Here is your R&D for February 22nd:
Starving N. Korea begs for food, but U.S. has concerns about resuming aid from the Washington Post
Amid floods and a foot and mouth outbreak, North Korea has begun to beg the international community for food aid. However, the U.S. has reservations about sending food aid because it sees North Korea’s disruption system as corrupt.
China hints at possible Web clampdown from the Los Angeles Times
In light of recent protests, Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for “public opinion guidance on the Internet”, which experts believe is a call to crackdown on Internet communications in China.
American Way: Barack Obama, cult figure of 2008, left behind by new anti-spending zeitgeist from the UK Telegraph
From the way that the UK Telegraph sees things, President Obama is not in tune with the public’s desire to cut spending. Even though the public is not unified in what they want to cut, the Telegraph holds that President Obama’s public position on the deficit is not clear enough.
Oil industry worries Libya unrest could spread from the Associated Press
Protests in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, and Libya have rattled oil markets, with some analysts believing that the protests have hardly died off and that it could produce some global disruptions. Others, though, say that the chances of a meaningful disruption from the region are slim.
ASEAN Mediates in Cambodia, Thailand Conflict from the Voice of America
The Association for Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) is attempting to mediate a border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand near the Hindu Khmer temple. Indonesia’s Marty Natalegawa, who is leading the effort, is leading the diplomatic effort.