Kim Jong-un is testing new warheads loaded with ANTHRAX

North Korea is conducting biological weapons experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles, it has been reported.

Japan's Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing an unidentified person connected to South Korean intelligence, that North Korea was conducting biological weapons experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The Asahi report said the U.S. government was aware of the tests, which were meant to ascertain whether the anthrax bacteria could survive the high temperatures that occur during warheads re-entry from space.

The news that North Korea may have been testing anthrax-laden warheads comes as South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking to soothe relations with China and the North before the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February.

He suggested on Tuesday he was prepared to postpone military drills with the United States.

Pyongyang sees the joint exercises as preparation for war, while Beijing is still angry about the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, commonly known as THAAD, by South Korea.

China believes the system's powerful radar can see far into its territory, but Seoul argues it needs it to guard against the threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes.

Seoul has proposed the potential delay in drills to Washington, which was also discussed during a summit last week between Moon and Chinese President Xi Jinping, an official from the presidential Blue House in Seoul said on Wednesday.

China has in the past proposed a 'freeze for freeze' arrangement under which North Korea would stop its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises. However, Washington has rejected the idea and Pyongyang has shown little interest in negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Ottawa on Tuesday he was unaware of any plans to 'alter longstanding and scheduled and regular military exercises'.

North Korea has stepped up its missile and nuclear tests to an unprecedented rate this year, and any new provocation from the North would 'inevitably have an impact' on the exercises, the Blue House official said.

'It is a display of the president's strong message that North Korea must not conduct any provocation (during the Olympics),' the official told reporters.

North Korea has also been hit with increased international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests this year.

The United States has given China a draft resolution for tougher U.N. sanctions on North Korea and is hoping for a quick vote on it by the U.N. Security Council, a Western diplomat said on Tuesday, however Beijing has yet to sign on.

Details of the draft given to China last week were not immediately available, but the United States is keen to step up global sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up a weapons programme aimed at developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States.

China resumed some restrictions on group tours into the South, South Korea's inbound travel agency said on Wednesday.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5197189/S-Korea-says-delay-military-drills-depends-N-Koreas-behaviour.html#ixzz51nz5ffIb

Missile attack escalates tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran

Tensions are escalating between Saudi Arabia and Iran following a missile attack on the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Saudi air defences intercepted the ballistic missile in the skies over the city in an incident that is jangling nerves across the region.

The attack comes the week after the Trump administration presented evidence it says shows Iran supplied another missile launched at Riyadh's international airport last month.

And it comes as a video has gone viral, apparently made in Saudi Arabia, which visualises open conflict between the two sides.

So what is going on?

Saudi Arabia and Iran back opposing sides in neighbouring Yemen's nasty civil war.

Saudi-led coalition air strikes aimed at shoring up the country's government have killed thousands of civilians and failed to dislodge a rebellion by Iranian-backed Houthis.

Houthis say they launched this missile in retaliation against that air campaign. They are thought to have a stockpile of older scud-style missiles.

But these two recent attacks have been surprisingly accurate and effective, reinforcing claims Iran is more directly involved.

Iran denies allegations it is supplying missiles to the Houthis. What is more likely is the involvement of Hezbollah.

The Shia militant organisation from southern Lebanon is a close ally of Iran and is reportedly sending advisers to assist the Houthis. Among them may be engineers and missile experts, drawing on Hezbollah's traditional field of expertise.

They could be supplying Houthis with missiles parts and more sophisticated guidance systems smuggled in from Iran.

Iran may be using its proxies to deter Saudi Arabia from deeper involvement in the Yemen civil war. Saudi Arabia has yet to show how it will respond to the Houthis' latest provocations.

There is though mounting concern about the escalating war of words between these two rival powers. Each side is talking tough and can ill-afford to show weakness.

Traditionally such tensions might have been eased by diplomatic efforts. Washington however has shown itself firmly on the side of the Saudis.

While there is no diplomatic process there is always a greater risk of escalation, misunderstanding and open conflict. Not a reassuring end to 2017.

https://news.sky.com/story/missile-attack-escalates-tensions-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran-11177870

Boeing's Secret Plane

Boeing's defence arm is set to unveil a mysterious new plane - and says it will 'change future air power'

The aerospace giant's defence arm teased the new craft, covered in a black cloth.

It is believed to be a radical new craft using electric 'hairdryer' to allow it to land and take off vertically.

Boeing will unveil their mystery aircraft on December 19th.

Speculation has so far said it could anything from a new spaceplane to an electric fighter jet.

Earlier this year Boeing bought Aurora Flight Sciences Corp, which is developing the autonomous, electric-powered and long-flight-duration aircraft for its commercial and military businesses.

Last year, Aurora won a contract for more than $89 million for the vertical take off and landing X-plane, beating Boeing in the process.

The engine would drive 24 ducted fans, nine integrated into each wing and three inside each canard.

Aurora, the firm behind the radical craft, previously told Defence One 'there's quite a bit of interest' in a laser-armed version of the drone, particularly for use in Marine Corps missions.

Aurora Flight Sciences said the subscale version proved the radical theory behind the craft.

The subscale aircraft weighs 325 pounds and is a 20% scale flight model of the full scale demonstrator Aurora will build for Darpa in the next 24 months.

Boeing, meanwhile, was developing its own VTOL, known as Phantom swift - and the new craft could be a hybrid of them both.

'The aerospace industry is going to be changing' and the acquisition positions Boeing strategically 'for whatever that future may be,' Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hyslop said on a conference call with reporters.

The deal could face regulatory obstacles, but the company hopes to complete the purchase this year, Hyslop said.

Boeing's move could help Zunum Aero, a Seattle-area company aiming to bring a hybrid-electric regional airliner to market in 2022. Boeing and JetBlue Airways Corp have both made venture capital investments in Zunum.

Boeing will maintain Manassas, Virginia-based Aurora as a separate unit reporting through Boeing's engineering, test and technology division, which is headed by Hyslop.

httpp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5192113/Boeing-teases-plane-change-future-air-power.html#ixzz51iYkPd4K

Islamic State threatens U.S. attacks over Jerusalem decision

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State threatened attacks on U.S. soil in retaliation for the Trump administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, one of the group's social media accounts reported on Thursday without giving any details.

In a message on one of its accounts on the Telegram instant messaging service titled "Wait for us" and "ISIS in Manhattan", the group said it would carry out operations and showed images of New York's Times Square and what appeared to be an explosive bomb belt and detonator.

"We will do more ops in your land, until the final hour and we will burn you with the flames of war which you started in Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Syria and Afghan. Just you wait," it said.

"The recognition of your dog 'Trump' (sic) Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will make us recognize explosives as the capital of your country."

Washington triggered widespread anger and protests across the Arab world with its decision on Jerusalem. The disputed city is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and is home to Islam's third holiest site. It has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades.

Islamic State was driven out of its Iraqi and Syrian capitals this year and squeezed into a shrinking pocket of desert straddling the border between the two countries.

The forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare there. Militants including people claiming allegiance to Islamic State have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/islamic-state-threatens-u-attacks-over-jerusalem-decision-111900693.html

Kim Jong-Un’s death squads ‘executed second most powerful man in North Korea

A TOP aide of Kim Jong-un, once described as the "second-most powerful man in North Korea", has disappeared from public life, sparking speculation he may have been executed by death squads.

General Hwang Pyong-so once held the most senior military position in the hermit state as a Vice-Marshall after the supreme leader.

But now he has been expelled from the party for "taking bribes" and not been seen since October.

His deputy Kim Wong-hong is said to have been banished to a prison camp.

The South Korean JoongAng Ilbo reported: “If Hwang was indeed kicked out of the Workers’ Party, it would practically mean the end of his political career, and possibly his life, though it is unknown whether or not he is still alive."

Last week Kim visited Korea’s most mystical mountain, Mount Paektu – something he typically does before ordering the death of his top brass.

He was also there in April 2015, just before executing former defence chief Hyon Yong-chol, and in November 2013, before disposing of his own uncle Jang Song-thaek among other top officials.

“Kim Jong-Un is following in his father’s footsteps in visiting the mountain at times of important decisions regarding the state,” a South Korean government insider said to Korea Joongang Daily.

South Korean spooks believe Hwang's demise was orchestrated by another of Kim's trusted advisers Choe Ryong Hae.

Hwang has been accused of having an "impure attitude" towards the ruling party, amid allegations of bribery.

Both Hwang and Choe came to South Korea during the Asian Games in 2014 - the highest such visit by North Korean officials to their rival neighbours.

Michael Madden, an expert on North Korean at Washington-based 38 North, said Kim Jong-un has not shied away from punishing leaders who could threaten his grip on power.

"Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so could not have continued in the capacity that he was operating in, without it coming back to bite him," he said.

Choe was subjected to political "reeducation" himself two years ago.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5136534/kim-jong-uns-death-squads-feared-to-have-executed-top-north-korean-general-hwang-pyong-so-for-taking-bribes/

Japan air force drills with U.S. bombers, stealth fighters near Korean peninsula

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese F-15 fighters on Tuesday held drills with U.S. B1-B bombers, F-35 stealth aircraft and F-18 multirole combat jets above the East China Sea, south of the Korean peninsula, Japan’s Air Self Defence Force (ASDF) said.

The exercise was the largest in a series aimed at pressuring North Korea following its ballistic missile tests. The latest launch, on Nov. 29, featured a new missile type the North said could hit targets in the United States, such as Washington D.C.

“The drill was meant to bolster joint operations and raise combat skills,” the ASDF said in a statement.

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew from Andersen Air Force Base on the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam, joined by six F-35s four F-18s and a tanker aircraft from U.S. bases in Japan.

The Japanese air force dispatched four F-15 jet fighters and a patrol aircraft.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-japan-usa/japan-air-force-drills-with-u-s-bombers-stealth-fighters-near-korean-peninsula-idUSKBN1E60ZZ

North Korean defector describes forced abortion, said bodies fed to dogs in prison

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley held a meeting on the human rights situation in North Korea where one defector spoke about how she was forced to have an abortion following her repatriation from China.

The woman, Ji Hyeon-A, describes a harrowing scene of prison dogs eating dead bodies at her prison camp. She pleaded for the world to act.

The event was titled “The Terrifying experience of forcibly Repatriated North Korean women,” and was sponsored by the U.S. France, Japan, South Korea, Canada and the U.K.

Ji Hyeon-A was repatriated three times to North Korea after she was caught in China. She finally escaped to South Korea and spoke of her horrifying experiences.

She described how North Korean women who got pregnant in China were forced to have abortions.

“Pregnant women were forced into harsh labor all day,” she said. “At night, we heard pregnant mothers screaming and babies died without ever being able to see their mothers.”

North Korea does not allow for mixed-race babies, she said. At one detention center, she described how inmates starved to death. Their dead bodies, she said, were given to the guard dogs for food.

The third time Ji Hyeon-A got caught and sent back to North Korea she was three months pregnant. She tearfully described how she was forced to have an abortion without medication at a local police station.

“My first child passed away without ever seeing the world,” she said, “without any time for me to apologize.”

She finally reached South Korea in 2007 and has since been reunited with her mother, brother and her younger sister. She still has not heard news of her father.

Ji-Hyeon-A said that the North Korean soldier who recently escaped to South Korea “represents a dash toward freedom which is a dream of 25 million North Koreans.”

She said North Korea was “a terrifying prison and the Kim’s are carrying out a vast massacre and it takes a miracle to survive there.”

She criticized the Chinese government for sending North Koreans back to the regime, and urged the Chinese government to stop repatriating people back to the Hermit Kingdom, saying they know what will happen to them when they get there.

Ji-Hyeon-A urged the U.N. and world leaders to fight for North Korean defectors and especially those who are repatriated.

She recited a poem called “Is anyone there?” from a collection of poems she wrote.

“I am scared, is anyone there? I’m here in hell, is anyone there? I scream and yell but no one opens the door. Is anyone there? Please listen to our moans and listen to our pain. Is anyone there? People are dying, my friend is dying. I call out again and again but why don’t you answer. Is anyone there?

Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, praised Ji-Hyeon-A for speaking at the event, and said the crimes discussed, which included, “forced abortions, summary executions, hard labor, rape: those are conditions that amount to crimes against humanity,” he said.

Earlier in the day China had tried to stop a Security Council meeting convened by Japan on the human rights situation in North Korea. China only had the support of Russia and Bolivia and failed in its attempt to stop it from moving forward.

At the Security Council meeting, Haley said the full story of the North Korean people needed to be told.

“The regime is using that power to develop an unnecessary arsenal and support enormous conventional military forces that pose a grave risk to international peace and security,” she said. “Their menacing march towards nuclear weapons begins with the oppression and exploitation of ordinary North Korean people.”

Haley said the situation was made possible “through the export of workers abroad to earn hard currency and the use of forced labor at home, the regime uses its people to underwrite its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”

She said the Kim regime has imprisoned an estimated 100,000 people.

“The North Korean regime's system of guilt-by-association,” she said, “allows for up to three generations of family members to be imprisoned along with the accused.”

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/12/11/north-korean-defector-describes-forced-abortion-said-bodies-fed-to-dogs-in-prison.html