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☆ North Korea to welcome China and Russia with military display after pandemic isolation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

MILITARY DISPLAYSImages from Russia's defence ministry and North Korean media showed Shoigu being greeted by North Korean defence minister Kang Sun Nam and Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora at the airport, and rows of North Korean and Russia troops. The only defence treaty China and North Korea have is with each other. Amid international sanctions over North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes - which both Moscow and Beijing voted to impose - China has become by far North Korea's largest trading partner. Russia and China have rebuffed recent attempts by the United States and some European countries to impose new sanctions on North Korea. "If North Korea also sends a high-level delegation to China for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, it means the resumption of high-level 'shuttle diplomacy' between North Korea and China since the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Li Hongzhong, Anthony Rinna, Travis King, Rinna, Shoigu, Kang Sun Nam, Alexander Matsegora, Wagner, Kim, Yang Moo, Dave Schmerler, James Martin, Schmerler, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, denuclearisation, Yang, Josh Smith, Michael Perry Organizations: Korean People's Army, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, Russian, Communist Party, United Nations Security Council, Washington, U.S, Sino, NK, United, University of North Korean Studies, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Reuters, Fatherland, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, China, U.S, SEOUL, United States, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Korea, North Korean, Washington, Russian, Korean, Ukraine, Seoul, North, Hangzhou

☆ US intel officials: ‘No reason to doubt’ Putin claims Russia has moved nuclear weapons to Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has “no reason to doubt” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russia has moved a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, senior DIA officials said on Friday. It is not clear how much of that arsenal Putin intends to move, and US and Western officials have not publicly confirmed that any weapons have been transferred to Belarus. But the senior DIA officials told a small group of reporters Friday that analysts have “no reason to doubt” Putin’s claims, and no reason to doubt “that they have had some success” in transferring the weapons. But the senior DIA officials said they do not believe Lukashenko would have any control over the arsenal. It would most likely be entirely controlled by Russia, the officials said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, ” Putin’s, Ben Wallace, ”, Putin “, Wallace, Matthew Miller, “, Aleksander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Miller Organizations: CNN, The Defense Intelligence Agency, St ., Economic, Federation of American Scientists, British, State Department, Nuclear Weapons, ”, Russian Locations: Russian, Russia, Belarus, St, St . Petersburg, Soviet

☆ A space race on the Korean Peninsula
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +13 min

It was not until 2013 that it became the first South Korean rocket to place a satellite in orbit. SPACE CENTRES Russia also helped South Korea build its Naro Space Center while training and launching the first South Korean astronaut on a mission to the International Space Station. In his first summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to dismantle Sohae, but as talks stalled, North Korea expanded the site. North Korea faces the same challenges, and must avoid flying over South Korea. “The road from South Korea to space has opened now,” President Yoon Suk Yeol said after the 2022 Nuri launch.

Persons: Kim Jong, Moon Jae, Nuri, Jonathan McDowell, Markus Schiller, Schiller, “, ”, ” Schiller, Robert Schmucker, Pyongyang’s, McDowell, KARI, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Dave Schmerler, James Martin, “ Sohae, ” McDowell, Korea’s Nuri, Yoon Suk Yeol Organizations: North, South Korean, U.S, Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, REUTERS, Elon, SpaceX, South, Soviet, Federation of American Scientists, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Space Center, International Space, Korea Aerospace Research, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, International Maritime Organization Locations: Seoul, Pyongyang, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Japan, China, Korea, Washington, United States, Russia, Naro, Europe, U.S, Britain, Switzerland, Soviet Union, Soviet, Cholsan County, South Korean, South, Tonghae, North Korea’s, Sohae, Indonesia, Philippines, Okinawa

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For the first time in decades, a nuclear capable US Navy ballistic missile submarine has made a port call in South Korea, in a move that comes just days after North Korea test-fired what it said was a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile. The presence of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine in the South Korean port city of Busan was announced by the country’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday afternoon. The NCG is a joint US and South Korean panel set up by the countries’ leaders at a summit in Washington in April. The Nuclear Threat Initiative at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies estimates that each Trident missile can carry four nuclear warheads, meaning each US ballistic missile submarine could be carrying about 80 nuclear warheads. One arriving in South Korea on a port visit – which must be arranged 24 to 48 hours in advance – would be far more visible, giving North Korea an advantage, Schuster said.

Persons: Kurt Campbell, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, ”, Kim, “, James Martin, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk, ” Biden, Biden, Yoon, ” Carl Schuster, ” Blake Herzinger, Schuster, Kim Jong, we’ve, ” Schuster Organizations: South Korea CNN —, North, country’s Defense, US National Security Council, Nuclear Consultative, DPRK, Democratic, Nuclear, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation, Trident, South, ROK, US Navy, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific, United States Studies Centre Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Ohio, Korean, Busan, Washington, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Hawaii, –

☆ Exclusive: Wagner fighters neared Russian nuclear base during revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Reuters GraphicsOnce the Wagner fighters reach more rural regions, the surveillance trail goes cold – about 100 km from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45. But in an exclusive interview, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Wagner fighters went far further. The only barrier between the Wagner fighters and nuclear weapons, Budanov said, were the doors to the nuclear storage facility. It is one of Russia's 12 "national-level storage facilities" for nuclear weapons, according to a report by U.N. scientists. Another female resident also said Wagner had widespread support in the town, and that many Wagner fighters are from Boguchar.

Persons: Wagner, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Lukashenko, Adam Hodge, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Matt Korda, Vladimir Putin's, Hans Kristensen, David Jonas, Amy Woolf, Jonas, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu, Oleksiy Danilov, Don, Anna Sandrakova, Maxim Yantsov, Mikhail Vedernikov, Talovaya, Alexei Yablokov, Kristensen, Alexsandr Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Lukashenko, he's, Mari Saito, Tom Balmforth, John Shiffman, Phil Stewart, Polina, Maria Tsvetkova, Anton Zverev, Christian Lowe, David Gauthier, Stephen Grey, Reade Levinson, Eleanor Whalley, Milan Pavicic, Daria Shamonova, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Belarusian, U.S, White, National Security, Nuclear, Federation of American, Federation of American Scientists, U.S . National Nuclear Security Administration, Library, Congress, Wagner, State, Staff, Russian, Defence Ministry, Defence Council, Main, Russian Defence, U.S . Congress, Telegram, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Voronezh, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Rostov, Talovaya, Soviet, Washington, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, ., Pavlovsk, Elizavetovka, Vorontsovka, Buturlinovka, Talovaya district, Pskov, Soviet Union, Belarus, Minsk, he's, St Petersburg, Kyiv, London, New York, Paris, Villars, Istanbul, Gdansk

☆ Opinion | Fareed Zakaria on Where Russia’s War in Ukraine Stands — and Much More
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +96 min

Obviously, the line is not perfect, but I think that’s a very sensible line. And I don’t think that’s all about absorption capability. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Russians have done everything they can. fareed zakaria[LAUGHS] And by the way, I think that’s some key to understanding the alliance is a personal one. I think India, Israel, and Poland — usually, in the 70 percent-plus say they like — have a favorable view of America.

Persons: ezra klein, it’s, Fareed Zakaria, Zakaria, “ Fareed Zakaria, fareed zakaria, Ezra, Putin, They’ve, there’s, fareed zakaria It’s, they’re, It’s, Fidel Castro, Sean Penn, haven’t, you’re, won’t, Biden, They’re, Washington, Winston Churchill, Merkel, wouldn’t, —, Nancy Gibbs, Khomeini, Macron, Ron DeSantis, YouGov, fareed zakaria I’m, that’s, DeSantis, Lindsey Grahams, Mitch McConnell, Xi Jinping, ezra klein Yes, Xi, Gorbachev, Zelensky, Trump, Obama, Bush, United States —, McCarthy’s, I’ve, they’d, doesn’t, didn’t, ezra klein They’re, fareed zakaria They’re, we’ve, Simpson, I’m, Janet Yellen, Colin Powell, unquote, That’s, Jonathan Haidt, We’ve, he’s, fareed zakaria That’s, they’ve, fareed zakaria Well, gee, TikTok, we’re, George Kennan, Mike Gallagher, klein, Nirupama Rao, Bob Kagan, can’t, — fareed zakaria, Lord Mountbatten, Gandhi, Franklin Roosevelt, Ho Chi Minh, fareed zakaria Right, narratively —, Modi, you’ve, China’s —, fareed zakaria Modi, India’s, Advani, Vajpayee, you’d, There’s, India, Joe Biden, fareed zakaria I’ve, Benedict Anderson’s “, Orville Schell, John Delury, Sunil Khilnani, ezra klein Fareed Zakaria Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Putin, Starbucks, Russia, Revolutionary Guard, NATO, Ukrainian, Communist, European Union, U.S, Republican Party’s, Republican Party, Republicans, ASEAN, Trump, Defense, United, U.S ., Democrats, Chinese Communist Party, State, Facebook, Google, Soviet Union, Huawei, Twitter, South China Seas, Foreign Affairs, Yale Law, International Criminal, South China, . Security, Trade Organization, Pax Americana, Americana, New York Fed, America, Republican, Fox, Beijing Locations: ezra klein Russia, Ukraine, Russia, America, Europe, China, India, Russian, United States, Relatedly, Japan, Turkey, Holland, South Korea, Singapore, Iran, Venezuela, Central America, Southeast Asia, Washington, Britain, ‘, U.S, United Europe, Germany, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Beijing, Trump, Asia, Iraq, Hainan, Montana, Republic, Soviet, weirdly, South, Taiwan, Pakistan, New Delhi, South Africa, Kuwait, Russia’s, Eden, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kashmir, it’s, Cuba, Pax, American, Mumbai, Shanghai, Israel, Poland, Indian, Nigeria

☆ Why North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising Alarms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pablo Robles | Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

North Korea has a track record of showing mockups of weapons still under development for the sake of propaganda. So far, North Korea has released photos of three nuclear devices, and the latest one — dubbed Hwasan-31, or “Volcano-31” — is by far the smallest. CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREASince 2019, North Korea has launched missiles from locations scattered across the country. Satellites can help North Korea collect data from such long-range missile tests to improve its ICBM technology. If North Korea conducts another nuclear test, its seventh, it may be to show that its new and smaller Hwasan-31 nuclear warhead works.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Kim’s, Donald J, Trump, Hwasan, James Martin, Dr, Markus Schiller, Lee Jong, ” Mr, Lee Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, Agence France, Presse Korean Central News Agency, Presse, North Korean, Washington, European Pressphoto Agency, Associated Press, European Pressphoto Agency Korean Central News Agency, Associated Press Korean Central News Agency, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Institute for Science, International Security, Japan Ministry of Defense, Seoul SOUTH KOREA, U.S, SOUTH KOREA JAPAN Major U.S, Seoul SOUTH KOREA JAPAN Major U.S, CHINA RUSSIA NORTH, US Department of Defense, ST Analytics, South Korean Defense Ministry, CHINA NORTH, Seoul CHINA NORTH, Pyongyang, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA, Seoul, KOREA, NORTH, KOREA CHINA NORTH, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH, Seoul SOUTH, Reuters, North, South Korean, ”, South Locations: North, North Korea, Korea, Japan, Washington, Seoul, United States, Northeast Asia, U.S, South Korea, RUSSIA CHINA, Seoul SOUTH KOREA JAPAN, CHINA RUSSIA, CHINA RUSSIA NORTH KOREA, Kaesong, Presse, CHINA, CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang, Seoul CHINA, Seoul CHINA NORTH KOREA, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA, KOREA Pyongyang, KOREA CHINA, Pyongyang, NORTH KOREA Pyongyang, KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA, Seoul SOUTH KOREA, Presse North Korea, North Korean

☆ Parrots, paper clips and safety vs. ethics: Why the artificial intelligence debate sounds like a foreign language
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

After the hearing, he summed up his stance on AI regulation, using terms that are not widely known among the general public. "AGI safety is really important, and frontier models should be regulated," Altman tweeted. Large language models, like OpenAI's GPT-4, are frontier models, as compared to smaller AI models that perform specific tasks like identifying cats in photos. Some are more concerned about what they call "AI safety." "There must be clear guidance on AI end uses or categories of AI-supported activity that are inherently high-risk," Montgomery told Congress.

☆ Why is the US sending a nuclear submarine to South Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —When the presidents of the United States and South Korea this week announced a landmark deal to deter North Korean aggression, one element of the pact stood out. Here’s what you need to know about the submarine and why it’s heading to South Korea. The Nuclear Threat Initiative at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies estimates that each Trident missile can carry four nuclear warheads, meaning each US ballistic missile submarine could be carrying about 80 nuclear warheads. One arriving in South Korea on a port visit – which must be arranged 24 to 48 hours in advance – would be far more visible, giving North Korea an advantage, Schuster said. Kim’s threats have prompted some in South Korea to call for Seoul to become a nuclear-armed power itself.

☆ U.S. to send nuclear submarines in new pledge to protect South Korea from North's threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alexander Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The United States will deploy nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea for the first time in decades — part of a new agreement that will signal Washington's commitment to defend Seoul against rising nuclear threats from North Korea, U.S. officials said. The plan to dock the ballistic missile submarines in South Korea, which hasn't happened since the 1980's, headlines an effort to make U.S. deterrence against Kim Jong Un's regime "more visible," according to senior administration officials. President Joe Biden and his counterpart, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, will unveil the new agreement in Washington on Wednesday, the officials said. In return, an official added, South Korea would reaffirm its commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, known as the NPT, which bars countries from seeking nuclear weapons. Yoon's visit follows the largest U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises in years, aimed largely at countering the North Korean nuclear threat.

☆ North Korea's next nuke test a matter of 'when,' not 'if,' US Army general says, warning its on the way to a key nuclear capability
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A top US Army general warned that North Korea is on its way to developing a key nuclear capability. Gen. Paul LaCamera also said this week that Pyongyang's next nuclear test is only a matter of time. LaCamera also said North Korea is slated to carry out a seventh nuclear test at some point in the future. North Korea conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017, and each underground test produced explosive yields progressively larger than the one before it. Ju Ae has become a regular figure at North Korea's military-oriented events in recent months after spending years cloaked in mystery.

CNN —The US has sensitive nuclear technology at a nuclear power plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month. The Energy Department warned Rosatom in the letter that it is “unlawful” for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology. The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration told CNN in a statement that the letter is authentic. “The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration can confirm that the letter is legitimate,” said Shayela Hassan, the deputy director of public affairs for the National Nuclear Security Administration. She added: “The Secretary of Energy has the statutory responsibility for authorizing the transfer of unclassified civilian nuclear technology and assistance to foreign atomic energy activities.

☆ North Korea unveils new nuclear warheads as Kim orders more weapons-grade materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SEOUL, March 28 (Reuters) - North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads as leader Kim Jong Un called for scaling up the production of weapons-grade nuclear material to expand the country's arsenal, state media KCNA said on Tuesday. KCNA released photos of the warheads, dubbed Hwasan-31, during Kim's visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute, where he inspected new tactical nuclear weapons and technology for mounting warheads on ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear counterattack operation plans. Kim ordered the production of weapons-grade materials in a "far-sighted way" to boost its nuclear arsenal "exponentially" and produce powerful weapons, KCNA said. "The frantic war drills in the puppet region are not just military drills but nuclear war drills for a preemptive strike ... pursuant to the U.S. political and military option to escalate confrontation with the DPRK and finally lead to a war," it said. DPRK is an abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

☆ Putin plans to store tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin said Saturday on state-sponsored media that he planned to store nuclear weapons in Belarus. Putin told state television station Russia-1 he plans to build a new storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons on the ally's soil, set to be completed by July 1, CNN reported. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," Reuters reported Putin said, adding: "We agreed that we will do the same - without violating our obligations, I emphasize, without violating our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons." In September, Putin made a veiled reference to nuclear weapons while vowing to defend Russia's "territorial integrity," emphasizing that his words were "not a bluff." "Russia had always been very proud that it had no nuclear weapons outside its territory.

☆ Putin says Moscow has deal with Belarus to station nuclear weapons there
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 25 (Reuters) - Russia has struck a deal with neighbouring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory but will not violate non-proliferation agreements, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which borders Poland, Putin told state television. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," he said. Russia will have completed the construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July 1, Putin said, adding that Moscow would not actually be transferring control of the arms to Minsk. Russia has stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, he said, adding that Moscow had already transferred to Belarus a number of Iskander tactical missile systems than can be used to launch nuclear weapons.

☆ What did Putin say on tactical nuclear weapons and Belarus?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia has struck a deal with neighbouring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory. Even outside the context of these events, this statement, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has long been raising the question of the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus." They have long ago deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries, NATO countries, in Europe, in six states. From April 3 we will start training the crew and on July 1 we will finish the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus." This is exactly what Alexander Grigoryevich (Lukashenko) has asked for."

☆ Putin says Moscow to station nuclear weapons in Belarus for the first time since the 1990s
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday, marking the first time since the mid-1990s that Moscow will have based such arms outside the country. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," he said. "Tactical" nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains on the battlefield. Russia has stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, he said, adding that Moscow had already transferred to Belarus a number of Iskander tactical missile systems that can be used to launch nuclear weapons. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, nuclear weapons were deployed in the four newly-independent states of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

"Tactical" nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains in the battlefield rather than those with the capacity to wipe out cities. Putin told state television that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in his country. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," he said. Russia has stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, Putin said, adding that Moscow had already transferred to Belarus a number of Iskander tactical missile systems that can launch nuclear weapons. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, nuclear weapons were deployed in the four newly-independent states of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

☆ Fossil fuels are the new nukes: Pacific island nations at risk from rising sea levels support a nonproliferation treaty for oil and gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Leaders from Pacific island nations at risk from the climate crisis gathered last week in Vanuatu. The nations of Vanuatu and Tuvalu support a treaty to limit fossil-fuel use. Public and private financing for fossil fuels is also still greater than investment in climate adaptation and mitigation. Developing countries need financing to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Berman said. "A fossil-fuel treaty could shift the social norm and make expansion unacceptable within foreign policy," Berman said.

SEOUL, March 20 (Reuters) - North Korea's presumed use of a silo in its latest missile test was aimed at boosting the speed and reliability of launches, and could be used in future flights of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), analysts said on Monday. "And without launch preparations being detected in advance, you can just press a button." Unlike the KN-23, liquid-fuelled missiles such as North Korea's Hwasong-17 ICBM require time for fuelling. With a silo that can take place underground, out of sight. North Korea typically relies on mobile launchers, but the country's lack of infrastructure could make launches from such trucks challenging, Yang said.

☆ 3D printer company to pay U.S. up to $27 mln for violating export curbs to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - 3D Systems Corp on Monday agreed to pay up to $27 million to settle with the U.S. for illegally exporting to China controlled design drawings for military electronics and spacecraft, among other violations. Besides the Commerce Department, the company also settled with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State. The Commerce Department penalty is for $2.8 million. In addition to the aerospace documents, the Commerce Department said, 3D Systems exported metal alloy powder to China without a license, although it is restricted for national security and nuclear nonproliferation reasons. "The company is pleased to have reached a settlement with the agencies and remains committed to continuing to enhance its export controls program," 3D Systems said in a statement.

☆ Putin wanted to boast about Russia launching a nuclear-capable ICBM — but the launch failed so he couldn't, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A recent Russian test launch of its Sarmat missile appears to have failed, two US officials told CNN. But Putin didn't mention the Sarmat launch in his annual speech, his first since invading Ukraine. The Kremlin tipped off the US in advance about the planned test launch using deconfliction channels, one of the unnamed officials told the outlet. Footage from a prior Sarmat test launch. Russia's most recent notable test launch of the Sarmat missile was in April, just after its invasion of Ukraine began.

☆ Analysis: How North Korea could use a Pacific 'firing range' to perfect its missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on Monday, after firing a massive Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Saturday. So far North Korea has fired three variants of the Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. "As soon as it is out of range, or if it crosses below the horizon, North Korea will be blind." Schiller said he is not aware of any tracking vessels that North Korea positions along the flight path, and for now it doesn't have data relay satellites. If those two conditions are met, then North Korea will have fully demonstrated its deterrence capability against the United States, he said.

WASHINGTON/PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - For nearly two years the United States has tried and failed to negotiate a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal yet Washington and its European allies refuse to close the door to diplomacy. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under which Tehran reined in its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. A U.S. intelligence estimate disclosed in late 2007 assessed with high confidence that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons until the fall of 2003, when it halted the weapons work. "We will continue with the pressure while keeping the door open for a return to diplomacy," U.S. special envoy for Iran Robert Malley told reporters in Paris last month, adding that if Iran crossed "a new threshold in its nuclear program, obviously the response will be different." Even if the 2015 nuclear deal cannot be resurrected, the senior Biden administration official said other diplomatic solutions might be possible.

☆ What could GOP control of the House mean for U.S.-China tensions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

McCarthy also says he plans to create a House select committee on China, the first since the late 1990s. House Republicans will also investigate the origins of the coronavirus and “the CCP’s role in the spread,” the blog post said, although it is unclear whether that investigation would be part of the select committee. Tensions were further inflamed in August by Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, the first by a sitting U.S. House speaker since 1997. The most volatile issue in U.S.-China relations is the status of Taiwan, which Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 3, 2022.

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