IRAN
Iran says it test-fires new land-to-sea missile in Gulf
Yeganeh Torbati and Fredrik Dahl, Reuters – April 16, 2013
Iran test-fired a new land-to-sea ballistic missile in the Gulf, a senior official said on Tuesday, days before an annual ceremony meant to showcase its military muscle at a time of rising tension with the West over its nuclear activity.
Huge earthquake hits Iran, hundreds feared dead
Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters – April 16, 2013
A major earthquake struck Iran near the border with Pakistan on Tuesday and an Iranian official said hundreds of people were feared to have been killed. Most of Iran’s nuclear-related facilities are located in central Iran or its west, including the Bushehr nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast. A U.S. Institute for Science and International Security map did not show any nuclear-linked facilities in southeastern Iran close to Pakistan.
NORTH KOREA
North Korea threatens to attack South over insults
The Hindu, April 16, 2013
North Korea’s armed forces on Tuesday threatened to attack South Korea if “anti-North Korean” activities did not stop, media reports said. Pyongyang was angry over a demonstration in Seoul on Monday where a portrait of the North’s former leader Kim Jong Il was burned, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
Analysis: Korean Peninsula Trust Process
Korea Broadcasting Service – April 15, 2013
President Park Geun-hye’s proposal to North Korea for a dialogue was in line with her administration’s “Korean Peninsula trust process,” a set of guidelines directing her North Korea policies. North Korea has rebuffed President Park’s suggestion for now, but some experts forecast that the North may come to the negotiation table once the ROK-US combined military drill and a summit between the Korean and American presidents are over in early May.
Analysis: NKorea has options to ease tensions but won’t be tempted by offer of nuclear talks
Associated Press, The Washington Post – April 16, 2013
After weeks of war cries, North Korea has options to dial down tensions with the U.S. and South Korea, but it’s unlikely to be tempted by Washington’s offer to restart negotiations on its nuclear program.
UNITED KINGDOM
Dozens of arrests at Trident protest
Jody Harrison, Herald Scotland – April 16, 2013
Almost 50 people have been arrested following one of the biggest anti-nuclear weapons protests outside Faslane naval base in recent years.
MISSILE DEFENSE
Rogozin Says U.S. Missile Defense No Longer a Threat
The Moscow Times – April 16, 2013
In an apparent reversal, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday that a proposed U.S. missile shield posed no threat to Russia and could easily be penetrated by Russian forces. “We have solved the issue of penetrating the missile shield,” Rogozin said in a speech at the Russian Embassy in London.
