US formally withdraws from Cold-War era nuclear treaty with Russia - CNN

"Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US' formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty.

Pompeo said "Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system."

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday the termination of the treaty was at the initiative of Washington, Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti reported.

The US initially announced in February that this would take place on August 2.

CNN reported Thursday that the US military is set to test a new non-nuclear mobile-launched cruise missile developed specifically to challenge Russia in Europe, according to a senior US defense official.

The test is expected to take place in the next few weeks and will essentially be the Trump administration's answer to Russia's years-long non-compliance with the INF treaty, the senior US defense official said.

A senior administration official told reporters that the US will be testing the cruise missiles that were forbidden by the INF treaty because "Russia cannot maintain military advantage" but said that it will take years for the US to deploy those weapons.

"We are literally years away before we would be at a point where we would talk about basing of any particular capability. Because of our steadfast adherence to the treaty over 32 years, we are barely, after almost a year, at a point where we are contemplating initial flight tests," explained the senior administration official, noting that the US would only look at deploying conventional weapons, not nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, analysts fear the US test of the non-nuclear cruise missile will mark the start of a new arms race with Moscow.

The Trump administration casts the forthcoming testing of these missiles as necessary to US national security, seeking to tamp down any suggestion that the US is triggering an arms race.

When asked if the US will commit to maintaining some kind of arms control despite this treaty being defunct, the official largely put the onus on Russia.

"I can't speak for the Russian federation so I can't promise that they will be amenable to additional arms control," the official said. "I can only tell you that the US, from the President on down, is interested in finding an effective arms control solution."

International allies, including the United Kingdom, emphasized their support for the move.

NATO allies said in a statement that Russia remains in violation of the INF Treaty, "despite years of U.S. and Allied engagement," adding that they fully support the US decision to withdraw.

NATO added that over the past six months Russia had a "final opportunity" to honor the treaty but failed.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Russia caused the INF treaty collapse, tweeting, "Their contempt for the rules based international system threatens European security."

This story is breaking and will be updated.

CNN's Vasco Cotovio in London contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/politics/nuclear-treaty-inf-us-withdraws-russia/index.html

2019-08-02 11:21:00Z
52780342878262

US formally withdraws from Cold-War era nuclear treaty with Russia - CNN

"Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US' formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty.

Pompeo said "Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system."

The US initially announced in February that this would take place on August 2.

NATO allies said in a statement that Russia remains in violation of the INF Treaty, "despite years of U.S. and Allied engagement," adding that they fully support the US decision to withdraw.

It adds that over the past six months Russia had a "final opportunity" to honor the treaty but failed.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

CNN's Vasco Cotovio in London contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/politics/nuclear-treaty-inf-us-withdraws-russia/index.html

2019-08-02 10:51:00Z
52780342878262

Saudi Arabian women finally allowed to hold passports and travel independently - CNN

The new amendment was approved on Thursday by the Saudi Cabinet, and will allow all Saudi women to apply for passports "like all citizens" and for women aged 21 and above to travel independently, according to a statement from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Information.

Previously women had to gain approval from a male guardian in order to obtain a passport. Women without a passport of their own were instead given a page in their male guardians' passports, making it impossible for them to travel without guardian accompaniment -- controls rights campaigners have criticized as oppressive to women.

The Ministry of Information called the reform, which comes into effect at the end of August, part of the kingdom's "efforts to promote women's rights and empowerment, equal to men."

The past few years have seen slow progress -- women cast ballots for the first time ever in municipal elections in 2015, and at least 17 women were elected that year.

In a landmark reform, women were granted the right to drive in 2017 and were issued their first drivers' licenses in 2018, the culmination of years of activism.

Some of these reforms are part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to modernize Saudi Arabia and relax the conservative social code. Along with various rights initiatives, reforms have also seen the introduction of the Kingdom's first movie cinemas and first concerts.

Earlier today, Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, tweeted that the lifted travel and passport bans are a sign of the country's "unequivocal commitment to gender equality."

The nomination of Al-Saud as a female ambassador reflects bin Salman's plan to increase the number of women in the workforce -- in recent years, a limited number of women have been allowed to pursue more jobs and even senior government positions.

However, critics point to the various harsh restrictions that remain. Saudi Arabia follows a strict form of Wahhabi Islam that bans the mixing of sexes at public events, with gendered rules enforced by religious police.

Women still need the permission of a male guardian to get married or divorced, open a business, or sometimes even access health care. In cases where a woman's father is deceased or absent, her husband, a male relative, brother, or in some cases, even a son, must give his approval before she can obtain basic entitlements.

Women also have little authority over their own life -- a Saudi woman's legal position is equal to that of a minor, and their testimony in court are given less weight than those of men.

As recently as 2018, a government crackdown saw several women's rights activists detained, including women who had campaigned for the right to drive.

Though a number of those activists have since been released, many inside the Kingdom still feel threatened. In recent years a number of women have attempted to flee Saudi Arabia and gain refugee status overseas, with several cases resulting in high-profile media attention.

The fight for Saudi women's rights has even penetrated the entertainment industry -- in July, rapper Nicki Minaj backed out of a concert in Saudi Arabia after pressure from fans and human rights organizations. In a statement, she said she wanted to "make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/middleeast/saudi-women-travel-passport-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-08-02 06:37:00Z
52780343902087

North Korea test-fires weapons again Friday, South Korea says - Fox News

North Korea fired what appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles twice Friday into the sea off its eastern coast in its third round of weapons tests in just over a week, South Korea's military and presidential office said.

The increased testing activity is seen as brinkmanship aimed at increasing pressure on Seoul and Washington over stalled nuclear negotiations. North Korea also has expressed frustration at planned U.S.-South Korea military exercises, and experts say its weapons displays could intensify in coming months if progress on the nuclear negotiations isn't made.

By test-firing weapons that directly threaten South Korea but not the U.S. mainland or its Pacific territories, North Korea may also be trying to dial up pressure on Seoul and test how far Washington will tolerate its bellicosity without actually causing the nuclear negotiations to collapse.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES TWO SHORT-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILES, US DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were conducted at 2:59 a.m. and 3:23 a.m. from an eastern coastal area and said the projectiles flew 137 miles on an apogee of 15 miles and at a max speed of Mach 6.9.

People watch a TV showing an image of North Korea's a multiple rocket launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 1, 2019. (Associated Press)

South Korea's presidential office, which held an emergency meeting presided over by chief national security adviser Chung Eui-yong to discuss the launches, said the South Korean and U.S. militaries shared an assessment that the projectiles were likely newly developed short-range ballistic missiles the North has been testing in recent weeks. However, the office said further analysis was needed because the projectiles showed similar flight characteristics with the weapons that the North test-fired on Wednesday and described as a new rocket artillery system.

Kim Eun-han, a spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, said the Seoul government expressed "deep regret" over launches that it believes could hurt efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Japan's Defense Ministry said it was analyzing the launch and that the projectiles did not reach Japanese territorial waters or its exclusive economic zone.

The North fired short-range ballistic missiles on July 25 and conducted what it described as a test firing of a new multiple rocket launcher system on Wednesday.

People watch a TV showing a file footage of a North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. (Associated Press)

Amid the stalemate in nuclear negotiations with the United States, North Korea has significantly slowed diplomatic activity with the South while demanding Seoul turn away from Washington and proceed with joint economic projects that have been held back by U.S.-led sanctions against the North.

The North's new launches came as the United Kingdom, France and Germany — following a closed U.N. Security Council briefing — condemned the North's recent ballistic activity as violations of U.N. sanctions and urged Pyongyang to engage in "meaningful negotiations" with the United States on eliminating its nuclear weapons.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED NEW TYPE OF SHORT-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE, OFFICIAL SAYS

The three countries also urged North Korea "to take concrete steps toward its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" and said international sanctions should remain in place and be fully enforced until its nuclear and ballistic missile programs are dismantled.

U.S. officials have downplayed the threat of the launches to the United States and its allies.

However, the North's recent weapons demonstrations have dampened the optimism that followed President Donald Trump's impromptu summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 30 at the inter-Korean border. The leaders agreed to resume working-level nuclear talks that stalled since February, but there have been no known meetings between the two sides since then.

People watch a TV showing a file footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. The sign reads "North Korea launches frequently." (Associated Press)

The North has claimed the United States would violate an agreement between the leaders if it moves on with its planned military exercises with South Korea and said it will wait to see if the August exercises actually take place to decide on the fate of its diplomacy with Washington.

Trump said on Thursday he wasn't worried about the weapons recently tested by North Korea, calling them "short-range missiles" that were "very standard."

On Thursday, North Korea's state media said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the first test firing of a new multiple rocket launcher system he said would soon serve a "main role" in his military's land combat operations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff had assessed the activity Wednesday as a short-range ballistic missile launch, saying the missiles flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles), a range that would be enough to cover the metropolitan region surrounding capital Seoul, where about half of South Koreans live, and a major U.S. military base just south of the city.

On July 25, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles that Seoul officials said flew 600 kilometers (370 miles) and as high as 50 kilometers (30 miles) before landing in the sea.

North Korea said those tests were designed to deliver a "solemn warning" to South Korea over its purchase of high-tech, U.S.-made fighter jets and the planned military drills, which Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal. The North also tested short-range missiles on May 4 and 9.

Attending an Asian security conference in Bangkok, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the Trump administration remains ready to resume talks with North Korea now, but said a meeting this week would be unlikely.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-test-fires-weapons-again-friday-south-korea-says

2019-08-02 04:14:24Z
52780343388355

Osama Bin Laden's son killed in military operation - CBS This Morning

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V7CBxiZWVk

2019-08-01 11:27:33Z
52780343266881

Hamza Bin Laden 'killed in air strike' - BBC News - BBC News

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHl_4x_h7fQ

2019-08-01 11:09:27Z
52780343266881

North Korea claims it tested new rocket system that could improve ability to strike South Korea, American b... - Fox News

North Korea says its leader Kim Jong Un supervised the first test-firing of a new multiple rocket launcher system that could improve the Hermit Kingdom’s abilities to strike targets in South Korea and American military bases there.

The report by the regime’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) contradicts the South Korean military’s claims that the Wednesday test was of two short-range ballistic missiles.

NORTH KOREA FIRED 'MULTIPLE' PROJECTILES OFF EAST COAST, SOUTH KOREA REPORTS

The launches from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan were the North’s second weapons test in less than a week and were perceived as an effort to pressure the U.S. and South Korean governments to restart the nuclear diplomacy that has stalled for months now.

People watch a TV showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. (Associated Press)

KCNA said Kim was satisfied with the test firing and said the newly developed rocket system would soon serve a “main role” in his military’s land combat operations, creating “inescapable distress to the forces becoming a fat target of the weapon.”

Such rocket systems, along with new short-range missiles that the regime tested last week, could pose a serious threat to South Korea’s defense.

NORTH KOREA SAYS NEW MISSILE TEST WAS 'SOLEMN WARNING' TO SOUTH KOREAN 'WARMONGERS'

The state media report didn’t disclose how the new rocket system performed, but noted that the test confirmed the system’s “combat effectiveness.”

Released test photos show Kim watching the spectacle with binoculars while a rocket shoots from what appears to be a launcher installed on a vehicle.

According to analysis by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the tested missiles flew about 155 miles at an apogee of 19 miles. At this range, the North would be able to hit targets in the region surrounding Seoul and a major U.S. military base just south of the city.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The North Korea regime has been increasingly lashing out amid a stalemate over nuclear talks, despite Kim meeting with President Trump in June on the North-South Korean border and agreeing to continue the talks.

The regime said last Friday that the new missile test was a “solemn warning” to “South Korean military warmongers” over its weapons development and plans to hold joint military drills with the U.S.

Earlier last week, Kim also visited a newly built submarine and expressed his satisfaction with its weapons system. North Korea said its deployment was “near at hand.”

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-claims-it-tested-new-rocket-system-that-could-improve-ability-to-strike-south-korea-american-bases

2019-08-01 08:41:47Z
52780343388355