Seoul, July 27 (IANS) South Korea’s top diplomat called for sending a “united message” against North Korea’s nuclear development program at a foreign ministerial gathering led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the call during the ASEAN Plus Three foreign ministers’ meeting in Vientiane, noting that North Korea is causing uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula and the region through its provocations and military cooperation with Russia, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Member states need to send a stern and united message that North Korea’s nuclear development will not be tolerated,” Cho said during the ASEAN-led meeting that also involves South Korea, Japan and China.

Cho also said that the three-way cooperation among Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing serves to promote cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three members, hailing the three countries’ trilateral summit in Seoul in May, which marked the first such meeting in more than four years.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described ASEAN Plus Three as a channel to lead cooperation in Northeast Asia, noting opportunities for cooperation despite changes to the international situation and challenges to the future of Northeast Asia.

ASEAN Plus Three, which launched in 1997, consists of the 10 ASEAN members, as well as South Korea, Japan and China, and has served as a framework to promote regional cooperation.

–IANS

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Ankara, July 27 (IANS) Turkish forces launched airstrikes in a cross-border operation in northern Iraq, destroying 25 targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the country’s defence ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry said in a statement that the airstrikes were aimed at thwarting attacks against Turkish security forces and ensuring the country’s border security, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Friday, it added that the targets, including caves, shelters, bunkers, depots and other facilities, were used by the PKK in the Gara, Qandil and Asos regions of northern Iraq.

According to the statement, a significant number of militants were “neutralised” in this operation.

Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralise” in their statements to imply the alleged “terrorists” have either surrendered, been killed, or been captured.

The Turkish security forces often conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region holding hideouts and bases of PKK militants, from where they carry out attacks against Turkey.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

–IANS

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Seoul, July 27 (IANS) South Korea will not tolerate any provocations from North Korea, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Saturday, as the country marked the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Han made the remark during a ceremony in Seoul commemorating the sacrifices made by UN forces that supported South Korea during the three-year conflict, which began with North Korean aggression and ended without a peace treaty, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Through overwhelming strength and solidarity with friendly countries, (we) will not tolerate any provocations from North Korea,” he said, noting the North continues to undertake provocations, such as flying trash-carrying balloons and launching ballistic missiles.

Han said South Korea plans to strengthen its security posture through trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan, adding that it is also making efforts for stability in Northeast Asia through three-way cooperation with Japan and China.

He also said the door for dialogue with the North remains open if Pyongyang stops its nuclear development and military threats.

Tensions between the two Koreas have recently heightened as the North has repeatedly sent balloons carrying trash across the border, prompting the South to blare anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts on the border through its loudspeakers.

–IANS

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Washington, July 27 (IANS) The US presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is incredibly close, showed a new media poll, revealing a surge in support for Harris among non-white voters and a significant rise in enthusiasm among Democrats for her campaign.

In a head-to-head matchup, Trump maintains a slight lead, garnering 49 per cent of the vote compared to 47 per cent for Harris, according to the Wall Street Journal poll.

However, it is worth noting that this falls within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Previously, Trump had a six-point advantage over President Joe Biden before he withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris, Xinhua news agency reported.

When other independent and third-party candidates, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., were included in the ballot test, Harris received 45 per cent of the support, compared to 44 per cent for Trump. Kennedy had the backing of only 4 per cent of respondents, and 5 per cent remained undecided.

In the previous poll, Biden trailed Trump by six points in this multi-candidate scenario, as indicated by the poll results.

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are currently engaged in a race to establish a clearer public image of the vice president. The poll indicates that Harris is viewed favourably by 46 per cent of respondents and unfavourably by 52 per cent, marking her most positive result in the poll during this election cycle. This marks her highest favorability rating in the poll during the current election cycle.

According to the poll results, Trump is perceived as more capable than Harris in handling immigration, the economy, foreign relations, and crime. However, Harris holds an advantage of 51 per cent to 33 per cent when it comes to dealing with abortion.

The two received similar ratings when it came to caring about people like the respondents.

The poll further revealed that 48 per cent of respondents believe that, at the age of 78, Trump is too old to serve as President, while only 2 per cent expressed the same concern about the 59-year-old Harris.

Furthermore, 46 per cent of respondents believed that Harris possesses the right temperament to be President, compared to only 38 per cent who held the same belief about Trump.

The survey highlighted that many voters are still in the process of familiarising themselves with the potential vice presidential running mates being considered by Harris. It is expected that she will need to announce her pick by August 7 to meet the deadline set by her party for a virtual nomination process.

The Wall Street Journal poll, conducted by Bocian of the firm GBAO and Lee of Fabrizio Lee, involved interviews with 1,000 registered voters from July 23-25. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

–IANS

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Beijing, July 27 (IANS) At least five people were killed and 14 others injured in an explosion at a plant in an industrial park of Yongcheng City in central China’s Henan province, according to local authorities on Saturday.

According to the city’s emergency management department, the machine explosion occurred at 6.32 p.m. local time on Friday in Gaozhuang Industrial Park, Xinhua news agency reported.

The head, along with the other people in charge of the company, have been detained, according to the authorities.

Additionally, an investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.

Further details are awaited.

–IANS

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