暗黑爆料

Secretary of State John Kerry is asking China's government to help ease tensions on the Korean peninsula, where North Korea has issued threats of war as it tests its weapons systems. The top U.S. diplomat met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing two days before a North Korea-promised missile test.

Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Louisa Lim about Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to South Korea and the negotiating efforts to de-nuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

While condemning North Korea's recent rhetoric as "unacceptable," the secretary of state also said the U.S. wants to talk 鈥� if the North is serious about discussing denuclearization.

The North is expected to test another ballistic missile in the next few days. Its rhetoric has been hot in recent weeks. But there's a case to be made that once the U.S. and South Korea wrap up military exercises, the North will declare it won this war of words.

As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry continued working on the security transition, suspected suicide attacks in two locations underscored the challenges that remain. He also engaged in a little soccer diplomacy.

Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Monday. He's trying to smooth over the latest disputes with President Hamid Karzai.

John Kerry is urging Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to crack down on flights from Iran to Syria, which pass through Iraqi airspace. U.S. officials say Iran is shipping weapons to Bashar Assad's regime.

The U.S. secretary of state announced last week that Washington will provide $60 million in nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition.

John Kerry's first trip as secretary of state took him to Europe 鈥� where he spent time growing up as the son of a diplomat. Kerry, who also had stops in the Middle East, says he can't speak as freely now as when he was a senator.

Secretary of State John Kerry is wrapping up his first official overseas trip to Europe and the Middle East. He's shifted U.S. policy on Syria, offering direct assistance to the opposition coalition and non-lethal aid to fighters. He's also offered Egypt's Islamist government $190 million to avert a budget crisis and he's warning Iran that talks can't go on indefinitely.