Asia/Pacific

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s (D) office on Saturday confirmed that he would travel to North Korea next week on a “private humanitarian mission.”

Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, will accompany Richardson, according to a statement, along with staff members.

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Former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson said Friday that the State Department "shouldn't be that nervous" over his "private humanitarian mission" to North Korea with Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt.

The House passed a resolution late Tuesday that hits North Korea for its missile launch earlier this month, and another criticizing Iran for its persecution of a religious minority group.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said in Monday debate that North Korea's missile launch shows that "communism still casts a long shadow over Asia.

The rocket launch gives Republicans new openings to attack the president’s leadership on national security.

North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket that appears to put the United States within range of a nuclear strike.

The administration warned there would be "consequences" for the action, while GOP lawmakers pressed for a tougher approach.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said the administration's "policies of appeasement' have done nothing to deter North Korean aggression. 

Afghan officials at the Kabul airport are not recording the cash that leaves Afghanistan through the airport, an U.S. watchdog said Tuesday.

A new report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that Afghan officials were not properly using bulk currency counters provided specifically to monitor cash leaving the country. The machines were powered up but were not connected to the Internet or servers to send tracking data, the investigation found.

The SIGAR report also raised concerns about VIPs who go through different security procedures avoiding a bulk currency counter, as well as a “Very Very Important Persons (VVIP)” lounge recently built that also bypasses the counters.

The  key U.S. demand proved a deal breaker in Iraq.

Your morning global affairs speed-read

President Obama hosts Prime Minister Boiko Borissov of Bulgaria at the White House today for talks about the country's “leadership at NATO and its valuable contributions to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.” Obama is also expected to receive updates on Bulgaria’s investigation into the July 2012 terrorist attack on Israeli tourists in Burgas, which has been linked to Iran.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting today with officials of the Czech Republic on strengthening Czech energy independence and advancing human rights and supporting democratic transitions around the world. Clinton then heads to Belgium to participate in a meeting of NATO foreign ministers Tuesday and Wednesday.

Later, Obama is set to deliver remarks to the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium at the National Defense University. On the 20th anniversary of the CTR program, the president will note the “extraordinary progress” that’s been made in securing nuclear material and thank former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) and outgoing Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) for their longstanding leadership.

Disabilities: Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) unite with Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) to press for U.S. accession to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. The Senate is expected to vote on the treaty Tuesday.

Let's make a deal: The Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) hosts its 8th Annual U.S.-Afghanistan Business Matchmaking Conference in Washington through Tuesday. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk is set to meet with Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry Anwar-Ul-Haq Ahady on Monday. Kirk will meet with Morocco's minister of Trade, Industry and New Technologies, Abdelkader Amara, earlier in the day.