News of the (longer than it should have been) Weekend (April 12-16)

Stalinist North Korea misses Beijing surrender deadline: Well, well, well, we hand them the money that was supposed to have nothing to do with the "agreement" (National Review Online and One Free Korea) and they still can't shut their nuclear reactor down on time (BBC, NRO, and OFK). Of course, the conventional wisdom holds that we should surrender more to the Stalinists and the Communist Chinese allies (Cybercast News and United Press International via Washington Times), although Daily NK - as usual - stands athwart the madness.

More On Communist China's Korean colony: As northern Korea continues to waste away, the Stalinist leadership puts into focus a new priority - the birthday of the late Kim Il-Sung (Daily NK). A Korean-American is sent to prison for spying on behalf of the Stalinists (BBC). Daily NK pans South Korea's dovish attitude; while OFK has Bill Richardson in his sights.

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Orville Schell takes the dubious prize for this sojourn into naivete on Communist China and the environment (Washington Post); for a more reasonable outlook, check out Chris Horner in NRO.

As 2008 Olympics near, concern rises: John Kusumi calls for a boycott (Boycott 2008); Nat Hentoff (Washington Times) notes the Bayrou call.

More on Communist China and the United States: Washington's two papers commented on the Bush Administration's decision to call Communist China out on copyright piracy; the Times was happier than the Post - in part because the latter was critical of the Administration's move against Communist paper exports. Meanwhile, a former Pentagon official and China specialist told the the U.S. China Economic Security Review Commission that "tighter U.S. export controls on China might 'impede China's potential acquisition of anti-satellite systems'" (Bill Gertz, Washington Times).

Wen Jiabao returns home from Japan: The Communist Premier was his usual, slick self (Asahi Shimbun via Washington Times, BBC, and UPI via Washington Times).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Anton Foek (Washington Times) pays a sanitized visit to occupied East Turkestan (but is well aware of the circumstances around him); a New Zealand mayor calls for Communist China to end its abuses of human rights (Between Heaven and Earth); Russia threatens another Falun Gong deportation (Epoch Times); Communist China's foreign reserves continue to grow (BBC).

Gao Zhisheng continues to suffer under house arrest: Gao revealed the Communists' efforts to break him last week (Epoch Times); now the cadres have placed Hu Jia under house arrest for trying to spread word of what is happening to Gao (Epoch Times).

Painter sentenced to prison: A Communist court sentenced Yan Zhengxue to three years in jail for "inciting subversion of state power" (Epoch Times).

Beijing continues to receive, ignore, and arrest thousands of petitioners: Not even former veterans of the Communist military get a sympathetic ear (64tiangwang.com via Epoch Times and Taiwan's Central News Agency via Epoch Times).

New execution vans on the way: Cjunk at Small Dead Animals has the link.