<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">North Korea has fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Japanese officials report.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The long-range missile has been in flight for more than an hour and is expected to land short of Japanese waters on Wednesday morning, Japan's defence minister said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pyongyang's launch comes after it threatened retaliation against alleged US spy plane incursions over its land.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier this week it threatened to shoot down such planes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Washington has dismissed the accusations, saying its military actions were in line with international law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Wednesday, both Japanese and South Korean military officials reported detecting the missile's launch around 10:00 local time (01:00 GMT).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Both countries later reported the missile was believed to be an ICBM, a long-range missile that can traverse continents.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ICBMs are particularly worrying because of their long range, including mainland United States. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>