These are the stories making headlines today.
North Korea will close nuclear test site in May, South says
It is the latest breakthrough on the peninsula ahead of a meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump, who said Saturday that talks could take place within “three to four weeks.”
US doubles down on tracking North Korea ahead of Trump, Kim meeting
The intelligence community is doubling down on tracking North Korea as a potential one-on-one meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un draws closer, following a historic summit between the North Korean leader and South Korean President Moon Jae-in where both committed to peace and denuclearization on Friday.
Trump slams ‘lousy location’ of London embassy, ahead of summer visit
The billion-dollar embassy moved from its long-standing site in Grosvenor Square, central London, to its new home at Nine Elms, south of the city, in January. But during a rally in Michigan on Saturday, Trump criticized the move. “We had the best site in all of London,” he told supporters, before adding that now, “We have an embassy in a lousy location.”
China’s release of images reinforces vow to keep Taiwan as a territory
The People’s Liberation Army air force released a video and series of commemorative envelopes showing recent Chinese air force missions around the island, which Beijing views as a breakaway province. “It is the sacred duty of any PLA pilot to safeguard the territory of our motherland,” reads the text on the envelopes, which feature pictures of PLA warplanes and pilots on flights near Taiwan.
3 Marines charged with rape in New Orleans
Lance Corporal Alexander Davenport, 20, was charged with two counts of first-degree rape; Lance Corporal Jared Anderson, 18, was charged with one count of first-degree rape; and Private First Class Antonio Landrum, 18, was charged with one count of third-degree rape.
New NASA spaceship will really dig (into) Mars
InSight is scheduled to launch May 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on an Atlas V 401 rocket. The launch window opens at 4:05 a.m. PT (7:05 a.m. ET). It will be the first NASA mission launched to another planet from the West Coast, and it’ll be visible to millions in Southern California from Santa Maria to San Diego.
Scientists hope new enzyme will ‘eat’ plastic pollution
Researchers from Britain’s University of Portsmouth and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) made the discovery while examining the structure of a natural enzyme found in a waste recycling center a few years ago in Japan.
Did comedian’s Sarah Sanders ‘roast’ go too far?
It is an American press tradition that goes back decades: the US president endures a friendly ribbing in front of an audience of journalists, all in the name of charity. But with Donald Trump skipping the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the second year running, the honour of attending this year went to his press secretary, Sarah Sanders.
Macron’s White House tree disappears
A tree gifted to President Donald Trump by French President Emmanuel Macron has disappeared. The pair planted the sapling, taken from the site of a World War One battle in north-east France, during Mr Macron’s state visit last week. Mr Macron said the tree would be a reminder of “these ties that bind us”.
Rotten fruit causes university evacuation
More than 500 students and teachers were evacuated from a university in Melbourne, Australia, as a result of a smell initially suspected to be gas. But it turned out the “gas” that students smelt at a Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology library was a rotting durian found in a cupboard.
Photographer ‘groped’ Swedish princess
The man at the centre of a sexual abuse scandal at the Swedish Academy – the body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature – has been accused of groping the heir to the Swedish throne. French photographer Jean-Claude Arnault denies groping Crown Princess Victoria at an Academy event in 2006.
The 40-year hunt for a killer
Police say the Golden State Killer has committed at least 12 murders, 45 rapes and hundreds of home break-ins all over California. This week they arrested a man they think is responsible. How has the perpetrator of such shocking crimes eluded capture for over 40 years?
Why you may have been eating insects your whole life
If you are horrified by the thought of eating insects, the bad news is that you have probably done so many, many times. This is because one of the most widely used red food colourings – carmine – is made from crushed up bugs.
Here Are Michelle Wolf’s Boldest Moments At The White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Comedian Michelle Wolf took the bold route during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night. She roasted those in ― and out ― of the room, focusing on President Donald Trump ‘s questionable wealth, slamming Democrats for not doing anything, and going after Trump administration officials who attended.
Seoul: North Korea Promises Transparency In Dismantling Of Nuclear Site
SEOUL, April 29 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to close the country’s nuclear test site in May in full view of the outside world, Seoul officials said on Sunday, as U.S. President Trump pressed for total denuclearisation ahead of his own unprecedented meeting with Kim.
Trump To Paralympians: You Are ‘Tough To Watch’
President Donald Trump hosted a White House ceremony on Friday intended to celebrate and praise American athletes who competed in the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games in South Korea. “What happened with the Paralympics was so incredible and so inspiring to me,” Trump said, referring to the games involving athletes with physical disabilities.
Trump Demands Democratic Senator Quit In Saturday Morning Twitter Rant
President Donald Trump kickstarted his weekend by launching a blistering Twitter attack on Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, of which Tester is the ranking Democrat, was probing allegations that White House physician Ronny Jackson had created ” a hostile work environment,” which included the improper dispensation of medications and “excessive drinking on the job.”
NASA Terminates Last Moon Rover After Trump Touts New Era Of Lunar Exploration
Just months after President Donald Trump hailed a new era of lunar exploration, scientists said they were stunned to learn the plug has been pulled on NASA ‘s last moon rover. The rover, which was being designed for lunar missions in the early 2020s, was killed as NASA revealed plans to cultivate ” commercial partners ” for moon exploration.
Burning Man Co-Founder Larry Harvey Dies
U.S. NEWS “Burners” mourn the free-thinking philosopher king of their pagan desert art. Larry Harvey, who founded the nation’s wildest outdoor anti-establishment art, music and exhibitionist extravaganza the Burning Man festival, died Saturday at a San Francisco hospital after suffering a stroke. He was 70.
Lol now Facebook is just making fake news smaller
Facebook really wishes its problems would just disappear. But, since that’s clearly not going to happen, maybe they could, I don’t know, get smaller? That appears to be the thinking of Mark Zuckerberg and Co., who on Friday announced that the company’s new plan to combat fake news essentially boils down to font size.
Watch Michelle Wolf torch D.C. at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
On Saturday night, a political firebrand with striking hair and a funny voice said a bunch of provocative stuff in front of a large crowd. Elsewhere, comedian Michelle Wolf hosted the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner (#WHCD). While Wolf was busy jabbing D.C.
Sergey Brin shouts out Ethereum and warns of AI in annual founders’ letter
When Sergey Brin talks, people listen. And right now Brin is talking about AI and cryptocurrency. As the president of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Brin is uniquely positioned to not only see what technological developments are coming down the pike but to influence them as well.
All the new rumored Instagram features that might kick Snapchat’s ass
Snapchat is really, really screwed. While Snapchat distracts itself with new Spectacles 2 camera glasses, Instagram is arming itself with new firepower to nuke the crap out of its adversary app. Twitter user Jane Wong has done some digging through Instagram’s code and in the process discovered several unreleased features that could be released in the future.
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Friday box office beats most movies’ opening weekends
There’s a bigger box office story to come for Avengers: Infinity War, but for now let’s look at opening day. Disney estimates a Friday box office total of $106 million in the United States, capping off what started as a record preview performance on Thursday night.
