SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Pyongyang warned that Tokyo would be its primary target if war broke out on the Korean Peninsula, if Japan maintains its “hostile posture.” It also threatened a nuclear strike against the island nation if it intercepts any North Korean test missiles. In the comments, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday, Pyongyang lambasted Tokyo’s standing orders to shoot down any North Korean missile heading towards Japan, Seoul-based Yonhap news agency reports. …

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The United States will defend its allies and itself if North Korea goes ahead and carries out its threat of launching war against its southern neighbour, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has said. Kerry, on a three-day visit to South Korea, Japan and China to find a solution to tensions on the Korean peninsula, said on Friday that Pyongyang would not be accepted as a nuclear power. If North Korea decides to…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Though serious questions remain about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, a recently disclosed assessment by the Pentagon claims that Pyongyang has the ability to assemble a nuclear weapon small enough for launch via ballistic missile. The new information came at a Thursday budget session of the House Armed Services Committee, where US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel claimed all the same that North Korea is still not able to attack the US with…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Interim president Nicolas Maduro and opposition challenger Henrique Capriles made their final speeches to voters as official campaigning closed ahead of Venezuela’s election. Hundreds of thousands rallied in Caracas, the capital, to support Maduro, on Thursday. Some wore the trademark red shirts of the Socialist Party and fake moustaches in the bushy style of their candidate. Capriles’ supporters mobilised in the city of Acarigua, where their nominee promised major changes in the country that…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Israeli medics have been condemned by a rights group for endangering the lives of Palestinian prisoners, especially those who are on hunger strike. On Thursday, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel called on the Health Ministry to transfer responsibility for providing inmates with medical treatment to an external body, AFP reported. "Such a transfer would make the level, availability, and quality of services, equal -- if not on par -- with the type of services accessed…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Air strikes have hit bakeries and hospitals among other civilian targets in Syria, a watchdog reported Thursday, accusing the Syrian government of killing thousands in such raids it said amounted to war crimes. "Individuals who commit serious violations of the laws of war wilfully, that is intentionally or recklessly, are responsible for war crimes," Human Rights Watch said in a report titled "Death from the Skies." "Syrian government air strikes that have deliberately or indiscriminately killed…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has ordered the removal of top security officials from government, in a major shake-up directed at allies of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Hadi removed Brigadier General Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh as head of the elite Republican Guard, appointing him ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, the country's state-run television reported on Wednesday. The military commander is a son of the former president. General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, commander of the First Armoured Division and…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) The Egyptian military took part in the forced disappearance, torture, and murder of hundreds of protesters during the revolution of 2011, a report says. According to a single chapter of a report compiled by a committee selected by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, more than 1,000 people, including prisoners, went missing during the 18-day revolt that resulted in the ouster of Egypt’s dictator Hosni Mubarak.  “This chapter sheds light on new and extremely disturbing incidents that…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A North Korean missile launcher has moved into the firing position with rockets facing skyward, Kyodo reports, citing a Japan defense official. The Japanese government is on high alert, citing indications that Pyongyang might soon launch ballistic missiles at its island neighbor. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Thursday morning that so far Tokyo was responding by “gathering a variety of information ... with a sense of tension,” according to Kyodo. Several Patriot Advance Capability-3…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The political and security situation in the Central African Republic is highly volatile, the humanitarian situation is "extremely dire," looting and sexual violence are on the rise, and armed groups are recruiting children, the UN envoy to the impoverished country has said. Margaret Vogt has painted a grim picture of the country following the overthrow of the government on March 24 by rebel fighters from the Seleka alliance, saying leaders who are supposed to…