Six In The Morning

North Korea Confirms It Conducted 3rd Nuclear Test

By DAVID E. SANGER and CHOE SANG-HUN

Published: February 12, 2013

WASHINGTON — North Korea confirmed on Tuesday that it had conducted its third, long-threatened nuclear test, according to the official KCNA news service, posing a new challenge for the Obama administration in its effort to keep the country from becoming a full-fledged nuclear power.

The KCNA said it used a “miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously” and that the test “did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment.”

The test led to a crescendo of international condemnation Tuesday, with President Obama calling for “swift and credile action by the international community” against North Korea, and Russia, Britain, South Korea and the United Nations echoing his statement. The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting at 9 a.m. New York time to take up the matter.

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 07:05

EU ministers to discuss meat crisis

A meeting of ministers from European countries affected by the horse meat scandal has been called for tomorrow by Ireland, as the holder of the EU presidency.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney wants the Brussels meeting to discuss "whatever steps may be necessary at EU level to comprehensively address this matter".

European Union Health Commissioner Tonio Borg and ministers from EU countries affected by the horse meat scandal will attend. The issue will also be on the agenda of the next formal meeting of EU agriculture ministers on February 25th.

Concern grew last week when the British unit of frozen foods group Findus began recalling its beef lasagne on advice from its French supplier, Comigel, after tests showed concentrations of horse meat in a range from 60 to 100 per cent.

Comigel said the questionable meat came from Romania.

UNITED STATES

State of the Union weighs on small town residents

In his State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama will lay out his agenda for his second term in office. The residents of Dalton, Georgia face the nation's challenges and opportunities on a daily basis.

"In mid-2009, our business was hit with the recession just like everybody else," Sam Burger said. "So we've limped along for a couple of years, but now we're starting to see business slowly go back up."

Burger is the vice president of Lexmark Carpet Inc., one of over 150 carpet factories in Dalton, Georgia. With a population of 33,000, this mid-sized city north of Atlanta claims to be the carpet capital of the world. Around half of the industrial-made carpets in the United States are produced here. Virtually everyone in Dalton lives from this industry.

Deep read: Rebuilding Liberia, one hub at a time

CHRISTIANA TAH, JUDY CHENG-HOPKINS

Liberia and the UN have inaugurated the first justice and security hub, enhancing efforts to extend these services to neglected areas of the country.

Few people outside of Liberia remember the town of Gbarnga today. It was the base of the rebellion in the 1990s led by Charles Taylor, whom the International Criminal Court convicted last May of aiding and abetting war crimes. In stark contrast to its turbulent past, Gbarnga today symbolises Liberia’s recovery from the ravages of war and of international support for the country’s efforts.

Liberia’s peacebuilding process reached a major milestone this week, when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the country’s president and a Nobel Laureate for Peace, inaugurated in Gbarnga the first of five regional justice and security hubs. Each hub is designed to increase citizens' access to justice and security by co-locating police, courts, and immigration departments – creating, in effect, a "one stop shop" for their services. The hubs will also enhance the government's efforts to extend the provision of these services from the capital to outlying, and previously neglected areas of the country.

12 February 2013 Last updated at 02:15 GMT

'Politicised' court cases anger Kuwaiti Bedouin

By Bill LawGulf analyst

The sentencing in Kuwait of three former MPs and the ongoing case against another has angered the leaders of several of the gulf country's Bedouin tribes.

The Bedouin represent approximately 50% of the indigenous population and have become increasingly vocal about their anger at electoral reforms pushed through last year that they say favour pro-government politicians.

Bedouin and other opposition MPs made good on a threat to boycott last December's election after the emir approved a new voting system. Many voters joined the boycott making turnout the lowest in a Kuwaiti election.

A former MP and leading opposition figure Musallam al-Barrak told the BBC that "tribal leaders are moving away from the al-Sabahs"

Mexico scrambles as violence threatens tourism zones

Mexican officials and trade executives look for ways to minimize damage to tourism, an industry that is a top income-earner and employer in Mexico.

By Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times

MEXICO CITY — You might be hard-pressed to find the word "Mexico" in some of the advertising for tourist resorts in Mexico.

Brands like "Riviera Maya" often eclipse the name of the country where those lush beaches are located.

As deadly violence that has haunted Mexico for years threatens tourist zones, government officials and trade executives are scrambling for ways to minimize damage to an industry that is a top income-earner and employer.

The rapes last week of six Spanish women vacationing in Acapulco have heightened fear and called into question the government's ability to control crime and attract foreign visitors. It didn't help that about the same time, Mexico's minister of tourism was in, of all places, Spain, attempting to promote tourism. "This is Mexico's moment," was her theme.