Topic: North Korea

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Briefing
Five things to know about Freedom House's latest global rankings

A look at the 2012 Freedom House ranking of 197 countries according to their relative freedom.
Blast-off: 6 recent missile advances

Missiles have been prominent in the news with India’s successful test, North Korea’s failed one, and much talk of missile defense systems in Europe and the Persian Gulf. Here are six recent noteworthy missile-technology advances.
Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?

North Korea's new supreme leader Kim Jong-un appears to be securing his hold on the country's reins last held by his father, Kim Jong-il. How well do you know the Kim dynasty? Take our quiz and find out!
'The Three Stooges': 5 other movies bringing back beloved stories

"The Three Stooges" hits theaters this Friday, and over the next year, everything from '70s TV shows to '90s hit comedies are coming to the multiplex.
Reforms in Myanmar: 4 reasons the military changed course

For more than half a century, Myanmar’s military governments were synonymous with brutality and corruption, but a year ago the military stepped aside, handing power to a nominally civilian government. Here are four reasons why this change occurred.

All Content

Myanmar, 'Arab awakening' top US list of progress on human rights

State Department's annual report on human rights around the world also notes the important role that technology, the Internet, and social media play in advancing individual freedoms.
A response to tyranny and isolation in North Korea

A Christian Science perspective.
Global News Blog
NATO: European missile shield 'provisionally operational'

If there is any issue that threatens to derail relations with Russia, it's the issue of missile defense. 
Change Agent
Samaritan's Purse helps feed those in need worldwide

In Bolivia and other hungry countries around the world Samaritan's Purse works to support families hurt by natural disaster, war, disease, and famine.
To reward Myanmar for reforms, US eases economic sanctions, names ambassador

Hillary Clinton said the decision to suspend sanctions on export of American financial services and investment was the most significant action Washington has taken so far to reward Myanmar for its reforms.
Obama names ambassador to Myanmar: Is US moving too slow or too fast?

Rewarding the former pariah state for progress on reforms, Obama names the first US ambassador to Myanmar in two decades and announces a further easing of sanctions.
Terrorism & Security
Report: North Korea resumes construction on nuclear reactor

Once completed, the North Korean reactor would be able to produce enough plutonium for a new bomb every year, according to the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
South Korea to North Korea: Learn from Myanmar

South Korea's President Lee made a historic visit to Myanmar this week to boost long-frozen relations – and send a message to North Korea about the benefits of coming in from the cold.
North Korean women sold into 'slavery' in China

Like the thousands of women who fled North Korea before her, Kim Eun-sun made it into China and paid a woman to help her, only to discover she'd traded one form of captivity for another.
Russia threatens to take aim at NATO's missile defense shield

At a conference in Moscow convened to discuss the NATO missile defense shield, a fierce point of contention between the US and Russia, efforts to find a compromise reached a dead end.
China-U.S. ties strained by blind activist's desire to leave

Chen Guangcheng is asking to leave China with his family and go to the United States; his decision comes in the midst of a high-level meeting in Beijing between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese officials.
All Woman and Springtime

Although somewhat comparable to "Memoirs of a Geisha," this tale of North Korean women forced into the sex trade is a darker, crueler story.
Latin America Monitor
Press freedom falls in Latin America, French journalist missing in Colombia

Freedom of the press is under threat in much of the Americas, according to a Freedom House report.
Blame China, not Obama or US, for the plight of activist Chen Guangcheng

Beijing, not US mishandling, is responsible for activist Chen's predicament. The US often needs to balance its concern for human rights in favor of Beijing’s cooperation on pressing global issues. This is not one of those times. Obama must stand up to China to defend Chen’s rights.
Blind Chinese activist now wants to leave country

Chen Guangcheng left the US embassy after a tense negotiation with the Chinese government, but he now says he fears for his family's safety if he remains in China.
Briefing
Five things to know about Freedom House's latest global rankings

A look at the 2012 Freedom House ranking of 197 countries according to their relative freedom.
DC Comics’ ‘Second Wave’ launches today with four new titles

The DC Comics superhero universe expands with the unveiling of alternate world Earth 2.
China activist Chen Guangchen: 'I'm free. I've received clear assurances'

A blind Chinese legal activist who was at the center of a diplomatic tussle between Washington and Beijing left the US Embassy Wednesday to receive medical care in Beijing and be reunited with this family.
Clinton arrives in Beijing, but blind lawyer's case casts shadow

Human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng escaped from house arrest and is presently being sheltered in the US embassy; his status is sure to impact Secretary Clinton's arrival for high-level talks.
Chinese dissident – bad timing for Washington, Beijing

Chinese dissident Chen's escape is inopportune. President Obama is in a tough election battle. China faces a leadership change. Washington's angst over how to protect Chen without infuriating Beijing is matched by Beijing's desire to silence him without incurring world disdain.
Dogwood diplomacy: US gift of trees to Japan is cherry on top of Okinawa deal (+video)

A century after Japan presented the US with a gift of 3,000 cherry trees, the US is reciprocating with 3,000 specially bred dogwoods. But the deal to nearly halve the number of Marines on Okinawa may be even sweeter.
Backchannels
Israel security establishment goes where US politicians fear to tred

Disagreements in Israel over whether to attack Iran have erupted into the open. In one corner, the Netanyahu government. In the other, a number of Israeli security officials.
What's right in this picture? A Chinese dissident in US custody

Pleas for US help like those from dissident Chen in China can wear down a superpower trying to reorient itself. Yet foreigners still look to American for moral leadership. A mature democracy should know how to resolve such dilemmas.
Cover Story
Is Myanmar about to rejoin the world?

One of the three most closed and isolated countries in the world is opening up. The long-repressed Burmese say it's unbelievable - but they want to believe in a new Myanmar.
Escaped dissident ruffles US-China relations ahead of Clinton visit

The US rushes a top diplomat to Beijing to work out tensions over dissident Chen Guangcheng and a possible US arms sale to Taiwan.