

He said North Korea ’ s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles “ threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life . ”

I WILL MAKE KIM JONG-UN REGRET HIS ACTIONS FAST - TRUMP THREATENS NORTH KOREA

U.S President Donald Trump has issued a 'new red line' concerning the ongoing war rhetoric between the White House and Pyongyang, saying North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un will not get away with his threats towards the United States and that if he makes one more threat towards the United States, Guam or allies of the United States, he'll regret it fast.

The warning came a few hours after an early morning tweet from the U.S president saying US military options were “locked and loaded” for use if Pyongyang “acted unwisely”- further creating more tensions among citizens within the Korean peninsula.

North Korean warned it will launch four missiles at the waters around US Pacific territory of Guam if Trump continues to threaten the safety of the North Korean government to which Trump responded by saying the U.S will respond with 'fear and fury'.

Trump stood by his words when asked about them at his golf resort in New Jersey on Friday evening.

“I hope they are going to fully understand the gravity of what I said, and what I said is what I mean,” Trump said. “Those words are very, very easy to understand.”

“If somebody else uttered the exact same words that I uttered, they’d say: ‘What a great statement, what a wonderful statement,’” Trump said. “But I will tell you, we have tens of millions of people in this country that are so happy with what I am saying, because they say, ‘Finally, we have a president that’s sticking up for our nation and frankly, sticking up for our friends and our allies.’”

He then issued an ultimatum to Kim Jong-un himself. “This man will not get away with what he’s doing,” he said. “If he utters one threat in form of overt threat – which, by the way, he’s been uttering for years – or if he does anything in respect to Guam or anyplace else that’s an American territory or an American ally, he will truly regret it.”

“We want to talk about a country that has misbehaved for many many years – decades, actually – through numerous administrations, and they didn’t want to take on the issue and I had no choice but to take it on, and I’m taking it on. And we’ll either be very, very successful quickly or we’re going to be very, very successful in a different way, quickly.”

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