SEOUL  — 

North Korea said Saturday that it successfully performed another “crucial test” at its long-range rocket launch site that will further strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

The test possibly involved technologies to improve intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the continental United States.

The announcement comes as North Korea continues to pressure the Trump administration for major concessions as it approaches an end-of-year deadline set by leader Kim Jong Un to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations.

North Korea’s Academy of Defense Science did not specify what was tested Friday. Just days earlier, the North said it conducted a “very important test” at the site on the country’s northwestern coast, prompting speculation that it involved a new engine for either an ICBM or a space launch vehicle.

The announcement suggests that the country is preparing to do something to provoke the United States if Washington doesn’t back down and make concessions to ease sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang in deadlocked nuclear negotiations.

An unnamed spokesman for the academy said scientists received warm congratulations from members of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee who attended the test that was conducted from 10:41 to 10:48 p.m. Friday at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, where the North has conducted satellite launches and liquid-fuel missile engine tests in recent years.

The spokesman said the successful outcome of the latest test, in addition to the one Dec. 7, “will be applied to further bolster up the reliable strategic nuclear deterrent of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” referring to North Korea’s formal name.

Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military officer and currently an analyst at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the North mentioning its nuclear deterrent makes it clear it tested a new engine for an ICBM, not a satellite-launch vehicle. Kim said it was notable that North Korea announced the specific length of the test, which he said possibly signals a larger liquid-fuel ICBM engine.

North Korea’s current ICBMs, including the Hwasong-15, are built with first stages that are powered by a pair of engines that experts say are modeled after Russian designs. When the North first tested the engine in 2016, it said the test lasted for 200 seconds and demonstrated a thrust of 80 tons-force.

During a provocative run of weapons tests in 2017, Kim Jong Un conducted three flight tests of ICBMs that demonstrated potential range to reach deep into the U.S. mainland, raising tensions and triggering verbal warfare with President Trump as they exchanged crude insults and threats of nuclear annihilation. Experts say that the North still needs to improve the missiles, such as ensuring that their warheads survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry, for them to be considered a viable threat.

Relations between Kim and Trump became cozier in 2018 after Kim initiated diplomacy that led to their first summit in June that year in Singapore, where they issued a vague statement on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, without describing when or how it would occur.

But negotiations faltered after the United States rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of the North’s nuclear capabilities at Kim’s second summit with Trump in Vietnam in February.

Trump and Kim met for a third time in June at the border between North and South Korea and agreed to resume talks. But an October working-level meeting in Sweden broke down over what the North Koreans described as the Americans’ “old stance and attitude.”

Kim, who unilaterally suspended nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests last year during talks with Washington and Seoul, has said North Korea could seek a “new path” if the United States persists with sanctions and pressure against the North.

North Korea has also conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile and rocket artillery tests since May, and has hinted at lifting its moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests if the Trump administration fails to make substantial concessions before the new year.

Some experts doubt that Kim would revive the tensions of 2017 by restarting nuclear and ICBM tests, which would cross a metaphorical “red line” and risk shattering his hard-won diplomacy with Washington. They say Kim is likely to pressure Trump with military activities that pose less of a direct threat to the U.S. and by bolstering a united front with Beijing and Moscow. Both are the North’s allies and have called for the U.N. Security Council to consider easing sanctions on Pyongyang to help nuclear negotiations move forward.

Saturday’s news of the test came after U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft criticized the North’s ballistic testing activity during a U.N. Security Council meeting Wednesday, saying that the tests were “deeply counterproductive” and risk closing the door on prospects for negotiating peace.

She also cited North Korean hints of “a resumption of serious provocations,” which she said would mean they could launch space vehicles using long-range ballistic missile technology or test ICBMs, “which are designed to attack the continental United States with nuclear weapons.”

Although Craft said that the Trump administration is “prepared to be flexible” and take concrete, parallel steps toward an agreement on resuming talks, North Korea described her comments as a “hostile provocation” and warned that Washington may have squandered its chance at salvaging the fragile nuclear diplomacy.

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BEIJING  — 

China put a positive face Saturday on a first-step trade agreement that dials down a trade war it blames the U.S. for starting.

Chinese experts and news media joined government officials in saying the deal would reduce uncertainty for companies, at least in the short term. But they remained cautious, saying both sides will have to show a willingness to compromise to resolve the more fundamental differences between them.

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“It at least stabilizes the situation and lays a foundation for the next round of trade talks or canceling additional tariffs in the future,” said Tu Xinquan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. “I cannot predict what achievement can be made during the future talks.”

The two countries announced a phase-one agreement Friday under which both sides will reduce tariffs and China will buy more U.S. farm products. Chinese officials said the nine-chapter text — which covers issues including intellectual property, technology transfer, financial services and dispute settlement — has to undergo legal and translation review before it can be signed.

At a late-night news conference, timed to occur in the U.S. morning, the officials said the United States would begin phasing out tariffs on Chinese imports, rather than continue to raise them. The deal was announced just two days before higher tariffs were set to kick in. China will make similar tariff cuts, the officials said, but they gave no details.

China portrayed the agreement as evidence of the opening up of its economy and the deepening of its economic reforms. Increased imports of high-quality products from the United States and elsewhere will “meet the growing needs of the people for a better life,” Wang Shouwen, a deputy commerce minister and trade negotiator, said in a statement.

The Global Times, a state-owned newspaper known for its nationalistic views, called the agreement a new beginning. It pointed to stock market gains in recent days as word of a possible deal leaked. The dispute between the world’s two largest economies had rattled markets and depressed global growth.

“China and the U.S. have been locked in a trade war for about 20 months and neither side could overwhelm the other to recklessly impose its own will on the other,” the newspaper said.

It added, though, that both countries are capable of prolonging the trade war, and that they must be willing to compromise if they want to resolve their differences through patient negotiations.

“Rome was not built in a day,” it wrote.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A court in Sudan convicted former President Omar al-Bashir of money laundering and corruption on Saturday, sentencing him to two years in a rehabilitation facility.

That’s the first verdict in a series of legal proceedings against al-Bashir, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s.

The verdict came a year after Sudanese protesters first began their revolt against al-Bashir’s authoritarian rule. During his three decades in power, Sudan landed on the U.S. list for sponsoring terrorism, and the country’s economy has been battered by years of mismanagement and American sanctions.

Al-Bashir has been in custody since April, when Sudan’s military stepped in and removed him from power after months of nationwide protests. The uprising eventually forced the military into a power-sharing agreement with civilians.

Under Sudanese law, al-Bashir, 75, is to be sent to a state-run rehabilitation facility for elderly people who are convicted of crimes not punishable with death.

Before the verdict was read, supporters of al-Bashir briefly disrupted the proceedings and were pushed out of the courtroom by security forces.

The former strongman was charged earlier this year with money laundering, after millions of U.S. dollars, euros and Sudanese pounds were seized in his home shortly after his ouster.

Sudan’s military has said it would not extradite him to the ICC. The country’s military-civilian transitional government has so far not indicated whether they will hand him over to the The Hague.

The corruption trial is separate from charges against al-Bashir regarding the killing of protesters during the uprising.

Anti-government demonstrations initially erupted last December over steep price rises and shortages, but soon shifted to calls for al-Bashir to step down. Security forces responded with a fierce crackdown that killed dozens of protesters in the months prior his ouster.

Saturday’s verdict, which capped monthslong trial, could be appealed before a higher court.

In August, al-Bashir told the court that he received through his office manager $25 million from Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

He said the crown prince did not want to reveal that he was the source of the funds, so he did not deposit the money in the country’s central bank.

He said the money was being used for donations not for his own benefit. At least $2 million dollars went to a military hospital and $3 million to a Sudanese university, he said.

Al-Bashir said $5 million was given to the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary unit that grew out of the feared Janjaweed militias unleashed during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s.

The RSF is led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who is also a member of the newly appointed Sovereign Council that is to rule Sudan during a three-year transition.

Protesters accuse the RSF of leading the crackdown against them that started with the brutal break-up of their sit-in camp in Khartoum earlier in June.

Al-Bashir did not provide documents or records for the spending.

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___

Magdy reported from Cairo.

Former Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan reckons that Lewis Hamilton will definitely be tempted into a switch to the Ferrari squad in 2021 after his current contract with Mercedes expires.

“I’m absolutely certain that in 2021 Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari,” he told Top Gear magazine this week. “It would be the right time for Lewis to go to Ferrari.

“He’s coming to the end of his career but he still wants to win his seven or more titles,” he added.

And Jordan controversially suggested that Hamilton wouldn’t be alone in making the move from Brackley to Maranello at the end of next season.

• Ferrari boss says meeting with Hamilton ‘blown out of proportion’

“Lewis would only go to Ferrari if someone could protect him against any possibility that Charles Leclerc could usurp him,” Jordan continued.

“The real belief that I think Lewis will go to Ferrari in 2021 is that Toto Wolff’s contract also expires at the end of next year,” he explained. “So Ferrari would bring Toto along too.

“Toto goes with him, because as I said, Lewis won’t leave himself exposed, and it will be his way of bringing an equaliser.”

Wolff’s future in the sport has indeed itself been the centre of recent speculation. Doubts about Mercedes’ long-term future in the sport as a works team have given rise to growing gossip linking him to a move into a management role with F1’s owners Liberty Media.

“[Toto] knows Mercedes’ long-term future in Formula 1 is not a certainty,” Jordan pointed out. “Indeed, Lewis has mentioned Toto’s contract on more than one occasion, which is unusual for an F1 driver to do.”

While the Austrian recently hinted he was more likely than not to stay where he was with the Silver Arrows, Jordan thinks he’s too tempting a prize for rival teams not to make a bold move for his services.

And after a season of costly mishaps and miscues at the Scuderia, Jordan reckons that Wolff is exactly the sort of personality that Ferrari needs to bring in to take charge if they want to win the championship.

“What they don’t have is that person on the pit wall to guide the team, in terms of how they structure the race strategy,” he said. “Toto knows that. Racing is in his blood, and he’d love to have a name like Ferrari on his CV too.”

Even if Ferrari did secure the services of Hamilton and Wolff, Jordan thinks it unlikely that they would ever be willing to give up their rising young star Charles Leclerc, who has already given Sebastian Vettel such a hard time in 2019.

“Do Ferrari need two number ones? No, but they won’t let go of Leclerc,” Jordan stated. “It would be a huge feather in Leclerc’s cap to potentially beat Hamilton in the same car. He has the potential to be a great.”

But what about Ferrari’s other current driver, himself a multiple world champion?

“Vettel will retire at the end of 2020, he can’t go back to Red Bull because he’d get creamed by Max Verstappen,” Jordan reasoned. “However if Mercedes did decide to stay on in F1, it might work for Vettel to go there. [It would be] a consolation prize for losing Lewis.”

The theories about Hamilton and Wolff both seeing red in 2021 might seem a little far-fetched.

But the 71-year-old Irishman – who ran the eponymous Jordan Grand Prix team between 1991 and 2005 – still has deep contacts within the F1 paddock. And other recent wild theories that he’s come up with in the past have ended up turning out to be troublingly accurate…

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A club legend does not believe that the Italian tactician is the right man to succeed Unai Emery in the Emirates Stadium hot seat

Carlo Ancelotti “would be the wrong choice” to become Arsenal’s next permanent manager, according to Alan Smith, who thinks his old club need an “inspirational coach”.

Unai Emery’s one-and-a-half-year spell in charge at the Emirates Stadium came to an end on November 29, as he was sacked after overseeing a run of seven matches without a win.

The Spaniard’s assistant Freddie Ljungberg inherited the managerial reins on an interim basis, and it is believed that Swede will be considered for the long-term position if he can spark a turnaround in fortunes.

So far, he has been unable to do so, with Arsenal winning just one of their last four fixtures, falling further behind their rivals in the race for a top-four Premier League finish in the process.

A number of high profile names have been linked with the post in north London, including former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, Manchester City number two Mikel Arteta and ex-Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Ancelotti is considered the frontrunner, however, after being relieved of his managerial duties at Napoli at the start of the week.

The three-time Champions League winner, who led Chelsea to a Premier League title in 2009-10, has also enjoyed successful spells at Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Arsenal plan to hold talks with Ancelotti , but club legend Smith feels a more “innovative” manager is needed to affect significant change at the Emirates.

After assessing the Gunners’ frailties in defence, Smith wrote in his latest column for the Evening Standard : “Arsenal cannot lean on a solid rearguard this time, and that obvious lack of resilience and organisation makes the task so much harder for the new man.

“That’s why I repeat my firm belief that the situation demands an innovative, inspirational coach, someone with the ability to quickly instil a decisive vision and culture on the training ground that transfers to match days in a positive way.

“For me, someone like Carlo ­Ancelotti would be the wrong choice. As successful as the Italian has been, he’s more of an old-school manager who steadies the ship through clever man-management.

“Arsenal’s predicament has moved beyond that. It requires a tough visionary who can grab hold of this squad and fashion a way of playing that, in the short term, will achieve better results by making the team harder to play against.”

He went on to express his belief that Arteta would be the best fit for the role, stating: “I said it last week and I’ll say it again. Mikel Arteta has what it takes. I just hope that the Arsenal board feel the same way.”

The Gunners drew 2-2 with Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday night, a result which ensured they finished top of Group F ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ljungberg will now prepare his side for a crucial home clash against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, before they take in a trip to Everton six days later.

Très active sur les réseaux sociaux, Laury Thilleman aime partager son quotidien, particulièrement chargé, avec ses fidèles abonnés. Récemment, la Miss a ravi ses fans en postant un cliché très familial avec deux personnes très chères à ses yeux…

Huit ans après son règne en tant qu’ambassadrice de France, Laury Thilleman est devenue une femme heureuse et épanouis. Bon nombre de Miss le savent, le retour à la réalité peut s’avérer compliqué après avoir porté la prestigieuse couronne pendant un an. Pourtant, celle qui fut Miss Bretagne en 2010 a su rebondir avec grâce et élégance, multipliant les projets professionnels, de créatrice de mode à chroniqueuse de télévision en passant par restauratrice ou encore comédienne.

Un quotidien vécu à cent à l’heure qu’elle partage avec l’homme de sa vie, le chef cuisinier Juan Arbelaez. “Juan sera le père de mes enfants. J’en suis intimement convaincue et c’est la raison pour laquelle je ne veux pas me presser“, confiait-elle à Paris Match il y a quelques mois. Un amour si fort que les deux amants ont décidé d’ouvrir tous les deux un restaurant appelé Vida, situé dans le Xe arrondissement de Paris. Si elle passe le plus clair de son temps avec celui qu’elle aime, Laury Thilleman est également très proche de sa famille, notamment son petit frère et sa petite sœur, Hugo et Julie.

A l’occasion de la fête de Pâques, la reine de beauté a partagé un adorable cliché avec les deux adolescents, pour le plus grand bonheur de ses abonnés. “Les gènes de la beauté quoi“, “Le sourire ultra bright c’est de famille“, “Très belle fratrie“, ont ils écrits dans les commentaires. L’occasion de constater que le trio se ressemble comme deux gouttes d’eau. Chez les Thilleman, la beauté, c’est définitivement de famille !

Crédits photos : BESTIMAGE

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Camille Lacourt est une homme amoureux et il tient à le faire savoir. A l’occasion de son 34ème anniversaire, l’ex champion du monde de natation a posté sur son compte instagram un cliché à la légende sans équivoque.

Pendant 6 ans, Camille Lacourt a formé avec l’ancienne Miss France Valérie Bègue un couple très glamour. Parents d’une petite fille prénommée Jazz,les deux amoureux ont fini par se séparer après 3 ans de mariage. Une rupture douloureuse pour les deux anciens tourtereaux, qui ont choisi de rester proches, pour le bien de leur princesse. Après ce divorce, Camille Lacourt a eu quelques histoires d’amour qu’il n’a pas souhaité médiatiser, notamment avec sa partenaire de Danse avec les stars.

Mais ça, c’était avant de rencontrer sa nouvelle compagnie Alice Detollenaere, elle-même ancienne Miss Bourgogne 2010. Après avoir dévoilé son visage dans une story sur sur compte instagram il y a quelques jours, le jeune homme a réitéré ce mercredi 24 avril avec un cliché publié à l’occasion de son anniversaire. “34 ans et heureux”, se réjouit-il. L’ancien nageur y apparaît enlaçant tendrement sa compagne qui se blottit contre lui. A en croire la légende qui accompagne la photo, le doute n’est pas permis sur les sentiments de Camille Lacourt : “Merci à ma famille, ma fille, mon amoureuse, mes amis et toutes les personnes importantes à ma vie d’en dans faire partie“. Espérons que cette nouvelle histoire d’amour avec une miss lui porte cette fois bonheur ! Camille Lacourt a ajouté à sa photo un hastag qui montre qu’il a envie de croire dans cette nouvelle histoire : #lamourcestlavie !

Crédits photos : Pierre Perusseau / Bestimage

Après six saisons passées sur C8, Camille Combal a quitté la chaîne pour rejoindre le groupe TF1. Ce nouveau visage de la première chaîne présente des programmes phares tels que Qui veut gagner des millions et Danse avec les stars. Et depuis son arrivée dans le groupe, il y a une question qui revient souvent…

À 37 ans, Camille Combal roule tranquillement sa bosse. Après six saisons passées sur C8 au service – entre autres – de Cyril Hanouna, Camille Combal a quitté la bande de Touche pas à mon poste ! pour rejoindre TF1, en 2018. Une arrivée dans le groupe qui semblait nécessaire puisqu’on lui a confié d’importants programmes : l’émission culte Qui veut gagner des millions ? jusqu’ici présentée par Jean-Pierre Foucault, mais également Danse avec les stars, qu’il co-anime avec Karine Ferri. L’animateur travaille également sur de nouveaux projets, à l’instar du concours de célébrités The Masked Singer et Carpool Karaoké (adapté du célèbre programme américain animé par James Corden).

Dans une interview accordée à Télé Loisirs et parue ce 29 avril, Camille Combal évoque son transfert et ce qui a changé dans sa vie quotidienne : « Ma vie reste la même, toujours dans le même appart avec ma fiancée », affirme-t-il en préambule. Mais depuis qu’il a intégré le groupe TF1, il a encore gagné en notoriété, comme il l’explique : « Vu les scores d’audience de Danse avec les stars, notamment, plus de gens me reconnaissent dans la rue. Ils sont tous super sympas, je prends un vrai plaisir à discuter avec eux et à faire des selfies. »

Mais il y a autre chose qui a changé depuis qu’il officie à TF1, c’est une question qu’on lui pose régulièrement : « Est-ce que je peux participer à Qui veut gagner des millions ? ». Il faut dire qu’avec les précédentes émissions ou chroniques qu’il a animées par le passé, Camille Combal est désormais habitué à ce type de questions : « Les trois questions qu’on me pose le plus dans la rue, c’est : « est-ce que tu peux payer mon loyer ? » (en référence au jeu qu’il anime dans la matinale de Virgin Radio), « Est-ce que je peux participer à Qui veut gagner des millions ? » et surtout « Qu’est-ce qu’il en pense ton frère ? » (un clin d’œil à la séquence qu’il animait dans Touche pas à mon poste) ». Ah, la célébrité…

Crédits photos : Best Image

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Duperie et complot politique sont au cœur de La Mécanique de l’ombre, un thriller haletant à découvrir le 11 janvier qui réunit François Cluzet et Denis Podalydès. Voici la bande-annonce.

Tout le monde est surveillé… Non, nous ne parlons pas de Snowden mais bien de La Mécanique de l’ombre, un polar français à découvrir le 11 janvier prochain au cinéma. Porté par François Cluzet, la première réalisation de Thomas Kruithof suit le personnage de Duval, un ancien comptable aujourd’hui au chômage après avoir subi un burn-out. Contacté par un homme d’affaire énigmatique (Denis Podalydès), il se voit proposer un travail simple et bien rémunéré : retranscrire des écoutes téléphoniques. Aux abois financièrement, Duval accepte sans s’interroger sur la finalité de l’organisation qui l’emploie. Précipité au cœur d’un complot politique, il doit affronter la mécanique brutale du monde souterrain des services secrets…

La bande-annonce de La Mécanique de l’ombre nous transporte dans cette machination où chacun des personnages évoluant autour de François Cluzet cache son vrai visage. Une mise en abîme dans le jeu de la surveillance où le traqueur (Podalydès) devient le traqué (par Sami Bouajila, qui joue un agent de la DGSI). Les premières images nous promettent un thriller haletant, oppressant et mystérieux.

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François Cluzet va-t-il sortir indemne de ce jeu politique dont il est le pion ? Réponse le 11 janvier dans La Mécanique de l’ombre.