February 14, 2008

North Korea may be fueling military exercises with oil
from failed nuke deal

SEOUL — North Korea has upgraded military exercises this winter, raising questions about where the energy-starved country secured the extra fuel. The North increased ground and air maneuvers since December despite acute energy shortages and rising oil prices, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. The escalation suggests the obvious to some N. Korea watchers here — that Pyongyang may have diverted fuel oil provided under last year's nuclear deal.                      (FULL STORY)
North Korean soldiers in Pyongyang.    AFP/KCNA

Rise of heir-apparent Xi Jinping to render PLA effectively the 'club of princelings'

Western military analysts estimate that there are nearly 100 “princeling officers” in the PLA with the rank of major general or above. Peng Liyuan, the glamorous wife of Xi Jinping and a nationally known singer who started her career in the PLA Song and Dance Troupe, still holds the title of major general.
(FULL STORY)              Peng Liyuan, wife of Xi Jinping, sings during a performance marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), in Beijing, on July 30.                                          Xinhua
Hunter: Defense budget fails to offset China's military buildup
Japan scrambles fighter jets, protests Russian bomber's violation of airspace
   
Major China spy post in Kashi uses U.S. tech for eavesdropping
Hill suggests N. Korean military sabotaged nuclear deal
U.S. envoy snubbed by North Korea's Kim Jong-Il
U.S. intelligence doesn't believe N. Korean vow on proliferation, enrichment

Is the party over in China? Massive unemployment looms / Make or break time for proposed U.S.-India nuke deal / Where’s McDonald’s beef? Overseas of course / Reports: Chrysler looking East for outsourcing relief
China developing deep-water fiber optics cable
Kim Jong-Il furious that officials took kickbacks in S. Korean business deals
North Korean state media describes life in 'socialist fairyland'

 
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