UN has 'exhausted' its options on North Korea nuclear crisis: Nikki Haley

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that the world body has "exhausted" its options on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

"We have pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the Security Council at this point," Haley on Sunday said in an interview with the CNN.

"None of us want war," she said, adding that if diplomacy fails on the nuclear issue, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "will take care of it", Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the US and South Korea have agreed to increase pressure on North Korea after its latest missile test, the White House said on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke on Saturday by phone and committed to "continuing to take steps to strengthen deterrence and defence capabilities and to maximize economic and diplomatic pressure" on North Korea, according to a White House statement.
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China, Russia condemn nuke test, agree to 'appropriately deal' with N Korea

China and Russia have united against North Korea after it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb on Sunday, which is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Presidents of China and Russia came to an agreement on appropriately dealing with North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test, the Xinhua News agency reported.

The agreement came as Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday night in Xiamen, Fujian province, ahead of Monday's Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test.

Both leaders have agreed to stick to the goal of de-nuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation.

Earlier, India also deplored the nuclear test conducted by North Korea and called Pyongyang to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond.

In a statement, India expressed concern over the nuclear test and said, "Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has once again acted in violation of its international commitments."
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North Korea quake 9.8 times more powerful than 5th: South Korean media

The "artificial quake" in North Korea on Sunday, thought to be its sixth nuclear test, was 9.8 times more powerful than the tremor from Pyongyang's fifth test, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing the state weather agency.

It was "not only 9.8 times more powerful than the nuclear test conducted in September last year, but it is the most powerful", an official at the Korea Meteorological Administration told Yonhap.
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