Tag: InternationalNews

{Criticism follows announcement that Turkish security agents were among those being sought over brawl in Washington, DC.}

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the US decision to issue arrest warrants for 12 of his bodyguards allegedly linked with a brawl outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC.

Several people were injured when a brawl broke out outside Turkey’s embassy during Erdogan’s visit to the US in May.

Washington, DC police reportedly obtained the arrest warrants for the bodyguards on Thursday.

Speaking at a dinner to break the Ramadan fast in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday, Erdogan said: “They have issued arrest warrants for 12 of my bodyguards. What kind of law is this?

“If my bodyguards cannot protect me, then why am I bringing them to America with me?”

He said Kurdish PKK fighters and members of what Turkey calls the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) were united in protest against him at a short distance of 40-50 metres from where he was with his bodyguards.

“The US police is doing nothing. Can you imagine what the response would have been if a similar incident had taken place in Turkey?” Erdogan said.

{{Turkish allegations}}

According to the Turkish government, FETO and its US-based leader Fethullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

On the other hand, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU – resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.

Earlier on Thursday, Turkey’s foreign ministry called in John Bass, the US ambassador to Ankara, for talks over the arrest warrants

“It has been conveyed to the ambassador that this decision taken by US authorities is wrong, biased and lacks legal basis,” the ministry said in a statement, blaming local authorities for failing to take proper security measures with regards to the “so-called protesters”.

Washington, DC District Police Chief Peter Newsham said nine Turkish security agents, three Turkish police officers and two Canadians were being sought over the brawl.

He also said two arrests were made on Wednesday.

“We all saw the violence that was perpetrated against the protesters,” Newsham said. “We’re not going to tolerate this.”

{{State department messages}}

Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, said the charges “send a clear message that the United States does not tolerate individuals who use intimidation and violence to stifle freedom of speech and legitimate political expression.”

Heather Nauert, state department spokesperson, declined to say what actions might be taken, but the US could seek the extradition of the Turkish suspects or bar them from entering the US.

Erdogan’s security detail returned with him to Turkey after his visit, so it was unclear if any would face any immediate US legal repercussions.

However, they could end up being threatened with arrest if they return to the US. If any are still in the country, they could be expelled if Turkey refuses to waive diplomatic immunity.

Erdogan visits US in bid to stop arming of Kurdish fighters in Syria
“They should bring themselves here to the US to answer these charges,” Newsham said.

Newsham recounted how video near the residence showed some attacking protesters with their fists and feet.

Men in dark suits and others were recorded repeatedly kicking one woman as she lay curled on the pavement.

A man with a bullhorn was repeatedly kicked in the face.

After officers struggled to protect the protesters and ordered the men in suits to retreat, several of the men dodged the officers and ran into a park to continue the attacks.

Source:Al Jazeera

{At least seven people killed, 59 wounded in explosion at nursery in Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu, state media reports.}

At least seven people were killed and 59 others wounded in an explosion at a nursery in eastern China, state media reported.

The blast occurred as children were being picked up from school in the city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu province on Thursday, police said.

Mobile phone camera footage posted on the website of the official People’s Daily newspaper showed more than a dozen people lying motionless in front of the nursery’s steel sliding gate.

The force of the blast tore the clothes off some of the people lying on the ground beside pools of blood.

One woman was seen clutching her child, who was in tears. The video also showed ambulances arriving and medical personnel wheeling people into an emergency room.

It was not clear whether the explosion was an accident or was deliberately set.

The newspaper Xiandaikuaibao on its website cited an unidentified witness as saying the blast appeared to have been caused by an exploding bottle of cooking gas.

Calls to the kindergarten and local hospitals rang unanswered, AP news agency reported.

An official at the police station in Fengxian county told AFP news agency that the explosion was under investigation.

It is the latest tragedy to strike a nursery in China in recent weeks.

A school bus packed with nersery pupils erupted in flames inside a tunnel in eastern Shandong province on May 9, killing 11 children, a teacher and the driver.

Officials later said the fire was intentionally set by the driver, who was angry at losing overtime wages.

Source:Al Jazeera

{Scores of civilians killed in crossfire between army and ISIL-linked group in three weeks of fighting, politician says.}

A Philippines politician said residents fleeing besieged Marawi City have seen about 100 dead bodies in an area where the army and ISIL-linked fighters have clashed in the last three weeks.

Zia Alonto Adiong, a local politician who is helping with relief efforts in Marawi, told reporters on Thursday that 500-1,000 people were still trapped in the city, located on the southern island of Mindanao.

“Dead bodies, at least 100, are scattered around the encounter area,” Adiong said.

Volunteers have been trying to extricate hundreds of civilians caught in the crossfire via “peace corridors”, Adiong said, but many of those trapped were still opting to hide rather than risk being discovered by the fighters.

Most residents, however, have run out of food and water, Adiong added.

Al Jazeera correspondent Jamela Alindogan said residents who initially fled and wanted to return to the city were being stopped by military forces.

“Martial law is being imposed here and across the entire island of Mindanao. Anyone is subject to investigation, even children,” Alindogan said.

The black flags of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) were flying over several government buildings in Marawi City, she added.

“I lived here since I was 12,” said Elvira Sacot, who was forced to flee Marawi. “It hurts me to leave everything behind. But it is more painful to stay. I don’t think I’m coming back.”

Meanwhile, a senior member of the ISIL-linked group was arrested by the military near the coastal city of Cagayan de Oro, some 100km north of Marawi.

According to military spokesperson Jo-Ar Herrera, one of the seven Maute brothers, Mohammad Noaim Maute, was arrested at a checkpoint just after dawn.

The Maute group, led by two of Mohammad’s brothers, has been at the forefront of the vicious battle with security forces for Marawi City since May 23.

Mohammad, an Arabic language teacher, is the suspected bomb-maker for the group. He was holding a fake student card of the Marawi-based Mindano State University when stopped at a checkpoint.

Most of the Muate brothers are believed to be in Marawi. Their parents have been taken into custody last week in separate cities.

The military said 290 people have died in over three weeks of fighting, including 206 fighters, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians.

The city of 200,000 has been largely abandoned due to the fighting, which has seen the military relentlessly bomb areas held by the fighters, with residents fleeing to nearby towns.

Source:Al Jazeera

{At least six people have died after a huge fire raged through the night at a west London 24-storey tower block, and police expect that number to rise.}

Eyewitnesses described people trapped in the burning Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, screaming for help and yelling for their children to be saved.

Firefighters, who rescued many people, were called at 00:54 BST and are still trying to put out the fire.

Police say there may still be people in the building who are unaccounted for.

During the night, eyewitnesses said they saw lights – thought to be mobile phones or torches – flashing at the top of the block of flats, and trapped residents coming to their windows – some holding children.

It is understood that “several hundred” people would have been in the block when the fire broke out shortly after midnight, most of them sleeping.

Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan Police, said the recovery operation would be “complex and lengthy”, and the number of fatalities was expected to rise.

He declined to give any details of the number of people who may be missing.

He said it was likely to be some time before police could identify the victims, adding that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the fire.

An emergency number – 0800 0961 233 – has been set up for anyone concerned about friends or family.

More than 70 people have received treatment in hospital. At least 20 are known to be in a critical condition.

At 13:00 BST, Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said firefighters expected to be on the scene for at least another 24 hours and she would not speculate about the cause of the blaze.

She said there were concerns that people were still inside the tower and she urged all residents to make sure they had reported themselves to police so that the authorities know they are safe.

Prime Minister Theresa May is “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life”, said Downing Street.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to demand a government statement in Parliament on Thursday on the tragedy, the BBC understands.

Later, police and fire minister Nick Hurd will chair a cross-party meeting to look at how the government can assist the emergency services and local authorities.

Paul Munakr, who lives on the seventh floor, managed to escape.

“As I was going down the stairs, there were firefighters, truly amazing firefighters that were actually going upstairs, to the fire, trying to get as many people out the building as possible,” he told the BBC.

He said he was alerted to the fire not by fire alarms but by people on the street below, shouting “don’t jump, don’t jump”.

Eyewitness Jody Martin said: “I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window… hearing screams.

“I was yelling at everyone to get down and they were saying ‘We can’t leave our apartments, the smoke is too bad on the corridors.’”

Michael Paramasivan, who lives on the seventh floor with his girlfriend and young daughter, said he ignored official advice to stay in your home.

“If we had stayed in that flat, we would’ve perished. My gut instinct told me just to get the girls out. I wrapped the little one up because of the smoke and I just got them out.”

Another resident, Zoe, who lives on the fourth floor, said she was woken by a neighbour banging on her door.

“The whole landing was thick with smoke. The smoke alarms weren’t going off but the way it spread so quickly from the fourth floor, all the way up to the 23rd floor was scary.”

They have lost their homes and for some, tragically their relatives.

At times there is the sound of sobbing as the word goes round that someone is missing, someone is feared dead.

I’ve spent the day inside the community centre where survivors have gathered.

Downstairs in the hall families sit at tables and wait for news.

One family told me they hadn’t heard from their brother, sister and three children – Mirna, Fatima and Zainnb. Other relatives were out searching hospitals. There was still no news.

Outside the centre, Sawsan was with a group of women. For one it was too much, she was on the floor crying. Sawsan hasn’t heard from her mum, sister, brother-in-law and nieces. She spoke to them when the fire started but nothing since.

Inside the centre, families are being helped with food, housing and medical treatment. It’s busy and everyone is helping. Just not with the one thing they need – information about whether their relatives are safe.

Christabel told me how lucky her father had been. He tried to fight the fire but made it out alive.

Ed was saved when a friend called him to tell him to get out the building. “I’m lucky” he says. But they have lost everything.

Grenfell Tower, built in 1974, is part of the Lancaster West Estate, a sprawling inner-city social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes.

Robert Black, chief executive of the tower’s management company, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, said: “The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

“Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community.”

The BBC’s Andy Moore, who was at the scene through the night, described watching debris falling from the building, and hearing explosions and breaking glass.

The London Fire Brigade said a structural engineer had checked the building and determined it was not in danger of collapse and that rescue teams were safe to be inside.

Initially, it was feared that the building, which appears to be gutted, could collapse.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was devastated by the horrific scenes, attended by more than 250 firefighters and 100 ambulance medics.

Questions will need to be answered over the safety of tower blocks, he told BBC Radio.

“We can’t have a situation where people’s safety is put at risk because of bad advice being given or if it is the case, as has been alleged, of tower blocks not being properly serviced or maintained,” he said.

Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union said something had clearly gone badly wrong with fire prevention procedures at the building.

Firefighters would normally fight a fire in a tower block from the inside, going up the fire escape, and fighting using the internal dry-rising mains, he said, but that’s not been possible in this case.

Construction firm Rydon said recent building work which it carried out on the block “met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards”.

Appeals are being made on social media for news of missing friends and relatives, who might have been caught in the blaze.

Emergency rest centres have opened for those now homeless at Latymer Community Centre, St Clement’s Church, Harrow Club and Rugby Portobello Trust. There are also local collections under way for spare clothes, toys, blankets and toiletries.

People are being advised by police to stay away from the area, where roads remain closed and nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution.

{{Safety concerns}}

Grenfell Tower underwent a two-year £10m refurbishment as part of a wider transformation of the estate, that was completed last year.

Work included new exterior cladding and a communal heating system.

The 24-storey tower, containing about 120 flats, is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Before and during the refurbishment, the local Grenfell Action Group claimed that the block constituted a fire risk and residents warned that site access for emergency vehicles was “severely restricted”.

Construction firm Rydon, which carried out the refurbishment, said it was “shocked to hear of the devastating fire” and added that the work “met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards”.

Council leader Nick Paget-Brown said the buildings were regularly inspected, but a “thorough investigation” was needed.

Source:BBC

{Politicians say president violates the constitution over payments from foreign governments via Trump’s businesses.}

Nearly 200 US Democratic lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over foreign money flowing into his global business empire.

Wednesday’s case is the latest in a series of similar complaints filed against the president in recent months.

The lawmakers allege Trump accepted funds from foreign governments through his businesses without congressional consent in violation of the US constitution.

The complaint said that Trump had not sought congressional approval for any of the payments that his hundreds of businesses had received from foreign governments since he took office in January.

The White House was not immediately available for comment, but has repeatedly said that Trump’s business interests do not violate the constitution.

In January, the president said he would maintain ownership of his business empire, but would shift his business assets to a trust that would be managed by his two eldest sons while president.

Ethics advocates have argued, however, that this move did not go far enough.

The Trump Organization has also said it will donate profits from customers representing foreign governments to the US treasury department, but will not require such customers to identify themselves.

At least 30 US senators and 166 representatives are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, representing the largest number of legislators to ever sue a US president, according to two lawmakers who are among the plaintiffs.

The constitution’s “foreign emoluments” clause bars US officeholders from accepting payments and various other gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval.

“The president’s failure to tell us about these emoluments, to disclose the payments and benefits that he is receiving, mean that we cannot do our job. We cannot consent to what we don’t know,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the lawmakers bringing the lawsuit, said in a conference call on Tuesday.

Representative John Conyers, another plaintiff, added that Trump “has conflicts of interest in at least 25 countries, and it appears he’s using his presidency to maximise his profits”.

The justice department declined to comment.

{{Similar lawsuits}}

Other lawsuits of the same nature have been filed in recent months by parties including a nonprofit ethics group and a restaurant trade group.

They allege that Trump’s acceptance of payments from foreign and US governments through his hospitality empire puts other hotel and restaurant owners at an unfair disadvantage and provides governments an incentive to give Trump-owned businesses special treatment.

In a motion to dismiss one such lawsuit on Friday, the justice department argued that the plaintiffs had not shown any specific harm to their businesses, and that Trump was only banned from receiving foreign government gifts if they arose from his service as president.

On Monday, the attorney generals of the state of Maryland and Washington, DC filed a similar lawsuit against the president.

“This case is about the right of hundreds of millions of Americans to honest government,” Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit.

Responding to questions about Monday’s lawsuit, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said “partisan politics” were to blame.

Spicer said the White House will fight to have the lawsuit dismissed.

Anti-corruption advocates have said Trump’s holdings raise several ethical questions.

“It throws into question whether our government is making policy decisions for the right reasons,” Noah Bookbinder of DC-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), told Al Jazeera.

“He’s taken every opportunity to go to some of his establishments on weekends, to meet with foreign leaders there, talk about how great his businesses are and that raises a lot of problems,” Bookbinder said.

Lawmakers rarely sue the president, so there are few federal court decisions the legislators can cite to prove their legal standing to bring Wednesday’s case, Leah Litman, an assistant professor specialising in constitutional law at the University of California, Irvine, told Reuters news agency.

“But the constitutional provision they’re suing to enforce gives them a role in how it’s carried out, and that gives them a powerful standing argument,” Litman said.

Source:Al Jazeera

{Government says settlement with 1,905 Manus detainees, who sued over ‘hostile conditions’, is ‘not admission of guilt’.}

The Australian government has agreed to pay A$70m ($53m) to more than 1,900 asylum seekers who sued over their treatment at the Manus Island detention centre on Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Some 1,905 men who were detained at the facility between November 2012 and December 2014 filed legal claims last year against the Australian government and two contractors who ran the camp over alleged physical and psychological injury they said they suffered as well as for false imprisonment.

The camp is one of two Australian facilities for processing asylum seekers that have attracted widespread criticism from the United Nations and rights groups because of their harsh conditions and allegations of systemic abuse.

Wednesday’s settlement came just before the Victoria state Supreme Court was set to hear this case.

Lawyers for Slater and Gordon, the law firm representing the case, said they believed it was the largest human rights class action settlement in Australian history.

“The people detained on Manus Island have endured extremely hostile conditions but they will no longer suffer in silence,” attorney Andrew Baker said.

“While no amount of money could fully recognise the terrible conditions the detainees endured, we hope today’s settlement can begin to provide them with an opportunity to help put this dark chapter of their lives behind them.”

The lawyers said the compensation would be distributed among the former and current detainees according to the length of their detention and the severity of the injuries and illnesses they alleged they had suffered.

Australian government denied the alleged claims and said the settlement was not an admission of liability.

“An anticipated six-month legal battle for this case would have cost tens of millions of dollars in legal fees alone, with an unknown outcome. In such circumstances, a settlement was considered a prudent outcome for Australian taxpayers,” Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement.

{{‘Manus was hell’}}

Lead plaintiff in the asylum seekers’ case, Iranian Majid Kamasaee, welcomed the settlement as overdue acknowledgement of the suffering he and others endured.

“This case is not just about me, it is about every person who has been trapped on Manus Island,” Kamasaee, who was held for 11 months, said in a statement read out by the lawyers.

“I left my home in Iran in 2013 because of religious persecution and I came to Australia seeking peace. But I was sent to Manus, which was hell. The way we were treated at the Manus Island detention centre was degrading and cruel.”

The Manus Island detention centre, which was opened in 2012, was deemed illegal by PNG’s Supreme Court last year. It is expected to fully close in October.

Under Australian law, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing to detention centres on Manus Island or the Pacific island of Nauru.

Australia maintains they will never eligible to be resettled in Australia.

The policy has been highly criticised domestically as well as internationally.

In a recent report, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights of migrants said Australia has “clear and undeniable” responsibility for the “physical and psychological damage” suffered from refugees and asylum seekers.

{{‘Significant, but not a solution’}}

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas, reporting from Sydney, said while the asylum seekers had good reason to celebrate the settlement, questions about their futures remain.

“The money is one thing. These men are happy with that,” he said.

“They are happy that in their eyes they have won this case, even if Australia’s government denies liability, but they are still very unsure of their futures.”

Kon Karapanagiotidis, the founder and chief executive of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, added the “landmark case” was significant as it sets a precedent, but it is not a solution.

“Whilst the compensation is important, it does not give [these men] what they wanted in the first place,” Karapanagiotidis told Al Jazeera.

“No compensation is going to give these men what they want, which is freedom from harm.”

He also said that he believes there is an “immediate and humane” solution and that is to “allow these men to come to Australia”.

The United States is considering resettling up to 1,250 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru under a deal struck between Australia and the Obama administration.

Those considered for resettlement, however, will subjected to the “extreme vetting” policies of the US.

Source:Al Jazeera

{Senior Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was among several victims shot and wounded at a baseball practice ahead of an annual game between lawmakers in a Washington suburb, one of his colleagues said Thursday.}

Fellow Republican lawmaker Mo Brooks told CNN that Scalise was shot in the hip, adding that at least two law enforcement officers and one congressional staffer were shot in Alexandria, Virginia.

Scalise, the majority whip who rallies Republican votes in the House of Representatives, “was not able to move on his own power. He was dragging his body from the second base infield to the outfield to get away from the shooter while all this firing was going on,” Brooks said.

Following the shooting, President Donald Trump voiced sadness saysing: “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Trump said in a statement, adding that he was closely monitoring the developments in Alexandria, Virginia just outside the US capital, where police have arrested the unidentified gunman.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all others affected,” he added.

Source:Daily Monitor

{Iraqi officials say at least two people have died after falling ill from an iftar meal in an IDP camp outside Mosul.}

At least two people have died and hundreds more have fallen ill after suffering food poisoning in a camp for displaced Iraqis east of Mosul, officials said.

People started vomiting and some fainted after eating the fast-breaking iftar meal on Monday, lawmaker Zahed Khatoun, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s committee for displaced people told Reuters news agency on Tuesday.

Iraq’s health minister told The Associated Press that a girl and woman died and more than 750 people were affected.

The food was provided by a non-governmental organisation.

Authorities have launched a formal investigation into the incident, officials said.

The Kurdish news agency Rudaw, citing Erbil’s mayor, said the owner of the restaurant that made the food had been arrested.

The camp is located in al-Khazer on the road linking Mosul and Erbil and houses those displaced due to the ongoing offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 6,000 people currently live inside the camp.

A US-backed military operation to retake ISIL’s last three remaining enclaves outside Mosul’s Old City began last month – the latest push in a major operation that began in October.

Aid groups have repeatedly expressed their concerns over the safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been forced to flee and are at risk of being caught in the crossfire.

Almost 10,000 people fled from Mosul’s northwest and the Old City every day during the last week of May, the UN said.

More than 750,000 people have been displaced from the city since October.

Source:Al Jazeera

{Separately, US think-tank says North Korea sanctions-skirting network could be defeated by targeting China firms.}

North Korea’s advancing missile and nuclear programmes are the “most urgent and dangerous” threat to US national security, US defence secretary Jim Mattis said.

Mattis said the “most urgent and dangerous threat to peace and security is North Korea”, adding that its “continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them has increased in pace and scope”, a statement he has made in the past.

The US focus on North Korea has been sharpened by dozens of missile launches and two nuclear tests since the start of 2016 and by Pyongyang’s vow to develop a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland.

“The regime’s nuclear weapons programme is a clear and present danger to all, and the regime’s provocative actions, manifestly illegal under international law, have not abated despite the United Nations’ censure and sanctions,” Mattis said in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee on Monday.

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and China since President Donald Trump took office.

Pyongyang slammed the latest round of sanctions as “mean”.

Mattis, speaking before the panel, warned of the potential losses in the case of conflict with North Korea.

“It would be a war like nothing we have seen since 1953 and we would have to deal with it with whatever level of force was necessary … It would be a very, very serious war,” Mattis said, referring to the Korean war, which ended in 1953 and killed more than a million civilians.

Last week, South Korea’s top national security adviser said Seoul did not aim to change its agreement on the deployment of a US anti-missile system to protect against North Korea, despite a decision to delay its full installation.

Also on Monday, a report by a US-based think-tank said that the North’s effort to circumvent international sanctions on its nuclear and missile programmes is complex, but could be defeated by targeting relatively few Chinese firms.

The C4ADS report said a small number of interconnected Chinese firms accounted for the vast proportion of trade with North Korea, leaving the impoverished country’s procurement network vulnerable to targeted, enforced sanctions.

“A concerted effort by the international community to target specific sanctions-violating entities is needed,” the report said

It added that it was a mistake to think that sanctions could not succeed against a country like North Korea, which was less isolated than it appeared.

“Although to date economic coercion has been ineffective in persuading North Korea to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, this does not mean it cannot work,” it said.

The report said a relatively small number of Chinese companies – 5,233 – traded with North Korea from 2013 to 2016, compared with the 67,163 that exported to South Korea.

{{Rodman to visit North Korea}}

Separately, former National Basketball Association (NBA) star Dennis Rodman is expected to arrive in North Korea on Tuesday.

This will be the latest of at least four visits the basketball player has made to Pyongyang, most recently in 2014 when he attracted much criticism after being filmed singing happy birthday to his “friend for like” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Rodman told reporters at Beijing’s international airport that he is going to North Korea to open a door, but has no plans to discuss the four US citizens being held by Pyongyang.

US media quoted a senior Trump administration official who said Rodman is “going as private citizen”.

Source:Al Jazeera