BIBLE STUDY: What does it mean that believers are to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16)?

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Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world. One example is found in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack ofrefrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat which would quickly spoil in the desert environment.

Believers in Christ are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin ( Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).

Second, salt was used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil ( Luke 6:35).

In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The following verses in Matthew 5 highlight this truth: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” ( Matthew 5:14-16, NASB). The idea here is similar—the presence of light in darkness is something which is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles which Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. Notice especially that the concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (v. 16, KJV).

In view of these verses, what sorts of things can hinder or prevent the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt and light in the world? The passage clearly states that the difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part which blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.

Mark 9:50 suggests that saltiness can be lost specifically through a lack of peace with one another; this follows from the command to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” And in Luke 14:34-35, we find a reference to the metaphor of salt once again, this time in the context of obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ. The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly.

It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord.

Moreover, the status of salt and light is something which follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.

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NCC to assist in rebuilding telecommunication facilities in North-East-Official (Read full details)

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NCC Building

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said on Sunday it was willing to assist GSM service providers in rebuilding telecommunication facilities destroyed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.

Hajiya Hafsat Lawan, the NCC Assistant Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, made the promise while speaking with journalists in Maiduguri.

“As a regulatory body, one of our mandates is to ensure that telecommunication facilities are well protected.

“We are also working with all operators closely, whenever they are in need of assistance, they can come to us,” Lawan said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that facilities, worth several millions were destroyed by the terrorists, especially in Borno, resulting in service disruptions in many areas of the state.

She further said that NCC had set specific fund, dedicated to assisting the operators in times of need and urged them to come forward with such requests.

“There are funds set aside for that kind of thing, operators that come to us requiring assistance we always help them out.”

The assistant director said the commission was also collaborating with security agencies toward safeguarding telecommunication facilities all over the country.

“We have been collaborating with security agencies, especially the police, in protecting telecommunications facilities.

“We are also partnering with the police in fighting cyber crime.”

“Last week, we donated ICT equipment to the Police Command in Borno, to further strengthen the fight against cyber crime.”

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This Pakistani Actress Blamed Salman Khan For Promoting Crime Through His Movies…Read full details

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Not too long ago, there was a lot of tension between Indian and Pakistan owing to the political situation between the countries. This led to a ban on all Pakistani artists and even got filmmaker Karan Johar into trouble. Speaking of trouble, Pakistani actress Rabi Pirzada lashed out at Salman Khan and his movies for promoting crime. Here’s what she told The Express Tribune.

Every other film released in Bollywood happens to be about crime or some criminal activities, especially films of Salman Khan. My question is, what are Indian film-makers teaching the youth? It seems like they are just promoting crime. There was a time when Pakistani cinema was at its peak, making films with moral lessons and plots highlighting social ethics. We were educating the society through our films but Bollywood has changed all of that.

Interesting. What do you guys think?

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Source: Miss Malini

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Thousands flee Syria army advance in north…Read full details

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A picture taken on March 3, 2017 shows Syrian government forces driving up a road in the ancient city of Plamyra in central Syria.<br />Syrian troops backed by Russian jets completed the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group on March 2, the Kremlin and the army said, in another blow to the jihadists.<br />STRINGER / AFP

Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have fled advancing Russian-backed regime forces fighting Islamic State group jihadists in the north over the past week, a monitoring group said Saturday.

Most of the more than 30,000 fleeing civilians in Aleppo province were women and children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It said the army had retaken several villages from IS during a vast offensive that was still ongoing on Saturday.

Most of the civilians who fled went to areas around Manbij, under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the United States that is also fighting IS, it said.

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Barack, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal

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First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama arriving at The White House in Washington, DC. New York based publisher Penguin Random House has won the industry's most coveted contract: a two-for-one deal to produce the memoirs of former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Bidding for the high-profile double book deal topped $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times. / AFP PHOTO / ZACH GIBSON

New York based publisher Penguin Random House has won the book industry’s most coveted contract: a deal to produce the memoirs of former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

“The company has acquired world publication rights for two books, to be written by President and Mrs Obama respectively,” the publisher said in a statement.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but bidding for the high-profile double book deal topped $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times.

The deal was negotiated by Washington super-lawyer Robert Barnett who represented former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

As part of the agreement “the company will donate one million books in the Obama family’s name to First Book,” a charity, Penguin said.

Barack Obama is already the author of two memoirs and a children’s book.

He has frequently declared himself to have a “writer’s sensibility” and has said he does not want to write a conventional blow-by-blow account of his time in the White House.

Michelle Obama’s memoir is likely to be just as eagerly anticipated.

A descendant of slaves, she became the first African-American first lady and garnered high approval ratings.

“We are very much looking forward to working together with President and Mrs. Obama to make each of their books global publishing events of unprecedented scope and significance,” said Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle.

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EU migrants set to be on agenda as UK Lords study Brexit bill

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A video grab taken from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament's Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) in the House of Commons in London on February 1, 2017, shows MPs as they await the outcome of a vote on a bill to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to start pulling Britain out of the European Union. British MPs on Wednesday approved the first stage of a bill empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to start pulling Britain out of the European Union. MPs approved the bill, which would allow the government to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning two years of exit negotiations, by a margin of 498 to 114. / AFP PHOTO / PRU ARCHIVES

Britain’s House of Lords will Monday begin detailed scrutiny of the bill empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to kickstart Brexit, with the fate of EU nationals living in Britain likely to be on the agenda.

The lower House of Commons overwhelmingly approved the draft legislation earlier this month, and the unelected upper house has already held two days of debate before now examining the short bill line-by-line.

Peers will be able to propose amendments that could potentially delay May’s plans to trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty — a formal notification of Britain’s intention to leave the bloc — by the end of March.

This would fire the starting gun on a maximum of two-years negotiations with the EU to work out the divorce deal and terms of a future relationship, with Britain automatically leaving the bloc if no agreement is reached by then.

Peers are set to discuss on Monday and Wednesday proposals including measures to guarantee the rights of EU nationals in Britain, and defining the parameters of a parliamentary vote on the final Brexit deal.

The so-called “committee stage” is the first opportunity for peers to make amendments, which would then get debated and voted on before being passed back to the House of Commons for approval.

If the Lords approves the bill without amendments it will be sent, after its final reading on March 7, directly to Queen Elizabeth II to sign into law.

However, if there are amendments, the bill could bounce between the two houses as they try to agree on its final wording, potentially derailing May’s timetable.

– No ‘blank cheque’ –
The government presented the short bill to parliament in January after losing a high-profile court battle in which judges ruled May must consult the legislature before beginning the EU divorce proceedings.

The unamended legislation sailed through the Commons this month by 494 votes to 122.

But the government could face greater challenges in the Lords, where only 252 of the more than 800 members are from May’s ruling Conservative party.

Dick Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the upper house, said there was strong support among peers for protecting the rights of EU citizens.

There is “an overwhelming desire to do the right thing and ensure that all EU nationals have the right to remain,” he was quoted as saying by the Guardian on Sunday.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Conservative peer Michael Heseltine, a former deputy prime minister, vowed to support opposition moves to secure a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal within the bill.

– ‘British people want Brexit’ –
May has urged the Lords to neither amend the bill nor delay it.

“There will be debate and scrutiny in the House of Lords, but I don’t want to see anybody holding up what the British people want… which is for us to deliver Brexit, to leave the European Union,” she said.

Interior Minister Amber Rudd on Sunday said she thought there was no chance of May accepting any amendments.

“No I don’t think there is any possibility and I don’t think there should be,” she told ITV television, adding there would be “opportunities to debate and discuss” during the two years of Brexit talks.

But during the initial two-day Lords debate last Monday, Labour peer Angela Smith said peers should not “provide the government with a blank cheque” and that they would not be intimidated by MPs who have suggested the upper house could be abolished if it delays the bill.

Conservative MP Dominic Raab had earlier warned that “peers would be wise to consider this clear democratic mandate, and their own futures, when debating the Article 50 bill.”

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3 dead as luxury bus plunges into Owode/Mile 12 river

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Three persons died on Friday morning when a Marcopolo luxury bus plunged into Owode-Mile 12 river along Lagos-Ikorodu road in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected bus, with registration number GDC386YE, belonged to G.U.O Transport Services Ltd.

Mr Kenneth Aaron, a survivor of the accident, said that the bus, which was coming from Aba, Abia State, had the accident around 3:05 a.m.

“I entered the bus in Onitsha with four of my brothers. The bus passed through Ikorodu because of the ongoing construction on Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

“It seemed an accident happened in the area before which spilled diesel onto the road.

“By the time our bus got to the spot, it skidded, hit the culvert and plunged into the river,” he said.

According to him, the 50-seater bus was full with passengers and had additional standing passengers (attachment) who were picked on the way.

Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), confirmed the death of three and many injured.

“We got the report of an accident around 4.30 a.m and our men responded and commenced recovery mission immediately.

“The initial assessment is that the road demarcation here, the driver probably did not understand the road very well, came to the junction suddenly, applied the brake and lost control.

“The first set of people we brought out had injuries and were treated by our paramedic team; two people died immediately.

“Shortly before I came here, the body of the motor boy was found on the waterbed.”

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) South- West Zone, said that 48 passengers were rescued alive.

“It has been confirmed that there is no more victim in the river.

“Some people are said to have walked out immediately after the incident before the arrival of emergency agencies.

“We have 48 rescued alive, three dead, while nine of the survivors are being attended to at Lagos State Emergency Trauma Centre at toll gate on Lagos-Ibadan expressway,” he said.

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Wenger to continue managing, even if not Arsenal

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Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger / AFP PHOTO / IKIMAGES / Glyn KIRK

Arsene Wenger insisted on Friday he would still be a manager next season even if he was no longer at Arsenal.

The Frenchman, in charge of north London side Arsenal for more than 20 years, is under intense scrutiny following the Gunners’ humiliating 5-1 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Wenger, 67, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, said he would make a decision on his Arsenal future in March or April.

“No matter what happens I will manage next season whether it is here or somewhere else, that is absolutely for sure,” he said.

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Pressure on Wenger to break Bayern curse…See full details

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Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger / AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL

Arsene Wenger is once again under pressure to end Arsenal’s Champions League last-16 misery as the Gunners travel to bogey team Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s first leg.

Bayern are riding a record 15-match home winning streak in Europe with the midweek clash marking the 11th meeting between the sides at Munich’s Allianz Arena in the Champions League.

Arsenal have suffered last-16 defeats in each of the last six seasons, losing to Bayern in both 2013 and 2014, and another early exit would further ramp up the pressure on 67-year-old Wenger to quit after 20 years in charge.

The teams know each other well, having met six times in the last four years, and Bayern thrashed the Gunners 5-1 in Munich in their previous meeting in November 2015.

Arsenal warmed up for their trip to Germany with a 2-0 win over Hull as Alexis Sanchez scored both goals to stop the rot following back-to-back league defeats to Chelsea and Watford.

The Gunners are confident for the Allianz Arena leg with the return in London on March 7.

“If we put in our best performance, then we can beat Bayern as well,” Arsenal’s German defender Shkodran Mustafi told Sky.

“It’s down to us and it’s in our hands.”

Arsenal beat Bayern 2-0 in Munich in 2013, but still lost the last-16 tie following a 3-1 defeat in the first leg in London as the Germans went on to win that year’s final at Wembley.

“We have already won there and I feel we have a chance to go through,” said Wenger.

– Ozil form concerns –
Midfielder Mesut Ozil, another Germany international, is enduring a dip in form, though, and has not scored since early December.

“It’s time for him to score again,” said Wenger. “I felt he did not feel confident (against Hull).

“It’s always a problem because you think he can deliver something special.”

Arsenal are third in the English Premier League, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea, while Bayern are seven clear in Germany’s top flight.

The Bavarians have reached the semi-final stage in Europe in each of the last three years, but Bayern are itching to go one better and reach the Cardiff final on June 3.

Despite their lead in the Bundesliga, Bayern have turned in below-par performances in recent weeks and needed two late goals to earn a 2-0 win at relegation-threatened Ingolstadt on Saturday.

Xabi Alonso suffered an injury scare in training on Monday, while Bayern will be missing defender Jerome Boateng and winger Franck Ribery, who are recovering from shoulder and thigh injuries respectively.

Germany forward Thomas Mueller is enduring a goal drought with just one goal in 17 league games this term, but Robert Lewandowski has hit 23 goals in all competitions and is relishing the Arsenal showdown.

“Everyone is waiting for this game and it’ll be a big challenge for us,” said Lewandowski.

“Arsenal have very good players, but we need to concentrate on ourselves and if we play our best football, Arsenal probably won’t have many chances.

“We need to score at least once and concede nothing, then it’ll be a good evening for us.”

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PSG boss Nasser ready for intense times…See full details

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PHOTO:AFP

The next few days promise to be intense for Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of Paris Saint-Germain and arguably the most recognisable face behind tiny Qatar’s global sporting rise.

On Tuesday night he will take his seat in the Presidentielle Stand at the Parc des Princes for the first leg of the crucial Champions League last 16 tie against Barcelona.

After that he will fly to his hometown of Doha to the more sedate surroundings of the Khalifa International Tennis Stadium, where five of the top-ranked seven women players in the world are vying to win the Qatar Open.

A key figure in football, the dapper 43-year-old is possibly less well-known outside his own country as president of the Qatar Tennis Federation.

In France, he has regularly been pictured with PSG stars such as Edinson Cavani and even once holding a first team shirt with former defender David Luiz after his transfer from Chelsea.

Like most Qataris, he maintains a discreet public profile at home, far more visible in Paris than in Doha, where he is as familiar for his role in tennis as for his ties to PSG.

And it is to tennis that he owes his sporting career. On a recent power list of Qataris, he made seventh spot — below the head of Qatar Petroleum but above of the boss of Qatar Airways — and his occupation was listed as “sports”.

A former professional, he played in the Davis Cup and once against the 1995 French Open champion, Thomas Muster.

He may have only reached a career-high ATP ranking of 995, but those who played him say he was talented.

– Sporting power –
And it was through tennis that he met Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, a path that would eventually lead to PSG. Qatar’s 2011 purchase of the French champions pushed this seemingly shy man into the spotlight.

One year after winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup, it was another statement of Qatar’s sporting ambitions.

It also demonstrated Qatar’s business acumen in raising the country’s profile, which has had various knock-on effects including a huge rise in the number of French tourists to the emirate.

But PSG’s stuttering form this season — they are currently second three points behind Monaco — has led to the first sustained criticism of Khelaifi.

One person close to PSG said he made mistakes by giving “certain key players too much power” during the club’s transition in appointing a new coach and losing star names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Those closest to him though say PSG are beginning to look strong again and deny rumours that he could be replaced if they lose to Barcelona.

Leaving PSG is definitely not an option, one official told AFP this week, for one of the most powerful men in football who also happens to be the head of film and television group, Miramax.

Getting locals in Qatar to speak on the record about him, or other prominent individuals can be tricky.

Despite the extraordinary wealth of Qatar, Khelaifi’s family, prior to the Gulf country finding vast gas an oil riches off of its coast, were “gawas” — pearl divers. His family were involved in the industry — one of Qatar’s staples before energy — for many generations.

It may sound romantic but it was a brutal job.

Divers spent months away from home at sea, survived on rations and risked their lives to get enough pearls to ensure their families had money for the winter.

The Khelaifis are not alone among the now most prominent Qatari families to have worked in the industry.

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Turkmen president wins 7-year term with nearly 98% of vote…Read full details

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Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov casts his vote at a polling station during the presidential election in Ashgabad, on February 12, 2017. Citizens of Turkmenistan went to the polls on February 12, 2017 for a presidential vote expected to further tighten strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's hold over the gas-rich Central Asian country. / AFP PHOTO / Igor SASIN

Turkmenistan’s reigning strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov bagged a fresh seven-year term with nearly 98 percent of a weakly contested vote, electoral officials said Monday following a preliminary count.

The election commission claimed at a press conference in the capital Ashgabat a turnout of over 97 percent for the poll, in which eight other candidates viewed as token opponents for Berdymukhamedov also competed.

The former dentist and health minister took power in 2006 after the death of Turkmenistan’s first president, Saparmurat Niyazov.

Casting his vote at a school in Ashgabat on Sunday, the president said the vote would decide “the fate of the people for the coming seven years”.

“If I am elected then our policies aimed at improving the welfare of the people will continue,” Berdymukhamedov said.

Last year Berdymukhamedov signed off on constitutional changes that paved the way for his lifelong rule by removing upper age limits for presidential candidates.

Another change lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years.

Voters in Ashgabat overwhelmingly said they were backing Berdymukhamedov Sunday.

“I voted for the first time, and chose our president,” said Zokhra, an 18-year old student who was voting at her university.

“We are deciding our future,” said Zokhra, adding that she was handed one of Berdymukhamedov’s books and a bunch of flowers by officials after she cast her vote.

But a number of people in and around the capital told AFP they did not intend to vote, casting some doubt on the official turnout figure.

Sabir Rakhmanov, an Ashgabat taxi driver, said he could not participate because he is registered to vote in another region.

“I don’t think my vote would affect anything anyway,” he told AFP. “The main thing is to have regular work. That’s something I would vote for!”

One-sided votes are typical in Central Asia, a Muslim-majority ex-Soviet region politically close to Russia and China, where reigning presidents are usually expected to die in power.

Although Turkmenistan sits on the world’s fourth largest natural gas reserves, it has failed to diversify export routes and its hydrocarbon-based economy as a whole.

In recent years the country of over 5 million people has traded its traditional economic reliance on Russia for dependence on China, which buys the vast majority of its gas.

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Donald Trump tells Shinzo Abe US ‘100% behind Japan’ after North Korea missile test

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President Donald Trump has reassured Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States is “100 percent” behind Japan following reports of North Korea conducting a fresh missile launch.

“The United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent,” Trump said in brief remarks during a joint press conference with Abe in Florida late on Saturday.

The Japanese leader denounced the new launch as “intolerable.”

“North Korea’s most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable. North Korea must fully comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Abe said through a translator.

The remarks came a day after the two leaders held a joint press conference at the White House before heading to Trump’s private mansion in Palm Beach for the weekend.

US Strategic Command systems tracked a test launch over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan, and determined it was a medium- or intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Pentagon said on Saturday.

The missile test is the first conducted by North Korea since Trump took office on January 20.

An official with the South Korean Ministry of Defense also confirmed the test to CNN and said it was a ballistic missile.

The test of an intercontinental-range system would be especially provocative because the White House views it as an attempt by the North to develop the capability to strike the United States.

Trump has pledged to get tough on North Korea that tested several nuclear devices and ballistic missiles last year.

“Our assessment is that it is part of a show of force in response to the new US administration’s hardline position against the North,” the office of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to Reuters.

A White House spokesman said Trump was briefed on the new launch. However, the US president declined to comment when asked by reporters about the missile test as he posed for pictures with the Japanese leader ahead of a dinner in Florida.

Trump told Abe on Friday that defending against Pyongyang’s “nuclear and missile threat” was a “very, very high priority.”

Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, spoke to his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan Jin after the latest launch. They both condemned the test and agreed “to seek all possible options” to deter North Korea.

The US maintains 47,000 military service members in Japan, mostly on the southern island of Okinawa.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump frequently criticized Washington’s commitment to its defense agreement with Japan.

Source: PressTV

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