Bit from Asia -- The Japanese government is going to stop offering cash remittances to North Korea in an effort to stop the flow of money spent on gambling by Japanese citizens to North Korea. The Times, the U.K.-based publication, reported today on its Web site that the pachinko machines that exist in arcades in Japan are a "lifeline" of cash to economically downtrodden North Korea. The paper states that it is an open secret that much of the pachinko money is made by Japanese Koreans with loyalty to North Korea.
US Tidbit -- Former Florida State quarterback Adrian Mcpherson may not be able to return to college sports even if he is given an acquittal on his misdemeanor gambling charge, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Charles Ehrhardt, the chairman of the FSU Athletic Board, said the National Collegiate Athletic Association could still bar him from playing even if he is cleared of wrongdoing in connection with charges of illegal gambling. He also faces charges on alleged check stealing. "I don't know what the NCAA will do, but I think that in certain areas (the association) could well say that despite the fact that someone was acquitted (of a criminal charge), they could still find that someone committed prohibited behavior," Ehrhardt said.