U.S. prepares high-seas crackdown on N. Korea sanctions evaders – sources

The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, senior U.S. officials said. Officials said this plan could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters.

South Korea joins US, Thailand in military landing drill

Troops from South Korea joined their Thai and U.S counterparts on Saturday in an amphibious vehicle landing drill as part of Southeast Asia's largest multinational military exercise. The 300 soldiers from South Korea who joined 2,000 U.S. Marines and Thai soldiers in eastern Thailand marked the highest numbers participating from the East Asian country since it joined the Cobra Gold exercise in 2010, and comes at a time when tensions are particularly high on the Korean Peninsula.

Three ways East Asia can avoid a North Korean refugee ‘crisis’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the high-level delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea which visited South Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency February 13, 2018. Source: KCNA/via Reuters WITH tensions in the Korean peninsula seemingly never-ending, the possibility of conflict erupting in East Asia is keeping everyone on edge.

As Congress Debates Immigration, DREAMers Are In Limbo Along With Their Families

Kim Jong-un's Sister Turns on the Charm, Taking Pence's Spotlight - PYEONGCHANG, South Korea - When the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, decided to send a large delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea this month, the world feared he might steal the show. Pence: The United States is ready to talk with North Korea - Despite the mutual chilliness between U.S. and North Korean officials in South Korea last week, behind the scenes real progress was made toward a new diplomatic opening that could result in direct talks without preconditions between Washington and Pyongyang.

Trump to Israel Hayom: The Palestinians are not looking to make peace

Kim Jong-un's Sister Turns on the Charm, Taking Pence's Spotlight - PYEONGCHANG, South Korea - When the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, decided to send a large delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea this month, the world feared he might steal the show. Pence: The United States is ready to talk with North Korea - Despite the mutual chilliness between U.S. and North Korean officials in South Korea last week, behind the scenes real progress was made toward a new diplomatic opening that could result in direct talks without preconditions between Washington and Pyongyang.

Abuse Case Exposes Fissures in a White House in Turmoil

Pence: The United States is ready to talk with North Korea - Despite the mutual chilliness between U.S. and North Korean officials in South Korea last week, behind the scenes real progress was made toward a new diplomatic opening that could result in direct talks without preconditions between Washington and Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un's Sister Turns on the Charm, Taking Pence's Spotlight - PYEONGCHANG, South Korea - When the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, decided to send a large delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea this month, the world feared he might steal the show.

Kim Jong-un asks South Korean leader to Pyongyang summit

SECOND Trump staffer resigns over claims he beat his wife: Speechwriter steps down after former partner says he ran over her with a car, put a cigarette out on her hand and threw her into a wall 'Hypocrite' Trump refuses to release Democrat rebuttal to GOP memo on Russian election meddling for 'security' reasons after overruling the FBI to make the Republican report public 'We sold everything to do this and lost it in 20 minutes': Couple, who ditched their lives to move to a 28-foot sailboat despite having no experience on the water, have to be rescued when their boat SINKS two days in Hope is fading: Trump is 'increasingly frustrated with Hope Hicks' amid the Rob Porter scandal and believes she 'let her relationship with the wife-beater cloud her judgement' White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told Trump he was willing to resign over botched handling of Rob Porter case, sources say ... (more)

Fears of nuclear arms race despite US, Russian pledges

The United States and Russia are pledging to abide by a treaty limiting strategic nuclear weapons that took effect on Monday, but foreign leaders and experts fear a new arms race may be looming. Concern over a potential conflict with nuclear-armed North Korea is also growing following a series of bellicose statements between Washington and Pyongyang.

North Korea mocks – Trump terrified’ by Pyongyang’s power

Trump honoured Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector with only one arm and one leg who made a dramatic, 6,000-mile journey to the South after suffering severe discrimination and torture at home North Korea hit back at US President Donald Trump on Sunday after he slammed rights abuses under the hermit regime in his State of the Union address, with Pyongyang describing the speech as "screams of Trump terrified" by the North's power. The comments follow months of fiery rhetoric between the two countries that have seen tensions soar, with Trump drawing criticism at home for repeatedly using highly menacing language towards the reclusive state.

Ending North Korea oil supplies would be seen as act of war, says RussiaReuters

The delivery of oil and oil products to North Korea should not be reduced, Moscow's ambassador to Pyongyang was cited as saying by RIA news agency on Wednesday, adding that a total end to deliveries would be interpreted by North Korea as an act of war. The U.N. and United States have introduced a wave of sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea's development of nuclear weapons, including by seeking to reduce its access to crude oil and refined petroleum products.

Hawaii’s False Alarm Exposes U.S. Civil Defense Gaps

Three days after Hawaii's false ballistic-missile alert triggered panic across the islands, causing people to run for cover and family members to issue tearful goodbyes, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK texted out a news alert instructing citizens to seek shelter from an incoming North Korean attack. It too was false.

Russia is helping North Korea evade international sanctions: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Russia is helping North Korea evade international sanctions and that Pyongyang is getting "closer every day" to being able to deliver a long-range missile to the United States. "Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea," Trump said during an Oval Office interview with Reuters.

Hawaii rattled after alert of incoming missile is mistakenly sent

A screen shot take by Hawaiian citizen Alison Teal shows the screen of her mobile phone with an alert text message sent to all Hawaiian citizens on January 13, 2018. / AFP / Alison TEAL Honolulu, An alert warning of an incoming ballistic missile aimed at Hawaii was sent in error Saturday, sowing panic and confusion across the US state -- which is already on edge over the risk of attack -- before officials dubbed it a "false alarm."

There actually isn’t a ‘nuclear button’ for Trump to push

President Trump was not quite right on the button when trumpeting the U.S.'s nuclear superiority over North Korea. Among the reactions to his Tuesday tweet saying that his "Nuclear Button" is "much bigger & more powerful" than Kim Jong Un's were embarrassment, anger and fearful laughter, but also questions about how exactly a nuclear attack would be launched.

Trump Taunts Kim: My ‘Nuclear Button’ Is ‘Much Bigger’ Than Yours

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are once again publicly comparing the size of their respective nuclear arsenals, with the president tweeting that the U.S. "nuclear button" is "much bigger & more powerful" than the one controlled by Pyongyang. Trump's comment on Twitter comes in response to Kim's New Year's address in which the Korean leader warned that the whole of U.S. territory is "within the range of our nuclear strike."

Don’t Panic Over North Korea

There's actually very little chance humanity won't make it to this magazine's publication date, but news consumers could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. An October poll found 65 percent of Americans thought President Donald Trump was making the situation between the U.S. and North Korea worse.

Trump slams China after report of oil transfer to North Korea

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON and CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump criticized China on Thursday following reports that Chinese ships transferred oil to North Korean vessels at sea in violation of U.N. sanctions over the North's nuclear weapons program.