IRAN
Iran won’t retaliate for nuclear scientist killings
Reuters — September 27, 2011
Iran will not retaliate against its enemies who killed Iranian nuclear scientists but wants international action to help prevent further attacks, its envoy to the U.N. atomic agency said on Tuesday.
U.S. Sells Bunker Busters to Israel
NPR — September 25, 2011
Two years ago, the Obama Administration secretly authorized the sale of 55 deep-penetrating bombs — or bunker busters — to Israel. That’s according to an investigation by Newsweek magazine. The bombs could potentially be used in Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz talks with Eli Lake, the reporter who broke the story.
NORTH KOREA
“Red Dawn” Remake to come out next year from FilmDistrict
Los Angeles Times — September 26, 2011
A remake of the invasion movie “Red Dawn” — with its villains now digitally modified from Chinese to North Korean — will finally hit American shores next year.
Opinion: Pyongyang Looks for the Next Payoff
Andrei Lankov, The Wall Street Journal — September 27, 2011
The lesson North Korean leaders learned from Libya is that there is no security without nuclear weapons.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan hosts top Chinese security official and war games with Saudi as ties with US plunge
The Washington Post — September 26, 2011
Pakistan hosted China’s top security official and staged war games with Saudi Arabia on Monday, strengthening ties with two regional players as its relationship with the United States plummets over allegations Islamabad supports insurgents in Afghanistan.
Toughest U.S. accusations in years anger Pakistanis
Owais Tohid, The Christian Science Monitor — September 26, 2011
The relationship between Pakistan and the US reached a new nadir when Admiral Mullen accused Pakistan’s spy agency of aiding insurgents who attacked the US Embassy in Kabul.
UNITED STATES
Shutdown averted? FEMA has enough disaster money
USA Today — September 26, 2011
After weeks of political brinkmanship in Congress, the threat of a partial government shutdown appeared to ease Monday with the disclosure that money to aid victims of natural disasters may last through the end of the budget year after all.
U.S. and Ukraine signing deal to remove Soviet-era stockpile of bomb-grade uranium
Washington Post — September 26, 2011
The United States and Ukraine are signing a deal to remove the former Soviet country’s stockpile of weapons-grade uranium.
AFGHANISTAN
Killin Deals Another Blow to Afghan Peace Talks
Quil Lawrence, NPR — September 26, 2011
Afghanistan buried a former president last week, but there is concern in Kabul that something else may have been buried as well: the peace process. In nearly two years since the U.S. opened the prospect of negotiations with the Taliban, progress has been hard to discern.
U.S. commander says 800 more U.S. trainers heading to Afghanistan by March
The Washington Post — September 26, 2011
The number of American military trainers in Afghanistan will increase by 800 by next March, a jump of nearly 25 percent in the U.S. commitment there, the top commander in charge of training said Monday.