Daily International News 01.27.11

Daily International News
January 27, 2011

Northeast Asia
US considers boosting force in Asia: Pentagon [JoongAng]
Koreas
US says China wants to contain NKorea [FT]
Expert: NKorea won’t see improved ties with SKorea [AP]
‘NK fatigue growing in China’ [Korea Times]
Defector Reflects on North Korea Through Art [WSJ]
China
China to step up controversial technology plans [AP]
China Will Face Crisis Within 5 Years, 45% of Investors in Global Poll Say [Bloomberg]
Japan
Japanese, US troops hold major war games [AP]
Volcano erupts in southern Japan [Xinhua]
Japan’s credit rating downgraded by Standard & Poor’s [BBC]

Southeast Asia/Pacific
Shark nations failing on conservation pledges [BBC]
Australian government proposes temporary flood relief tax [Guardian]

South/Central Asia
Indian official Sonawane’s murder prompts mass protest [BBC]
Police: US consular official kills 2 gunmen in Pakistan [AP]
U.S. Lobbies Afghanistan to Release Christian Converts [WSJ]

N. Africa/Middle East Unrest-related
Unrest spells end to Mideast dynasties [FT]
Thousands rally in Yemen, joining Tunisia and Egypt in anti-government protests [Haaretz]
Tunisia may purge Ben Ali loyalists [Al Jazeera]
Obama Poised to Step Up Criticism of Mubarak If Crackdown Is Intensified [Bloomberg] and Mubarak ruling party says it’s ready for dialogue [AP]
ElBaradei to return as Egypt unrest enters third day [Reuters]

Middle East
Hezbollah-backed Lebanon PM seeks good US ties [AP]
Israeli settlers kill Palestinian in West Bank – witnesses [Reuters]
Bomb at Baghdad funeral in Shia Muslim area kills 37 [BBC]

Africa
Ugandan gay activist beaten to death after threats [Reuters]
Mandela, 92, hospitalized for tests in S. Africa [AP]

Europe
Alexander Lukashenko to be banned from EU [Guardian]
Russian Islamist wanted for Moscow blast – report [Reuters]
‘Second underage girl’ named in Berlusconi sex case [BBC]
At Davos, Sarkozy says he and Merkel will never abandon euro [Reuters]

Americas
Haiti Candidate Celestin Is Cut [WSJ]
Colombian coal mine blast kills 21 workers [BBC]

Domestic
US Utah ‘biological’ army base ‘locked down’ [BBC]
Dealing With Assange and the Secrets He Spilled [NYT]
Social Security fund will be drained by 2037 [AP]
Obama vows to end enforcement of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ this year [WaPo]
Harry Reid tells Obama he’s ‘wrong’ on earmarks and should ‘back off’ (video) [WaPo]
Sarah Palin turns Obama’s ‘Win the future’ into ‘WTF’ (video) [WaPo]
DHS to Scrap Color Code Terror Alerts by April [ABC]
Republicans want a return to workplace immigration raids [LAT]
To target Fox News over ‘Nazi’ label, rabbis make use of Murdoch’s other media [WaPo]
Senate tea party: Members wanted [POLITICO]
Michele Bachmann poses challenge for GOP [POLITICO]
Snowstorm Wallops Northeast, Piling on the Misery [ABC]