Four fighter jets were launched by the U.S. Navy to intercept Russian warplanes that were flying one nautical mile away from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, the USS Ronald Reagan was performing a military exercise with South Korea in the Sea of Japan. Korean jets first intercepted the Russian warplanes. The Navy also stated they tried to communicate with the Russian planes, but never received a response.
Yahoo! News reports that Earnest stated the situation was “not a particularly threatening encounter,” as there was no evidence that the Russian planes posed any threat to the aircraft carrier or the ships that were escorting it.
The situation comes after an agreement was signed between Russia and the United States on October 10 that established protocols for flying over Syria. The agreement was to avoid any crashes between pilots.
Today’s incident isn’t the first time the U.S. and Russia has experienced encounters like this in 2015. A video was released by the Navy in June that showed Russian jets flying near the guided missile destroyer USS Ross. On July 4, Russian fighter jets located off the coasts of Alaska and California were intercepted by the United States, according to CNN.
ABC News reported today that South Korea’s spy agency may be preparing for a fourth nuclear test, although they don’t believe it will happen in the immediate future.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said to the Yonhap news agency that the North may be ready to perform a test because of confrontations with the United States and its allies. The agency did not provide details on what type of test North Korea would be performing, other than it was nuclear related. They also did not elaborate on how they received this information.
The speculation that North Korea might be preparing for a fourth nuclear test is strengthened by the country’s announcement last month that North Korea was restarting its atomic bomb fuel production plants. At this time, it’s unclear if their scientists have developed a method to attach nuclear weapons to long-range missiles. However, North Korea has announced they do have such a weapon that could hit the U.S. mainland.
North Korea has performed nuclear tests in 2013, 2009, and 2006, which forced the U.N. to draw sanctions on the country.
On October 10th, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated in a speech that he was prepared to wage war against the United States, according to USA Today.
North Korean officials have stated their nuclear enrichment plant is now operating at full capacity.
The director of North Korea’s Atomic Energy Institute praised what he considered the innovations of his research teams.
“[The scientists have worked] to guarantee the reliability of the nuclear deterrent in every way by steadily improving the levels of nuclear weapons with various missions in quality and quantity,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted the unnamed director.
“All the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon including the uranium enrichment plant and 5 MW graphite-moderated reactor were rearranged, changed or readjusted and they started normal operation.”
The news of the full nuclear operation comes a day after the country reported they would be launching satellites using long-range missiles that could also carry a potential nuclear payload. South Korean officials say that the launches, if they take place, would be a violation of United Nations resolutions.
“South Korea and the United States are jointly watching for all possibilities with regard to North Korea’s (potential) long-range missile launch,” said South Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesman, Kim Min-seok, according to the news agency. “So far, no particular signs have been seen.”
Typhoon Goni has slammed into Japan with wind gusts topping 112 m.p.h. and has left as many as 26 people dead and over 100 injured.
Officials in Japan urged more than 600,000 people to flee their homes and to seek shelter.
The storm made landfall around 6 a.m. in Kumamoto prefecture. The storm then crossed over one of the country’s four main islands before heading into the sea of Japan and striking North and South Korea.
The storm essentially paralyzed the country, with air and rail service suspended during the course of the storm. Over 470,000 homes were without power at one point during the storm’s crossing of the nation.
Officials say at least one man is confirmed missing and presumed dead in a landslide caused by the torrential rain. The city of Hiroshima ordered the evacuation of 70,000 because of potential landslides.
The storm had previously left 26 dead in the Philippines with 15 still reported as missing. Thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of thousands have been left with no shelter because of storm damage.
The typhoon is beginning to break up as the eye has collapsed but heavy rain is still pouring into North and South Korea. North Korean officials say that at least 40 people have died because of storm related flooding and over 1,000 homes have been damaged.
North Korea has fired artillery across the South Korean border in response to broadcasts made from the South exposing the North Korean government’s brutality.
The North Korean government called the broadcasts “a declaration of war.” The North Korean volley was aimed at the broadcast locations. The attack happened about 4 p.m. local time.
The South Korean military responded with artillery fire. The North did not retaliate but sent a warning that they would carry out military action within 48 hours if the broadcasts did not stop.
“Our military has stepped up monitoring and is closely watching North Korean military movements,” South Korea’s defense ministry said.
The U.S. government, who has about 28,500 military personnel in South Korea, said they are “monitoring” the situation.
“Such provocative actions heighten tensions, and we call on Pyongyang to refrain from actions and rhetoric that threaten regional peace and security,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Katina Adams said.
The nations last traded fire in October 2014 when two patrol boats in the Yellow Sea exchanged fire and was followed by North Korean gunfire later that week.
The British government is looking to invest millions into a test highway system that would recharge electric cars as they drive.
The roadways, if successful, would allow drivers of electric cars to avoid the current problems of large charging times and inaccessibility of charging stations.
“The government is already committing £500 million ($779 million U.S.) over the next five years to keep Britain at the forefront of this technology, which will help boost jobs and growth in the sector. As this study shows, we continue to explore options on how to improve journeys and make low-emission vehicles accessible to families and businesses.” UK Transport Minister Andrew Jones stated in a press release.
The proposed system would create a series of coils under the roadway that would emit electricity through the air to a receiver coil inside the car. The coil would then charge the batteries inside the car. The system would be located completely under the roadway, so there would be no risk of electrical shock to the general public.
The method is similar to that of wireless charging stations for cell phones.
“Vehicle technologies are advancing at an ever increasing pace and we’re committed to supporting the growth of ultra-low emissions vehicles on England’s motorways and major A roads,” Highways England chief highways engineer, Mike Wilson, said in a press statement. “The off-road trials of wireless power technology will help to create a more sustainable road network for England and open up new opportunities for businesses that transport goods across the country.”
South Korea is already working on a similar system in a part of the town of Gumi. The 7.5 mile road charges specially modified electric buses.
The Pentagon says an investigation into an accidental shipment of live anthrax to labs in nine states and South Korea was significantly larger and lasted over a decade.
The anthrax, sent from the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, has been shipped to 51 sites in the United States and overseas in the last 10 year. The samples were all believed to have contained irradiated and inactivated virus.
The officials admitted they are testing 400 additional batches and if they are found to be live, the number of locations with live virus could significantly jump.
Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said that 31 lab workers have ben undergoing post-exposure treatment as a precaution but that the public is safe.
“We know of no risk to the general public from these samples,” Work said.
The admission of the shipments of live anthrax are part of a pattern of accidents involving viruses that have observers questioning the way the military is handling potentially deadly pathogens. A year ago, the CDC admitted a dozen employees may have been exposed to live anthrax and that another lab contaminated a flu virus with the deadly H5N1 bird flu and then shipped it out to another laboratory.
Less than a year ago, live smallpox vials were found in a storage lab at the National Institutes of Health.
The first ballistic missile with range long enough to strike within North Korea is now part of the South Korean army’s arsenal.
The first long-range missile was test fired on Wednesday according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.
The missile was fired from a vehicle, indicating that the missile is part of a mobile missile system that could be taken anywhere in South Korea. The weapon is part of a system being developed since a 2012 agreement with the United States to extend their weapon distance capability. The South can now create weapons long enough to strike into North Korea but not able to threaten China or Japan.
South Korean media say the new missiles are called “Hyunmoo-2B” and have a range of 310 miles.
“The test demonstrated improved ballistic missile capability that can strike all parts of North Korea swiftly, and with precision, in the event of armed aggression or provocation,” a statement from the country’s president read.
North Korea has a large arsenal of missiles that can not only reach South Korea but also threaten Japan. The country has also claimed a recent test-fire of missiles that can be launched from submarines.
The U.S. ambassador to South Korea is recovering today from an attack by a knife-wielding assailant.
Ambassador Mark Kippert had started delivering a speech when 55-year-old Kim Ki-jong jumped at him and slashed with the knife. Lippert underwent surgery for a cut on his face that required 80 stitches to close.
Doctors told the media that damage to the Ambassador’s left hand could be severe enough to permanently hamper use.
The assailant shouted “no to war training” and later that the two Koreas need to be reunited.
North Korea hailed the attack saying that it was a “righteous punishment” against the United States and showed the residents of South Korea want to be ruled by the North. They blamed the U.S. keeping 28,500 troops in South Korea as a reason for the problems in the region.
President Obama condemned the attack and sent his best wishes to the ambassador.
The captain of a South Korean ferry which capsized and killed more than 300 people, mostly students, will be spending at least the next three decades behind bars.
Captain Lee Joon-seok was convicted of gross negligence but was surprisingly acquitted of homicide connected to the deaths of the passengers.
The captain had fled the ship when it began sinking rather than staying behind to try and rescue the teenagers and passengers trapped below the water line.
Family members of the students who drowned were furious with the verdict and the sentencing, saying that the sentence was too lenient and that it was unconscionable that the captain was not found guilty of homicide in abandoning the passengers.
The ship’s engineer was convicted of homicide only on the part of two ship’s employees that he left behind when the fled the ship. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
