ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Tehran, Iran - A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed 32 and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said. Authorities said it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region. The report said the earthquake struck the town of Kaki some 96 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf that is home of Iran's first nuclear power plant, built with Russian help. “No damage was done to Bushehr power plant,” Bushehr provincial governor Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV. He said 32 people died and 850 were injured, including 100 who were hospitalized. Water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh. Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh. Three helicopters were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad Mozaffar, the head of Iran's Red Crescent re

Seoul - South Korea raised its military watch alert to “vital threat” on Wednesday before an expected North Korean missile launch, as United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon warned the Korean peninsula may be slipping out of control. The North last week, told foreign diplomats in Pyongyang they had until April 10 to consider evacuation, fuelling speculation a launch was planned between Wednesday and the April 15 birthday celebrations for late founder Kim Il-Sung. South Korean intelligence says the North has prepared two mid-range missiles for imminent launch from its east coast, despite warnings from ally China to avoid provocative moves at a time of soaring military tensions. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se told Parliament the launch could take place “anytime from now on” and warned Pyongyang it could trigger a fresh round of UN sanctions. On Tuesday, the North reiterated a warning that the peninsula was headed for “thermo-nuclear” war and advised foreigners to consider leaving So

According to local authorities in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, at least 10 people were killed or injured following a roadside improvised explosive device blast in this province. The officials further added, the incident took place on Tuesday in Marjah district, killing at least five people and injuring five others. No group has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident. Local authorities blame Taliban group for the incident as the Taliban fighters frequently use improvised explosive device to target Afghan and coalition security forces which normally leads to civilian casualties. This comes as at least 9 civilians were killed and over 20 others were injured following a roadside bomb blast in Wardak province on Monday. The United Nations office in Afghanistan also expressed concerns regarding civilians deaths in Afghanistan which shows an increase of during the first three months of 2013 as compared to the similar period last year.

By Stephen Lendman April 09, 2013 " - It shouldn't surprise. It's already policy. Market analyst Graham Summers explained . Depositor theft is coming. Europe is banker occupied territory. So is America. Finance is a new form of warfare. It's more powerful than standing armies. Banking giants run things. Money power has final say. Economies are strip-mined for profit. Communities are laid waste. Ordinary people are impoverished. Even their bank accounts aren't safe. Cypriot officials agreed to tax them. Canada, New Zealand, and Euroland member states plan doing the same thing. So does America. Officially they're called "bail-ins." It's code language for grand theft. Instead of breaking up, nationalizing, or closing down failed banks, depositor funds will keep them operating. Money printing madness can't go on forever. Regulators, like FDIC, haven't enough money to insure depositors. It's simple mathematical logic. Ordinary people and ri

By Stansfield Smith April 09, 2013  - I recently returned from a late March trip to North Korea [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DPRK], along with 45 others, through Koryo Tours. On that tour I had the opportunity to discuss with the Korean tour guides their views on the current situation. I only recall the DPRK view mentioned here once in the corporate media, when Dennis Rodman returned with a message from new President Kim Jong. The message was “I don’t want war, call me.” Nobel Peace Prize winning President Obama refused to accept it, evidently preferring an escalating threat of a regional nuclear war to talking. I asked my Korean tours guides to be interviewed so I could present their views to US people. Has the DPRK made proposals for peaceful national reunification? Yes, now we have options: the historic option of a federal republic, and the recent option. In our history we proposed three principles for reunification: that the North and South unite the country independentl