North Korea test-fired three ballistic missiles on Tuesday, in further defiance of the international community and in apparent reaction to the planned deployment of a U.S. defence system in the South.The launches drew swift condemnation from the United States and Japan, who vowed a coordinated response to Pyongyang’s repeated violations of U.N. sanctions that bar it from weapons tests.

They come as North Korea’s isolation deepens after it said this month it was severing all diplomatic channels with the US.
Two SCUD missiles flew between 500 and 600 kilometres (310-370 miles) into the Sea of Japan, while a third, believed to beRodong intermediate range ballistic missile, was fired about an hour later.The trajectory of the Rodong missile was still being analysed, spokesman Jeon Ha-Kyu of Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The SCUD missiles’ range is such that they could strike anywhere within South Korea, the military said, adding that the latest tests were presumed to be linked to the North’s recent threats.Pyongyang last week said it would take “physical action” after Washington and Seoul announced the deployment of a sophisticated U.S. anti-missile defence system.

The announcement of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, was prompted by a series of missile launches this year that analysts say demonstrate that the North is making progress toward being able to strike the US mainland.Another military source said that the SCUD missiles would likely be Pyongyang’s weapon of choice if it were to target places like Seongju, where the THAAD system will be deployed.

“We strongly condemn this and North Korea’s other recent missile tests, which violate UN Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s launches using ballistic missile technology,” Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross said.”We intend to raise our concerns at the UN to bolster international resolve in holding the DPRK [North Korea] accountable for these provocative actions,” Mr. Ross said.

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said the latest launches “compromise peace and safety of the region, including Japan”.”The Japanese government will strengthen cooperation with related countries, namely the United States and South Korea, and strongly urges North Korea to exercise self-restraint, while preparing for any contingencies,” he said.

Melania Trump’s well-received speech on Monday to the Republican National Convention contained two passages that match nearly word-for-word the speech that first lady Michelle Obama delivered in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention.

The passages in question focus on lessons that Mrs. Trump, the wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said she learned from her parents and the relevance of their lessons in her experience as a mother. They came near the beginning of her roughly 10-minute speech, which was otherwise distinct from the address that Mrs. Obama gave when her husband, then-Sen. Barack Obama, was being nominated for President.

The similarities

In Mrs. Trump’s speech in Cleveland, she said: “From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect. They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily life.”

In Mrs. Obama’s 2008 speech in Denver, she said: “And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, that you do what you say you’re going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them and even if you don’t agree with them.”

Another passage with notable similarities that follows two sentences later in Mrs. Trump’s speech addresses her attempts to instil those values in her son.“We need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow,” Mrs. Trump said. “Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

In the first lady’s 2008 speech, she said, “Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values and to pass them onto the next generation, because we want our children and all children in this nation to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them.”White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for a comment.