Washington warns North Korea to protect its allies

                                
United States recalled after the death of Kim Jong-Il, who "remains committed to the stability ofthe Korean peninsula and the freedom and security of its allies," an allusion to the U.S. administration will respond to any attempt to exploit the possible power vacuum in North Koreato attack South Korea or Japan.

Although the threat from Iran is seen as an imminent danger, Asia is the region of the world where U.S. military involvement is more direct and more security responsibilities. United Stateshas about 30,000 troops in South Korea and major bases in Japan, its two main Asian alliesand both nations left in American hands much of his own defense. President Barack Obama spoke at the last hours by telephone with the leaders of those two countries to renew the supportin times of great uncertainty about developments in North Korea, a regime which lacks reliable information and developed a program has created enormous nuclear anxiety among its neighbors.                                
The Korean peninsula is the world's stage in which more clearly displays the rivalry betweenChina and the United States for world leadership. China, an ally of North Korea now has a great responsibility to control that country and ensure it does not open a phase of regional instability.U.S., across the 38th parallel, which established the Demilitarized Zone in 1953 after the war between the two Koreas and formally still holds, is responsible for protecting the South. The two countries share name is not yet officially signed a cessation of hostilities, and the incidents at that point, sometimes dead, were repeated over recent years and created several moments of high international tension.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il died at 69 years old

                                        
Kim Jong-il has died. North Korean leader died last Saturday of a heart attack, as announced on national television Monday KCTV. He was 69. Kim suffered a stroke in 2008, which left him with sequels in his arms and left leg. She also had diabetes. The Central News Agency of Korea (KCNA) said that the leader "died due to a mental and physical stress" at 08.30 on Saturday (eight hours behind mainland Spain), while on a train in one of inspection trips around the country. KCNA has urged the people to support her son and intended heir, Kim Jong-un.

"All party members, army personnel and the public must faithfully follow the leadership of Comrade Kim Jong-un and protect and further strengthen the party's united front, the army and the public," said an excited announcer black dress on national television. The authorities have declared national mourning from 17 to 29 December. The funeral will take place on 28.South Korea, technically still at war with the North since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice that never became a peace treaty, has put his army in a state of "high alert" and convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.                           
                                                           
The death of North Korean dictator, who has repeatedly used the nuclear threat to its neighbors, has raised the tension in the whole area with reactions between prudence and fear. Only China expressed "deep condolences" said it was a "good friend" of China and said Beijing would continue to support Pyongyang to "safeguard peace and stability" in the region.Kim Jong-il, revered and feared in their country and reviled outside, inherited power from his father, Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founder, under the principle of self-reliance (Juche) - in 1994;then, was 20 years preparing to inherit the throne of the communist dynasty.                                    
Kim Il-sung, who fought for years for independence from Japanese colonial rule from a base in Russia, emerged as a communist leader to return to Korea in 1945, after Japan's defeat in World War II.Now, if the script is met, the rod will go to the third of his sons, Kim Jong-un, which is less than 30 years of age. The younger Kim was unveiled as a potential successor in September 2010, amid continuing rumors about the health of so-called Dear Leader. Kim had at least three children with two wives and a daughter, with a third.

But beyond the few facts about what happens outside one of the world's most isolated countries, where even the birthplace of late leader is a mystery. His official biography says he came into the world on February 16, 1942 in a secret camp of rebels led by his father near the famous Mount Paektu, one of the most revered in the country. His birth was announced, according to legend, by a pair of rainbow and a new star of great brightness. There is consensus among those who have investigated his life in the West who was probably born in the Soviet Union, where his father was exiled with other Communist leaders receiving military training.Despite having been at the forefront of the country almost two decades, little is known about Kim Jong-il. Rarely spoke in public, almost never traveled abroad, when he did, going by train, and his official biography is full of propaganda and lack of facts.


                            
He was president of the National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the KPA.But between their positions was not, however, the president, as the title was granted posthumously for eternity to his father, Kim Il-sung.Followed exactly the policy of his father "military first", to which allocated the best of the country's scarce resources, even when North Korea suffered heavy floods and famines in the 1990s.Nuclear tensionIn recent years, its mandate had been marked by the failed multilateral negotiations to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program, in which they participate, as well as North Korea, United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.In 2002, tension grew in the area after Washington said Pyongyang had admitted having a nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 agreement. North Korea expelled inspectors from the Atomic Energy Agency in December 2002 and January 2003 stated that abandoned the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. In February 2005, said he had nuclear weapons and in October 2006, caused shivers in the area by conducting an underground nuclear test. In May 2009, made a second.According to some reports, Kim Jong-il told some of their foreign partners that the desire of his father when he was dying was to achieve a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons, and that he had picked up the baton and was working to achieve this goal, but before that Washington wanted to treat his country with respect. United States and other countries have in place tough diplomatic and economic sanctions against Pyongyang.Regional tensions peaked a long time in 2010, when the torpedoing of a South Korean frigate, killing 46 sailors. Seoul blamed the attack on the North, but Pyongyang has denied any responsibility. Later that year, North Korea bombed a South Korean island, in waters disputed both countries.The death of Kim Jong-il opens a stage in which, probably, the power rests in a collective leadership of the party, government and military for some time because the heir Kim Jong-un is still very young, according to some political analysts .

Find Russian airport radioactive material bound for Iran

The Russian Customs Service said on Friday the seizure of radioactive material found in the luggage of a passenger bound for Iran from the international airport Sheremetyevo in Moscow.

In a statement, the authorities reported that tests showed it was an isotope sodium 22 - which is available only "as a result of the operations of a nuclear reactor."

Their discovery came after the control system to the cabin threw the presence of 18 pieces ofradioactive metal into individual steel boxes.

Airport authorities immediately launched a criminal case and sent the case to the Office ofTransport of Moscow.

The finding comes at a time in that part of the international community accuses the Tehran regime to produce nuclear weapons. This fact is mirrored by Iran.

Obama challenged Republicans to deal with inequality in the U.S.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday at critics who complain that their attempts to redistribute wealth and challenged Republican opponents to deal with the growing income inequality.

In an interview with CBS, Obama said opponents who accuse him of promoting socialist-stylepolicies and promote class warfare.

"The problem is, is that our politicians have reached the point where we can have an honest conversation about the greatest income inequality since the 1920s," said Obama.

"And we can not have an honest conversation about the irresponsibility that led to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, without anyone saying that somehow we are beingdivisive. No, we're being honest about what happened and we must be honest on how to move forward, "he said.

Obama said he has tried to work with Republicans on tax and deficit levels, but the opposition party does not loose its position of rejecting a tax increase.

"And what I said was that a balanced approach means exactly that. It means it's balanced,"Obama said. "What we have not seen is a serious movement on the other side."

The president acknowledged that Americans should not be satisfied with the current state of theeconomy.

"We've been through incredibly difficult times in this country. And I would be surprised if theAmerican people feel happy right now," he said.

"They should not feel satisfied. We have a lot of work to do to get the country and the economyforward in a way that benefits everyone, not just a few," said Obama.

Thousands of Russians across the country demonstrate against election results

Thousands of Russians began to appear Saturday at the extreme east of the country and in Siberia, before a large demonstration in Moscow, in an unprecedented day of action against the outcome of the parliamentary party that won the Vladimir Putin.
Hundreds of people responded in social networks are called to appear on Saturday across the country. This week there were demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and were the first since Putin came to power in 2000.
These demonstrations were broken up harshly by police, who arrested 1,600 people in both cities.
"Annul the election results", "Counterfeiters to jail!", Required about 500 protesters in Vladivostok, the Russian port of the Pacific coast, seven time zones away from Moscow.
Other demonstrations were also held in Blagovechensk, Chita and Ulan-Ude, eastern Siberia, with the assistance of hundreds or thousands, depending on the locale.
Tens of thousands are expected from 14:00 pm local (07:00 in Chile) in Moscow to denounce the election results, fraudulent by the opposition.
A helicopter flew over the center of the city at low altitude.
The Official Journal published on Saturday the official election results confirming the victory of ruling party United Russia with 49.32% of votes and an absolute majority of 238 seats out of 450 in the Duma (lower house).
The mission of observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in Moscow on Monday that it had found irregularities "frequent" and "serious indications that the polls were filled with votes" not issued at the end of the election .
The organizers of the demonstrations - a set of political movements and social organizations - negotiated with the mayor of Moscow's permission to organize in the city center that brings together a rally to 30,000. Authorities warned that number could not be overcome.
The State will use "all lawful means" to suppress any incident, said this week Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Putin also accused the U.S. of having encouraged the protests, spurring a picture of "chaos" for which he claimed would have been delivered "hundreds of millions of dollars."

Iran asks UN to condemn the United States. for violation of its airspace

Iran has asked the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council and UN General Assembly to condemn the violation of its airspace by an unmanned spy plane the United States.                              
Agency official said today, "IRNA" in the letter sent to Ban and the presidents of the principal organs of the UN, Iran's representative to the UN, Mohammad Khazai, notes that "the blatant and provocative violation (of airspace) conducted by the U.S. government is a hostile action. "
The Iranian government understands that the U.S. action "Obviously contradicts international law and basic principles of the UN Charter," and therefore asks his sentence.
Khazi says the reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned U.S. spy RQ-170 Sentinel, undetectable and manufactured with the most modern electronic equipment, penetrated 250 miles into Iran from Afghanistan, until he was overthrown by the Armed Forces of Iran.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the legitimate right to carry out the necessary measures to protect its sovereignty," the letter Khazai,
Therefore, requires "the condemnation of the aggression and the implementation of effective and clear, according to the responsibility of the UN to stop these dangerous and illegal actions and to maintain regional peace and security, according with the United Nations Charter. "
Yesterday, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires of Switzerland in Tehran, Livia Leu Agosti, to express their protest and request compensation for the incursion of U.S. spy plane.
In the letter delivered to the Swiss diplomat whose embassy houses the U.S. Interests Section in Tehran, Iran stated that the violation of airspace "is against all rules and regulations recognized by international law and poses a threat to peace and regional and international security (Iran). "
"The Islamic Republic strongly warns the U.S. government against the repetition of these events and reserves the right to take any appropriate measure to protect the rights of Iranians," the ministry said.
Last night, the official Iranian television showed a video from unmanned U.S. spy plane that the military overthrew Iran's claim that the eastern part of the country last December 4.
During the two minutes it lasted the images, two soldiers, the Body of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, examine the device, delta-shaped white and ivory, which Iran says is an RQ-170 Sentinel, the most advanced the reconnaissance drones and U.S. spy ware.
Iranian television said the plane was shot down for four days for electronic warfare unit of the Army of Iran while flying over the city of Kashmar, about 225 kilometers from the border with Afghanistan, a country from which you entered Iranian airspace .
U.S. sources and NATO admitted two days ago they had lost an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in western Afghanistan, near the border with Iran, which could correspond with the Iranians claim to have shot down.
Yesterday some U.S. media, in its website, said the apparatus shown on Iranian television is indeed the RQ-170 lost by the U.S. Sentinel in the border area between Afghanistan and Iran.

Russian police arrested 300 opposition to the government of Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin reacted harshly to the protesters who took to the streets for a second day to protest the official results of parliamentary elections of December 4 and anti-Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the current head of government. Over three hundred people were arrested in the Plaza del Triunfo in Moscow, according to the Interior Ministry.                                         
Among the special intervention forces, particularly the capital moved to strengthen public order and the protesters were numerous skirmishes. Moreover, the two bags of Moscow, RTC and MMVB, posted declines in their rates of 4.46% and 3.66% respectively. The decline was attributed to the "political risks" by some analysts.
In the Plaza del Triunfo concentration had been authorized by the organization "Nashi", comprised of young people loyal to the Kremlin, who had come especially from the provinces. In the same place, held an unauthorized demonstration against election falsification. In all there were several thousand people and prevail as one sector or another, you could hear shouts like "Russia", "Russia, Medvedev, Victoria", "People, Medvedev, Putin" or "Russia without Putin", "Shame" and "People do not believe in Putin." 
                                      
At night the police were mobilized after the engagement had been complicated by the presence of nationalists who shouted slogans harder. From the afternoon on the main thoroughfare of the capital, had posted dozens of official vehicles, including buses, trucks, vans with bars, tanks, vans, ambulances and police cars.Armed with shields, helmets and batons, members of the bodies of special intervention critical dispersed the demonstrators. There were races, batons, and arrested romps in addition to the previous day. Among those arrested was Boris Nemtsov, once deputy prime minister, who was released shortly thereafter.

Russian President's strategic message

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev made ​​a statement on the public channel YouTube for the West and NATO warning that if the deployment of missiles continues in Europe (also referredto Spain) will be forced to modify, move andreset targets in its missile systems also leave the program START nuclear arms reduction.

We assume that in the reprogramming of these missiles will include the Spanish base target at which to mount the missile shield, but is only aspeculation.

If the U.S. mentioned deployment continues, Russia will not stand still and will relocate its most advanced defensive systems to Europe,including veiled warnings that mean they are not willing to "cooperate to destroy us," implying that radically oppose the measures taken by NATO and which are considered dangerous to the global arms balance.

NASA confirms existence of the first habitable planet outside the Solar System

In another step toward finding Earth-like planets capable of supporting life, the U.S. space agency NASA announced on Monday that the Kepler space telescope first confirmed the existence of a habitable planet outside our solar system.
                                     
Kepler 22b, first detected in 2009 and located about 600 light years from Earth, is the first exoplanet confirmed by the U.S. space agency as suitable for life.
Confirmation means that astronomers saw him pass in front of its star three times and that the conditions for life are adequate in terms of water, temperature and atmosphere. But it means that astronomers know for sure that there really is life there.
"Now we have positive confirmation of Kepler 22b planet," he told reporters Bill Borucki, Kepler principal investigator at Ames Research Center NASA.
"We are confident that it is in the habitable zone and that has a surface temperature should have a nice," he said.
Kepler 22b is 2.4 times the radius of the Earth, which includes it in the group of planets called "superterrestres" and revolves around a star similar to the Sun every 290 days.
Scientists estimate that its surface temperature is 22 degrees Celsius, but do not know if the planet is rocky, gaseous or liquid.
The first "passage" of the planet facing its star was caught shortly after NASA launched its Kepler space telescope in March 2009.
NASA also announced that Kepler has discovered other possible exoplanets 1094, double the number who had been tracking, according to a study presented at a conference in California this week.
Kepler is NASA's first mission seeking Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars
The space telescope, which cost NASA about $ 600 million, is equipped with the largest camera ever sent into space and is expected to continue sending data to Earth until at least November 2012.
Kepler looks for planets as small as Earth, including those that orbit stars in a warm and habitable where liquid water could exist on the surface.
With Kepler exoplanet 22b are three confirmed by scientists around the world that could support life.
French astronomers had confirmed in May and the first rocky exoplanet qualifying key to sustaining life, Gliese 581d.
In addition, Swiss astronomers reported in August from another planet, HD 85 512 b, located about 36 light years away, as potentially habitable.
However, these two planets "orbiting stars smaller and cooler than the Sun," NASA said in a statement, noting that Kepler 22b "is the smallest found to date that orbits the center of the habitable zone of a star similar to our Sun. "
"We are excited about this. We need all the telescopes observe these (possible Earth-like exoplanets) so we can confirm as much as possible, "he told reporters Natalie Batalha, the Kepler team of scientists at the University of San Jose.
A total of 48 exoplanets and would exomoons capacity for life outside the solar system, among a total of 2326 potential planets identified by Kepler according to the classification of Planetary Habitability Laboratory (PHL, for its acronym in English) at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo.
Habitable Exoplanet Catalogue (HEC), available online at http://phl.upr.edu, is the first exoplanet and exomoons classify according to their habitability.
The rankings give scientists "the ability to compare best to worst exoplanet candidates for life," said Abel Mendez, director of PHL and principal investigator of this project.

A conflict between Iran and USA. UU. MAY RESULT IN THE THIRD WORLD WAR

The United States is carrying out a great plan of dominion over North Africa, Middle East andCentral Asia to the Russian border, so that this country is surrounded by U.S. bases, according to some experts suspect. The drone of the U.S. Air Force. UU. Sunday brought down by theIranian army in the vicinity of the uranium enrichment plant Fordu, could have been just one of the tools to carry out this major project in the Middle East.

The radio host and blogger Stephen Lendman Independent notes that, despite the U.S. shiphad no weapons on board, the conspiracy could be a preparatory step ahead of "whatever you want to do EE. UU. Now." "The game of American country-Lendman-points is to eliminate those countries that are outside its sphere of influence. There was a war in Libya, Syria is in the spotlight now and the Libyan scenario is being repeated here, Iran is the next. There is a strong possibility that a conflict arises there too, "he says.

Is a Third World War?

At the same time, for Lendman Iran has enough capacity to deal with the United States: "It's agreat country with a strong military capability and if necessary their arms reaching U.S. territory.""If Iran is attacked by EE. UU. or Israel will respond, and respond strongly, "said the specialist,even claiming that World War III could break out as a result of an attack.
It also reiterates its absolute security Lendman that Iran does not develop and has neverdeveloped nuclear weapons: "There is no other country that has cooperated with both the IAEAand despite this, the nuclear regulator is presenting false accusations against the Islamic country" .

Other experts expressed similar views to that of Stephen Lendman. For example, the British journalist Afshin Rattansi, an expert, a regular contributor to RT, says U.S. spying. UU. on Iran that Americans refuse to admit is "yet another violation of international law", a link in the chain ofillegitimate actions of the United States. Another expert in Middle Eastern politics, Wilfredo RuizArm believes that this act by the U.S.. UU. demonstrates the strong deterioration of relationsbetween Iran and the West, but also notes that does not mean to be an imminent bursting of a military conflict between the two countries.

Full article at: http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/internacional/issue_33209.html

Amnesty International calls for arrest of George W. Bush during his visit to Africa

Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday askedthe governments of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia to stop former U.S. president GeorgeW. Bush "for his involvement in torture" during avisit planned for this week.                                          
As it did during Bush's trip to Canada in mid-October, Amnesty International said the former U.S. president is guilty of "crimes under international law", which implies that "there is no refuge for those responsible for torture."

The London-based organization has sent lettersto that effect to the Ministries of Justice of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia, which Bushplans to visit from today until February 5 to draw attention to the fight against diseases such as AIDS , breast cancer and uterine cancer.

Former U.S. president arrived in Tanzania with his wife Laura and daughter Barbara to visit projects funded by the U.S. organization USAIDand its own foundation.

A month before Bush visited Ottawa, AI sent theSeptember 21 the Canadian government a memorandum detailing the alleged liability of Bush's human rights violations allegedly committed between 2002 and 2009 as part ofarrests secrets of the CIA.

Among the tests specified by AI is theadmission by Bush that authorizedwaterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Los Angeles police arrested more than 300 people in evacuation camp "outraged"

The United States riot police finally cleared the camp was "outraged" that was in front of the municipal headquarters in Los Angeles, after tense hours after an ultimatum expired authorities.
                         
The operation was carried out peacefully and without deployment of tear gas, as has happened in other cities where similar events have occurred. Only there were some scuffles between players and participants in the protest.

The camp, which remained in place for weeks, was one of the largest West Coast Grew toabout 500 stores and 700 to 800 occupants.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, had tolerated the protest of the "outraged" and even ordered that they be given shelter from the cold.

However, he decided to act after complaints from neighbors and authorities on public health problems and damage to property associated with the camp.

The mayor's strategy was to establish a deadline for eviction on Monday, which did not apply for 48 hours to facilitate most of the protesters to leave.

In another eviction occurred in the last hours, a group of protesters left their camp in Philadelphia without incident. However, riots triggered after departure left a toll of some 50detainees.

Somali pirates free tanker hijacked in April but kept four hostages

Somali pirates threatening shipping routes in northeast Africa which left a tanker into their custody for seven months and released 21 of its crew.                                  
The band was left with four South Korean nationals, who held hostage.

The pirates disembarked their prisoners and now hiding somewhere in the Somali territory,become virtual "no man's land" by the continued internal conflicts affecting the African country.

The ship, the MT Gemini, was based in Singapore and was carrying 28,000 tonnes of palm oilfrom Indonesia when he was intercepted off the coast of Indonesia on 16 April.

The freed hostages, 13 Indonesians, five Chinese and three citizens of Myanmar, were in good physical condition.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea said it cooperates closely with the Glory Ship Management company, which owns the vessel, to obtain the release of the four remaininghostages, but reiterated that country's policy of not negotiating with pirates.

In enereo past, South Korean military forces conducted an operation against hijackers who had boarded a cargo vessel of that nationality. The troops killed eight pirates and took another five to Seoul, where they were tried and given long sentences.

Amounted to 666 killed by the floods in Thailand

 The Thai authorities today raised to 666 the number killed by the severe floods that hit the southnow, after causing havoc in central and north in the last four months.                              
Three others were missing Thursday.

Floods affect more than 5 million people in 21 provinces including the southern Songkla and the capital, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

In several districts of Bangkok have been sporadic riots that have been broken on several occasions some of the barriers of sandbags, placed by the Government to maintain the financial and capital the center of the dry, to release the water that floods their homes and businesses for a month.                                            
Authorities ask for patience from the neighbors to get the water draining down the north to the Gulf of Thailand to the rise of popular discontent.

The floods began in July by heavy monsoon rains and the large amount of water accumulated in the swamps.

                                  

The worst flooding in 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of people living in evacuation centers. The main problem has not been a greater amount of rainfall this year than others, butthe lack of coordination of the authorities to manage water fall through the network of canals and reservoirs in the country, analysts said.