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Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee, reported Tuesday (Wednesday local time) that North Korea’s Academy of National Defense Science “conducted a test launch of the newly developed hypersonic missile ‘Hwasong-8’” in Toyang-ni, Ryongrim County, Chagang Province. Hypersonic speeds reach or exceed Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, and glide vehicles offer enhanced maneuverability that would mark yet another advancement for nuclear-armed North Korea’s growing arsenal of weapons the country argues were purely deterrence purposes....

The test marked the North Korea’s most significant weapon launch in years, flying about 497 miles and reaching a maximum altitude of 1,242 miles before landing in waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said that the test was meant to check the accuracy of the Hwasong-12 missile. But the launch could foreshadow future incitements or threats via nuclear and long-range missile tests by North Korea aimed at spurring the U....

Park Sang-hak, head of a group of defectors called Fighters for a Free North Korea, had his office raided by South Korean police for violating a new law that makes it illegal to send such propaganda across the border. Park, along with other activists, has been doing such activities along the South Korean border for years. On Thursday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police said the raid was made in connection with Park’s announcement that his group had launched hot air balloons carrying 500,000 leaflets, 5,000 one-dollar bills and 500 anti-North booklets across the border last month....

However, poker players who were enjoying a very late-night (3:20am) game at the Napa Valley Casino wound up playing out a hand that was interrupted by the natural disaster. MORE: Negreanu back to No. 2 on GPI World Rankings | Poker players go all-in in ALS Ice Bucket Challenge | WSOP November Nine set Poker player, Sunshine Hamilton, who was competing at one of the tables in the casino when the quake hit, said that her “legs were shaking” after the event occurred....

The FedEx Cup — used to determine playing privileges for the ensuing PGA Tour season — is open to the top 125 players entering the Northern Trust event; those numbers will be whittled down to 70 and 30 players for the BMW and Tour championships, respectively. Justin Thomas, who has three wins on the season and four top-10 finishes in his last seven starts, holds a commanding lead in the standings with 2,458 points....

James Montgomery III achieved all of that. He is a senior mechanical engineering major, a 6-4 guard from Santa Monica High School in Southern California. In two seasons with the Wildcats, he has scored a combined 17 points. He has watched about as many games as he has played. In his first season under coach Chris Collins, however, Montgomery created such an impression Collins was moved to award him a full scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year....

The 15-month U.S. mission in Somalia may not have accomplished much else, but it transformed Aidid from an obscure warlord into an international figure. Aidid eluded a five-month manhunt by U.S.-led forces, galvanizing supporters, before the United Nations lifted an arrest warrant in November. The first signs of his new stature came in December, when a U.S. Army plane flew him from Mogadishu to peace talks with other Somali factions in Addis Ababa....

As a cautionary tale, look no farther than Britain. Before 9/11, in response to fears of IRA terrorism, Britain wired itself up with so many surveillance cameras that it now resembles the set of the movie “The Truman Show.” Instead of being perceived as an Orwellian intrusion, the cameras have proved extremely popular. Yet, though they were initially justified as a way of combating terrorism, the cameras have come to be used for very different purposes: 700 cameras now record the license plate of every car that enters central London during peak hours to confirm that drivers have paid a traffic-abatement tax....

With four players banned from workouts during the university investigation, players took the field at Notre Dame Stadium become faculty and family members, according to the South Bend Tribune. Coach Brian Kelly met the media after the workout. He said he will be not be involved in the investigation, is concerned about the four banished players and is focused on preparation for the Fighting Irish opener. “Really, now, it’s about football matters,” Kelly said, according to Rachel Terlep of the Elkhart (Ind....

He dribbled above the 3-point line as the shot clock lapsed. Did he really need to use it all? Of course not. Notre Dame was ahead by so much he could have handed the ball to WSU’s Tekele Cotton and invited him to take off for one last spectacular dunk. But using it all was the economical thing to do. It was the point guard’s play. And so he did....

The third-seeded Irish trailed for only 12 seconds in an 81-70 victory over Wichita State (30-5) in Cleveland. It’s the third time in school history Notre Dame (32-5) has made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. MORE: Irish star paves way | Live bracket | PHOTOS: Sweet 16 gallery Notre Dame shot 55.6 percent (30-for-54) from the field and had four starters in double figures, led by Demetrius Jackson’s 20 points (7-of-10 field goals), four rebounds and three assists....

The Line: USC -7, Total: 63 Line movement: Around Las Vegas, USC opened up as a 7-point favorite in almost every sports book. Treasure Island and Wynn were outliers, starting out USC at -6.5. That number moved up to -7 at the Wynn. For updated spreads and totals, visit our live odds page. Trends that matter: Notre Dame is 0-4 ATS in its last four games overall. USC is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 home games but 3-8 ATS in its last 11 non-conference games....

The bill is anchored in a common-sense notion: If we increase competition in the exploding area of communications we can encourage both low rates for consumers and creative new approaches to these businesses. In its most dramatic flourish, the bill releases a slew of 800-pound gorillas from the various cages in which they were impounded. Until now huge segments of the telecom world labored under close restrictions, in effect creating protected marketplaces....

Why did this unlikely mix of businessmen, mothers, students and computer jocks (the group earned much of its income as Web-page designers) eat a phenobarbital pudding, put plastic bags over their heads and die? To reach the Next Level, yes. But also, perhaps, to reach Earthlings. “They are laughing,” one former Heaven’s Gate member told NEWSWEEK. “They really wanted the whole world to know this information but couldn’t get it out....

He may not have long to wait. Last week, giant AT&T announced a new offensive: by paying a flat fee of just $5.95 a month, customers can make long-distance calls round the clock for seven cents per minute. AT&T’s move comes a month after rivals MCI/WorldCom and Sprint began letting customers yak on nights and weekends for just a nickel. Long-distance rates have been falling since the Feds busted up the phone monopoly in 1984, but deep cuts still win business: by last week more than a million customers had signed up for one of the three new plans....

But new reports from The Washington Post seem to contradict Trump’s outward support of gun reform as the president reportedly spoke with National Rifle Association chief executive Wayne LaPierre a number of times this week after the shootings. Anonymous officials told The Post that during the Tuesday call,LaPierre warned the president that background check legislation would hurt his popularity with the Republican base and urged him to reconsider his position....

In the wake of what had been one the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, the NRA’s senior leaders—including lobbyist Marion Hammer and executive vice president Wayne LaPierre—held a conference call to discuss whether they would still hold the organization’s annual convention in Denver. Recordings of those private meetings revealed Hammer and LaPierre mocking some of the NRA’s more activist members, who the organization worried would be the only ones showing up in the aftermath of the shooting....

Putin began his invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and many expected Russia’s military to quickly squash Ukrainian resistance. But on March 13, Viktor Zolotov, the head of Russia’s National Guard, publicly acknowledged that “not everything is going as fast as we would like.” Weeks later, Russia suffered significant setbacks, including a retreat from Kyiv, in an embarrassing turn of events for Putin. “Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” CIA Director William Burns said on Thursday during a speech at Georgia Tech....

Martin, a Quaker, came up with the idea several years ago. He wanted a family-friendly Garden of Eden free of what he considers the rampant lasciviousness (nude dancing, alcohol) of other nudist resorts. Last July he found a dream investor by taking out an advertisement in… The Wall Street Journal. Martin faces a few obstacles, though. The site is rife with refuse, and some nearby homeowners oppose his plans. He also hasn’t exactly gotten ringing endorsements from some Christians....

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) During the broadcast, the two announcers insinuated that the only Rivers received a huge contract was because his father was coach of the Clippers at the time, and after that they mocked Campazzo by trying to imitate an Argentinian accent. Rivers hit back via a comment on an Instagram post. “His comments on myself and Facu were beyond disrespectful....