North Korea closer to being able to send a nuclear-tipped missile to the U.S.
North Korea has taken a step toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the mainland United States, analysts said Friday after Kim Jong Un ordered another nuclear test. Since early 2014, Pyongyang has also noticeably stepped up its missile testing, launching a variety of vehicles, including some long-range missiles. It is impossible to verify North Korea’s claim to have mastered the technology to fit warheads to missiles, as that proof would only come with a test. And Pyongyang does have a habit of exaggerating its abilities – with its claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb in January immediately dismissed as fanciful.
Wells Fargo Fined $185 Million for Fraudulently Opening Accounts
Wells Fargo employees secretly issued credit cards without a customer’s consent. They created fake email accounts to sign up customers for online banking services. They set up sham accounts that customers learned about only after they started accumulating fees. On Thursday, these illegal banking practices cost Wells Fargo $185 million in fines, including a $100 million penalty from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the largest such penalty the agency has issued. Federal banking regulators said the practices, which date back to 2011, reflected serious flaws in the internal culture and oversight at Wells Fargo, one of the nation’s largest banks.
Hanjin Shipping to Pay Handlers to Unload U.S.-Bound Ships
A lawyer for Hanjin Shipping Co. said Friday that a South Korean court has authorized the company to pay to unload some U.S.-bound ships carrying cargo that has been stranded at sea since the shipping giant filed for bankruptcy last week. During a hearing Friday morning, Hanjin bankruptcy lawyer Ilana Volkov told Judge John Sherwood of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newark, N.J., that the company now has the funding and legal permission necessary to offload four ships bound for U.S. ports.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/hanjin-shipping-to-pay-handlers-to-unload-u-s-bound-ships-1473436745
Judge Rules That Construction Can Proceed On Dakota Access Pipeline
A federal judge has denied a Native American tribe’s request that sought to temporarily stop construction on the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, set to carry crude oil across four states. Immediately after the ruling, three federal agencies announced a halt to work in one area sensitive to the tribe. The Dakota Access Pipeline route crosses under the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The tribe says this puts its drinking water and sacred lands at risk. Outrage over the pipeline has galvanized Native American tribes and environmentalists across the U.S.
US beekeepers fear for livelihoods as anti-Zika toxin kills 2.5m bees
South Carolina beekeepers found millions of dead honey bees carpeting their apiaries, killed by an insecticide. Video showed thousands of dead insects heaped around hives, while a few survivors struggled to move the bodies of fellow bees. Around the US, bees and other pollinators contribute an estimated $29bn to farm income. The program head, Dr Mike Weyman, said that though South Carolina has strict rules about protecting pollinators, county officials were using the neurotoxin, Naled, under a clause exempting them in a “clear and public health crisis”. More than three dozen people have tested positive for Zika in South Carolina.
