A bittersweet family reunion for Koreans
SEOUL, South Korea — Hundreds of Koreans from the North and South will participate, starting Monday, in a week of temporary reunions of divided families. Many have had no contact with each other since the civil war in the 1950s that cemented the division of the peninsula into the North and South.
The elderly relatives gathering at North Korea’s scenic Diamond Mountain resort know that, given the fickle nature of ties between the rival Koreas, this could be the last time they see each other before they die.
Since the end of the war, both Koreas have banned citizens from visiting relatives across the border or contacting them without permission.
Nearly 20,000 people have participated in 20 rounds of face-to-face reunions since 2000. No one has had a second chance to see their relatives.
Bolton on election security
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are concerned that not only Russia but also China, Iran and North Korea will try to meddle in this fall’s midterm elections, national security adviser John Bolton said Sunday.
Mr. Bolton said elections are not the only potential targets for hostile international hackers, and he cited a “whole range of vulnerable systems” in both the government and the private sector.
Mr. Bolton is in Israel. He is set to head to Geneva and Ukraine for talks on Russia, North Korea and Syria.
He also said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Pyongyang “soon” for his fourth visit to North Korea in recent months.
Venezuelan economics
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela has announced new economic measures, including a 3,000 percent hike in the minimum wage.
The changes will take effect Monday with the introduction of a new currency that lops five zeros off the country’s depreciating bills.
President Nicolas Maduro is also raising gasoline prices in hopes of rescuing a plummeting economy.
Opposition leaders are calling a nationwide protest.
Border clashes in Gaza
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during protests in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the Gaza Health Ministry said, adding that 241 people were injured.
Witnesses said hundreds of demonstrators approached the security fence in five different spots. They burned tires and launched flaming kites and balloons across the Isreali border.
Palestinians have held protests every Friday since March 30. The protesters call for an end to the blockade on Gaza and a right of return to lands now in Israel.
Israeli officer’s sentence
JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court doubled the sentence of a former border officer convicted in the death of a stone-throwing Palestinian teenager in 2014.
The court on Sunday upheld a state appeal for a longer sentence, extending Ben Deri’s imprisonment from nine months to 18 months.
The Jerusalem District Court ruled in April that Mr. Deri unjustly opened fire during demonstrations in the West Bank, killing 17year-old Nadim Nuwara.
The court ruled Mr. Nuwara did not pose an immediate threat to Mr. Deri, and that he negligently loaded live rounds into his weapon instead of rubbercoated bullets.
Mr. Deri agreed to a plea bargain that dropped the charge from manslaughter to causing severe bodily harm and death through negligence. He was also ordered to pay the victim’s family $14,000.