Trump, South Korean President talk North Korea
AP, Washington
President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart spoke on the phone Monday morning for the first time since North Korea boasted of another nuclear test. Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to remove the limit on the payload of South Korean missiles as part of the countries’ response to the North’s move on Sunday, South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement. The North claimed it had detonated a hydrogen bomb underground.
Pak envoys to form new policy on
fighting militants
AP, Islamabad
Pakistani diplomats from around the world are meeting in Islamabad to form a new policy on fighting militants. The meeting comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Islamabad harbors fighters battling U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Tuesday’s three-day conference comes a day after Pakistan’s longtime ally China and four other countries including India agreed to foster cooperation against two terrorist organizations based in Pakistan.
Afghanistan to double special forces
AFP, Kabul
Commandos armed with RPG-7 rocket launchers aim at a tank hundreds of metres away, fresh recruits to Afghanistan’s most skilled fighting force-an elite group whose growing strength, US generals say, worries the Taliban.
These new members of Afghanistan’s Special Operations Command (SOC) will soon be on the frontline of the war that US President Donald Trump has vowed “to win” by putting more American boots on the ground indefinitely.
Cambodia formally charges opposition leader with treason
AP, Cambodia
Cambodia’s opposition leader was formally charged Tuesday with treason for allegedly conspiring with the United States to topple the government, and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Kem Sokha had been expected to lead his Cambodia National Rescue Party in next year’s election in a strong challenge against the ruling Cambodian People’s Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has held power for three decades. The opposition party has denied the treason allegation, saying the charge is strictly politically motivated.
