President Trump’s acceptance of talks about denuclearisation must have been as big a shock to Kim Jong-un as his offer was to the USA. So Kim is probably scrambling, too. And if there is a positive outcome, he will live to regret it.
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James Walton
Anjelica Huston is comprehensively upstaged in the BBC’s new Agatha Christie
In the 2nd century bc the two big Mediterranean players were Rome and the vast Hellenistic ‘empire’ to the east, left behind by Alexander the Great and ruled by assorted ‘kings’ descended from his generals. The Hellenistic king Antiochus IV had ambitions to extend his power west into Greece and Egypt. Knocked back by Rome, in 168 bc he took advantage of disunity in Judaea to establish a power base there, and attacked Jerusalem.
The revolt against him was raised by Mattathias, and when he died in 166 bc was carried forward by his son, the great Jewish hero Judah Maccabee.
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