N. Korean Ship Reverses Course

Freed Burmese opposition leader talks with Washington Post

(NEWSER) - Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi sat down with the Washington Post this week to discuss her hopes for political change in Burma. Now a free citizen, a political star, and a registered candidate for parliamentary elections , Suu Kyi spoke in the same living room where she endured house arrest for 15 years:

• On President Thein Sein: "I believe he sincerely wants reform. But he is not the only one in government. Our present constitution gives the military far too much power."

Tiny 'Switchblade' unit already has seen use on land by Army

(NEWSER) - It's small enough to be carried in a soldier's backpack—and now, it's heading underwater. The Switchblade kamikaze drone will be test-launched from a Navy submarine next year. The Army already has used what USA Today calls "essentially a self-propelled, remotely guided missile"; now, the Navy is getting ready to fire it in a canister from a submarine to the water's surface. Once there, the drone self-launches to spy on enemy positions from above and relay coordinates. More»

Ship weapons to Iran, Syria, Myanmar

(NEWSER) - North Korea operates a vast global arms and nuclear materials trading network, and two men related by marriage largely control this expanding operation. In announcing economic sanctions yesterday, the Obama administration named Chun Byung-ho and Yun Ho-jin—likely Chun's son-in-law—who have shipped components for nuclear reactors, long-range missiles, and other arms to Iran, Syria, and Myanmar. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the shadowy pair. More»

Pentagon mulls sending USS George Washington

(NEWSER) - The US is considering deploying one of the world's biggest warships to the waters off the Korean peninsula where the sinking of a South Korean warship has raised tensions with the North. The nuclear-powered USS George Washington would be deployed separately from upcoming joint US-South Korean exercises, defense officials say. Sending the colossal ship, which is 244 feet high and home to more than 6,000 crew members, would be seen by the North as an aggressive move because of its sheer size, the AP notes. More»

Shipment violates UN ban on weapons exports from Pyongyang

(NEWSER) - Authorities in the United Arab Emirates today seized a ship carrying weapons from North Korea to Iran, the Financial Times reports—a violation of United Nations resolutions barring Pyongyang from exporting arms. The shipment was headed for a company linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has previously been banned from importing weapons due to concerns over its ties to Islamic terror groups. More»