War

In response to a U.S. navy battle group being sent toward the Korean peninsula at the weekend, Pyongyang has responded with a warning of "catastrophic consequences”, adding that North Korea is "ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S." With China supposedly agreeing that some form of action now has to be taken on its ally, Statista's Martin Armstrong looks at the countries with the largest amount of active-duty troops in the world.

You will find more statistics at Statista

In response to the US vice president, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that Mike Pence’s statement on the US running out of “strategic patience”
towards Pyongyang does not contribute to resolving the crisis. The top Russian diplomat also voiced hope there will be no repeat of the US strike on Syria in North Korea.

Hawaii lawmakers want state officials to update plans for coping with a nuclear attack as North Korea develops nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that can reach the islands.

With the world's attention focused on Syria and North Korea in recent weeks for obvious reason, another geopolitical hotspot is on the verge of eruption. According to AFP, after weeks of increasingly more violent protests, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the army into the streets as the insolvent nation braces for what the opposition has vowed will be the "mother of all protests" on Wednesday.

Despite Trump and Pence's warnings, it seems North Korea will not back down...

"North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region."

Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol told the BBC's John Sudworth in Pyongyang...

"We'll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis," 

He added that: