Washington  - The North Korean launch of a rocket Sunday was a "provocative act," President Barack Obama said.

Pyongyang fired what it said was a communications satellite around 11:30 am (0230 GMT) from North Korea's east coast, but Japan, South Korea and Washington believe the launch was a screen to test a long- range ballistic missile.

Washington

Seoul  - North Korea on Saturday let a self-set window for a planned rocket launch pass by.

The communist state, which announced plans to launch a communications satellite between Saturday and Wednesday let a previously set launch window between 11 am and 4 pm (0200 to 0700 GMT) pass amid speculation that strong winds prevented the launch.

Washington/Tokyo, Apr. 4: Despite a clear warning from US President Barack Obama not to go ahead with the launch of its advanced Taepodong-2 missile, North Korea has vowed to carry it out between Saturday and Wednesday.

There are signs that the launch would come soon rather than later.

A launch could occur "any minute," two sources told FOX News, and likely not as late as Sunday.

Tokyo - North Korea has not gone ahead with a planned rocket launch yet, the Japanese government said Saturday, correcting earlier reports of a launch.

Initial information about a launch had proved erroneous, Japan's NHK television said, quoting government sources.

Japan retracted the warning about five minutes after it initially sent out the news at 12:30 (0330 GMT).

North Korea has completed preparations for what it calls a communications satellite to be launched "soon," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.

Tokyo  - North Korea has completed preparations for what it calls a communications satellite to be launched "soon," Japanese media reported Saturday, citing Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean official as saying the launch was expected within hours.