To the Point

North Korea and Loose Nukes

North Korea has set off alarms about proliferation of nuclear weapons, and even the chance of attack on South Korea or Japan. North Korea-s Kim Jong Il is demanding talks with the United States, but the Bush Administration says it won-t -reward bad behavior.- South Korea-s Prime Minister told Parliament today there-s no proof that North Korea has nuclear weapons, and that it-s time for the US to engage in direct negotiations with the Communist North. Is America fiddling while North Korea is building nuclear bombs? Will this, like Iraq, become a case for the UN Security Council? We hear about North Korea-s developing nuclear weapons program, and get a South Korean perspective, from academics, journalists and arms control specialists. Making News: Al Jazeera Broadcasts bin Laden Message to Iraqis Osama bin Laden had a message for the Iraqis today which Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera aired, as predicted by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Though the tape demonstrates no direct link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, it does demonstrate that they have become allies of a sort. Carla Anne Roberts of the Wall Street Journal says the terrorist leader seems to have made President Bush-s case for him. Reporters Notebook: Cricket-s World Cup Bowled Out in Mugabe-s Zimbabwe South Africa is principal host to this year-s World Cup of Cricket, but six of its 54 matches are scheduled for Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe-s repressive government has been sanctioned by the British Commonwealth. Britain, which invented cricket, has refused to play in Zimbabwe. Peta Thornycroft, who reports from Harare for London-s Daily Telegraph, is following the international story of politics on the playing field.