Nigerian Times

15 Feb 2008 18:31 Africa/Lagos PARADE Magazine Names Kim Jong-il of North Korea the World's Worst Dictator Despite Atrocious Acts, the U.S. Continues To Do Business With Many Dictators NEW YORK, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Kim Jong-il of North Korea has been designated the World's Worst Dictator in PARADE Magazine's 6th annual listing by Contributing Editor David Wallechinsky. Kim beat out Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan, who held the No. 1 position for three years in a row, from 2005 to 2007. Kim was No. 1 in 2003 and 2004. Kim runs the most isolated, repressive regime in the world, says Wallechinsky in this Sunday's issue of PARADE. His citizens have no access to information other than government propaganda. His harsh system includes collective punishment (three generations of a family can be punished for one member's alleged crime); detainment of roughly 200,000 citizens in labor camps; and the capture, torture and jailing of those who try to flee to China. Last year,...

Yes. There were horrible and shocking incidents and events in 2007, as highlighted in the following posts below, but the most shocking of them all was the assassination of Bbenazir Bhutto, the Rose of Pakistan.

Benazir Bhutto Dec. 27 - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a bomb attack at an election rally in Rawalpindi, according to party officials. Bhutto was holding the election rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi when the attack occurred. Initial reports from local police said fifteen people had been killed and first reports came in that Bhutto has been injured - possibly seriously - before a party offical said she had died. Bhutto's party has the largest support in the country as it heads into a general election that has been beset by violence.

Puja Bharwani reports . The Pakistani authorities have freed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto from house arrest hours before a caretaker prime minister was sworn in to oversee elections. Bhutto's release was welcomed in Washington. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said other political detainees should also be freed. In a separate development, Musharraf swore in an ally as caretaker prime minister -- Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro -- and a 24-member cabinet to oversee the parliamentary elections due by Jan. 9.

Puja Bharwani reports Nov. 13 - The detained Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has called for military leader Pervez Musharraf to step down as the country's president. Bhutto has long called for Musharraf to step down as army chief but this is the first time she has called for him to quit as president altogether. Military ruler Musharraf set off a storm of criticism when he imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3. He suspended the constitution, sacked most judges, locked up lawyers, rounded up thousands of opposition and rights activists and curbed the media. Musharraf has come under mounting pressure from Western allies to set Pakistan back on the path to democracy. Soundbites: · Lahore Police Chief Aftab Cheema · Benazir Bhutto via telephone Nigerian Times Commentary : Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is not an angel and no matter her provocative outbursts, she cannot make President Pervez Musharraf the devil. Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, from her chequered political biogra...

Less Than Half of Pakistani Public Supports Attacking al Qaeda, Cracking Down on Fundamentalists WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pakistanis show only weak support for using force against Islamic militants and overwhelmingly oppose allowing outside forces to combat al Qaeda on Pakistani territory. A WorldPublicOpinion.org (http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/) poll finds that just 44 percent of urban Pakistanis favor sending the Pakistani army to the Northwestern tribal areas to "pursue and capture al Qaeda fighters." Only 48 percent would allow the Pakistan army to act against "Taliban insurgents who have crossed over from Afghanistan." In both cases, about a third oppose such military action and a fifth decline to answer. Pakistanis reject overwhelmingly the idea of permitting foreign troops to attack al Qaeda on Pakistani territory. Four out of five (80%) say their government should not allow American or other foreign troops to enter Pakistan to pursu...