Kim Jong Un hints at North Korea test of intercontinental ballistic missle
TOKYO – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang – the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
In his annual New Year’s address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have “reached the final stage”
North Korea’s capital city has maintained a veneer of strength amid international opposition and economic sanctions over its nuclear program. CBS…
Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up on Jan. 8, and last year Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6.
Kim threatened in the address to boost North Korea’s military capabilities further unless the U. S. ends war games with rival South Korea. But he also said efforts must be made to defuse the possibility of another Korean war and stressed the importance of building the economy under a five-year plan announced in May.
“The political and military position of socialism should be further cemented as an invincible fortress,” Kim said, according to an outline of the speech carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. “We should resolutely smash the enemies’ despicable and vicious moves to dampen the pure and ardent desire of the people for the party and estrange the people from it.”
The address was shown on television mixing video with Kim speaking and stretches of audio only, as still photos were broadcast. It was less than 30 minutes long.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in a statement that it “strongly condemns” Kim’s threat to proceed with a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and strengthen North Korea’s nuclear-strike capabilities. It said that the international community will not tolerate North Korean efforts to develop nuclear weapons, and that the North will only face tougher sanctions and pressure if it continues to go down that path.
Under Kim, who rose to power following his father’s death in 2011, North Korea has seen steady progress in its nuclear and missile programs , including two nuclear tests in 2016. It recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States.
The supreme leader of North Korea, who reportedly turned 33 on Jan. 8, 2016, is fond of media moments showcasing his hands-on approach to governi…
U. N. resolutions call for an end to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. Kim appears uninterested in complying.
The year ahead could be a tumultuous one in north Asia, with Donald Trump set to become the new U. S. president on Jan. 20, and South Korea’s politics in disarray over a scandal that brought the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
Kim indicated there will be no change in the North’s nuclear policy unless Washington makes a big, conciliatory first move, which, even with the advent of Trump, would seem unlikely.
Mr. Trump has somewhat offhandedly suggested he would be willing to meet with Kim – but not in North Korea – and has at the same time indicated that he wants China to exert significantly more control over Pyongyang to get it to abandon its nuclear program.
Demands from Pyongyang for the U. S. to stop its joint military exercises with the South and enter into negotiations to sign a peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War have fallen on deaf ears in Washington for years amid an atmosphere of distrust and deepening hostility.
Kim is in his early 30s and is now in his fifth year as the North’s leader.
His New Year addresses, and a marathon speech at the May ruling party congress, are a contrast with his enigmatic father, Kim Jong Il, who rarely spoke in public. But he has yet to meet a foreign head of state or travel outside of North Korea since assuming power, and remains one the world’s most mysterious national leaders.
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Nearly 5,000 people in Hong Kong marched in a New Year’s Day protest against an attempt by the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s government to disqualify four pro-democracy lawmakers, police said. 
Beijing woke on the first morning of the New Year covered in thick toxic fog, with a concentration of harmful particles 20 times higher than international standards. 
In a pattern that may become increasingly familiar, the world has received a jolt in the shape of a tweet from Donald Trump. 
CCTV footage from inside the club was broadcast by Turkish media, appearing to show a gunman dressed as Father Christmas walking through abandoned drinks booths.
CLEVELAND (AP) – Recovery efforts have resumed for a small plane that carried six people and disappeared over Lake Erie near Cleveland’s shores three days ago. 
We are getting a better idea of how Russian hackers may have infiltrated American computer systems — and how they covered their tracks. 
MCKINNEY, Texas, Jan. 1 (UPI) — Three people died after two small airplanes collided midair and crashed into a populated area outside Dallas, local officials said. 
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Two countries, two airlines, two apparently drunk pilots While pilots attempting to fly commercial planes after having consumed alcohol or drugs is not unknown, two pilots; one in Indonesia and one in Canada appeared to be extremely intoxicated before attempting to fly aircraft filled with passengers. Purna seemed to have a lot of difficulty when he went through security. His allegedly drunken state was so obvious, a passenger who had already cleared security began filming him. The video was later uploaded on YouTube. The video shows the pilot drop the hat he is holding in his hand while he is entering the security area. He can then be seen staggering as he walks through the scanner. He then, with some difficulty, walks over to the conveyor belt and picks up his bag. As soon as he lifts the bag up, some of the contents fall on the floor. Security officers pick the items up while Purna can be seen helping them put the items back into the bag. While putting things back in the bag, he puts his sunglasses in his mouth. The pilot then drops his hat again and picks it up. As he is leaving the area, the glasses in his mouth drop to the floor and break. A security guard can be seen picking up the broken parts and handing them to the pilot. The airline, owned by Indonesia’s national carrier, Garuda, The plane took off an hour later with another pilot although some of the 194 passengers cancelled their flight. At least Purna managed to remain conscious, unlike a pilot for the Canadian airline, Sunwing. A flight was scheduled to take off Saturday morning from Calgary to Cancun with stops in Regina and Winnipeg. When the co-pilot went into the cockpit, he found the pilot appearing to be drunk while doing his pre-flight preparation. The co-pilot notified the airlines and when the gate crew boarded the aircraft they found the pilot sitting in his seat, slumped over the controls. Calgary police were called and the pilot was arrested. His name was not released but he was identified as a 37-year-old Slovakian who was in Canada on a work visa. The pilot has been charged with having the care and control of an aircraft while impaired and having the care and control over an aircraft with a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.08. Further charges may be laid by Transport Canada. Stacey did note while this is serious, the likelihood of a pilot being able to take off while drunk is remote due to the checks and balances in place and the fact they are not alone in the cockpit. But in the Indonesia incident, it appeared it was some of the passengers and not fellow crew members or airport workers who prevented the pilot from flying. The scheduled flight to Cancun took off later with another pilot. The first incident happened Wednesday. An Airbus A320, owned by the Indonesian budget airline Citilink, was scheduled to fly from Surabaya, Indonesia to Jakarta. The pilot, identified as 32-year-old Tekad Purna, went into the plane and made an announcement from the cockpit. His words were slurred and some passengers, believing he was drunk, managed to leave the aircraft and report him. Purna seemed to have a lot of difficulty when he went through security. His allegedly drunken state was so obvious, a passenger who had already cleared security began filming him. The video was later uploaded on YouTube. The video shows the pilot drop the hat he is holding in his hand while he is entering the security area. He can then be seen staggering as he walks through the scanner. He then, with some difficulty, walks over to the conveyor belt and picks up his bag. As soon as he lifts the bag up, some of the contents fall on the floor. Security officers pick the items up while Purna can be seen helping them put the items back into the bag. While putting things back in the bag, he puts his sunglasses in his mouth. The pilot then drops his hat again and picks it up. As he is leaving the area, the glasses in his mouth drop to the floor and break. A security guard can be seen picking up the broken parts and handing them to the pilot. The airline, owned by Indonesia’s national carrier, Garuda, initially denied Purna was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But later Citilink’s president, Albert Burhan, announced both he and the airline’s production director were resigning over the incident. The pilot was fired. The plane took off an hour later with another pilot although some of the 194 passengers cancelled their flight. At least Purna managed to remain conscious, unlike a pilot for the Canadian airline, Sunwing. A flight was scheduled to take off Saturday morning from Calgary to Cancun with stops in Regina and Winnipeg. When the co-pilot went into the cockpit, he found the pilot appearing to be drunk while doing his pre-flight preparation. The co-pilot notified the airlines and when the gate crew boarded the aircraft they found the pilot sitting in his seat, slumped over the controls. Calgary police were called and the pilot was arrested. His name was not released but he was identified as a 37-year-old Slovakian who was in Canada on a work visa. According to Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey of the Calgary police, the pilot showed “extreme signs of impairment” two hours after he was taken into custody. He blew three times the legal limit of 0.08. The pilot has been charged with having the care and control of an aircraft while impaired and having the care and control over an aircraft with a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.08. Further charges may be laid by Transport Canada. Stacey did note while this is serious, the likelihood of a pilot being able to take off while drunk is remote due to the checks and balances in place and the fact they are not alone in the cockpit. But in the Indonesia incident, it appeared it was some of the passengers and not fellow crew members or airport workers who prevented the pilot from flying. The scheduled flight to Cancun took off later with another pilot.
