In brief: Coast Guard rescues sailors in yacht race

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued two injured sailors from a yacht that was hit by a monster wave while participating in an around-the-world race.

Petty Officer Caleb Critchfield said a Coast Guard rescue boat reached the battered yacht about 200 miles off the California coast Sunday afternoon. The sailors were then transported to a Coast Guard cutter where they boarded a helicopter and were flown to San Francisco for medical treatment.

The injured include a 50-year-old woman who may have suffered broken ribs and a 29-year-old man with a possible pelvic strain.

A spokeswoman for the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race said the nearly 70-foot Geraldton Western Australia was hit by a large wave Saturday, knocking out its steering mounting.

Two others suffered minor injuries.

Satellite photos show work at launch site

SEOUL, South Korea – New satellite images of a North Korean rocket launch site show a mobile radar trailer and rows of what appear to be empty fuel and oxidizer tanks, evidence of ramped-up preparation for what Washington calls a cover for a long-range missile test.

North Korea says the launch, set for sometime between April 12 and 16, will fire a satellite into orbit to study the country’s crops and natural resources.

Washington says North Korea uses such launches to test missile systems for nuclear weapons that could target the United States. While North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests, analysts don’t believe it has yet mastered the technology needed to shrink a nuclear weapon and mount it onto a missile.