North Korea’s Nuclear Test Draws Condemnation

North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Feb. 12 in defiance of UN resolutions, drawing condemnation from around the world. Pyongyang said the test was an act of self-defense against “US hostility” and threatened stronger steps if necessary. Its KCNA news agency said it had used a “miniaturized” and lighter nuclear device, indicating it had again used plutonium, which is suitable for use as a missile warhead. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting at which its members, including China,

“strongly condemned” the test. US President Barack Obama said the nuclear test was a threat and a provocation. He said the US would lead the world in responding.—Reuters quietly and took to social media in the hope their Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle might be chosen as the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Benedict shocked the world by resigning on Feb. 11. Tagle’s close alignment to Pope Benedict could work in his favor, with the Philippines a bulwark of Catholicism in a mainly Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist region. “The Filipino cardinal, Luis Antonio Tagle, will be a long-shot but he could be considered because he is also known as a Vatican insider and a former adviser of the Pope,” said Joselito Zulueta, a Filipino journalist and analyst of church affairs. —Reuters.

Thai Marines Kill 16 Islamic Insurgents

Marines fending off a major militant assault on their base in Thailand’s violent south killed 16 insurgents in an overnight shootout on Feb. 13. It was believed to be the deadliest toll the Muslim guerrillas suffered since more than 100 died in a single day nearly a decade ago. About 50 militants wearing militarylike uniforms raided the marine corps base in Bacho district in Narathiwat Province. The marines had been tipped off by the locals and suffered no casualties. More than 5,000 people have been killed after an Islamic insurgency erupted in 2004 in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces, a Muslim-majority region in the Buddhist-dominated country.—AP

Traditional Oil Drilling

In the scorching midday heat of central Myanmar, dozens of families are hard at work. In the shade of tarpaulins and thatched-roof huts, workers operate old engine blocks and makeshift wooden drills in order to bring up that most coveted of energy sources: oil. The workers and their children collect the sticky crude oil in order to sell it to local refineries that use it to produce petrol and diesel. For some 250 impoverished families at Bandua Pen village in Thayet Township, Magway Region, a hilly site located on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, this dirty, backbreaking work is a key source of income.