Asia in 3 minutes: from Kim Jong-un’s nuclear leap forward to Indian tycoon’s ‘free’ phone network
North Korea tests nuclear weapon, claiming big technological advance
North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Friday, and claimed to have successfully mounted a warhead onto a strategic ballistic missile for the first time. The US Geological Survey reported a 5.3 seismic event at a depth of 0km in the vicinity of the Punggye-ri test site. Friday’s explosion coincided with the 68th anniversary of the country’s founding on September 9.
What next? Diplomacy has so far failed to stop North Korea’s progress. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear programme in exchange for aid were last held in late 2008 and fell apart in early 2009. North Korea blames the United States and South Korea for its nuclear programme, claiming long-running hostility from Washington and Seoul makes the development crucial for the small country’s survival.
Islamic State targets Australian landmarks
Australia’s government insisted it took the latest terror threat from Islamic State seriously after the group urged supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks on specific neighbourhoods and landmarks. IS’ propaganda magazine Rumiyah,released online, called for attacks on the streets of Brunswick and Broadmeadows in Melbourne, and Bondi in Sydney. In response, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insisted his government would not take the threats lightly. He said: “The capacity of Daesh (another name for IS), of course, is much less than they proclaim it to be but we do have to be very alert to the actions of these lone actors.”
What next? Australia’s minister for counterterrorism, Michael Keenan, was quick to seize on the latest threat as justification for increased powers for security agencies. “We are living in a security environment that is worse than it used to be two years before, but we do have agencies that we’ve given powers to, that we’ve given resources to, that are capable of protecting us,” he said.