World briefs

NORTH KOREA Kim Jong Un said that the United States should be aware that his country’s nuclear forces are now a reality, not a threat. But he also struck a conciliatory tone in his New Year’s address, suggesting the North may send a delegation to the Winter Olympics set to begin in South Korea in February.

AUSTRALIA A man accused of deliberately ramming a car into pedestrians in a busy Australian city street on December 21 was charged with murder yesterday after one of the injured died.

INDIA Some 200,000 Hindu pilgrims arrived at the confluence of two major Indian rivers yesterday on the first major bathing day of a 45-day annual ritual known as the Magh Mela.

US-AFGHANISTAN The top American commander for the Middle East wants a more aggressive Afghan military pressuring Taliban and other insurgents over the normally quieter months of Afghanistan’s winter, and then quickly going on the offensive in the spring. It’s all part of a plan the United States hopes will change the course of a war now entering its 17th year.

SYRIA President Bashar Assad reshuffled his government Monday replacing the ministers of defense, information and industry, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

RUSSIA-TURKEY Turkey has finalized a deal with Moscow for the purchase of Russia’s S-400 anti-missile system, Turkish defense officials announced, despite concerns voiced by some of the NATO member’s allies.

UKRAINE More than 200 people are rallying in the Ukrainian capital to demand justice for a lawyer who was murdered last week.

GERMANY Two people died from fireworks injuries during the New Year celebrations in Germany, but the country avoided a repeat of the mass groping in Cologne two years ago.

BRAZIL Inmates from rival gangs battled at a prison in Goias state, leaving nine dead and 14 injured, authorities told the Brazilian news site G1.

COSTA RICA A plane carrying 10 U.S. citizens and two local crewmembers crashed in a wooded area, killing all aboard Sunday, Costa Rica’s government said.

UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a “red alert” for more unity in 2018 after what he called a year of setbacks. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise, inequality is growing, climate change is accelerating and the world is seeing horrific violations of human rights, he said.