A California man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting to shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea that he said were to be used for a surprise attack on South Korea, authorities said Tuesday.

A Chinese national has been sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling firearms and other military items to North Korea, the US justice department said. Shenghua Wen, 42, received around $2m (£1.5m) from North Korean officials to ship the items from California, according to a statement from the agency on Monday.

Chinese citizen Shenghua Wen received 8-year prison sentence for conspiracy to export military equipment to North Korea while acting as illegal foreign agent.

Fashion jewelry retailer Claire's said on Wednesday it would sell its North America business to private equity firm Ames Watson for an undisclosed amount, as the company aims to cut losses while navigating ongoing U.

On Tuesday, a panel of Los Angeles city commissioners appointed by Mayor Karen Bass voted to declare a swath of Valley Plaza a public nuisance after a hearing that drew neighbors who complain about decrepit conditions and crime at the site at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Victory Boulevard.

A Chinese national will spend nearly 10 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle weapons and sensitive U.S. technology to North Korea and accepting million-dollar bribes.

Most of the tourists have left Ocracoke Island, and the surfers are watching closely as deadly rip currents lurk below the waves.

SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson explains the rarely enforced rules being applied during this second special session of the legislature.