Skip to main content

3.5-magnitude quake rattles N. Korea near nuclear test site

3.5-magnitude quake rattles N. Korea near nuclear test site

3.5-magnitude quake rattles N. Korea near nuclear test site
BEIJING: A shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake hit North Korea near the country´s nuclear test site Saturday, US seismologists said, in what China´s seismic service said was a "suspected explosion", but Seoul deemed a "natural earthquake".
The earthquake came after days of increasingly bellicose rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un´s regime over Pyongyang´s nuclear ambitions raised international alarm.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck around 20 kilometres (12 miles) away from the North´s nuclear test site, where earlier this month it detonated its sixth and largest device, which it claimed to be a hydrogen bomb capable of being launched onto a missile.
"This event occurred in the area of the previous North Korean Nuclear tests. We cannot conclusively confirm at this time the nature (natural or human-made) of the event. The depth is poorly constrained and has been held to 5 km by the seismologist," USGS said in a statement. 
Regional experts differed on their analysis of the tremor, with China´s China Earthquake Network Centre (CENC) service calling it a "suspected explosion", while Seoul´s Korea Meteorological Agency (KMA) judged it a "natural quake".
"There is no possibility that this could be an artificial quake," Yonhap news agency quoted a KMA official as saying.
The North´s last test, on September 3, was the country´s most powerful detonation, triggering a much stronger 6.3-magnitude quake that was felt across the border in China.
A second tremor soon after that test was possibly caused by a "cave-in", CENC said at the time. 
The move prompted global condemnation, leading the UN Security Council to unanimously adopt new sanctions that include restrictions on oil shipments.
- War of words -
This week marked a new level of acrimony in a blistering war of words between Kim and Trump, with the US leader using his maiden speech at the United Nations to warn that Washington would "totally destroy" the North if the US or its allies were threatened.
The North, which says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against the threat of invasion by a hostile US, responded on Friday with a rare personal rebuke from Kim, who called Trump "mentally deranged" and a "dotard" and threatened the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history".
Washington announced tougher restrictions Friday aimed at curbing North Korea´s nuclear and ballistic missile programme, building on tough new United Nations sanctions aimed at choking Pyongyang of cash.
Russia and China have both appealed for an end to the escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang. 
But on the fringes of the UN meeting this week, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho upped the tensions further, telling reporters Pyongyang might now consider detonating a hydrogen bomb outside its territory.
Monitoring groups estimate that the nuclear test conducted in North Korea earlier this month had a yield of 250 kilotons, which is 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
Hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, are thermonuclear weapons far more powerful than ordinary fission-based atomic bombs, and use a nuclear blast to generate the intense temperatures required for fusion to take place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unique home that sits on US-Canada border

Unique home that sits on US-Canada border TORONTO: Selling a home in two countries is proving to be a challenge for the owners as it requires security clearance from both Canada and the United States. A 1782 fixer-upper with thick granite walls, 1950s decor, and armed 24-hour security provided by both two big countries are one of the major attractions for the buyers. The almost 7,000-square-foot house, cut into five currently vacant apartments, is on a lot of less than a quarter-acre that, along with the building itself, straddles the border between Beebe Plain, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec. The structure that has an estimated rebuild cost of about $600,000, is on the market for $109,000. It's structurally sound but needs lots of work. An inside view shows tape on the floor upstairs to indicate which side belongs to Canada and the United States. The house was originally built by a merchant in order to facilitate sales to farmers in both Vermont and Quebec. It ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Here is why PM Abbasi won’t go skydiving

Here is why PM Abbasi won’t go  skydiving   NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says he was fond of skydiving but now he is too old to undertake the adventure.  Prime Minister who is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly gave his first international media interview to the CNN. The interview was primarily based on Pakistan and US strained relations; however it ended on a rather amusing note when PM was asked about his interest in skydiving. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told that he is a pilot and stayed in the profession for over 40 years. PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi sitting in the rear cockpit of F-16 aircraft in full flying gear The prime minister talked about his love for adventures and skydiving in particular. Asked whether he would want to do it in future holidays or not, the premier answered that he has become old for this adventure. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who also owns a private airline ‘Air Blue’, become the prime...
Post a Comment
Read more

Baloch nationalist leader Ghazeen Marri ends self exile, arrested in Quetta

Baloch nationalist leader Ghazeen Marri ends self exile, arrested in Quetta QUETTA: Baloch nationalist leader Nawabzada Ghazeen Marri was arrested from Quetta Airport as he arrived in  Pakistan ending his 17  self-exile. Ghazeen Marri, son of veteran Baloch nationalist leader Kharbakhsh Marri, returned home from the United Arab Emirates through private airline and was taken into custody at the airport upon his arrival. Balochistan Home Minister  Sarfaraz Bugti dispelled the notion that the return of Nawabzada Ghadeen Marri was part of any deal, saying the Baloch leader would be presented before a court to get remand.  According to police officials, Marri was arrested in the murder case of Justice Nawaz Marri who was killed on January 7, 2000. Strict security arrangements were made in the provincial capital ahead of his arrival. Arbab Tahir, lawyer for Ghazeen Marri, termed the arrest as illegal since  his client was granted protective bai...
Post a Comment
Read more