N. Korea changes tack, seeks talks with U.S.
PYONGYANG, North Korea – After months of threatening to wage a nuclear war, North Korea did an about-face Sunday and issued a surprise proposal to the United States, its No. 1 enemy: Let’s talk.
But the invitation from North Korea’s National Defense Commission, the powerful governing body led by leader Kim Jong Un, comes with caveats: No preconditions and no demands that Pyongyang give up its prized nuclear assets unless Washington is willing to do the same – ground rules that make it hard for the Americans to accept.
Washington responded by saying that it is open to talks – but only if North Korea shows it will comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and live up to its international obligations.
North Korea’s call for “senior-level” talks between the Korean War foes signals a shift in policy in Pyongyang after months of acrimony.
Istanbul crackdown fails to quell unrest
ISTANBUL – Riot police cordoned off streets, set up roadblocks and fired tear gas and water cannon to prevent anti-government protesters from converging on Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on Sunday, unbowed even as Turkey’s prime minister addressed hundreds of thousands of supporters a few kilometers away.
The contrasting scenes pointed to an increasing polarization in Turkish society – one which critics say Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has fueled with the fiery rhetoric he has maintained since they began more than two weeks ago.
A police crackdown Saturday evening that ended an 18-day peaceful sit-in at Taksim Square’s Gezi Park sparked daylong unrest on the streets of Istanbul, while police also broke up demonstrations in the capital, Ankara, and the southern city of Adana.
The protests began in Gezi Park more than two weeks ago and spread to dozens of cities across the country. Erdogan has blamed them on a nebulous plot to destabilize his government. Five people, including a policeman, have died and more than 5,000 have been injured, according to a Turkish rights group.
George W. Bush’s plane makes emergency landing
DALLAS – A private jet that had former President George W. Bush on board made an emergency landing after the smell of smoke was reported in the cockpit.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday said the jet was flying Saturday night from Philadelphia to Dallas, where Bush lives, and was diverted to Louisville, Ky. No one was hurt.
Bush spokesman Freddy Ford was on board and said the plane continued to Dallas after a brief stop. He said he never saw or smelled smoke.
FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker said the Gulfstream 4 declared an emergency because of the “smell of smoke in the cockpit” and landed without incident. She didn’t elaborate.
Associated Press
