"The world is moving closer to nuclear annihilation" - Ban Ki-moon

"The world is moving closer to nuclear annihilation" - Ban Ki-moon
By Catherine Hardy with REUTERS
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Speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School in Massachusetts, Ban said the international community must maintain the pressure of sanctions on North Korea to stop its advancing nuclear and missile threats.

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Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world is “moving closer to nuclear annihilation.”

Speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School in Massachusetts, Ban said the international community must maintain the pressure of sanctions on North Korea to stop its advancing nuclear and missile threats.

“The world is moving closer to nuclear annihilation. This is truly frightening. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is alarming. Never in the past have we had such heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula. Not since the Korean War.”

Ban also referred to the North as “a norm-breaker par excellence, unparalleled in the history of the United Nations.”

.BanKimoon_amdg</a> "The world needs a spirit of global citizenship." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bankimoonforum?src=hash">#bankimoonforum</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Kennedy_School">Kennedy_Schoolpic.twitter.com/c1PAZCRjIz

— HarvardGlobalSurgery (@HarvardPGSSC) 25 avril 2017

THAAD clashes in South Korea

South Korean residents in Seongju have clashed with police as the US military started moving parts of the controversial THAAD anti-missile defence system to its deployment site.

Footage shows protesters throwing water bottles at military vehicles carrying large units, including what appears to be launch canisters, into the planned THAAD battery site around 250km south of Seoul.

Around 200 rallied overnight in two towns near the battery site and plan to stay in place.

Protests as trailers carrying US THAAD missile defence system enter South Korean deployment site https://t.co/IihFuHtAIC

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 26 avril 2017

Has anyone been hurt?

Yes. More than 10 were injured during clashes with police, according to the protesters.

What is the background?

The US and South Korea last year agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to counter the threat of missile launches by North Korea.

However, the decision has angered China, which says the advanced system will do little to deter the North while destabilising the regional security balance.

North Korea’s “wise decision”

South Korea’s unification Ministry says the North made a “wise decision” not to conduct a nuclear test explosion or a ballistic missile launch on the anniversary of its military’s founding.

Fears North Korea could mark the 85th anniversary of its military’s founding with a nuclear test or a ballistic missile launch proved unfounded.

Pyongyang did rattle its sabre, carrying out live fire drills as a reminder of the threat it poses to US-allied South Korea.

China’s new aircraft carrier

China has launched its first domestically-built aircraft carrier.

The vessel will join an existing one bought second-hand from Ukraine.

It comes amid rising tensions over North Korea and worries about Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Chinese broadcaster CCTV aired the footage of the carrier at the launching ceremony on Wednesday morning.

Built in the northeast port of Dalian, it is not expected to enter service until 2020.

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China launched its second aircraft carrier Wednesday morning in northeast China’s Dalian shipyard in Liaoning Province pic.twitter.com/GS7tnSZlac

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) 26 avril 2017

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