A newly declassified cable from the British Ambassador to China at the time, Sir Alan Donald, describes the civilian deaths at the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre as at a "minimum estimate" of 10,000, The Independent reports. The document was reportedly written on June 5, just about 24 hours after the massacre.
Why it matters: That's much higher than previous estimates and disclosures; the Chinese government claims between 200 and 300 were killed and the Chinese Red Cross claims about 2,700 were killed. The document also provides more gruesome details than previously disclosed. In 2014, NTDTV reported that a Chinese informer reported 10,454 fatalities. The Chinese government has said the response to the protests at Tiananmen Square was a legitimate defense against a riot or rebellion.
North Korea called the United Nation's latest sanctions against the regime an "act of war" Sunday, and warned that those who supported the strict measures will "pay a heavy price."
Get smart: The foreign ministry statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, isn't the first time Pyongyang described foreign actions as an act of war, but serves as another reminder of escalating tensions in the region.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the DOJ to investigate claims published this week that President Obama "gave a free pass" to Hezbollah in the interest of the Iran nuclear deal, Fox News reports.
Sessions in a statement to Fox: "While I am hopeful that there were no barriers constructed by the last administration to allowing DEA agents to fully bring all appropriate cases under Project Cassandra, this is a significant issue for the protection of Americans...We will review these matters and give full support to investigations of violent drug trafficking organizations."
Why it matters: The report, first published by Politico, says the Obama administration went soft on Hezbollah in order to "show good faith towards the Iranians in terms of reaching an agreement" on the nuclear deal. Obama officials have denied it.
