Noted News Today

So many headlines coming in on all directions! The stress, what should I comment on? Do I even care to comment on anything today? Well, I might as well give it a try. One type of headlines I’ve been keeping an eye out for is anything with “North Korea” on it. Am I too nervous of a possibly escalating nuclear crisis, or is it simply I am not trusty of Pyongyang and have every reason to doubt anything they say.

Ah, N. Korea

How can you trust a country that only gives their neighbor and sole “friend” China a warning call of 20 minutes before they launch the nuclear test which now has the entire world infuriated even more at them. If N. Korean government turns around and bites the hand that feeds them, what can one expect they do to others.

And now that everyone is considering and implementing sanctions against N. Korea, following a U.N. resolution last week, the country’s official foreign policy is to threaten, in “moderation”. A message to neighboring South Korea by North Korean leadership says any sanctions the South decides to impose will be considered “a declaration of confrontation”.

No official voices have yet been raised in favor of a change in N. Korean leadership, since if the North suspects moves to regime change they could consider it a threat to their sovereignty and start a new Korean war.

A look at Sudan

Continuing with the world’s hotspots, the situation over at Sudan’s Darfur region is in apparent standstill. That is, regarding the strengthening of peacekeeping forces. Because rebel fighting continues to claim innocent lives and drive thousands more out of their homes. The UN wants to move in with a 20,000 strong force, but Sudan’s leader says a stronger peacekeeping force would have to be from the African Union alone, while “foreigners” could limit their assistance to logistics and such… The situation however remains much out of control, and I don’t think the people who are in every day perilous situations would really mind if the peacekeeping forces stationed to protect them are from Africa, Europe, the US or planet Mars for that matter, as long as they do their job right.

It is hopeful though that a doubling of the peacekeeping forces would be considered anyhow, even if it has to be exclusively AU forces.

On other news…

Madonna defends adoption

Pop singer Madonna appeared on Oprah and claimed the media is turning the entire story of her bid for the adoption of a Malawian baby boy, into something it hasn’t been. Madonna who is doing great humanitarian work in support of Malawian orphans has had her efforts to adopt young David Banda contested by a committee of 67 Malawian NGOs, which oppose foreign adoptions unless the parents have lived in the country for a year and a half.

iTunes stuff played elsewhere…

Those of you downloading music from Apple’s iTunes store, know that digital rights management software (FairPlay) on the tracks prevents them from being played elsewhere than in an iPod portable player. And that you’re also restricted as to how many computers you can move your music to.

Hacker Jon Lech Johansen is about to change all that. Breaking the code and “freeing the music” in a manner which is claimed to be both legitimate and is planned to be licensed to other portable digital music player manufacturers… I wonder how all that turns out, since it is the first time such technology is being commercialized and easily accessible. Something to which I’d like to see Apple’s official response.