A Time magazine picture of terrorism

North-South Korea

An unplanned, “unscheduled” meeting is taking place between North and South Korea. Forthcoming reunion of families is going to be a major point to be discussed by the two countries. North Korea had threatened to cancel the reunion ahead of the meeting because of the US-South Korea military exercises planned for this year (BBC news February 12 2014 Lucy Williamson). The talks began in the border village of Panmunjom, lasting 90 minutes. The second round took place inside South Korea, according to agency reports.

Readers would recall that North Korea was upset with the military exercises, which are an annual event in South Korea over US  use of heavy-duty military hardware to the exercises (read “PYONGYANG AND WASHINGTON“). The new initiative by North Korea should be seen in this light according to a report in BBC.

Middle East

The US has threatened to go ahead with the resolution on sanctions against the Syrian regime despite Russian veto at the UN (Time, February 11 2014). According to the resolution,

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expresses the Security Council’s intention to impose sanctions if the Syrian government does not allow unrestricted aid deliveries to civilians caught in the fighting…”

Read more: Obama Slams Russia for Blocking U.N. Syria Action | TIME.comhttp://world.time.com/2014/02/11/obama-slams-russia-for-blocking-u-n-syria-action/#ixzz2t69jP15A“

It was circulated among 15 council members. French President, Francois Hollande made clear that it would go ahead with the resolution. There is of course an immediate need to deliver humanitarian aid to the people trapped in the war zone…this access needs to be unrestricted, in all areas of Syria.

Palestine

A senior Palestinian official has said that the region may erupt in an “armed conflict” if there is no positive outcome from the talks between Palestinians and Israelis (Time, February 11 2014). Jibril Rajou was head of Yasser Araffat’s security forces during the Second Intifadah. He is now the minister of youth and sports in the Palestinian Authority. He delivered the message in a Tehran TV interview. The ongoing talks that end in April are being held on a joint initiative with the US, Israel and Palestinian Authority.

Pakistan

An anti-drones activist has gone missing. he was to testify before the European Parliamentarians about the impact of drones strike on the country. According to his lawyers he was picked up from his residence in Rawalpindi last week (BBC news February 12 2014). Kareem Kahn’s brother and teenage son were killed in a drone attack in North Waziristan in 2009.

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“The Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court has sought reply from the intelligence agencies through the government, ordering the intelligence agencies to produce Kareem Khan on 20 February or give the reason behind his arrest in writing to the court,” his lawyer Shahzad Akbar told AFP news agency. (BBC news February 2014).