US

White House downplays Australia tensions ahead of VP visit

The adviser also said the two countries will reaffirm their partnership on security, trade and immigration issues during the visit.

But concerns about the US-Australia relationship go beyond a sour first impression, as Pence will have to address thorny questions about the administration's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, its strategy in the South China Sea and the regional security challenge posed by North Korea.

Mockery, anger in South Korea over USS Carl Vinson 'bluffing'

But its no-show has caused some South Koreans to question his leadership and strategy regarding their unpredictable neighbor in the north.

And as the country prepares to vote for a new president on May 9, the claim could have far-reaching implications for the two countries' relations.

"What Mr. Trump said was very important for the national security of South Korea," Presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo told the Wall Street Journal.

China criticizes North Korea, praises US on nuclear issue

A day after North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister said Pyongyang would test missiles weekly and use nuclear weapons if threatened, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing was "gravely concerned" about North Korea's recent nuclear and missile activities.

In the same press conference, spokesman Lu Kang praised recent US statements on the North Korean issue.

Syria chemical attack: Tests show sarin was used, watchdog says

Samples from 10 victims were analysed at four laboratories, OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu said.

The attack on the rebel-held town killed at least 87 people.

The Syrian military denied using any chemical agents.

Its ally Russia, meanwhile, said an air strike hit a rebel depot full of chemical munitions - but this suggestion has been widely rejected.

The US responded to the attack by launching air strikes on a Syrian military airfield.

Footage following the incident showed civilians, many of them children, choking and foaming at the mouth.

North Korean envoy at UN warns of nuclear war possibility

North Korea has consistently issued threats of war toward the United States in recent decades, but the Trump administration's announced end of a "strategic patience" policy with Pyongyang has upped the ante in terms of warnings and bellicose rhetoric. North Korea's UN deputy representative, Kim In Ryong, on Monday unleashed at a hastily called UN press conference a torrent of threats, war scenarios and rhetoric aimed at the United States.

US vice-president in S Korea amid tensions

On a visit to South Korea, he is set to discuss ways to deal with Pyongyang amid speculation that leader Kim Jong-un could order a new nuclear test.

North Korea has warned the US not to take provocative action as it is "ready to hit back with nuclear attacks".

A US navy strike group is moving towards the Korean peninsula.

On a long-planned 10-day trip to Asia, his first official visit to the region, Mr Pence will reaffirm the US commitment to stand by its regional allies, officials say.

Twitter forces US to drop demand for Trump critic's details

@ALT_USCIS anonymously criticised President Trump’s immigration policy, and claimed to be run by employees at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

US government officials issued a summons for identifying information.

But Twitter said that demand had been withdrawn after it filed a lawsuit.

The @ALT_USCIS account's followers also ballooned from 38,000 to 158,000 during the lawsuit's single-day lifespan.

Trump: US will act unilaterally on North Korea if necessary

"China will either decide to help us with North Korea or they won't," Trump said in an interview published Sunday in the Financial Times. "If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone."

Travel the US for free? Here's how Sarah and Lilly did it

Lilly Quinn and Sarah Little managed to do it without spending a dime beyond their £300 flights from the UK.

They spent five months travelling thousands of miles across 48 states, taking in some of the most epic landscape on earth.

"We wanted to do something challenging," explains 29-year-old Lilly.

So how did they do it? They hitch-hiked, couch-surfed and even used Tinder. Here are their top tips.

Take the leap, just go for it

"Having no money meant we were pushed to get out there and meet as many people as possible," Lilly explains.

US parents sue to call baby girl Allah

The state Department of Public Health has refused to issue the 22-month-old with a birth certificate.

Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk say it is unacceptable that their child has officially been left nameless.

But state officials say the child's surname - ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah - should either be Handy, Walk or a combination of the two.

Allah is the Arabic word for God.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia has filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court on the family's behalf.