Pyongyang dares Washington - says it can wage nuclear war on the United Stsates

North Korea has brought up the subject of nuclear warfare once again - it has said that it has successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic rocket engine from Sohae Space Center in the country's northwest and, armed with it, it now has the ability to stage nuclear strikes on the United States.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 8 April 2016.

In case ground test of the engine has really been carried out, it would be seen as a major step forward for the nuclear weapons program of North Korea - it had conducted its fourth atomic test earlier this year. The North would still require to do much more work before it can actually strike hit the U.S. mainland with nuclear missiles.
South Korea says that North Korea does not, as yet, have a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile - arming it with a nuclear warhead is a far cry.
The United States feels that the test is nothing but North Korean provocations Its launch of a medium-range ballistic missile last month had violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit any ballistic activities by North Korea.
It was the North's first medium-range missile launch since early 2014.
Incidentally, North Korea has threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes against Washington and Seoul. It had fired short-range missiles and artillery into the sea. This was in an apparent response to the ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills apart from the tough U.N. sanctions that have been imposed on it over the recent nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch earlier this year.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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UN Secretary General wants action to be taken on sieges in Syria and use of barrel bombs

#barrelbombs #syria #assad #UNSC #ghouta #damascus With no end in sight to the hostilities and civil unrest in Syria that has been going on since 2011 and with death toll over 210,000, the US Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the apparent business-as-usual approach to Syria. He has called for urgent action to lift sieges on civilians and to end barrel bomb attacks. This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 20 February 2015.
In a report to the Security Council, he has listed five priorities for action to normalize the situation and give relief to the people. These include the lifting of sieges on 212,000 people, ensuring access to medical aid to all of Syria and rebuilding the education system. Moreover, he wants the 15-member council to address barrel-bomb attacks on civilians and put an end to the practice of denying services as a weapon of war.
His report was the 12th to the council, which is believed to be deeply divided over the war that has left more than 210,000 dead and has displaced 12 million Syrians.
Incidentally, Russia which is an ally of President Bashar al-Assad has blocked moves to punish the regime for the worsening violence. As per reports with Ban Ki-moon, there has been a significant escalation of violence and attacks by government forces during January in Damascus, rural Damascus and in eastern Ghouta. It seems in the eastern Ghouta region, Assad's forces had carried out aerial bombardments with barrel bombs, and had shelled the area apart from launching surface-to-surface missiles.

Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist

Another interesting blog - Ramblings