The Pyongyang-Tehran Proliferation Playbook

The Pyongyang-Tehran Proliferation Playbook


The Pyongyang-Tehran Proliferation Playbook

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:53 PM PDT

Clearly the dangers posed by North Korea reside not only in its arsenal, but in the precedents Pyongyang keeps setting for just how much a rogue regime can get away with in this era of receding American power. As North Korea hones its missile reach and nuclear abilities -- while threatening to incinerate Seoul, Washington and U.S. bases in the Pacific -- it appears the limits of such behavior have yet to be discovered. That spectacularly dangerous message is surely being read with interest by other anti-American regimes, especially by North Korea's chief partner in proliferation, Iran.

Despite talk of imminent launch, a calm in NKorea

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:56 PM PDT

A North Korean commuter crosses a street in central Pyongyang on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea has completed preparations for a missile test that could come any day, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said as Pyongyang prepares to mark the April 15 birthday of its founder, historically a time when it seeks to draw the world's attention with dramatic displays of military power.


Claiming This Deduction Invites IRS Audit

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:48 PM PDT

Don't you wish you knew which deductions trigger audits? You could bypass them and avoid all the trouble. Although there's no obvious contender for what to avoid, many people worry that a home office deduction is a big red flag. Actually, there's nothing wrong with claiming it but the rules are tricky and good substantiation is a must.

Putting A Price On Sina Weibo, China's Answer To Twitter

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:30 PM PDT

Operating China's leading microblog site can be a mixed blessing. Sina Corp.'s Weibo has over 500 million users spouting daily on almost every topic under the sun. Advertisers are anxious to reach these users, who are mostly on mobile devices and presumably young spendthrifts. Ergo, a scaleable, money-making service that produces its own content, and isn't competing with Twitter and Facebook, which are blocked in China. Sounds promising. Yet it's not that simple: Weibo has to employ hundreds of censors and continuously tweak automated filters to satisfy Beijing's political sensitivities. Not every topic under the sun is up for debate, but the ground is always shifting (as my former colleague Gady Epstein explores in this special report in The Economist). And, as Weibo traffic grows, so does the cost of compliance. So, as Sina starts to roll out more ads on Weibo, how should investors treat this and other social-media platforms in China? What about Tencent Holdings' WeChat, a social-media mobile app that has 300 million users, not only in China?

The Space Station Could Be The Next Frontier Of Quantum Communications

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:19 PM PDT

A team of European researchers have proposed a series of experiments that, if successful, could turn the International Space Station into a key relay for a quantum communications network.

Science On The Space Station

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:19 PM PDT

Malaysia sets May 5 as date for closely contested election

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:13 PM PDT

Giant banner of Malaysia's Prime Minister Razak is on displayed on facade of building ahead of the elections in Kuala LumpurBy Siva Sithraputhran PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysia will hold general elections on May 5, the Election Commission said on Wednesday, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling coalition's 56-year grip on power in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy. Opinion polls suggest a narrow victory for the National Front led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is under pressure to restore the two-thirds majority the coalition lost for the first time in 2008. ...


SKorea says NKorea behind computer crash in March

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:56 PM PDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Wednesday that an initial investigation has found that North Korean government agents were behind a March cyberattack that shut down about 32,000 computers and servers at South Korean broadcasters and banks.

Despite talk of imminent launch, NKorea is calm

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:30 PM PDT

A North Korean commuter crosses a street in central Pyongyang on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea has completed preparations for a missile test that could come any day, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said as Pyongyang prepares to mark the April 15 birthday of its founder, historically a time when it seeks to draw the world's attention with dramatic displays of military power.


Malaysia sets date for landmark elections

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:41 PM PDT

General election, expected to be closest in country's history, now set for May 5 with campaigning to begin April 20.

How to Overcome Fear of Change at Work

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:05 PM PDT

Why Me?

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:05 PM PDT

We all go through difficult times. Whether it's not getting a desired job, dealing with a difficult coworker, struggling to get along with a boss, hurting financially, coping with health problems, or nursing a damaged relationship, we all have to face adversity and trials in our lives.  Sometimes the struggles we go through are the result of choices we made, and sometimes they are the result of consequences that were completely beyond our control. Regardless of the cause, no trial we experience or pain we suffer should be wasted. Trials can educate us; they can build our character and help us develop patience, humility, and strength if we choose to let them.

Analysis: In bitter irony for China, North Korea furthers U.S. strategic goals

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:02 PM PDT

A South Korean soldier sets up a barricade at a checkpoint on the Grand Unification Bridge, which leads to the demilitarized zone separating North Korea from South Korea, in Paju, north of SeoulBy Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nobody but Kim Jong-un knows what he hopes to achieve with his saber-rattling campaign, but the young North Korean leader probably didn't set out to aid the United States, the sworn enemy of three generations of Kims, at the expense of his country's main ally, China. In a boon for U.S. policy that can only add to China's frustration with Kim, North Korean bellicosity has helped reinforce an American strategy of rebalancing its security policies toward the Asia-Pacific region. ...


Malaysia sets May 5 as date for closely contested election

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:13 PM PDT

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysia will hold general elections on May 5, the Election Commission said on Wednesday, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling coalition's 56-year grip on power in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy.

Analysis: In bitter irony for China, North Korea furthers U.S. strategic goals

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:03 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nobody but Kim Jong-un knows what he hopes to achieve with his saber-rattling campaign, but the young North Korean leader probably didn't set out to aid the United States, the sworn enemy of three generations of Kims, at the expense of his country's main ally, China.

Adobe Goes Primetime With Comcast, NBC Sports To Jumpstart TV Everywhere

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:41 PM PDT

TV Everywhere, the television industry's attempt to respond to viewer demand for more TV content on other screens such as tablets and computers so they don't cut the cable cord, has been seen even by industry insiders as disappointing, even embarrassing.

Cuba turning over Florida couple and children

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:39 PM PDT

This photo combination made from undated images provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows 35-year-old Joshua Michael Hakken, left, and his wife, 34-year-old Sharyn Patricia Hakken. Cuba says it will turn over to the United States the Florida couple who allegedly kidnapped their own children from the mother's parents and fled by boat to Havana. (AP Photo/Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)HAVANA (AP) — Cuba on Tuesday said it will hand over to the United States a Florida couple who allegedly kidnapped their two young sons from the mother's parents and fled by boat to Havana.


China's ex-train boss charged in bribery case

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:34 PM PDT

BEIJING (AP) — The ex-railways minister who led the rapid expansion of China's bullet train network has been charged with taking bribes and abusing his power in one of China's biggest graft investigations.

China formally charges former rail minister with graft

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:41 PM PDT

Former railways minister Liu Zhijun talks to the media in BeijingBEIJING (Reuters) - China formally charged former railways minister Liu Zhijun with corruption and abuse of power on Wednesday, state media said, the latest step in a graft investigation into the scandal-plagued railways. Liu faces either a lengthy jail sentence or possibly death. ...


Malaysia to hold closely contested polls on May 5

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:55 PM PDT

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks to Reuters at his office in Putrajaya outside Kuala LumpurPUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysia will hold general elections on May 5, the Election Commission said on Wednesday, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling coalition's 56-year grip on power in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy. Election Commission Chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said candidates will be nominated on April 20, meaning a two-week campaigning period. He was speaking to reporters at the country's administrative capital of Putrajaya. ...


Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng wants secret accords revealed

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng wants secret accords revealed


Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng wants secret accords revealed

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:51 PM PDT

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng appealed to Congress Tuesday to press the Obama administration to release what he said were high-level diplomatic agreements made with China when then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton negotiated his departure from China nearly a year ago.

Read full article >>

Chinese army colonel says avian flu is an American plot against China

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:25 PM PDT

Colonel Dai Xu of the People's Liberation Army wrote online that the new strain of bird flu hitting China, known as H7N9, is an American "bio-psychological weapon" meant to destabilize China. The rant, posted to Dai's account on the Twitter-like service Weibo, had already been shared by more than 30,000 fellow users by the time that the South China Morning Post reported it on Monday. Dai now has a quarter million followers on Weibo, which is quite a platform.

Read full article >>

Mauritania jails Canadian for two years for terrorist conspiracy

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:53 PM PDT

NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - A 24-year-old Canadian man held in Mauritania was sentenced to two years in prison for terrorist conspiracy in the West African state, according to judicial documents seen by Reuters.

US 'gambling nun' in church thefts

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:01 PM PDT

A Catholic nun pleads guilty to stealing $130,000 (£85,000) from rural churches in the state of New York to fuel a gambling addiction, police say.

Days before Venezuela vote, Maduro vows wage hikes

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - Acting President Nicolas Maduro promised on Tuesday to hike Venezuela's minimum wage by about 40 percent if he is elected in a weekend vote to replace late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

Armenian opposition cries foul as president is re-installed

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:31 PM PDT

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Armenians protested in Yerevan on Tuesday against the inauguration of President Serzh Sarksyan for a second term, saying that his re-election had been fixed.

Russia Cracks Down on Election Watchdog

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:46 PM PDT

Russian authorities have filed the first case under a controversial new law on nongovernmental organizations, taking aim at a often-critical election watchdog for its failure to register as a "foreign agent."

Photos of the Day: April 9

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:40 PM PDT

In today's pictures, police beat a protester in a field in Turkey, a man sleeps in his onion shop in Bangladesh, a boy receives bee venom therapy in Gaza City, and more.

New leaks detected in Japan's Fukushima plant

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:02 PM PDT

TEPCO says the latest leak involves a tank being used to take water from one of the two that were previously leaking.

New leaks detected in Japan's Fukushima plant

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:02 PM PDT

TEPCO says the latest leak involves a tank being used to take water from one of the two that were previously leaking.

Colombians march in polarizing bid to make peace with FARC

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:27 PM PDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Waving balloons and dressed in white, tens of thousands of Colombians marched in Bogota and across the nation on Tuesday in a polarizing gathering for peace that critics slam as a show of support for Marxist FARC rebels.

More Senate Republicans Oppose Filibuster on Gun Bill

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:59 AM PDT

With backers of gun safety laws increasingly optimistic that they can corral the votes necessary to begin debate, Senator Harry Reid said he would schedule a vote for Thursday.

Saudis build Yemen border fence

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:06 PM PDT

Saudi Arabia builds a giant border fence to seal off its frontier with Yemen as security deteriorates after the 2011 uprising, officials say.

'Balanced' Woods ready for Masters

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:55 PM PDT

World number one Tiger Woods feels he is "very balanced" as he attempts to win a fifth Masters this week.

Five Indian U.N. peacekeepers killed in South Sudan

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:32 AM PDT

UNITED NATIONS — A force of about 200 unidentified armed assailants ambushed a supply convoy in South Sudan on Tuesday, killing five U.N. peacekeepers and seven civilians, U.N. officials said.

The ambush marked the deadliest armed attack on the United Nations since the region became engulfed in intercommunal violence between warring ethnic groups. It also raised concerns that the United Nations has become a target in that violence.

Read full article >>

Syria's al-Nusra 'part of al-Qaeda'

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:07 AM PDT

The leader of the Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda says his group will merge with al-Nusra Front in Syria under a new name.

Panel Calls for Broad Changes in Science Education

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:22 AM PDT

New standards for curriculum, which at least 26 states have pledged to consider, take a firm stand on climate change and evolution and emphasize hands-on learning.

Sudan's army says kills 15 rebels, retakes part of South Darfur

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:50 AM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudanese forces retook a southern part of the country's Darfur region after clashing with insurgents, killing 15, a military spokesman said on Tuesday, while rebels claimed victory in fighting in northern Darfur.

Analysis: North Korea tests Obama's "strategic patience"

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:46 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's next act of defiance could be a critical test of whether President Barack Obama's "strategic patience," his long-standing policy toward the nuclear renegade state, is beginning to run out.

Suspect Arrested After Dozen People Wounded in Texas College Stabbing

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:16 PM PDT

At least 12 people were injured after an attack at a Houston-area campus of Lone Star Community College, officials said Tuesday.