US to impose new sanctions on North Korea, may enter "dangerous new period"; Chinese floods kill over 700; BP chief expected to resign within weeks; Insurers put squeeze on Iranian shipping; and more

Top of the Agenda: US Signals New North Korea Sanctions

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced at a news conference in Seoul that Washington will impose new sanctions on North Korea (BBC), targeting the sale and purchase of arms and luxury goods. In a gesture also meant to signal intensifying pressure on North Korea (NYT) before meetings with their counterparts in South Korea, Clinton and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates traveled to the Korean Peninsula's demilitarized zone.

President Obama's nominee for Director of National Intelligence (Bloomberg), James Clapper, added to the warnings, telling the Senate Intelligence Committee the United States may be entering “a dangerous new period” with North Korea marked by Pyongyang's military provocations designed to advance the state's political goals.

Analysis:

This new CFR Independent Task Force report says North Korea's continued provocations pose a serious threat to its neighbors and that the United States must lead intensified efforts to achieve the north's denuclearization.

Background:

This CFR Crisis Guide explores the military, economic and nuclear proliferation dimensions of the ongoing conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

 

PACIFIC RIM: Over 700 Dead in China Floods

Torrential flooding (CNN) across much of China, including at least one hundred cities, has killed more than 700 people, according to China's vice minister of water resources.

 

ELSEWHERE:

- Iranian Shipping Hurt by Sanctions

- Turkey and Hamas meet to break Gaza blockade

- BP Chief May Step Down

 

This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org