US

The helicopter carrier Izumo is escorting a US supply vessel within Japanese waters.

The US ship is heading to refuel the naval fleet in the region, including the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group.

North Korea has threatened to sink the Carl Vinson and a US submarine, amid rising tensions in the region.

It also carried out a failed missile test on Sunday, despite repeated warnings from the US and others to stop its nuclear and missile activity.

Whether it's unfair Chinese trade practices, the North American Free Trade Agreement he's dubbed a "disaster" or Iran's destabilizing actions, Trump has kept up much of his bold campaign rhetoric.

"We call on (North Korea) to refrain from provocative, destabilizing actions and rhetoric, and to make the strategic choice to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks," Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross said. "North Korea's unlawful weapons programs represent a clear, grave threat to US national security."

The Korean-American lecturer had taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) for several weeks prior to his arrest.

The investigation into Mr Kim was for matters "not connected in any way" to the university, PUST said.

Mr Kim was arrested just as he was about to leave Pyongyang. Authorities have not yet disclosed the reason.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Mr Kim, who is in his late 50s, was involved in aid programmes and had been in North Korea to discuss relief activities.

US President Donald Trump once called the deal, which was agreed under his predecessor, "dumb".

The agreement allows for up to 1,250 asylum seekers to Australia to resettle in the US.

In return, Mr Turnbull's administration has agreed to resettle people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who have sought asylum in the US.

The deal would be honoured but not necessarily admired, visiting Vice-President Mike Pence said after talks with Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.