NORTH KOREA
NK blackmails Seoul with retaliation
Kim Young-jin, The Korea Times – Jan 25, 2013
North Korea on Friday threatened “physical countermeasures” if Seoul participates in sanctions over its nuclear weapons program. Unification Ministry deputy spokeswoman Park Soo-jin said the North should refrain from making such “inappropriate threats.”
North Korea’s Newest Threats Irk Its Main Ally China
Gloria Riviera, ABC News – Jan 25, 2013
The latest outburst of belligerence came as North Korea’s main ally China warned that it could pull its aid if North Korea doesn’t tone it down and drop plans for another nuclear test.
US Sanctions Firms, Officials Linked To N Korean Missile Launch, EU Mulls Action
RTT News – Jan 25, 2013
The United States has imposed sanctions on two North Korean firms, one Hong Kong company, and three officials directly linked to the Communist nation’s nuclear proliferation activities. The U.S. Departments of State and Treasury took the action pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters.
IRAN
IAEA stresses Iran nuclear “dialogue”, Tehran defiant
Fredrik Dahl and Zahra Hosseinian, Reuters – Jan 25, 2013
The U.N. nuclear watchdog signaled on Friday it would keep trying to secure Iran’s cooperation with a long-stalled investigation, but a senior Iranian lawmaker suggested Tehran would only cooperate it if it won sanctions relief in return.
Stopping Iran’s progress to nuclear arms ‘is Netanyahu’s top priority’
Martin Bentham, London Evening Standard – Jan 25, 2013
Benjamin Netanyahu is to make Iran his top priority amid renewed signs that Israel is ready to launch a military strike to stop Tehran gaining nuclear weapons. Officials say the Israeli prime minister is determined Iran’s progress towards a nuclear bomb must be halted within the next 12 months and will step up the pressure for action following his election win this week.
Russia agrees with US on Iran, but Iranians have right to peaceful nuclear program – Peskov
The Voice of Russia – Jan 25, 2013
“We do not want to jeopardize the non-proliferation regime, but at the same time we will accept the rights of the Iranians for peaceful nuclear energy,” Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, has said while answering a question about Russia’s readiness to join in the international campaign aimed at encouraging Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program.
UNITED STATES
Kerry answers on Iran, Syria, Hagel
AP, TimesUnion – Jan 24, 2013
Sen. John Kerry, President Barack Obama’s nominee for secretary of state, collected pledges of support Thursday and testified at his confirmation hearing that U.S. foreign policy should be defined by a helping hand as well as military strength.
Chuck Hagel Confirmation Hearing: 3 Reasons It Matters For Millennials
Laicie (Olson) Heeley, PolicyMic – Jan 25, 2013
On January 31, the Senate will have its first chance to question Chuck Hagel, the President’s somewhat-controversial nominee for secretary of defense. Regardless of the upcoming confirmation hearing or its outcomes, however, there are at least three major reasons why you should care about who will replace Leon Panetta as the head of the Department of Defense.
Some critics call Chuck Hagel extreme for link to nuke reduction group
Paul Goodsell, KearnyHub – Jan 25, 2013
Secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel is drawing criticism in conservative circles for serving on the board of the Ploughshares Fund, a nonprofit group that advocates a reduction in nuclear weapons.
UNITED KINGDOM
Secret nuclear facility closed in Britain due to safety fears
The Hindu – Jan 25, 2013
A top-secret plant at Aldermaston that helps to enrich uranium for Britain’s nuclear warheads and fuel for the Royal Navy’s submarines has been shut down because corrosion has been discovered in its “structural steelwork”. The closure has been endorsed by safety regulators who feared the building did not conform to the appropriate standards.
