North Korea's Latest Photostrop.

With the BRICS Summit going on South Africa the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been even more noisy than usual. Apparently they've announced they're going to cutting the military hot-line with South Korea and are to warn the United Nations (UN) about the imminent threat of nuclear war on the Korean peninsula. However my favourite bit has been their reaction to that Rihanna bikini photograph.

This involved the DPRK releasing photographs of eight hovercraft landing on a beach as part of a recent military exercise. However analysis of those photographs by a French news agency (and others) has concluded that the DPRK photographs had been altered using a computer program similar to photoshop and in fact only show two hovercraft duplicated four times. Apart from giving everybody the headache of having to analyse the photographs this was intended to provoke China at the BRIC Summit by showing that it's neighbour and once close ally is now working hand in glove with the US.

This doesn't seem to have fazed the Chinese much who quickly responded with some pictures of dead ducks which may or may not have been photoshopped. This angered the US who responded by circulating a fake Tweet attributed to Kim Kardashian. In this fake Tweet the member of Rihanna wider social circle is claimed to have called Nigeria such a disgusting country she couldn't wait to leave and comparing Nigerian women to apes. This obviously offended quite a few Nigerian people and added to the debate about things being photoshopped.

I should point out that the Nigeria Tweet is utterly fake and not only has Kim Kardashian denied writing it the person who faked it (Twitter user @chuckicheese) has come forward and admitted they faked it 'as a practical joke.' However even if it were true it still wouldn't be the most offencive thing that's been said in response to that Rihanna bikini photograph. That honour goes to the Brits who responded with something along the lines of; "It's either photoshopped or it's seen more action than Helmand."

So "Operation Misery" apparently. Fortunately the BRICS Summit is only a two day affair so given the time difference between South Africa and Canada it should be broken up long before Rihanna is due to take to the stage in Edmonton tonight. Hopefully it'll be a good show because if you've been following the USS Guardian story the US plans to have the Navy ship broken up by mid-April.

17:05 on 27/3/13.