Middle East unrest increases the chance of Israel becoming embroiled in a surprise war, the head of its air force said on Wednesday. "When you look (around) today I think that a surprise war can be born in very many configurations," Major General Amir Eshel told a conference near Tel Aviv in remarks broadcast on local television and radio. "I don't so much see a surprise war in the near term, but it can be born from isolated incidents which escalate very quickly and oblige us to act across the spectrum," he said, without elaborating.

The UN and World Bank chiefs made a fresh push for peace and development as they arrived Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the latest bout of fighting has sent thousands fleeing. With major violence flaring up north of the regional hub of Goma for a third day after a six months truce, Kinshasa has accused the rebel movement, known as M23, of trying to scupper peace efforts in the restive eastern DR Congo.

By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, May 22 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has formally named a veteran combat commander with experience on Afghanistan and Iraq to lead American troops in Korea, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti has been nominated to the rank of general and assignment as commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, his department said in a press release. He is now serving as director of the Joint Staff, serving under Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo carried a column dated Monday by an editorial writer describing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as "divine punishment," drawing protests from the Japanese government. The column also criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other Japanese leaders for their views on history.