North Korea Set to Test Long-Range Missile as Tension Rises in Region

BEIJING - North Korea may be preparing to test-launch its longest-range ballistic missile, a South Korean official said today, just days after Kim Jong-il's regime warned the peninsula was on the brink of war.

Pyongyang last week scrapped its peace accord and other deals with Seoul. Analysts warned that the move increased the risk of a military clash, but suggested the primary motive was to raise pressure on its neighbour and grab the attention of the new administration in the US.

Cuba Renews Demands That the US Hand Over Guantanamo

HAVANA - For more than a century, the United States has controlled the Guantanamo naval base in eastern Cuba for a measly $4,085 in lease fees per year. Cuba has long refused to cash the checks.

Now, with President Barack Obama ordering the prison for terrorism suspects at the base closed within a year, Cuba is renewing demands that the U.S. hand over the entire base.

Officials: Army Suicides at 3-Decade High

WASHINGTON - Suicides among Army troops soared again last year and are at a nearly three-decade high, senior defense officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

At least 128 soldiers killed themselves in 2008, said two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the data has not been formally released.

The final count likely will be considerably higher because more than a dozen other suspicious deaths are still being investigated and could also turn out to be self-inflicted.

British Government 'Snuffing Out' Compensation for Nuclear-Test Veterans

The Government was accused today of seeking to "snuff out" compensation claims of up to £100 million for veterans contaminated during nuclear and atomic tests in the 1950s.

It has resisted the claims "with the utmost determination and all the colossal resources - legal, financial and scientific at its command," Benjamin Browne, QC, representing more than 1,000 veterans, said.

More Joining US Military as Jobs Dwindle

As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training.

The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said.

Navy Allowed to Kill Whales in Hawaii During Sonar Training

WASHINGTON - The federal government today issued authorization to the U.S. Navy to impact whales and dolphins while conducting sonar training exercises around the main Hawaiian Islands for the next five years. The letter of authorization and accompanying rules allow for injury or death of up to 10 animals of each of 11 species over the five years covered by the regulations.

US Plans for Military Buildup Leave Guam Wary

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - Sprawling toward the horizon in every direction, Andersen Air Force Base is surprisingly quiet, leaving the impression of a big, empty parking lot. For now, anyway.

Over the next six years, nearly 25,000 US Marines, soldiers, family members, and civilian Defense Department employees are to descend on the tiny Pacific island of Guam, transforming the sleepy tropical outpost into a hub of America's military in the Pacific.

But the metamorphosis seems as fragile as it is ambitious.