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SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States first removes what Pyongyang called a nuclear threat. The surprisingly blunt statement jars with Seoul's rosier presentation of the North Korean position and could rattle the fragile trilateral diplomacy to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war http://www.msn.com/en-xl/asia/asia-top-stories/n-korea-says-it-wont-denuclearize-unless-us-removes-threat/ar-BBRdoK7?li=BBJGzsi&ocid=iehp

Ed Sheeran has got plenty to celebrate this Christmas after becoming the top-earning musician ever. The Shape Of You hitmaker raked in a whopping £342.4 million in 2018, meaning he's earned more more in one year than any other musician ever has. http://www.msn.com/en-xl/europe/europe-life-arts/ed-sheeran-earns-more-money-in-a-year-than-any-musician-ever-as-he-rakes-in-%c2%a3342m/ar-BBRdEgY?li=BBJGCka&ocid=iehp

Jamie Redknapp believes the Red Devils will land what appears their preferred option to succeed Jose Mourinho at the end of the 2018-19 campaign. tori.ng/news/113421/special-one-pochettino-will-join-man-utd-in-2019-r.html

Tottenham Coach, Mauricio Pochettino and Zidane have both been tipped as lon g-term replacements for Jose Mourinho.  tori.ng/news/113428/zinedine-zidane-contemplating-manchester-united-jo.html

United States Culture , customs, behavior, and way of life in the United States. The American people express their culture through traditions in food, clothing, recreation, and ceremonies; through the education system and institutions of learning, including museums and libraries; and through the arts, encompassing the visual, literary, and performing arts. American culture is rich, complex, and unique. It emerged from the short and rapid European conquest of an enormous landmass sparsely settled by diverse indigenous peoples. Although European cultural patterns predominated, especially in language, the arts, and political institutions, peoples from Africa, Asia, and North America also contributed to American culture. All of these groups influenced popular tastes in music, dress, entertainment, and cuisine. As a result, American culture possesses an unusual mixture of patterns and forms forged from among its diverse peoples. The many ...

Berlin Wall , fortified wall surrounding West Berlin, built in 1961 and maintained by the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly known as East Germany, until 1989. The Berlin Wall was a highly visible symbol of the Cold War, the post-1945 struggle between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and its allies, including East Germany, and the United States and its allies. At the end of World War II in 1945, the city of Berlin was completely surrounded by territory occupied by Soviet forces. This territory officially became the country of East Germany in 1949. The city of Berlin itself was partitioned into East Berlin and West Berlin. West Berlin was occupied by British, French, and United States forces and was supported by the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly known as West Germany. Between 1949 when East Germany was established and the middle of 1961, at least 2.7 million people fled East Germany, more than half of them through West Berlin. Compare...

Although the first Ming walls were built of earth in the traditional manner, by the 16th century the work had become much more elaborate and was done in stone by professional builders paid in silver. Bit by bit, in response to Mongol challenges, the Ming heavily fortified the region around the capital at Beijing. Other areas were protected with shorter walls or forts, or had no defenses at all. Wall building and repair continued until the Ming dynasty fell to the Qing dynasty in 1644. By this time, the walls formed an incomplete and uneven network. The eastern end was at Qinhuangdao, in Hebei Province on the gulf of Bo Hai, while the western extreme was near Jiayuguan in Gansu Province. The walls spanned mountainous terrain, conforming to the territory’s numerous peaks and valleys. They included inner walls and outer walls, and some stretches had watchtowers placed at regular intervals so that alarm signals could be passed between them i...