North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday shortly after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that failure to curb Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes could lead to "catastrophic consequences". US and South Korean officials said the test, from an area north of the North Korean capital, appeared to have failed, in what would be the North's fourth straight unsuccessful missile test since March. In a commentary on Saturday, China's official Xinhua news agency said both North Korea and the United States needed to tread cautiously. "I urged Russia to play a constructive role in dealing with North Korea," Abe told reporters in London. North Korea rattled world powers in February when it successfully launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that it said could carry a nuclear weapon.

Source: The Star April 29, 2017 23:37 UTC