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North Korea

North Korea Carries Out Nuclear Test, World Leaders React

KCNA (North Korea), REUTERS

Worldcrunch

North Korea has confirmed it "successfully" conducted a third nuclear test at a northeastern underground test site, in defiance to UN Security Council’s orders to shut down its atomic activity.

"It was confirmed that the nuclear test that was carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment," the state-run Korean Central News agency (KCNA) said.

The country had been threatening to carry out the test for weeks, in response to sanctions imposed after its successful rocket launch in December last year.

The nuclear test, North Korea's first since leader Kim Jong-un came to power in December 2011, is pressing the UN Security Council to hold emergency talks on Wednesday.

REACTIONS

- UN chief Ban Ki-Moon led the global condemnation of the test, with his office saying it was a "clear and grave violation" of Security Council resolutions.

- USA: Reuters has U.S. President Barack Obama’s reaction to North Korea’s threat:

"North Korea announced today that it conducted a third nuclear test. This is a highly provocative act that, following its December 12 ballistic missile launch, undermines regional stability, violates North Korea’s obligations under numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, contravenes its commitments under the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks, and increases the risk of proliferation. North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to U.S. national security and to international peace and security "

Read Obama’s full statement here.

- Australia: Prime Minister Julia Gillard joined the UN chief in his disapproval, saying "The Australian government condemns in the strongest possible terms nuclear testing by North Korea," Australia’s news.com.au reports.

- China: "It is China's firm stance to realize non-nuclearization for the Korean peninsula and prevent nuclear proliferation and maintain peace and stability in north-east Asia," China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

- France: French President François Hollande also firmly condemned the launch, and asked North Korea to "comply immediately to its international duties, " Libération reports.

- Japan: "The test is a grave threat to the safety of our country and a serious challenge against the global framework of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. It cannot be tolerated, as it will significantly damage safety and peace in northeast Asia and the international community.

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Geopolitics

Why The Latin American Far Left Can't Stop Cozying Up To Iran's Regime

Among the Islamic Republic of Iran's very few diplomatic friends are too many from Latin America's left, who are always happy to milk their cash-rich allies for all they are worth.

Image of Bolivia's ambassador in Tehran, Romina Pérez Ramos.

Bolivia's ambassador in Tehran, Romina Pérez Ramos.

Bolivia's embassy in Tehran/Facebook
Bahram Farrokhi

-OpEd-

The Latin American Left has an incurable anti-Yankee fever. It is a sickness seen in the baffling support given by the socialist regimes of Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela or Bolivia to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which to many exemplifies clerical fascism. And all for a single, crass reason: together they hate the United States.

The Islamic Republic has so many of the traits the Left used to hate and fight in the 20th century: a religious (Islamic) vocation, medieval obscurantism, misogyny... Its kleptocratic economy has turned bog-standard class divisions into chasmic inequalities reminiscent of colonial times.

This support is, of course, cynical and in line with the mandates of realpolitik. The regional master in this regard is communist Cuba, which has peddled its anti-imperialist discourse for 60 years, even as it awaits another chance at détente with its ever wealthy neighbor.

I reflected on this on the back of recent remarks by Bolivia's ambassador in Tehran, the 64-year-old Romina Pérez Ramos. She must be the busiest diplomat in Tehran right now, and not a day goes by without her going, appearing or speaking somewhere, with all the publicity she can expect from the regime's media.

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