The U.S. warned North Korea that it is ready to fight if provoked, as Pyongyang claimed another weapons-development breakthrough following its launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile a day earlier.  The regime, having demonstrated its capacity to reach the U.S. with a missile, on Wednesday touted another achievement of the test launch: It claimed that

its missile warhead–the forward section, which carries the explosive–can withstand the extreme heat and pressure of re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.  If true–the claim couldn’t be independently verified–that would clear another hurdle in developing a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach American cities.  As tensions between Washington and Pyongyang rose, Gen. Vincent Brooks, the top American military commander in South Korea, said in a statement. READ MORE