PYONGYANG, Nov. 6  — The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday condemned the United States for imposing unilateral sanctions on the country, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

“Recently, the new U.S. administration has imposed its exclusive sanctions on the DPRK, the fifth of their kind since its assumption of office,” Kim Un Chol, vice-minister for U.S. affairs of the foreign ministry, was quoted as saying in a press statement.

The present U.S. administration expresses its “invariable hostile intention towards the DPRK again in an accustomed and traditional way,” Kim said, adding that “the U.S. sanctions will have no effect on the DPRK’s thinking and viewpoint on it in the future.”

The United States needs to pay attention to the fact that there is no possibility for it to change the present strategic situation between the two countries in its favor, no matter how Washington may mobilize all its sanctions, said Kim.

“Now that the present U.S. administration has clarified its stand to be hostile towards the DPRK to the last, we will also take proper measures to counter it with patience for any length of time,” Kim added. (Xinhua)

JERUSALEM/GAZA, Nov. 6 — Israel’s security forces said Wednesday night that Hamas handed over the remains of another hostage to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip.

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and Shin Bet security agency said a coffin containing the remains was transferred from the Red Cross to Israeli forces and would be sent for identification at a forensic lab in Tel Aviv.

Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed it had delivered the body of “an Israeli captive” found in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood. The handover was part of an ongoing exchange under the current cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Before Wednesday’s transfer, Hamas had returned the remains of 21 hostages under the truce. If the latest remains are confirmed, six bodies would still be held in Gaza — four Israelis, one Tanzanian, and one Thai national, according to Israeli officials.

Gaza health authorities said they received the bodies of 15 Palestinians “released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross,” bringing the total number of returned bodies to 285.

Medical teams have identified 84 of them so far. Since the cease-fire took effect on Oct. 10, Hamas has released 20 Israeli hostages alive, while Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and about 1,800 detainees from Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

Also on Wednesday, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire while collecting firewood east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, medical sources said.

Health authorities reported three more bodies and two injured people brought to Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours. They said 241 people have been killed and 609 wounded since the cease-fire began, while 513 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.

The overall death toll from Israel’s war in Gaza, a territory of about 2 million people, has reached 68,875, with 170,679 injured since the conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza health officials. (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Nov. 6 — The new small-sized and high-output nuclear technology used in Russia’s defense facilities holds great potential for civilian use, said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The related technology can be applied in areas including small nuclear energy, the development of power facilities in the Arctic zone, and the exploration of both near and far space, including the power supply for the space cargo ship currently under development and for a future lunar station, he said while presenting state honors to the developers at the Kremlin.

The small size and light weight of these nuclear installations, along with their safety and reliability, enable flexible use in creating energy sources for mineral extraction in hard-to-reach areas, including the Arctic shelf, for providing light and heat to remote territories and settlements, and for boosting the efficiency of underwater expeditions exploring the world’s oceans, Putin said.

“A huge foundation for the future has been laid, and we will definitely move forward,” he added. “Russia does not threaten anyone. Like all other nuclear powers, Russia is developing its nuclear and strategic potential.”

MOSCOW, Nov. 6  — Moscow would be forced to take action in response to nuclear tests conducted by other countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

“Back in my 2023 address to both houses of parliament, I noted that if the United States or other state parties to the relevant treaty carried out such tests, Russia would accordingly have to take proportionate responsive measures,” Putin said at a Russian Security Council meeting.

He instructed Russia’s Foreign and Defense Ministries and other relevant departments to submit proposals on the possibility of preparing for nuclear weapons tests.

Putin added that Russia has always strictly abided by its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and will continue to do so until other countries begin conducting nuclear tests.

Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of nuclear weapons tests, claiming that other countries appeared to be conducting similar tests. (Xinhua)

NEW YORK, Nov. 6– The U.S. Supreme Court held a hearing on Wednesday over the administration’s global tariff policy under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), with both conservative and liberal justices expressing skepticism about its legal basis.

During the nearly three hours of oral arguments, Solicitor General John Sauer, representing U.S. President Donald Trump, told the court that the tariffs were imposed to deal with two emergencies: a persistent trade imbalance and the flood of fentanyl into the country.

But the justices were doubtful about Trump’s claim that he has the power to impose tariffs under the IEEPA. While acknowledging tariffs involve foreign affairs, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that the statute, as interpreted by Trump, imposes taxes on Americans, and taxes have always been “the core power of Congress.”

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned Sauer, “You say tariffs are not taxes, but that’s exactly what they are. They’re generating money from American citizens, revenue.”

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch pointed out that Trump has unilaterally imposed the tariffs by citing purported international emergencies of trade imbalances and the flow of fentanyl into the United States, without Congress authorizing them.

Other conservative justices, including Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito, also pressed Sauer, saying that Trump’s citation of a nearly 50-year-old law to defend his tariffs is an overreach of the executive power.

Neal Katyal, representing the plaintiffs, argued that “tariffs are taxes,” and that “our founders gave that taxing power to Congress alone.”

It remains unclear when the Supreme Court will release its ruling, but the Trump administration has requested an expedited ruling.

U.S. National Public Radio claimed that “Trump’s claim of unilateral power to impose tariffs hit a wall of skepticism at the Supreme Court,” while Politico called the Supreme Court showdown “an epic clash between two of the most deeply ingrained tenets of the conservative legal movement.”

In response to lawsuits filed by five small businesses and 12 states on April 14 and April 23, the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York ruled on May 28 that the Trump administration’s tariffs were illegal and ordered their revocation implemented under the IEEPA.

A U.S. appeals court on Aug. 29 upheld the ruling of the lower court’s decision in a 7-4 vote.  (Xinhua)

SAO PAULO, Nov. 5 — The Brazilian government on Tuesday voiced concern over possible new conflicts in Latin America as the United States advances efforts to classify drug trafficking as a form of terrorism.

Celso Amorim, chief advisor to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, told local media that the world is facing a moment of “total disorder,” driven by the use of U.S.-promoted labels that could justify military action.

He pointed to Washington’s recent strategy of launching attacks against suspected drug trafficker vessels in Latin America and labeling organized crime groups as terrorist organizations.

“This division between ‘narco-terrorism’ and other labels may justify military attacks that otherwise wouldn’t happen. It’s all very worrisome,” Amorim said.

The issue goes beyond trade, Amorim said, referring to the ongoing negotiations over the 50 percent tariffs the United States imposed on Brazilian products.

Despite the tensions, Amorim said Brazil remains a stable democracy and “an indispensable partner for the international community in a world in desperate need of good news.”(Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 5  — At least 30 people have been killed in Haiti and more than 1.5 million people affected in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa, a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.

In Jamaica, infrastructure has been severely damaged, with more than 130 roads blocked and power and communication networks disrupted, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told a daily briefing.

Health services are under heavy strain, since several hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed, prompting the deployment of an emergency medical team from the Pan American Health Organization, he said.

Haq said the World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that up to 360,000 people may require food assistance in Jamaica. A UN disaster assessment and coordination team is coordinating assistance teams and aid arriving, in support of the Jamaican government, he said.

In Haiti, Haq said that the United Nations and its partners continue to carry out assessments of the damage wreaked by Hurricane Melissa and are ramping up efforts to reach people in need.

The Food and Agriculture Organization indicated losses in beans, corn and fruit crops, as well as damage to fishing infrastructure, which is expected to increase hunger in a country where half of the population is already food insecure, said the spokesperson.

Speaking to reporters via video link, WFP’s Country Director in Cuba Etienne Labande said the hurricane left behind widespread flooding, power outages and heavy damage, with crops lost and many buildings partially or fully destroyed in the eastern part of Cuba.

One particularity in the response to the hurricane is the anticipatory action framework adopted by Cuba, coupled with a pre-approved UN allocation, which enabled UN agencies to preposition key supplies in vulnerable areas ahead of the hurricane’s landfall, Labande said. (Xinhua)