New US sanctions on N. Korean, China firms

WASHINGTON • The US slapped new sanctions on North Korean and Chinese firms and individuals that it said support Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un's regime and his nuclear weapons programme.

Those on the new sanctions list include representatives of North Korean firms and banks mostly based in China and Russia, North Korean shipping firms and six specific vessels, and two Chinese trading firms.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

US to send aircraft carrier to Vietnam

HANOI • In a post-war first, the United States will send an aircraft carrier to Vietnam, Hanoi's Defence Ministry said yesterday, in a major demonstration of deepening military ties between the former enemies more than four decades after the Vietnam War.

The announcement came during a two-day visit to Hanoi by US Defence Secretary James Mattis that had been expected to focus on shared concerns about China.

REUTERS