North Korea | Launch of missile from sub may have failed

A North Korean launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine appears to have failed, Yonhap News reported, underscoring the technological limitations of the isolated nation’s weapons program. The launch was made around 2:30 p.m. local time Saturday in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, with debris in the water indicating it failed, Yonhap said, citing an unidentified South Korean government official. South Korea Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok declined to confirm the report.

Australia | Gov’t plans child-care subsidy changes

The Australian government will put a revised child-care subsidy plan to parliament this week in which grandparents will have easier access to funds while payments to high-income earners will be scaled back, ABC News reported on its website yesterday. Under the planned package, grandparents who are primary careers will be exempt from the child-care activity test, which means they will not have to work or study to access government- funded support, ABC said. The change would apply to almost 4,000 grandparents and would cost the government about A$20 million (USD14.4 million), Education Minister Simon Birmingham was cited as saying by ABC. Under the plans, subsidies for families that earn more than A$250,000 a year will be cut back, according to the report.