South Korea set to strike North ...

(CNN) -- South Korea's new defense minister said his country would respond with airstrikes if North Korea attacks it again, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Friday.

'We will definitely air raid North Korea," Kim Kwan-jin said at his confirmation hearing when asked how they would respond if South Korea was struck again.
Kim was appointed defense minister last week amid growing tensions between the Koreas.

On November 23, North Korea shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, killing four South Koreans -- including two civilians.
North Korea said the South provoked the attack because shells from a South Korean military drill landed in the North's waters.

Secret mini-shuttle coming home

11/30/2010 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Preparations for the first landing of the X-37B are underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Space professionals from the 30th Space Wing will monitor the de-orbit and landing of the Air Force's first X-37B, called the Orbital Test Vehicle 1 (OTV-1). While the exact landing date and time will depend on technical and weather considerations, it is expected to occur between Friday, December 3, and Monday, December 6, 2010.

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Raptor recovery halted

ANCHORAGE, Alaska —
The Air Force has suspended recovery efforts for the F-22 jet that crashed Nov. 16 near Cantwell. The Air Force has recovered the remains of the pilot, Capt. Jeff Haney.

Air Force officials say they have cleaned up the crash site as much as they can, but that any debris found in the area should not be handled due to the hazardous materials used to construct the plane. They say visible pieces of the wreckage have been removed from the site.

Officials say the materials used in the plane could irritate skin or cause a rash, and that other parts of the plane that may be exposed by wind or water could contain pressurized gases or flammables.

A call center has been established at (907) 552-9321 for anyone who finds debris that may be part of the aircraft, so trained technicians can recover the material safely and minimize any long-term impact to the environment.

"Jester" who claims DDOS attack arrested...

A self-styled 'hacktivist for good' who claimed to have carried out the denial of service attacks which took down WikiLeaks over the weekend has been raided by police.

A posting on The Jester's Blog says:

"So much for being quiet around here. The fire is starting to stir. As many of you already are aware my door was kicked in and all of my equipment was seized. The weird thing is it was the local sheriff's office not the government. Hmmm.

"In the mean time, my email and WordPress accounts are probably jeopardized so I decided to launch on my own server since nothing can be trusted at this time. I still have copies of all utilities, code, and web backups.

"I will keep everyone posted as things start to unfold. I am not sure what's going to happen, no charges have been filed as of yet. Thanks for all your support!"

It's not clear whether the raid was part of an ongoing action on the part of local law enforcement or was prompted by the DoS attack on whistle-blowing outfit WikiLeaks. Either way, the fact that WikiLeaks was unavailable for several hours on Sunday and again on Tuesday is of little consequence as the dossier of 250,000 or more secret Government wires had already been distributed to newspapers all over the world.

The Jester, who has previously attacked militant jihadist web sites, is now trying to raise the $10,000 in lawyer's fees he reckons he'll need to get out of this particular pickle.

South Korea expecting another attack from North

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea's spy chief said Wednesday that there is a high chance that North Korea will attack again following a strike last month that has led to renewed tensions on the peninsula, the Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean lawmaker Rhee Beum-Kwan quoted National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon as making the prediction, Yonhap reported.
"North Korea pushed for reckless actions as internal complaints grew over its hereditary power succession and economic situations worsened," the lawmaker quoted Won as saying.

Meanwhile, South Korea and the United States wrapped up joint military exercises on the Yellow Sea, while South Korea carried on with plans for artillery firing drills next week amid simmering tensions with Pyongyang.
U.S. firepower on display Onboard the USS George Washington South Korean president talks tough WikiLeaks: China's N. Korea stance

The live fire drills are a routine monthly exercise aimed at securing the safety of ships in the area, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff told CNN. They are scheduled to begin Monday.