U.S., South Korea Begin War Games, Angering North Korea — L.A. Times

Pyongyang criticizes the annual exercises as ‘adventurous saber-rattling.’ The drills, known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, will last 11 days and involve tens of thousands of troops.

Reporting from Seoul – U.S.

From The New York Times:

Every four years the White House issues a “nuclear posture review.” That may sound like an anachronism.

North Korea Refuses To Abandon Nukes — CNN

(CNN) — North Korea vowed Friday not to dismantle its nuclear program — not even in exchange for economic aid — as long as the United States continues a “hostile policy.”

“It was none other than the U.S.

The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has finally shot down a moving missile with an airborne laser – but military experts say the system is not good enough for combat.

A liquid-fuelled rocket – thought to be a Scud-B, similar to those being developed by Iran and North Korea – was fired from a ship off the coast California on 11 February.

Within the next 20 seconds, the “airborne laser testbed” onboard a modified Boeing 747 locked-on to it with two low-powered tracking lasers, then a laser beam of several megawatts, to heat-damage the missile’s skin.

North Korea has celebrated the 68th birthday of Kim Jong-il, the country’s “Dear Leader” with an extravagant display of gun salutes, swimming displays and flower parades.

The celebrations took place at a time of enormous uncertainty in North Korea. Kim is in poor health and economic problems sparked the first protests the state has seen.

A move to revalue the currency last year, knocking two zeroes off the end of each bank note, apparently caused civil unrest in some parts of the country, especially following the poor harvest.

Read more ….

Kim Jong-il birthday overshadowed by health and economic fears — The Guardian
Kim Jong Il Birthday Marked with Signs of Diplomacy — Voice of America
Kim Jong-il absent at birthday celebrations — Euronews
N.Korea hails ‘brilliant’ Kim on his 68th birthday — AFP
North Korea Celebrates Amid Internal Strife — Wall Street Journal
Economy dogs North Korea’s “brilliant” Kim on birthday — Reuters
Kim Jong-il birthday is all about North Korea’s succession — Christian Science Monitor
North Korea to Get $10B Cash Infusion, Report Says — Global Security Newswire
China arranging foreign investment deal for N.Korea: report — AFP
North Korea: secrets and lies — The Telegraph
Happy Birthday Kim Jong IL — Rick Moran, American Thinker