By wire sources
Obama talks tough on Iran ahead of Israel meetings
NEW YORK — President Barack Obama has issued tough talk on Iran’s nuclear program as he prepares to deliver a key speech today, ahead of a meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Obama said Israel should postpone any military action against Iran, while assuring Israel it has U.S. support.
“When the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say,” the president said in an interview with the Atlantic published Friday. “I don’t bluff.”
Obama said a military component remains on the U.S.’s lists of options to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, but warned against a premature strike that would allow Iran to portray itself as a victim.
The president is scheduled to give a key policy speech today to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or Aipac, a pro-Israel lobby group.
Hundreds honor slain Ohio student
CHARDON, Ohio — Hundreds of people stood shoulder to shoulder along the street on a cold, windy Saturday morning to honor one of three teenagers killed in a high school shooting.
The service in Chardon for 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor is the first of the three funerals. Services for 16-year-old Demetrius Hewlin will be held Tuesday and for 17-year-old Russell King Jr. on Thursday.
Parmertor’s family said they planned to bury him with his first paycheck — still unopened — from his new job at a bowling alley, The Plain Dealer reported.
Those honoring the teen wore the school’s colors of red and black and huddled in hoods, knit hats and blankets. They held U.S. flags and signs featuring red hearts and saying “We are One Heartbeat.” Some expressed continued disbelief about the Monday attack.
Parmertor was remembered as a computer whiz and for his laugh and wit, WJW-TV reported.
N. Korea’s Kim orders high alert during DMZ visit
PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged troops on the heavily armed border with rival South Korea to stay on high alert during a rare visit to the Demilitarized Zone.
Kim’s visit to Panmunjom comes amid a flurry of escalating militaristic rhetoric and threats from North Korea aimed at U.S. ally South Korea just days after Washington and Pyongyang agreed to a nuclear deal seen as a breakthrough after years of deadlock.
It was Kim’s first reported trip to the DMZ since he took power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December. Details were released today by state media.
By wire sources