1. N. Korea ends denuclearization talks

    North Korea announced on January 23 to end the effort on denuclearizing* the Korean Peninsula.

    The move came hours after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution condemning* North Korea’s rocket launch in December.

    There will be no more discussions on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in the future, but the country is open to talks on peace and security, according to the statement. The country also pledged to “take physical action to strengthen self-defense military capabilities including nuclear deterrence*.”

    2. Netanyahu narrowly wins election

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu narrowly won an election on January 22. Voters demand for attention to people’s well-being issues over the ambitions of foreign policy issues such as thwarting* Iran’s nuclear plans and Palestinian desire to establish their own country.

    The right-wing prime minister claimed victory after his Likud party and its ally took 31 of parliament’s 120 seats.

    3. Russians flee Syria violence

    Dozens of Russians arrived home on January 23 after fleeing* Syria which is engaged in the civil war.

    Russia organized two flights to evacuate* 77 men, women and children from Syria. According to the United Nations, 60,000 people have been killed in 22 months of bloodshed*. Both flights arrived in Moscow early in the morning of January 23.

    Russia may be preparing for the possibility of Bashar Assad’s fall, but Moscow insists the operation is not the start of a mass evacuation of tens of thousands of Russian citizens living in Syria.

    4. Sarkozy to move London avoiding tax

    Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy may move to London to set up a billion-pound investment fund. His move is believed to escape a potential top tax rate of 75 percent in his home country, a media report claimed on January 22.

    The former president is under investigation for corruption in France, and if he does cross the channel French people will be outraged*, the report said. It came within weeks of Sarkozy facing his prosecution after being defeated by Socialist rival Francois Hollande in the May presidential election.

    5. Thai editor jailed for 10 years

    A Thai magazine editor was jailed for 10 years on January 23 for insulting the royal family under the country’s strict lese-majeste law.

    Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, editor of Voice of the Oppressed, a magazine devoted to self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of publishing articles in 2010 defaming* King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Discussions about the role of the monarchy* are forbidden in Thailand.

    6. Death toll rises to 31 in Egypt clash

    The death toll from rioting* in the Egyptian city of Port Said had risen to 31, health officials said on Saturday.

    The violence erupted on Saturday after a court handed down death sentences to almost two dozen local fans involved in a deadly fight at a Port Said soccer game last year.

    The bloodshed highlights the challenges facing President Mohammed Morsi, who took office nearly seven months ago following the uprising that ousted Mubarak.

    7. Zeman wins Czech vote

    Leftist former Prime Minister Milos Zeman won the Czech Republic’s first direct presidential election on Saturday.

    Zeman, a 68-year-old who favors more integration within the European Union, won by 54.8 to 45.2 percent over Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, results from 99.9 percent of voting districts showed.

    Economic forecaster Zeman will make Czechs closer to Europe’s mainstream. (SD-Agencies)