North Korea-Us Talks Called Off After Death of Kim Jong Un’s Half Brother

North Korea-U.S. Talks Called Off After Death of Kim Jong Un’s Half Brother

Tokyo (Washington Post) — Talks between North Korean diplomats and former American officials, scheduled to be held in New York this week, have been canceled following allegations that the Pyongyang regime planned the attack that used a chemical weapon to kill leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother. Plans for the talks were already hanging in the balance after North Korea launched a ballistic missile earlier this month and then found itself accused of assassinating Kim Jong Nam, the leader’s estranged half brother, in a busy Kuala Lumpur airport terminal on Feb. 13. But Malaysia’s announcement Friday that his death was caused by VX, a lethal nerve agent banned under the international Chemical Weapons Convention, proved the final straw. The State Department decided not to issue the visas to the North Korean diplomats due to travel from Pyongyang to New York for the talks.

Environmental Chief Promises Swift Rollback of Obama-Era Rules

Washington (Bloomberg) — U.S. environmental chief Scott Pruitt unveiled plans Saturday to roll back at least three Obama-era rules at the EPA while vowing to give businesses “regulatory certainty.” Those policy reversals, set to start this week, will empower the Environmental Protection Agency to focus on its core mission of protecting the air and water, Pruitt said in a speech on the final day of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md. As soon as Monday, President Donald Trump is slated to sign documents compelling the EPA to begin undoing recent regulations, including the Clean Power Plan that slashes greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and the Waters of the U.S. rule that defined which waterways are subject to pollution regulation.

Police: Car Plows Into Parade Crowd In New Orleans; 28 Hurt

New Orleans (ap) — A suspect is in custody after 28 people were injured Saturday when a vehicle plowed into a crowd watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans. Police Chief Michael Harrison said the suspect is being investigated for driving while intoxicated. Twenty-one people were hospitalized after the crash with five victims in guarded condition. Seven others declined to be hospitalized. The victims range in age from as young as 3 or 4-years-old to adults in their 30s and 40s.

Critic of Philippine Leader Arrested On Drug Charges

Manila, Philippines (ap) — A Philippine senator and leading critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly crackdown on illegal drugs said she won’t be intimidated by a leader she called a “serial killer” after police arrested her on drug charges. Leila de Lima said the accusations against her were part of an attempt by Duterte to muzzle critics of the clampdown that has left more than 7,000 suspected dealers and small-time users dead. Vice President Leni Robredo and other political allies expressed support to de Lima, saying she was being persecuted for criticizing the president.

Border Agents Ask Muhammad Ali’s Son: ‘Are You Muslim?’

Fort Lauderdale — Muhammad Ali’s son, who bears the boxing great’s name, was detained by immigration officials at a Florida airport and questioned about his ancestry and religion in what amounted to unconstitutional profiling, a family friend said Saturday. Returning from a Black History Month event in Jamaica on Feb. 7, Muhammad Ali Jr., 44, and his mother, Khalilah Camacho Ali, were separated from each other at the immigration checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Camacho Ali was released a short time later after showing a photo of herself with her ex-husband. But Ali Jr., who confirmed his Muslim faith, was detained about two hours, despite telling officials that he’s a native-born U.S. citizen.

Fox News’ Swedish ‘Security Adviser’ Has Heads Scratching

New York (ap) — A trans-Atlantic wave of puzzlement is rippling across Sweden for the second time in a week, after a prominent Fox News program featured a “Swedish defense and national security adviser” who’s unknown to the country’s military and foreign-affairs officials. Swedes, and some Americans, have been wondering about representations of the Nordic nation in the U.S. since President Donald Trump invoked “what’s happening last night in Sweden” while alluding to past terror attacks in Europe during a rally Feb. 18. There hadn’t been any major incident in Sweden the previous night. Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly convened an on-air faceoff Thursday over Swedish immigration and crime between a Swedish newspaper reporter and a man identified as a “Swedish defense and national security adviser,” Nils Bildt. Bildt linked immigration to social problems in Sweden and said: “We are unable in Sweden to socially integrate these people.” The Swedish Defense Ministry and Foreign Office told the newspaper Dagens Nyheter they knew nothing of him.

Mom Mails Garbage to College Student Who Didn’t Empty Trash

New Wilmington, Pa. (ap) — A Pennsylvania college student got a reminder to take out the trash when his mother sent him some garbage in a care package. Eighteen-year-old Connor Cox said his mother sent two boxes to him at Westminster College in New Wilmington last month. One box contained food and other goodies. The other contained garbage. When he called to ask whether that was a mistake, Cox’s mother, Connie, told him, “No, that’s the trash you were supposed to take out” during a recent visit home. Cox said he laughed hysterically at the prank, then tweeted a photo of the package. Cox said he has a special relationship with his mother. He says, “She knows what to say at the exact time she should say it.”