Nuclear Threat

Pentagon chief stresses Israel's right to hit Iran

Jerusalem: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel held out hope on Sunday for a nonmilitary way to ending the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, but he also emphasized Washington's willingness to let Israel decide whether and when it might strike Tehran in self-defense.

Hagel, on his first visit to Israel as Pentagon chief, seemed intent on burying the image that Republican critics painted of him as insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state. That portrayal was central to a failed campaign to derail Hagel's Senate confirmation in February.

In an interview with reporters on his flight from Washington, Hagel said the United States and Israel see "exactly the same" threat from Iran, which he described as a toxic combination of nuclear ambition and support for terrorism.

But he acknowledged differences on when it may reach the point of requiring US or Israeli military action....more    

After weeks of NKorean fury, calm on key holiday

Pyongyang: North Koreans celebrated the birthday of their first leader Monday by dancing in plazas and snacking on peanuts, with little hint of the fiery bombast that has kept the international community fearful that a missile launch may be imminent. Pyongyang fired off a rocket ahead of the last anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth - the centennial - but this time the day was simply the start of a...  

North Korea may launch medium-range missile test

Seoul: North Korea may test a new missile to mark the birth anniversary celebrations of state founder Kim il Sung on Monday. The isolated and impoverished state celebrates the former leader's birth anniversary on Monday amidst growing tensions in the east, after weeks of war threats from Pyongyang. Speculation has mounted of an impending medium-range missile test launch in North Korea after reports in South Korea and the United States...  

Kerry says United States ready to 'reach out' to North Korea

Tokyo: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday stressed the United States is willing to engage with North Korea as long as it takes steps to give up nuclear weapons. He also vowed Washington would protect its Asian allies against any provocative acts by the North, but said it wants a peaceful solution to rising tensions in the region. "We are prepared to reach out but we need (the)...  

Goal of nuclear free North Korea tests US, China ties

Beijing: Bound by threats from North Korea, the US and China agreed on Saturday to rid the bellicose nation of nuclear weapons in a test of whether the world powers can shelve years of rivalry and discord, and unite in fostering global stability. Beyond this latest attempt to restrain North Korea, the burgeoning nuclear crisis has so frustrated the US and China that they are forming a new and tentative...  

North Korea nears 'dangerous line': US Defence Secretary

Washington: Asserting that the US is ready with all its contingency plans to defend itself and its allies from any misadventure from North Korea, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has warned that the isolated nation was "skating very close to a dangerous line." "North Korea has been, with its bellicose rhetoric, with its actions, skating very close to a dangerous line," said Hagel with Army Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the...  

North Korea warns foreigners to leave South Korea

Seoul: North Korea warned foreigners in South Korea on Tuesday to quit the country because they were at risk in the event of conflict, the latest threat of war from Pyongyang. Soaring tensions on the peninsula have been fuelled by North Korean anger over the imposition of UN sanctions after its last nuclear arms test in February, creating one of the worst crises since the end of the Korean War...  

Japan deploys ballistic missiles amid North Korea threat

Tokyo: Amid rising tensions over speculations of North Korea conducting missile tests, Japan has rolled out its ballistic missile defence system on Monday. Aerial footage shot by Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed launchers equipped with Patriot surface-to-air missiles deployed at three bases on the Japanese mainland, one - on the outskirts of Tokyo. Meanwhile, Japan has refused to comment on the deployments, saying it does not want to reveal operational...  

North Korea aggression could strengthen US-China bond

Washington: North Korea's latest outburst of nuclear and military threats has given the US a rare opportunity to build bridges with China - a potential silver lining to the simmering crisis that could revitalise the Obama administration's flagging policy pivot to Asia. The architect of the administration's Asia policy described a subtle change in Chinese thinking as a result of Pyongyang's recent nuclear tests, rocket launches and abandonment of the...  

No plans to withdraw diplomats from North Korea: UK

London: Britain on Friday said it has no immediate plans to withdraw its diplomats from North Korea and condemned as provocative Pyongyang's warning that it cannot protect foreign embassies after April 10 in the event of a conflict linked to soaring nuclear tensions. "No decisions have been taken and we have no immediate plans to withdraw our embassy," a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) statement said here on Friday. "Earlier...  

US hints at launching pre-emptive strike on North Korea

Washington: The United States has right to launch a pre-emptive military strike against North Korea if there was "solid evidence" that Pyongyang planned to attack the US or South Korea, an influential lawmaker said on Friday. "If we have good reason to believe there's going to be an attack, I believe we have the right to take pre-emptive action," Peter King, the Republican Congressman from New York said. "I don't...  

US fears North Korea could be planning a missile launch

The US fears that North Korea could be planning a missile launch. As Pyongyang steps up its rhetoric, the Pentagon now tries to decrease the temperature. Missile and launch components have been moved to the east coast of North Korea in the "last few days", a US official with direct knowledge of the information told CNN on Thursday. ...

North Korea presents a real and clear danger: US Defence Secretary

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said that North Korea presents a real and clear danger. The US has also confirmed that even China has mobilised units along its border with North Korea and that the Chinese military is at Level One readiness which is the highest state of alert in China. This comes after Pyongyang has once again warned USA, saying that the moment of explosion is nearing. ...

North Korea's Twitter account hacked amid tension

Seoul: Hackers have apparently disrupted North Korea's government-run Twitter account. The disruption comes at a time of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The North's Uriminzokkiri's Twitter account on Thursday displayed four tweets saying "hacked." A fifth tweet said "Tango Down" and was followed by a link to Uriminzokkiri's Flickr page. Both sites were running on Thursday but carrying content that differed sharply from content typically posted by the regime...  

North Korea releases video, display its military strength

In its latest string of threats, North Korea has released a video, showing its strength and perpetrating the message that it's ready to fight. North Korea has released this video just days after it declared it was in a state of war. But what is unusual about this video is the rare show firing on a US target dummies. ...

North Korea has option to enter into negotiations: US

Categorically ruling out the possibility of accepting North Korea as a nuclear power, the United States said that Pyongyang has the peaceful option to enter into negotiations for the denuclearisation. ...  

US deploys warship closer to North Korean coast

Amidst escalating tension in the Korean peninsula, the US Navy is moving a warship and a sea-based radar platform closer to the North Korean coast as a shield against any missile attack by North Korea and in order to monitor Pyongyang's military moves. ...  

North Korea to restart work at closed nuclear reactor

North Korea will restart all nuclear facilities including its shuttered Yongbyon nuclear reactor, its official KCNA news servce said on Tuesday. ...  

Pope Francis appeals for peace, end to Korea tensions

Pope Francis used his first Easter Sunday address to call for peace in the world and appealed for a diplomatic solution to the crisis on the Korean peninsula. In his first "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message, Francis also called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, an end to the civil war in Syria, and political solutions to conflicts in several African countries. ...  

France calls for North Korean restraint

France has appealed to North Korea for avoiding such steps that may escalate the tension after Pyongyang announced having entered a "state of war". ...