Report: North Korean rockets may have range to hit US

This month's rocket launch by reclusive North Korea shows it has likely developed the technology, long suspected in the West, to fire a warhead more than 6,200 miles, South Korean officials said Sunday, putting the West Coast of the U.S. within range.
North Korea said the Dec. 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit, but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.
North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N. sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests. The U.N. Security Council condemned the launch.
South Korea retrieved and analyzed parts of the first-stage rocket that dropped in the waters off its coast
"As a result of analyzing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000 km in case the warhead is 500 to 600 kg," a South Korean Defense Ministry official told a news briefing.
North Korea's previous missile tests ended in failure.
North Korea, which denounces the U.S. as the mother of all warmongers on an almost daily basis, has spent decades and scarce resources to try to develop technology capable of striking targets as far away as the U.S. and is working to build a nuclear arsenal.
But experts believe the North is still years away from mastering the technology needed to miniaturize a nuclear bomb to mount on a missile.
South Korean defense officials also said there was no confirmation whether the North had the re-entry technology needed for a payload to survive the heat and vibration without disintegrating.
Despite international condemnation, the launch this month was seen as a major boost domestically to the credibility of the North's young leader, Kim Jong-un, who took over power from his father who died last year.
Apparently encouraged by the euphoria, the fledgling supreme leader called for the development and launching of a variety satellites and "carrier rockets of bigger capacity" at a banquet Friday in Pyongyang which he hosted for those who contributed to the liftoff, according to North Korean state media.
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Police suspect NYC shooting victim was lured into ambush

NEW YORK — Police say the victim of a brazen ambush on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk may have been lured there before the killing.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Tuesday that Brandon Lincoln Woodard was walking back and forth and checking his phone for messages before a gunman walked up and shot him in the head.
Kelly said security video indicates the unidentified shooter had been waiting in a car parked on the same block at least a half hour before the gunfire erupted. The car fled the scene and was last seen going through the Lincoln Tunnel toward New Jersey.
Authorities say Woodard, 31, had prior arrests in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
The killing occurred around 2 p.m. on Monday outside the Saint Thomas Choir School, a small boarding school for young boys on a fairly quiet street between busy avenues teeming with tourists and shoppers.
The gunman, wearing a dark coat with a dark hood and khaki pants, came up behind Woodard, of Los Angeles, and fired what appeared to be a silver semi-automatic pistol, striking him once, police spokesman Paul Browne said. No motive had been revealed.
Security guard Jose Villafane, at work across the street from the school, between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, said he didn't even realize at first what he had heard.
"I'm thinking it was a tire popping," he said.
Video: Jose Villafane recounts what he witnessed
Villafane, who's from Brooklyn, said he then saw the man on the ground across the street, blood on his face, and saw people trying to get him some help.
Another man, an onlooker, banged on the door of a nearby fire station, and a woman who ran down the street appeared to get into the ambulance with the victim, Villafane said.
It's believed that the shooter and the getaway driver may have been in the neighborhood, just blocks from Central Park and Columbus Circle, for some time. They escaped in a light grey or silver Lincoln sedan.
The killing occurred on a nondescript, unassuming block of West 58th Street, with construction scaffolding, a piano store and an apartment building at the corner. The site is near the Time Warner Center, two connected skyscrapers that have appeared in numerous movies and television shows.
There was no known connection to the school, Browne said.
None of the 38 boys studying at the school witnessed the shooting because they were at a church rehearsing, school receptionist Allie Roma said.
"We didn't hear the gunshots, but we saw the flashing lights," Roma said.
Roma said to her it appeared the man had been shot in the face.
"The body was on the sidewalk," Roma said by telephone before she was interrupted by someone who told her to hang up, which she did.
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Aussies sorry for crank call to Kate's hospital

"We were very surprised that our call was put through. We thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents," two Australian radio personalities said of their crank call to Duchess Kate's hospital. LONDON — Two Australian radio disc jockeys apologized Wednesday after impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in a prank call and getting a London hospital to tell them all about Kate Middleton's condition. The King Edward VII hospital in London acknowledged that the Australian radio station made the hoax call to the hospital in the early hours Tuesday — and that the hospital fell for it. The 30-year-old Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant and is being treated at the hospital for severe morning sickness. A woman using the often-mimicked voice of Britain's monarch asked after the duchess' health — and was told by a nurse that Kate "hasn't had any retching with me and she's been sleeping on and off." "She's sleeping at the moment and she has had an uneventful night. She's been given some fluids. She's stable at the moment," the kindly nurse informed the supposed queen and prince on the station's recording. A dog yaps in the background while the alleged queen and prince talk about traveling to the hospital to check in on the patient. "I would suggest that any time after 9 o'clock will be suitable to visit," the nurse said. "We'll be getting her freshened up." The duchess is married to the queen's grandson, Prince William. The hospital says the call had been transferred to the ward and the conversation was held with one of its nursing staff. Its telephone protocols are now being reviewed, the hospital said in a statement. The Australian station 2DayFM placed the recording of the conversation on its website. michael kors bags cheap Australian radio personalities Mel Greig and Michael Christian later apologized for the hoax — along with their station. "We were very surprised that our call was put through. We thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents," they said in a joint statement with the station. "We're very sorry if we've caused any issues and we're glad to hear that Kate is doing well." discount michael kors handbags The duchess is spending her third day in the hospital. William visited his wife at the hospital on Wednesday, while media from around the world camped outside, seeking any news on the royal pregnancy. Officials from St. James's Palace have said the duchess is not yet 12 weeks pregnant with the couple's first child. michael kors totes outlet

This week, the United Nations General Assembly voted to recognize the Palestinian Authority as a “non-member observer state.” The vote came a year after the General Assembly denied the Palestinian Authority full membership. There was excitement at the UN’s headquarters in New York on Thursday as the voting came to an end. “The voting has been completed. Please lock the machines…(applause).” One hundred thirty-eight UN members voted for the resolution. Nine nations were opposed. Forty-one others chose not to vote. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the assembly before the vote. He said the Palestinian people would not accept anything less than an independent Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. “We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a state established years ago, and that is Israel. Rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of a state that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine.” He added that supporters of the resolution are showing what he called their “principled and moral support for freedom and the rights of peoples and international law and peace.” The United States, Israel and seven other countries opposed the measure. American Ambassador Susan Rice spoke after the vote. “Today's grand pronouncements will soon fade. And the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed, save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded.” The Israeli government denounced the UN decision. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the assembly vote as meaningless. Israel’s UN ambassador, Ron Prosor, said the new status will not help the peace process. Yet some Palestinians say they hope the move will lead to new peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Talks between the two sides were last held in September of twenty ten. The negotiations stopped when Israel refused to extend its ban on new settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory. michael kors bags cheap Being a non-member observer state gives the Palestinian Authority the right to seek the help of United Nations agencies. For example, the Palestinian Authority could ask the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli actions in Palestinian territories. There was great celebration in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the General Assembly vote. Palestinians cheered, saying the vote added support to their claim of statehood. However, the cheers could soon disappear if critics of the resolution take new economic or political action against the Palestinians. MK Satchel On Thursday, some American Senators threatened to halt aid to the UN if the Palestinian Authority uses its non-member status to bring cases against Israel to the International Criminal Court. Separately, Israel could hold back tax money it collects and passes along to the Palestinian Authority. Israel could also decide to expand Jewish settlements in Arab areas. michael kors totes outlet