North Korea launches missile ahead of U.S.-China talks

Simone Biles' bid for a record six gold medals at the Tokyo Games ended abruptly on Tuesday (July 27) when she dropped out of the women's team final after one vault and watched as the United States surrendered their title to Russia. It was a stunning and disappointing start to the Olympics for the U.S. women, who had expected to dominate the final as they had not been beaten in a major team competition since 2011. But the entire event was turned on its head in an instant when Biles, the world and Olympic all-around champion, completely mistimed her opening vault to earn a low score of 13.766.

Roger Federer will miss the upcoming U.S. Open and be sidelined for many months because he needs more knee surgery, an operation that the Swiss great said on Sunday will give him a "glimmer of hope" that he can resume his glittering career.

As the US and other countries withdraw development staff and aid, China's regional rivals are watching whether Beijing can extend its sphere of influence by building ties with a new Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced a mental health initiative for players on Tuesday, with the main draw of the U.S. Open kicking off next week.

South Korea's ministry of defence releases footage of a successful a submarine ballistic missile launch, making the country the seventh in the world with the advanced technology and raising the prospect of a regional arms race. The test, supervised by President Moon Jae-in, comes hours after nuclear-armed North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, according to the South's military, and as China's foreign minister visited Seoul.

Capable of traveling more than five times the speed of sound, a new generation of missile systems are being designed for speed, stealth and surprise. Russia is already working on developing its own weapons system.

Pyongyang last cut off the hotline in August after joint US-South Korea military drills. The move comes amid a series of weapons tests by the North.

The military in South Korea has said the projectile was a submarine-launched ballistic missile. It comes as intelligence chiefs from the US, South Korea and Japan meet in Seoul.

A report in the "Financial Times" suggested China had launched a low orbit "missile" that could penetrate current defense systems. The Asian superpower said it was for "peaceful" usage.

North Korea has confirmed that it tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile on Tuesday, making it the fifth in a round of missile tests by the country since September.

The US president has voiced his concern over China's missile capabilities as his nominee to be the next ambassador to the country said "we certainly cannot trust the Chinese" over the issue of Taiwan.

South Korea has launched its first domestically developed space rocket but failed to put its dummy payload into orbit, a setback in the country's attempts to join the ranks of advanced space-faring nations.