UN chief sees meaningful progress on talks for North Korea denuclearization

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, meet at the demarcation line separating the two Koreas before the start of their historic talks on April 27. (Korea Summit Press Pool via Reuters)
Updated 03 May 2018
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UN chief sees meaningful progress on talks for North Korea denuclearization

LONDON: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said he was optimistic about the prospects for progress on the issue of North Korea’s nuclear program after recent diplomatic moves by Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington.
“I am optimistic ... I think now things are on track for a meaningful negotiation,” he said during an interview on BBC Radio 4.
“It’s in the interest of the North Koreans that have been dramatically impacted by the sanctions, it’s in the interest of South Korea that needs peace and security, it’s in the interest of China that was always against a nuclear North Korea but also wants a good security framework in the region, it’s in the interest of the United States because for the United States the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula has always been a main objective.”


UK’s Keir Starmer apologizes to victims of Epstein for giving Peter Mandelson an ambassador job

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UK’s Keir Starmer apologizes to victims of Epstein for giving Peter Mandelson an ambassador job

  • Starmer fired Mandelson in September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein
LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologized Thursday to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington despite his ties to the disgraced financier.
The prime minister said Mandelson had “portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew.” In a speech on Thursday, he said “I am sorry … for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”
Starmer fired Mandelson in September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein following the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor.
But the prime minister now faces fresh pressure over the appointment after newly released documents revealed new details of Mandelson’s close relationship with Epstein.