Critique of Crabb Hawkins - 738 Words

A Critique of Two Theories Betty Finney Liberty University COUN 507 Summary Dr. Crabb ‘s model integrates theology and psychology and refers to it as, â€Å"Spoiling the Egyptians (Crabb, 1977). His approach geared more to sound biblical principles and doctrine. I researched â€Å"Spoiling the Egyptians†, as to, I was curious about the scripture base. Spoiling the Egyptians refers to Exodus 12:40-42, as God watched over the Israelites as they went through the wilderness, and crossed over in the promise land. When the Israelites were hungry, God fed the manna. He spoiled them by giving them what they needed to be sustained. Up to a certain point, Dr. Crabb looked at psychology and theology going hand in hand with†¦show more content†¦The second phase consists of a process where the client and counselor share their belief system and try to come up with a plan to recovery. The third phase actually decides on a plan of recovery. The fourth phase consists of the client owning up to their responsibility and being held accountable for the pla n of recovery. Strengths and Weaknesses I agree with some of Dr. Crabb’s approach to counseling, but I totally agree with Dr. Hawkins model approach. In my opinion, portions of Dr. Crabb’s approach makes Biblical counseling at the basis of counseling. His thought process that psychology and theology goes hand in hand, gives the Holy Spirit to work in finding a recovery plan. My pastor always says, â€Å"The worse place to be is to be disconnected for the Power Source (God).† One of the strengths of Biblical counseling, such Dr. Crabb’s and Dr. Hawkins’ approach models is, that biblical counseling is most in line with a one on one teaching of the Christian faith. When I first became a Christian, I learned four valuable things. One, remember that God is always there. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, â€Å"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you: He will never leave you nor forsake you.† Two, do a daily devotion because keep y ou in God’s word and strengthen your prayer life. Three, Get involved and stay connected with other believers. Four, talk to someone. Talking to someone will get the issues out inShow MoreRelatedEssay on Theory Critique: Crabb and Hawkins1241 Words   |  5 PagesTheory Critique: Crabb and Hawkins Liberty University Summary of the Content Both authors express many overlapping elements of revealed truth in regard to the process of counseling and the problems that are derived in the life of clients and people suffering from disorders and psychologically unhealthy mindsets. Hawkins utilizes a theory of 5 concentric circles defining the human psyche and physiology. Hawkins goes on to relay his theory of counseling that utilizes 4 phases in which the counselorRead MoreTheory Critique of Crabb and Hawkins Essay826 Words   |  4 PagesTheory Critique of Crabb and Hawkins Jeremy Poling Liberty University Integration Dr. Crabb suggests that there are four viewpoints to integrating spirituality and psychology. The first being â€Å"Separate but Equal† This viewpoint ascertains that psychology and spirituality do not mix any more than if a person needs a filling for a cavity or the excising of their wisdom teeth, they do not peruse the scripture for direction the person goes to a dentist. This view is not solid for its veryRead MoreChristian Counseling and Secular Psychology 1320 Words   |  6 PagesTheory Critique In our fast passed and ever changing society, personal experiences built up over time and often make life difficult to deal with over time. Everyone has their own prospective on what is important and how they will tackle various problems they face from day to day. It is the responses to our harsh environment and experiences that can often manifest into feelings such as: anxiety, resentment and possibly guilt (Crabb, 1977). It is those that have negative experiences in life thatRead MoreComparing Adams with Backus and Chapian1451 Words   |  6 PagesContrasting Crabb’s Effective Biblical Counseling with Hawkins Model For Guiding The Counseling Process Craig L. Rich Counseling 507 Dr. Evans Liberty University August 27, 2012 Comparing Theories 2 In this paper, I will discussing Crabb’s Effective Biblical Counseling (1977) and the Hawkins Model for Guiding the Counseling Process (n.d.). I will beginRead MoreTheory Critique1539 Words   |  7 PagesA Critique of Two Theoretical Models: Crabb and Hawkins Amy E. Yesalavich Liberty University COUN 507-B09 Dr. Alan Cheney May 27, 2012 Summary Psychology has been primarily viewed as a methodical system that seeks empirical evidence to explain nature, while theology is often viewed as reasoning based on man’s eternal destiny as discussed in biblical teachings. Falsities are held within both of these historical beliefs. PsychologyRead MoreCrabb Theory Critique1057 Words   |  5 PagesCrabb and Hawkins Theory Critique Sherrie Miller Liberty University COUN 507 201220 B03 January 29, 2012 Dr. Timothy Heck January 29, 2012 Introduction/Summary The integrative Christian perspective of Lawrence Crabb in his book, Effective Biblical Counseling is enlightening on the simplest level. The overall presentation and concept creates much introspection of motives, which threaten ones biblical thinking and behavior patterns that create relationship and personal problems. ThereRead MoreThe Integration of Christianity and Psychology3666 Words   |  15 PagesPersonal Theory Paper: Future Counseling Theory Paper Development and Structure of Personality (.5) Hawkins (2010) discusses five components that shape and influence the human personality; he refers to these components that diagram the self, as concentric circles. These components are comprised of the core, the body, the soul, the temporal systems, and the supernatural systems (Hawkins, 2010). Hawkins (2010) refers to the core as the innermost part of the self; it houses the Holy Spirit, and even sinRead MorePersonal Theory Paper3660 Words   |  15 Pagesthe development of my personal theory on Christian Counseling. I use many scriptural references to support my beliefs and stress the importance of gaining wisdom and knowledge from the bible. It incorporates all of the presentations, readings, and critiques I did at Liberty University’s Theology and Spirituality in counseling course. I talk about how I integrate Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality into my Christian counseling and believe that they all have a lot to offer the Christian counselor.

Development of Jim in Huckleberry Finn Free Essays

This article demonstrates the different phases of Jim’s development to show how Twain used him as a tool to condemn mistreatment of black people. The author begins with the analysis of Jim as a simple gag routine which was a common role of African Americans during this time period. However, Twain slowly makes the audience realize that the Jim is a real person, beginning with a profound statement of self-awareness and destiny â€Å"Jim’s reflection that ‘I’s rich now, come to look at it. We will write a custom essay sample on Development of Jim in Huckleberry Finn or any similar topic only for you Order Now I owns mysef, en I’s wuth eight hund’d dollars. I wisht I had de money, I `wouldn’ want no mo’’ moves outside the world of low comedy, and Jim becomes something more than the ordinary stage Negro.† By this point in the book, the reader begins to realize, along with an unwilling Huck, that Jim is an intelligent and respectable man, equal with any white of the South. Jim’s continuing demonstration of intellectuality and compassion lead the reader to believe that he is the only true â€Å"adult† or â€Å"human† person in the novel while acting as a foil to the emotionally young and adamant Huck. Eventually, the reader is lead to sympathize and relate to Jim while he takes on the traditional role of a â€Å"white man† and Huck that of a â€Å"black man†, evidence of Twain’s slow transformation of Jim from the typical comic relief to the unusual source of reason and humanity. Citation: Hansen, Chadwick. â€Å"The Character of Jim and the Ending of `Huckleberry Finn’.† DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discover Collection. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. This article talks about how Jim starts off as a stereotypical negro. Jim starts off very superstitious. Jim also believes that his hairball can tell the fortunes. In the beginning, Jim uses Tom’s trickery to his advantage. Instead of saying that somehow his hat ended up in a tree when he woke up, he told everyone that he was possessed by the devil and that witches had ridden him all over the south. Later in the story Jim does not act so foolishly. Jim develops into a sort of role model near the end of the story. Jim actually takes responsibility and cares for both Huck and Tom and protect them from harm. Jim could have easily have left both Tom and Huck and escaped to freedom near the end of the story yet he protected both of them and actually cared for them. Jim went to being naà ¯ve to becoming a responsible role model for Huck and Tom. Citation: James, Pearl. â€Å"Overview of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.† EXPLORING Novels. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discover Collection. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. The article talks about how Jim is second only to Huck in this novel. However, when we meet Jim at the beginning of the book, Jim is portrayed as a dumb negro. When Jim is introduced in chapter 2, it is thought that Jim is just the widow’s slave and really has no more importance than that rather than the fact that Tom enjoys to mess with him. In the beginning of the book, Jim is a superstitious fool who believes that he has a hairball that can tell the future. However, Jim’s character develops greatly throughout the book and Jim becomes a major character in the story. The events in the story most likely would have never been able to take place if it hadn’t been for Jim. In the end, he came a long way from being the foolish negro working for the widow. How to cite Development of Jim in Huckleberry Finn, Papers

The British Heart Foundation free essay sample

The British heart foundation is the British number one heart charity. British heart foundation famous quote is â€Å"is a world where people don’t die prematurely from heart disease.† The company was founded by a group of medical specialists in 1961 who wanted to give money to fund extra research to find out the causes of heart disease. They were highly concerned about the numbers of people with cardiovascular heart disease who were dying prematurely. They have been going 53 years and have been helping people from then until this very day. The British heart foundation take part in many events to raise money especially the even in September which is the oxford to Cambridge bike ride. The British heart foundation is a charity, which means the business is in the tertiary sector also they are not looking to make any profits because they are raising money for a cause in order to prevent heart diseases. We will write a custom essay sample on The British Heart Foundation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Which therefore means the British heart foundation is a non-profiting business.The British heart foundation is a charitable and a voluntary company so this means that they are in the voluntary sector and the private sector because they are a non-profiting organisation. The British heart foundation is a registered charity which means that all of their money which they raise either from donations or from selling their products in a shop will go to the charity itself.The British heart foundation is a charity on a large scale as they have more than 3,000 staff working for them across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. They also have 25,492 volunteers in the UK with 22,742 In retail and 2,750 in fundraising events and their research. The British heart foundation is a national business as they have more than 735 stores over the UK. There are stores in many cities and towns.

Letter to Hamlet Essay Example

Letter to Hamlet Essay Dear Hamlet, I cannot hide my thoughts and emotions. I cannot bear this torment longer; I must let out the beast within me. This world, this mad, sad world, it has driven me close to insanity. Its like a blade, folds of a thousand and each fold only make it stronger, like the madness I am fueling on. Every day as I live, I tell myself that I should smile and go along with the commands of my father, brother, and you. Your orders Hamlet, I have gone according to every wish you have asked. But why? Why should I go around following and letting the likes of you order me around? All men are the same. You, father, brother, everyone in this sad world! Oh, Yes lord this, Yes Lord that, Yes Lord everything! Why? Is it because I am a woman you can order me around as you wish!? We will write a custom essay sample on Letter to Hamlet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Letter to Hamlet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Letter to Hamlet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I am disgusted by what everyone think of me. You men frustrate me every time. Oh, Hamlet, do you think I am your slave? A maid? A simple object you can use and toss around with? All you typical men speak to me with disrespect and corruption. â€Å"Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them†. Really? Marry a fool? Cheat on them? You really think I’m that of a monster to do any of that? You probably think us women are just prostitutes, a sex object you can come to and please yourself. Well, we’re not, and without us you probably can’t even cook, clean, or do anything by yourself. Just because your whore of a mother married your uncle without a split second to think about her marriage, doesn’t give you the right to believe that I will do the same. Every one of you hopeless men can’t do anything without us, yet you still mistreat and use us for your greed. Oh, I only wish I were to liv e in a society where both men and women are equal and where free speech is allowed. I live each day with no such freedom, only to be forced to obey all commands of your kind. You might thought I would defy any such orders. No, such action would bring severe punishments. This society, nothing will stop you men from using us as tools. The harsh social inequality affects me like a burn, oh, how do I live in such world. It’s like I’m underwater, unable to breathe. All this ruthless chaos in the air, how can I live on with such peaceful mind. Right after your uncle became king, you’ve become a lunatic I tell you. You weren’t like this before. You were so loving and caring, and most of all happy. But when you came into my room that day, grabbing my arm and looked deep into my eyes, I knew something wasn’t right. That ugly image of you dirty and foul smell, it has left a mark on my head forever remembering that sad scene. Has the fallen king driven you so deep into madness that you can’t even see your foolish actions have affected the surrounding people? Well, it has. Especially when you cold-heartedly killed my beloved father, oh my father whom I loved wholeheartedly loved so dear much. Oh the sadness and agony, how do you still walk on this land not feeling guilt or shame? Have you ever thought about how your actions could affect my brother and I? My well being? My mentality? I’m sure you knew who was behind the curtains, but your madness wouldn’t allowed such second thoughts. Oh, why Hamlet? Why do you do these hideous actions? What has my father ever done to you or your family? We’ve been loyal to the King, Queen, and you, yet you act like God and have sentenced our fate to hell. With such loyalty and respect, is this what we receive in return? Why? Why? Why, Hamlet, Why? The thought of you and the death of my father overwhelms me with horrifying sadness. Oh, the sadness of losing you, both physically and mentally. Oh, my dear Hamlet, I still love you, but it is you who have pushed me away, casted me out and branded me as damaged goods. You left with my heart broken, filled with sadness, pain, and grief. My fragile heart, oh, my fragile heart . It is almost like the world is turning against on me along with my thoughts and actions. Even now if you turn back to normal, I wont go with you. Your hands are dirty and stained with my father’s blood. With my mind almost gone, I don’t believe we can ever meet again the same as we use to. Hell, I can hardly speak to you either. Your mind has already been corrupt. I still think of the day when you visit me and stayed. But that’s the past, and I can’t stop thinking about it even though I want to. I guess, I still love you somewhere in me. If I find the strength of Hercules to live in this vile world, what do I get in return? Nothing. Nothing will happen if I kept chasing you, who has abandoned me for god knows what reason it was. The world is unfair to not only me but others as well. If I stay, what will happen? This society is corrupt; no one gives a damn anymore. The rich only greeds and gains more than they should, and the poor begs for only what they need to survive. All you men use gender inequality as a weapon against us woman. Oh, shall I stay any longer will I continue to suffer? I shall perish into the night and rise as the sun rises, but only as nothing but spirit. To leave this empty world full of chaos will it liberate my grief and despair, and give me an opportunity to start fresh. Yes, it all makes sense now. Death is the only way to escape. Goodbye Hamlet. Goodbye world. Farewell, Ophelia

Free Essays on Jesus People

Marcus J. Borg Third Quest Before I talk about Marcus J. Borg and Anthony Harvey, let’s look at a few characteristics of third quest for the historical Jesus. N. T. Wright coined the term ‘third quest’ in 1986. Wright used the term to refer to scholars like Geza Vermes, Ed Sanders, Ben Meyer, Anthony Harvey, Marcus Borg, and himself, who (he thought) shared the following characteristic features:  · Careful, accurate, use of Jewish sources  · Stress on the importance of eschatology for understanding Jesus  · Abandonment of the flawed methods of the New Quest  · The primary interest was in historical research in its own right. This was a direct and intentional shift from the New Quest. They want to differentiate between the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith. The term is now popularly used of any current Historical Jesus research. However, Wright was eager to use it only for those who fulfill the criteria above. Anthony Harvey Currently, he is an Anglican Priest. He spent some time as a Lecturer in New Testament Studies at Oxford University, but he now is a Canon of Westminster Abby. His most famous work is Jesus and the Constraints of History (1980). The groundwork for Harvey’s reconstruction of Jesus is based upon the claim that we all are constrained on some level to the culture we are in. For if we are not culturally constrained on some level than we cannot be culturally relevant. However, Harvey makes it clear that Jesus was not necessarily totally subject to the constraints of his culture. It is from this premise that Harvey begins. The goal for this method is to develop a clear understanding of the historical setting of Jesus’ ministry, and from that deduce what ways Jesus must have acted (constrained). For example, Harvey argues that in light of our knowledge about Jewish and Roman law the fact that Jesus was crucified should lead us to the conclusion that the events which led up to ... Free Essays on Jesus People Free Essays on Jesus People Marcus J. Borg Third Quest Before I talk about Marcus J. Borg and Anthony Harvey, let’s look at a few characteristics of third quest for the historical Jesus. N. T. Wright coined the term ‘third quest’ in 1986. Wright used the term to refer to scholars like Geza Vermes, Ed Sanders, Ben Meyer, Anthony Harvey, Marcus Borg, and himself, who (he thought) shared the following characteristic features:  · Careful, accurate, use of Jewish sources  · Stress on the importance of eschatology for understanding Jesus  · Abandonment of the flawed methods of the New Quest  · The primary interest was in historical research in its own right. This was a direct and intentional shift from the New Quest. They want to differentiate between the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith. The term is now popularly used of any current Historical Jesus research. However, Wright was eager to use it only for those who fulfill the criteria above. Anthony Harvey Currently, he is an Anglican Priest. He spent some time as a Lecturer in New Testament Studies at Oxford University, but he now is a Canon of Westminster Abby. His most famous work is Jesus and the Constraints of History (1980). The groundwork for Harvey’s reconstruction of Jesus is based upon the claim that we all are constrained on some level to the culture we are in. For if we are not culturally constrained on some level than we cannot be culturally relevant. However, Harvey makes it clear that Jesus was not necessarily totally subject to the constraints of his culture. It is from this premise that Harvey begins. The goal for this method is to develop a clear understanding of the historical setting of Jesus’ ministry, and from that deduce what ways Jesus must have acted (constrained). For example, Harvey argues that in light of our knowledge about Jewish and Roman law the fact that Jesus was crucified should lead us to the conclusion that the events which led up to ...

Geography of Madagascar

Geography of Madagascar Madagascar  is a large island nation located in the  Indian Ocean  east of Africa and the country Mozambique. It is the fourth largest island in the world and it is an  African country. Madagascars official name is the Republic of Madagascar. The country is sparsely populated with a  population density  of only 94 persons per square mile (36 persons per square kilometer). As such, most of Madagascar is undeveloped, incredibly biodiverse forest land. Madagascar is home to 5% of the worlds species, many of which are native only to Madagascar. Population:  21,281,844 (July 2010 estimate)Capital:  AntananarivoArea:  226,658 square miles (587,041 sq km)Coastline:  3,000 miles (4,828 km)Highest Point:  Maromokotro at 9,435 feet (2,876 m)Lowest Point:  The Indian Ocean History of Madagascar It is believed that Madagascar was uninhabited until the 1st century C.E. when sailors from Indonesia arrived on the island. From there, migrations from other Pacific lands as well as Africa increased and various tribal groups began to develop in Madagascar- the largest of which was the Malagasy. The written history of Madagascar did not begin until the 7th century C.E. when Arabs began setting up trading posts on the islands northern coastal regions.European contact with Madagascar did not begin until the 1500s. At that time, the Portuguese captain, Diego Dias discovered the island while on a voyage to India. In the 17th century, the French established various along the east coast. In 1896, Madagascar officially became a French colony.Madagascar remained under French control until 1942 when  British troops  occupied the area during World War II. In 1943, though the French retook the island from the British and maintained control until the late 1950s. In 1956, Madagascar began moving toward independence and on October 14, 1958, the Malagasy Republic was formed as an independent state within the French colonies. In 1959, Madagascar adopted its first constitution and achieved full independence on June 26, 1960. Government of Madagascar Today, Madagascars government is considered a republic with a legal system based on French civil law and traditional Malagasy laws. Madagascar as an executive branch of government that is made up of a  chief of state  and a head of state, as well as a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senat and the Assemblee Nationale. Madagascars judicial branch of government is comprised of the Supreme Court and the High Constitutional Court. The country is divided into six provinces (Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, and Toliara) for local administration. Economics and Land Use in Madagascar Madagascars economy is currently growing but at a slow pace. Agriculture is the main sector of the economy and employs about 80% of the countrys population. The main agricultural products of Madagascar include coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava, beans, bananas, peanuts, and livestock products. The country does have a small amount of industry of which the largest are: meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly, paper, and petroleum. In addition, with the rise of  ecotourism, Madagascar has seen a rise in tourism and the related service sector industries. Geography, Climate, and Biodiversity of Madagascar Madagascar is considered a part of southern Africa as it is located in the  Indian Ocean east of Mozambique. It is a large island that has a narrow coastal plain with a high plateau and mountains in its center. Madagascars highest mountain is Maromokotro at 9,435 feet (2,876 m).The climate of Madagascar varies based on location on the island but it is tropical along the coastal regions, temperate inland and arid in the south its portions. Madagascars capital and largest city, Antananarivo, which is located in the northern part of the country somewhat away from the coast has a January average high temperature of 82 °F (28 °C) and a July average low of 50 °F (10 °C).Madagascar is most well-known around the world for its rich biodiversity and  tropical rainforests. The island is home to about 5% of the worlds plant and animal species and about 80% of those are endemic or native only to Madagascar. These include all species of  lemurs  and about 9,000 different species of plants. Because of their isolation on Madagascar, many of these endemic species are also threatened or endangered due to increasing  deforestation  and development. To protect its species, Madagascar has many national parks, and nature and wildlife reserves. In addition, there are several  UNESCO certified  World Heritage Sites  on Madagascar called the  Rainforests of the Atsinanana. More Facts about Madagascar Madagascar has a life expectancy of 62.9 years. Its official languages are Malagasy, French, and English. Today, Madagascar has 18 Malagasy tribes, as well as groups of French, Indian Comoran, and Chinese people. References Central Intelligence Agency. (27 May 2010).  CIA - The World Factbook - Madagascar.Infoplease.com. (n.d.).  Madagascar: History, Geography, Government, and Culture, Infoplease.com.United States Department of State. (2 November 2009).  Madagascar.Wikipedia. (14 June 2010).  Madagascar, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

Leadership -final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership -final exam - Essay Example With differences in attitudes and aptitudes, it is possible to ensure diversity in work process and also to provide better assistance by enhancing the talents of the individuals for achieving certain desired objectives. Moreover, in the age of cultural diversity, multiculturalism is required to deal with diversity successfully, through the total quality diversity procedure (Argyris, 1991). In the context of managing diversity, the concept of leadership plays a pivotal role. For the successful functioning of an organization, it is required to employ efficient and competent employees for ensuring better resources to the organizations in particular and also for making an effort to achieve desired objectives. To attain the desired objectives, diverse organizations provide different learning capabilities as well as resources for effective functioning of the organization. Leadership Style In order to recognize the aspect of managing diversity in the organizational context, a contemporary l eader i.e. Howard Schultz, the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Starbucks is selected. The leadership style, decision making style and diversity management strategies of Howard Schultz has enabled Starbucks to substantially deal with the challenges posed due to the aspect of diversity by developing teams with adequate efficiency. It is worth mentioning in this context that effective teams being steered with discipline is considered as one of the most significant rudiments of successful business (Katzenbach & Smith, 2005). The leadership style incorporated by Howard Schultz has focused on introducing healthcare related benefits to part-time employees who work for 20 hours in a week. This decision was resisted by the board members owing to the fear of increase in overall operational cost. Howard Schultz as a leader has been able to reinvigorate the employees and mainly focused on issues that are crucial for the welfare of the organization. Those critical issues are to be handled by the top level for better implementation and to enhance profitability as well as productivity (Marquis, Lim, Scott, Margaret, & Kavanagh, 2008). However, as a leader he has also made a firm decision to share the information in a horizontal manner related to organizational aspects with the employees which has in turn enabled him to generate employee motivation. It has enabled employees to have a major contribution in organizational strategic objectives which has significantly facilitated the organization to manage diversity in the workplace. Thus, it can be ascertained that Howard Schultz has followed a transactional leadership style for ensuring effectiveness in the organization to deal with strategic challenges such as managing diversity. As can be witnessed with reference to the leadership traits deciphered by Howard Schultz, he can be observed as significantly focused on building enthusiastic relationships with his employees. Following a Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) leadership style, he also attempted to negotiate the roles and the responsibilities of the employees segregating them into

The Artifact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Artifact - Essay Example There were a lot of questions that I had about the economic feasibility of the product in my book. Thirdly, I wondered what was the point of buying kindle? I love books and everything related-from the smell of the printed paper to the binding and the placing bookmarks in the book by folding it on the corners. It was the entire sensory experience of reading a book that I loved. However after a lot of foresight and fore-thought, I finally bought Kindle. I started of reading it every night before sleeping, the way I’d do so with my normal books. It was later I realized how important Kindle is to me. It became an addiction. I could not sleep without spending a good fifteen-thirty minutes without being enthralled in it initially. This was just the beginning. Soon those minutes turned into hours and I was eventually spending 2-3 hours on the kindle. In the next 2 weeks my involvement with the Kindle had transformed into a deep rooted love-from 15 minutes to 2-3 hours. Things did not stop there. I loved the way I could carry the kindle in my bag without over-burdening. Soon, I started carrying it everywhere I would go to. I just couldn’t stand the idea of being bored. If I would get bored, Kindle would come to my rescue. I was that addicted to the device. I love the device primarily because the convenience it offers of not just reading it but for being my respite from the real world. There are times when I am down and out; when I don’t feel like talking to anyone. When I feel that I need to be left alone. That is when the Kindle comes to my rescue. It is my favorite companion and my solace from the miseries of the real world. The best part about it is that it is hassle free. Except for the initial investment, it costs you zilch in terms of convenience of handling it later on. It is wonderful to have a book handy at all times while waiting for a dentist, an appointment or at the spa. Anything that requires you to wait, you can do with the kindle. T oday I read waiting in the line while I am at grocery store. Let’s just put it this way, Kindle has become an integral part of my being. It is a must accessory for me, it is an extension of my right hand and I am more worried to keep the kindle with me, then about wearing the right make up. I like the way the kindle hibernates with just a click once I am done reading. I love the convenience of reading up a word in the dictionary and then returning back to my book while reading on kindle. Kindle has also made inroads in improving the speed at which I read. Now I can turn a page at a click. The most enticing part about kindle for me is the way it helps me make notes and highlights at the end of the book. It helps me share key points of the book with others, my review and what I feel about it; vent out my frustration about a particular plot, character or even pour it in why I loved that particular plot or character. In-short, Kindle offers me one of the most exciting and interes ting reading experiences ever. (Walkman) My biggest amusement with the Kindle, that I have not yet unveiled it has built up the tolerance level in me to pique through mindless plots and love stories without having to worry about people around me catching me reading a book with a trashy cover. No one really has to know, what I am reading and why I am reading it. It offers me complete privacy and I love this most about it. (Mollywood) Works Cited Mollywood. Kindle fire an ipad killer. 28 9 2011. 11 10 2011

Uns Preventative Measures Against Child Labour Essay Example for Free

Uns Preventative Measures Against Child Labour Essay UNICEF summarized the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child as spelling out the â€Å"basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life†. This convention is almost universally ratified. Despite this, child labour (something that in many cases violates at least three of the non-negotiable terms laid out in the Convention of the Rights of the Child) remains rampant in most of the world. Despite this being such a widely known (and publicized) issue, the most recent estimate states that â€Å"127 million boys and 88 million girls are involved in child labour with 74 million boys and 41 million girls involved in the worst forms†. Child labour is an extremely complex, multi-faceted issue with roots including corruption of power, racism, sexism, cultural traditions and an uneven distribution of global wealth. In light of this, it is my contention that the international community is making strides to a future without child labour through targeting multiple angles and causes behind child labour. This paper will try to analyze individual instruments the international community (ILO, UN) is using in its attempt to eradicate child labour. First, we will analyze the issues that come with the wide margin of understanding and opposing definitions of the term â€Å"child labour†. We will be reviewing the Minimum Age Convention of 1973 and establishing how this could help clear up misunderstanding, establishing the understandable dialogue between nations necessary for progress. Next, we will be examining the efforts made to follow up and enforce these conventions laid out by the international community. In this section we will be looking at the Time Bound Programs initiative put forth by the ILO, assessing how effective and complete these initiatives are. Subsequently we will be zooming out somewhat, looking at how the uneven distribution of global wealth can create a vicious cycle of economic repression for the developing world and how this can be a catalyst for child labour. We will probe deeper into what is being done to prevent wealthy nations from taking advantage of poorer economies in trade agreements, reviewing guidelines and instruments put in place by the WTO. One of the issues inhibiting the instatement of a global child labour discontinuation standard is the culturally varied understanding and interpretation of â€Å"child labour†. Both words in the phrase can vary in meaning from culture to culture, sometimes forming a wide margin of understanding. Some cultures see childhood as a purely biological state (a child remains a child until puberty, consequently becoming an adult). Others see childhood as much more fluid, often lasting further than puberty and encompassing several different junctures (teenagehood, etc). The definitions of â€Å"labour† are similarly vague (hard labour, chores, familial duties etc). In an effort to combat the confusion and variability of the definition of child labour, the ILO instituted the Minimum Age Convention of 1973. In Article 2 of the Minimum Age Convention (No. 38) the ILO specified â€Å"The minimum age specified in pursuance of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, shall not be less than 15 years. † However, in light of the fragile state of some economies, the following paragraph (paragraph four) states â€Å"Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 3 of this Article, a Member whose economy and ed ucational facilities are insufficiently developed may, after consultation with the organizations of employers and workers concerned, where such exist, initially specify a minimum age of 14 years†. The ILO adjusts this further in later articles of the Convention, stating â€Å"National laws or regulations may permit the employment or work of persons 13 to 15 years of age on light work which is (a) not likely to be harmful to their health or development; and (b) not such as to prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in vocational orientation or training programs approved by the competent authority or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received. (Note that Members can apply the ratifications of paragraph four article one to this section, thereby making the ages twelve to fourteen). In formally addressing the wide berth of what can be defined as child labour and narrowing the definition to a universally accepted medium (age in numerical years) the ILO laid groundwork for Member states to ratify Conventions and projects regarding child labour with a full understanding of what is being discussed. It is no secret that the UN and its subgroups (ILO inclu ded) are notoriously bad at establishing culpability for what its Members agree to. The issue of monitoring the eradication of child labour is unfortunately no different. This is due to a number of factors including (but not limited to) the secrecy that often shrouds child labour, cultural clashes, the need to uphold a nation’s sovereignty, and the unwillingness for nations to get involved in business not directly affecting them. In an attempt to instill culpability to conventions such as the Minimum Age Convention and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (no. 182), the ILO has issued Time Bound Programs. These programs work to establish each individual ratifying countries’ issues, focusing on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour (as established in the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention no. 182). The Time Bound Programs work with ratifying countries to first attempt removal of children from the worst forms of child labour, as well as attempting to eradicate the cause behind child labour in the first place. This includes working to establish alternative work options, familial reunion and establishing protection for child workers against mistreatment and abuse. For example, Ecuador’s Time Bound Program focuses on providing meaningful education options for all children. They aim to support â€Å"sustainable education programs to break the cycle of child labor and broaden and improve the education system, especially in areas targeted by the Time-Bound Program (TBP). † In placing set time periods on clear objectives, the ILO and IPEC make the daunting issue of child labour into smaller, attainable goals. The focus on set time periods makes progress far less likely to get pushed aside or forgotten. In working with each ratifying nation individually to target multiple issues, the ILO is recognizing that child labour is not an issue that can be generalized or simplified. This awareness as to the depth and variability of root causes behind child labour is an extremely important step toward a better future. One of the most widely acknowledged causes behind child labour is widespread poverty due to a weak economy. Although there are many reasons for this, one of the most reprehensible and problematic is how the uneven distribution of global wealth can cause a vicious cycle that hurts developing nations. Many developed nations enter trade agreements with the developing world that greatly inhibit growth and economic advancement. These types of agreements can include unfair taxes in favour of the developed country, rules regarding with whom the economically weaker country can and cannot trade with. Even merely opening up trade can flood developing markets with mass-produced goods far cheaper than what local workers can provide. This stunts economies to the point of desperation, causing rampant poverty leading to child labour, trafficking, etc. The World Trade Organization was established to prevent this, running seminars educating developing worlds on how to break into the international market and monitoring international trade agreements. In educating nations about trade and monitoring how countries respond to being introduced to the global market, the UN/WTO attempts to even the playing field for countries otherwise disadvantaged. The establishment of the WTO also helps developed nations know that their actions and agreements will not go unnoticed, deterring rich countries from taking advantage of poorer nations. This is essential for global development, raising economies and therefor raising wages and quality of work. Similar to most international issues, child labour is plagued with facets of complication. The fact is that child labour merely the symptom of a plethora of greater problems. Apathy, misunderstanding, corruption and poor circumstance all have a hand in making child labour the hot button issue rallied by hippies and suburban mothers alike. In contrast to the views of first year Political Science students everywhere, there is no simple fix. Furthermore, the delicacy of the situation means actions put in place by outside sources have the possibility of setting off unforeseeable consequences. In light of this, the fight against child labour must be slow and handled with the utmost care. The international community is employing measures that both focus on the symptom (removing children from unsafe work) and the root cause (working to establish educational options and economic help).

Ephedrine with Caffine - The Secret to Weight Loss :: Health Diet Essays

Ephedrine with Caffine - The Secret to Weight Loss Ephedrine is an over the counter herbal stimulant stemmed from the Chinese plant ma huang. The Chinese discovered this stimulant over two thousand years ago for the purpose of treating asthma, cold and flu symptoms, chills, lack of perspiration, headache, and edema. Ephedrine is presently found in herbal stimulants, prescription cold and flu remedies, and asthmatic aid products. Because it is a stimulant, ephedrine motivates thermogenesis in the body. This effect results in speeding up the heart rate causing the metabolism to expedite. Due to this increased metabolism, ephedrine can also be used as a weight loss supplement http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/ephedrine-final.htm Ephedrine contributes to weight loss with its thermogenetic effects by heating up the body, which in turn results in burning fat. It speeds up the metabolic rate and calorie consumption by opening the receptor sites in the heart and lungs. Consequently, fatty acids are released from the stored fat cells and the transition from fat to energy is greatly increased. Another beneficial effect is directed to the muscles increasing stamina and endurance for body builders (http://www.mahuang.com). One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of March in 1987 showed that a group of rats lost 75% of their body fat from ephedrine. Another study performed in the International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders in February of 1993 made claims that "ephedrine increases the release of brain catecholomines to enhance thermogenesis, without significant cardiovascular effects" and concluded that "varying combinations of ephedrine and aspirin could provide a safe combination with the necessary thermogenetic properties to assist in the management of obesity" (http://www.smartbasic.com/glos.herbs/ephedra_wt.loss.html) Harmful side effects†¦ In addition to the reports about the positive aspects of ephedrine, harmful side affects have also been declared. It can alter emotions causing aggressiveness or anxiety that can lead an individual to a risk of personal injury. Other harmful side effects include an increased heart rate and blood pressure possibly leading to dehydration and decreased circulation. Long term more serious effects that these conditions can lead to include cerebral hemorrhage, strokes, or heart irregularities (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/ephedrine-final.htm). Some serious dangers such as death have been related to the use of ephedrine. For this reason, regulatory action on this herb is being considered. The herb has been discovered to be the beginning ingredient in methamphetamine laboratories for the product of the illegal stimulant drug (http://www.smartbasic.com/glos.herbs/ephedra.html. Other abuses of this herb have also been reported causing death.

Case study of Boeing Dreamliner Essay

Critical Facts: Boeing is the world’s largest manufacturer of military and commercial aircraft, which was founded in 1916 by William Boeing and Navy Engineer Conrad Westervelt in the name of Pacific Aero Products Company in Seattle, which after active participation in World war-I was renamed to Boeing Airplane Company (Frederick, 2014). Boeing produced several hundreds of B-17 Flying fortress during World War II which became the U.S Bomber. In 1950’s Boeing faced a tough competition from its opponent McDonnell-Douglas which was good at manufacturing propeller aircraft. Due to the increased reputation of its competitor, Boeing entered into the field of manufacturing commercial Jet-aircrafts in a full-scale (Frederick, 2014). Boeing, after its full-scale entry into commercial aircrafts modelled aircrafts such as 707, 727,737,747,767. The letters of the series from 707 to 777 begins with seven in terms of publicity aspect. Among these aircrafts 747 is the jumbo-jet and 777 is an aircraft designed by completely relying on computer technology. For each and every aircraft it had released in the commercial market, it opted for model rejuvenation (Frederick, 2014). Boeing with an intention of creating additional value to its customers and their passengers by developing an innovative aircraft launched the program of 787 Dreamliner in 2003. Boeing’s value creation strategy for the passengers was to reduce the time of journey and make their travel experience better by re-designing the aircraft and offering new comforts. Dreamliner 787 is designed with some advanced features like it is made of 50% of composite material, light weight, nonstop flights between any pair of cities without any hauls in travel (Zimmerman & S.Tang, 2009). Boeing Dreamliner with the 50% use of composite material benefitted in two distinct ways of Fuel Efficiency and Easy maintenance due to which it is free from rust for several years. Fuselage and wing mostly comprises of composite material rather than the traditional material (Aluminum). Manufacturing of Dreamliner 787 involved a new supply chain process of outsourcing major extent of the components and assembling all these components by Boeing at their assembling hall. These made several Tier1 suppliers to get involved in these project such as Spirit, Kawasaki, Alena and Vought (Boeing  Corporation, 2014). Because of complexity in supply chain system and lack of Information system collaborating all the suppliers involved in the project of Dreamliner 787, made Boeing to undergo some hassles which resulted in delay of first flight for a period of 27 months and its delivery to the customer for a time of 40 months. This overrun resulted in huge investments of $11 billion more than the planned investment on the Dreamliner 787 Project (Zhao, 2012). Analysis: Boeing as to increase the Performance of 787 Dreamliner, introduced a complex supply chain process, which integrates the best aerospace companies all around the globe to design the critical components of 787. Also it had changed its manufacturing model from a vertical model to a global partner model. With the implementation of these new strategies Boeing want to reduce its cost and time in development, as a result of rising its market share than that of its competitors. Boeing after moving to the new global partner model faced several problems. As the supply chain process is spread all over the world Boeing got into trouble of coordinating with its partners. The big risk in this model was Boeing had to ensure that all the partners involved in 787 manufacturing are visible to the information provided and also it should have access of the information about its vendors in order to ensure that they are capable of delivering on-time (Danning, 2013). Boeing as a part of new supply chain process it spread its components manufacturing all over the world. So as to get coordinated with its vendors and in the process of obtaining information from them it introduced a new communication web-based tool developed Exostar supply chain management solution. Because of this tool, Boeing wanted to collaborate its partners planning schedules and progress in work so as to ensure that no delay in manufacturing. But Exostar which opted by Boeing posed problems during its runtime. Also as a part of cultural difference and due to lack of trust on other suppliers some of the vendors involved in 787 design did not input accurate and timely information. As a result of this inaccurate information Boeing had not discovered the problems at the early stages and in a timely fashion (Zhao, 2012). Boeing during 2003 lost its share value to Airbus which is a strong opponent to it (Boeing Corporation, 2014). In order to regain its value in the market Boeing decided to design an aircraft by enhancing its customers.  So in the process of designing a new aircraft Boeing decided to use composite carbon fiber instead of regular aluminum to an large extent which had not been implemented in the past. Because of this composite fibers Boeing estimated to decrease the cost of travel for its passengers and to increase fuel efficiency. But this step backfired in getting air bubbles on the skin of fuselage and nose during assembling of aircraft which resulted in delay of 787 Dreamliner (Pearlson & Saunders, 2013) Boeing in the process of reduction in time and cost it opted a supply chain process in which it adopted from Toyota. Toyota manufactures its products with short development life cycle with minimal risk and cost. Boeing in the same perception of minimal risk and cost opted this process. But this resulted Boeing into deep risks by lack of accurate information and improper delivery by its ven dors (Pearlson & Saunders, 2013). The 787 Dreamliner involved lot of technical and non-technical innovations which had not been implemented in any of aircraft manufacturing such as 70% of composite material replacing aluminum, Lithium ion batteries, new systems of electrical is a huge task to achieve. While dealing with such complex and huge innovations one should involve in maximum extent of the project but whereas Boeing opted for minimal involvement by relying on its Tier1 suppliers. This resulted of increase in costs and timeline of aircraft delivery (Danning, 2013). As a part of establishing its market share with no longer duration it implemented global manufacturing model which involved maximum extent of outsourcing its components design which left Boeing just with assembling the aircraft. This resulted workers at Boeing in fear of their jobs in trouble lead to strike for 3 months. Because of this strike it lost lots of money due to no production of work (Michael, 2012). Conclusion: The aforementioned problems are some of the main reasons of Boeing Dreamliner 787 is not delivered on time. While starting a new project with such huge innovations and risks every firm would be cautious by following certain steps that helps the project to run in a smooth phase without any complications in which Boeing failed to do so. Recommendations: While adopting a certain process from other organizations or firms it is better to know the principles and rules that are involved and need to examine the process implementation. I would recommend if Boeing would have  followed the same implementation process as of Toyota with pre-defined steps it would have saved billions of dollars which would have lead Boeing into top aerospace industry While implementing a new supply chain process it is always better to have face to face coordination rather than coordinating through computers or on relying through some technology. I would recommend although information entered through computer will be for future purpose but as the process is globally spread out it would have been better if Boeing have send its employees, engineers and skilled workers to have spy on its suppliers or vendors. For any industry that is going to develop new product with innovative material instead of traditional material it is the responsible of that industry to perform research and experiments so as to get some analysis of the innovative material and to be cautious of the problems that arise in the future. If Boeing would have done the analysis on using composites in major part of aircraft production then no delays due to rise of air bubbles on fuselage section and on nose section. I would have recommend to hire high skilled workers who are having experience in aircraft industries and dispatch them to vendor location for the guidance of vendors to follow certain rules and regulations or the standards followed Boeing. As the project involved more amounts of risk factor I would suggest Boeing would have been involved in every phase of project completion, so as to get correct updates and to speed up the work than deadline estimated, which would have resulted in rise of fame and reputation of Boeing for producing aircraft at very cheap cost than estimated. References: Anupindi, R. (2011, 10 10). Case study:Boeing’s Dreamliner. Boeing Corporation. (2014). Boeing. Retrieved from Boeing 787 Dreamliner: http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/787family/background.page? Danning, S. (2013, 1 28). What Went Wrong At Boeing? Frederick, P. (2014). VIEW AMERICA WHAT TO SEE. In P. Frederick. view america. Michael, A. J. (2012, 10 25). Boeing :787 case analysis. p. 15. Pearlson, K. E., & Saunders, C. S. (2013). Managing and Using Information Systems. John Wiley & sons. Zhao, Y. (2012). Why 787 Slips Were Inevitable. p. 16. Zimmerman, & S.Tang, C. (2009). Managing New Product development and supply chain risks. Supply chain forum, 14.

Combating the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

Statement at end of two-day summit in Seoul pledges strong action and closer co-operation against nuclear terrorism. | World leaders attending a summit in the South Korean capital Seoul have pledged strong action and closer co-operation to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism.In a statement issued at the end of the two-day 53-nation nuclear summit, the leaders reaffirmed â€Å"shared goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy†. â€Å"Nuclear terrorism continues to be one of the most challenging threats to international security,† it said. â€Å"Defeating this threat requires strong national measures and international co-operation given its potential global, political, economic, social and psychological consequences. The statement welcomed â€Å"substantive progress† on national commitments made at the   first nuclear security summit in Washington in 2010. Action stressed Before the summit concluded, South Korean P resident Lee Myung-bak said nuclear terrorism remained a â€Å"grave threat†, while US President Barack Obama said action was important. Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the group to work together on the issue. â€Å"The planned missile launch North Korea recently announced would go against the international community's nuclear non-proliferation effort and violate UN Security Council resolutions. – Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese PM While the official agenda of the summit was to strengthen measures to track the movement of nuclear materials worldwide, much of the dialogue focussed on efforts to get North Korea to back off a planned rocket launch scheduled for next month and return to disarmament talks. North Korea announced earlier this month that it would send a satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket. Pyongyang has said the launch is part of its peaceful space programme and says a new southern flight path is meant to avoid other countries.Previous rockets have bee n fired over Japan. The secretive North was widely criticised on the sidelines of the meeting, including by main ally China, but host Seoul has explicitly stated Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programmes were off the table during the summit itself. Defiant North Korea On Tuesday, a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said that the launch would go ahead as planned. North Korea †will never give up the launch of a satellite for peaceful purposes†', the spokesman said in a statement in the official KCNA news agency.A report by the KCNA also described the †weather satellite† Pyongyang planned to launch as useful for †the study of weather forecast needed for agriculture and other economic fields†. Yoshihiko Noda, the Japanese prime minister,  speaking at the summit, called on Pyongyang to cancel the rocket launch, saying that it would violate UN Security Council resolutions. Nuclear stockpiles| * Russia: 10,000 * US: 8,500 * France: 300 * China: 240 * UK: 225 * Pakistan: 90-110 * India: 80-100 * Israel: 80 * North Korea: fewer than 10Source: Federation of American Scientists| The planned missile launch North Korea recently announced would go against the international community's nuclear non-proliferation effort and violate UN Security Council resolutions,† Noda said. Obama had urged North Korean leaders to abandon their rocket plan or risk jeopardising their country's future and thwarting a recent US pledge of food aid in return for nuclear and missile test moratoria, considered a breakthrough after years of deadlock. On Monday while speaking at a university in Seoul, Obama said that he  was  pushing for â€Å"a world without nuclear weapons†.Iran's nuclear programme was also on the minds of the summit participants, as Obama met the leaders of Russia and China on the sidelines to work towards a resolution. Obama had said that the threat of nuclear weapons remained a potent challenge for the globe to confront, telling foreign leaders that â€Å"the security of the world depends on the actions that we take†. Neither Iran nor North Korea had participated in the summit. Asia-Pacific | | S Korean minister warns of energy crisis | |Economy minister Hong Suk-Woo says â€Å"unprecedented† power shortages possible after two nuclear reactors are shut down. Last Modified: 05 Nov 2012 09:01 inShare1EmailPrintShareFeedback| S Korea operates 23 nuclear power reactors which meet more than 35 per cent of the country's electricity needs [EPA]| A South Korean minister has sounded a warning  about  Ã¢â‚¬Å"unprecedented† power shortages after two nuclear reactors were shut down to replace components that had not been properly vetted. The two units at the Yeonggwang nuclear complex were shut down on Monday and may remain offline until early January. It's inevitable that we will experience unprecedented power shortage during the coming winter with the two reactors shut,† Hong Suk-Woo, the economy minister, said. However, he said the â€Å"non-core† components posed no safety threat and were unrelated to a string of systems malfunctions at reactors this year that triggered calls for a safety review. Last month, authorities temporarily shut down two 1,000-megawatt reactors at separate nuclear plants after system malfunctions which were also blamed for another reactor at Yeonggwang being tripped into automatic shutdown in July.Engineers will replace more than 5,000 fuses in the units shut down, cooling fans and other parts for which suppliers had provided bogus quality certificates. â€Å"Comprehensive safety check-ups are necessary at these two reactors where the uncertified parts were used extensively,† Hong said. South Korea operates 23 nuclear power reactors which meet more than 35 per cent of the country's electricity needs. It plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030. The government has  pledged to continue using nuclea r energy despite public concerns arising from last year's nuclear disaster in Japan.If the two Yeonggwang reactors are not brought back online as scheduled, Hong warned of a â€Å"dramatic† drop in national power reserves to 300,000 kilowatts in January, compared to the government target of 4. 5 million kilowatts. â€Å"Energy authorities are preparing a super-intense power supply emergency plan, which will be carried out in mid-November,† Hong said, without elaborating. All parts supplied for use in South Korea's nuclear plants require quality and safety warranties from one of 12 international organisations designated by Seoul.Eight suppliers cited by Hong faked 60 warranties covering nearly 7,700 items that had been provided at a cost of $750,000, Hong said. Of the total, more than 5,200 parts have been used in five reactors – 99 per cent of them in the two Yeonggwang units closed on Monday. Hong said prosecutors would investigate the suppliers as well as poss ible collusion by officials of the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP). | Inside Story | | Is nuclear terrorism preventable? | |World leaders gather for their second summit to strengthen efforts in securing nuclear material around the world. | Around 50 world leaders have gathered in South Korea to discuss measures to fight the threat of nuclear terrorism, including the protection of nuclear materials and facilities, as well as the prevention of trafficking of nuclear materials. Barack Obama, the US president, used the opening day of the nuclear security summit to set out a series of wide-ranging goals on nuclear policy.He praised achievements made so far, and promised more would emerge from these discussions. â€Å"We have to question whether the rules we have today are adequate, and my view is that they're totally inadequate. There's no uniformity, no requirement to control materials a certain way. â€Å"Kenneth Luongo, Fissile Materials Working Group| The summit repr esents the half way point of a four-year process set out by Obama with the goal of locking down nuclear materials worldwide and preventing their use in a terrorist attack.But this year’s summit takes place against a backdrop of growing tensions over the nuclear standoff with Iran and concerns about North Korea's plans to launch a satellite next month – a launch that the US, South Korea and others believe is a missile test. So, how big a threat is nuclear terrorism? Who sets the criteria for acquiring nuclear weapons? Are there grounds for accusing Western governments of double standards? And can a problem of such magnitude be tackled by voluntary agreements made at the summit?Inside Story, with presenter Laura Kyle, discusses with Richard Burt, the chief US negotiator in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty who is also the US chairman of Global Zero which seeks elimination of nuclear weapons; Mark Hibbs, a senior associate in the Nuclear Policy Program at Carnegie Endow ment for International Peace; and Riad Kah-waji with the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. â€Å"Even after New Start [Treaty signed with Russia two years ago], the US will still have more than 15,000 deployed nuclear weapons and some 5,000 warheads.I firmly believe that we can ensure the security of the United States and our allies, maintain a strong deterrent against any threat and still pursue further reductions in our nuclear arsenal. â€Å"Barack Obama, the US president| Nuclear warheads around the world: Though the  exact number of nuclear weapons in each country's possession is a closely-guarded national secret, there are estimates available. Of the countries that are members of the non-proliferation treaty: * Russia is believed to have around 10,000 nuclear warheads * The US is estimated to have 8,500 France is believed to have 300 * China is estimated to have 240 * The UK is said to have 225 Of the non-member countries: * Israel is said to have 80 nucl ear warheads, though  it refuses to confirm or deny whether  it has any * Pakistan is thought to have between  90 and 110 * India is believed to have between 80 to 100 * North Korea is believed to have enough material to  produce up to 10 devices Asia-pacific | | South Korea set to host nuclear summit | | Security and safety on agenda, but diplomatic fallout from North Korea's rocket launch plan could dominate on sidelines. |South Korea is preparing to host the heads of more than 50 nations and international organisations at a nuclear security summit in Seoul. The meeting, starting on Monday,  comes a year after the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan and participants will  discuss efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and how to restore faith in civil nuclear energy. Participants include US President Barack Obama, who is due to visit the border zone between the two Koreas on Sunday, and Chinese President Hu Jintao. The controversial nuclear programm es of North Korea and Iran are not due to be formally discussed.But Obama is expected to hold talks on the sidelines with both Hu and South Korean President  Lee Myung-Bak over North Korea's plans to launch a satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket next month. Dozens of protesters from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand gathered near the summit venue in downtown Seoul on Friday to denounce the gathering, saying  nuclear energy was threatening the safety of their lives. â€Å"The nuclear energy industry told us the industry is safe, but actually, there have been many accidents that happened,† Lee Heonseok, a protester, said. We think those accidents will be repeated in the future. Therefore, we insist the nuclear energy industry should disappear. † Richard Broinowski, a professor at the University of Sydney and former Australian ambassador to South Korea, told Al Jazeera that the summit was aimed at rebuilding confidence in the nuclear industry. â€Å"T he point of the safety nuclear conference should be about terrorism and the breakdown of systems, such as what happened in Fukushima, and what to do about them,† he said. But the summit could be overshadowed by diplomatic fallout from North Korea's announcement of its planned rocket launch.North Korea said earlier this month that it had halted its nuclear programme, weapons testing and long-range missile launches and was ready to return to international talks in return for US food aid. The US says April's rocket launch would violate that agreement, while Japan's defence minister said on Friday he had ordered the military to prepare to shoot down the rocket if it entered Japanese airspace. China, North Korea's closest regional, has also expressed concern that the launch could endanger regional stability. North Korea halts nuclear programme | Uranium enrichment, weapons testing and long-range missile launches to be stopped in return for US food aid. | North Korea has agreed to s top nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches and to allow international inspectors to visit its Yongbyon nuclear complex in return for food aid from the United States. The announcement, made simultaneously by the US state department and North Korea's official news agency on Wednesday, paves the way for the possible resumption of six-party disarmament negotiations with the Communist state.It also marks a significant policy shift by North Korea's reclusive leadership  after the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong-il in December. â€Å"The DPRK, upon request by the US and with a view to maintaining positive atmosphere for the DPRK-US high-level talks, agreed to a moratorium on nuclear tests, long-range missile launches, and uranium enrichment activity at Yongbyon and allow the IAEA to monitor the moratorium on uranium enrichment while productive dialogues continue,†Ã‚  the  official KCNA news agency said. North Korea is known formally as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).China, North Korea's only powerful ally, approved the announcement. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement posted on Thursday that China welcomed efforts by the two sides to improve relations and preserve peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. He reiterated China's willingness to participate in efforts to restart the six-party talks. ‘Profound concerns' The state department was cautious in its response but said Washington was ready to finalise details of a proposed food aid package of 240,000 metric tonnes of nutritional assistance, and that more aid could be agreed based on continued need. Secret talks that led to the agreement were held at the North Korean embassy in Beijing [AFP]| â€Å"The United States still has profound concerns regarding North Korean behaviour across a wide range of areas, but today's announcement reflects important, if limited, progress in addressing some of these,† a state department stat ement said. A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said the development reflected â€Å"the close work Seoul and Washington have done to try to resolve the nuclear standoff,† while the International Atomic Energy Agency called it â€Å"an important step forward†.Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington DC, said that its linking â€Å"nutritional assistance† with political  developments was contrary to standard US foreign policy. â€Å"[This move] is certainly going to come under the microscope in terms of US policy. The US has used [food aid] successfully as leverage and there is going to be some talk about that,† she said. The announcement comes as the Obama administration steps up pressure on Iran over its atomic ambitions, which Western governments fear are aimed at producing nuclear weapons.It followed talks between the US and North Korea last week in Beijing, the first such meeting since veteran leader Kim Jong-il's son, Kim Jong -un, succeeded his father as leader. Christopher Hill, the former chief US negotiator in the six-party talks, said it was an important step that Kim's son, Kim Jong-un, had made such a high-profile  decision in the wake of his father's death. He said that the military, which is influenced by Chang Song-taek,  Ã‚  Kim Jong-il's powerful brother in law, had probably played a role in the agreement. I think the first order of business is to try to figure out the terms by which we provide the food aid,† Hill said. â€Å"We're going to have to make sure the North Koreans have  the aid and that we can monitor that the food aid goes to the right people. †Ã‚   Six-party talks North Korea agreed to curtail its nuclear activities under an aid-for-denuclearisation agreement reached in September 2005 by six-party talks bringing together North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the US.Under the terms of that deal, the North agreed to abandon its nuclear programmes in exc hange for economic and diplomatic incentives to be provided by the other parties involved in the negotiations. But the embryonic deal was never fully implemented. Instead, the North held two nuclear bomb tests, in 2006 and 2009, and later disclosed a uranium enrichment programme, giving it a second path to obtaining fissile material for bombs, in addition to its long-standing programme of producing plutonium.The US, South Korea and their allies had been sceptical of North Korea's assertions that it stands ready to return to the six-party talks, and said they would insist on evidence of the country's willingness to denuclearise before any such talks could resume. World leaders: Nuclear terrorism a ‘grave threat' Comments (250) Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version President Obama: †There are still too many bad actors in search of these dangerous materials† Continue reading the main story Related Stor ies * Which countries have nuclear weapons? North Korea's missile programme * Timeline: Nuclear stand-off World leaders have called for closer co-operation to tackle the threat of nuclear terrorism at a summit on nuclear security in Seoul. A communique at the end of the summit reiterated a joint call to secure â€Å"vulnerable nuclear material†. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said nuclear terrorism remained a â€Å"grave threat†, while US President Barack Obama said action was key. The meeting was dominated by North Korea's plan to launch a rocket. North Korea says the long-range rocket will carry a satellite when it goes up in April.The US says any launch would violate UN resolutions and constitute a missile test. Iran's nuclear programme was also on the minds of the summit participants, with Mr Obama pledging to meet the leaders of Russia and China on the sidelines to work towards a resolution. ‘Bad actors' At the meeting, world leaders discussed measures to fight the threat of nuclear terrorism, including the protection of nuclear materials and facilities, as well as the prevention of trafficking of nuclear materials. Continue reading the main story Analysis Jonathan Marcus BBC Diplomatic CorrespondentThe communique describes nuclear terrorism as one of the most challenging threats to international security. But the responsibility to maintain security over nuclear materials lies firmly with states rather than international bodies. And any effort to try to establish or impose common international standards inevitably raises concerns in some quarters that the world's major powers are seeking to intrude into the nuclear affairs of other countries. That's why this communique reaffirms that measures to strengthen nuclear security will not hamper the rights of states to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.The summit urges states to minimise the use of highly enriched uranium – one of the building blocks for a nuclear bomb . The summit highlights the threat from radioactive materials more generally. But again all the summit can do is urge states to take measures to secure these materials and work towards ratifying international conventions on nuclear security. It is hardly a resounding outcome from a gathering over-shadowed by the more immediate wrangling over North Korea's and Iran's nuclear activities.A joint communique reaffirmed their commitment to nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. â€Å"Nuclear terrorism continues to be one of the most challenging threats to international security,† it said. â€Å"Defeating this threat requires strong national measures and international co-operation given its potential global, political, economic, social and psychological consequences. † But it omitted a reference made in a draft communique last Thursday on the need for â€Å"concrete steps† towards a world without nuclear weapons, AFP news agency rep orts.There are currently no binding international agreements on how to protect nuclear material stored peacefully inside its home country, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul. An amendment seeking to do that is still unratified after seven years. Addressing the summit, Mr Obama warned there were still â€Å"too many bad actors† who were threatening to stockpile and use †dangerous† nuclear material. â€Å"It would not take much, just a handful or so of these materials, to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people and that's not an exaggeration, that's the reality that we face,† he said. The security of the world depends on the actions that we take. † Mr Hu called for â€Å"an international environment conducive to boosting nuclear security† to be created and Mr Lee called for concrete action to tackle a threat that posed â€Å"a grave challenge† to peace. The summit was attended by almost 60 leaders from around the world. Rocket l aunch Meetings on Monday were overshadowed by North Korea's planned launch, scheduled to take place between 12 and 16 April. Pyongyang says it is intended to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il-sung.Continue reading the main story Nuclear stockpiles in numbers * Russia: 10,000 * US: 8,500 * France: 300 * China: 240 * UK: 225 * Pakistan: 90-110 * India: 80-100 * Israel: 80 * North Korea: fewer than 10 Source: Federation of American Scientists * Nuclear weapons: Who has what? On Tuesday, a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said that the launch would go ahead as planned and criticised Mr Obama's stance as †confrontational†. North Korea â€Å"will never give up the launch of a satellite for peaceful purposes†, the spokesman said in a statement in the official KCNA news agency.A KCNA report also described the †weather satellite† Pyongyang planned to launch as useful for †the study of weather forecast n eeded for agriculture and other economic fields†. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, speaking at the summit, called on Pyongyang to cancel the rocket launch, saying that it would violate UN Security Council resolutions. â€Å"As such, the international community strongly urges North Korea to exercise restraint and cancel the launch,† he said. The resolutions were passed after a similar launch in April 2009.Japan is particularly concerned as that rocket was launched over the country three years ago. The US and Chinese presidents met on Monday on the sidelines of the summit and agreed to co-ordinate their response to any â€Å"potential provocation† if Pyongyang went ahead with the launch. South Korea and the US say North Korea risks further sanctions and isolation if it does not cancel its plans. Seoul has also warned it will shoot down the rocket if it strays over South Korean territory. Which countries have nuclear weapons? There are an estimated 20,000 war heads in the world's combined stockpile of nuclear weapons.Of these, almost 5,000 are considered operational and about 2,000 belonging to the US and Russia are believed to be ready for use at short notice. Although the exact number of nuclear weapons in each country's possession is top secret, the Federation of American Scientists has made best estimates about the size and composition of national nuclear weapon stockpiles based on publicly available information. Their sources include the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Countries and their nuclear weapons |Country | Operational and strategic weapons* | Total arsenal** | Source: Federation of American Scientists, as of 6 March 2012| Russia| 2,430| 10,000| US| 1,950| 8,500| France| 290| 300| China| 0| 240| UK| 160| 225| Pakistan| 0| 90-110| India| 0| 80-100| Israel| 0| 80| North Korea| 0| Fewer than 10| *Strategic weapons are designed to target cities, missile locations and mi litary headquarters as part of a strategic plan **Total arsenal inventory includes non-strategic and non-deployed weapons as well as stockpiles North Korea's missile programmeContinue reading the main story Related Stories * North Korea rocket plan condemned * N Korea agrees to nuclear freeze * North Korea country profile North Korea is believed to have more than 1,000 missiles of varying capabilities, including long-range missiles which could one day strike the US. Pyongyang's programme has progressed over the last few decades from tactical artillery rockets in the 1960s and 70s to short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles in the 1980s and 90s. Systems capable of greater ranges are understood to be under research and development.According to the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent think-tank, some of North Korea's missiles also have the capability to carry nuclear warheads. However, the country is not yet thought to have developed such warheads. The country's missile programme has mainly been developed from the Scud. It first obtained tactical missiles from the Soviet Union as early as 1969, but its first Scuds reportedly came via Egypt in 1976. Egypt is believed to have supplied North Korea with missiles and designs in return for its support against Israel in the Yom Kippur War.By 1984, North Korea was building its own Scuds, the Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-6, as well as a medium-range missile, the Nodong. Its latest missile combines these technologies to give a long-range missile, the Taepodong. In 2006 and 2009 it test-fired a new missile called the Taepodong-2, which experts say could have a range of many thousands of miles. The missile failed to perform on both occasions. Short range missiles North Korea is believed to be in possession of a variety of short-range missiles, such as the KN-02, which can reach up to 120km and could target military installations in neighbouring South Korea.The Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-6, also known as Scud-B and C, hav e longer ranges of 300km and 500km respectively, according to the US Center for Nonproliferation Studies. These missiles can deliver conventional warheads, but may also have biological, chemical and nuclear capabilities. The Hwasong-5 and 6 have both been tested and deployed, defence experts believe, and would enable North Korea to strike any area in South Korea. Relations between the two Koreas are fraught and they remain, technically, in a state of war. The two countries never signed a peace treaty after an armistice ended their 1950-53 conflict.They are separated by one of the world's most heavily fortified borders and both have strong military capabilities. Nodong missile North Korea went on to embark on a programme in the late 1980s to build a new missile, known as the Nodong, with a range of 1,000km. Its likely target is Japan. But, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, little is actually known about the development, production, and deployment of the Nodong. The institute believes the weapon is not accurate enough for effective use against military targets, such as US military bases in Japan.A March 2006 report by the US Center for Non-proliferation Studies, concluded it had a â€Å"circular error probable† of 2km to 4km, meaning that half the missiles fired would fall outside a circle of that radius. Analysts therefore believe that should the Nodong be used as a weapon against Japan, it could lead to high levels of civilian casualties. Musudan missile The Musudan, also known as the Nodong-B or the Taepodong-X, is an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Its likely targets are Okinawa, Japan, and US bases in the Pacific.Range estimates differ dramatically. Israeli intelligence believes they have a 2,500km range while the US Missile Defense Agency estimates they have a range of 3,200km; other sources put the upper limit at 4,000km. These differences are due in large part to the fact that the missile has never been tested p ublicly, according to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Its payload is also unknown. Taepodong-1 and 2 missiles (including the Unha space launcher) The Taepodong-1 – known as Paektusan-1 in North Korea – was the country's first multi-stage missile.Based on satellite photographs, independent think-tank the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) believes the first stage is a Nodong missile and the second stage a Hwasong-6. Continue reading the main story Missile ranges * Short range: 1,000km or less * Medium range: 1,000-3,000km * Intermediate range: 3,000-5,500 km * Intercontinental: Greater than 5,500km Source: Federation of American Scientists It has an estimated range of 2,200km, but is understood to be even less accurate than the Nodong. The Taepodong-1 is understood to have test flown once in August 1998 as a space launcher.Instead of a normal ballistic missile payload, the missile carried a third stage that was meant to send a small satellite into low Eart h orbit. The FAS believes that although the first two stages worked, the third stage did not function correctly and no satellite entered orbit. The federation also says it is possible the Taepodong-1 was always meant as a space launcher and was never intended to be an intermediate range military missile. The Taepodong-2 – or Paektusan-2 – is also a two to three-stage ballistic missile, but is a significant advance on the Taepodong-1. Its range has been estimated at anything between 5,000-15,000km.The Center for Nonproliferation Studies puts the figure at a maximum estimated 6,000km. Taepodong-2 and its technology has been flight tested twice – in 2006 and 2009. It failed to perform on both occasions. In the early morning of 5 July 2006 (still 4 July in the US), it flew only 42 seconds before exploding – according to US sources. A three-stage space launcher version of the Taepodong-2 was then used in a failed attempt to send a satellite into space in April 2009. The launch was widely condemned by the US and South Korea, among others, as cover for a long-range missile test.North Korea refers to the space launcher version of the Taepodong-2 as Unha – Korean for galaxy – and describes it as a â€Å"carrier rocket†. Although space launches and missile launches follow slightly different trajectories and the rocket may be optimised for one purpose or the other, the basic technology used is the same. This includes the structure, engines, and fuel. If the Taepodong-2 were successfully launched and it reached its maximum estimated range, its increased power could put Australia and parts of the US, among other countries, within range. North Korea profile * Overview * Facts * Leaders * Media Timeline For decades North Korea has been one of the world's most secretive societies. It is one of the few countries still under nominally communist rule. North Korea's nuclear ambitions have exacerbated its rigidly maintained isolatio n from the rest of the world. The country emerged in 1948 amid the chaos following the end of World War II. Its history is dominated by its Great Leader, Kim Il-sung, who shaped political affairs for almost half a century. After the Korean War, Kim Il-sung introduced the personal philosophy of Juche, or self-reliance, which became a guiding light for North Korea's development.Kim Il-sung died in 1994, but the post of president has been assigned â€Å"eternally† to him. Continue reading the main story At a glance * Politics: A family dynasty heads a secretive, communist regime which tolerates no dissent * Economy: North Korea's command economy is dilapidated, hit by natural disasters, poor planning and a failure to modernise * International: The armistice of 1953 ended armed conflict on the Korean peninsular, but the two Koreas are technically still at war; tensions have been exacerbated in recent decades by North Korea's nuclear ambitions Country profiles compiled by BBC Moni toringDecades of this rigid state-controlled system have led to stagnation and a leadership dependent on the cult of personality. Aid agencies have estimated that up to two million people have died since the mid-1990s because of acute food shortages caused by natural disasters and economic mismanagement. The country relies on foreign aid to feed millions of its people. The totalitarian state also stands accused of systematic human rights abuses. Reports of torture, public executions, slave labour, and forced abortions and infanticides in prison camps have emerged.A US-based rights group has estimated that there are up to 200,000 political prisoners in North Korea. Pyongyang has accused successive South Korean governments of being US â€Å"puppets†, but South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's visit in 2000 signalled a thaw in relations. Seoul's â€Å"sunshine policy† towards the North aimed to encourage change through dialogue and aid. Nuclear tensions This tentative reac hing-out to the world was dealt a blow in 2002 by Pyongyang's decision to reactivate a nuclear reactor and to expel international inspectors.In October 2006 North Korea said it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon, spreading alarm throughout the region. Since then, intensive diplomatic efforts have aimed to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions. After years of on-and-off talks, a deal was thrashed out in February 2007 under which Pyongyang agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor in return for aid and diplomatic concessions. But negotiations stalled as North Korea accused its negotiating partners – the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia – of failing to meet agreed obligations.North Korean soldiers keep watch over the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world increased steadily again from late 2008 onwards, especially after the new South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, ended his predecessor's †Å"sunshine policy† of rapprochement with the North. In April 2009 North Korea walked out of international talks aimed at ending its nuclear activities. The following month the country carried out its second underground nuclear test and announced that it no longer considered itself bound by the terms of the 1953 truce that ended the war between the two Koreas.Tensions reached a new high in spring 2010, when the South accused North Korea of sinking one of its warships, the Cheonan, and cut off all cross-border trade. Pyongyang denied the claims, and in turn severed all ties with Seoul. After the US imposed tough sanctions in August, the North began to make overtures again. Its then leader, Kim Jong-il, signalled a readiness to resume six-party nuclear talks during a visit to China, and indicated a willingness to accept Southern aid to cope with major flood damage.Kim Jong-il's successor in December 2011, his third son Kim Jong-un, continued the dynastic policy of sending out mix ed signals. He agreed to suspend long-range missile tests in order to receive US food aid in February 2012, only to challenge the US and the other frontline states almost immediately by announcing a forthcoming â€Å"rocket-launched satellite† for April, to mark Kim Il-Sung's birthday. In October 2012, Pyongyang responded to the unveiling of a new missile deal between Seoul and Washington by saying that it had missiles capable of hitting the US mainland.North Korea maintains one of the world's largest standing armies and militarism pervades everyday life. But standards of training, discipline and equipment in the force are reported to be low. Q&A: North Korea nuclear programme Negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programme have been a stop-start process North Korea's nuclear programme remains a source of deep concern for the international community, amid reports from South Korea suggesting Pyongyang is planning a third nuclear test. The BBC looks at North Korea's nuclear a mbitions and multi-national efforts to curtail them.Has North Korea got the bomb? Not yet. In 2006 and again in 2009 North Korea announced that it had conducted successful nuclear weapons tests. Satellite data from P'unggye-yok, in a remote area in the east of the country, appeared to tally with claims that the experiments had been conducted underground. The North is believed to possess enough weapons-grade plutonium for at least six bombs – but experts say it has not yet solved the problem of making a nuclear warhead small enough to fit into a missile. Opinions vary on how close the regime is to completing this process of â€Å"miniaturisation†.American expert Siegfried Hecker told South Korea's Yonhap news agency late last year that a third nuclear test could be sufficient for them to master the technology. Mr Hecker is one of the few people to have seen the North's capabilities first-hand. In 2010, he was shown a uranium-enrichment facility with 1,000 centrifuges an d said he was â€Å"stunned† by the sophistication of the plant. He said he saw no evidence that the fuel was for anything other than generating power, but added that it could be â€Å"readily converted to produce highly enriched uranium bomb fuel†. What does the regime say about its programme?Over the years Pyongyang has issued brash, contradictory and often inflammatory statements about its programme. After the 2009 nuclear test, an official communique stated that the test was â€Å"part of measures to enhance the Republic's self-defensive nuclear deterrent in all directions†. And in a rare unguarded moment after the 2006 test, deputy foreign minister Kang Sok-ju told reporters: â€Å"Why would we abandon nuclear weapons? Are you saying we conducted a nuclear test in order to abandon them? † Yet Pyongyang also regularly proclaims that it is committed to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.It has frequently promised to give up part or all of its programme in return for aid. In February 2012, the regime promised to allow UN inspectors back into the country and to suspend uranium enrichment in return for US food aid. But shortly after that it launched a rocket in apparent defiance of UN resolutions banning missile tests, leaving that deal dead in the water. What has the international community done about the programme? Multiple rounds of negotiations have taken place between the North, the US, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea aimed at persuading Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions.In September 2005, after more than two years of on-off talks, North Korea agreed a landmark deal to give up its nuclear ambitions in return for economic aid and political concessions. But implementing the deal proved extremely difficult and the talks stalled in April 2009 over the issue of whether North Korea was fully disclosing its nuclear assets. In July 2011, contact began again between the US and North Korea aimed at restarting the talks. Less t han six months later, North Korea's long-time leader Kim Jong-il died. He was succeeded by his son, the young and inexperienced Kim Jong-un.In February 2012 North Korea suddenly announced it had agreed to suspend nuclear activities. It also said it was placing a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. Its reward would be food aid from the US. But that deal has now been suspended following Pyongyang's 13 April 2012 rocket launch. What is the current state of the North's programme? The Yongbyon site is thought to be North Korea's main nuclear facility. The North has pledged several times to halt operations there and even destroyed the tower in 2008.But both the US and South Korea have said in the past that they believed the North had additional sites linked to a uranium-enrichment programme. And Mr Hecker's revelations in 2010 of a hitherto undeclared plant suggest that clandestine nuclear work is continuing. In December 2010, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley s aid that the work being done at the site shown to Mr Hecker could not have been achieved if other related sites did not already exist. â€Å"We're very conscious of the fact that, in the recent revelations to American delegations, what they saw did not come out of thin air,† he said. It certainly reflects work being done at at least one other site. † Why does the issue of North Korea's nuclear capability matter so much? The two Koreas remain technically at war, since no peace treaty was signed after the 1950-53 Korean conflict. Tension has been high since an international panel blamed North Korea for sinking a South Korean navy warship in March 2010, with the loss of 46 lives. Ties were further strained in November 2010, when North Korea shelled a border island, killing four South Koreans.North Korea has a million-strong army and its border with the South is one of the most militarised in the world. Pyongyang's nuclear tests have sparked debate in Japan on allowing its military the option to launch a pre-emptive strike if it fears a missile attack. A fully nuclear North Korea could trigger an East Asian arms race, as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, for instance, consider whether to go nuclear as well. North Korea claims nuclear plant progress Pyongyang says it has made rapid advances in building a light-water reactor and enriching uranium * Share 45 * * * inShare10 Email * Associated Press in Seoul * guardian. co. uk, Wednesday 30 November 2011 07. 38 GMT Pyongyang says it is making rapid progress on work to enrich uranium and build a light-water nuclear power plant Link to this video North Korea says it is making rapid progress on work to enrich uranium and build a light-water nuclear power plant, increasing worries that the country is developing another way to make atomic weapons. Pyongyang's foreign ministry said in a statement that the construction of an experimental light-water reactor and low enriched uranium were â€Å"progressing apaceâ₠¬ .It added that North Korea had a sovereign right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and that â€Å"neither concession nor compromise should be allowed†. Concerns about North Korea's atomic capability took on renewed urgency in November 2010 when the country disclosed a uranium enrichment facility that could give it a second route to manufacture nuclear weapons, in addition to its existing plutonium-based programme. North Korea has been building a light-water reactor at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex since last year. Such a reactor is ostensibly for civilian energy purposes, but it would give the North a reason to enrich uranium.At low levels, uranium can be used in power reactors, but at higher levels it can be used in nuclear bombs. Earlier this month, North Korean state media said â€Å"the day is near at hand† when the reactor will come into operation. Washington has concerns about reported progress on the reactor construction, saying it would violate UN se curity council resolutions. The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, speaking to reporters on Wednesday at an international aid forum in the South Korean port city of Busan, did not address the North's statement on uranium.She called the US-South Korean alliance strong and mentioned the recent first anniversary of North Korea's artillery attack on a frontline South Korean island that killed four. â€Å"Let me reaffirm that the United States stands with our ally, and we look to North Korea to take concrete steps that promote peace and stability and denuclearisation,† Clinton said. Five countries, including the US, have been in on-again, off-again talks with North Korea to provide Pyongyang with aid in exchange for disarmament. North Korea pulled out of nuclear disarmament talks in early 2009 in protest at international condemnation of ts prohibited long-range rocket test. In recent months North Korea has repeatedly expressed its willingness to rejoin the talks, and tensions between the Koreas have eased. Diplomats from the Koreas and the UShave had separate nuclear talks, and cultural and religious visits by South Koreans to the North have resumed. South Korean and US officials, however, have demanded that Pyongyang halt its uranium-enrichment programme, freeze nuclear and missile tests and allow international inspectors back into the country before resuming negotiations.The North Korean statement on Wednesday accused the U S and its allies of â€Å"groundlessly† taking issue with the North's peaceful nuclear activities. They are â€Å"deliberately laying a stumbling block in the way of settling the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and negotiations†, the statement said. Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, said the North's statement appeared aimed at applying pressure on Washington and the international community to rejoin the nuclear disarmament talks quickly. â€Å"North Korea is expected to step up its rhetoric,† he said.History of Nuclear proliferation The impetus behind the NPT was concern for the safety of a world with many nuclear weapon states. It was recognized that the cold war deterrent relationship between just the United States and Soviet Union was fragile. Having more nuclear nuclear-weapon states would reduce security for all, multiplying the risks of miscalculation, accidents, unauthorized use of weapons, or from escalation in tensions, nuclear conflict. The NPT process was launched by Frank Aiken, Irish Minister for External Affairs, in 1958.It was opened for signature in 1968, with Finland the first State to sign. Accession became nearly universal after the end of the Cold War and of South African apartheid. In 1992 China and France acceded to the NPT, the last of the five nuclear powers recognized by the treaty to do so. In 1995 the treaty was extended indefinitely. After Brazil acceded to the NPT in 1998 the only remaining non-nuclear-weapons st ate which had not signed was Cuba, which joined NPT (and the Treaty of Tlatelolco NWFZ) in 2002. Several NPT signatories have given up nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons programs.South Africa undertook a nuclear weapons program, allegedly with the assistance of Israel in the 1970s, and may have conducted a nuclear test in the Indian Ocean in 1979, but has since renounced its nuclear program and signed the treaty in 1991 after destroying its small nuclear arsenal; after this, the remaining African countries signed the treaty. Several former Soviet Republics, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, destroyed or transferred to Russia the nuclear weapons they inherited from the Soviet Union.The former Soviet republics joined NPT by 1994. Successor states from the breakups of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia also joined the treaty soon after their independence. Montenegro and East Timor were the last countries to sign the treaty on their independence in 2006 and 2003; the only other country to sig n in the 21st century was Cuba in 2002. The three Micronesian countries in Compact of Free Association with the USA joined NPT in 1995, along with Vanuatu. Major South American countries Argentina, Chile, and Brazil joined in 1995 and 1998.Arabian Peninsula countries included Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in 1988, Qatar and Kuwait in 1989, UAE in 1995, and Oman in 1997. The tiny European states of Monaco and Andorra joined in 1995-6. Also signing in the 1990s were Myanmar in 1992 and Guyana in 1993. See also: North Korea and weapons of mass destruction, 2006 North Korean nuclear test,  and Six-party talks North Korea ratified the treaty on December 12, 1985, but gave notice of withdrawal from the treaty on January 10, 2003 following U. S. allegations that it had started an illegal enriched uranium weapons program, and the U.S. subsequently stopping fuel oil shipments under the Agreed Framework[52] which had resolved plutonium weapons issues in 1994. [53] The withdrawal became effective April 10, 2003 making North Korea the first state ever to withdraw from the treaty. [54] North Korea had once before announced withdrawal, on March 12, 1993, but suspended that notice before it came into effect. [55] On February 10, 2005, North Korea publicly declared that it possessed nuclear weapons and pulled out of the six-party talks hosted by China to find a diplomatic solution to the issue. We had already taken the resolute action of pulling out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and have manufactured nuclear arms for self-defence to cope with the Bush administration's evermore undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea],† a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement said regarding the issue. [56] Six-party talks resumed in July 2005. On September 19, 2005, North Korea announced that it would agree to a preliminary accord. Under the accord, North Korea would scrap all of its existing nuclear weapons and nuclear production facilities, rejoin the NPT, and readmit IAEA inspectors.The difficult issue of the supply of light water reactors to replace North Korea's indigenous nuclear power plant program, as per the 1994 Agreed Framework, was left to be resolved in future discussions. [57] On the next day North Korea reiterated its known view that until it is supplied with a light water reactor it will not dismantle its nuclear arsenal or rejoin the NPT. [58] On October 2, 2006, the North Korean foreign minister announced that his country was planning to conduct a nuclear test â€Å"in the future†, although it did not state when. 59] On Monday, October 9, 2006 at 01:35:28 (UTC) the United States Geological Survey detected a magnitude 4. 3 seismic event 70  km (43  mi) north of Kimchaek, North Korea indicating a nuclear test. [60] The North Korean government announced shortly afterward that they had completed a successful underground test of a nuclear fission device. In 2007, reports from Washingt on suggested that the 2002 CIA reports stating that North Korea was developing an enriched uranium weapons program, which led to North Korea leaving the NPT, had overstated or misread the intelligence. 61][62][63][64] On the other hand, even apart from these press allegations—which some critics worry could have been planted in order to justify the United States giving up trying to verify the dismantlement of Pyongyang's uranium program in the face of North Korean intransigence—there remains some information in the public record indicating the existence of a uranium effort. Quite apart from the fact that North Korean First Vice Minister Kang Sok Ju at one point admitted the existence of a uranium enrichment program, Pakistan's then-President Musharraf revealed that the A.Q. Khan proliferation network had provided North Korea with a number of gas centrifuges designed for uranium enrichment. Additionally, press reports have cited U. S. officials to the effect that evidenc e obtained in dismantling Libya’s WMD programs points toward North Korea as the source for Libya's uranium hexafluoride (UF6) — which, if true, would mean that North Korea has a uranium conversion facility for producing feedstock for centrifuge enrichment. [65] The history of nuclear weapons chronicles the development of nuclear weapons.Nuclear weapons possess enormous destructive potential derived from nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reactions. Starting with scientific breakthroughs of the 1930s made by the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom during World War II in what was called the Manhattan Project to counter the assumed Nazi German atomic bomb project. In August 1945 two were dropped on Japan ending the Pacific War. An international team was dispatched to help work on the project.The Soviet Union started development shortly thereafter with their own atomic bomb project, and not long after that both countries developed even more powerful fusion weapons called â€Å"hydrogen bombs. † There have been (at least) four major false alarms, the most recent in 1995, that resulted in the activation of either the US's or Russia's nuclear attack early warning protocols. [1] North Korea Main article: Ryanggang explosion On September 9, 2004 it was reported by South Korean media that there had been a large explosion at the Chinese/North Korean border.This explosion left a crater visible by satellite and precipitated a large (2 mile diameter) mushroom cloud. The United States and South Korea quickly downplayed this, explaining it away as a forest fire that had nothing to do with the DPRK's nuclear weapons program. List of most powerful nuclear tests The following incomplete list contains nuclear tests conducted with a yield of over 10 Mt TNT. Date| Yield| Test mode| Country| Test Site| Remarks| October 30, 1961| 50 Mt| air-drop| Soviet Union| Novaya Zemlya| Tsar Bomba| December 24, 1962| 24. Mt| air-drop| Soviet Union| Novaya Zemlya| Tes t 219| August 5, 1961| 21. 1 Mt| air-drop| Soviet Union| Novaya Zemlya| | September 25, 1962| 19. 1 Mt| air-drop| Soviet Union| Novaya Zemlya| | February 28, 1954| 15 Mt| ground| USA| Bikini Atoll| Castle Bravo| May 5, 1954| 13. 5 Mt| sea surface| USA| Bikini Atoll| Castle Yankee| October 23, 1961| 12. 5 Mt| air-drop| Soviet Union| Novaya Zemlya| | March 26, 1954| 11 Mt| sea surface| USA| Bikini Atoll| Castle Romeo| November 1, 1952| 10. 4 Mt| ground| USA| Eniwetok| Ivy Mike| September 27, 1962| 10 Mt| air-drop| SovietUnion| Novaya Zemlya| | Background Korea has been a divided country since 1945, when it was liberated from the defeated Japan after World War II. The Korean War was fought from June 25, 1950, until an Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. As part of the Armistice, both sides, including U. S. forces, conduct military patrols within the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). [citation needed] In September 1956 the U. S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Radford told the U. S. Department of State that the U. S. ilitary intention was to introduce atomic weapons into Korea. From January 1957 the U. S. National Security Council considered, on President Eisenhower's instruction, and then agreed this. However, paragraph 13(d) of the Korean Armistice Agreement mandated that both sides should not introduce new types of weapons into Korea, so preventing the introduction of nuclear weapons and missiles. The U. S. decided to unilaterally abrogate paragraph 13(d), breaking the Armistice Agreement, despite concerns by United Nations allies. 8][9] At a June 21, 1957, meeting of the Military Armistice Commission the U. S. informed the North Korean representatives that the U. N. Command no longer considered itself bound by paragraph 13(d) of the armistice. [10] In August 1957 NSC 5702/2[11] permitting the deployment of nuclear weapons in Korea was approved. [8] In January 1958 nuclear armed Honest John missiles and 280mm atomic cannons were deploy ed to South Korea,[12] a year later adding nuclear armed Matador cruise missiles with the range to reach China and the Soviet Union. 8][13] North Korea denounced the abrogation of paragraph 13(d) as an attempt to wreck the armistice agreement and turn Korea into a U. S. atomic warfare zone. At the U. N. General Assembly in November 1957 the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia condemned the decision of the United Nations Command to introduce nuclear weapons into Korea. [9] North Korea responded militarily by digging massive underground fortifications resistant to nuclear attack, and forward deployment of its conventional forces so that the use of nuclear weapons against it would endanger South Korean and U.S. forces as well. In 1963 North Korea asked the Soviet Union for help in developing nuclear weapons, but was refused. However, instead the Soviet Union agreed to help North Korea develop a peaceful nuclear energy program, including the training of nuclear scientists. China later, afte r its nuclear tests, similarly rejected North Korean requests for help with developing nuclear weapons. [8] Tensions between North and South have run high on numerous occasions since 1953. The deployment of the U. S.Army's Second Infantry Division on the Korean peninsula and the American military presence at the DMZ are publicly regarded by North Korea as an occupying army. In several areas, North Korean and American/South Korean forces operate in extreme proximity to the border, adding to tension. This tension has led to numerous clashes, including the Axe Murder Incident of 1976. In the early 1960s security concerns in the region and an apparent Soviet dismissal of these concerns hastened the DPRK's efforts to acquire the technology to produce nuclear weapons.In the wake of the student-led April 19 movement in 1960 that overthrew the South Korean president Rhee Syngman and the May 16, 1961, military coup d'etat that brought General Park Chung-hee to power in the south, North Korea sought a mutual defense treaty with the Soviet Union and China. Soviet leaders reportedly did not even consider such a pact necessary, despite the military posture of the anti-communist Park regime, as long as the Soviets improved relations with the United States. 14] Perhaps the two most important factors in North Korea's attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and become militarily self-reliant were the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 and the prospect of a US–Japan–ROK alliance following the 1965 establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROK and Japan. Kim Il-sung reportedly did not trust that the Soviets would live up to the conditions of the mutual defense pact and guarantee North Korea's security since they betrayed Castro by withdrawing nuclear missiles in an effort to improve relations with the United States.As a North Korean official explained to Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in 1965, â€Å"the Korean leaders were distrustful of the CPSU and the Sovie t government, they could not count on that the Soviet government would keep the obligations related to the defense of Korea it assumed in the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, Kim Il-sung said, and therefore they were compelled to keep an army of 700,000 and a police force of 200,000. In explaining the cause of such mistrust, the official claimed that â€Å"the Soviet Union had betrayed Cuba at the time of the Caribbean crisis. â€Å"[15] However, as recently declassified Russian, Hungarian, and East German materials confirm, no communist governments were willing to share the technology with the North Koreans, out of fear that they would share the technology with China. [16] With the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korean leaders recognized the need for a new security relationship with a major power since Pyongyang could not afford to maintain its military posture.North Korean leaders therefore sought to forge a new relationship with the United States, t he only power strong enough to step into the vacuum left by the collapse of the Soviet Union. From the early 1990s, throughout the first nuclear crisis, North Korea sought a non-aggression pact with the United States. The U. S. rejected North Korean calls for bilateral talks concerning a non-aggression pact, and stated that only six-party talks that also include the People's Republic of China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea are acceptable.The American stance was that North Korea had violated prior bilateral agreements, thus such forums lacked accountability. Conversely, North Korea refused to speak in the context of six-party talks, stating that it would only accept bilateral talks with the United States. This led to a diplomatic stalemate. On October 9, 2006, the North Korean government issued an announcement that it had successfully conducted a nuclear test for the first time. Both the United States Geological Survey and Japanese seismological authorities detected an earthquake wi th a preliminary estimated magnitude of 4. in North Korea, corroborating some aspects of the North Korean claims. [4] On November 19, 2006, North Korea's Minju Joson newspaper accused South Korea of building up arms in order to attack the country, claiming that â€Å"the South Korean military is openly clamoring that the development and introduction of new weapons are to target the North. † North Korea accused South Korea of conspiring with the United States to attack it, an accusation made frequently by the North and routinely denied by the United States. 17] The United Nations Security Council condemned the test in Resolution 1874. On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted a second test of a nuclear weapon at the same location as the original test (not confirmed). The test weapon was of the same magnitude as the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in the 2nd World War, (confirmed South Korea and Russia). At the same time of the test North Korea tested two short range missiles (repor ted a South Korean News Network YTN – not officially confirmed). In July 2011, Abdul Qadeer Khan, the key figure in Pakistan's nuclear weapons evelopment, allegedly claimed that North Korea had gained access to Pakistan's nuclear technology in the late 1990s by paying bribes to Pakistan's senior military officials, a claim Pakistan's senior officials disputed. Khan stated that he had personally helped transfer $3 million in gratuities to senior Pakistan's military officers, though he neither provided any proofs to his claims. [18] Chronology of events Main article: Timeline of North Korea nuclear program [edit] Plutonium | This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2009)| MWe experimental reactor at Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center North Korea has had two operating reactors, both located at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center. The older reactor is a Russian supplied IRT-2000 research reactor completed in 1967. [19] Uranium irradi ated in this reactor was used in North Korea's first plutonium separation experiments in 1975. [20] Nevertheless, the primary purpose of the reactor is not to produce plutonium and North Korea has had trouble acquiring enough fuel for constant operation. The U. S.Department of Energy estimated that this reactor could have been used to produce up to 1–2 kg of plutonium, thoug