beetroot recipes: Morning Brief: North Korea Executes Powerful Military Official

Friday, December 13, 2013

North Korea Executes Powerful Military Official

Top News: Just days after being removed from his senior military position, Chang Song-thaek, Kim Jong Un's uncle, was executed for "acts of treachery." State news agency reported that Chang admitted to trying to overthrow the government at a military trial on Thursday.

Chang--married to the elder Kim's sister--was thought to be a key figure in consolidating power behind the younger Kim. He had held senior posts in the ruling party and was vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, the North's top military body.

Yet according to the state media report, Chang allegedly confessed that he was "going to stage the coup by using high-ranking army officers who had close ties with me or by mobilising armed forces under the control of my confidantes."

The execution is the most significant upheavel in North Korea since the younger Kim took power two years ago.

Iran: A key Democrat dropped support of legislation to introduce new sanctions on Iran, Foreign Policy reports. Steny Hoyer, who had worked with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in drafting the legislation, unexpectedly backed off after an aggressive push by White House and State department officials to stop the resolution.

Middle East

Robert Levinson, an American thought to have been held in Iran for the last seven years, was working for the CIA, according to AP.
A new report by Amnesty International documents the failures of European countries to resettle Syrian refugees.
At least 20 Iraqi suspects, some linked to Al-Qaeda, escaped detention from a Baghdad prison.

Asia

The Bangladesh Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah was executed on Thursday after his conviction for crimes during the 1971 war of independence.
Amid ongoing anti-government demonstrations, Thailand's opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was charged with murder for allegedly authorizing the use of live ammunition against protesters in the 2010 crackdown.
Gunmen in northwest Pakistan killed at least two policemen who were providing security for a group of public health workers.

Europe

Protesters in Ukraine returned to the center of Kiev, rebuilding barricades that the police had destroyed earlier in the week.
Russian authorities informed a group of climate activists, known as the Arctic 30, that they cannot leave the country while on bail. The activists were initially arrested after protesting against oil drilling in the Arctic.
Italian police arrested family members of Sicily's most-wanted Mafia boss on charges of extortion and association.

Africa

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace deal with M23 rebels. The insurgency was beaten last month after a major offensive by government and UN forces.
Tunisia's governing party has reached an agreement with the opposition on a new prime minister to lead a caretaker government. The ruling part was forced to cede power in September in response to anti-government protests.
Two cases of pneumonic plague have been reported in Madagascar. This comes after cases of bubonic plague were confirmed in the north of the island.

Americas

Despite protests from opposition lawmakers, the Mexican congress approved legislation opening up the country's oil and gas sector to foreign investment.
Juan Orlando Hernandez was officially confirmed as Honduran president, despite calls from the opposition for the election to be annulled.
Uruguay's recent decision to legalise the production, sale and consumption of marijuana violates international law, UN says.

-By Jake Scobey-Thal

EPA/YONHAP

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