the former north korean leader, kim jong il. it doesn't take much to pull off the former dictator, says mr. kim, the permed hair,less distinctive jump suit, and maybe a bit of clapping. having a former north korean leader as a guest on your tv chat somehow or a prop for your music video is surprisingly popular near the south. but now that kim jong il is dead, will impersonators like mr. kim switch to mimicking his son? hmm, he says, there's not much similarity between kim jong il and his son, i'd need to get a different haircut. he'd probably need to do more than that. kim jong un has a very different style than his father, much more, well, matey, more tactile, more hands on. north korean state media has shown him testing soldiers' equipment, tasting their food, sitting on their beds. even the anchor who carried news of his exploits has been replaced by a younger, softer looking model. the new chummy style has generated a few crunch inches in the south. this newspaper for north korean defectors in south korea is run by a man bett

he says, there's not much similarity between kim jong il, his son. i'd need to get a different haircut. he'd probably need to do more than that. kim jong un has a very different style to his father, much more, well, matey, more tactile, more hands-on. north korean state media has shown him testing soldier's equipment, tasting their food, sitting on their beds. even the anchor who carries news of his exploits has been replaced by a younger, softer looking model. the new chummy style has generated a few column inches here in the south. this online newspaper for north korean defectors in south korea is run by a man better prepared than most to make the comparison. mr. jang dined with kim jong il before leaving north korea. >> kim jong il had such status that people didn't dare look him in the face, but kim jong un has no choice but to approach the people and embrace them. he's begging for their loyalty. >> the style signals warmth or weakness, here in the south, officials say it's the policies they're watching for. on that score, north korea says nothing

. >> north korea is preparing to mark the birthday of its former leader kim jong il this week. ce his sudden death in december, north korea has been headed by a much less familiar figure, his son kim jong un. our korea correspondent has been looking at a very different public personality. kim'sntities are mr. bread and butter. ironic, because when he is not validating other people, he gets paid for being someone else. the former north korean leader kim jong il. "it does not take much to pull off the former dictator. the permed hair, the jumpsuits, and a bit of clapping." having the former north korean leader as a guest on your tv show or music video is popular in the south. delaware thanow that he's dead, switched to mimicking his son? he says there is not much similarity between kim jong il and his son. kim jong un has a very different style to his father, much more matey, more tactile, more hands on. state media has shown him testing solar equipment, tasting their food, sitting on their beds. even the anchor has been replaced by a younger, softer looking model. the new style h

you've got kim jong-il on -- wait a minute. it's fine. it's okay. asks you what you are wearing you will say kim jong-il. >> have fun this evening. >> look at that. security dragging the dictator away. seacrest was not psyched about that. still ahead, what are you doing up? tweets, texts and e-mails are next. "morning joe" is back. ok, guys-- what's next ? chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it'

north korea has been celebrating what would have been the seventh birthday of its former leader, kim jong il. his son of but the celebration that included a flower festival and a military rally. a new statue was also unveiled. it showed kim jong il and his father. for more on that, we are joined from seoul. we know today would have been his birthday. how are north koreans marking it? >> it was on the eve of his birthday on wednesday. we saw hundreds of senior officials packed into an auditorium, sitting and standing as one, shouting, long live the great leader and his father, the great president. listening to speeches praising kim jong-il, including his achievement of making north korea at a nuclear state. that went on for quite a while. it that was the birthday party, he has also been receiving quite a few gifts. you mentioned the statue. that 6 meter high bronze statue. he has also been given a specially issued series of gold coins printed with his image. also, a carving, carved into the side of a mountain. lots of ways in which north korea is marking his birthday, not just to honor kim jo

the meetings will be the first since the death of kim jong il in december. north korea's nuclear envoy kim kye gwan arrived in beijing on tuesday. he did not speak with reporters. u.s. special envoy for north korean policy, glyn davies, arrived on wednesday. >> in the leadership in pyongyang, we will be interested to see whether they're interested in moving forward with us, what precisely his policies are, in what direction he wants to take his country. all of these are a bit unknowns at this stage. >> nhk world joins us with his view of the talks. hiroki, what do you think will be the focus of the discussions at the meeting? >> i don't think there will be a major breakthrough. that's because north korea and the united states have domestic concerns they need to address. north korea has a new leader in kim jong un whose skills are still developing. on the other hand, president barack obama is facing an election campaign. this meeting is the first since the death of kim jong-il so it will likely reaffirm its position on its nuclear program, i think. >> what is

kim jong-il has already received several birthday gifts from the nation. a big bronze statue in the capital, commemorative gold coin, a giant carving in the side of the mountain, as much about bolstering his son's hold on power as honoring the dear leader, some say. but kim jong-il has looked thoroughly at home in his new role, taking the standing ovation in stride, even motioning to those standing behind be him. it's impossible to tell from outside of the country, even from here in south korea, just how much influence kim jong-en has over his father's come raids. but it's a chance top emphasize yet again the unique authority of the kim family name and the thin but priceless credentials of the new young leader. bbc news, seoul. >>> that's all for the moment. stay here with us on bbc world news. i'll be speaking with prince's son of jordan about the unfolding crisis in neighboring syria. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundatio

he met kim jong-il and was welcomed in pyongyang last year. kim jong-un's guardian and uncle was also at the banquet. there's speculation efforts to attract more foreign investment in the country. a senior u.s. diplomat says north korea's new leaders must take steps to halt the nuclear program before the u.s. will agree to hold direct talks. the comment was made in seoul after meeting with senior south korean diplomats. >> we're still waiting to see if the new government in north korea is prepared to take the necessary steps. >> the u.s. has called on the north to halt its uranium enrichment program. reports china offered food aid to north korea last month. he said the aid was part of china's efforts to stabilize the north. >> we want to continue a close dialogue with china. we want them to share with us more their perspectives and their plans. >> he also said the u.s. hopes to use chinese vice president later this month to urge china to help promote talks on china's nuclear program. >>> running through exercises aimed at protecting japan from

kim jong-un, whose political skills are still developing. on the other hand, president barack obama is facing an election campaign. this meeting is the first since the death of kim jong-il, so likely will reaffirm its position on its nuclear program. it won't halt its nuclear program. it's trying to boost public support for the new leader. kim jong-un is being credited with leading the nuclear testing and the firing of long-range ballistic missiles. they are also claiming the development promoted by kim jong-il is among his greatest achievements but north korea is planning stages, so the country may show a more flexible attitude in order to receive relief supplies. i think there is little chance of that happening at this stage. washington has demanded north korea suspend. i doubt the north will agree to that. just because the north korea's new leadership gets support by maintaining hard-line stance with negotiations with the united states. i think it will show its determination to stop north korea's uranium enrichment problem. its main concern is the north may conduct a nuclear test to seek financial aid from the international community. the u.s. wants to show north kor

kim jong-un has reviewed the armed forces for the first time. he appeared before the parade. north koreans have been marking what would have been the birthday of his late father, kim jong-il. m reviewed the parade from a balcony decorated with a portrait of his father. he stood with his uncle and others. the north leadership has intensified efforts to award him the highest title. gener gener generalmissimo. >>> japanese's government says about 120 pro-pyongyang residents in japan brought at least 17 million yen on a visit to north korea. public security officials say the korean residents, including officials of a pro-north korean association ratraveled to the north near beijing earlier this month. north koreas are expected to report when they take over 100,000 yen to the north. customs say at least $890,000 were brought into the country. the public safety officials say the association was asked by north korea to donate money to celebrate kim's anniversary. >> translator: north korea is asking people to show their loyalty to the new leader kim jong-un. especially the north korean an association in japan. >> he also predicts similar requests before the birth of his son. he sa

kim jong il has already received several birthday gift from the nation.ig statue in the capital, comparative gold coins, a giant carving in the side of a mountain. this is as much about bolstering his son's grip on power and honoring the new leader. kim jong un has looked thoroughly at home in his new role taking a standing ovation in his stride and most into the ranks flapping behind him. it is impossible to tell from inside of the country, even from here in south korea, it just how much influence kim jong un has over his father's comments. the celebrations are chance for the regime to emphasize the unique authority of the kim family name and the priceless credentials of the new leader. >> that new young leader also graces the cover of time. for more on an in-depth look of kim jong un, i'm joined by jim frederick. is he a new great leader? why did you put him on the cover? >> we put him on the cover because he has been in power for two months and there has not been an in-depth look at him. our journalist went out and the ground for six or 8 weeks to come

and kim jong il is dead, but north korea celebrates his 70th birthday in style. what's the profile of his son, a new leader, kim jong un? >> hello. thanks for joining us. at least eight palestinian children have been killed, this after an israeli truck hit a school bus on a road in the west bank. the bus was carrying at least 50 children, some of them just 5 years old. we understand at least 30 were injured. they've been taken to hospitals in the west bank city of ramallah and in israel. a short time ago, the palestinian president, mahmoud abbas, declared three days of mourning. joining me from jerusalem is the bbc's john donneson. pretty horrific crash. can you give us the details? >> well, what we believe is that this crash happened on a pretty busy road just outside ramallah. we understand that the school bus was carrying around 50 children. palestinian police say some of them were as young as 5 or 6 years old. we understand it collided with a truck, the bus flipped over, and then burst into flames. i should say, there's been very, very heavy rain overnight in

kim jong un. the young leader seems to be continuing the policies of his father kim jong il. ♪ for years, north koreatled the international community with its missile tests across a border that divides the korean peninsula. south korea is nervous about the intentions of its unpredictable neighbor. the country's nuclear program has become an international issue, but it is still unclear whether the regime has successfully developed a functioning nuclear bomb. >> never sending a little bit more pleasant. it is the biggest society event in austria, the viennese opera ball. >> the dress code has not changed in 57 years. white ties and details for the gentleman, floor length gowns for the ladies. >> every year, the auditorium of the vienna state opera is turned into a large ballroom. >> and the night opens with a debutante procession.+ here is a look at how they prepare for the big night. >> for him, these dance steps are as important as his qualifications. he and his dance partner are practicing for their first vienna opera ball. >> a chance to dance at the vienna opera is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunit

second revealed program based on uranium and not plutonium and what they were trying to do before kim jong-ilied and then he died and we heard nothing from the north so this is the first interaction to see if they're still on that track or not. >> reading the pyongyang tea leaves for a second, what's your take on kim jong-il, is he somebody that is open to dialogue with the west on his nuclear program? >> well, i think the answers we just don't know. we really do not know. we know less about this individual than we knew about osama bin laden or muammar gaddafi or saddam hussein. and the people they'll be meeting in beijing are not people they haven't met before but are negotiators who have been working on this on the north korea side going back to the clinton administration, really. so the people will be the same but we'll tried to read based on what they say and what positions they take whether there is a continuity policy under this new leader, a change of policy, or maybe there's just no instructions at all for all we know. >> how valuable is the stick -- is the carrot of food aid for the

still to come -- north korea throws quite the birthday bash for kim jong il.ut it is his son who is in the spotlight now. the afghan presidentz has made the first public acknowledgment that his government and the united states have started talks with the taliban. made the admission while in it as long bought for a regional summit. also attending was the iranian president, who wants to build a gas pipeline from his country to pakistan despite strenuous u.s. opposition. with more on that gathering, we got this report. >> the relationship between afghanistan and pakistan has often been characterized by mistrust and even a sense of betrayal. but you would not have guessed that today. the afghan president arrived with talk of a brotherly bond between the two countries. the issue that has caused problems in the past is pakistan possible links to the taliban. but it is how that could help a that is now the major topic of discussion. the president wants assistance bringing the taliban to the negotiating table. >> they could play eight constructive role, although i sho

seacrest had to do interviews with kim jong-il all over him. he could actually press charges for that stunt. >> when anybody asks you what you're wearing, you say kim jong-il. all right, borat, you are my newest hero again today. the twitter universe was buzzing about j. lo. did you see it? >> i didn't understand. >> when you get the slipperoo and the dress is cut a little low, hello, fuzz did i. >> that's because there is a claim there's been another wardrobe malfunction. >> you can't see anything. >> who saw it? >> i don't know. her stylist, jennifer lopez's stylest says the dress fit perfectly every inch and there was no slip. no slip. there was no slip. i'm not sure if she meant nip slip or an undergarment slip. >> if we all can please think back to this, the 2000 grammys when everybody, including matt lauer was absolutely aghast. is this when the gentleman on her right was named puff daddy? i don't think it was p. diddy at the time. >> there was no wardrobe malfunction, right? that was just -- >> just a special dress, less than a bikini. >>

target asest became a can be in such a baron cohen spilled an urn of kim jong il's ashes all over himas busy watching what twitter. the fashion, it was host billy cluster. it was announced -- a resounding great job for him. you can go to wjla.com. we have a slight show of tonight hit and mrs.. -- hits and misses. >> neither one of us is wearing kim jong il. nor-- our money armani. >> we're looking at a warmup for ♪ [ male anuncer ] to hold a patent that has changed tthe modern world... would define you as an innovator. to hold more than one patent of this caliber... would define you as a true leader. to hold over 80,000... well that would make you... the creators of the 2012 mercedes-benz e-class... quite possibly the most advanced luxury sedan ever. see your authorized mercedesenz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. it was an emotional day for families with firefighters to injured in a fire. firefighters are being treated. one suffered burns in his air way. burns on moreed than 40% of his body. salted.mate was sexually early this morning. ed happen

this is what they're trying to do before kim jong il died, and then he died.is is the first interaction to see whether they are on the track or not. >> what is your take on kim jong un hill to -- on kim jong un? is he someone who is open to dialogue? >> the answers, we just don't know. we really do not know. we know less about this individual then we knew about osama bin laden, muammar gaddafi, or saddam hussein. the people they will be meeting are not people they have not met before, they are the negotiators that have been working on this going back to the clinton administration. the people will be the same but we will try to read based on what they say whether they are in the continuity policies or the change of policy or maybe sq%ei+ all. >> how valuable is the carrot of food aid that the u.s. has? how desperately does north korea needed the assistance that the u.s. could give them? >> i have talked to a number of the groups that have gone through north korea and they clearly assess there is a need. there is clearly a need that lost there is clearly a need

he met kim jong-il last year in pyongyang. the regime welcomed him with an official banquet. kim jong-un's guardian and uncle was there. there's speculation the new leader will meet as part of an effort to attract more foreign investment. >>> as senior u.s. diplomat says north korea's new leaders must take concrete steps to halt the country's nuclear program before the u.s. will agree to hold direct talks. kurt campbell made the comment in seoul after meeting with senior south korean diplomats. >> and we're still waiting to see whether the new government in north korea is prepared to take the necessary steps. >> the u.s. has called on the north to halt its uranium enrichment program and take other steps. campbell also referred to reports that china offered food aid to north korea last month, and he said the aid was part of china's effort to stabilize the north. >> we want to continue a close dialogue with china. we want them to share with us most of the perspectives and their plans. >> campbell also said the u.s. hopes to use chinese vice president ping's visit to washington l

the meeting will be the first since the death of kim jong-il in december. the nuclear envoy arrived in beijing on tuesday. he did not speak with reporters. u.s. special envoy for north korean policy glyn davies arrived wednesday. >> in the leadership in pyongyang, we will be interested to see whether they're interested in moving forward with us, what precisely his policies are, in what direction he wants to take his country. all of these are a bit unknowns at this stage. >> earlier nhk world outlined the focus of discussions at this meeting. >> i don't think there will be a major breakthrough. because both north korea and the united states have domestic concer they need to address. north korea has a new leader in kim jong-un whose skills are still developing. president barack obama is facing an election campaign. so the north will likely reaffirm its position on nuclear. pyongyang will never halt its nuclear development program. it's trying to boast public support for the new leader. kim jong-un is being credited with leading the nuclear testing and the fir

states and north korea have met with their first nuclear talks since the death of their leader kim jong il in december. the two sides continue discussions on friday. the meeting took place in beijing on thursday. they spoke to reporters after the meeting. >> they haven't quite concluded and we intend to pick up where we have left off this evening tomorrow. >> he added the delegates would have dinner together on thursday. what do the u.s. and north korea hope to achieve in their talks. >> reporter: the u.s. is sticking to its stance that is the six-party talks can resume. but going into thursday's talks it seemed more likely u.s. envoy davys would focus on bilateral ties rather than have both parties just repeat their nuclear positions as in the past. >> i also plan to raise nonproliferation, human rights and humanitarian affairs and my hope is that we can find a way to move forward with the north. >> reporter: north korea tends to benefit from its nuclear position. its uranium enrichment program is hoping it brings in as much food assistance as possible. this is particularly pressing now.

the nuclear discussions in beijing for the first to happen since kim jong il died in december. diplomatic sources tell nhk north korea is prepared to allow inspectors into its nuclear facilities and to suspend uranium supervision. in exclang the north is demanding food assistance include rice and grains. it wants a total amount of food be increased. the u.s. proposed last december an aid package amounting to 240,000 tons. the shipment would be made up of nutritional biscuits and vitamin pills but not grains. north korea seems to be in the process of trying to obtain a substantial amount of food aid from the u.s. to carry out a large scale distribution to its people on april 15th. that day marks the 100th and vrsry of the founder of north korea's birthday. thousands of south koreans and u.s. soldiers are taking part in military exercises across the south. the maneuvers went ahead in the face of a warning from the north korean leader kim jong un. we have a report from seoul. >> reporter: commanders name these exercises key resolve. they want to check their chain of event in the o

that is a major development following the death kim jong-il who died last year. his son, kim the younger, is now in power and today the secretary of state, hillary clinton, says the united states has profound concerns as she put it but calls the agreement an indication that the world is transforming around us. the new leadership could should and guide their nation by live up to their obligation and the announcement represent as modest first step in the right direction. so, while, clearly officials have reservations on the face of it it appears to be a significant recession for the new leadership coming after years of negotiation. we can hope. and now the chief fox correspondent jonathan hunt. the international community will not just take their word. >>jonathan: the skepticism, shep, is driven by a reading of history. look back at 1994, when the north koreans made a very similar deal to this, and at that point, the founder of north korea, just died, and his son, kim jong-il, was taking over and there were worries of stability so they made a deal when they got ther

north korea's military parade at the nation's capital to mark the birthday of late leader kim jong il they pledged to defend his son and successor kim jong un with their lives and crush any forces if attacked crowds have been marching making their way to the city's main square to leave flowers and x.'s portrait well since kim jong il died of a heart attack two months ago relations with neighboring south korea are at their lowest point in yours. of infertility of recession is forcing some hopeful parents to get creative in the u.s. it costs as much as one hundred thousand dollars to use a surrogate mother to start a family but get on the plane to india and it could be much cheaper artie's met one couple who did just that. arrogances and forward and all came to india from texas two weeks ago india is a bit of a challenge for someone who's used to travelling in the states that in europe. but you figure out your way around. and they're not here to see elephants and by being coles they also came to meet peter for the first time their new baby boy there was a bit easier pregnancy i mean. al

north korea's military paraded in the nation's capital to mark the birthday of labor leader kim jong il he pledged to defend his son and successor kim jong un with their lives and crush any forces if attacked crowds of it may. the weight of the city's main square to leave flowers next to his portrait now since kim jong il died of a heart attack two months ago relations with neighboring south korea are at their lowest point in years. so that's the news this hour up next is a business update with kareena. i don't walk into business here in r.t. thanks for joining me this hour our top story russia is not imposing commercial sanctions against iran over its nuclear program but it's still being affected the gulf state take approximately fifteen percent of russia's still exports over trade across the caspian could be severely impacted because of restrictions imposed by banks in the west now to discuss the issue i'm joined by as you know what i call the steel editor industry research group plans thanks for coming to the program so what is the problem theoretically russia is free to sell still t

when sacha baron cohen, the dictator, dumped what he said were kim jong il's ashes on ryan seacrest. t you are wearing, you will say kim jong il! >> reporter: the show kicked off with a montage. host billy crystal on a mission to see the nominated films. then it was time to announce best supporting actress. a standing ovation greeted octavia spencer. >> thank you steven spielberg for changing my life. thank you staszy snyder for changing my life. please wrap up. i'm wrapping up. i'm sorry. i'm freaking out. >> reporter: 82-year-old christopher plummer became the oldest best supporting actor winner in history. >> you're only two years older than me, darling. where have you been all my life? >> reporter: there were plenty of memorable moments. from muppets to making light of their rear view. to comic relief from robert downey jr. >> here are the nominees for best documentary feature. >> reporter: even gravity-defying stunts from cirque du soleil. "hugo" nearly swept the technical awards. the award for best director went to -- >> michel hazanavicius. >> reporter: and best actor went to -

discussion already last year and just prior to the death of kim jong il the u.s. it was going to make an announcement about a food a process with north korea so this is nothing to do with kim jong un now being in power as you said this was decided before kim jong il's death i don't know the details of what was the agreement earlier in december so there might be a new aspects right now to a disagreement but as i said this has been in discussion for quite some time clearly a positive step but can the world community really trust north korea not to go back on its word and pursue nuclear ambitions as as we've seen in the past. well this is not a formal agreement we have here right now this is more in line with what the north koreans like to call words for words and actions for actions so it depends not only on north korea and what they do but it also depends on. the u.s. is going to react in the next period of time and whether or not the six party talks process gets back in on track and what happens in that regard so it sort of is a tool in addition to north korea the

the to which the news the for the first time since the death of north korea's long time leader, kim jong-ilist regime will hold talks with the united states over the nuclear program. this is to mark the first contact between kim the younger and washington, dc, the untested new leader and the first time on the world stage. officials will meet in beijing ten days from now. jennifer, give us an idea how significant the meeting is. >>reporter: it is the first time that the u.s., senior u.s. official will meet, is set to meet, with the north korean leadership since the succession of kim after the death of his father, kim jong-il. it will be a big test to see if he wants to turn over a new leaf with the united states. an ambassador will fly to beijing to meet with the foreign minister february 23. and it could represent a fresh start of sorts or it could be more of the same. >> regarding north korea's nuclear program, when kim jong-il died, what was the status of our talks or understanding with the north koreans then? >>reporter: the way it was left when he died in mid-december there were talks,

kim jong-un not even yet 30, but he has ascended to the north korean leadership upon the death of his father, the long-serves kim jong-ilment, but i just have to ask about kim jong-un. have we learned anything more about him since he assumed power back in late december? >> yes, you know, north korean propaganda has been showing a lot of footage with inspection tours, traveling to different parts of as more footage of him, we don't know what he sounds like. no one actually knows what his voice sounds like, in a sense there's been no audio of this. there are two south korean officials, the former president, his widow, and the former chairman and his widow, both went to play their respects at kim jong-il's funeral, and they had a brief audience. aside from the two individuals, again we don't know what he sounds like. >> john, why do you think that is? >> you know, i think there's a lot of speculation. one thing is they are trying to cultivate an image of kim jong-un as almost being the reincarnation of kim song un. so perhaps their voices are different. hence there will be something of a censorship in that area. >> interes

north korea's military parade in the nation's capital to mark the birthday of late leader kim jong il he pledged to defend his son and successor kim jong un with their lives and crush any forces if attacked had been making their way to the city's main square to leave flowers next to his portrait since kim jong il died of a heart attack two months ago relations with neighboring south korea are at their lowest point in years. i'll be back shortly with the headlines but for now karim is here with a business update. so welcome to business here now to thanks for joining me the u.s. is looking to cut iran's economic live blog by removing it from the world financial clearing system known as swift it will rack up pressure on tehran as the country's leadership reveals your progress on its nuclear program but he's daniel bushell reports america's action could end up backfiring on its own people. this is a bid to kill iran's economy washington's move to ban tehran from the swift world transaction system would choke its ability to trade internationally swift interbank payments orders don't all th

kim jong un. secretary clinton today called it a reminder that the world is transforming. >> the united states-- i will be quick to add-- still has profound concerns. but on the occasion of kim jong il's death, i said that it is our hope that the new leadership will choose to guide their nation onto the path of peace by living up to its obligations. >> woodruff: this is not the in 1994, former president jimmy carter-- acting for the clinton administration-- brokered a deal for pyongyang to shut down nuclear plants in exchange f u.s. aid in building electrical power plants. the yongbyon plant remained closed until 2002 when both sides accused the other of not living up to the agreement. from there, the north went on to test-fire long-range missiles and conduct its first underground nuclear test. in 2007, the bush administration, along with south korea, russia, china and japan negotiated a new halt to north korea's nuclear program. this time, north korea again agreed to disable the complex at yongbyon, and it received one million tons of fuel. the disabling was halted months later though, after the u.s. and north koreans were unable to agree on verification measures. given that history,

the unusual aid delivery is the first of its kind since the death of kim john-il. kim jong-il. pictures were released by a south korean human rights group, said to be taken january 12th. they show large cargo trucks stacked with rice bags waiting at customs stations near the north korean border. the group quoted the driver of one of the trucks saying he had been told to bring the rice to north korea from january 9th. the group said it confirmed a convoy of about ten trucks carrying rice moved through customs and into the north for ten days. the group saidhina rarely ships such large amounts of rice in january, and such aid usually comes in spring or fall. >> translator: the unusual timing may indicate that china made a political decision to send rice to maintain its clout with north korea under its new leader, kim jong-un. >>> taiwan's president appointed a financial expert as the new premier. the taiwan economy has been slowing as credit fears in europe loom large. he announced that appointment, following his re-election and parliamentary election on january 14th. chen has con

it's actually -- no, no, sorry you've got kim jong-il on you. it's ok for you. k you, what's on you, you say kim jong-il. >> he didn't seem too happy. >> actually, ryan seacrest did a horrible job in acting there nip. obviously it was a publicity stunt. if someone sprinkled bisquick all over my dress, i would be livid. i'ding visibly angry. ryan seacrest is like this is a really good publicity stunt. >> are we all in agreement that ryan seacrest was in on the joke? i thought there was a great raging debate in this country whether that was the case. >> ryan seacrest gets in on these things especially when it makes him the butt of it. there's a lot of the fact that he gets in on a lot of the jokes, that's fine. >> i thought it was all right. he underplayed it. >> is there a chance he wasn't expecting it? >> there's some chance. you never know. in borat and bruno we learned some people were in on it, some people weren't. he underplayed it like if he went over the top... >> i would say one thing that would show i'm upset. he just smirked, didn't even try. >> thank yo

we've got kim jong-il. wait a minute. >> those were the ashes supposedly of kim jong-il. afterwards, seacrest tweeted my mom always told me to pack two jackets for red carpet. always wondered why. now i know. coming up in just 30 minutes, we'll have more oscar coverage live from hollywood. you need a little levity, right? everybody is so primped up at those events fortunately you liked it. >> not have a dictator pour an urn on you. i've said it over and over again. for the first time in history, daytona 500 canceled for bad weather. anna is here with the latest. going to be bad again today, right? >> yep. they've got a noontime start on fox on all the affiliates. we have seen a few fans playing in the puddles and throughout the rain drops outside of their campers but this is something that even the die hards have never seen in the race's 54-year history, brian. drivers have raced under the lights. they've even raced around a pothole but never have they raced on a weekday. the crews had blowers out trying to dry out the tracks yesterday but once another storm cell moved in