US Suspends Food Assistance to North Korea

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/US-Suspends-North-Korea-Food-Aid-144680865.html

The United States has canceled a food aid package intended to be delivered to North Korea due to the discovery that North Korea plans to launch a satellite into space using missiles, which is widely agreed as being a front in order to further their ballistic missile technology,

However, this is not the only reason, Peter Lavoy, acting assistant Secretary of Defense in Asia & the Pacific, states he has no confidence that the food we are delivering is being distributed to the people in need, with past aid packages having been largely hogged by the political elite.

This is all directly in contrast with what North Korea promised last month, claiming that they would halt tests and launches that related to nuclear and ballistic missile technology. Upon hearing this, the US agreed to contribute 240,000 metric tons of food. However, since food aid monitors were forced to leave Korea, we do not have any way of knowing if the the overwhelming amount of malnourished children and women are receiving aid.

It angers and disgusts me whenever I read about the various ways North Korea uses its starving people as a bargaining token in international relations. They are basically being bribed by the US to stop their nuclear testing, but as soon as they receive aid, they return right back to their original efforts and the people suffer as a result.

Hu Jintao visit triggers protests in McLeodganj

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hu-Jintao-visit-triggers-protests-in-McLeodganj/articleshow/12449518.cms

Hu Jintao's visit to McLeodganj in India today caused many Tibetan activist to set up protests and demonstrations in support of raising awareness of Tibet's predicament in relation to China.

In Delhi, one protester died today of burn wounds he inflicted on himself as a demonstration.
Most Tibetan shops closed for the day, and special prayers and candlelight vigils were organized in hopes of getting Indian and Chinese leaders to recognize their plight.

China has been in conflict with Tibet for at least the past hundred years, with Tibetans seeking sovereignty, only to be brutally suppressed by the Chinese government.

Crime Crackdown Adds to Scandal Surrounding Former Chinese Official

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/world/asia/bo-xilais-china-crime-crackdown-adds-to-scandal.html

Last month, Bo Xilai, the former chief of the Chongqing party, was caught in a scandal regarding one of his biggest claims to fame, cracking down on corruption and organized crime in China.

It has been revealed that his efforts have also included framing innocent victims, extracting confessions through torture, extorting businesses and getting revenge Mr. Bo's political rivals, while protecting those close to him.

What was hailed as an assault on corruption, turned out to be a shining example.

This was all part of an effort to get into the Politburo's standing committee, using nationalism, corruption-fighting, and the revival of a Maoist-style culture.

Investigations started last month when Mr.Bo's chief of police sought refuge in the United States, fearing his own safety due to the possible ties he discovered linking Bo's family with the death of British citizen Neil Heywood.

Critics are saying even by Communist Party standards, this is too corrupt, imagine that!

Contradictions: Syria Accepts Peace Plan as Fighting Enters Lebanon

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/27/10882807-annan-says-syria-accepts-peace-plan-fighting-enters-lebanon

So get this, today Syria has agreed to accept a pleace plan drawn up Kofi Annan, the U.N., and the Arab League. Annan also met with Wen Jiabao on a two day trip to China, insisting that the only way Syria will find resolution is with the full support from China and other global powers.

Yet on the same day that the ceasefire was agreed upon, Syrian troops have crossed into Lebanon destroying farms and houses where Syrian rebels have taken refuge. Reports indicate landmines, rocket launchers, armed personnel vehicles, and heavy machine guns have been used in the fighting that has spilled into Lebanon.

To me, Assad's negotiations and quest for "peace" just comes off as a global political circus act, insisting that the only way stability can return is if other countries get involved.

This is (or at least was until today) an internal conflict, and I do not understand why the Syrian government acts as if it cannot handle this problem on its own. What the rebels want is negotiation, but instead the Syrian government turns to other nations from help, using Assad as a scapegoat for criticism.

I agree with Mevedev's statement that Syria must resolve this civil war primarily on its own.