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The winter of Kim Jong-il's discontent As Kim Jong-il's struggles to hold onto a crumbling North Korea, the US and South Korea can expect more calculated provocations – even displays of nuclear power. But rather than appease Kim with diplomatic concessions, now is the time to exploit those weaknesses with smart sanctions. By Sung-Yoon Lee posted January 5, 2011 at 2:18 pm EST Boston — Riding the wave of missile-and-nuclear tests in 2009, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il capped 2010 with a much-anticipated crowning of his third son as heir and two deadly assaults on his southern neighbor – the...

The United States on Wednesday named eight senior Iranian officials -- including the commander of the Revolutionary Guards and several cabinet ministers -- as participants in human rights abuses including killings after disputed presidential elections in June 2009. "On these officials' watch, or under their command, Iranian citizens have been arbitrarily arrested, beaten, tortured, raped, blackmailed and killed," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a news conference. "Yet the Iranian government has ignored repeated calls from the international community to end these abuses."

N. Korea warns of 'toughest retaliation' over U.N. handling of ship sinking By Sam Kim SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday to call for a new investigation into the sinking of a South Korean warship, warning of "the toughest retaliation" if punishment against Pyongyang is discussed. The North's unidentified foreign ministry spokesman told the official Korean Central News Agency that Pyongyang's response would be similar to those taken in the past, but did not elaborate. Analysts have warned that North Korea may conduct a third nuclear test if South Korea...

China to punish companies involved in US-Taiwan arms sales - Summary Posted on : 2010-01-31 | Author : dpa News Category : US Beijing/Taipei - China on Sunday stepped up the rhetoric over the US decision to sell 6.4 billion dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan, saying that companies involved in the arms sales would also be punished. "China will also impose sanctions on the US companies involved in the arms sales to Taiwan", the Foreign Ministry said in a press release, reported by state media. Companies which may be affected include Boeing and United Technologies, which both have significant...

U.S. at Work on Strangling Kim Jong-il's Cash Flow The U.S. envoy charged with UN sanctions, Philip Goldberg, is still trying to block North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's cash flow, even as Washington has agreed to talks with Pyongyang aimed at persuading it to return to nuclear negotiations. North Korea invited U.S. North Korea envoy Stephen Bosworth on Aug. 4, when former U.S. president Bill Clinton was in Pyongyang to win the release of two American journalists. The same day, Goldberg was on his way to Moscow, where he met Russian Vice Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin and reportedly asked Russia...

Calling remarks made by U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land “nothing short of a political lynching,” California attorney Orly Taitz has appealed a $20,000 fine imposed by the judge for her actions in his court. Taitz, a leader of the “Birther” movement that does not believe President Barack Obama was born in the United States, on Monday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit in Atlanta, to review Land’s Oct. 13 ruling. Land’s rebuke stems from a Sept. 17 motion Taitz filed on behalf of former client Capt. Connie Rhodes, who sought to halt her deployment to Iraq on...

Could the U.S. block sales of refined gasoline to Iran as a way of ratcheting up pressure on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian regime? That's a prospect U.S. politicians have talked up for months. But as the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China prepare for crucial talks with Iran in Geneva on Oct. 1, there's a growing realization that the strategy might not work. "The hype around blocking gas is hugely overdone," says Richard Dalton, who was British ambassador to Iran until 2006 and is now an associate fellow at the London think tank Chatham House. "People use this...

Chinese companies supply Iran with petrol By Javier Blas and Carola Hoyos in London and Daniel,Dombey in Washington Published: September 23 2009 03:00 | Last updated: September 23 2009 03:00 Chinese state companies this month began supplying petrol to Iran and now provide up to one-third of its imports in a development that threatens to undermine US-led efforts to shut off the supply of fuel on which its economy depends. The sales come in spite of moves over the past year by international companies, including BP and Reliance of India, to stop selling petrol to Iran, and highlight the difficulties...

'You Lie!' Shout Brings Vote on SanctionRacial Issue Simmers as Black Democrats Lead Push Against Wilson By Paul Kane Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, September 15, 2009 House Democrats plan to formally reprimand Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) on Tuesday for his outburst last week in which he accused President Obama of lying about proposed health-care legislation. The vote on punishment will resolve the issue in the House, but behind the incident some see a broader question: Is racism a factor in the way the president is being judged? With two simple words -- "You lie!" -- shouted during Obama's speech...

U.S. sees growing backing for N.Korea sanctions 14/08/2009 01:01 By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. efforts to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea after its nuclear test in May are gaining growing support from countries and banks, a senior American official said on Thursday. Ambassador Phil Goldberg, the U.S. coordinator for implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions, said efforts to inspect North Korean vessels for illegal weapons and to curb financial transactions by Pyongyang entities suspected of proliferation were winning widespread backing.

Yachts for Kim Jong-Il? Italian shipbuilder 'defrauded' AFP - Friday, July 24 ROME (AFP) - – An Italian firm said Thursday it was unaware that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was the likely hidden buyer of two yachts it built ostensibly for an Austrian client. Azimut-Benetti, a top luxury yacht maker in Italy, said it was the "victim of contractual fraud" in the order for the two vessels from an Austrian client. The company received what appeared to be a normal order through its agent in Austria, it said in a statement. The client "then ceded the order, as happens...

"North Korea Entering a New Phase: 'We Are Not Interested in the U.S. Anymore'" By Amii Abe Introduction Six days before the DPRK conducted their recent second nuclear test, an official of the DPRK government strongly declared, "We are expanding. We will conduct nuclear tests and missile tests again, and sell our nuclear arms to other countries to achieve equal power with the U.S." As long as we understand North Korea's perspective, their provocative actions are not surprising. Rather, all of them are foreseeable. The government of the DPRK has already reached a new stage in their foreign policy strategy,...

Seoul to enforce new restrictions on goods going into N. Korea By Tony Chang SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- Seoul will stiffen control of South Korean goods going into North Korea, mostly banning luxury items such as wine and fur, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The restrictions, to take effect as of Friday, are in accordance with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874 adopted after North Korea's second nuclear test on May 25. The resolution prohibits weapons trade with Pyongyang and calls on member states to tighten the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its first nuclear test in October 2006....

Suspicious N. Korean freighter yet to reach home: official By Sam Kim SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean freighter suspected of carrying weapons banned under a U.N. resolution has yet to enter North Korean waters, a South Korean official said Monday. "It has not yet entered North Korea. (The journey) will likely end within the day," South Korean defense ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said in a briefing.

N. Korea warns new U.N. sanctions will void armistice SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday its second nuclear test, which took place this week, was a self-defense measure in response to the U.N. Security Council's punishment for its April 5 rocket launch, and that any further U.N. sanctions would be tantamount to scrapping the Korean War armistice. "Should the U.N. Security Council attempt further provocations, our further self-defense measures will be inevitable in response," the North's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "Hostile activity by the U.N. Security Council...

North Korea's Reverse The framework for dismantling the world's most dangerous nuclear program is crumbling. Thursday, September 25, 2008; A18 IN JUNE, the Bush administration's diplomacy with North Korea finally produced the video clip negotiators had long hoped for: that showing the demolition of the cooling tower at the Yongbyon nuclear reactor. Now, it appears that that picture, which suggested that North Korea's dismantling of its nuclear infrastructure was irreversible, may have been misleading. Yesterday, the secretive communist regime ejected U.N. nuclear inspectors from Yongbyon and announced that it planned to reactivate a reprocessing plant that produces plutonium for weapons....

NKorea, eying next Japan PM, delays kidnap probe 4 hours ago TOKYO (AFP) — North Korea will delay a long-awaited probe into abductions of Japanese citizens, officials said Friday, as dovish Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden resignation set back moves to ease tension. North Korea told Japan through diplomatic channels that it was holding off on launching an investigation into the fate of Japanese abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to train the regime's spies, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said. "This is very disappointing," Komura told a news conference. He said North Korea confirmed it planned to hold the probe...

U.S. Ready to Ease Sanctions on N. Korea Pyongyang Would Have to Acknowledge Evidence About Nuclear Activities By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, April 11, 2008; A15 The United States is prepared to lift two key economic sanctions against North Korea under a tentative deal reached with that country this week, which requires Pyongyang to acknowledge U.S. concerns and evidence about a range of nuclear activities, U.S. and Asian diplomats said yesterday. The agreement also requires North Korea to finish disabling its main nuclear facility and provide a full accounting of its stockpile of plutonium. But, in a...

US considers sanctions against Iran central bank - report WASHINGTON Thomson Financial - The US Treasury Department is considering sanctions against Iran's central bank, which it suspects of helping other Iranian institutions evade earlier US economic sanctions, The Wall Street Journal reported. Citing unnamed financial and intelligence officials from three countries, the newspaper said the impact of such a measure would depend in large measure on the extent to which US allies backed the effort. The nature of the sanctions under consideration has not been described. But The Journal pointed out that sanctions, particularly if supported by US allies in...

Times OnlineNovember 16, 2007 China pulls out of Iran sanctions meeting (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: the Iranian President has ignored Western demands to stop enriching uranium David Byers China has pulled out of crucial London talks to discuss further sanctions against Iran, raising the prospect of the US, Britain and France going it alone to stop the Islamic Republic's uranium enrichment programme. In what is seen as an indication that China will not risk its economic interests in Iran by supporting extra UN sanctions, it was confirmed that it had called off its attendance at a meeting of officials...