Mornning Coffee - 23 October 2009

Welcome to Morning Coffee, brought to you by Lindsay Beyerstein with additional links from the UN Dispatch team. Every morning we survey foreign affairs and foreign policy news so you don't have to. We begin with the "Starting Five" items of the day -- these may not always appear on A-1, but they *are* the kinds of stories that will be buzzing in foreign capitals, the UN and wherever foreign policy minds roam.
Starting Five
ZELAYA HIT LIKE WACO - As talks to resolve the constitutional crisis continued, the Honduran junta continued its harassment campaign against President Mel Zelaya by bombarding the Brazilian embassy with loud noises on Wednesday night, include recordings of grunting pigs, rock music, and church bells. No "These Boots are Made for Walking" yet. Zelaya has been holed up in the embassy since he snuck back into the country last month. He was deposed by a military coup in June. Link
THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE - Musicians whose work was reportedly used to torture detainees at Guantanamo have teamed up with activists seeking to close the prison. David Byrne, Trent Reznor, Billy Bragg, Roseanne Cash, and other well-known artists have lent their name to the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo. President Obama has promised to shut down the prison, and activists are determined to keep the pressure on. Link
MEXICAN ARMY CONVOY ATTACKED - About 60 assailants attacked a Mexican army convoy in the border city of Reynosa in the early hours of Tuesday morning. About 60 attackers shot at the convoy and lobbed grenades at it. No one was hurt. The attack is probably related to the ongoing domestic occupation of Mexico. Troops are stationed throughout the country in an effort to combat drug trafficking. Link
UN ENVOY BLAMES NK FOR HUNGER - More than a third of North Koreans are underfed and Kim Jong Il's regime is to blame, according to a UN envoy. The official, Vitit Muntarbhorn, presented a report of his findings on human rights in North Korea to the UN General Assembly yesterday. He blames the chronic food shortages on bad agriculture policy, declining foreign aid, and frequent natural disasters. Link
US ASKS FOR POLANSKI EXTRADITION - The United States has formally requested the extradition of director Roman Polanski from Switzerland on sex charges. Polanski had been a fugitive from justice since fleeing the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. He was apprehended in Zurich in September. The extradition treaty between the U.S. and Switzerland gives the Swiss 40 days to hand over Polanski. Link
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