WARSAW: President Donald Trump said Thursday he was considering a “pretty severe” response to North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test, even as his defense secretary said the United States is still seeking a diplomatic solution to the standoff. Russia contests UN statementWashington had made a hard-hitting call in the UN Security Council on Wednesday for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang after the missile test. Trump had dismissed the idea of North Korea having a working ICBM, vowing it “won’t happen.”The test has sent jitters through global stock markets, with shares falling on Thursday. But official Chinese customs data shows a 37.4 percent rise in yuan terms in overall trade with North Korea and 30.6 percent in US dollars in the first quarter. “Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40%… so much for China working with us – but we had to give it a try!” Trump tweeted on Wednesday.

Source: Manila Times July 06, 2017 21:45 UTC