NKorea test-fires seven ballistic missiles: SKorea

North Korea test-fired seven missiles off its east coast Saturday, South Korean officials said, in an act of defiance apparently timed for the US Independence Day holiday. The launches further fuelled regional tensions after the communist state's nuclear test in May, which coincided with the US Memorial Day holiday. They came as Washington seeks support for tough enforcement of United Nations sanctions aimed at shutting down the North's nuclear and missile programmes. It was the biggest salvo of ballistic weaponry since the North fired a long-range Taepodong-2 and six smaller missiles on US Independence Day in 2006.