Reading the official website of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and you would be forgiven for thinking the reclusive Stalinist state was the Cayman Islands of East Asia. No taxes, zero unemployment and a performance-related reward-for-labor bonus regime, North Korea touts itself as having "a people-centered social system in which the masses of the working people are the masters of everything and everything in society serves them." This Sunday, North Koreans will be required to show their assent for this political system at general elections universally expected to return the current incumbent Kim Jong Un. "Constituencies and sub-constituencies are crowded with citizens confirming their names on voter rolls," the state-run news agency KCNA said in a report. "Now the Korean people are fully determined to highly exalt the DPRK's dignity and demonstrate once again the might of single-minded unity by casting ballots for their candidates." Political show While critics say the poll is merely a political show to legitimize the country's rubber stamp parliament -- previous elections in 2009 returned Kim Jong il (Kim Jong Un's predecessor and father) with a 100% mandate on a 99.98% turnout -- observers will be poring over the list of legislators for clues as to how Kim will govern the Communist nation over the next five years. Photos: Kim Jong Un\'s military Photos: Kim Jong Un's military Passenger jet flies through missile's path North Korea frees Australian missionary Kim himself is running for a seat in the Paekusan Constituency No.111; significant because the numbers are regarded as auspicious in Korean culture and because North Korea claims Mount Paektu, located in Paekusan on the border with China, to be the legendary birthplace of his father. The ruling Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland holds all 687 seats within the Supreme People's Assembly and voters have only one candidate to vote for in each of the seats. While the umbrella grouping officially contains four parties -- the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean Social Democratic Party, the Cheondoist Chongu Party and the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan -- all candidates must be sanctioned by the party including three independents currently sitting as deputies in the assembly. De facto census While it is possible for a voter to cast a ballot against a candidate, they must walk to a special booth to do so. Critics say few are brave enough to cross out the name on the ballot. According to one defector, Mina Yoon, the elections serve as a de facto census at a time when many North Koreans have slipped over the border to China. "The government checks the list of voters and if your name is not on the list, they will investigate it," Yoon told the Telegraph newspaper. "It is often during elections that the government finds out about defectors and people who have been missed." Do 100% of Americans vote for their current American president? Never, so to North Korea the American government is far less popular, far less democratic Prof. Andrei Lankov Andrei Lankov, a North Korean expert from Kookmin University in Seoul, said the sole purpose of elections in North Korea was to legitimize the regime. "It's a bad analogy, and maybe you shouldn't compare any acting leader to Hitler, but Hitler also had elections," Lankov told CNN. "Officially North Korea is a republic and you are supposed to have elections. "Stalin had elections, Kim Il Sung had elections, why not Kim Jong Un? It's a way to legitimize (itself), to show that 99% of all registered voters came to vote and all of them -- 100% -- voted for the regime, therefore we are the world's most popular government. "Do 100% of Americans vote for their current American president? Never, so to North Korea the American government is far less popular, far less democratic." Who's in, out? He said that while the Supreme People's Assembly was little more than a sham election, it was still be of interest to Pyongyang watchers keen to know the composition of the ruling party. "It will give us some new names and the absence of some names will be equally important," he said. "We will see who is losing power and who is gaining power because according to their unspoken tradition, the top 200 people or so are always by default members of the Supreme People's Assembly." Analysts will also be keenly watching for signs that supporters of Jang Song Thaek, Kim's once-powerful uncle who was executed in December for treason, have been eliminated or sidelined in the elections. North Korea uses multiple techniques to defy sanctions, and shows no signs of abandoning its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, according to a U.N. report. An eight-member panel of experts said the country "is experienced in actions it takes to evade sanctions," including using its embassies. North Korean embassies in Cuba and Singapore facilitated its banned arms trade as proven by the North Korean ship, Chong Chon Gang, which was caught with undeclared weaponry from Cuba in July, the report said. U.N. report: N. Korean torture atrocious U.N. report details abuse in North Korea North Korea: UN report a political plot The amount of money made from this trade is subject to debate, but "there is no question that it is one of the country's most profitable revenue sources," according to the report. In addition, the report said it investigated allegations that former NBA star Dennis Rodman and his party took luxury goods to Pyongyang in recent months. While not explicitly accusing Rodman of defying U.N. sanctions on luxury goods, it said there was evidence. North Korea's missile capabilities "Media reports corroborated by the panel indicate that among items taken by Dennis Rodman and his party during their visits were sporting goods from various countries, five bottles of vodka (United States), one bottle of whiskey (Ireland), two whiskey glasses and one whiskey decanter (Ireland), and a Mulberry handbag (United Kingdom) ) taken by Paddy Power, a company based in Ireland." The report said some of these items are on the U.S. or E.U. lists of banned luxury goods. "This illustrates the importance of informing individuals and companies of their obligations under the resolutions," it said. Russia’s Federation Council has authorized President Vladimir Putin to use force in Ukraine and Russian troops are active in Crimea, but Russian politicians and experts do not believe a full-scale war is likely. The Federation Council vote only provides Putin with the opportunity to use force – it does not oblige him to start an intervention. Commenting on Russia’s troop movements in Crimea, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, said that Russia’s actions were intended to “ensure the safety both of the Black Sea Fleet and Russian citizens,” adding that those goals do not require parts of Ukraine to secede and join Russia. Moscow and the West in battle of wills over Ukraine Moscow and the West in battle of wills over Ukraine Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of research programs of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia, said that while many in the West have considered the authorization to use force a red line, in reality, it was a negotiation tactic. “This decision is rather of a negotiating, demonstrational character, showing that we are ready to consider all options,” Suslov said. “Moscow wants to put pressure on the West in this way, to demonstrate Russia’s disagreement with the status quo established in Kyiv. We want a government of national unity to be established in Kyiv that would represent all regions of Ukraine, including the southeastern ones.” The future Ukraine could look more like a federation, according to Fyodor Lukyanov, the head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia and editor-in-chief of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs. Related: Aksyonov backs Yanukovych's request to send Russian troops to Ukraine Markets plunge over Ukrainian crisis Major Russian cities to host rallies in support of Ukrainian people “In the conditions of the actual collapse of the former state and the political system in Ukraine, Russia intends to declare that the new Ukrainian state structure should be formed taking into account the interests and opinions of Russia. In practice, it will mean a federation or a confederation with wide powers for the subjects of this federation,” Lukyanov said. The vote and the action in Crimea were intended to send a message not only to Western governments, but also to the local population. “By supporting the resistance of Crimea, Moscow actually is making it clear to residents of the eastern regions that they can speak without the threat of persecution or lynching by Ukrainian nationalists,” Suslov said. “As a result, Russian flags are waving over Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and local authorities have adopted resolutions on holding referendums to give additional powers to their regional councils (regional parliaments). And the sooner the government in Kyiv hears them, the sooner this crisis will end.” Alexei Pushkov, a State Duma deputy and chairman of the Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, who is considered a hawk, said that the Ukrainian authorities alone are to blame for the problems between Kyiv and the southeastern parts of the country. According to Pushkov, instead of taking measures to consolidate the country and restore order through perhaps declaring a day of mourning and granting a general amnesty, the new authorities in Kyiv alienated part of the population by ending the regional status of the Russian language and outlawing the Berkut Special Forces. Russian business wary of situation in Ukraine Russian business wary of situation in Ukraine Meanwhile, Western politicians have interpreted the authorization vote and the action in Crimea somewhat differently than Russian experts. So far, however, Russian authorities have been unmoved by threats of sanctions and visa bans, possibly because the stakes of backing down on Ukraine at the request of Western governments are higher than staying the course, as long as a full-scale war can be avoided. “Should Moscow yield and agree with the status quo in Kyiv, this would be a colossal geopolitical defeat for Russia and Putin personally,” said Dmitry Suslov. “The question of Ukraine’s participation in the integration processes, focused on Russia, will be closed.” It remains to be seen if Russian can maintain this balancing act, however. According to Fyodor Lukyanov, the Russian leadership just might be tempted by the opportunity “to solve the Ukrainian question.” “Perhaps the Kremlin decided that the cost associated with the implementation of this scenario would be less than the recurrence of the crises,” Lukyanov said. We’ve all suspected North Korea had something unsettling occurring behind the scenes — but now the evidence is piling up. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights, established by the Human Rights Council in March 2013, recently released a detailed, almost 400-page report based on testimonies from victims and witnesses of “crimes against humanity” in North Korea. Although names were not named, some crimes were said to have been ordered by various high-ranking officials. “These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons, and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation,” the report says. Michel Kirby, chairman of the UN panel, wrote a letter to Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un stating that “any official of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who commits, orders, solicits, or aids and abets crimes against humanity incurs criminal responsibility by international law and must be held accountable under that law.” The letter even threatens that Kim himself could be held personally responsible for not playing an active role in preventing such atrocities. Currently the commission plans to refer its findings to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecution. Meanwhile, the government of North Korea pronounced the committee’s report to be fake, an attempt to undermine their unpopular form of government. They released a prepared statement: “It is nothing more than an instrument of political plot aimed at sabotaging the socialist system by defaming the dignified images of the DPRK and creating an atmosphere of international pressure under the pretext of ‘human rights protection.’” Libya's parliament voted Prime Minister Ali Zeidan out of office on Tuesday after months of political infighting that has crippled the North African country. The vote of no-confidence came after rebels in eastern Libya said a tanker loaded with oil from a port under their control escaped a naval blockade and moved into international waters. The Libyan government said late on Monday that it had taken control of the North Korean-flagged tanker, Morning Glory, as it tried to leave the Al-Sidra port in eastern Libya, and after having briefly exchanged fire with rebels. However, in a sign of the chaos and conflicting information typical for Libya, the rebels rejected the assertion. Oil production, Libya's economic lifeline, has slowed to a trickle since the summer as armed protesters have seized oil ports and fields to press political and financial demands. They are seeking a greater share of the country's oil revenue, as well as autonomy for eastern Libya. The conflict over oil wealth is stoking fears Libya may slide deeper into chaos as the fragile government fails to rein in the armed brigades that helped oust Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 but now do as they please. The removal of Zeidan, a liberal weakened for months by infighting with Islamists, deepens the turmoil in the country of 6 million people. However, a crowd outside the Tripoli hotel where lawmakers had met to vote could be seen cheering as news broke of his dismissal, images broadcast on Libyan television showed. "We have nothing personal against Zeidan, but his government has failed the people," one man said. Defense minister interim premier Zeidan will be replaced temporarily by Defense Minister Abdallah al-Thinni, who will hold the position of premier for two weeks until a replacement is picked. He was sworn in after the vote. Libyan state news agency LANA said the General National Congress had passed the dismissal with 124 votes; it was not immediately clear how many of the nearly 200 lawmakers were present during the session. Previous attempts to bring down Zeidan, who has headed the government since November 2012, had failed to win the required majority. Zeidan was himself briefly abducted by former rebel militia in the heart of the capital Tripoli last year. He had for months been facing rising opposition from Islamist parties and the wider public, blaming his government for the rising violence in the vast desert nation. corruption and a multitude of other problems Libya is facing in its bumpy transition. At the same time, anger has been mounting against the GNC after it extended its term in office, which was supposed to end on February 7. Angry protesters earlier this month stormed the GNC headquarters -- ransacking it, assaulting some members and wounding two others while shooting. "Nationwide demonstrations have taken place since early February against the continued tenure of the General National Congress," the United Nations' special envoy to Libya, Tarek Mitri, told the U.N. Security Council on Monday. "Strong resentment and animosity has grown between the two main, though not homogeneous, camps. Libya faces the risk of embarking on a new trajectory of unprecedented violence." Slumping oil output Tripoli had entrusted militia leader Ibrahim Jadran to safeguard some crucial oil ports. But eight months ago, he and his men seized them, blocked oil exports, and demanded more autonomy and shared revenue for his eastern region. The blockades have led to a slump in crude production -- with output said to be around 250,000 barrels per day, down from 1.6 million. Libya's government has threatened force against ships that entered the rebel-controlled oil ports on several occasions. But despite ultimatums to such ships, those deadlines came and went with no action from Libyan officials. In this case, Zeidan's government had threatened armed action, even an air strike, to prevent the Morning Glory tanker getting away with the oil bought from the rebels' self-declared autonomous regional government without the authorization of the state oil body, the National Oil Corporation. It is unclear who actually owns the vessel. Speaking as Thinni was sworn in, GNC President Nuri Abu Sahmain told lawmakers: "This period is definitely hard, but we will work together and provide all we can based on our experience ... we wish him all the luck." There's no doubt relations are thawing, but there is a doubt about how long it might last. The atmosphere on the Korean peninsula is a million miles away from last year when tensions were so high Pyongyang effectively threatened a nuclear war against Seoul and Washington. This week, though, is crucial. Family reunions should be taking place from Thursday with dozens of families on each side meeting relatives they have not seen in over 60 years. To say these reunions are emotional is a massive understatement as many of those who want to be part of them are in their 80s and 90s and time is running out. One 82 year-old told me he felt like he had been hit on the back of the head when the previous reunions were cancelled at the last minute in September and he had to be medicated. Pyongyang's attempts to link the reunions to politics were rejected by both Seoul and Washington who see it as a purely humanitarian issue, so the fact they will go ahead with no conditions attached has to be considered progress. But not many in South Korea see the North through rose-tinted glasses. The last reunion was held in 2010, and since then North Korea has conducted a nuclear test, rocket tests, a brutal internal purge and there has been increasingly bellicose rhetoric. Any optimism felt here in Seoul and around the region is cautious. Some commentators have gone as far as to say that Kim Jong Un is so unpredictable that they almost miss Kim Jong Il. Is there much sense of that in the region? I have to admit no-one has gone so far as to tell me they miss Kim Jong Il, although the succession has led to instability, which was expected. South Korean President Park Geun-hye told me last month the peninsula has never been so unpredictable, but she’s still willing to meet the North Korean leader should the conditions be right. The bigger question puzzling commentators is just how strong is Kim Jong Un's grip on power. The execution of his uncle by marriage, Jang Song Taek, last year has some experts predicting he has now consolidated power while others believe this shows he is weaker than thought. The fact he felt the need to order the killing of a member of his family so publicly might suggest he’s still fighting to gain ultimate power. North Korea didn’t air its dirty laundry in public under Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il, which, analysts say, may suggest those leaders felt more secure in their power. And of course there’s the school of thought that Kim Jong Il was pushed into this by the military and felt he had to appease the all powerful National Defense Commission. As always with North Korea, there are plenty of assumptions but few facts. How restrictive did you find reporting from North Korea? Were you able to get any true sense of conditions in the country? I was able to leave Pyongyang for a couple of days and travel north, which is fairly unusual for foreigners. It was still very much on the tourist trail, though, so what we saw has been sanctioned. One thing that struck me was the fact every single patch of land as far as the eye could see is farmed, a surprise given the country's apparent struggle in feeding its own people. Out of the showcase capital, people in the countryside are clearly poorer. Cars were rare, even bicycles seemed in short supply. I filmed local residents washing themselves and their clothes in the river and power cuts were frequent, although the weather was stormy. I was there during heavy rains and one of the main roads had collapsed so we had to take a back road back to Pyongyang. That was the only time I even felt close to glimpsing a snapshot of the real North Korea. We drove through a far poorer village with decrepit buildings, people in worn Mao suits walking in the streets and what appeared to be better dressed party officials on each corner watching. I was under strict instructions not to film as my military minders knew this is not the North Korea they wanted the world to see. Is there any likelihood or hope in the region that the sort of criticism contained in the new U.N. report on human rights in North Korea will have any kind of impact on the regime's policies? The report from the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights was comprehensive and damning. Hundreds of testimonies, both public and private, detailed "unspeakable atrocities," evidence of torture, murder, starvation, imprisonment, forced infanticide, to name just a few. North Korea's wide-ranging and ongoing crimes against humanity, according to the report, reveal "a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world." But North Korea rejected this report as full of fake material before it was even published. The chair of the Commission, Michael Kirby, had written a letter to Kim Jong Un telling him he may be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. He had no direct response. Defectors I spoke to weren’t hopeful of the report making any difference within the country. The recommendation was a referral to the International Criminal Court, which requires agreement by the U.N. Security Council. North Korean ally China has a veto and has insinuated it will use it. The West condemns the move by Russia and China to veto the UN resolution on Syria. Critics include British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French then-president Nicolas Sarkozy. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the lack of unanimity in the Security Council undermined the United Nations’ image. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the failed UN Syria vote a “travesty”. The resolution, which is being actively pushed through by the United States and its allies, is further interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation, said Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations. There can be no talks with militants operating in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. "I think there can be no talks with terrorists. We refuse to hold talks with them out of principle and advise others against doing that. This is not only our concern that extremists and terrorists are increasingly 'ordering the music' in different parts of Syria, but the opinion of the entire Group of Eight," he said in an interview with NTV channel shown on Sunday. "I see no place in the negotiating process for such structures as Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or other offspring of Al-Qaeda," Lavrov said. Geneva II stalled because of Syrian opposition Geneva II stalled because of Syrian opposition "It is our objective to reach certain political accord between the government and the reasonable, secular, patriotic opposition as soon as possible, and alongside with a political settlement help them unite for struggle against these terrorists," Lavrov said. "We have many questions to the recently established structure known as the Islamic Front which unites two-three organizations directly involved in the massacre in Adra," he said. "It is very difficult to imagine some one structure or other capable of being a partner in the peace talks. Militants are flowing like in communicating vessels between the Islamic Front, Javhat al-Nusra, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - they go to where more money is paid," Lavrov said. "To say that it is possible to speak with a militant as soon as he joins the Islamic Front is deceptive," he said. Commenting on the current situation at Geneva II Lavrov said: "It is very difficult to make any guesses about the future. The situation is very grave, the positions are polarized, emotions are driven to the limit. I hope that the fact that emotions spilled out on January 22 will permit a more businesslike inter-Syrian dialogue." Rallies in support of and against a possible military operation in Ukraine were held in several Russian cities yesterday. Rallies of those who oppose a military intervention in Crimea ended with arrests, while "anti-Maidan" marches proceeded unhindered. On Sunday, March 2, rallies were held in Moscow both for and against a military campaign in Ukraine. Those who were opposed to a military operation gathered outside the Defence Ministry building and in Manezhnaya Square in central Moscow. Moscow and the West in battle of wills over Ukraine Moscow and the West in battle of wills over Ukraine The anti-war rally had not been sanctioned by the city authorities. Calls to attend it began to spread via social network sites soon after the Federation Council, sitting on the previous day, had granted President Putin's request to use Russian troops in Ukraine. A girl was one of the first to come to the anti-war rally outside the Defence Ministry and she appealed to one of the riot policemen at the scene: "You know, I am afraid that my brother will go and fight against Ukraine. Why send troops there?" Some 40 minutes after the rally started, dozens of people had already been detained and police later reported 40 in total. The protesters put up no resistance, they just kept chanting: "No to war!" Another anti-war rally was held in Manezhnaya Square, where police reported that 50 protesters were detained. The rally in support of Russians in Ukraine was attended by representatives of various youth and patriotic organisations. The main slogans here were: "Putin, I'm with you!", "Glory to Berkut!", "Stop Maidan",and "Together with Ukraine". According to organisers, more than 27,000 people came to the event. Will Crimea break away from Ukraine? Will Crimea break away from Ukraine? A high-school student, Almira, carried a placard at the march that read: "We are for Crimea!" She explained: "I am interested in politics in general and have been following developments in Ukraine. When I saw what was happening in Maidan, it felt as if my younger brother had betrayed me. Ukrainians are our younger brothers, aren't they? That was when I decided to come here. “I believe that Crimea is our common territory. Only there is no need for any troops. Why doesn't Ukraine just let Crimea go? Its residents are unhappy with that country, so why keep them by force?” Lyubov Viktorovna, who works at a leisure and sports centre under the Chertanovo-Severnoye district administration of Moscow, said: "I came to this rally of my own accord. My former classmates now live in Ukraine and life there is very hard. I hope everything will end well and without a war.” More events in support of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine were organised by street racers, who held a 50-car run in Moscow's Sparrow Hills under the slogan: "We don't surrender our own!", and by the Night Wolves bike club, who had set out on a bike run the previous day to the eastern parts of Ukraine "in support of the Russian population". In St Petersburg, a rally in support of a military campaign was organized by the ruling United Russia party and gathered some 15,000 people outside the Oktyabrsky concert hall. Related: Crimean Army gets 49 fighter jets from Ukrainian air bases - official Over 5,000 law enforcers take Crimean goverment side in two days Putin discusses Ukraine with Merkel, says Russian steps adequate to extraordinary situation A statement adopted at the rally supported the decision to use troops in Ukraine due to "unprecedented persecution of ordinary people on ethnic, religious and political grounds". According to eyewitness accounts, the rally lasted no more than 30 minutes and was attended by public sector employees, students, cadets, and Cossacks. The city authorities explained that a rally "devoted to the situation in Ukraine" had been agreed and sanctioned a long time ago, with the latest developments giving yet another reason to hold it. A rally against sending troops to Ukraine was held in St Petersburg's Isakiyevskaya Square. It had not been authorised by the city authorities and about 40 were detained out of some 500 people who attended. A rally and a march were also held in Krasnodar. Some 10,000 people marched through the city with placards that read: "Stop fascism!", "Crimea and Kuban are together!", "United Russia – great Russia!" Krasnodar Territory governor Aleksandr Tkachev said: "We shall soon send the first batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine collected by our residents. If things really get tough, we shall give them [Ukrainians] refuge on our land." In Sevastopol, deep ties to Russia In Sevastopol, deep ties to Russia He went on to say that Krasnodar Territory residents could not remain indifferent to what was happening in Ukraine since many had friends and family there. "But we are not talking about a war, God forbid! The president has never declared and will never declare a war on the Ukrainian people," Tkachev said. Several more rallies in support of compatriots in Ukraine will be held in different parts of Russia over the next few days. On Monday, March 3, demonstrations were taking place in Belgorod, Bryansk and Novocherkassk. On Tuesday, March 4, Rostov, Voronezh, Kostroma and Irkutsk are expected to follow. More rallies are planned in Moscow, in which various politicians, cultural and sporting figures intend to take part. After Crimea’s parliament voted to join the Russian Federation as a constituent of the Russian Federation and scheduled this issue for a referendum on March 16, Russian and foreign experts raised the alarm about escalation of political tension in the region. There’s growing consensus that the Crimea crisis may result in a second Cold War if the world fails to come up with a compromise. All this seems to be pretty symbolic, controversial and even ill-omened in 2014, the year that sees the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, and the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine: Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer: "Both sides need to exercise a degree of care, because I don’t think that either side is interested in allowing these differences between Russia and the U.S. to spin out of control" According to Piotr Kościński, the head of the Eastern Program at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, any Russian attempts “to forcibly annex the Crimea” are “unacceptable to the international community” and indeed may lead to a new Cold War. In contrast, Director of the Public Policy Research Center Vladimir Evseev argues it is the West’s “political myopia” that could lead to a new Cold War. “The precondition of a new Cold War is not the Crimea referendum, but the West’s position, extremely one-sided and politically short-sighted,” he said in a telephone interview pointing out that the West tries by all means to pressure Russia and “is ready for this to bring instability to the whole territory of Ukraine.” Assessing the legitimacy of Crimea’s referendum Kościński doesn’t see any reason to disengage Crimea from Ukraine, “because the rights of Russians living in the peninsula are absolutely not threatened.” He claims that Russian soldiers are deployed in the Crimea - not only in the Russian military bases, but also around the local Government buildings, airport in Simferopol and Ukrainian military bases. “So Russia could be rightly accused that it just directs the whole referendum initiative,” Kościński argues. “And that Russia would try de facto to forcibly annex Crimea.” How does Crimea fit into international law? How does Crimea fit into international law? Evseev argues that the upcoming referendum in Crimea is more legitimate than the recent actions of the current Ukrainian authorities in Kiev, which used violence to seize power. According to him, these authorities “expressed the interests not of all Ukraine, but only its Western part that was presented by radical nationalists.” “Crimea has the right to voice its point of view and decide if it should be a part of Ukraine or not, if it should be annexed by Russia or not. And the current authorities that try to stop the free will of its citizens, they don’t have any grounds to prevent this referendum.”

North Korean elections provide clues to reclusive Stalinist state - CNN.com

North Korean election provides clues to reclusive Stalinist state

By Peter Shadbolt, CNN

updated 1:21 PM EST, Fri March 7, 2014

North Korean elections

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

North Koreans head to polls on March 9 to vote for deputies in the Supreme People's Assembly
Critics say the poll is merely a political show to legitimize the country's rubber stamp parliament
In previous elections in 2009, Kim Jong-il was returned with 100% of the vote
Vote is of interest to Pyongyang watchers keen to know the composition of the ruling party

(CNN) -- Reading the official website of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and you would be forgiven for thinking the reclusive Stalinist state was the Cayman Islands of East Asia.

No taxes, zero unemployment and a performance-related reward-for-labor bonus regime, North Korea touts itself as having "a people-centered social system in which the masses of the working people are the masters of everything and everything in society serves them."

This Sunday, North Koreans will be required to show their assent for this political system at general elections universally expected to return the current incumbent Kim Jong Un.

"Constituencies and sub-constituencies are crowded with citizens confirming their names on voter rolls," the state-run news agency KCNA said in a report. "Now the Korean people are fully determined to highly exalt the DPRK's dignity and demonstrate once again the might of single-minded unity by casting ballots for their candidates."

Political show

While critics say the poll is merely a political show to legitimize the country's rubber stamp parliament -- previous elections in 2009 returned Kim Jong il (Kim Jong Un's predecessor and father) with a 100% mandate on a 99.98% turnout -- observers will be poring over the list of legislators for clues as to how Kim will govern the Communist nation over the next five years.

A North Korean soldier uses binoculars on Thursday, February 6, to look at South Korea from the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War. A new United Nations report describes a brutal North Korean state "that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world."

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

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$Photos: Kim Jong Un\'s military$ Photos: Kim Jong Un's military

Passenger jet flies through missile's path

North Korea frees Australian missionary

Kim himself is running for a seat in the Paekusan Constituency No.111; significant because the numbers are regarded as auspicious in Korean culture and because North Korea claims Mount Paektu, located in Paekusan on the border with China, to be the legendary birthplace of his father.

The ruling Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland holds all 687 seats within the Supreme People's Assembly and voters have only one candidate to vote for in each of the seats.

While the umbrella grouping officially contains four parties -- the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean Social Democratic Party, the Cheondoist Chongu Party and the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan -- all candidates must be sanctioned by the party including three independents currently sitting as deputies in the assembly.

De facto census

While it is possible for a voter to cast a ballot against a candidate, they must walk to a special booth to do so. Critics say few are brave enough to cross out the name on the ballot.

According to one defector, Mina Yoon, the elections serve as a de facto census at a time when many North Koreans have slipped over the border to China.

"The government checks the list of voters and if your name is not on the list, they will investigate it," Yoon told the Telegraph newspaper. "It is often during elections that the government finds out about defectors and people who have been missed."

Do 100% of Americans vote for their current American president? Never, so to North Korea the American government is far less popular, far less democratic
Prof. Andrei Lankov

Andrei Lankov, a North Korean expert from Kookmin University in Seoul, said the sole purpose of elections in North Korea was to legitimize the regime.

"It's a bad analogy, and maybe you shouldn't compare any acting leader to Hitler, but Hitler also had elections," Lankov told CNN. "Officially North Korea is a republic and you are supposed to have elections.

"Stalin had elections, Kim Il Sung had elections, why not Kim Jong Un? It's a way to legitimize (itself), to show that 99% of all registered voters came to vote and all of them -- 100% -- voted for the regime, therefore we are the world's most popular government.

"Do 100% of Americans vote for their current American president? Never, so to North Korea the American government is far less popular, far less democratic."

Who's in, out?

He said that while the Supreme People's Assembly was little more than a sham election, it was still be of interest to Pyongyang watchers keen to know the composition of the ruling party.

"It will give us some new names and the absence of some names will be equally important," he said.

"We will see who is losing power and who is gaining power because according to their unspoken tradition, the top 200 people or so are always by default members of the Supreme People's Assembly."

Analysts will also be keenly watching for signs that supporters of Jang Song Thaek, Kim's once-powerful uncle who was executed in December for treason, have been eliminated or sidelined in the elections.

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