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Pyongyang, North Korea

Pen pal: President Obama has written a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, an unusual move seen as an attempt to draw the reclusive nation back to stalled nuclear disarmament talks, The Washington Post reported. While officials would not comment on the letter’s contents, they said it underscored the U.S. contention that North Korea still has “a choice” about joining the community of nations. The letter was delivered by the administration’s special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, during a visit to Pyongyang last week. There was no word on whether Kim has responded, but North Korea’s propaganda organ, the Korean Central News Agency, reported positively on Bosworth’s visit, possibly reflecting the impact of Obama’s missive. “Through working and frank discussion,” the agency said, “the two sides deepened the mutual understanding, narrowed their differences, and found not a few common points.”

Bangkok

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Weapons confiscated: The seizure of a cargo aircraft stuffed with rocket launchers and other weapons at Bangkok airport last week has stoked fears that North Korea is using illicit arms sales to fund its secret nuclear program. The Georgian-registered Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft is believed to have begun its journey in North Korea and was apparently headed to Iran. The plane was due to have refueled in Sri Lanka, but made an unscheduled stop in Bangkok. A routine search by customs officials revealed a hidden cache of 35 tons of arms. Last August, a similar cache bound for Iran was impounded in the United Arab Emirates.

Tehran

Protesters in drag: Hundreds of male Iranian opposition supporters have dared to openly mock the regime by posing for photographs wearing head scarves and women’s clothes. The photos were posted online after the authorities released pictures of a student activist, Majid Tavakoli, in a head scarf and chador. The authorities claim that Tavakoli had disguised himself as a woman to try to avoid arrest. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini issued his sternest warning yet that protests would not be tolerated. Referring to an incident in which protestors allegedly burned a photo of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he declared: “They are openly violating the law, they insulted Imam Khomeini.”

Baku, Azerbaijan

Blair on the spot: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been widely criticized for accepting about $150,000 to deliver a speech earlier this month in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. Blair flew to Baku as a guest of Nizami Piriyev, a multi­millionaire businessman who recently opened a methanol plant. Blair spoke at the factory and also held private talks with Azerbaijan’s repressive president, Ilham Aliyev, who took power in 2003 after winning an election that was widely denounced as fraudulent. Critics of the regime say that Blair should give his fee to charity. “This is dirty money,” said Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat member of Parliament. “It is demeaning for the former British prime minister to hawk himself around the world getting what cash he can.”

On the Egypt/Gaza border

Egyptians to seal off Gaza: The Egyptians have begun work on a subterranean steel wall along their border with the Gaza Strip, in a bid to stifle the smuggling of weapons to Hamas. Although Egypt’s official crossing into Gaza is closed, Hamas has been able to smuggle in Qassam rockets and other weapons using an elaborate network of underground tunnels. The Egyptian wall, when complete, will be about six miles long and extend about 35 yards below ground. While Israeli officials cautiously welcomed the initiative, Hassan Khreisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, denounced it as “a shame for the Egyptians.”