North Korea Missile Could Launch Early Next Week, Japanese Officials Warn
Jackie Salo | International Business Times
North Korea may launch a long-range missile as early as next week, according to Japanese officials. Satellite imagery of North Korea’s Tongchang-ri missile test site shows there are possible preparations in place for the launch, reported Japan’s Kyodo news agency. On Jan. 6, Pyongyang conducted what was believed to be a nuclear test. International communities have called for the United Nations to impose stricter sanctions against the country and condemn the atomic blast, which North Korea has claimed was a hydrogen bomb, and boasted about its “spectacular success,” CNN reported. Many experts have rejected this claim.
John Kerry Urges China to Curb North Korea’s Nuclear Pursuits
David E. Sanger | New York Times
Secretary of State John Kerry warned China on Wednesday that North Korea was moving ahead with an effort to manufacture a nuclear weapon small enough to fit atop a long-range missile that could reach American shores, and said the United States “will do what is necessary to protect the people of our country.” Mr. Kerry’s statement came during a one-day stop in Beijing to see the country’s leadership, during which he warned that if China failed to do more to curb North Korea’s enhanced nuclear capacity, Washington would take steps that Chinese leaders have strongly opposed, including deploying defense systems to protect American allies in Asia.
Why Did Russian Nuclear-Capable Bombers Circumnavigate Japan?
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
On Tuesday, January 26, Japan’s Ministry of Defense revealed that the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force had scrambled jets in response to two Russian Tu-95MS “Bear” strategic bombers near its air space. According to a map released by the Japanese government, the two Russian bombers approached Japanese airspace from Russia’s Primorsky province, flying over the Sea of Japan, and eventually flew along the perimeter of Japan’s territorial airspace, encompassing the four main Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido, before returning to Russia.
France Eyes Business Deals Amid Rights Protests As Iran Visits
Michel Rose and John Irish | Reuters
France and Iran hailed the sale of dozens of Airbus planes, the renewal of a decades-old carmaking venture and an export credit deal as symbols of thawing relations on Thursday as protesters sought to get human rights onto the agenda. The agreements, most of them not yet finalised, were announced during a trip to Paris by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and a host of his ministers and business leaders.
China Admits Nuclear Emergency Response ‘Inadequate’ as Safety Concerns Halt Construction of Two Guangdong Reactors
Stephen Chen | South China Morning Post
China admitted on Wednesday its nuclear emergency response mechanism is “inadequate” for coping with “new situations and challenges” arising from its nuclear power plants. The central government also said it had halted construction of two new-generation nuclear reactors in Guangdong province, because of safety concerns, but vowed that they would not be abandoned
Gov. Haley Asks SC Prosecutor to Sue Feds Over MOX Project
Meg Kinnard | Associated Press
Gov. Nikki Haley on Tuesday moved forward with her threat to sue the U.S. Department of Energy for the agency's failure to meet a Jan. 1 nuclear fuel deadline, asking South Carolina's top prosecutor to pursue litigation and collection of $1 million daily fine. "The federal government has, once again, failed to keep its promise to the people of our state," Haley wrote to Attorney General Alan Wilson in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. "South Carolina will not sit idly by while DOE continues — in violation of federal law — to ignore its commitment to the people of South Carolina."