By all projections, the North Korean attempt was to try to put a satellite into space (not a missile test as feared). However, it is also known that the North Koreans are using the same vehicle for both a rocket launch, and a missile launch (and that is one of the fundamental problems of space technology – a lot of the technology has dual applications); and so if the rocket had been successful, then that would also have been a validation of a missile with supposedly sufficient range to reach parts of the United States. This is a scary prospect, since the North Koreans have been suspected of working to miniaturize their nuclear device so as to form it to be a warhead capable of fitting onto a missile. Further, the North Koreans have been caught in the past of collaborating with other countries on both missile and nuclear technology. The rocket overflew Japan, but then failed, and there was no payload launched into orbit. At some point in the future, if they are allowed to advance, the North Koreans will be able to make sufficient advances.
Unfortunately the North Koreans have not been susceptible to much pressure in the past (with China and Russia, key pressure capable nations, not willing to apply the required amount of pressure). They are already under United Nations sanctions for the previous nuclear test of 2006, and that does not seem to have much effect on the North Koreans; so the US is now worried about how to stop further work in this regard. Military threats also do not work since the North Koreans are capable of causing huge damage to Seoul, and maybe parts of Japan (link to article):

continue reading "What does the Security Council do about the North Korean launch"

For the past several years, there has been an active discussion among researches about the impact that a sustained attack on the computer infrastructure of developed countries could achieve. With modern infrastructures such as electricity, water, transport, finance, etc all being controlled through computational technologies, there is a persisting fear that all of this infrastructure is under threat from any clever band of cyber attackers. Modern military games incorporate threats by hackers who are affiliated to sovereign countries, and in many cases, it is claimed that developing the ability to bring down the computer networks of other countries is part of the game plan for offensive action. In the past, it has been feared that countries such as China and Russia have developed capabilities for offensive cyber-warfare.
Consider this case where a computer network, based in China, and dubbed as the ‘GhostNet’ by a team of Canadian researches turned up a huge network based on computers located in China; these computers were the initiators of hacking attempts that broke into computers all over the world; this probe was based on a need by the Dalai Lama office in India to ensure that its own computers were not infected (link to article):

continue reading "China based computer ring got into computers worldwide"

For many weeks now, China has been facing a huge bad press in terms of tainted milk. For quite some time now, many manufacturers in China have been trying to make additional profit by adding melamine to milk (with the same milk being used as baby milk, and as part of milk products such as ice cream, sweets, candies, etc). This caused deaths in China, and led to a large scale removal of such products from store shelves in countries around the globe, along with a lot of outrage. China responded as it does, by blaming foreign media for hurting Chinese interests by excessive coverage, as well as by arresting a whole host of people responsible. However, it still did not answer the fundamental questions that came out it with regard to manufacturers feeling that they had the freedom to add a substance such as melamine (used in plastics, and nowhere close to anything used in food grade items) without any kind of inspection (or maybe the inspectors were all bought off).

continue reading "The tainted food scandal in China worsens"

The Guantanamo Bay prisoners and their detention is probably one of the most legally debated issues in the United States. Ever since the US action in Afghanistan in 2001, and the detention of terrorists and others from there, there has been a raging debate over their treatment. On the one hand there is the need to prevent the release of people (some of the detainees) who everybody knows are hard-core terrorists, who if released would go back to taking part in active operations against the United States and other countries. On the other hand, there is the need to ensure that all the detainees get their rights to a free trial, which is a due process of law, something that is a hallmark of a civilized society. There is no doubt that there will be some detainees who are innocent, or have committed minor crimes, and yet have been locked away for 7 years now.
The case of the 17 Uighur Muslims from China’s Xinjiang suddenly jumped into the limelight this week when a single judge ordered that they be released and brought into the United States. Now, these are detainees whom the Administration is quite clearly not going to file a case against, and who if returned back to China will almost certainly land them in clear trouble.

continue reading "Debate in the US over Muslims from Chinese Uighurs"