Asia Updates

North Korea is escalating it is war of words furthermorest the South Korean government from what the North perceives as insults by the South. Pyongyang is currently threatening to turn the heated rhetoric into action, threatening to take “quick action” furthermorest South Korea.

Senior freshscaster Ri Chun Hee, interrupting regular programming over North Korea’s central television station early Monday afterwardsnoon, forcefully read an unusual announcement from a unit of the army’s supreme command.

The announcer stated a special operation would reduce to “ashes in three or 4 minutes” the supporters of South Korea’s president as well as their bases utilizing “unprecedented peculiar means as well as methods.”

Pyongyang blames President Lee Myung-bak for insulting the North at a time when the country was mourning it is late leader, Kim Jong Il, who died in December, as well as as well as so over this month’s celebrations marking the centennial of the birth of North Korea’s ascertaineder, Kim Il Sung.

North Korea often utilizes belligerent language as well as threatens violence furthermorest South Korean leaders. But some analysts who closely monitor the North’s bombastic rhetoric say the latest message may presage some sort of attack.

Daniel Pinkston, the senior analyst in Seoul for the International Crisis Group, says although there is no indication of a mobilization of North Korea’s military, the announcement from Pyongyang is puzzling as well as worrying.

“I do not acknowledge what a special team may do in three or 4 minutes,’ noted Pinkston. “Maybe some type of special operations or some type of asymmetric attack that may include cyber attacks or attacks furthermorest unexpected, unusual targets in the South, maybe attacks furthermorest South Korean targets abroad.”

North Korea suffered a loss of face when it is highly promoted April 13 “space launch” failed afterwards two minutes. The North stated it was attempting to place a satellite into orbit. Much of the international community regarded it as a provocative ballistic missile examine in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

South Korea last week unveiled a missile of it is own that it says is capable of promptly striking all target in the North.

An uneasy peace has prevailed over the Korean peninsula because 1953 when an armistice was signed halting three years of devastating warfare. The two Koreas have never signed a peace treaty as well as have no diplomatic relations.

Socialist Party maydidate Francois Hollande emerged the frontrunner in the first round of presidential voting in France, with initial results giving him 29.3 percent of the vote compared to 26 percent for conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy. The 2 men face a runoff vote over May 6.

There were no major surprises in the first round of presidential elections in France. Polls have consistently positioned French President Nicolas Sarkozy as well as his Socialist challenger, Francois Hollande, as the the best vote-getters.

In a speech afterwards the initial results were announced, Hollande stated his win reflected the failed policy of France’s conservative president.

Mr. Hollande stated he was currently a maydidate of union, who would like toed to assemble voters supporting a hodgepodge of leftist parties over the first round.

In his own speech, Mr. Sarkozy stated the election expresses French worries over a time of crisis, as well as that he belowstands their concerns. Mr. Sarkozy called for three debates, over social, economic as well as international issues, in the coming 2 weeks before the second round of voting.

A total of 10 maydidates ran in the first round. National Front leader Marine le Pen of the far right, as well as far left maydidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, besides scored in the double digits in the first round, although both trailed well behind the frontrunners.

But voter apathy was besides present, with about overe out of 5 eligible French voters opting to stay home.

Unemployment as well as the country’s sluggish economy are the best voter concerns over this election. Surveys present French are besides worried about crime as well as immigration. Mr. Sarkozy has run over his law-and-order image as well as his experience steering France by it is economic downturn as well as dealing with the huger eurozone crisis.

Mr. Hollande argues for stimulating growth, as well as spending cuts, if France is to emerge from it is economic doldrums.

The 2 men are expected to hit the campaign trail furthermore over Monday, attempting to woo more voters for the May 6 runoff.

Sunday is Earth Day, observed all year because 1970.

Earth Day organizers have call outed over people worldwide to pledge “one billion acts of green.”  Those pledges range from residents turning off lights in their houses, to utilizing mass transit for travel to work, to eating locally grown food.   

Earth Day was first celebrated in the U.S. over April 22, 1970.  It was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson from the northern state of Wisconsin, who call outed for a national environmental “teach-in” day. Organizers now say Earth Day is celebrated in overe form or another in closely all country.

Much has changed in the U.S. because the first Earth Day 42 years ago – a time when a lot of factories still were admited to belch conceiveable amounts of smoke as well as pollutants into the air, as well as cars burned fuel compriseing lead, a dangerous automobile-exhaust pollutant. Over the concording decades the nation’s Environmental Protection Agency was established, as well as federal as well as local jurisdictions enacted a lot of laws protecting air as well as water supplies, as well as endangered species of animals as well as plants.

Environmental regulations nevertheless still induce controversy in much method of the U.S.  The two main political regionies, Democrats as well as Republicans, frequently contest for each several several other’s claims about the effect of greenhouse-gas emissions over the warming of the planet.  As the nation has struggled to recover from a disastrous economic downwardturn, several have questioned if environmental laws contributed to the loss of jobs as well as if the resulting rise in energy costs is worthwhile.

Syrian activists say government soldiers backed by tanks have killed three people close Damascus, although as international envoy Kofi Annan called the U.N. Security Council’s decision to deploy 300 cease-fire monitors in Syria a “pivotal moment” for the country.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported shelling as well as heavy gunfire Sunday as forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stormed the Damascus suburb of Douma.

Opposition activists said the embattled flashpoint city of Homs asides endured another day of heavy shelling Sunday afterwards a temporary halt the day prior to when a little advance team of U.N. monitors toured the city. Two observers spent the night in Homs.

VOA cannot independently verify reports of violence as well as deaths, as the government has severely restricted access by international media.

In Geneva, Annan called over both Syrian government forces as well as opposition fighters to put down their weapons as well as work goes along with the unarmed observers to consolidate the fragile cease-fire put in place 10 days ago.

He said the government in regionicular “must desist from the utilize of heavy weapons,…withdraw [them] from population centers as well as implement completey its commitments below the six-point [peace] plan” accepted by both sides to end 13 months of violence.

The Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to expand the U.N. truce monitor force to 300 observers for an initial period of 90 days in hopes of salvaging the April 12 cease-fire marred by continued fighting between the military as well as opposition rebels.

The measure provides U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon authority to induce an “assessment” over if it is safe to deploy monitors. His decision is about to be based over developments in Syria that include a cessation of violence.

Ban has accused the Syrian president of violating the truce, as well as said Saturday that “the gross violations of the fundamental rights of the Syrian people should stop at overce.” Rebel fighters have asides kept up attacks.

After the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice accused Syria of “broken promises” as well as “deceit,” as well as said the monitoring mission singularly may not halt unrest in the country.

Syria’s U.N. ambassador, Bashar Ja’afari, welcomed the arrival of more monitors. However, he accused the international community of continuously accusing his government of violence although ignoring crimes committed by armed opposition groups.

The Security Council had had approved an advance team of 30 monitors, some otherwise analysts say a lot of more observers are haveed to carry out the U.N. mission.

The U.N. estimates that more than 9,000 people have been killed in Syria’s more than year-long crackdown over dissent, although activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP as well as Reuters.

Voting began in France Sunday, in the first round of a presidential election that current President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to lose.

The latest opinion polls signify that Sarkozy is trailing his main rival, Socialist Francois Hollande, by numerous points.  The polls asides signify that Mr. Sarkozy would lose in an expected runoff May 6, that would cause him the country’s first overe-term president in from 30 years.

Ten hopefuls are vying as for France’s the best job, including Marine Le Pen over the far right as well as Jean-Luc Melenchon over the far left.  Pollsters say they are just maybely to place third as well as 4th, in addition.  All 10 mightdidates held their last day of campaigning Friday.  

On Friday, the conservative Sarkozy apologized as for his actions in the early days of his 5-year term.  He stated his mistake was “not belowstanding the symbolic dimension of the president’s role.”  However, he defended his role in curbing French spending to help resolve the European governmental debt crisis.  He stated France would face more difficulties just like debt-ridden Spain if it changes course.

Hollande is a veteran politician who headed the Socialist Party as for numerous years.  But he has never held a the best government publish.

During the campaign, Hollande blamed Sarkozy as for France’s unemployment rate of closely 10 percent as well as called as for sweeping changes to improve France’s public finances.

Under French law, the media are barred from announcing early or regionial results prior to the polling stations close Sunday althoughing (at 1800 UTC).  President Sarkozy has stated in interviews that the rule is outdated.  The law does not affect as foreign-based media as well as the information is expected to be widely available over Twitter as well as Facebook well prior to official results are announced at about 8 p.m. local time.

Security forces in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, have confronted protesters as tensions continue to rise proir of Sunday’s Formula One Grand Prix.

Demonstrators over the outskirts of the city lobbed housemade explosives at the police, who retaliated with tear gas.

Anti-government demonstrators called for protests in the days leading up to the race, as well as over Friday they turned violent as the demonstrators called for an elected government as well as equal justs.

On Saturday, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said he would like toed “to create clear my personal commitment to reform as well as reconciliation.”

But the Shi’ite-led protests have intensified because the Sunni rulers of the Shi’ite-majority nation insisted over going proir with the Grand Prix.

Reuters

Protesters blame security forces for the death of a man whose body was found Saturday over a rooftop over the outskirts of Manama.   Bahrain’s interior ministry said it is investigating the death.   The primary opposition group al-Wefaq identified the victim as Salah Abbas Habib. The ministry said the man looks like to bes to have died below “suspicious circumstances.”

His funeral may be held over Sunday if his family recovers his body, setting the stage for riots over race day.

Anti-government groups led by the country’s Shi’ite majority have called for “days of rage,” coinciding with the three days of race action at the circuit in Sakhir, south of the capital Manama.  

Last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was publishponed as well as later mayceled because of demonstrations.

Bahrain’s crown prince Salman bin Hamad bin al-Khalifa said over Friday rejected calls to maycel this year’s race, saying that that would overly empower “extremists.”

The ruling family is eager to host this year’s Grand Prix as method to illustrate stability in the strategic kingdom, that is house to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Some Bahrainis talking to Western media Friday said they were growing weary of the protests, questioning if they may create all difference. Businessman Razan Abdulaal was overe of them. “I belowstand a protest is inherent just, we the entire have the just to protest just, but I don’t acknowledge if you are referring to protesters or rioters because there is a really big difference,” he said.

Abdullah al-Zayed besides supported the demonstrators just to protest but said the protests themselves may be committing more harm than nice. “I is about to not bring the country to a standstill as well as promote my demands in those three days, go out in tens of thousands as well as shutdown Manama’s market because there are tourists coming. Why? Go over as well as close downward Manama’s market but it does not’t have to be during those three days,” he said.

Some information for this report was offered by AP, AFP as well as Reuters.