North Korea Hints It Is Developing More Advanced Ballistic Missiles
Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times
North Korea’s state news media released a photograph Wednesday suggesting that the North was working on a more powerful solid-fuel ballistic missile, and said the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, had ordered the production of more rocket engines and warheads. Unlike liquid-fuel rockets, solid-fuel missiles do not have to be loaded with fuel just before launching, a process that can take up to an hour and make the missile vulnerable to a pre-emptive strike. Such missiles are also easier to transport and hide.
Russian Nuclear Bombers Fly Near North Korea in Rare Show of Force
Reuters
Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers have flown over the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, prompting Japan and South Korea to scramble jets to escort them, Russia said on Thursday. Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement the Tupolev-95MS bombers, code named "Bears" by NATO, flew over neutral waters and were accompanied by Russian Sukhoi-35S fighter jets and A-50 early warning and control aircraft.
South Koreans Want Their Own Nuclear Weapons But Doing So Risks Triggering a Wider War
Jeff Daniels | CNBC
Perhaps a hint of Beijing's anger is its economic boycott against South Korea for allowing the deployment of the U.S.-supplied THAAD anti-missile shield, which China claims allows the U.S. and South Korea to look deep into China to monitor military activities. "I think South Korea acquiring nuclear weapons is possible, but unlikely," said James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Lockheed, Raytheon Win Contracts for New Nuclear Cruise Missile
Anthony Capaccio | Bloomberg
Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co. were picked by the U.S. Air Force to begin development of a new nuclear cruise missile for long-range bombers, while Boeing Co. was shut out of the effort to replace its aging weapon that’s in use today. The initial contracts of about $900 million each are for a 54-month phase to refine designs and prove out technologies for the Long-Range Standoff missile, Captain Emily Grabowski, an Air Force spokeswoman, said in a statement Wednesday.
Chinese Entrepreneur Aided North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Program, U.S. Lawsuit Says
Peter Whoriskey | Washington Post
Among the flurry of U.S. legal maneuverings on Tuesday involving North Korea, maybe the most revealing involves a federal lawsuit aimed at the businesses of one Chinese entrepreneur. Chi Yupeng, a 48-year-old Chinese accountant, controls a network of companies that in recent years imported $700 million of North Korean coal, according to the lawsuit.
Energy Dept. Report Aims to Boost Coal, Nuclear Power
Devin Henry | Hill
A new federal study into the changing electricity sector mostly affirms the market-driven decline of coal and nuclear power while providing a series of policy recommendations to boost the two fuels. The highly anticipated Department of Energy (DOE) report does not include sweeping policy proposals, but it does recommend that the department encourage federal energy and environmental regulators to take more steps to support coal, nuclear and hydroelectric power.