Recently in International News Category

                            North Korea revalued its currency for the first time in 50 years on Tuesday, restricting the amount of old money for trading it to a new money.
                            The Reuters reported the government lopped two zeroes of the value of its currency, replacing the 1,000-won notes with 10-won notes. 
                            The government's action was to break down the black market, which became an important part of the market trading system in the country, reported the New York Times.
                            Nicholas Eberstadt, political economist and North Korea scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington said, "It's another way of limiting, harassing and punishing people who have had the bad political sense to engage in market activity."
                            The sudden revaluation and exchange limits of the new money created chaos among people, leaving most of the old North Korean won worthless,Washington Post reported.
                            According to the Wall Street Journal, the banks and offices were packed with North Koreans, asking for information and trying to exchanges or trade existing North Korean won for euros and U.S. dollars.
                            Marcus Noland, a senior researcher at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington said, "It's basically a way of rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies."

 

                               U.S. President Barack Obama is visiting China to discuss several issues, but China is saying no to most of the topics.

                               China's President Hu Jintao held news conference and said that China will not change its currency and human rights, reported the New York Times. They agreed to work together on issues involving climate and North Korea.

                                A China specialist at Cornell University, Eswar S. Prasad said, "China effectively stage-managed President Obama's public appearances, got him to make statements endorsing Chinese positions of political importance to them and effectively squelched discussions of contentious issues such as human rights and China's currency policy."

                                The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. finalized seven energy-related deals in Beijing, involving greenhouse gas-emissions and energy conservation.

                                 Obama brought up human rights issue involving religion freedom to Hu: "While we recognize that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama to resolve any concerns and differences that the two sides may have."

                                 According to BBC News, Obama will visit Seoul on Thursday meting South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak.

                                      

 

                            U.S. president Barack Obama will send a senior U.S. diplomat to North Korea for a direct talk before a year ends, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

                            The administration officials said the visit is aiming to restart the six-nation talks to end North Korea's nuclear program, Washington Post reported.

                            State Department spokesman P.J Crowley said, "After careful consideration and extensive consultation among our allies and partners, we have told North Korea that we are prepared for Ambassador Bosworth and a small interagency team to visit Pyongyang at an appropriate time not yet determined," reported the AFP.

                            The ABC News reported Obama administration is planning to start negotiation of its nuclear weapon.

                            Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said in October, "We may use some bilateral discussions to help get that process going."

                            The last six-nation talks was about Pyongyang's nuclear program, joined by U.S., China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and North Korea on December 2008.

                            Obama will visit South Korea on November 18 on his Asia trip.

                            

 

                            Heavy snowfall in north-central China killed 40 people, leaving 10,000 buildings to collapse on Saturday.

                            According to the Wall Street Journal, the snowfall was caused by heavy blizzard over the past week, which started at Monday. The government said more than 40 people died from traffic accidents and building collapses by the snowfall.

                            Chinese officials said snowfall destroyed about 500,000 acres of winter crops. More than 158,000 people were evacuated, being homeless, Telegraph News reported.

                            The China government is not fully prepared to deal with such heavy snow, out of supplies or workers to clean up the road.

                            Total economic losses from the distruction caused by the storms and snowfalls in northern China have been estimated around 4.5 billion yuan, which is U.S. $659 million.

 

 

                                The Obama administration is willing to have bilateral talk with North Korea, the president's top adviser on Asia said on Friday.

                                President Barack Obama postponed his trip to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea, which was planned for departure on Wednesday, reported the Reuters. His advisers said North Korea's nuclear issue will be the major topic during his visit.

                                Jeffrey Bader, senior director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council said, "We are prepared to engage directly with the North Koreans."

                                The Korean Press reported Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will not take a trip to Pyongyang before Obama returns from his Asian trip, according to the U.S. official.

                                 Bosworth said on Thursday that the U.S. government will make a decision on his trip to Pyongyang within a few weeks.

                                 Bader said, "We are prepared to engage directly with the North Koreans."

 

                              Iran initially responded to United Nations nuclear proposal for sending their nuclear abroad, but it is still on the process.
                              Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "We welcome cooperation on nuclear fuel, power plants and technology, and we are ready to cooperate," The New York Times reported.
                              According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed Elbaradei, the head of the agency is consulting with Iran and other countries of agreement on the deal, reported The Wall Street Journal.
                              The original plan was signed by France, U.S., and Russia, which will prevent enriched uranium turning into the bomb over Iran's nuclear program, reported The Chicago Tribune.

 

                             Two trains collided together killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 50 people on Saturday outside the South of Cairo.

                             The New York Times reported a passenger train unexpectedly stopped and smashed the back of another train, destroying several cars, the police said.

                             According to the eyewitnesses named as Mohammed, "The train hit a water buffalo. The gas pipeline broke, and the train stalled. The other one came from behind quickly and hit it," the BBC News reported.

                             The security official said the accident happened at Al-Ayyat in Giza, the BBC News reported.

                             BBC News reported Egypt rail network shows a history of rail accidents, involving one in 2002, recording the death toll of 370 people.

                             According to the Middle East News Agency, the governor "ordered compensation for the families of the dead," reported the United Press International.  

                             

 

                               Hurricane Rick strengthened to Category 5 storm which is "extremely dangerous" off Mexico's Pacific coast today.

                               The Chicago Tribune reported Hurricane Rick was Category 4 around 9 a.m. Saturday. But it grew stronger by 8 p.m. as Category 5 storm, the Wall Street Journal reported.

                               The Associated Press reported the warm water made Category 1 hurricane Rick to Category 5, said Meteorologist Jessica Schauer.

                               The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the story sustained winds of 160 mph, repoerted the Chicago Tribune.

                               Rick can strike Baja California Peninsula around next week, forecaster said. The storm will hit the land as a Category 2 hurricane around Wednesday, reported the Wall Street Journal.

                              

                    

                        More than 1000 people died from two big earthquakes in Indonesia on Wednesday and Thursday.

                        The U.S Geological Survey said 6.6 magnitude quake hit South Sumatra on wednesday, the CNN reported. The New York Times reported the 7.6 magnitude quake happened around 5 p.m., on Wednesday at Padang.

                        The United Nations humanitarian coordinator John Holmes said 1,100 people died and hundreds more were injured on Thursday, the CNN reported.

                        "This numbers, I fear, will rise," Holmes said. "There is a lot of emergency relief needed in all these cases."

                         The Associated Press said Padang's mayor Fauzi Bahar asked for a help on an Indonesian radio station, the New York Times reported.

                         President Obama said the United States is willing to help Indonesian people to overcome this crisis, reported the New York Times.