NEWS,12.04.2012.

North Korean missile crisis: Will Pyongyang defy the world?

Fighter jets roared through the skies over downtown Pyongyang on Thursday as the world watched to see whether North Korea would defy international warnings and launch a long-range rocket over the Yellow Sea. The five-day window for the launch of a rocket mounted with an observation satellite opened on Thursday as North Koreans woke to details about developments at a Workers' Party conference where leader Kim Jong Un ascended to top posts and brought with him a new generation of officials. His father, Kim Jong Il, was granted the posthumous title of "eternal general secretary" at the special one-day party conference on Wednesday. The immortalisation of the late leader provided a glimpse into how North Korea will handle the nation's second hereditary succession and indicates he will be honored much in the same way his father, Kim Il Sung, was made "eternal president" following his 1994 death.Footage on state TV Thursday showed Kim Jong Un seated at the front of the conference with white statues of his grandfather and a new statue of his father in his trademark khaki work ensemble, one arm on his hip. There was no word on Thursday morning on the timing of the controversial launch, which the North has said will take place sometime between Thursday and Monday. In 2009, a similar launch from an east coast site took place on the second day of a five-day window. The United States, Japan, Britain and others say the launch would constitute a provocation and would violate UN Security Council resolutions banning North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs.
Experts say the Unha-3 carrier is similar to the type of rocket that could be used to fire a missile mounted with a nuclear warhead to strike the US or other targets.

 Software engineer's job best, reporter's fifth worst

A reporter's job figures among the ten worst professions, alongside the likes of butchers, waiters and dishwashers, as per a new study by the US-based consultancy CareerCast, which has named a software engineer's occupation as the best for the year 2012.The annual study has ranked a total of 200 jobs from best to worst on the basis of five core criteria such as physical demands, work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook.It mostly covered the jobs in the US and is based on data from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics and other government agencies.Among the ten worst jobs, the study has named a newspaper reporter's occupation at the fifth position, after that of a lumberjack, dairy farmer, enlisted military soldier and oil rig worker.Others in the ten worst jobs for 2012 include waiter/waitress, meter reader, dishwasher, butcher and broadcaster."As the digital world continues to take over and provide on-demand information, the need for print newspapers and daily newscasts is diminishing. To be sure, both jobs once seemed glamorous, but on-the-job stress, declining job opportunities and income levels are what landed them on our worst Jobs list," the report noted.The study has also listed out ten most stressful jobs and none of these occupations figure in the list of ten best jobs.CareerCast has ranked enlisted soldier, firefighter, airline pilot, military general, police officer, event coordinator, public relations executive, senior corporate executive, photo-journalist and taxi driver among the most stressful jobs.On the other hand, job of a software engineer has topped the list in the best jobs category, followed by actuary, human resources manager, dental hygienist and financial planner.Software engineers earn a median income of more than $ 88,000 with few physical demands and minimal stress, it noted.The report further said that those in the top categories earn between $ 68,000 to $ 104,000 annually.