The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump's associates and Russians known to US intelligence during the 2016 presidential campaign, multiple US officials briefed on the matter tell CNN.

The chemical substance used to kill Kim Jong Nam was VX nerve agent, according to a preliminary report by the Chemistry Department of Malaysia, Malaysian police said in a statement Friday. Kim, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, died February 13.

VX, the nerve agent said by Malaysian police to have killled Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, is a highly toxic substance that can lead to death within minutes.

One of the fiercest critics of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs was ordered arrested Thursday on drug-related charges in what supporters say is a politically motivated vendetta.

Ever since Seoul agreed last year to host a US missile defense system, South Korean pop stars, musicians and companies have felt a distinct chill in China.