United States

More North Korea sanctions? They haven't worked so far

The U.N. Security Council has been trying for more than a decade to stifle North Korea's nuclear weapons program with little success: Nuclear tests and missile launches have continued.

Sanctions imposed so far range from restrictions on the arms trade and financial services to a ban on North Korea's business of exporting statues of foreign leaders.

Here are five key areas where the U.N. has taken action since 2006, when North Korea carried out its first nuclear test:

 

Weapons

Facebook launches personal fundraising tool

Facebook (FB, Tech30) announced Thursday it will expand its charitable giving tools to include personal fundraisers. The campaigns will allow people 18 and older to raise money for themselves, a friend -- or someone or something not on Facebook, like a pet.

Cooks sells 100 extra fishing days to US

The deal between the two countries struck last month comes on top of the United States' regional arrangement for access to tuna via the vessel day scheme.

The Finance Minister Mark Brown said the US firms like the way the Cook Islands manages its fishery and it had established a reputation for being fair and reasonable.

"They want additional days from our surplus stock of vessel fishing days that we have available so we've managed to sell to the US fleets another hundred days of fishing access."

Trump's baseless wiretap claim

"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted early Saturday morning in one part of a six-tweet tirade that began just after 6:30 a.m.

The President went on to compare the alleged tapping of his phones to Watergate and called Obama "bad (or "sick)."

"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy," Trump tweeted.

Fears of Pacific free trade deal push with TPP gone

PACER-Plus promises a trade and economic integration deal between the Pacific island countries and Australia and New Zealand.

It has been under negotiation for eight years.

The Pacific Network Against Globalisation's campaigner, Adam Wolfenden, said the collapse of the TPP presented Australia and New Zealand with a chance to reframe PACER Plus.

PNG signs tuna Treaty with US, hopes cordial relationship continues under Trump

PNG High Commissioner to Fiji Lucy Bogari said the South Pacific Tuna Treaty is an instrument that truly marks the relationship between the US and Pacific Island parties.

While commending the US for holding presidential elections, High Commissioner Bogari said PNG is very keen to see the relationship that the US and the Pacific have enjoyed over the years is a longstanding one.

“So under this new incoming administration we hope that this relationship will continue,” she said.

USA register first win over New Zealand

USA maintained the lead on the Kiwis throughout the match grabbing their first win, 3 -1. USA kept their perfect start to dominate New Zealand in all facets of play in the first half to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

USA midfielder Ashley Sanchez will not believe her luck in the 3rd minute of the match, when New Zealand defender gifted the ball to her outside the 15 metre mark and she made the Oceania Champions pay by hitting the back of the net.

The three-time champions increased their lead five minutes later through the boot of skipper Mallory Pugh.

Turnbull, Dutton announce refugee resettlement deal with US

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed the agreement this morning, but did not provide any details on timeframes or the number of people involved.

Speaking in Canberra alongside Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, Turnbull said the deal would only apply to those currently on Nauru and Manus Island.

"There will be American officials from Homeland Security coming to Australia to begin the process in the next few days."

As of October 31, there were 872 people in the processing centre on Manus Island and 390 people in Nauru's centre.

US ex-ambassador, banned from entering Russia

Michael McFaul said the ban was "because of my close affiliation with [President Barack] Obama".

Mr McFaul said he was preparing to visit Russia "to do [Hillary] Clinton transition work" before Donald Trump won the US election.

Russia's foreign ministry confirmed the ban, Russian news agencies reported.

In a public post on Facebook, Mr McFaul said: "Was told that I am on the Kremlin's sanctions list because of my close affiliation with Obama. I will take that as a compliment! The US sanctioned Russians close to Putin.

Vanuatu could have fish plant with American company

Last last week, for the first time, frozen albacore tuna was off-loaded at Port Vila's main wharf before being transported to the Chinese-funded fish packing plant at Black Sands.

The Daily Post reports that with the assistance of United States surveillance vessels, the Vanuatu government is committed to having all Vanuatu-flagged fishing vessels unload their catches from the country's Exclusive Economic Zone in Port Vila.

The paper says Bumblebee is in discussion about building a plant in Vanuatu.