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Xinhua world news summary at 0900 GMT, Jan. 5

Xinhua,January 05, 2018 Adjust font size:

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced sanctions against five Iranian entities.

The Treasury Department said the five Iran-based entities are subordinate to a key element of Iran's ballistic missile program, and the U.S. action targeted Iran's "destabilizing weapons systems." (US-Iran-Sanctions)

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WASHINGTON -- Echoing a White House announcement, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday that the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea will be held after the the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

South Korea, the host nation of both the sports event and the military drill, came up with the proposal for "reasons of traffic, for reasons of de-conflicting an exercise," Mattis told reporters. (US-DPRK)

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SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has accepted South Korea's offer to hold a senior-level, inter-governmental dialogue next week, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.

Baek Tae-hyun, spokesman of the unification ministry, told a press briefing that the DPRK side sent a notice to the South Korean side at about 10:16 a.m. local time (0116 GMT) via the communications channel in the truce village of Panmunjom. (South Korea-DPRK-Talks)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. State Department announced on Thursday that the nation is suspending its security assistance to Pakistan.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press briefing that the suspension of military equipment or transfer of security-related funds will continue "until the Pakistani Government takes decisive action against groups, including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network." (US-Pakistan-Assistance)

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JOHANNESBURG -- The death toll from Thursday's train derailment in South Africa rose to 20 and the number of the injured climbed to about 260, local media reported, citing Free State health department officials.

"This number will increase because the passengers in three carriages have burnt beyond recognition. The search and rescue operation in these carriages is still ongoing," Free State health department spokesman Mondli Mvambi was quoted by the Times LIVE news site as saying. (S. Africa-Train Derailment) Enditem

 

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