US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday dismissed a set of pre-conditions laid out by North Korea for talks as "unacceptable," calling them an opening "gambit" from Pyongyang. The isolated North on Thursday responded for the first time to an offer from Kerry during his weekend visit to the Korean peninsula to return to the negotiating table in a bid to defuse heightened nuclear tensions. The demands by the North's main military body included the withdrawal of UN sanctions and a permanent end to South Korea-US joint military drills.

Washington is seeking to free two US citizens held in Cuba and Iran, but has rejected a deal with Havana to swap a jailed American for five Cuban spies, top diplomat John Kerry said Wednesday. Kerry told US lawmakers that officials were working hard to win the release of contractor Alan Gross held for more than three years in Havana. Senator Patrick Leahy visited the island recently, met with Gross "and talked to the government," Kerry told the House foreign affairs committee.

Secretary of State John Kerry has offered the first signs of his priorities in Asia by offering dialogue to ease a crisis with North Korea, while vowing to keep a strong US interest in the region. Kerry made his Asian debut as the top US diplomat with a tour of China and allies Japan and South Korea after his third trip in office to the Middle East, an early focus that has unnerved pundits who see Asia as the future.

President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss bilateral ties and issues of common concern. Xi first recalled Kerry's last visit to China as chairman of the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee in May 2009. Xi described Kerry as a veteran U.S. statesman, adding that he appreciates Kerry's commitment to developing U.S.-China ties. Kerry is the second U.S. Cabinet member Xi has met since becoming president in March, following U.S.