In a move sure to anger Beijing, the US Navy plans to send Tuesday a destroyer close to artificial islands China is building in the South China Sea, a US official said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP that the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen would sail within 12 nautical miles of the emerging land masses in the Spratly Islands.

Tensions have mounted since China transformed reefs in the area -- also claimed by several neighboring countries -- into small islands capable of supporting military facilities, a move the US says threatens freedom of navigation.

Washington has repeatedly said it does not recognize Chinese claims to territorial waters around the artificial islands.

WASHINGTON — President Obama re-affirmed American support of South Korea on Friday telling President Park Geun-hye that the U.S. commitment to her nation's security "will never waver" in face of threats by nuclear-armed North Korea.

"Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs have achieved nothing except to deepen North Korea’s isolation," Obama said during a news conference after meeting with Park at the White House.

Also during the news conference, Obama said:

-- Iran has often violated rules on missile testing, but said the recent agreement with the U.S. is designed only to keep Tehran from development a nuclear weapon; the U.S. and allies will continue to pressure Iran over missile testing and other bad behaviors.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday halted the planned execution next month of a death row inmate whose lawyers argued he was sentenced to death based on tainted testimony from major witnesses.

The court stayed th29e Nov. 3 execution of Julius Murphy, without elaborating on its decision. Murphy, 36, was convicted in 1998 of fatally shooting Jason Erie in the head during a 1997 robbery.

Lawyers for Murphy asked the court last month to put the execution on hold, saying they had new evidence that pointed to evidence that prosecutors forced false testimony.

"Mr. Murphy's conviction and death sentence were procured through prosecutorial misconduct," said Catherine Stetson, a lawyer for Murphy.

U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Wednesday called for other states to join Maryland in requiring licenses to purchase handguns, saying the rule works best to stem gun violence when it applies across jurisdictions.

During a news conference with other gun-control advocates at a Baltimore County courthouse, the officials said that firearms tend to flow from states that lack permit-to-purchase laws to those that have them, with guns often landing in the hands of criminals.

Ten states and the District of Columbia have licensing requirements for handguns, but the Maryland border states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia do not.

Van Hollen (D-Md.), a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Senate, has introduced legislation that would provide financial incentives for states to adopt purchasing laws similar to the one that Maryland enacted in 2013, which requires fingerprinting and licensing

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo renewed his call for national gun control legislation on Saturday as he delivered a eulogy for the top state attorney who was fatally wounded by a stray bullet in Brooklyn earlier this month.

State officials and family members gathered at Brooklyn's Emmanuel Baptist Church in a private service for Carey Gabay, 43, who was struck in the head at a pre-dawn outdoor celebration on Sept. 7 before the annual West Indian Day parade, an event plagued by violence in recent years.

Gabay is believed to have been an unintended target, police said.

"His death was one of the most tragic, pointless examples of the rampant violence that is spreading like a cancer through our society, especially in our poorer communities and especially in our communities of color," Cuomo said.

DETROIT — A state trooper on motorcycle patrol died from injuries suffered when he was dragged several miles by a car hauling a trailer which struck him along a Michigan highway.

Trooper Chad Wolf, 38, died Friday afternoon at a hospital, according to the state police.

"It is with very heavy hearts that we confirm the death of one of our own, Trooper Chad Wolf," state police director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue said in a release. "Our troopers know the dangers they face each time they put on their uniform, but the calling they feel to serve the public is stronger than any fear. Trooper Wolf will forever be remembered as a loving husband, dedicated father and outstanding public servant."

Wolf was riding north about 6:30 a.m. on Dixie Highway and crossing over Interstate 75 north of Detroit in Springfield Township when the car and trailer collided with his motorcycle. Wolf was snatched from the motorcycle and trapped beneath the car or trailer.