US has become the first country to terminate anti-satellite missile tests on Tuesday and encourage other nations to follow its lead

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea on Tuesday, with South Korea’s military warning the second such weapons test in less than a week showed clear signs of progress.

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, South Korea and Japan said, in the first such launch by Pyongyang this year.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said two ballistic missiles had been fired, also calling the launch “very regrettable”.

Developing the hypersonic missile was one of five “top priority” tasks in the five-year plan for strategic weapons, KCNA said.

South Korea has been advancing its military capabilities as it seeks to counter the threat posed by the nuclear-armed North.

Kuranov heads the Research and Development Enterprise of Hypersonic Systems based in Russia’s second city of Saint Petersburg.

Iran announced its first arrests over the shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner in Tehran last week, after a third night of angry protests over the disaster.

Iran dismissed claims of a ‘cover-up’ after taking days to reveal an airliner was accidentally shot down last week – a disaster that sparked demonstrations and calls for an investigation.