Kim Jong (the) Un Dead

US officials have quashed reports that the new North Korean leader has been assassinated in China. The reports have recently sparked a social-network frenzy, but are nothing more than a hoax, according to those in the know.

As the (unnamed) intelligence officers told CNN, they had actively been investigating rumors of Kim’s demise for about a week when the web-o-sphere finally caught up.

And while the CIA was “relatively certain” that it was nothing more than a hoax, the officials did hedge a bit, saying“with that society you can never be 100 per cent sure”, which is why rumors like these spread like wildfire.

With not a lot known about the newly-sworn in Kim Jong-un (other than he is the son of the late Kim Jong-il, who died in December, and that he is in his late 20s), it was not even clear whether the rumor mill was talking about an assassination. Death, illness and odd mistranslations were all possible. But while most news sources refrained from running with the story, it still became a trending topic on social networks like Twitter. 

All this was sparked by eyewitness reports of an unusually large presence of cars and people at the North Korean embassy in Beijing. Somewhere, that was misinterpreted as panic and then morphed into the possible death of young Kim – who may or may not have been in China at the time. 

US security officials have, perhaps predictably, interpreted the reports as “a calculated effort to disrupt the economy of South Korea at a fragile time by suggesting things are going haywire up north.” But to most people, it is simply Chinese whispers – literally, this time.

Iran's inter-not: 'Nationwide web' on the way

It is not unusual for Middle Eastern countries to block certain websites that authorities feel pose a political or moral danger. Now, Iran has gone one step further and cut off an entire swathe of the internet.

When one of Iran’s 40 million internet users tries to access any website that uses the common https protocol – and that includes Facebook, Gmail and YouTube – the site does not load, and instead a message appears on the screen.

It reads: “According to computer crime regulations, access to this website is denied.”

Although they have not justified the latest measures, Iranian officials have previously claimed that Western websites are being used by the US authorities to spy on their country.

There are contradictory reports about the timing and consistency of the new restrictions. Some bloggers have reported that the crackdown has happened ahead of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on February 11, which was expected to be a flashpoint for anti-government protests. But respected internet portal Ars Technica says the restrictions have been gradually implemented over the last few months. It also appears as if the firewall has not been imposed universally, with some users still able to access the websites at least some of the time.

In any case, the measures represent another episode in the game of cat-and-mouse that Iran’s censors play with the country’s online population. Tech-savvy Iranian’s have long used workarounds to avoid the stringent filtering system.

More sceptical web enthusiasts are afraid that the new restrictions herald the arrival of the long-dreaded “National Internet”. Authorities in the Islamic republic have spent US$1 billion constructing a special closed network that will allow access to a list of specially-selected “halal” or appropriate websites, while the worldwide web as a whole will be blocked completely to non-privileged users. Instead of Google, Iranians will have access to a new search engine, Ya Haq, which translates as “Oh the Just One.” Officials have previously claimed that the National internet is ready to start operating at any time.

In an interview with CNET one anonymous Iranian commented: “We are getting closer and closer to North Korea.”

Russia Today

Greek PM Lucas Papademos has warned parliament of “uncontrollable economic chaos” if it fails to approve a new austerity bill that will cut 15,000 public-sector jobs and lower the minimum wage by 20 per cent.

“The Greek parliament is asked to take a historic responsibility, to examine and authorize the new economic program of Greece, the pre-condition for financing the country over the coming years,” Papademos said in a televised address on Saturday.

New austerity measures have already been adopted by the Greek cabinet in order to secure a crucial €130 billion bailout from the EU and the IMF. Experts say Greece may default as early as March if it does not receive help from international lenders.

“The social cost of this program is limited in comparison with the economic and social catastrophe that would follow if we did not adopt it,” he warned.

Six ministers have quit the cabinet disagreeing with the harsh austerity measures.

Margaret Bogenrief of ACM partners believes the Greek parliament has no choice but to pass these measures. However, she does not think that it will be enough to ensure that Greece will not eventually default.

In an interview with RT, Bogenrief said there is no third option to austerity or default. “I think the markets have been fooling themselves the last six months by thinking that there is a better or third option.”

Should Greece default it would have a devastating impact on the global economy, according to Bogenrief. Much of Eastern Europe will plunge into recession, she says, noting that 22 per cent of Romanian banking is done through Greece.

A Greek default could also hurt Russia, as any shrinking of the European economy would mean lower gas and oil consumption on which the Russian economy heavily relies, Bogenrief believes.

Any European economic troubles caused by a possible Greek default would affect the US economy. “Obviously our import numbers are going to decrease significantly, putting on hold any kind of growth we’ve been kidding ourselves that we have this year.”

And finally, the world’s second-largest economy, China, would also suffer as Europe is its largest trading partner, she concludes.