North Korea’s Large Rocket Engine Test: A Significant Step Forward for Pyongyang’s ICBM Program
John Schilling | 38 North
North Korea’s April 9 test of a large liquid-fuel engine is a disturbing development that not only highlights the growing threat posed by Pyongyang but should also put to rest, once and for all, all claims that the North’s WMD programs are a hoax. In fact, the test demonstrated that North Korea has an even greater capability at a more advanced state of development than previously anticipated.
India Successfully Tests Intermediate-Range Nuclear-Capable Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has once again test-fired the K-4 nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)–this time from aboard the Indian Navy’s indigenously built nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, the first submarine in its class. According to press reports citing DRDO officials, the test was “highly successful” and involved a fully operationally configured K-4 with a dummy payload. In March 2016, DRDO had successfully tested the K-4 from a submerged platform in the Bay of Bengal; DRDO officials at the time declared the test to have been a “roaring success.”
S. Korea Keeps Close Tabs on N. Korea’s Possible Nuclear Test
Yonhap News
South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea over its possible fifth nuclear test this week, a presidential official said Monday. Presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk did not provide details but said Seoul is keeping very close tabs on developments taking place in the isolationist country. There has been speculation that Pyongyang may carry out a fifth nuclear test ahead of its founder Kim Il-sung's birthday, which falls on Friday. The founder is the late grandfather of the country's current leader, Kim Jong-un.
Kerry Says Hiroshima 'Gut-Wrenching' Reminder World Should Abandon Nuclear Weapons
Arshad Mohammed and Kiyoshi Takenaka | Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday called his visit to a memorial to victims of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack on Hiroshima "gut-wrenching" and said it was a reminder of the need to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons. The first U.S. secretary of state to visit Hiroshima, Kerry said President Barack Obama also wanted to travel to the city in southern Japan but he did not know whether the leader's complex schedule would allow him to do so when he visits the country for a Group of Seven (G7) summit in May.
Economic Sanctions Raise N. Koreans' Discontent with Leaders
Choi Sung-jin | Korea Times
The international community's sanctions on North Korea are beginning to take effect, as more residents under the isolated regime express discontent with the leadership, government officials said here Monday. "As the economic situation gets worse, there are some signs within the North that popular anxiety and discontent could lead to social disturbance," said a Ministry of Unification official, releasing part of the information related to North Korean residents' sentiments.
Crude Awakening: Iran's Oil Revenue Jumps 90% After Lifting of Sanctions
Sputnik News
According to government statistical data, currently Iran is exporting 1.7 million barrels of crude a day, which would result in $21 billion a year at the current prices. Before the sanctions were lifted Iran’s annual oil revenues were around $12 billion. Before the sanctions were introduced, Iran exported 2.3 million barrels of oil a day. The sanctions reduced the figure to 1 million barrels. The economic sanctions against Iran were lifted on January 16, by both the US and the European Union.