South Korea's Defence Ministry

The ministry provided few details of the launch, which comes as the two Koreas trade threats amid Pyongyang's anger over annual South Korean-US military drills that North Korea calls a rehearsal for an invasion.

Leader Kim Jong Un is also preparing for a major ruling party meeting next month that analysts believe he will use to further solidify his autocratic rule. The North has fired a slew of missiles and artillery shells into the sea in an apparent protest against the drills. The Defence Ministry said it wasn't immediately known whether the missile fired today morning was a short-range or mid-range missile.

The North's launch came amid speculation in the South that its rival was preparing to test a medium-range missile with a range of 3,500 kilometres enough to reach US military installments in Japan and Guam. Foreign experts have nicknamed the missile "Musudan" after the village in the northeast where North Korea has a Launchpad.

Today is the birthday anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather and the nation's founder. North Korea has occasionally used such celebrations to stage nuclear or missile tests that outsiders consider provocations.

 

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Modi arrives in Saudi Arabia on two-day visit

kingdom as both countries are set to firm up a raft of pacts to bolster their strategic partnership besides exploring ways to enhance security and counter-terror cooperation.

          Combating threat of terrorism and radicalisation are expected to figure high on the agenda of the talks between Modi and the leadership of Saudi Arabia, a country known as spiritual home of Islam which recently has formed a ajorcoallition of 34 Muslim nations to fight terror, particularly the ISIS.

          India's ties with Saudi Arabia, one of the world's leading oil producers, have been on an upswing over the last  two decades based on burgeoning energy ties and both countries may look to move beyond buyer-seller relationship in the sector and go for joint ventures and investment in refineries and oil fields.

          In this context, Modi may seek deeper  involvement of  Indian companies in upstream and downstream oil and gas sector projects in the Gulf nation whose economy has been hit due to falling crude prices, cut in oil exports and slowing down of  domestic consumption.

    

The Prime Minister will hold extensive talks with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on range of bilateral issues tomorrow following which both sides will sign a number of  MoUs. Separately, he will also meet Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin  Naif and Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

          The Prime Minister arrived here from Washinton on the final leg of his three-nation tour that began on March 30 with a visit to Brussels.Security and counter-terror cooperation between India and Saudi had gotten a boost after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here six years back during which both countries had elevated their ties to the strategic partnership level.The security cooperation has been improving since then.

Saudi Arabia has close ties with Islamabad and the India may raise the issue of Pakistan-based terror groups carrying  out attacks on it. Modi had visited United Arab Emirates,another close ally of Pakistan, in August and both sides, in a joint statement, had called on all states to abandon use of  terror against other countries which was seen as a message to Islamabad.

  Modi and his delegation are staying at the majestic King Saud Guest Palace at the heart of the city. He is the fourth Indian Prime Minister to visit Saudi Arabia after Manmohan Singh in 2010, Indira Gandhi in 1982 and Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956.

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