Headlines

March 17 (DP.net).– On 7 July 2018, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met in Tokyo where they reaffirmed their unity in urging North Korea to denuclearize as promised. The ministers stressed the need to call on North Korea to take concrete steps toward denuclearization and to keep existing U.N. economic sanctions in place. President Trump repeatedly warned that the military option remained on the table if North Koreans persisted in developing nuclear weapons. North Korea had since suspended all its nuclear tests. 

However, Kim Jong-un ignores Biden as North Korea snubs ‘multiple diplomatic attempts’ and restarts its development. North Korea has unveiled two new weapons over the last few months, a new submarine launched missile and the nation's biggest ever ICBM, the Hwasong-16, the largest road-mobile ICBM in the world, with a range, at around 13,000km, enough to cover the whole of the United States. Kim is expected to use a renewal of nuclear weapons testing as a way to taunt Biden, in the same way he did with Barack Obama a few years ago.

Sixty Bristol citizens have released their recommendations
on climate, health and transport.
Participants share their insights
from this pioneering process of public participation.

Bristol, March 13.– On a sunny Saturday in late February, dozens of people from across Bristol squint at Zoom on their screens. Their task? Produce recommendations for how Bristol can reduce the impact of our homes on the climate crisis – and contribute to the city’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030. No pressure then.

This was the penultimate weekend of the climate strand of Bristol’s first ever citizen’s assembly – an exercise in participatory democracy where local people come together to tackle our biggest issues.

 March 12.– Maria João Rodrigues (photo), President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), argues that new aspirations for democracy and media are yet to be met

A decline in trust and engagement towards our democratic institutions has been a central question when it comes to citizens, especially young people. Is it the people who are the problem or should we rather look for solutions to renovate democracy and its basic infrastructure, the media system?

March 10.– Chinese leader Xi Jinping is telling the military to focus on strengthening combat readiness over the next five years as he warns of uncertainties domestically and abroad.

Ensuring the Chinese armed forces are prepared for war should be the leading objective in the country’s military building, Xi, who heads the Central Military Commission, said on March 9 in an address to delegates of the Chinese armed forces during Beijing’s annual legislative sessions.