North Korean Rocket

North Korea's rocket didn't reach orbit, but Kim's in another world L.A. Times — Never mind that much of the world is calling North Korea's weekend space launch a dud -- that the regime's vaunted communications satellite probably now sits somewhere on the Pacific Ocean floor. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il still insists that his rocket scientists boldly launched a craft into orbit Sunday. And he likely is not inclined to be told otherwise. click to read complete article

Asian Shares End Higher; N Korea Rocket Launch Brushed Aside Wall Street Journal — Asian markets maintained their upward momentum Monday, brushing aside doubts about the U.S. economy and news of North Korea's rocket launch over the weekend. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.2% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 3.1%, adding to gains over the previous four weeks. "I don't think the risks have really changed that much and unfortunately the markets have gone up a lot. The risks to the market are to the downside," said Tim Rocks, strategist at Macquarie Research. "We would expect that there would be some retracement of these gains based on bad news coming out of either the U.S. economy or U.S. earnings and U.S. banking health in a month or so." click to read complete article

Chavez Sides With Russia On North Korea Rocket Launch Fox News — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday suggested the international community "avoid the winds of war" after a rocket launch by North Korea. Chavez made the remark in an interview with Venezuela's state radio from Tokyo as he began a visit aimed at deepening ties with Japan. "Due to the lack of information, and contradictory information ... I prefer to have a great deal of prudence as the Russian government has said," Chavez said in the radio interview. "And to avoid the winds of war. That's important." click to read complete article