North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called the United States (U.S) the “biggest enemy” of his country, threatening to continue advancing its nuclear capabilities, state media said Saturday.

Kim also said Washington’s policy against Pyongyang would not change regardless of who was in the White House, adding that an end to its hostile stance would likely be the key to future relations between the two countries, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim made the remarks reporting to the eighth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party currently under way in Pyongyang, the North’s first reference to transition of power in Washington since Joe Biden’s election as U.S. president in November.

They also came days before Biden’s inauguration slated for Jan. 20., which experts see as aimed at pressuring the incoming administration in Washington.

“The report said that the key to the establishment of new North Korea-U.S. relations is the withdrawal of the U.S.’ hostile North Korea policy,” KCNA said, declaring an “eye for an eye” principle against Washington.

“Our external political activities going forward should be focused on suppressing and subduing the U.S., the basic obstacle, biggest enemy against our revolutionary development,” KCNA said.

Kim has held three meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, but denuclearization talks have made little progress since their no-deal summit in Hanoi in 2019.

Biden earlier said that he would not meet the North Korean leader without preconditions, vowing to pursue “principled” diplomacy on Pyongyang. He has called Kim a “thug” and “dictator,” denouncing Trump for giving legitimacy to Kim through summits.

Referring to the summits with Trump, Kim said the U.S. hostile policy has worsened despite the North’s “efforts” and “maximum patience” to reduce tensions in the region.

Kim rolled out a series of goals to boost the North’s military power, calling for improvement in missiles’ strike capabilities targeting objects in the range of 15,000 kilometers, apparently intended to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S., and minimisation of nuclear weapons.

The North also boasted of a new nuclear-powered submarine, saying that it has completed the research design and it is in the stage of final examination.

Other military projects ordered by Kim include the development of tactical nuclear weapons, ground or submarine-launched solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the introduction of hypersonic aircraft and a military surveillance satellite.

“The reality shows that we need to strengthen the national defense capabilities without a moment of hesitation to deter the United States’ nuclear threats and to bring peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” KCNA said.

“The geopolitical features of our state called for pushing ahead with the already-started building of the nuclear force without interruption for the welfare of the people, destiny of the revolution, existence and independent development of the state,” it said.

Still, the North Korean leader reaffirmed that Pyongyang would not use its nuclear arsenal unless “hostile forces” attempt to attack with nuclear weapons.

Washington has yet to respond to the North’s announcement.

With regard to relations with South Korea, Kim appeared to have left room for improvement in the currently chilled ties, saying things could return to three years ago when a peace mood was created, “at any time” but emphasized that it all depends on South Korea’s attitude.

“The report made a stern warning that we will have no choice but to treat the South differently if it continues to push us to the corner citing ‘provocations,’” it said.

Inter-Korean relations have remained stalled since the Hanoi summit as sanctions stand in the way of cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

The ties chilled further last year, as North Korea blew up an inter-Korean joint liaison office in anger over anti-Pyongyang leafleting in June and killed a South Korean fisheries official drifting near its western sea border in September.

North Korea has not responded to Seoul’s offers for talks and cooperative projects, while focusing on warding off an outbreak of the coronavirus on its soil by sealing its border and toughening quarantine measures.

Kim said such projects on “antivirus, humanitarian cooperation (and) individual trips” are all “nonessential” issues, calling for a halt to the combined exercises between South Korea and the United States.

During the congress, Kim also unveiled a new economic development plan for the next five years, which centers around self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

North Korea will focus its investment in the metal and chemical industries, among others, while strengthening the technological base for the agricultural sector, it said.

“The core theme of the new five-year national economic development plan is still self-reliance and self-sufficiency,” the report said.

This week’s congress, the first in nearly five years, came as North Korea has been faced with a triple whammy of the fallout of back-to-back typhoons in the summer, a protracted border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its economy.

Opening the event on Tuesday, Kim admitted the failure to meet the country’s previous five-year development goals, describing the past few years as a period of “unprecedented, worst-ever trials.”

KCNA said that a fifth-day session was to be held Saturday.

It is still unclear for how many days the congress will continue as the North has not made public the exact schedule.

The previous congress in 2016 was held for four days. (Yonhap/NAN)

Australia’s health officials said, on Saturday, they are on high alert after cases of highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus, discovered in Britain and South Africa, have made it into the country.

Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, on Saturday went into a three-day strict lockdown after the discovery of a virulent strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, linked to Britain.

A variant that emerged in South Africa was found in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, in a hotel quarantine.

Australia has been more successful than most advanced economies in managing the pandemic, with total infections at around 28,600 and 909 deaths, while each state has, at some point, recorded zero COVID-19 transmissions.

But given the new variants, the government on Friday cut the number of travellers from overseas and required negative COVID-19 tests from those boarding planes and more testing at local quarantine facilities.

“So long as people are travelling, the risk of the virus seeping into the community is already there,’’ New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, told a news conference.

“Anything we can do to reduce that risk is really important, especially now when we understand what these strains are doing, and all the experts advise in due course that these mutated strains will become the dominant strain.’’

Australia closed its borders in March but has been allowing a limited number of Australians to return, putting them into a two-week mandatory hotel quarantine upon arrival.

New South Wales, the largest state, reported one new community transmitted case on Saturday, as a three-week lockdown is set to end for about a quarter million people in Sydney’s north after an outbreak there in December.

Queensland, where a case of the Britain-linked variant was recorded last week, reported no new cases.

But officials said that they could not rule out extending the three-day lockdown if more cases emerge.

“This is because of the new variant and because it is the first time this new variant has been out in a community anywhere in the country,’’ said Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. (Reuters/NAN)

Ten newborn babies died on Saturday in a fire at a state-run hospital in western India, officials said.

There were 17 infants in the unit for sick newborn babies when the fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra state.

Seven infants died due to smoke suffocation, and three from burn injuries, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.

Seven babies were rescued by the nurses and ward staff.

All the infants were aged between a few days and three months, Bhandara district health official Prashant Uike said.

The government has ordered a probe into the incident and a safety audit of all neonatal care units in the state.

Initial reports indicated that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in one of the incubators, Tope said.

“The staff said the ward quickly filled with lots of black smoke,” the minister added.

Legal requirements for a post-mortem had been waived and the bodies of the children handed to their families, Tope added.

Families of the victims would be given compensation of 500,000 rupees (about 6,814 dollars) each. (dpa/NAN)

Russia and China have opposed a candidate from Fiji seen as a staunch human rights defender to lead the top U.N. rights body, diplomats and observers say, creating a deadlock just as Washington may seek to rejoin the forum it quit in 2018.

The Human Rights Council presidency rotates annually between regions and is usually agreed by consensus, with any contests typically resolved quickly and cordially, diplomats say.

The impasse means the council, the only intergovernmental global body to promote and protect human rights worldwide, is set to resume work in Geneva next week with no leader for the first time in its 15-year history.

While its decisions are not legally binding, they carry political weight and can authorise probes into violations.

The infighting points to a high-stakes game where powers are seeking to pre-emptively counter future influence of the United States, which could rejoin the body under President-elect Joe Biden, Marc Limon of the Universal Rights Group think-tank said.

“Neither China nor Russia want a human rights-friendly country to hold the presidency in a year where the U.S. will probably re-engage with the council,” he said.

Russia, China and Saudi Arabia — sometimes acting through proxies — have opposed the selection of Fiji’s ambassador, Nazhat Shameem Khan, or thrown their weight behind other last-minute candidates, observers and two diplomats said.

“It’s understood that Saudi Arabia, China and Russia were all supportive of a Bahraini candidacy and opposed to a Fijian candidacy,” said Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights, citing Fiji’s record, with Khan backing probes into abuses in Belarus and Yemen last year.

The NGO is accredited to the council and takes part in debates.

A Chinese diplomat said on Friday he would be “happy to see any of these candidates as president”.

The diplomatic missions for Fiji, Russia and Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.

Khan has not stepped aside and alternative candidates from Bahrain and Uzbekistan put forward since December have also faced opposition, diplomats said.

“This mess potentially strengthens those voices that argue HRC is anti-democratic, dysfunctional etc, and U.S. should not re-engage (or insist on big reforms as price for doing so),” said the International Crisis Group’s Richard Gowan.

A review that could prompt reforms of the forum is pending.

Currently, members have to be elected onto the 47-member council to vote in it – but that may be one of the subjects considered in any reform. China and Russia both return to the council this year.

The council president has limited powers although some say the role has become increasingly political.

The president does, however, appoint independent experts, such as the one who led an inquiry into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Attempts by Oman, last year’s Asia-Pacific group coordinator, to resolve the matter via secret ballot hit Qatari opposition, creating a deadlock one diplomat called “a mess”.

One way to resolve the impasse might be a vote at the council next week, diplomats say. (Reuters/NAN)