World will not tolerate North Korea's 'nuclear blackmail', says Trump

US President Donald Trump has warned North Korea that the world will not tolerate what he called its "nuclear blackmail," vowing an international campaign of "maximum pressure" on Pyongyang, including by China.

"I made clear that we will not allow this twisted dictatorship to hold the world hostage to nuclear blackmail," Trump said in a televised statement a day after returning from his marathon trip to Asia.

Trump said Chinese leader Xi Jinping had pledged to use Beijing's economic leverage over Pyongyang to achieve denuclearization in the North.

"President Xi recognizes that North Korea is a great threat to China," the US leader said.

During his recent trip to China, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to faithfully implement United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea and to use his great economic influence over the regime to achieve their common goal of a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.

"President Xi recognises that a nuclear North Korea is a grave threat to China, and we agreed that we would not accept a so-called "freeze for freeze" agreement like those that have consistently failed in the past. We made that time is running out and we made it clear, and all options remain on the table," Trump said.
READ MORE

Wal-Mart, IBM oppose US exit from Paris deal, but will stay on WH panel

Several major US companies, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc, JP Morgan Chase & Co and IBM Corp, on Friday said their CEOs will remain in an influential presidential advisory group despite objecting to President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.

Citing the need to stay engaged with the administration, business leaders said they would remain in their advisory roles to continue working to influence White House policies.

Trump, a Republican, on Thursday said he would pull the United States from the landmark 2015 global agreement to fight climate change, drawing anger and condemnation from world leaders and heads of industry.

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Walt Disney Co CEO Robert Iger reacted by leaving White House advisory councils after Trump's move.

"Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world," Musk said in a Twitter post on Thursday. He was a member of the business advisory group, known as the President's Strategic and Policy Forum. He also belonged to Trump's manufacturing jobs council.

Asked about CEOs' criticism of the U.S. withdrawal, White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Friday said some companies that expressed support for remaining in the agreement raised concerns about the emissions reduction targets.

Spicer, speaking to reporters at a daily news conference, added he does not know if Trump will replace Musk and Iger on the business council.

A spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the largest U.S. retailer, said on Friday that Chief Executive Doug McMillon will remain on the business council.

McMillon said in a Facebook post late on Thursday he was "disappointed in today's news about the Paris Agreement. We think it's important for countries to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

IBM CEO Ginni Rometty will remain on the council, the company said on Friday as it reaffirmed its support for the Paris accord.
READ MORE

US to deport 7,000 Ghanaians for breaching visa agreement

The United States would deport 7,000 Ghanaians this year for breaching terms of their visa agreement, a US diplomat said on Thursday.

US Ambassador to Ghana Robert P. Jackson said the Ghanaians had overstayed their permits and were currently at different stages of their deportation process, Xinhua news agency reported.

"About 7,000 of them are currently at different stages of the deportation process, and we are not apologetic about that," Jackson said at an event in the Brong Ahafo region, 400 km from the capital, Accra.

"We have a lot of Ghanaians who have overstayed their visas in the US and I think that they need to be concerned about whether they would be allowed to remain illegally," Jackson said. "My guess is they will be given some options but the President will be serious about asking those who've violated their visa status to depart."
READ MORE

Breakthrough on DoCoMo tops Tatas' to-do list

Latest Business News - After the biggest boardroom battle of these times, the Tata Group seems to be getting back to business. The $103-billion conglomerate is working on at least five priority areas, from the leadership structure to resolving of pending business issues. 

A breakthrough in the Docomo case is top, it is learnt. Sources indicate a resolution might be possible by the time N Chandrasekaran takes over as chairman of Tata Sons on February 21. Talks are on between the Indian and Japanese sides, says a source in the know. 

Japanese telecom group Tata Docomo, which was in partnership with Tata Teleservices, had filed for international arbitration over non-compliance of a financial agreement, that came to test when the companies parted ways. Subsequently, Docomo won an award of $1.17 bn. While the Tatas have deposited Rs 8,000 crore with the registrar of the high court in Delhi (the next hearing is on February 2), they are (Read More)