Photos show scale of North Korea's repressive prison camps -- Amnesty

(CNN) -- North Korea is showing no signs of scaling back its fearsome labor camp system, with torture, starvation, rape and death a fact of life for tens of thousand of inmates, according to human rights group Amnesty International.

The rights group released satellite images, purportedly showing evidence of expansion, including the construction of new housing blocks and production facilities, at two of the isolated regime's largest camps or "kwanliso" --15 and 16 -- used to hold political prisoners.

"The gruesome reality of North Korea's continued investment in this vast network of repression has been exposed," said Rajiv Narayan, Amnesty International's East Asia Researcher. Read More

Battle for Ukraine

THUGS and thieves always prefer to act in the early hours of the morning. So did Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s president.

Less than 24 hours after he ruined the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius and ditched the Association Agreement with Europe, he vividly demonstrated his preferred alternative. In the small hours of Saturday morning he sent in special troops to beat up the few hundred students and activists who stood vigil for Ukraine’s European future. Armed with truncheons and tear gas, the police pummelled the peaceful demonstration, smashing heads and kicking people on the ground. Never in its 22 years as an independent country has Ukraine seen such violence. Read More

Official: White House to push benefits of Obamacare, PR offensive on the way

Washington (CNN) -- Battered by two months of bad publicity over the Obamacare website, the White House is going on the offensive to tout what it sees as the benefits of the President's signature healthcare plan, a White House official told CNN.
"While work continues on the website, we think it is important that proponents of health reform undertake a renewed effort to refocus the public on the benefits of the law that have already been implemented," the official said.

"To kick off the new effort, the President will hold an event at the White House to discuss the health care law's benefits already in place for millions of Americans and make the case for why we need to move forward to make sure the law is a success."  Read More.

Egalité? Non: Is racism on rise in France?

 It can sometimes take a lot to stir passions in France, but a shocking Facebook page and the stream of insults that followed have roused the French to a heated public debate about racism.

The Facebook page belonged to a local candidate from the far-right National Front political party, and compared justice minister Christiane Taubira, who is black, to a monkey.

The candidate was suspended but there were more, similar insults that followed -- including on the front page of a right-wing newspaper which featured the headline "Clever as a monkey" alongside a photo of Taubira.

The attacks on such a high-profile figure eventually led lawmakers across the political divide to rise up in support of Taubira -- but they have also led to a great deal of soul-searching over the extent of racism in France. Those who study the question, like historian Pap N'Diaye, whose father was from Senegal, says there is no question racism is growing.  Read More