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Mike Pence Visits South Korea To Reaffirm Ties

US Vice-President Mike Pence has said his country’s « era of strategic patience » with North Korea is over.

Mr Pence first made the remarks at the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the area dividing the two Koreas, during a visit to South Korea to reaffirm ties.

His visit comes amid escalated tensions on the peninsula, with heated rhetoric from both North Korea and the US.

He arrived in Seoul on Sunday hours after North Korea carried out a failed missile launch.

On Monday, the US and South Korea launched a joint air force military exercise to ensure readiness against North Korea, according to South Korean media. Mr Pence, whose father served in the Korean War, visited the truce village of Panmunjom, where the war’s armistice was signed.

Speaking alongside South Korea’s acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn later, he said North Korea had conducted nuclear and missile tests as the previous US administration had observed a policy of « strategic patience », but this was now over. « Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan, » Mr Pence said. « North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region. »

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Twelve Injured In Hackney Nightclub Acid Attack

At least 12 people suffered burns after a man sprayed acid inside a club in east London.

Hundreds of revellers were evacuated from Mangle E8 in Sidworth Street, Dalston, after police were called at about 01:10 BST.

Officers believe a man threw acid at two men after a dispute between two groups inside the venue. Two men in their 20s remain in a serious but stable condition in hospital. Ten other people were were treated for minor injuries, the Metropolitan Police said.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: « The only information that we have is that it was an unknown corrosive substance thrown within the nightclub. « It was identified by a pH paper test as a strong acidic substance. »

It is understood about 600 people were at an event in the club.

Officers said 10 people were taken to hospital by ambulance, while a further two sought treatment at A&E. They said no arrests had been made and officers were continuing to investigate.

The police added there was no evidence to suggest the attack was gang related.

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British Woman Stabbed To Death In Jerusalem

A 23-year-old British woman has been stabbed to death in Jerusalem, police have said.

The tourist was repeatedly stabbed while she travelled on a tram in Tzahal Square, which was packed with people celebrating Good Friday and Passover. She was taken to hospital but died from her injuries soon afterwards.

Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service have identified 57-year-old Palestinian Gamil Tamimi as her attacker. He was arrested at the scene.

Police say Mr Tamimi, a resident of Ras al-Amud in east Jerusalem, was recently released from a psychiatric hospital.

A 30-year-old pregnant woman and a 50-year-old man were also injured in the attack.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: « We are in touch with local authorities following an incident in Jerusalem on April 14. » Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin said he was « filled with sadness about the attack » and his thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld has confirmed the Briton was a 23-year-old and tweeted a picture of the knife used in the attack.

Powerful US Bomb Kills At Least 36 IS Militants In Afghanistan

A US military strike with a weapon known as the « mother of all bombs », or MOAB, killed 36 Islamic State (IS) group militants and destroyed their base, the Afghan defence ministry says.

The most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever used by the US in combat was dropped on IS tunnels in Nangarhar province. No civilians were affected by the explosion, the ministry said.

The US military said the bomb was used purely on tactical grounds, « the right weapon against the right target ».

A statement on the IS-supporting Amaq news agency denied there were any IS casualties in the bomb strike.

Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah confirmed that the attack had been carried out in co-ordination with the government and that « great care had been taken to avoid civilian harm ».

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Plot To Attack UK & US Embassies In Nigeria Thwarted

Nigeria’s spy agency says it thwarted a plot by militant Islamist group Boko Haram to attack the UK and US embassies in the capital Abuja.

Six people were arrested last month in connection with the plot, the Department of State Services (DSS) added. There has been no independent confirmation of the agency’s claim.

Boko Haram, which is linked to the Islamic State group, has carried out an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009.

At least 21 people were killed when it carried out a car bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Abuja in 2011.

In a statement, the DSS said five of the men had « perfected plans » to attack the embassies. They were arrested on 25 and 26 March in Abuja and central Benue state, the DSS added.

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