Six In The Morning

South Korea underscores its claim to islands disputed with Japan


By Chico Harlan
DOKDO/TAKESHIMA ISLANDS — These two tiny volcanic islands, poking up from the sea like rabbit ears, can be scaled only by wooden steps that ascend almost vertically. A pulley system hauls food to a cafeteria built 300 feet above the waves. The only mailbox on the islands has a notice stenciled on the front, reminding that service will be slow because mail is picked up every two months. “The postal box is a symbolic object,” the sign reads, “implying South Korea’s control.” The islands, administered by South Korea but claimed by Japan, provide a window into Asia’s fastest-growing problem, the fight over small bits of land that have oversize and symbolic importance. In the case of these islands, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, the show of Korean control is pushed to extremes: Only two non-government employees live here, a fisherman and his wife, both Koreans. But three South Korean telecommunications companies provide the islands with 3G cellphone service.

Imran Khan braves march into Pakistan's Taliban heartland
Activists say up to 800 civilians have been killed by drone strikes in tribal areas in recent years

ANDREW BUNCOMBE FRIDAY 05 OCTOBER 2012
Imran Khan and a group of human-rights activists have vowed to press ahead with a march into Pakistan's remote tribal area to highlight the civilian cost of the American drone missile programme. The cricketer-turned-politician said he would hold the government of President Asif Ali Zardari responsible if anything happened to those taking part. Mr Khan is tomorrow due to lead a convoy of vehicles into the tribal areas, culminating in a rally in South Waziristan on Sunday night.

Nuclear reactor tests prompt warning
The Irish Times - Friday, October 5, 2012

ARTHUR BEESLEY in Brussels
EUROPE’S NUCLEAR reactors need an investment of up to €25 billion to strengthen their resistance to earthquakes, floods, aircraft crashes, power failures and human error, experts have warned. Releasing results of a stress test examination of 145 reactors in the EU and neighbouring countries, energy commissioner Günther Oettinger said the general situation was “satisfactory” but called for rapid action to improve safety. “Nearly everywhere there is major potential for improvement,” the commissioner said yesterday in Brussels. The work required would cost between €10 billion and €25 billion, he added.

NATO Wary of Involvement as Situation Escalates
Ankara was quick to respond to Syria's Wednesday shelling of a Turkish border town. But NATO is worried that the escalation could make Western involvement in the Syrian conflict inevitable. Capitals across the alliance are urging calm.

By Benjamin Bidder, Matthias Gebauer and Carsten Volkery
In the jargon of diplomats, a "game changer" is an event that completely changes a situation. It doesn't even have to be particularly spectacular. Just a small incident can sometimes be enough to alter the view of those involved and give a conflict an entirely different dynamic. Syria's cross-border shelling of a Turkish village may ultimately be seen as just such an event. On Wednesday, an errant shell landed in the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing five civilians, including a woman and her three children. It wasn't the first such incident, but it was, for Turkey, one too many. The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "provocation by the Syrian regime" and ordered retaliatory strikes.

'Abortion boat' quits Morocco, govt rejects NGO claim


By AFP Posted Friday, October 5 2012 at 04:56
An 11-metre yacht dubbed the Dutch "abortion boat," which was due to provide free treatment to women in Morocco, was escorted from Moroccan territorial waters Thursday, amid competing claims about its authenticity. Women on Waves, the Dutch group organising the controversial trip, said they denied access to the boat that was docked in the Moroccan harbour of Smir for "several days," after having said that it was due to arrive on Thursday. The campaign group said the authorities searched the boat, and despite the fact that "no laws were broken... (and) they did not find anything incriminating," the ship was escorted from the harbour by the navy.

Latin American nations push UN to drop zero tolerance on drugs
Former and sitting Latin American presidents have issued calls against the status quo on drug policy, but Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala's petition to the UN could push the drug war debate to a new level.

By Sara Miller Llana, Staff Writer / October 4, 2012
‪The world has watched the crescendoing pushback, coming mostly from Latin America, against the United States-dominated "war on drugs" for the past three years with incredulity as the drug policy debate continues to mark new firsts.‬ First, in 2009, it was former presidents from Latin America who declared the war on drugs was an outright failure (they were later joined by officials and business leaders from around the globe communicating a similar message). Then, sitting presidents from across the region began to speak out, urging the US to rethink policies that they say have only contributed to more violence and mayhem in Latin America.