North Korea reportedly has missiles capable of reaching the US mainland in its entirety.

North Korea has successfully incorporated nuclear power into its military, according to its state television. Pyongyang claims the new intercontinental missile, Hwason-15, can reach the „whole” US mainland.

The launch was announced in a special broadcast at midday, as well as in a report released by state news agency KCNA. Hwasong-15, an upgrade of the Hwason-14 intercontinental missile, was reportedly launched at 3 a.m local times from a mobile launcher in Pyongsong, in the South Pyongan Province.

Pyongyang states that the missile reached an altitude of 4,475 km (2,780 miles) and flew 950 km in just under an hour. The missile surpassed previous expectations including that of the South Korean military who responded with a „precision missile strike drill” matching the flight distance. According to Japanese officials, the Hwasong-15 did not fly over Japan as previous tests, and landed 250 km of Japan’s northern coast, within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un personally signed off on the launch, according to KCNA. According to them, this marks the completion of North Korea’s foray into becoming a nuclear power.

„…now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power”. Said KCNA.

While previous North Korean missiles were said to reach portions of the US mainland, the Hwasong-15 is considered by the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists as being capable of reaching „any part of the continental United States”. The group concluded that the missile could have traveled more than 13 thousand km on a standard trajectory. The distance between North Korea and the US is just over 10 thousand km.

The KCNA report states that the Hwason-15 intercontinental missile was built as a defense measure against „the US imperialists’ nuclear blackmail policy,” and that it would not be fired upon any country unless North Korea was provoked.

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Hawaii has announced it will hold testing of its Cold War-era nuclear attack warning sirens.

The mounting threat of a nuclear North Korea has prompted the state of Hawaii to resume monthly statewide testing of its Cold-War-era nuclear attack warning sirens. This if the first time in thirty years, that Hawaii is considering firing up the old alarm system.  A state official has told residents to create a plan of keeping track of their families in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.

As part of the decades-old drill, air-raid sirens will be sounded for a minute in more than 400 locations across the central Pacific Islands. According to state officials, the test will begin at 11:45 on Friday and will be repeated on the first business day of each month. The monthly tests will be accompanied by public service announcements telling Hawaii residents to “get inside, stay inside and stay tuned” if they should hear the siren.

“Emergency preparedness is knowing what to expect and what to do for all hazards,” said Hawaii Emergency Management Agency chief, Vern Miyagi.

Hawaii’s decision to increase nuclear attack awareness comes on the heels of increased escalation between North Korea and the US. President, Donald Trump has repeatedly taunted the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, by calling him “rocket man” and threatening to unleash “ fire and fury” on his country. North Korean Foreign Minister, Ri Yong Ho called Trump’s insult an “irreversible mistake” saying that an attack on the U.S. mainland was “inevitable”.

White House chief of staff, John Kelly, has said in October that the US needs to be concerned about a potential nuclear attack considering that Pyongyang “is developing a pretty good nuclear re-entry vehicle”.

Nuclear attack sirens were discontinued in the 80s as soon as the Cold War showed signs of coming to an end. However, in light of the recent threats, Hawaii is reintroducing the alarm system as North Korea is reportedly capable of reaching both the state and the US mainland.

Agency spokesman, Richard Rapoza, said that single 150-kiloton weapon detonated over Pearl Harbor on the main island of Oahu would be enough to kill just under twenty thousand people and leave fifty thousand to 120 thousand people injured. Hawaii is 4.600 miles away from North Korea.

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Pokemon Go caused millions of dollars in property damage in a span of 148 days since it released.

Fans of Pokemon Go really enjoy playing the game when they’re driving their cars as economists, Mara Faccio and John McConnell of Purdue University point out.

Niantic’s popular augmented reality app for iOS and Android is responsible for multiple car accidents which occurred in the first 148 days after the game was released in July 2016. The two economists sifted through accident reports from Tippecanoe County, Indiana and found that most crashes and injuries occurred around Pokestops and gyms; the former is where players get virtual supplies while the latter is where they pit their Pokemon against others.

Pokemon Go Go proved to be such a lethal habit for drivers that it eventually resulted in the deaths of two people. According to the ongoing study, the total value from injuries, damage, and the two death cost the county between $5.2 million and $25.5 million. If the damage would transition to the wider US area, this would equal to $2 billion to $7.3 billion in damages.

In 148 there have been 286 additional crashes occurred in the county as opposed to the year before. 134 of these accidents occurred near pokéstops. The paper assumes the increase in crashes was caused by Pokemon Go directly.

Pokemon Go essentially forces people to leave the confines of their homes and search for digital monsters where the game tells them to. While many walk to the designated location, some choose to cheat and drive their way there. Niantic took measures to prevent people from taking advantage of these loopholes by making the game unplayable at certain speeds.

The researchers compared the numbers of crashes between pokéstops and gyms and found that accidents were more frequent near pokéstops, which points to people getting out of their cars while playing Pokemon Go.

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