Morning Brief: North Korea threatens to resume nuclear activity

Posted By Annie Lowrey Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 8:38 AM Share

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North Korea vowed to boycott six-party talks and restart nuclear projects, in protest of a United Nations Security Council vote censuring it for attempting to launch a rocket last week. It says it will restore its disabled nuclear reactor.

Europe

Police in Turkey detained 12 people in connection with an alleged nationalist plot to overthrow the government in a military coup.

In Tbilisi, Georgia, protests against the government of Mikheil Saakashvili entered their sixth day.

Poland grieved for the more than 20 who died in a fire in a hostel yesterday.

Middle East

The Obama administration said it may drop the condition requiring Iran to shut down its nuclear facilities before any negotiations. On its state television channel, Iran said it welcomed six-party talks on its nuclear program.

Tribesmen in Yemen released unharmed a Dutch couple they had held as political ransom.

Egypt is scouring the Sinai Peninsula for Hezbollah operatives after arresting more than 50. The Lebanese terrorist group says it is not planning attacks in the region, which borders Israel.

Americas

Cubans and Cuban-Americans applauded U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to ease sanctions to the communist country.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will hold G-7 and G-20 meetings later this month in Washington.

Mexico's government commenced a three-day debate on whether to legalize marijuana, to raise tax revenues and help control drug cartels.

Goldman Sachs, the U.S. investment bank, earned a higher-than-expected profit in the first quarter, extending its earnings year-on-year. 

Asia

The president of Pakistan, Ali Asif Zardari, signed into law a controversial deal allowing sharia Islamic law in the Swat Valley in exchange for more cooperation from the Taliban.

Two U.N. agencies spent millions of dollars of U.S. funds on shoddy projects in Afghanistan and now refuses to answer questions about the affair, a report says.  

Two died as anti-government protests continued to rage in Thailand. The prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said all the protests had died down except for one surrounding the seat of government.

Africa

The Obama administration was said to be considering an armed attack on land to rout the Somali pirates who held a U.S. boat captain for four days. Pirates hijacked three more ships.

The Islamist rebel group al-Shabab fired mortars at a plane carrying U.S. Congressman Donald Payne as he left Mogadishu, Somalia.

South African prosecutors halted the trial of Jackie Selebi, an associate of former President Thabo Mbeki who is accused of accepting bribes while running the international police organization, Interpol.

Opposition parties in Mauritania say they plan to boycott upcoming elections, because of restrictions imposed by the ruling military junta.

KNS/AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:MORNING BRIEF
 

PAPICEK

10:23 AM ET

April 14, 2009

A good first step...

The Obama administration said it may drop the condition requiring Iran to shut down its nuclear facilities before any negotiations. On its state television channel, Iran said it welcomed six-party talks on its nuclear program.

The progress of the talks will be instructive. I wonder who Tehran will decide to send? I think for this, I'd rather see a cleric - someone who has credibility in Qom.

I also wonder how much of a ruckus Tel Aviv will kick up. And for that matter, what are the Saudis thinking about all this in light of The Iran-Saudi Cold War?

[A meta note: is the double quote really necessary when using blockquote tags? I think we all know a blockquote when we see it and I find it distracting as I try to read. Thanks.]

 

PANTHERCAT

2:55 AM ET

April 15, 2009

The Firesign Theatre school of diplomacy

I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but every time the North Koreans do something the west doesn’t like and we tell them not to do that, they do it just to rub our noses in it. How do you think they’d take it if you told them to spend all their money on weapons but nothing on their population. Absolutely forbid it and if they ask why, tell them we’re sick and tired of trying to feed those people and if they aren’t, they should just let them all starve to death. See what we care. At that point you simply get up and leave. You wouldn’t actually have the nerve to do this, but if you did, it would confuse them so badly they wouldn’t know what to do, say or how to react, as our policy is always so predictable. The worst thing that could happen is they may feed their population to spite our new policy. At that point, they may decide the Americans have gone over the deep end and they (the DPRK) are in very deep kimchee. There is something to be said for the politics of absurdity.

Unfortunately, you would either lack the nerve or the talent to pull off this kind of an act with a straight face.

 

RANDY IN WILMINGTON NC

9:33 AM ET

April 15, 2009

North Korean Excuses...UN gave them what they really wanted

North Korea was planning on using whatever the United Nations did (or did not do!) as an excuse for shutting down 6 party talks and restart their Nuke program. What for the next tell tale sign that they've got a bomb in the making...Watch for them to throw out the inspectors so they can get that 95% pure uranium produced. They now have the magic number of 7000 centrafuges... and they're cascading centrafuges. That means they can make bomb grade enriched uranium faster and faster. Will they have the bomb in 3 months or 12? Who knows, but it coming. Maybe Obama should have bowed to Iran's ruler when he groveled and pledged to sit down to tea and crumpets with him? "Can't we all just get along?" Come on world...like me, I'm a swell guy. I'm not a Bush.

Dog Fence Wilmington NC

 

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