Kim: We won’t use nuclear weapons 1st

Kim: We won’t use nuclear weapons 1st

PYONGYANG,

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said during a critical ruling-party congress that his country will not use its nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty is invaded, state media reported today.

Kim also said he is ready to improve ties with “hostile” nations in a diplomatic overture in the face of international pressure over its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. He also called for more talks with rival South Korea to reduce misunderstanding and distrust between them and urged the United States to stay away from inter-Korean issues, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

West Point probes fists-raised photo

NEW YORK

The U.S. Military Academy has launched an inquiry into a photo showing 16 black, female cadets in uniform with their fists raised, an image that has spurred questions about whether the gesture violates military restrictions on political activity.

West Point is looking into whether the photo broke any rules, Spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker said Saturday. It’s unclear how long the inquiry will take and too soon to say what consequences it could have for the cadets, who are poised to graduate May 21.

The fists-up image, which circulated online, led some observers to question whether the women were expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which grew out of protests over police killings of unarmed black men.

‘El Chapo’ moved to prison near border

MEXICO CITY

Convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who twice pulled off brazen jailbreaks and is fighting to avoid extradition to the United States, was abruptly transferred to a prison in northern Mexico near the Texas border early Saturday.

Lawyers for Guzman, who was recaptured in January, have filed multiple appeals against their client’s being sent to the U.S., and Mexican officials have said it could take as long as a year to reach a final ruling. There was no immediate indication that the transfer could be a sign that the process is nearing conclusion.

170 abandoned cremains found in funeral home

MONTROSE, Colo.

The new manager of a Colorado funeral home is trying to find relatives for the cremated remains of about 170 people that were left in the building’s basement after going unclaimed.

Matt Boyle said he moved Rose Memorial Parlour into the Montrose building in October and found the cremains during renovations.

Some of the remains have no name and no way to identify who they belong to, or when the person died, he said. Some of them date back to 1947.

Boyle said he wants to locate the relatives, even though it is not his responsibility.

Two state agencies are investigating allegations of fraud and misconduct with a past owner, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported.

Former justice’s sister dies in crash

TUCSON, Ariz.

The sister of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was killed in a car crash Saturday in Arizona.

Ann Day, 77, suffered fatal injuries after her vehicle was struck by two other cars in the Tucson area, Pima County sheriff’s spokesman Ryan Inglett said.

Day was a former Arizona Republican state senator and Pima County supervisor.

Associated Press