News Headlines - 20 June 2019

▽Strikes on Iran Approved by Trump, Then Abruptly Pulled Back - The New York Times

President Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night after a day of escalating tensions... Officials said the president had initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries.
The operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off, a senior administration official said.

▽China's Xi Visits Kim In Pyongyang, With An Eye Toward Talks With Trump : NPR

China's leader Xi Jinping arrived by plane in North Korea's capital on Thursday, for his fifth summit with Kim Jong Un since last year. Xi is the first Chinese leader to visit Pyongyang in 14 years.
Chinese and North Korean state media showed the two leaders looking out over the tarmac at the airport, as a military band plays and crowds of North Koreans wave flags to welcome Xi in his Air China jet. Banners hailing the "unbreakable friendship" between Pyongyang and Beijing were hung over streets around the capital.
The ostensible purpose of the trip is to improve bilateral ties, as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations.

▽Man on bail flees as authorities arrive to escort him to prison：The Asahi Shimbun

A man convicted of assault and theft gave police and prosecutors the slip when they arrived at his home to escort him to prison.
Makoto Kobayashi, who was facing a prison term of three years and eight months, grabbed a knife and drove off in a black Honda Fit subcompact when authorities turned up around 1:30 p.m. on June 19.
Kobayashi was seen headed west on the Tomei Expressway. His car was found 10 hours later in the parking lot of an apartment complex seven kilometers away in Atsugi, also in Kanagawa Prefecture.

▽Peru's Nazca Lines May Depict Exotic Birds From Far Away Regions, Scientists Say

In the latest research, a multidisciplinary team analyzed the morphology of the Nazca birds and compared them with different species in Peru.
Their findings indicate the geoglyphs represent exotic species of birds found far from where the lines were created. "We revealed several discrepancies between their geoglyphic characteristics and those of the taxonomic groups to which they were attributed by previous research," they wrote.

▽IOC lifts India ban after Pakistan visa assurances

The International Olympic Committee has lifted a ban on India hosting international sporting events after receiving assurances over visas for Pakistani competitors.
In February, India triggered a stand off with the IOC when it refused to allow Pakistani shooters attend a Tokyo 2020 Games qualifying competition.
But on Thursday, IOC president Thomas Bach said India were now back in the Olympic fold.