UK to join US in
‘maritime security mission’ in Gulf
AFP, London
Britain on Monday said it would join the United States in an “international maritime security mission” to protect merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension with Iran.
The move follows a spate of incidents-including the seizure of ships-involving Iran and Western powers, in particular Britain and the US, centred on the vital Gulf thoroughfare. “This deployment will reinforce security and provide reassurance for shipping,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement.
North Korea says US is inciting military tension
Reuters, Geneva
North Korea accused the United States on Tuesday of “inciting military tension” by holding joint exercises with South Korea and said Pyongyang would take measures to defend itself.
Ju Yong Chol, a North Korean diplomat in Geneva, told the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament that Pyongyang would have to “reconsider the major steps we have taken so far”. He did not mention North Korea’s latest firing of missiles into the sea off its east coast for the fourth time in less than two weeks on Tuesday.
Taliban threaten Afghan Presidential election
AFP, Kabul
The Taliban warned Afghans Tuesday to keep away from election rallies and ordered its fighters to “stand against” the planned September vote.
The Taliban and other insurgent groups conducted frequent attacks during previous elections, and this year’s campaign season has already been rocked by deadly violence. The presidential election is currently slated for September 28.
but has got off to a lacklustre start and some candidates are yet to launch their campaigns.
11 dead, dozens
missing in DR Congo boat accident
AFP, Kananga
Eleven people have drowned and dozens are missing after a barge sank on a river in central Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said Tuesday.
Sixteen people survived the accident on the overcrowded vessel by swimming to safety on the Lukenye river, a journalist working for a local community radio told AFP. The disaster – the latest in a string of deadly accidents in Congolese waters – occurred a week ago in a remote and densely forested region of Kasai province where rivers are the main means of transport due to a lack of driveable roads.
Russia arms depot fire leaves one missing
AFP, Moscow
One person was missing on Tuesday and several more were injured after a fire and huge explosions at a Siberian ammunition depot, as thousands of evacuated residents waited to return to their homes.
Monday’s fire at the depot holding gunpowder charges for artillery shells near the town of Achinsk in the Krasnoyarsk region was the latest accident to hit Russia’s military. Witnesses have posted footage on the internet showing a huge column of black smoke rising over a forest.
