North

North Korea has nuclear missiles: US report

Washington: North Korea has nuclear weapons capable of delivering by ballistic missiles, an unclassified US intelligence report says, amid heightened tensions in the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang's saber-rattling. DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) assesses with moderate confidence the North Korea currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivering by ballistic missiles, however the reliability will be low, Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn said during a Congressional hearing on Thursday. The Pentagon, however, said...  

Time for N Korea to end its belligerent approach: Obama

Washington: US President Barack Obama has said it is time for the North Korean leadership to end its "belligerent" approach and observe the basic rules and norms of the international community. Obama made this remarks on Thursday after his meeting with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, at the Oval Office of the White House. "We both agree that now is the time for North Korea to end the kind...  

'Pentagon spy agency says N Korea can launch nuclear missile'

Washington: A Pentagon spy agency concluded with "moderate confidence" that North Korea has the ability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles but the weapons would probably be unreliable, officials said on Thursday. A study dated March by the Defense Intelligence Agency appeared to be the first time the Pentagon spy agency had reached such a conclusion and illustrated the high stakes surrounding the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula. The assessment's...  

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...  

S Korea firmly convinced that N Korean missile test is eminent: Jim Clancy

South Korea said on Wednesday that there was a 'very high' probability that North Korea, after weeks of threats of war, would test-launch a medium-range missile, at any time, as a show of strength. CNN-IBN's Suhasini Haidar spoke to CNN's Senior Correspondent Jim Clancy about how likely a North Korean missile launch test is. While confirming that South Korea was very certain about the missile test, Clancy added that, "A ...

South Korea says North likely to test-launch missile

Seoul/Washington: South Korea said on Wednesday there was a "very high" probability that North Korea, after weeks of threats of war, would test-launch a medium-range missile at any time as a show of strength. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said South Korea had asked China and Russia to intercede with the North to ease tension that has mounted since the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea after its...  

South Korea increases surveillance as North moves missile

Seoul: South Korea has raised its surveillance of North Korea after the reclusive state moved one or more long-range missiles in readiness for a possible launch, Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, the commander of US forces in the Pacific region, said the US military believed North Korea had moved an unspecified number of Musudan missiles to its east coast. An Obama administration official, speaking on condition...  

Admiral says US can intercept North Korean missile

Washington: US defenses could intercept a ballistic missile launched by North Korea, the top US military commander in the Pacific said on Tuesday as the relationship between the West and the communist government hit its lowest point since the end of the Korean War. Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of US Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Kim Jong Un, the country's young and still relatively untested new...  

Japan deploys anti-missiles in Tokyo to counter North Korean threat

New Delhi: Japan has deployed missile interceptors in key locations around Tokyo as a precaution against possible North Korean ballistic missile tests. The Patriot missiles were deployed at Japan's defence ministry headquarters and at bases farther away from central Tokyo. North Korea is believed to have moved ballistic missiles to its east coast, possibly in preparation for a test launch. The move has further raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula...  

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...  

Watching situation in Korean peninsula 'very carefully': India

New Delhi: As tensions mount in the Korean peninsula, India on Monday said it was watching the situation 'very carefully'. Noting that Joint Secretary in foreign ministry's East Asia division, Gautam Bambawale, was just back from a visit to North Korea, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said,"We will conduct a review as to what is the actual situation and what we need to do." India, in the past, has expressed concern...  

China rebukes North Korea, says no state should sow chaos

Beijing/Seoul: China's leaders issued thinly veiled rebukes to North Korea for raising regional tensions, with the president saying no country should throw the world into chaos and the foreign minister warning that Beijing would not allow mischief on its doorstep. The weekend comments were the strongest yet by China in response to more than a month of North Korean rhetoric that has included threats to launch a nuclear attack on...  

South Korea expects North Korea to launch missile test this week

Seoul: South Korea expects the North to launch a missile this week. Seoul says it's on military readiness posture and has hit out at Pyongyang's scare tactics. Meanwhile, the US is trying to calm tensions by delaying its own missile test. ...

North Korea seen readying for fourth nuclear test

Seoul: Activity in North Korea appears to show it is preparing for a fourth nuclear test, with movement at its atomic test site similar to events preceding earlier blasts, a newspaper reported on Monday, quoting a senior South Korean government official. North Korea has intensified warnings in recent weeks, declaring it had entered a state of war with Seoul, threatening to strike US targets and blocking access to a border...  

N Korea may be preparing to test missile: S Korea

Seoul: A top South Korean national security official said on Sunday that North Korea may be setting the stage for a missile test or another provocative act with its warning that it soon will be unable to guarantee diplomats' safety in Pyongyang. But he added that the North's clearest objective is to extract concessions from Washington and Seoul. North Korea's warning last week followed weeks of war threats and other...  

US delays missile test as tensions rise with N Korea

Washington: Amid mounting tensions with North Korea, the Pentagon has delayed an intercontinental ballistic missile test that had been planned for next week at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a senior defense official said on Saturday. The official said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel decided to put off the long-planned Minuteman 3 test until sometime next month because of concerns the launch could be misinterpreted and exacerbate the Korean crisis....  

Embassies staying put in North Korea despite tension

Seoul: Staff at embassies in North Korea appeared to be remaining in place on Saturday despite an appeal by authorities in Pyongyang for diplomats to consider leaving because of heightened tension after weeks of bellicose exchanges. North Korean authorities told diplomatic missions they could not guarantee their safety from next Wednesday - after declaring that conflict was inevitable amid joint US-South Korean military exercises due to last until the end...  

North Korea tells embassies it can't guarantee safety

North Korea has put foreign embassies and international organisations on notice saying it cannot guarantee their safety in the event of an armed conflict. Several missions said North Korea government officials met with ambassadors on Friday, asking if anyone needed help evacuating. ...

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...