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The United States is going through the<br />
five stages of grief over negotiations<br />
with North Korea.<br />
First came denial: that North Korea cheats so there is no point to<br />
negotiating, which denies that past deals did stop its fissile<br />
material production and missile tests for nearly a decade and that<br />
Pyongyang was not the only one to renege. So did Washington<br />
and Seoul,<br />
Next came anger: since North Korea was violating UN resolutions<br />
by continuing to test nuclear weapons and missiles, it should be<br />
punished with sanctions and isolation.<br />
Third has come bargaining: hopes that missile defense, cyber<br />
attacks or some other technological fix could somehow shield the<br />
United States and its allies from the threat. Those hopes have so<br />
far been in vain.<br />
Fourth came depression: the problem had no solution, which was<br />
summed up by characterizing North Korea as the land.<br />
Is now the time for acceptance: that negotiating is worth another<br />
try before it is too late?<br />
Time for talks?<br />
Candidate Donald Trump seemed to reach that conclusion during his<br />
election campaign. He first broached talking to North Korean leader<br />
Kim Jong Un on January 6, 2016, the very day North Korea conducted<br />
its fourth nuclear test.
"You have this madman over there who probably would use it,<br />
and nobody talks to him other than, of course, Dennis Rodman,"<br />
he told "Fox and Friends." "But nobody is talking to him<br />
whatsoever, and nobody is discussing it with China."<br />
Trump was more explicit on May 17. "Who the hell cares? I'll<br />
speak to anybody," he said. "There's a 10% or 20% chance I<br />
could talk him out of having his damn nukes, because who the<br />
hell wants him to have nukes?"<br />
In a campaign appearance on June 6, he disparaged experts'<br />
"qualms about bargaining with North Korea." To a master of<br />
"The Art of the Deal," that posed "no problems at all." Trump<br />
rebuffed critics, "They say 'we would never, ever, talk.' How<br />
foolish they are!"<br />
Deeds, not words<br />
President Trump backed up his words with deeds.<br />
After President Obama on January 19, his last full day in office,<br />
had authorized a token amount of US aid for North Korea for<br />
flood relief -- the first in five years -- the Trump administration<br />
made the gesture public on January 25.<br />
Trump kept creeping to the negotiating table. Despite North<br />
Korea's test-launch of a solid-fueled missile on February 12<br />
and the killing of Kim's estranged half-brother with VX nerve<br />
agent on February 13, his State Department issued visas -- the<br />
first in five years -- for a North Korean delegation to come to<br />
New York to meet with former officials. That outreach was<br />
abruptly reversed shortly thereafter.<br />
Will Trump try for talks again? Or will he revert to denial and<br />
try to outsource the problem to China, impose sanctions tough<br />
enough to compel the North to the negotiating table and commit<br />
to complete denuclearization upfront, wait for the regime to<br />
collapse, attempt cyber attacks, or risk a preventive<br />
war. Trump's policy review may examine those options.
All are fundamentally flawed.<br />
China did suspend its coal imports from North Korea for a year -<br />
- but only after it had already purchased its allowed quota under<br />
UN sanctions. Beijing may have anticipated that talks were in<br />
the offing and positioned itself to claim credit for coaxing<br />
Pyongyang to the negotiating table.<br />
Pyongyang has indicated it is open to talks -- but not to commit<br />
to complete denuclearization first. It may be willing to suspend<br />
its nuclear and missile programs only if Washington addresses<br />
its security concerns in return.<br />
Will tougher sanctions compel it to the table on US terms, even<br />
force it to collapse? Proponents say they will take time to work.<br />
How long? Two years? Five years? Ten years? In the meantime,<br />
how many nuclear and missile tests will the North carry out?<br />
How much fissile material will it make? How many ICBMs will it<br />
field?<br />
It could take three years or more for the North to develop its<br />
ICBM. Cyberwarfare could at best delay the inevitable -- if<br />
that. Contemplating preventive war could rupture US<br />
alliances in Asia.<br />
The only way out of Trump's predicament is acceptance -<br />
resume talks with North Korea, the sooner the better, to probe<br />
whether it is willing to suspend arming.
CLAUDIO BRAVO SAYS BARCELONA ARE 'MUCH<br />
BIGGER' THAN MANCHESTER CITY IN INTERVIEW<br />
Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has stated that his new<br />
club are not as big as former employers Barcelona.<br />
The Chile international made the switch from the Camp Nou to the<br />
Etihad Stadium in the summer, and he’s a key part of Pep<br />
Guardiola’s plan in Manchester. However, when asked to compare<br />
the two sides, Bravo admitted to TVN that in terms of size, he’d<br />
made a step down (h/t David Anderson of the Daily Mirror).<br />
“The two clubs are similar in terms of budget, but in terms of<br />
magnitude, Barcelona is much bigger,” he said.<br />
Bleacher Report UK suggested this wasn’t the best way to make a<br />
positive impression on his employers.<br />
In two years with Barcelona, Bravo developed a huge affinity with<br />
the supporters and was the man between the sticks as the<br />
Blaugrana secured back-to-back Primera Division titles. Bravo’s<br />
shot-stopping, anticipation and, crucially, his expert distribution<br />
from the base of the team was vital to their success.
At City, Bravo has had an inconsistent start, initially struggling to<br />
get to grips with the pace of the Premier League before showing<br />
some improvements in recent matches.<br />
Here's a look at how he’s fared in new surroundings compared to<br />
the man he replaced, Joe Hart.
Cinema Listings<br />
Genre: Action, Adventure.<br />
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant,<br />
Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen, Eriq La Salle,<br />
Elise Neal, Elizabeth Rodriguez.
Synopsis: In the near future, a weary Logan (Hugh<br />
Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X at a hideout on the<br />
Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world<br />
and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives,<br />
pursued by dark forces.<br />
Distributor: 20th Century Fox.
Genre: Musical, Fantasy<br />
-Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin<br />
Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Gugu<br />
Mbatha-Raw, Audra McDonald, Ian McKellen, Emma<br />
Thompson<br />
Synopsis: In this live-action re-imagining of the fairy tale, a<br />
young woman (Emma Watson) takes her father's place as<br />
prisoner in a beast's castle, only to fall in love with her<br />
beastly captor (Dan Stevens), who turns out to be a prince.<br />
Distributor: Walt Disney
Release Dates: February 10, 2017<br />
Rating: PG<br />
Runtime: 104 min<br />
Synopsis: Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of<br />
Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he<br />
adopted.
Release Dates: March 03, 2017<br />
Runtime: 132 min<br />
Cast: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Avraham Aviv Alush, Radha Mitchell, Alice<br />
Braga, Tim McGraw, Graham Greene, Ryan Robbins, Megan Charpentier, Derek Hamilton,<br />
Gage Munroe<br />
Synopsis: After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips<br />
spirals into a deep depression that causes him to question<br />
his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a<br />
mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack in the<br />
Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the<br />
shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a<br />
woman named Papa. Through this meeting, Mack finds<br />
important truths that will transform his understanding of his<br />
tragedy and change his life forever.<br />
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
TRACK STREAMS<br />
1<br />
Shape of You by Ed Sheeran 8,730,453<br />
2<br />
Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran 4,665,180<br />
3<br />
It Ain't Me (with Selena Gomez) by Kygo 4,347,429<br />
4<br />
Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran 4,225,957<br />
5<br />
Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers 4,183,236<br />
6<br />
I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) by ZAYN<br />
3,551,258<br />
7<br />
Perfect by Ed Sheeran 3,463,516
8<br />
Paris by The Chainsmokers 3,349,744<br />
9<br />
Happier by Ed Sheeran 3,304,559<br />
10<br />
Despacito (Featuring Daddy Yankee) by Luis Fonsi<br />
3,243,524<br />
11<br />
Dive by Ed Sheeran 3,034,059<br />
12<br />
New Man by Ed Sheeran 2,977,651<br />
13<br />
Scared to Be Lonely by Martin Garrix 2,875,651<br />
14<br />
That's What I Like by Bruno Mars 2,813,036<br />
15<br />
Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry 2,783,864<br />
16<br />
What Do I Know? by Ed Sheeran 2,724,595<br />
17
Stay (with Alessia Cara) by Zedd 2,671,522<br />
18<br />
Issues by Julia Michaels 2,666,998<br />
19<br />
How Would You Feel (Paean) by Ed Sheeran 2,519,438<br />
20<br />
Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran 2,366,243<br />
21<br />
Barcelona by Ed Sheeran 2,337,902<br />
22<br />
Rockabye (feat. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie) by Clean Bandit<br />
2,276,696<br />
23<br />
Slide by Calvin Harris 2,248,032<br />
24<br />
Hearts Don't Break Around Here by Ed Sheeran 2,201,100<br />
25<br />
Cold by Maroon 5 2,191,018
Horoscope<br />
Aries<br />
Have you been feeling psychic lately, Aries? Has a recent dream<br />
or premonition come true? Any insights that you receive today<br />
aren't likely to be clothed in complex symbolism - they should be<br />
easily understood. Write them down! You will want to check them<br />
later. Some of what you sense might be a little disturbing, perhaps<br />
involving a public figure you admire. Be prepared!.<br />
Taurus:<br />
Today you might gather with some very smart friends at a coffee<br />
house for an intellectual conversation, Taurus. Some fascinating<br />
ideas and useful information could be exchanged. Much of what is<br />
said could inspire new creative projects. If it isn't too late, walk<br />
home and clear your head or sleep may be a bit elusive tonight!<br />
Gemini:<br />
A fabulous career break could come your way today, Gemini. It<br />
could be a raise, promotion, or even a new job in a new field. It<br />
could also involve a completely different location. The work you<br />
will be doing may be unlike anything you've ever done before, and<br />
that's a challenge. Don't worry! Change is necessary if you're to<br />
reach your maximum potential. Go with the flow.<br />
Cancer:<br />
An unexpected release of tension could come today, Cancer.<br />
Something that has been restricting you and limiting your growth is<br />
going to disappear, and you will want to run through the streets<br />
shouting. From here on out, certain desires that have eluded you
could start to manifest in your life. One of them could be a new<br />
romance. What else need be said?<br />
Leo:<br />
Some strange but wonderful things could be happening to you<br />
now, Leo. Sheer luck could well be in the picture. Have you<br />
wanted to move to a nicer place? If so, now you probably can.<br />
Have you been expecting a bonus or settlement? Today it could<br />
be yours! Even your dreams are apt to be vivid, powerful, and very<br />
beautiful. The only downside is if one of the events involves<br />
money, don't overspend!<br />
Virgo:<br />
A rather black mood that's been plaguing you since early morning<br />
could suddenly disappear when a business or romantic partner<br />
brings wonderful news your way, Virgo. It could involve a goal that<br />
finally manifests that you may have given up long ago. If so, you<br />
could feel a little overwhelmed. Take some time to sit still and let it<br />
sink in before celebrating Congratulations!<br />
Libra:<br />
If you've been concerned about your health for any reason, Libra,<br />
today your medical professional could give you a clean bill of<br />
health. You will believe it, because you're likely to feel wonderful.<br />
Stress has vanished, at least for now, and your energy and<br />
enthusiasm are higher than they've been for a long time. Enjoy<br />
yourself. Go out with some friends. You've earned it!<br />
Scorpio:<br />
Creative energies are flowing like a river today, Scorpio. Ideas for<br />
projects should come thick and fast. You can't wait to get started.<br />
You may even formulate plans to market them once they're done.
Love and romance should also be going well for you, as<br />
intellectual discussions could bring you and a current or potential<br />
love partner closer. Have a wonderful day and make the most of it!<br />
Sagittaurius:<br />
Dreams should shed light on some difficult issues you've been<br />
trying to resolve, Sagittarius. You can finally make the problems<br />
disappear. This should be more than a relief to you - it's a<br />
blessing! Your friends might want to take you out to celebrate, but<br />
you will probably want to sit home and enjoy your newfound<br />
contentment. Pour some wine, put on some favorite music, and<br />
relax! You've earned it!<br />
Capricorn:<br />
More than one call could come today with absolutely wonderful<br />
news! Exciting and wonderful changes are in the wind, Capricorn,<br />
but you need to bear in mind that with the good news comes the<br />
unknown. Your life may be turned upside down. Consider if you<br />
really want to stay in the same rut for the rest of your life. Gird your<br />
loins and look forward to an adventure!<br />
Aquarius:<br />
A sizable sum of money could come your way today, Aquarius,<br />
probably as a surprise. This is a significant day for you. The<br />
money will open up new doors, particularly where creativity is<br />
concerned, so the situation definitely calls for a celebration. Don't<br />
gamble or consider any kind frivolous of investment for at least two<br />
months. Treat yourself! You deserve it!<br />
Pisces:
Today you may wake up feeling energetic, enthusiastic, optimistic,<br />
and very happy, Pisces. You may not be able to trace this to<br />
anything logical, so don't even try. Make the most of what's<br />
happening and use that energy to create the life you want. You<br />
might feel like you can move mountains, but for now you'd better<br />
concentrate on molehills. Be conservative now and tackle the<br />
mountains later!<br />
Sports<br />
Chelsea will only need 'a few additions' in the summer, says<br />
Ray Wilkins<br />
Antonio Conte, Chelsea´s trainer<br />
Chelsea will only need "a few additions" in the summer as they<br />
prepare to return to the Champions League again next season,<br />
says Ray Wilkins.<br />
Antonio Conte's side are 10 points clear of Tottenham at the top of<br />
the Premier League, and remain on course to win a league and<br />
cup double in the Italian's first season at the club.<br />
Wilkins, a former player and coach at Stamford Bridge, told<br />
Premier League Daily that he expects the Blues to clinch the title,<br />
but does not believe they need to alter the squad drastically if they<br />
are to potentially defend the Premier League and compete in<br />
Europe again next season.<br />
"They'll be delighted to be in that Champions League, they would<br />
have missed it immensely this season," Wilkins said.
"It really depends on Diego Costa, to a large degree, who they are<br />
going to get in to replace him if he decides to go to China, which<br />
has already been mooted this season.<br />
"It will be very interesting, I'm sure Antonio will have a few names<br />
up his sleeve that he would like to bring in. Defensively they have<br />
spoken about bringing added players in.<br />
"But at this moment in time they just need a few additions to keep<br />
themselves bubbling along - they are all young enough and they<br />
all look absolutely superb at the moment."<br />
Lewis Hamilton insists Ferrari are the<br />
favourites for new F1 season<br />
Lewis Hamilton<br />
But Vettel claims Mercedes are still in front while Hamilton remains wary of<br />
threat from Red Bull; Season-opening Australian GP starts at 6am on<br />
Sunday<br />
Lewis Hamilton has insisted Ferrari start the 2017 Formula 1<br />
season as favourites.<br />
Hamilton's Mercedes team have won three successive world<br />
championship doubles since 2014 but were consistently outpaced<br />
by the Scuderia in winter testing following the sport's rules refresh.<br />
"Ferrari are the quickest at the moment, they're definitely the<br />
favourites," said Hamilton ahead of this weekend's seasonopening<br />
Australian GP. "Their pace was great in testing."<br />
While testing is a notoriously unreliable indicator of the true<br />
pecking order heading into a new season, Mercedes and Ferrari
are thought to be closely matched at the front with the Scuderia<br />
possibly holding a slight advantage.<br />
"It is very clear who is the favourite," responded Sebastian Vettel.<br />
"We are trying our best to catch up."<br />
But speaking later to Sky F1, Hamilton maintained that Mercedes'<br />
fear they have been overtaken was genuine.<br />
"They were the quickest in testing, we couldn't match them," he<br />
said. "So when we get out there this weekend it'll be interesting to<br />
see where we've come from testing, what we've learnt and how we<br />
apply it, and really where we do stand.<br />
"It is unknown whether we're level, they're ahead, or they're<br />
behind."<br />
Red Bull surprised most observers during testing by introducing an<br />
unexpectedly-minimalist car and then ran inconspicuously during<br />
the eight days of action at Barcelona. But Hamilton remains wary<br />
of the team which dominated F1 before Mercedes claimed<br />
supremacy at the start of the sport's hybrid power era.<br />
"I'm very keen to see what Red Bull bring because they were quite<br />
a long way behind through testing - at least compared to Ferrari,"<br />
he said. "I assume they are bringing something here which I am<br />
excited to see."<br />
Stung by a series of backfiring overly-optimistic predictions in<br />
recent seasons, Ferrari have kept their public pronouncements to<br />
a minimum ahead of the new campaign. But the team's talking on<br />
track during pre-season testing offered a compelling hint they had<br />
caught Mercedes as Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen<br />
frequently appeared at the top of the timesheets.<br />
"Mercedes have been in very strong form over the last three years<br />
and even though we have changed the rules and regulations if a<br />
team is strong they will be strong the year after no matter what you<br />
do with the rules," said Vettel.<br />
Despite winning all-but one of the last seven championships,<br />
Vettel and Hamilton have rarely fought each other on track -<br />
neither has been runner-up to the other in any of their title-winning<br />
campaigns. But Ferrari's winter surge has apparently set the stage<br />
for an overdue battle between the three-time and four-time world<br />
champions.<br />
"I would love that and l think the fans would love to see that," said<br />
Hamilton.
If only Fernando Alonso could join in the fun too. The Spaniard,<br />
still considered by many to be the best driver in the sport, is facing<br />
up to another year on the periphery at McLaren with his absence<br />
at the front seemingly the only guarantee heading into the new<br />
season.<br />
"But we need this guy to have a good car so that he can get up<br />
there and fight with us," acknowledged Hamilton. "The sport needs<br />
that and he deserves that. You want to be racing against the best."<br />
In the meantime, the long-awaited fight between Hamilton and<br />
Vettel will just have to do.<br />
Best Sellers Books 2016<br />
Commonwealth<br />
BY ANN PATCHETT<br />
An illicit kiss at a christening wrecks two marriages in Los Angeles<br />
but blends the six children from different families. As we follow<br />
them over the next half century, their stories come into focus the<br />
way our own family legends cohere — from scraps of information<br />
and fractured memories. Patchett is daringly elliptical here, and<br />
her storytelling has never seemed more effortlessly graceful.<br />
We’re not so much told this history as allowed to eavesdrop from<br />
another room as a door swings open and closes. Even the most<br />
traumatic events — such as the death of one of the children —<br />
can be only partially known, thwarted as these characters are by<br />
invention, by gossip, by the deep emotional need to avoid the<br />
truth. This is minimalism that magically speaks volumes, further<br />
demonstration of the range Patchett demonstrated in “Bel Canto”<br />
and “State of Wonder.”
Evicted<br />
Poverty and Profit in the American City<br />
BY MATTHEW DESMOND<br />
“Evicted” immerses readers in the lives of families and individuals trapped in — or thriving off — the<br />
private-rental market for the poor, a brutal world in which landlords have all the power and tenants<br />
feel all the pain. In spare and beautiful prose, Desmond chronicles the economic and psychological<br />
devastation of substandard housing in America and the cascading misfortunes that come with losing<br />
one’s home. “If incarceration had come to define the lives of men from impoverished black<br />
neighborhoods, eviction was shaping the lives of women,” he writes. “Poor black men were locked<br />
up. Poor black women were locked out.” In this extraordinary feat of reporting and ethnography,<br />
Desmond has made it impossible ever again to consider poverty in the United States without<br />
tackling the central role of housing.<br />
The Gene<br />
An Intimate History<br />
BY SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE
Genetics has two histories: the history of what we have found out, and the history of the uses and<br />
abuses of those discoveries. In “The Gene,” Mukherjee explores the nature of this double narrative.<br />
He never loses sight of the tension between those who wish to understand genetics and those who<br />
wish to apply such emerging knowledge, but neither does he fall into the obvious trap of seeing the<br />
first category as good and the second as bad. Mukherjee contends that while genetic theories have<br />
provided crucial medical insights, they also have fueled the depraved thinking that reached its nadir<br />
in eugenics<br />
News of the World<br />
BY PAULETTE JILES<br />
Jiles has always been a terrific storyteller, and her latest tale moves at a characteristically brisk<br />
pace across post-Civil War Texas. The hero, septuagenarian Captain Kidd, earns a modest<br />
livelihood by reading aloud from newspapers and journals in public halls. But his latest job is to<br />
return 10-year-old Johanna to her aunt and uncle in San Antonio. Johanna has not seen them since<br />
a band of Kiowas killed her parents and took her captive four years earlier, and this fiercely<br />
magnificent child now has no memory of her white life; she doesn’t speak English, and she keeps
trying to run away. Every encounter Kidd and Johanna have on the trail between Wichita Falls and<br />
San Antonio seethes with the possibility of violence. In this tender novel, Jiles renders the pain of<br />
loss and the power of words for an old man and a young girl who really don’t belong anywhere<br />
anymore.<br />
The Return<br />
Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between<br />
BY HISHAM MATAR<br />
Hisham Matar was 19 in 1990 when his father, a prominent Libyan dissident, was seized in Cairo by<br />
Egyptian secret police and delivered to Libyan authorities. Jaballa Matar was held for about six<br />
years in a notorious Tripoli prison, and then no more was heard of him. Much of the younger Matar’s<br />
adult life has been ruled by unknowns, and they form the foundation for his breathtaking memoir,<br />
“The Return.” The book is constructed as two interwoven narratives. One is the story of a closing:<br />
the kidnapping, incarceration and disappearance of Matar’s father. The parallel story is of an<br />
opening, as the son spends two decades peeling away layers of obscure, unreliable details from exprisoners<br />
and craven Libyan officials to try to uncover what happened to his father. Matar, a Barnard<br />
College professor of English and New Yorker contributor, has produced two acclaimed novels about<br />
fathers who go missing under Middle Eastern dictatorships. “The Return” is an elegy by a son who,<br />
through his eloquence, defies the men who wanted to erase his father and gifts him with a kind of<br />
immortality.
Rogue Heroes<br />
The History of the SAS, Britain’s Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and<br />
Changed the Nature of War<br />
BY BEN MACINTYRE<br />
In earlier days, generals understood war as two armies facing each other across a defined<br />
battlefield. A startling change occurred when an unlikely war hero, David Stirling, came up with an<br />
experiment that called for sneaking soldiers into the adversary’s camp, sabotaging equipment, then<br />
sneaking off again into the night. At first the tactic seemed unsporting, if not scandalous, but the<br />
commando operation became the prototype for special forces around the world. In “Rogue Heroes,”<br />
Macintyre provides a riveting history of a revolutionary fighting force. Using unprecedented access<br />
to British Special Air Service regimental archives, Macintyre has gleaned fascinating material.<br />
Among the characters is an SAS officer invested with “an enormous moustache, an upper-class<br />
accent so fruity that the men barely understood his commands, and a habit of saying ‘what, what’<br />
after every sentence, earning himself the nickname ‘Captain What What.’?” As Captain What What<br />
might have put it, this is a ripping good read.