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Kim Jong-IL dead
West hopes succession can be a ‘turning point’
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Britain to ‘axe’ 700 military top brass
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Kim Jong-IL dead
Pyongyang, December 19 South Korea launched a high alert for its military as it faces the North’s 1.2 million-strong armed forces, while President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung- bak agreed by phone to closely monitor the events and cooperate. People on the streets of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, broke into tears as they learned the news that their “Dear Leader” had died at the age 69 of heart failure Saturday while carrying out official duties on a train trip. While there was no immediate statement on official succession, there were clear indications that Kim’s 20-something son, Kim Jong-Un, would be in charge. The North said in a dispatch that the people and the military “have pledged to uphold the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-Un” and called him a “great successor” of the country’s revolutionary philosophy of juche, or self-reliance. South Koreans expressed concern over the news. But an analyst said Kim’s death was unlikely to plunge the country into chaos because it already was preparing for a transition. Kim Jong-Il unveiled his third son Kim Jong-Un as his successor a year ago, putting him in high-ranking posts. Little is known about the younger Kim, who is believed to be in his 20s. Kim Jong-Un regularly accompanied his father on trips around the country over the past year. Kim Jong-Il inherited power after his father, revered North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994.
— AP
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West hopes succession can be a ‘turning point’
London/Washington, December 19 “This could be a turning point for North Korea,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said as he urged the new leader to recognise that engagement with the international community offers the best prospect for his nation, BBC reported. Also sounding warily optimist, the French Foreign Minister Alan Juppe hoped that the new leadership would bring in “new freedom” for North Korea. But US leaders watched the developments unfolding in a nation pursuing nuclear weapons with caution, as the White House said that President Barack Obama has been informed of the developments. In a statement, the White House said it was “closely monitoring” the situation in a nation with a history of belligerence. North Korea’s closest ally China expressed shock at the death of the North Korean leader as sources said that Beijing was in efforts to shore up its isolated neighbour. Analysts said that Beijing would certainly want to avoid any kind of meltdown in North Korea as it would lead to destabilisation on its border.
— PTI
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Israel completes swap for captured soldier
Beitunia (West Bank), December 19 Under the Egypt-brokered deal, Israel agreed to exchange a total of 1,027 prisoners for Sergent Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2006. Schalit returned home in October when Israel freed the first batch of 477 prisoners. Yesterday’s release of 550 prisoners completed the swap, the most lopsided in Israel’s history. The release last night was not infused with the same drama as the first phase, since the most significant players in the trade had already been freed. The October 18 return of Schalit, who appeared pale and thin but otherwise healthy, was the first public sighting of him since his capture, and the plight of the young man had captured Israel’s attention for years. The prisoners freed in the first round included dozens of militants serving life sentences for involvement in bus bombings and other deadly attacks on Israeli civilians that killed hundreds. Their release set off celebrations in the Palestinian territories, particularly Hamas’ Gaza stronghold. The release took place quietly under the cover of darkness, as most of the prisoners descended from buses and made their way into the West Bank and Gaza.
— AP
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Britain to ‘axe’ 700 military top brass
London, December 19 While at least 700 high-ranking officers and civil servants of the UK’s Ministry of Defence would lose their jobs by 2014, another 335 will be axed before 2020, as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has become “top heavy”, The Guardian quoted the confidential document as saying. The cuts detailed in the document, which was sent to senior officials last month, is part of a review by Jonathan Slater, the MoD director-general of transformation and strategy, the newspaper said. The document points out that the number of the most senior officers-with a one star rank or above-has risen by a third since 1990.
— PTI
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Prez Zardari returns to Pakistan
Defying all speculations, often spurious and vicious, President Asif Zardari returned to Karachi late Sunday night. For two weeks, the nation remained on edge amid wide perception of escalating institutional clash and dark predictions of extra-constitutional intervention.
The President’s return should quash most of these but the Prime Minister is still talking about the unspecified conspiracies to thwart PPP’s impending triumph in Senate elections. Gilani, however, has now tried to dispel perception about the stand-off among institutions and emphasised that the military and the judiciary firmly stand behind democratic order. Much will also depend on how President Zardari would conduct himself in coming days. His planned address to joint session of Parliament may have been deferred indefinitely. It was announced when he had aggressively responded to perceived conspiracies by the military and the judiciary. But he certainly would make first public appearance on December 27 at Noadero to mark the death anniversary of his slain wife.
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