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Nation and World
Train disaster death toll corrected
The International Federation of the Red Cross corrected the death toll in Thursday's train explosion in North Korea.
Early reports said hundreds of people had been killed and thousands were injured in the blast. As of Sunday, the Red Cross reported 161 deaths and more than 1,300 injuries. At least 76 of those who died were children.
The explosion occurred at a train station that transports goods between North Korea and China. When the accident happened, workers had been moving two freight cars carrying explosives to be used at construction sites. The explosion destroyed nearly 2,000 homes leaving nothing but craters and rubble within a 2.5 mile radius.
The Red Cross shipped blankets, tents and other relief materials to the site last weekend. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said he will urge the United Nations to create relief efforts for people in the afflicted area.
China steps away from democracy
China ruled that it will not have direct elections for its next leader in 2007. As a result, China is stepping further away from a true democracy.
Under the the decision, the territory will be allowed to make changes to its electoral methods only gradually, said Tsang Hin-chi, a Hong Kong delegate to the Chinese National People's Congress Standing Committee.
The decision was later confirmed later by China's Xinhua News Agency.
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