SEOUL: North Korea said Tuesday it had successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile -- a watershed moment in its push to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the mainland United States. The rocket was "a very powerful ICBM that can strike any place in the world", the announcer said, and "a major breakthrough in the history of our republic". Beijing called for "restraint", and hit back at Trump's Tweet, saying it had made "relentless efforts" on North Korea. There has also been anger in the United States over the death of Otto Warmbier, an American student detained in North Korea for around 18 months before he was returned home in a coma in June. Trump has been pinning his hopes on China -- North Korea's main diplomatic ally -- to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang.

Source: New Strait Times July 04, 2017 08:15 UTC