North Korea readjusted its time zone to match South Korea's on Saturday and described the change as an early step toward making the longtime rivals "become one" following a landmark summit. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to sync his country's time zone with the South's during his April 27 talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. A dispatch from the North's Korean Central News Agency says that promise was fulfilled Saturday by a decree of the nation's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. The Koreas used the same time zone for decades before the North in 2015 created its own "Pyongyang Time" by setting its clocks 30 minutes behind South Korea and Japan. It said at the time that it did so to root out the legacy of Tokyo's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula when clocks in Korea were changed to be the same as in Japan. "Pyongyang Time" was created as tensions between the authoritarian country and the U.S. grew over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and … [Read more...] about North Korea changes time zone to match South amid warmer ties
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Seoul: Kim says he’ll give up nukes if U.S. vows not to attack
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told his South Korean counterpart at their historic summit that he would be willing to give up his nuclear weapons if the U.S. commits to a formal end to the Korean War and a pledge not to attack the North, Seoul officials said Sunday. Kim also vowed during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday to shut down the North's nuclear test site in May and disclose the process to experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Seoul's presidential office said. While there are lingering questions about whether North Korea will ever decide to fully relinquish its nukes as it heads into negotiations with the U.S., Kim's comments amount to the North's most specific acknowledgement yet that "denuclearization" would constitute surrendering its weapons. U.S. national security adviser John Bolton reacted coolly to word that Kim would abandon his weapons if the United States pledged not to invade. Asked on … [Read more...] about Seoul: Kim says he’ll give up nukes if U.S. vows not to attack
Syria Strikes Lock U.S. and Russia Into a New Era of Animosity
Two weeks ago, Donald Trump invited Vladimir Putin to meet -- maybe even at the White House. After U.S.-led missile strikes in Syria, the two nations’ officials can’t get into the same room without insulting each other.Speaking at an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council Saturday, hours after the U.S., France and the U.K. launched missiles intended to take out Syria’s chemical weapons capability, American Ambassador Nikki Haley called on Russia -- the main backer of the Syrian regime -- “to take a hard look at the company it keeps.” Her Russian counterpart Vassily Nebenzia retorted that the U.S. and its allies were engaged in the “diplomacy of myth-making.”The strikes against the regime of Russia’s ally Bashar al-Assad put an exclamation point on how swiftly ties between the former Cold War foes have deteriorated in recent weeks, with President Trump even overcoming his past unwillingness to criticize President Putin by … [Read more...] about Syria Strikes Lock U.S. and Russia Into a New Era of Animosity
U.S., Britain, France launch air strikes in Syria
U.S., British and French forces pounded Syria with air strikes early on Saturday in response to a poison gas attack that killed dozens of people last week, in the biggest intervention by Western powers against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the military action from the White House. As he spoke, explosions rocked Damascus. British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron said their forces had joined in the attack. With more than 100 missiles fired from ships and manned aircraft, the allies struck three of Syria’s main chemical weapons facilities, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford said. Mattis called the strikes a “one time shot,” but Trump raised the prospect of further strikes if Assad’s government again uses chemical weapons. “We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical … [Read more...] about U.S., Britain, France launch air strikes in Syria
When Russian hackers targeted the U.S. election infrastructure
The U.S. intelligence community has concluded there is no doubt the Russians meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, leaking stolen e-mails and inflaming tensions on social media. While Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller investigate Russian interference, including whether the campaign of Donald Trump colluded with Russia, we have been looking into another vector of the attack on American democracy: a sweeping cyber assault on state voting systems that U.S. intelligence tied to the Russian government. Tonight, you'll find out what happened from the frontline soldiers of a cyberwar that was fought largely out of public view, on digital battlegrounds in states throughout the country. The first shots were fired here in Illinois, not far from downtown Springfield, in a nondescript shopping center, the kind you'll find anywhere in the United States. There, in a repurposed supermarket, is the headquarters of the Illinois State Board of Elections. Bill Whitaker: This doesn't … [Read more...] about When Russian hackers targeted the U.S. election infrastructure