North Korea threatens to 'sink' Japan, reduce U.S. to 'ashes and darkness'

     A North Korean state agency threatened on Thursday to use nuclear weapons to "sink" Japan and reduce the United States to "ashes and darkness" for supporting a U.N. Security Council resolution and sanctions over its latest nuclear test.

   Pyongyang's Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, which handles the North's external ties and propaganda, also called for the breakup of the Security Council, which it called "a tool of evil" made up of "money-bribed" countries that move at the order of the United States.

"The four islands of the archipelago should be sunken into the sea by the nuclear bomb of Juche. Japan is no longer needed to exist near us," the committee said in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency.

Juche is the North's ruling ideology that mixes Marxism and an extreme form of go-it-alone nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.

Regional tension has risen markedly since the reclusive North conducted its sixth, and by far its most powerful, nuclear test on Sept. 3.

   The 15-member Security Council voted unanimously on a U.S.-drafted resolution and a new round of sanctions on Monday in response, banning North Korea's textile exports that are the second largest only to coal and mineral, and capping fuel supplies.

The North reacted to the latest action by the Security Council, which had the backing of veto-holding China and Russia, by reiterating threats to destroy the United States, Japan and South Korea.

"Let's reduce the U.S. mainland into ashes and darkness. Let's vent our spite with mobilization of all retaliation means which have been prepared till now," the statement said.

Japan's Nikkei stock index and dollar/yen currency pared gains, although traders said that was more because of several Chinese economic indicators released on Thursday rather than a reaction to the North's latest statement.

South Korea's won also edged down around the same time over domestic financial concerns.

Despite the tension, South Korea's Unification Ministry said it planned to provide $8 million through the U.N. World Food Programme and UNICEF to help infants and pregnant women in the North.

The move marks Seoul's first humanitarian assistance for the North after its fourth nuclear test in January 2016, and is based on a longstanding policy of separating humanitarian aid from politics, the ministry said.

"DANCING TO THE TUNE"

The North's latest threats also singled out Japan for "dancing to the tune" of the United States, saying it should never be pardoned for not offering a sincere apology for its "never-to-be-condoned crimes against our people", an apparent reference to Japan's wartime aggression.

It also referred to South Korea as "traitors and dogs" of the United States.

Japan criticized the North's statement harshly.

    "This announcement is extremely provocative and egregious. It is something that markedly heightens regional tension and is absolutely unacceptable," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference on Thursday.

North Korea had already categorically rejected the Security Council resolution imposing sanctions over its latest test, vowing to press ahead with its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of international pressure.

A tougher initial U.S. draft of Monday's resolution was weakened to win the support of China and Russia. Significantly, it stopped short of imposing a full embargo on oil exports to North Korea, most of which come from China.

The latest sanctions also make it illegal for foreign firms to form commercial joint ventures with North Korean entities.

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed that North Korea will never be allowed to threaten the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile, but has also asked China to do more to rein in its isolated neighbor. China in turn favors an international response to the problem.

The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies.

The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during a celebration for nuclear scientists and engineers who contributed to a hydrogen bomb test, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on September 10, 2017.

21 children, 2 adults killed in fire at Malaysian school

     When emergency responders first arrived on the scene, "almost 90% of the building was already on fire," a Fire and Rescue department official told reporters.

Two adults also died in the the blaze, while four other victims suffered serious injuries.

    The firemen could hear cries for help from inside the building," spokesman Soiman Jahid said. "The first team from (the) fire station managed to save five of the children from the lower level."

Children tried to kick open grills on windows

    Spokesman Jahid said firefighters found bodies in three different locations, all of them badly burned. A large number of victims found were piled on top of each other, while another was discovered in front of the main door.

"Based on my observation, the building has grills that could not be opened from inside," he said. "Because of the grills, they could not escape through the windows, except for the five students who escaped through the door and sought help from the firemen."

Later, Jahid told CNN one of the two fire exits had been blocked by renovations taking place on the second floor.

Identification of the victims could still take days, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam told reporters at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.

   The bodies suffered severe burns to the point that it is difficult to confirm the identities," he said.

Photos from the scene showed fire damage to the top floor of the three-story Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz school.

Norhayati Khalid was on her way to hospital to identify a body believed to be her son, 11-year-old Amin Ashraf. She said she last saw him just one day ago.

"I brought him some chicken floss buns (and) my son passed me a handwritten note to say he's happy here at the school and he wants to be a "hafiz" (someone who memorizes the Quran) so that he can take us to heaven," she said.

   

Investigators were examining whether a electric short circuit had caused the fire, but Deputy Inspector General of Police Noor Rashid Ibraham said a conclusion hadn't been reached yet.

He added the victims were all aged between 13 and 17, but when questioned about reports of even younger victims he said DNA testing would be required.

Ibraham said the building was new and had been used as a religious school specializing in Quranic studies.

Man Alleges He Wasnt Allowed Into Chinese Supermart Because He's A Nigerian

The artiste passed on Tuesday morning at the Lagos State General Hospital in Isolo. His remains have been deposited at the morgue of the same hospital. OJB was diagnosed with kidney ailment in 2013. He was subsequently flown to India, where he underwent a kidney transplant. He was, however, said to have suffered a relapse two weeks ago, a situation that necessitated daily dialysis. Yesterday, he was placed on life support. In 2013, his friends organised a fundraising campaign, through which N26 million was raised for a kidney transplant and other aspects of his treatment. Last year, OJB dismissed as untrue a rumour that his kidney had failed again. OJB was aged 50. He is survived by three wives and many children.

     Dress codes will no longer be defined by genders in the United Kingdom as new ‘gender neutral’ uniform rules allow girls to wear trousers and boys to wear skirts to school.

     Eighty state institutions in the United Kingdom have changed their uniform policies to be more gender neutral with the aim of being more open to children who are questioning their gender identity and prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils (LGBT).


“We welcome all efforts to support young people on trans and gender identity issues and ensure that they feel happy, welcome and accepted at school, and it’s encouraging to see this move,” a spokesperson from Stonewall said.
Brighton College, a 170-year-old institution, is also amongst the schools that have adapted a gender neutral uniform policy. “The school will continue with the two uniform policy but students can now choose either one,” Brighton College headmaster Richard Cairns, told Independent.co.uk.
Cairns added the policy is more in line with the fact that some pupils are happier identifying with a different gender from the one they were born in.

    Allens Croft School in Birmingham is believed to be the first state primary to declare it has a “gender neutral” uniform. Further, Julie Robinson, general secretary at the Independent Schools Council, said public and private schools would soon follow suit and that some had already adjusted their policies to accommodate transgender children.

Music Producer OJB Jezreel Is Dead

     Musician and music producer, Babatunde Jezreel Okungbona, better known as "OJB Jezreel," has died. The artiste passed on Tuesday morning at the Lagos State General Hospital in Isolo. His remains have been deposited at the morgue of the same hospital. OJB was diagnosed with kidney ailment in 2013. He was subsequently flown to India, where he underwent a kidney transplant.
      The artiste passed on Tuesday morning at the Lagos State General Hospital in Isolo. His remains have been deposited at the morgue of the same hospital.

OJB was diagnosed with kidney ailment in 2013. He was subsequently flown to India, where he underwent a kidney transplant.

 He was, however, said to have suffered a relapse two weeks ago, a situation that necessitated daily dialysis. Yesterday, he was placed on life support. In 2013, his friends organised a fundraising campaign,  through which N26 million was raised for a kidney transplant and other aspects of his treatment.

Last year, OJB dismissed as untrue a rumour that his kidney had failed  again.

OJB was aged 50. He is survived by three wives and many children.

Confusion At PDP Headquarters As Police Lock Out Ali Modu Sheriff

     There was a pandemonium at the National secretariat of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja early this morning as the controversial former Chairman of the party , Ali Modu Sherif was barred from gaining access into the secretariat by the armed policemen stationed at the building.

EFCC Seizes Ex-Oil Minister Diezani’s N3.58bn Abuja Home

       The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized a mansion worth N3.58bn ($18m at the official exchange rate of N199 to a dollar) in the Asokoro area of Abuja allegedly belonging to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. The acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said this during an interview with Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network. Magu, in the interview, monitored by our correspondent on Monday, noted that the items in the house included jewellery, furniture, and a bulletproof gym worth about $2m.
     The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized a mansion worth N3.58bn ($18m at the official exchange rate of N199 to a dollar) in the Asokoro area of Abuja allegedly belonging to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.


The acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said this during an interview with Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network.

Magu, in the interview, monitored by our correspondent on Monday, noted that the items in the house included jewellery, furniture, and a bulletproof gym worth about $2m.

He stated that the house was part of the $10bn in cash and assets that had been seized by the Federal Government in the last one year.