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US Submarine Arrives In South Korea As Tensions Mount

A US submarine has arrived in South Korea, amid worries of another North Korean missile or nuclear test.

The missile-armed USS Michigan is set to join an incoming group of warships led by aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. North Korea is celebrating its army’s 85th founding anniversary on Tuesday. It marked the event with a large-scale firing drill, South Korea said.

Tensions have risen in the area in recent weeks, with the US and North Korea exchanging heated rhetoric.

Experts fear Pyongyang could be planning more tests – it has marked some key anniversaries in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches. However, South Korea’s defence ministry said “no unusual development had been detected”. Instead, the North conducted a large live-fire drill around the city of Wonsan, South Korea said.

“Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military’s movement,” the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

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North Korea Newspaper Reports US Aircraft Could Be Sunk With Single Strike

North Korea is “ready to sink” a US aircraft carrier heading for the peninsula, state media have said.

A commentary in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper warned that the USS Carl Vinson could be sunk “with a single strike”.

A battle group headed by the Vinson is expected off the peninsula this week. It was despatched by President Donald Trump amid a warning that US “strategic patience” over the North’s nuclear ambitions had come to an end.

Tension also rose after a recent failed missile test by the North and a massive military parade showing off its latest hardware.
China ‘seriously concerned’ about nuclear threats

Sunday’s commentary in Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers’ Party, followed a feature on leader Kim Jong-un’s inspection of a pig farm. “Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike,” the commentary read, saying that the attack on what it called a “gross animal” would be “an actual example to show our military’s force”.

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Afghanistan Defence Minister & Army Chief Resign Following Base Attack By IS

Afghanistan’s defence minister and army chief of staff have resigned in the wake of a Taliban attack that left scores of soldiers dead, the presidential palace says.

The attack happened on Friday at an army base near Mazar-e Sharif.

Insurgents targeted troops leaving Friday prayers at the base’s mosque and in a canteen, the army said. It was the Taliban’s deadliest attack on the armed forces since US-led forces drove them from power in 2001.

The resignations coincided with the arrival of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on an unannounced visit to Kabul. He is due to meet both Afghan officials and US troops.

A group of about 10 Taliban insurgents dressed in Afghan military uniforms and driving military vehicles made their way into the base in the northern city and opened fire. Many of those who died were young recruits training at the base. Witnesses described chaotic scenes as the young soldiers struggled to work out who was friend or foe.

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Off Duty Policewoman Carries Gun Through LAX Airport Security

An off-duty policewoman flew from Los Angeles international airport (LAX) to Taiwan with a gun in her hand luggage.

The weapon was not detected during security screening and Noell Grant only realised she was carrying it as she changed planes in Taipei.

She informed the local authorities and she has been barred from leaving Taiwan until the matter is resolved.

US federal officials have admitted security procedures were not properly followed at LAX. The authorities have “determined standard procedures were not followed and a police officer did in fact pass through the (airport) checkpoint with a firearm,” said Nico Melendez of the US Transportation Security Administration. “We’ll hold those responsible appropriately accountable.”

Officer Grant, 42, of the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) was carrying a personal firearm, not a service weapon, when she took the flight to Taiwan last week. She was changing planes at Taoyuan international airport in Taipei, intending to travel on to Thailand for a family holiday, when she discovered the gun and six bullets in her hand luggage. She is not under arrest in Taiwan, but she has been told to remain in the country.

It is unclear whether Officer Grant will face disciplinary charges on her return to the US, SMPD Lieutenant Saul Rodriguez told the AFP news agency.

Paris Policeman Shot Dead & Two Others Injured

The gunman who shot dead a policeman in Paris on Thursday has been identified from papers left in his car, but French officials are yet to release his name.

Local media say the 39-year-old lived in the city’s suburbs, and had been seen as a potential Islamist radical. The gunman wounded two police officers before being shot dead by security forces on the Champs Elysees.

A pump-action shotgun and knives were found in his car, the French TV station BFMTV reported. Another man suspected of possible links to the attack has turned himself in to Belgian police.

French police have also taken three family members of the gunman into custody, Reuters reports, citing a legal source.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said security forces, including elite units, were fully mobilised ahead of Sunday’s presidential elections. “Nothing must be allowed to impede the fundamental democratic process of our country,” he said after an emergency security cabinet meeting. So-called Islamic State (IS) has said one of its “fighters” carried out the attack.

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