Category Archives: Published Stories

8
May 2014

I Saw Another Side Of North Korea While Traveling Undercover [PHOTOS]

In June 2013, I traveled to North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province undercover, not disclosing that I was a journalist in order to get a sense of life in areas far from Pyongyang. REUTERS/KCNA This was a dangerous proposition. Western journalists are often forbidden from entering the country and can receive harsh treatment if discovered. Raymond Cunningham For eight days, I lived undercover, hiding the truth from my traveling companions and near-ubiquitous military guards. Samir Angelo Things started out in exciting fashion. I crossed into the North Korean city of Namyang overland from China, across the Tumen Border Bridge. Built in […]
26
Jul 2013

A rare glimpse into North Korea

A rare glimpse into North Korea Sixty years after the armistice that ended the Korean War, it appears as though North Korea is progressing. But this might just be a show put on for foreign tourists. A DW correspondent reports his impressions. “The North Hamgyong Provincial E-Library has 301 computers,” translates Suh Byung Kim, the wiry 34-year-old guide, as the head librarian speaks Korean. “It is open every day at 10 a.m. Every person in the provincial capital Chongjin can use them,” he says to a group of Westerners visiting the location. However, the two-floor facility is already half-full – […]
26
Oct 2012

Nigerias trauriger Polio-Rekord

Die Zahl der Polio-Erkrankungen weltweit ist 2012 deutlich zurückgegangen. An den Kampagnen zur Bekämpfung der Krankheit beteiligt sich auch Nigeria. Noch ist die Zahl der Erkrankungen dort hoch. Am Welt-Polio-Tag gibt es Grund zur Freude. Denn die weltweiten Kampagnen der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) sind erfolgreich: Poliomyelitis, auch bekannt als Kinderlähmung, steht vor der Auslöschung. Die Zahl der Neuerkrankungen lag 2011 bei 650 – nicht mal ein Hundertstel der Erkrankungen im Jahr 1988. Nach der Impfung erhalten die Kinder eine Markierung Polio ist eine Viruserkrankung des Nervensystems. Der Virus kann innerhalb weniger Stunden zu einer vollständigen Lähmung führen. Wegen der hohen Ansteckungsgefahr […]
26
Oct 2012

Threat of polio re-emerges in Nigeria

Threat of polio re-emerges in Nigeria On World Polio day, the disease is now just a distant memory in most countries. It remains endemic in only three nations worldwide, although infections are on the increase in one of them – Nigeria. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is one of the most debilitating diseases known. Attacking the gray area of the spinal cord, it can paralyze victims or render them unable to breathe on their own, trapped in an “iron lung” for the rest of their lives. In 1988, when modern eradication efforts began, it was endemic in 125 countries, according to […]
6
Aug 2012

Switching sides: defections at the Olympics

Switching sides: defections at the Olympics Over 200 nations have come together in London for the Summer Olympics, competing in the name of goodwill. But the Games also have a hidden side that’s not often discussed. Defections – the voluntarily abandonment of allegiance to a country – have occurred at the Olympics for almost 70 years. The first Olympic defection was at the 1948 London Games, when International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) president Marie Provaznikova refused to return home to what was then Czechoslovakia, citing “lack of freedom” after the country’s inclusion in the Soviet Bloc. DW RECOMMENDS East Germany’s ‘sport traitors’ Over […]
6
Aug 2012

For North Koreans, Olympics has larger meaning

For North Koreans, Olympics has larger meaning One of the most surprising stories of the Olympics’ first week was the four gold medals won by North Korea. The athletes’ achievements have inspired a nation – depending on who you ask. One thing is certain: for North Korean athletes, winning has a special meaning. “As an athlete I believe by winning the gold medal I was able to glorify my nation and give support to the people of my nation, so I am really happy,” judoka An Kum Ae told reporters after winning gold in the 52-kilogram category on July 29. […]