The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the African American members of the United States Congress. Membership is exclusive to African Americans, and its chair in the 111th Congress is Representative Barbara Lee of California.
India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world.
The official languages are Hindu and English.
Four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after Indian Rebellion of 1857, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Capital is New Delhi, the largest city is Mumbai. The President is Pratibha Patil. She retired on 7/25/12; she was the first woman to hold the office. She was succeeded as President by Pranab Mukherjeer . His term ended 7.25.17. He was succeeded by Ram Nath Kovind . The presidential palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan, is the official residence of the president of India.
Asia has three important recognized political divisions: The Middle East, (or West Asia) countries are colored a lighter shade of gray; Southeast Asia (or South Asia) countries are colored a medium shade of gray, and North Asia countries are colored a darker shade of gray. Note that European Russia is also considered a part of the Asian Continent.
The itinerary : 1. Friday 11.13.09: Arrived in Japan 2. Saturday 11.14.09: To Apec summit in Singapore 3. Sunday 11.15.09: Has talks with Russia's President Medvedev before leaving for China 4. Tuesday 11.17.09: Summit in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao 5. Wednesday 11.18.09: Ends tour in South Korea
11.13.09 President Obama stopped in Japan on the first leg of his trip to Asia Friday (11.13.09), stressing that United States and Japan "have been and will continue to be equal partners." Obama and newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama huddled for talks on a range of issues Friday, including bilateral relations, Afghanistan, nuclear nonproliferation, the economy and the U.S. military base in Okinawa.
11.16.09 President Obama meets with Chinese Pres. Hu Jintao, in Beijing . They spoke about shared responsibilities and economic opportunities. Text and the video
Message From Obama: Tribes Will Have Voice in White House October 25, 2008 By Barack Obama
For 20 months now, I've traveled this country, often talking about how the needs of the American people are going unmet by Washington. And the truth is, few have been ignored by Washington for as long as American Indians. Too often, Washington pays lip service to working with tribes while taking a one-size-fits-all approach with tribal communities across the nation.
That will change if I am honored to serve as president of the United States.
My American Indian policy begins with creating a bond between an Obama administration and the tribal nations all across this country. We need more than just a government-to-government relationship; we need a nation-to-nation relationship, and I will make sure that tribal nations have a voice in the White House.
I'll appoint an American Indian policy adviser to my senior White House staff to work with tribes, and host an annual summit at the White House with tribal leaders to come up with an agenda that works for tribal communities. That's how we'll make sure you have a seat at the table when important decisions are being made about your lives, about your nations and about your people. That'll be a priority when I am president.
Here's what else we're going to do. We're going to end nearly a century of mismanagement of the Indian trusts. We're going to work together to settle unresolved cases, figure out how the trusts ought to operate and make sure that they're being managed responsibly — today, tomorrow and always
Tribes' Tragic History
Now, I understand the tragic history between the United States and tribal nations. Our government hasn't always been honest and truthful in our dealings. And we've got to acknowledge that if we're going to move forward in a fair and honest way.
Indian nations have never asked much of the United States — only for what was promised by the treaty obligations made to their forebears. So let me be absolutely clear — I believe treaty commitments are paramount law, and I will fulfill those commitments as president of the United States.
That means working with tribal governments to ensure that all American Indians receive affordable, accessible health care services. That's why I've cosponsored the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in the U.S. Senate, and that's why I've fought to ensure full funding of the IHS so that it has the resources it needs.
It also means guaranteeing a world-class education for all our children. I'll work with tribal nations to reform No Child Left Behind and create opportunities for tribal citizens to become teachers so you can be free to educate your children the way you know best. We'll increase funding for tribal colleges. And I will make Native language preservation and education a priority.
To give families in our tribal communities every chance to succeed in a 21st century economy, I will cut taxes for 95 percent of all workers, invest in job training and small business development, and put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools and bridges.
Service and Sacrifice
And I will never forget the service and sacrifice that generations of American Indians have given to this country. We have to keep our sacred trust with Indian veterans by making sure that no veteran falls into homelessness, and that all our veterans get the benefits and support they have earned.
Let me just close by saying this. I was born to a teenage mother. My father left when I was 2 years old, so I never knew him well. I was raised in Hawaii by a single mother and my grandparents, and we didn't have a lot of money — we even turned to food stamps at one point just to get by.
Where I grew up, there weren't many black families. So I know what it feels like to be viewed as an outsider. I know what it's like to not always have been respected or to have been ignored. I know what it's like to struggle.
Every president is shaped by his own experience. These have been mine. And so I want you to know that I will never forget you. The American Indians I have met across this country will be on my mind each day that I am in the White House. You deserve a president who is committed to being a full partner with you; to respecting you, honoring you and working with you every day. That is the commitment I will make to you as president of the United States.
6.15.09 Kimberly Teehee named the new senior policy adviser for Native American affairs.
Teehee joins an impressive list of Native leaders appointed to serve within the Obama administration: Larry EchoHawk, assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; Yvette Roubideaux, director of the Indian Health Service; Mary Smith, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice; Hilary Tomkins, solicitor of the Department of Interior; and Jodi Gillette, a member of the White House Intergovernmental Affairs staff.
Chile officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Chile borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south.
The Capital is Santiago. The official language is Spanish.
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest.
The Capital and largest city is Addis Ababa.
The official language is Amharic.
Girma Wolde-Giorgis was the President of Ethiopia from 2001 to 2013. From 10.7.13 to 10.25.18, Mulatu Teshome was the president. On 10.25.18 Sahle-Work Zewde was elected as president; the first woman to hold the office.
According to the 2007 National Census, Christians make up 62.8% of the country's population (43.5% Ethiopian Orthodox, 19.3% other denominations), Muslims 33.9%, practitioners of traditional faiths 2.6%, and other religions 0.6%. This is in agreement with the CIA World Factbook, which states that Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Emperor rastafarian, Haile Selassie, is widely considered a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, and the key figure of Rastafari, a religious movement in Jamaica that emerged shortly after he became emperor in the 1930s.
Italy officially the Italian Republic, is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe. The capital is Rome. The President is President Giorgio Napolitano and the Prime Minister is Silvio Berlusconi. PM Berusconi is to resign after parliament passed crucial economic reforms on Tuesday 11.8.11 aimed at stabilizing Italy's economy. There have been growing calls for the Italian leader to step down over sex scandals and Italy's financial problems that threaten to make Europe's third-largest economy the latest victim of the eurozone crisis. Mario Monti, a former top EU commissioner, has been asked by the country's president to lead Italy's new government.
The Roman empire in the 1st century [ Two thousand years ago, the world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in every four people on earth lived and died under Roman law ].
6.15.09 President Obama met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the White House Oval Office to discus U.S.-Italy relations.
July 10, 09: President Barack Obama wraps up the G-8 discussion in Italy saying a full economic recover is "still a ways off" and the world must make hard choices to solve the "pressing threats facing our environment, our global economy and our international security." Continue
1. Restore economic growth and reform our international and national regulatory system. And return to fiscal responsibility after the recovery is completed.
2. Stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
3. By 2050, there will be a reduction of greenhouse gases by 80%.
4. Committment to invest in 20 million in food security - agriculture programs to help fight world hunger.
The federal government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch of government is responsible for the day-to-day management of the state. The legislative branch is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. The The judicial branch is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes.
The highest judicial officer in the country, the Chief Justice leads the business of the Supreme Court and presides over the Senate during impeachment trials of the President. In modern tradition, the Chief Justice also has the duty of administering the oath of office to the President, but this is not required by the Constitution or any other law. The seventeenth and current Chief Justice is John Roberts, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, and took office on September 29, 2005 upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
The Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. As federal judges, the Justices serve during "good behavior", meaning they essentially serve for life and can be removed only by resignation, or by impeachment and subsequent conviction.
The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress: The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.
NOTE: Diversity is not a word that easily equates with the Supreme Court. Of its 110 justices over the past 220 years, all but four have been white males. The exceptions are two African-Americans (Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas) and two women (Sandra Day O'Connor and Ginsburg).
The following are on the short list as possible nominees:
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. A former assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights under Clinton, the 52-year-old Patrick -- an early supporter of Obama's presidential candidacy -- once worked for the NAACP.
Judge Ann Claire Williams of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Nominated to district court by President Reagan in 1985, she was elevated to her current job by President Clinton. Considered a moderate, the 59-year-old is the third African-American female appeals court judge -- and would be the first African-American woman on the high court.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Named a district court judge by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, she has been on the appeals bench since 1998. She'd likely have some bipartisan support. The 54-year-old is considered to have moderate-liberal views, and would be the first Hispanic justice on the high court.
California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno.
Leah Ward Sears (born June 13, 1955) is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. She became the first African-American woman to become a superior court judge in 1988. When she was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Governor Zell Miller in 1992, she was the youngest person to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court. On June 28, 2005 she made history again when she became the first African-American female chief justice anywhere in the United States when she was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
Vicki Miles-LaGrange (born 1953) is the Chief U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was the first African American woman to be sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was also the first African American female elected to the Oklahoma Senate.
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the 111th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the Judicial Oath in the East Conference Room at the Supreme Court of the United States.
4.12.10 Leah Ward Sears is on Pres. Obama's Short List. Born June 13, 1955 is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. She became the first African-American woman to become a superior court judge in 1988. When she was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Governor Zell Miller in 1992, she was the youngest person to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court. On June 28, 2005 she made history again when she became the first African-American female chief justice anywhere in the United States when she was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
4.21.10 On the short list is Judge Ann Claire Williams of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Nominated to district court by President Reagan in 1985, she was elevated to her current job by President Clinton. Considered a moderate, the 59-year-old is the third African-American female appeals court judge -- and would be the first African-American woman on the high court.
Lebanon is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south.
Lebanon is the most religiously diverse country in the Middle East. As of 2014 the CIA World Factbook estimates the following: Muslim 54% (27% Sunni Islam, 27% Shia Islam), Christian 40.5% (includes 21% Maronite Catholic, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Melkite Catholic, 1% Protestant, 5.5% other Christian), Druze 5.6%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus and Mormons.
The official language is Arabic. Recognised languages are English and French.
5.22.09 Biden: U.S. aid at risk if Lebanon strays from 'principles' . He spoke shortly after arriving in Beirut, a visit that comes two weeks before a key vote there that could usher in the Shia militia group, Hezbollah-dominated government. They emerged in Lebanon in the early 1980s and became the region's leading radical Islamic movement, determined to drive Israeli troops from Lebanon. Hezbollah was conceived in 1982 by a group of clerics after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon . It was formed primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation. Inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution, the party also dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-confessional state into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Hezbollah's political rhetoric has centered on calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. Its definition of Israeli occupation has also encompassed the idea that the whole of Palestine is occupied Muslim land and it has argued that Israel has no right to exist. The party was long supported by Iran, which provided it with arms and money.
8.7.20: The UN agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon after Tuesday's devastating blast in Beirut. Lebanon was already suffering a major economic downturn before the explosion, which left at least 154 people dead, 5,000 injured and 300,000 homeless.
Ghana, is a sub Saharan country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King," and was the source of the name "Guinea" (via French Guinoye) that is used to refer to the West African coast (as in Gulf of Guinea).
A multicultural nation, Ghana has a population of approximately 27 million, spanning a variety of ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. Its diverse geography and ecology ranges from coastal savannahs to tropical jungles. Ghana's economy is the ninth-largest on the Africa continent by purchasing power parity and nominal GDP. Ghana is a major producer of petroleum and natural gas, with the continent's fifth largest oil reserves and sixth largest natural gas reserves. It is one of the world's largest gold and diamond producers,[citation needed] and is projected to be the largest producer of cocoa in the world as of 2015. Ghana's growing economic prosperity and democratic political system has made it a regional power in West Africa.
The Statue of Liberty, officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World. Lady Liberty was a gift from France to the United States to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution. It was dedicated in 1886. It was designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for its centennial on July 4, 1986.
It stands just across New York Harbor from where the Twin Towers stood.
Jordan, officially the Hashemite (the Arab descendants, either direct or collateral, of the Muḥammad), Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Middle East. It shares control of the Dead Sea with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Jordan is a modern Arab nation, its population is mostly Sunni Muslim with a small Christian minority.
The Capital is Amman. The King is Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, a pro-American Arab leader. Hours after the death of his father on February 7, 1999, Abdullah became king of Jordan; he was officially crowned on June 9.
The kingdom is a key member of the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State. Jordan joined a U.S.-led air campaign against isis in September 2014. Although Jordan initially sought to downplay its participation in the campaign, Abdullah took on a visible leadership role, and Jordan greatly increased the number of air strikes it carried out after ISIL fighters captured and brutally murdered a downed a Jordanian pilot, Moath al-Kasasbeh, in early 2015.
Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. The Capital is Cairo.
The President is Hosni Mubarak. He was ousted after 18 days of demonstration during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. He was sentenced to life in prison on 6/2/2012 for corruption and abuse of power. June 7, 1012 CNN reports his health has taken a turn for the worse. As of October 12, 2015 he is still detained in a military hospital by a Cairo court. He was acquitted on March 2, 2017 by Court of Cassation, Egypt's top appeals court. He was released on March 24, 2017. He died 2.25.2020 at the age of 91.
Adly Mahmoud Mansour served as the acting President of Egypt from 3 July 2013 to 8 June 2014. He was succeeded by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is the current president of Egypt. He assumed office June 8, 2014.
July 3, 2013: CAIRO — Egypt’s military officers removed the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday, suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist.
July 4, 2013: Adly Mansour is the acting President and a judge who currently heads the Supreme Constitutional Court. Effective June 8, 2014, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was elected president.
Egypt is one of the U.S. most important Arab allies. It is intimately involved with the Palestinian problem, acting as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. - BBC News
President Jimmy Carter shaking hands with Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the signing of the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty on the grounds of the White House, 1979.
The Camp David Accords were signed, establishing a framework for peace between Egypt and Israel. Egypt had been in a state of declared war with Israel since 1948, punctuated by several short but violent conflicts, including the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance laid the groundwork to get representatives from Egypt and Israel to meet and discuss conditions for ending hostilities and normalizing diplomatic relations. Israel agreed to withdraw its troops from the Sinai Peninsula, and Egypt agreed to officially recognize Israel as a nation. The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was signed in a ceremony at the White House on March 26, 1979, and the three leaders—Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin—joined hands and shared big smiles.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader, Yasser Arafat, told a rally in West Beirut: "Let them sign what they like. False peace will not last." He accused President Sadat of betraying the Egyptian people, and said they would eventually eliminate him.
Sadat and Begin were jointly awarded the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts even as the Arab League suspended Egypt from membership in the Arab League until 1989. On Oct. 6, 1981, Islamist military officers assassinated Sadat as he watched a victory parade in Cairo held to commemorate the anniversary of Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal during the 1973 war with Israel.
Following the assassination of President Anwar el-Sadat in 1981, martial (emergency) law was declared. Egypt has been under martial law ever since. Martial law gives military courts the power to try civilians and allows the government to detain for renewable 45-day periods and without court orders anyone deemed to be threatening state security. Public demonstrations are banned under the legislation. See Hosni Mubarak - the new president's profile and the protests in Egypt.
President Obama will give what could be one of the most important speeches @ the University of Cairo, of his presidency on Thursday 6.4.09 when he addresses the relationship between the United States and Muslims.
United States-Venezuela relations have traditionally been close, characterized by an important trade and investment relationship and cooperation in combating the production and transit of illegal drugs. However since the election of Presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and George W. Bush of the United States and particularly since the Venezuelan failed coup attempt in 2002 against Chavez; tensions between the countries have escalated.
Since Hugo Chávez was elected President of Venezuela, in 1998, the long-standing close diplomatic relationship between Venezuela and the United States have progressively worsened.
Chávez's public friendship and significant trade relationship with Cuba and Fidel Castro have undermined the U.S. policy of isolating Cuba, and long-running ties between the U.S. and Venezuelan militaries were severed on Chávez's initiative.
Chávez's stance as an OPEC price hawk has raised the price of oil for the United States, as Venezuela pushed OPEC producers towards a higher price, around $25 a barrel.[citation needed] During Venezuela's presidency of OPEC in 2000, Chávez made a ten-day tour of OPEC countries, in the process becoming the first head of state to meet Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War. The visit was controversial at home and in the US, although Chávez did respect the ban on international flights to and from Iraq (he drove from Iran, his previous stop).
"We shook hands like gentlemen. It was obvious it was going to happen," Chavez told reporters after the opening of the summit in Port of Spain. "President Obama is an intelligent man, different from the previous one."
Pres. Hugo has called George Bush the devil and recently called Pres. Obama "a poor ignoramus." This was his response to Pres. Obama. In a January interview with Spanish-language U.S. network Univision, Pres. Obama said Chavez had hindered progress in Latin America, accusing him of exporting terrorist activities and supporting Colombian guerrillas.
Trinidad & Tobago is in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American country of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. The capital is Port of Spain, but the largest city is San Fernando. The President is George Maxwell Richards, and the Prime Minister Patrick Manning served from 2001 - 2010. Effective 5.26.10, the PM is Kamla Persad-Bissessar . On 3 February 2013, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that the ruling party would nominate Anthony Carmona to succeed outgoing President George Maxwell Richards.
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez once likened former President George W. Bush to the devil. But on Saturday morning, Chavez shook Obama's hand, patted him on the shoulder and gave him a book about Latin America's exploitation by foreign powers.
Indonesia is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The Capital is Jakarta, and their major religion is Islam . They received their independence from Netherlands on August 17, 1945, but it was recognized on November 27, 1949. The President is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. His term ended on 10.20.14, and Joko Widodo resumed the presidency.
For years, the relationship between Washington and Jakarta has been cool, with the United States worried about Indonesia's track record on human rights, and Jakarta worried about the United States' armed interventions in Muslim nations: Afghanistan and Iraq.
After Pres. Barack Obama Jr's mother - Stanley Ann Dunham - divorced his father, Barack Obama Sr., she married Indonesian student Lolo Soetoro , who was attending college in Hawaii. When Suharto, a military leader in Soetoro's home country, came to power in 1967, all Indonesian students studying abroad were recalled, and the family moved to the Menteng neighborhood of Jakarta. From ages six to ten, Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, including Besuki Public School and St. Francis of Assisi School.
In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Armour Dunham , and attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from the fifth grade until his graduation from high school in 1979.
North Korea is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The official language is Korean.
Officially, North Korea is an atheist state. Although its constitution guarantees freedom of religion in Article 68, the principle is limited by the requirement that religion may not be used as a pretext to harm the state, introduce foreign forces, or harm the existing social order. Despite this constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies, according to Human Rights Watch, religious practice is restricted. Although proselytizing is prohibited due to concerns about foreign influence, the number of Christian churchgoers nonetheless more than doubled between the 1980s and the early 2000s due to the recruitment of Christians who previously worshipped privately or in small house churches. The Open Doors mission, a Protestant group based in the United States and founded during the Cold War era, claims the most severe persecution of Christians in the world occurs in North Korea.
There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. According to Religious Intelligence, 64% of the population are irreligious, 16% practice Korean shamanism, 14% practice Chondoism, 4% are Buddhist, and 2% are Christian. Freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies are constitutionally guaranteed, but religions are restricted by the government. Amnesty International has expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.
The Government is a single-party communist state. The leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. On 12.18.11 Kim Jong il died . From late 2010, Kim Jong-un was viewed as heir apparent to the leadership of the nation, and following his father's death (12/17/2011) he was announced as the "Great Successor" by North Korean state television.
As a result of North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, there has been a series of meetings with six participating states ( six-party talks ): the People's Republic of China; the Republic of Korea (South Korea); the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); the United States of America; the Russian Federation; and Japan aimed to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
NOTE 4.5.09: The U.S. says neither missile nor satellite reached orbit - the rocket launch failed. Parts landed in the sea of Japan, Pacific Ocean. The matter will be brought before the Council today at 3pm to determine if N. Korea violated any United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 and 1718.
United Nations is warning N. Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program. Many world leaders are hoping China will step in with a persuasive voice.
U.N. Resolution 1874 includes a number of measures aimed at stopping North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, including tougher inspections of cargo, an expanded arms embargo, and new financial restrictions on North Korea, curbing loans and money transfers that serve as funding for their nuclear program.
North Korea has threatened to launch a long-range missile in retaliation for new sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council following its May 25 nuclear test, as well as a series of missile launches. Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, Japanese Prime Minister Taro, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Chinese president Hu Jintao, and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speak on the issue of N. Korea's nuclear weapons.
They are accusing the U.S. of waging atomic war. They are responding to a meeting between S. Korean Pres. Lee and Pres. Obama reports MSNBC on 6.21.09.
President Barack Obama meets with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss healthcare reform in the State Dining Room of the White House. 
Asia has three important recognized political divisions: The Middle East, (or West Asia) countries are colored a lighter shade of gray; Southeast Asia (or South Asia) countries are colored a medium shade of gray, and North Asia countries are colored a darker shade of gray. Note that European Russia is also considered a part of the Asian Continent. 
