Hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean peninsula have dimmed after North Korea dismissed US conditions for talks as “totally unacceptable” and demanded to be recognized as a nuclear state.
After weeks of tension in the region, including North Korean threats of nuclear war, Pyongyang had appeared willing to consider negotiations. But on Tuesday, the state-controlled Rodong Sinmun newspaper rejected the condition that the North must first begin to demonstrate a willingness to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme and suspend missile launches.
“If the DPRK sits at a table with the US it has to be a dialogue between nuclear weapons states, not one side forcing the other to dismantle nuclear weapons,” the newspaper said, referring to the North by the abbreviation of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Well, things were beginning to look better on the Korean peninsula…
Young New Yorkers would not be able to buy cigarettes until they were 21, up from the current 18, under a proposal advanced Monday by Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the city’s health commissioner, and Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker.
The proposal, which would give New York the highest smoking age in the country among major cities, is the latest effort in a long campaign to limit smoking that began soon after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office, with bans on smoking in restaurants and bars, and expanding more recently to bans at parks, beaches, plazas and other public places.
Given some of the responses to New York’s last major health initiative, we imagine more than a few residents won’t be particularly fond of the proposed change; however, it is likely to see some support. Thoughts?
Here’s the full Department of Justice complaint with details on the charges being filed against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who remains hospitalised at this time.
Update: We’ve changed the confirmed dead from 15 to 5 to reflect the lower end of the range currently being offered by officials, after some readers raised concerns that reporting the higher end could be deceptive. — Scott @ SFB
An arrest of a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing case is imminent, a law enforcement source said Wednesday, with the suspect to be brought to court soon, the Associated Press reported.
The AP reports comes as several news sources report that investigators have identified images of a suspect seen delivering one of the explosive devices that killed 3 people and injured more than 170 at the finish line of the marathon.
CNN reported that the arrest has already taken place, but that could not be independently confirmed.
A promising development in the investigation which has followed Monday’s shocking act of terrorism at the Boston Marathon. Let’s hope they’ve got the right person, and that those most affected by Monday’s attack will have an opportunity to move forward with their lives as soon as possible.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, pressed his message of potential dialogue with North Korea as he wrapped up his diplomatic tour in Japan, saying the US was “prepared to reach out” and consider direct talks under the right circumstances.
After weeks of tension on the Korean peninsula – with the North issuing angry threats, pulling its workers out of a joint industrial complex and possibly preparing for a missile test – Kerry has repeatedly focused on the US desire for a peaceful resolution during the Asian leg of his 10-day trip.
But speaking in Tokyo he warned that Pyongyang would need to show good faith “so we’re not going around and around in the same-old, same-old”.
While this obviously has the potential for a positive outcome, we wouldn’t be shocked to see this dominating the discussion among talking heads this week, given North Korea’s recent provocative statements/actions.
Lawyers representing hunger-striking detainees at America’s controversial Guantánamo Bay prison have warned they fear some of the protesters could soon die in the ongoing protest.
The news comes as fresh details emerge about conditions at the camp from lawyers visiting clients, letters being written by inmates and phone calls from inside the prison.
They describe dramatic weight loss among many of the hunger strikers, force-feeding, putting protesters in isolation and at least one suicide attempt – though that has been denied by military authorities.
Prisoners have also reported being punished by guards for taking part in the strike, with some detainees allegedly moved to more isolated parts of the prison for refusing to eat. The U.S. military has denied all allegations of mistreatment at the facility.
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Momentum grew for Senate passage of gun legislation when a bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday announced agreement on deals to expand background checks and tighten laws against gun trafficking.
The first breakthrough came in a deal on background checks announced by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who agreed on an amendment that would exempt all “personal” transfers of weapons between individuals, but would close the infamous gun show loophole and also require background checks on Internet sales.
“All personal transfers are not touched whatsoever,” said Manchin. “We’ve done these two [gun shows and Internet sales], and we’ve done them and done them right.”
While the bill is likely to be passed by the Senate, it’s unclear if it has any chance of passage in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, with many GOP lawmakers remaining openly opposed to new gun control legislation. Still, the development is likely to be welcomed by many proponents of the bill, some of whom didn’t expect the agreement to survive a filibuster.
North Korea’s statement advising foreigners to make plans to evacuate Seoul is more unhelpful rhetoric that serves only to escalate tensions. This kind of rhetoric will only further isolate North Korea from the international community, and we continue to urge the North Korean leadership to heed President Obama’s call to choose the path of peace and to come into compliance with its international obligations.White House spokesman Jay Carney • Responding to North Korea’s rather surprising anti-tourism warning on Tuesday, mere hours after North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency warned foreigners in South Korea that the country’s military couldn’t be blamed if they were hurt should war break out on the Korean peninsula. The latest threats from North Korea come on the eve of previously announced ballistic missile testing which has already put a number of countries in the region on edge. source
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