North Korea conducts test for missile capable of targeting US
Seoul, March 29: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of an upgraded, high-thrust, solid-fuel engine for weapons and hailed it as a significant development to boost the country’s strategic military capability, state media reported Sunday. While the test was in line with Kim’s stated goal of acquiring more agile, hard-to-detect missiles targeting the United States and its allies, some experts speculate North Korea’s claim may be an exaggeration. The Korean Central News Agency reported Kim watched the ground jet test of the engine using a composite carbon fibre material. It said the engine’s maximum trust is 2,500 kilotons, up from about 1,970 kilotons reported in a similar solid-fuel engine test in September. Kim said the latest engine test had “great significance in putting the country’s strategic military muscle on the highest level,” according to KCNA. (AP)
Extreme weather in Afghanistan leaves 17 dead
Kabul, March 29: Severe flooding, a landslide and thunderstorms in parts of Afghanistan left 17 people dead and 26 injured over the last 24 hours, with more heavy rainfall predicted, authorities said Sunday. The number of casualties could increase as crews from the country’s National Disaster Management Authority survey the affected areas, the authority’s spokesman, Yousuf Hammad, said in a statement. Thirteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mostly in the western, central and northwestern parts of the country, were affected. The severe weather also left 147 homes either completely or partially destroyed, wiped out 80 km of roads and destroyed agricultural land and irrigation canals and businesses, Hammad said. (AP)
