Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 29 November. Top stories North Korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile, according to reports citing South Korean military chiefs who say Pyongyang has conducted its first launch since it fired a missile over Japan in September. The BBC has reported that the Pentagon is still assessing the "probable" launch, which took place at approximately 3.30am local time. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the missile flew to the east of the country and the the South Korean military are analysing details of the launch with the US. The launch comes shortly after news agency Reuters reported that US government experts believed North Korea was poised to conduct a new missile test. It also follows several weeks of seeming de-escalation between the US and North Korea, after tensions reached boiling point in September when the rogue regime fired two ballistic missiles over Japanese territory in a fortnight. The September launch was understood to be an apparent show of defiance, days after the UN security council approved a new round of sanctions against the regime. Flight data shows the missile travelled higher and further than the one involved in the 29 August flyover of Japan, suggesting the regime is continuing to make advances in its missile and nuclear weapons programs.
Dozens of "source" reefs have been identified that could form a life support system for the Great Barrier Reef, helping to repair damage caused by bleaching, starfish and other disturbances. A new study has discovered 112 reefs that had "ideal properties" to facilitate recovery by spreading fertilised eggs to replenish other areas. "Finding these 100 reefs is a little like revealing the cardiovascular system of the Great Barrier Reef," said the University of Queensland's Prof Peter Mumby. "It gives us a bit more hope that the capacity for the barrier reef to heal itself is greater than we expected." However, other experts questioned whether the system would be enough to heal devastated areas, particularly in the north, and ensure the tourist hotspot's long-term viability. Pope Francis has failed to mention the plight of Rohingya in his speech during a visit to Myanmar, an omission that has been criticised by human rights groups. Speaking in the capital, Naypyitaw, the pontiff said the country was suffering from civil conflict and hostilities "that have lasted all too long and created deep divisions" and people needed to "respect the rights of all who call this land their home". The Pope's visit was viewed as extremely delicate, and it was feared that violent protests could erupt if he so much as mentioned the 620,000 Rohingya from Rakhine state who have fled to Bangladesh after a military crackdown that the UN, US and UK have described as ethnic cleansing. Mayyu Ali, a Rohingya refugee said: "If he avoids speaking up for persecuted Rohingya during his visit to our country, it would be something like he also is a bystander of the suffering we have [had] since decades." Australian companies need to start building scenario-based analyses of climate risks into their business outlooks so shareholders know how climate change will affect profit, a progressive thinktank has said. The Centre for Policy Development's call echoed warnings from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority but it added that companies needed to do so in a standardised way, so investors and regulators could easily understand the risks posed to whole industries. It said Australia's biggest businesses should use the Paris climate agreement as the centrepiece for their scenario planning, saying it provided a credible, long-term anchor for policies that limit global warming to well below 2C. Three people have been killed in opposition rallies a few miles from where Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in for a second five-year term as president of Kenya, in a move few believe will signal the end of political instability in the east African country. The main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, boycotted the election, saying it wouldn't be "free and fair" and called Kenyatta's government "illegitimate". The political turmoil in east Africa's richest and most developed economy was triggered when Kenya's supreme court nullified the first presidential election in August citing irregularities. Kenyatta, a US-educated multimillionaire, said the past few months "have been a trying time" and he called for an end to hate and divisiveness. Kenya is more polarised and divided that at any time since ethnic violence killed more than 1,000 people in 2008, observers say. Sport Ben Stokes is readying himself to make an astonishing England return during the ongoing Ashes series in the event that he is cleared by police after his late-night arrest in Bristol two months ago, with the all-rounder having flown to New Zealand to get match fit in the event he is called up. Our resident football cartoonist, David Squires, muses over Fifa's preparations for the 2018 World Cup and imagines the hard yards being put in by Gianni Infantino and Vladimir Putin to ensure the Cup draw goes off smoothly … Thinking time |
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