CAMP 22In the northeastern corner of North Korea lies the town of Haengyong, home of camp 22-North Korea’s largest concentration camp. Prisoners of this camp are men, women and children that have been accused of political crimes against North Korea. It is now claimed that this very concentration camp is guilty of the most horrible violations of human rights. The first-hand testimonies from North Korean defectors are delineated with detailed accounts of executions and torture events indicating that gas chambers are used for human experimentation. Kim Jong-il’s North Korean regime is currently subjecting North Koreans to harrowing violations of human rights from stamping on the necks of prisoner’s babies to testing entire families in gas chambers as scientists take notes.
HAITI REBELLIONOver 40,000 Haitians are determined to take President, Jean-Bertrand Aristride, out of office by holding opposition rallies, which has recently resulted in over 60 deaths. Nations are appealing to UN for help and opposition leaders have met with Aristride and international delegations. Over this past weekend Aristride agreed to work out a peace plan. A segment of this agreement orders Aristride to appoint a new prime minister.
SCHWARZENEGGER AND SAME SEX MARRIAGESan Francisco has issued nearly 3,000 same sex marriage licenses within the past couple weeks and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning the city to stop issuing these licenses because he feels that it is defiant of state law. California state law defines a marriage to be between a man and a woman however, the city feels that this is in violation of California’s constitution and is currently filing a lawsuit against the state.
NUCLEAR NEWS Libya decided to turn over nuclear plans to the UN so as to step down from the nuclear race. The documents that Libya handed over indicate advanced nuclear development according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). International attention has shifted to believe that Pakistan may be key to the nuclear black market. Iranian nuclear facilities revealed a link between Pakistan and black marketeering. Pakistan scientists were later implicated in the North Korean nuclear program.
IRAQ POLLS AND JUNE 30The U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has declared that the direct elections cannot be held by June 30 in Iraq. This does not mean however that June 30, the date that the US will transfer its power over to the Iraqis people, will change.
RED CROSS VISITS SADDAMOn Saturday February 21, 2004 the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Saddam Hussein for the first time. The key goal of the visit was to check Saddam Hussein’s health and mental condition. The Red Cross would not comment on the results. Red Cross plans to visit Saddam more frequently in the future.
CHINA IN OUTERSPACEThe announcement was made over the weekend that China will launch its second manned space mission in 2005. Two astronauts will be aboard the Shenzhou 6 and will remain in orbit for approximately 5 to 7 days. The U.S. and Russia are the only other countries that have sent a manned spacecraft into orbit and China is catching up with the pace.