North Korea Deploys Anti-Air Missiles

abc.net.au reports:

North Korea has reportedly deployed missiles near the South Korean border as naval exercises get underway.

Naval war games are underway today off the west coast of South Korea.

The exercise includes the use of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

North Korea has warned that such games risk pushing the peninsula to the brink of war.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korea has deployed SA-2 surface-to-air missiles near the border.

The report suggested that the missiles appear to be in place to target the South’s jets flying close to the frontier.

These Soviet-designed missiles have a range of between 8 and 30 kilometres.

Though the report is new, the missiles are said to have been in place for days.

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Cables Show North Korea Armed Iran

Secret American intelligence assessments have concluded that Iran has obtained a cache of advanced missiles, based on a Russian design, that are much more powerful than anything Washington has publicly conceded that Tehran has in its arsenal, diplomatic cables show.

Iran obtained 19 of the missiles from North Korea, according to a cable dated Feb. 24 of this year. The cable is a detailed, highly classified account of a meeting between top Russian officials and an American delegation led by Vann H. Van Diepen, an official with the State Department’s nonproliferation division who, as a national intelligence officer several years ago, played a crucial role in the 2007 assessment of Iran’s nuclear capacity.

The missiles could for the first time give Iran the capacity to strike at capitals in Western Europe or easily reach Moscow, and American officials warned that their advanced propulsion could speed Iran’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

There has been scattered but persistent speculation on the topic since 2006, when fragmentary reports surfaced that North Korea might have sold Iran missiles based on a Russian design called the R-27, once used aboard Soviet submarines to carry nuclear warheads. In the unclassified world, many arms control experts concluded that isolated components made their way to Iran, but there has been little support for the idea that complete missiles, with their huge thrusters, had been secretly shipped.

The Feb. 24 cable, which is among those obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to a number of news organizations, makes it clear that American intelligence agencies believe that the complete shipment indeed took place, and that Iran is taking pains to master the technology in an attempt to build a new generation of missiles. The missile intelligence also suggests far deeper military — and perhaps nuclear — cooperation between North Korea and Iran than was previously known. At the request of the Obama administration, The New York Times has agreed not to publish the text of the cable.

The North Korean version of the advanced missile, known as the BM-25, could carry a nuclear warhead. Many experts say that Iran remains some distance from obtaining a nuclear warhead, especially one small enough to fit atop a missile, though they believe that it has worked hard to do so.

Still, the BM-25 would be a significant step up for Iran.

Today, the maximum range of Iran’s known ballistic missiles is roughly 1,200 miles, according to experts. That means they could reach targets throughout the Middle East, including Israel, as well as all of Turkey and parts of Eastern Europe.

The range of the Russian R-27, launched from a submarine, was said to be up to 1,500 miles.

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Obama: N. Korea is ‘Serious’ Threat

ABC News reports:

President Obama today strongly condemned North Korea’s attack on South Korea and, in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Barbara Walters, urged China to take a stand against aggression.

“This is a — just one more provocative incident in a series that we’ve seen over the last several months, and I’m going to be talking to the president of Korea — South Korea this evening and we’ll be consulting closely with them in terms of the appropriate response,” the president said. “We’ve strongly condemned the attack…We are rallying the international community once again to put pressure on North Korea.”

Obama wouldn’t speculate on military actions the U.S. may take, but reiterated that South Korea is “one of our most important allies” and “a cornerstone of U.S. security in the Pacific region.”

“We want to make sure all the parties in the region recognize that this is a serious and ongoing threat that has to be dealt with,” the president added.

He specifically called on China to stand firm and “make clear to North Korean that there are a set of international rules that they need to abide by.”

A White House official today told ABC’s Jake Tapper that the United States is discussing a number of measures with its allies, including action at the United Nations Security Council and further sanctions, and more joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, to demonstrate solidarity and support.

Click here to read more.

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Fernando Alonso won the South Korea, takes a lead form

The Grand Prix first Korean held Sunday in wet conditions, will be a memorable. The formula 1 race was delayed by heavy rains. He started behind the car security for 17 towers and finished just before the darkness fell. But perhaps more than anything, grand prix will remember that day Fernando Alonso survived his rivals to take an advance to the Championship, a position considered little likely also recently that a month ago.

"It was one of the best races of the year for us, with two cars on the podium," Alonso said, referring to his teammate Felipe Massa, who finished troisième.Lewis Hamilton's McLaren finished second.

"This is one of the most delicate WINS I've never had", said Alonso.

Alonso benefited from two accidents Red Bull.Mark Webber crashed shortly after the initial safety car period.Later in the race, Sebastian Vettel has retired when the engine has expired.Webber is now second in the Championship, ING fourth.

"" This is a great success for us, also with retirement more soon on Marc, all for the team as well, but in my case, that I could have done better, nothing"says ing." So heads and there is still a chance to win the title.(The New York Times)

Nascar: Hamlin WINS, Johnson lead sections

Denny Hamlin is going to work for his fifth consecutive Nascar Sprint Cup title after all Jimmie Johnson.After falling in the points of a few recent races, Hamlin won in Martinsville, Virginia, coming to six points Johnson, who finished fifth.

"We're back, baby!" Hamlin shouted his radio that he crossed the finish line.

Hamlin took advantage of a green flag extended run from Kevin Harvick on the knees of 471 (500).In the pathway to victory, Hamlin said: "I do not think that I've never closed that, jamais.Nous do not have a car race winner until the pit crew fin.Mon me were the sixth in the third before the last reboot and it is the key."(FanHouse)

W.R.C.: Loeb wins the rally Catalunya

Sébastien Loeb, who already won his seventh title of World Rally for Citro?n, won the rally Catalunya, leading three whole days. ""A very good result in Spain once more, there was nothing to play in the championship here so that we could drive without any additional pressure and I started to push hard to opening day", he said. "Once we have in mind, we take two days on the asphalt easier.?(Autosport)

W.R.C.: Block gets better finish

American driver Ken Block Monster World Rally Team finishes ninth Rallye Catalunya, marking his first points of the former carrière.Un veteran Rally America series global gathering, block is competition several W.R.C. events this season before the race series full-time in 2011.

"This is a difficult year for the team, so we're all extremely maintained on our arrival here in Spain," said bloc.Compte view of our questions on the second day, I am very pleased to be here leaving our first points of the two championship, even if they came a few fine gatherings. "

The team will then be Wales Rally GB race in November.(Monster World Rally Team)

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