North Korea tests new rocket engine

North Korea successfully conducted a "high-thrust engine test" of "historic significance," the totalitarian nation's state media reported Sunday. The new engine will be a "great leap forward" for Pyongyang's missile ambitions, the report said, noting that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed the world will "soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries."

Pyongyang's announcement was timed to coincide with the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Sunday. China is North Korea's only major ally, but neither man mentioned the test publicly.

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