THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: NoKor accepted SoKor reporters for nuke site decommission

The unification ministry said North Korea accepted the list of South Korean reporters chosen to cover the dismantlement of the North's nuclear test site on Wednesday, allowing the media to travel to the North to witness the high-profile demolition event.

According to the government, the ministry handed over the list of journalists to the North through the communication channel at Panmunjom at 0900 hours local time and North Korea accepted it. The ministry said in a message sent to reporters, the government will take necessary stps with regard to the North's permission of the press trip to the North.

Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told reporters during a regular press briefing, that the journalists will depart for the North's eastern city of Wosan at 1230 hours from an airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, flying on an arranged state-owned airplane and returning home together with other foreign reporters via Beijing. They were selected as pool reporters for the South Korean media ahead of the ceremony that the North is planning to host this week.

The date has yet to be confirmed but it is expected to happen between Wednesday and Friday, depending on local weather conditions.

Meanwhile, shortly before the meeting the leaders of South Korea and United States, President Donald Trump expressed that he is not hung up on whether or not the Washington-Pyongyang summit will take place next month.

Trump's remarks come amid North Korea's recent threat to cancel the summit if the US continues its "one-sided" affair of pressuring Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. However, Trump said he thinks the scheduled meeting with Kim Jong-un will be a great meeting for North Korea and the world.

He said the US is continuing talks with North Korea and that it is up to the regime to seize the opportunity to become a great country, also telling reporters that they will know pretty soon whether or not the meeting with North Korea will carry on. President Moon insisted there is no reason to doubt North Korea's willingness to hold a summit with the US.

Soon after the private session, President Moon's chief press secretary briefed reporters on the results of the bilateral summit, saying they agreed to cooperate to hold the Singapore summit as planned.

On a related note, US President Donald Trump has once again reiterated his stance on North Korea's denuclearization. During his press conference with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, President Trump said that, should Kim Jong-un decide on Complete, Verifiable, Irreversible Denuclearization, his regime will be well-protected with economic rewards.

During a briefing following the White House meeting, top presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan said stabilizing the North Korean regime was a key agenda during the Moon-Trump talks, and that President Moon called for practical and specific solutions.

He also said the two leaders discussed ways on how the two Koreas and the United States should declare a permanent end to the Korean War, as agreed upon in the Panmunjom Declaration.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (May 23, 2018)

- President Rodrigo Duterte plans to revive the rigid training of police recruits to the Philippine National Police from the Philippine Public Safety College to prevent entry of rogue men. The President said he wants to bring back the “militaristic” training to the police force, admitting the current training system has produced some “lousy men” and wayward cops.

- Yesterday, the Malacanang appeals to the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure structural strength and safety of government projects. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the appeal to the DPWH to prevent a repeat of the Cavite incident amid the ongoing implementation of the government’s “Build, Build, Build”infrastructure program.

- Senate President Vicente Sotto III admitted that he is uncomfortable with China’s building of artificial islands in the West Philippines Sea, but maintained that the government should pursue diplomatic approach in dealing with the powerful country in its militarization of the disputed waters.

- Authorities were racing to close off production wells at a geothermal plant threatened by a lava flow from Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island. Workers were capping the 11th and last well at the plant to prevent toxic gases from wafting out after lava entered, then stalled, on the property near one of the new volcanic vents.

- Texas Governor Greg Abbott convened the first in numerous discussions on school safety, declaring in response to last week's shooting near Houston, “We all want guns out of the hands of people who would try to murder our children.” The governor called the meetings after the attack on Santa Fe High School, where eight students and two teachers were slain Friday in an art classroom. The initial gathering involved school districts that arm some teachers or hire local police for security.

- US President Donald Trump declined to say whether he has confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, escalating pressure on the Justice Department as his White House negotiated rare access to classified documents for his congressional allies.

- Stacey Abrams, a Democrat candidate, won the primary for the race to become Georgia state's next governor.

- Mercedes-Benz previews their upcoming "Factory 56", located somewhere in Sindelfingen, and the heart of the production not just for the next S-Class but also EQ electric vehicles.

- Volvo in UK are offering test drives via Amazon Prime Now service.

- Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza) 3, 4, and 5 games are coming to PS4 with 3 coming this August 9.

- BIOHAZARD 7 -resident evil- is coming to Nintendo Switch on Thursday with a Cloud Version.

- Sony says that the Playstation4 console is reaching its "final phase of life cycle" as the company plans to leverage recurring membership revenue and existing IP.

TTFN!!!

FIA WTCR 2018 - Race of the Netherlands

Ending the royal weekend rumble of races in the middle of the Royal Wedding of the new Royal Couple is the Race of the Netherlands leg of the FIA WTCR 2018 championship, held at Zandvoort. This race pits drivers on a three-race battle royale worth noting for the spectators.

Here's how the battle royal in Zandvoort unfolds; the first race of the match is a mess out there but Yann Ehrlacher and his ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR survived their way to Victory Lane. Then, on the second race, Aurelien Comte nicked his first season win for the DG Sport Competition team after crushing Pole Position starter James Thompson to Turn 1, then survived a safety car restart to become the eighth different winner of the season. In the third race, lastly, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil's Jean-Karl Vernay made his pole-to-win move, putting an end to the royal weekend rumble of races. Did you know that in Monday's race, F1 driver Max Verstappen stops by to say hello?

Now that the royal weekend rumble of races are over, it's back to the regular race schedule as the FIA WTCR 2018 season continues at Vila Real, Portugal on the 23rd to 24th of June.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Trump-Kim summit in play as Moon visits White House

US President Donald Trump held talks with South Korean president Moon Jae In at the White House that could decide the fate of the upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Moon Jae-in jets into Washington on a mission to salvage a rare diplomatic opening between the US and North Korea that is in trouble almost before it begins.

Trump had agreed to meet inscrutable “Supreme Leader” Kim in Singapore on June 12, but the first-ever US-North Korea summit is now in serious doubt, with both sides expressing reservations.

South Korea — worried about Kim’s bellicose weapons testing and Trump’s similarly bellicose warnings about a looming war — was instrumental in convincing the two Cold War foes to sit down and talk.

Moon sent his own national security advisor to the White House in March, carrying an offer of talks and word that North Korea may be willing to abandon nuclear weapons, an enticing prospect.

Trump surprised his guests, his own aides and the world by summarily accepting the meeting, seeing an opportunity to “do a deal” and avoid military confrontation.

Pyongyang is on the verge of marrying nuclear and missile technology allowing it to hit the continental United States with a nuke, a capability Washington sees as wholly unacceptable.

Since then, there has been a landmark series of intra-Korean meetings, two trips to Pyongyang by Mike Pompeo — first as CIA director then as America’s top diplomat — and three American citizens have been released from the North.

But after several Trumpian victory laps, North Korea’s willingness to denuclearize is now in serious doubt.

Earlier this month, North Korea denounced US demands for “unilateral nuclear abandonment” and cancelled at the last minute a high-level meeting with the South in protest over joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.

Trump responded by saying the meeting may or may not take place.

Vice President Mike Pence warned in an interview on Monday night that there was “no question” that Trump would be prepared to walk away from the talks with Kim if it looks like they won’t yield results and that the president was not just after a public relations triumph.

Pence said that both the Clinton and Bush administrations “got played” by North Korea when Washington previously tried to get Pyongyang to denuclearize but the current administration would not make the same mistakes.

“It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong Un to think he could play Donald Trump,” he told Fox News.

Source: AFP

Let's Do The News! (May 22, 2018)

- The Philippine government prefers not to antagonize China despite military buildup in the South China Sea. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said while the government has not given up its ownership of the West Philippine Sea, it has chosen to set aside “contentious issues” with China and focus on other areas of cooperation for now.

- Liberal Party member, Caloocan City 2nd district Rep. Edgar Erice, believes that party leader Mar Roxas will eventually throw his hat in the 2019 midterm polls.

- Cesar Montano steps down as chief operating officer of Tourism Promotions Board, according to DOT Secretary Berna Puyat.

- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' health is apparently improving in hospital from his latest health troubles.

- Two sportscar-shaped satellites are poised to zoom around the Earth and track changes in water and ice, offering new insights into global warming and sea level rise, NASA said Monday.

- Democrats in central Arkansas will choose their nominee for a Republican-led US Congress seat the party believes it has a chance to reclaim this fall, while a state Supreme Court justice is seeking re-election in a campaign that’s marked by an onslaught of attack ads from an out-of-state group.

- Numerous airline companies are obeying Beijing’s demands to refer to Taiwan explicitly as a part of China, despite the White House’s call this month to stand firm against such “Orwellian nonsense.” About 20 carriers, including Air Canada, British Airways and Lufthansa, now refer to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing considers Chinese territory, as a part of China on their global websites.

- Police in the Thai capital blocked a march Tuesday by pro-democracy activists protesting four years of military rule and calling for elections this year.

- BMW teases their iNEXT electric car set for 2021 debut.



- The owner of Sofina Foods bought 10% stake of McLaren for 204 million Pounds.

- Maddie Poppe is named the winner of the 2018 season of American Idol. Their first winner since the show went back on air after a hiatus.

- Monty Python actor Michael Palin visited North Korea for his new travel series.

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: President Moon visits Washington today

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Washington today to sit down with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

North Korea is expected to headline in these discussions, with Trump scheduled to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month in Singapore. The next morning, he is scheduled to meet key Washington figures in charge of foreign and security policies.

This is the third time visiting Washington and the fifth meeting between the two leaders. The presidential office said President Moon and US President Trump spoke by phone on Sunday and exchanged views on making the upcoming US-North Korea summit a success. Cheong Wa Dae said the two leaders agreed to work together closely on the historic meeting.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (May 21, 2018)

- The political opposition called "Resistance Coalition" will field at least six senatorial candidates for the 2019 election. This was announced by Liberal Party leader Senator Francis Pangilinan.

- Outgoing Senate President Koko Pimentel denied that he is asking his colleagues to allow him to keep his position longer. Pimentel issued the statement amid reports that he supposedly requested to stay on as Senate leader until October 18, before he files his certificate of candidacy for the May, 2019 elections.

- Around 1,000 families of soldiers and policemen can live in affordable houses in Negros Occidental by 2020 under a new government project.

- Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro won a new six-year term but his opposition disavowed the election alleging massive irregularities in a process critics decried as a farce propping up a dictatorship. The vote could trigger additional sanctions from the United States and more censure from the European Union and Latin America.

- Two days after a gunman stormed a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, killing ten people, Texas mourners endure grief that "none of us can comprehend" as congregations gathered for their first services since the incident.

- Kami Rita, the Sherpa climbing guide who scaled Mount Everest for the 22nd time last week, returned from the mountain on Sunday and said he's planning his next trip.

- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has gotten more hazardous, sending rivers of molten rock pouring into the ocean Sunday and launching lava skyward that caused the first major injury. The volcano began erupting more than two weeks ago and has burned dozens of homes, forced thousands of people to flee and shot up ash clouds from its summit that led officials to distribute face masks.

- Actress, singer, and dancer Yukiji Asaoka passed away at the age of 82.

- Subaru began accepting pre-orders of the new Forester as the new model will have a choice of a 2.5L petrol engine and the new 2.0L e-Boxer Hybrid variant, all mated with a CVT. Sales will start this summer.

- Check out the list of winners from this year's Billboard Music Awards.

TTFN!!!