S Korea diverts jets over threats

Two airlines in South Korea are to re-route flights after North Korea said it could no longer guarantee their safety.

The North’s threat follows its warnings that a US-South Korean military exercise, due to take place next week, could trigger a military clash.

North Korea has long described such exercises as provocative but tensions between the two Koreas are now high.

About 30 international flights a day usually pass through North Korean airspace to and from the South.

This year North Korea raised objections to the annual exercises at a rare meeting between its generals and the US-led United Nations command in the South.

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This article was originally posted on BBC News

Obama Sets Iraq Pullout for August 2010

President Barack Obama confirmed his plans for the “responsible removal” of U.S. troops from Iraq, and laid out a vision for continued diplomatic engagement to help the country sustain its fledgling democracy.

Obama, addressing Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, took a significant step toward fulfilling his promise to end the war in Iraq, announcing that combat troops will leave the country by the end of August 2010.

Under Obama’s plan, which drew support Thursday from his former Republican rival Sen. John McCain, as many as 50,000 troops would remain in Iraq into 2011 to train Iraqi security forces, protect civilian personnel and conduct counter-terror operations.

This article was originally posted on The Wall Street Journal. [Link to original article]