Asia

North Korea says more missiles to come as UN condemns launch (with video)

(Video courtesy AFPTV)   by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation’s provocative launch was a mere “curtain-raiser,” in the face of United Nations condemnation and United States warnings of severe repercussions. The Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang unleashed on Tuesday represented a major escalation in the face of tensions over its weapons programs. In recent […]

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North Korea’s missile launch: Why Japan?

  by Shingo Ito Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — When nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan this week, it sparked international condemnation. But it also raised the question: Why Japan? Location It might seem obvious, but geography is frequently a huge factor in geopolitical wrangling. The Japanese archipelago forms a long string off the coast of mainland north Asia, so by definition, any regional player that wants to fire a […]

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Suicide bombing kills four in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan (CCTV) — Four people were killed and several others wounded as a suicide bomber blew himself up near a bank not far from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Tuesday. The suicide bombing was confirmed by Najib Danish, a spokesman with Afghanistan’s interior ministry. The blast went off outside a bank in Microrayani-eDuwum locality in the 9th Police District of the Afghan capital. The location is some 200 meters from the U.S. Embassy, […]

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Video: Japan deploys PAC-3 missile defense system after N. Korea missile launch

Japan deploys a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile defense system at a US military base in Tokyo as part of a previously scheduled drill, after North Korea’s launch of a missile over its territory. Hiroaki Maehara, commander of the air self defense forces explained to the Japanese troops the importance of drills for a missile defense system. “Practicing this kind of drill allows us to maintain our fast response system in the event of a […]

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Russia ‘extremely worried’ about N. Korea situation

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday said it was “extremely worried” about the situation in North Korea, hitting out at a “tendency towards an escalation” after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan. “We see a tendency towards an escalation … and we are extremely concerned by the general developments,” Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti state news agency. Tokyo also said the missile overflew Hokkaido, […]

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Chronology of North Korean missile development

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japanese territory on Tuesday, in a surprise move that ramped up international alarm over its weapons program. Here are the key dates in Pyongyang’s quest to develop a missile capable of hitting the United States: Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C […]

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Missing in China landslide climbs to 32

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The number of people missing after a landslide struck dozens of homes in rural southwestern China has climbed to 32, authorities said Tuesday. At least three people were found dead and seven were injured in Monday’s disaster in a township in Bijie city in Guizhou province, according to a report on the official news site of the local government. The search is continuing, it said, adding that rescuers were carrying out […]

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North Korea’s Kim has third child: reports

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has fathered another child, reports said Tuesday, after his wife dropped out of the public eye for several months. First lady Ri Sol-Ju delivered the couple’s third child in February, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by the National Intelligence Service. Ri had disappeared for an extended period last year, raising speculation that she could be pregnant. News […]

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Japan PM says N. Korea missile an ‘unprecedented’ threat; calls for emergency UN meeting

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday said North Korea’s launch of a missile over its territory was an “unprecedented, serious and grave threat” as he called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting. Abe vowed to enhance pressure on the nuclear-armed state as tensions spike over Pyongyang’s weapons development ambitions. “Their outrageous act of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat and greatly damages […]

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Japan to take ‘full steps’ to ensure public safety: Abe

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will take “full steps” to ensure the safety of its people following a North Korean missile test Tuesday that passed over the country, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The firing comes days after Pyongyang launched three short-range missiles in what was seen as a minimal provocation after the start of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian South Korean-US joint military exercises. But Tuesday’s flight path represents a significant escalation by Pyongyang, which earlier […]

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North Korea missile passes over northern Japan -Japan government

North Korea fired a missile that passed over northern Japan early on Tuesday (August 29), the Japanese government said. The government’s J-Alert warning system advised people in the area to take precautions, but public broadcaster NHK said there was no sign of damage. The Japanese military did not attempt to shoot down the missile, which passed over Japanese territory around 6:06 a.m. local time (2106 GMT). No North Korean missile had overflown Japan for years, […]

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N. Korea fires unidentified missile: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched an apparent missile into the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said. The North fired the “unidentified projectile” from Pyongyang at around 5:57 am (2057 GMT), according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. © Agence France-Presse

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