Thursday Morning Coffee

Matthew Cordell - March 27, 2008 - 11:17 am

Starting 5

>>Korea - South Korea's new government announced on Wednesday that it would speak out against North Korean human rights abuses and that aid would not be expanded until the North abandons its nuclear weapons program. North Korea responded by expelling 11 South Korean officials from the Kaesong joint industrial site, once a model of cooperation between the North and South. South Korea also stated this week that it would vote for a UN Human Rights Council resolution criticizing North Korea and calling for a full investigation.

>>Iraq - Prime Minister Maliki set a 72-hour deadline for Shia militia to lay down their weapons and avoid prosecution as fighting continued between 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and armed groups in Basra. The 4,100 British troops stationed at the Basra airport are not taking part in the crackdown. Iraqi and American troops have also been deployed to surround Sadr City in Baghdad, the home of Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army, which is still maintaining its declared ceasefire. Sadr followers marched in protest, some saying that Maliki is working in league with al Sadr's Shia rivals, the Supreme Islamic Iraq Council and the Badr Brigades, in an attempt to lessen his power prior to October provincial election.

>>Russa/U.S. - President Bush, who travels to Europe next week, has been invited by Russian president Putin to meet and attempt to iron out conflicts over possible NATO expansion into Georgia and the Ukraine and missile defense. It is likely to be their last meeting before Putin is replaced as president by Dmitri Medvedev, who will attend the meetings in his first substantial interaction with President Bush.

>>Somalia - The al Shabab islamic forces briefly captured Jowhar, a strategically placed town 50 miles north of Mogadishu, yestreday, releasing prisoners and taking weapons. In the past month, the faction has done the same in six towns in southern Somalia. The raid follows a a statement delivered to the UN Security Council by 40 NGOs on Tuesday warning of an "impending humanitarian crisis" in Somalia. The statement claims that nearly a million Somalis have been displaced. The Somali army is in shambles.

>>Iran - Iran has threatening legal action against the West for losses sustained from what it claims were illegal UN Security Council Sanctions passed on March 3. The threats were delivered in a letter from Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. It is not yet clear where Iran would present such a case.

Yesterday in UN Dispatch
The Rest of the Story


Africa

  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7315448.stm">Angola
    to host landmine pageant
  • href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/26/zimbabwe1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews">Mugabe's
    opponents 'forced to eat election posters'
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7315744.stm">Comoran
    rebel seeks asylum
  • href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/middleeast/27egypt.html?ex=1364356800&en=3e211c58383861c6&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">Navy
    Says Egyptian Died in Suez Clash
  • href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3628859.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093">White
    farmer faces prison in Zimbabwe for refusing to give up dairy land
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7315846.stm">Tsvangirai
    'surprised' by support
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7315137.stm">Arrests
    over Ethiopia's fake gold
  • href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/51e59d0a-fb56-11dc-8c3e-000077b07658.html">Nigerian
    ministers sacked in graft probe
  • href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/2008/mar/26/lra.background?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews">How
    Joseph Kony is keeping his options open
  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258345989/idUSL2617181020080326">Mugabe
    opponents would unite for run-off: campaign
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7314377.stm">Mugabe
    rival is 'denied adverts'

Americas

  • href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/americas/27argentina.html?ex=1364356800&en=2c1157d73e58c6c1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">Argentine
    Farmers Vow to Press Strike Over Tax
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/7315813.stm">More
    US passport 'file breaches'
  • href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/27/conservation.realitytv?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews">British
    reality TV crew accused as flu kills four in isolated Peruvian tribe
  • href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/washington/27indict.html?ex=1364356800&en=728f6c1271e8db38&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">U.S.
    Says Hussein Spy Agency and Iraqi-American Arranged '02 Trip by
    Lawmakers
  • href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/americas/27salmon.html?ex=1364270400&en=c1745ddbf83da1e4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">Virus
    Kills Chile's Salmon and Indicts Its Fishing Methods

Asia

  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258855863/idUSDEL16239720080327">Maoists
    shun gun for mobiles in Nepal poll campaign
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7316024.stm">Banned
    Indian group's leader held
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7316130.stm">Indian
    men in US 'slave' protest
  • href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/27/1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews">Response:
    Bhutan is neither authoritarian nor stuck in a time warp
  • href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/27/pakistan.usa?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews">Pakistan's
    new leaders tell US: We are no longer your killing field
  • href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6ac149de-fb4f-11dc-8c3e-000077b07658.html">Philippine
    chains halve rice portions
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7315691.stm">Bush
    calls Hu to urge Tibet talks
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7315895.stm">Monks
    disrupt Tibet media visit
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7315927.stm">Burma
    leader in rare appearance
  • href="http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/%7Er/wp-dyn/rss/world/index_xml/%7E3/258735857/AR2008032603275.html">Eyewitnesses
    Recount Terrifying Day in Tibet
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7315942.stm">India
    temple stampede kills eight
  • href="http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/%7Er/wp-dyn/rss/world/index_xml/%7E3/258818121/AR2008032700007.html">U.S.
    Steps Up Unilateral Strikes in Pakistan
  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258773072/idUSTP1903520080327">Taiwan
    says did not dismantle U.S. missile parts

Europe

  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258711350/idUSL2690393620080327">Sarkozy
    and Brown to urge more market transparency
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7315649.stm">Sarkozy
    in UK nuclear talks
  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258833425/idUSJAK15749420080327">Serbia
    to push for separating ethnic Serbs from Kosovo
  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258847734/idUSL2710028520080327">Sarkozy's
    wife hailed as France's Princess Diana
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7316033.stm">Karadzic's
    family homes raided
  • href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3629103.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093">Bruno
    the wandering bear ends up stuffed in Munich museum
  • href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3626645.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093">Remains
    of 'pioneer woman' found in Spain are oldest west European
  • href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/europe/27briefs-NOEIFFELREDE_BRF.html?ex=1364356800&en=a6dcfe2e99de83ec&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">France:
    No Eiffel Redesign Planned, Says Architect Who Made Proposal
  • href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7311104.stm">French
    'serial killer' on trial
  • href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/europe/27europe.html?ex=1364270400&en=207686702eb20d52&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">European
    Leaders Press China Over Tibet
  • href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/27/internationalaidanddevelopment.development?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews">Plan
    to put 16m African children into school
  • href="http://feeds.reuters.com/%7Er/reuters/worldNews/%7E3/258478465/idUSL2668937420080326">Austria
    to return more art Nazis stole from Jews

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