North Korea Confirms Second American Held

BEIJING — China’s vice president held meetings with the U. S. vice president-elect and U. S. business leaders, including Elon Musk, in Washington on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, as the two major powers tackle ongoing tensions over trade and technology. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Han Zheng, who serves as an envoy for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the inauguration, “discussed a range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade and regional stability” with J.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Twenty others were injured in the violence that has forced thousands to flee as Colombia’s army scrambled to evacuate people on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, governor of North Santander, where many of the killings took place. Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who sought to sign a peace deal, according to a report that a government ombudsman agency released late Saturday. Officials said the attacks happened in several towns located in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, with at least three people who were part of the peace talks being kidnapped. Thousands of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help at government shelters. “We were caught in the crossfire,” said Juan Gutiérrez, who fled with his family to a temporary shelter in Tibú after they were forced to leave behind their animals and belongings.

By JILL COLVIN and BARBARA ORTUTAY, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — During his first term as president, Donald Trump led the effort to ban TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing site he said posed a threat to U. S. national security. But on the eve of his return to the White House, the president-elect is being hailed as the app’s savior. After going dark for users this weekend, Trump said on his social media site that he would issue an executive order after he’s sworn in for a second term on Monday delaying a TikTok ban “so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” He said the order would make clear that companies will not be held liable for violating a law that aimed to force TikTok’s sale by its China-based parent company.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Most presidents get to move into the White House once. President-elect Donald Trump is doing it twice, and his wife, Melania, says it’s a lot easier the second time around. “I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living.

By LINDSEY BAHR, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Opera tenor Christopher Macchio will sing the national anthem at the President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration before a much smaller crowd than he was expecting, a letdown with a silver lining. The ceremony Monday has been moved indoors because temperatures are set to plummet and make it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years.