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North Korea

U.S. Citizen Sentenced To 15 Years Hard Labor In North Korea Starts Life In "Special Prison"

KCNA (North Korea), AP

Worldcrunch

PYONYANG - U.S. citizen Pae Jun-ho who was recently sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea, has started life a "special prison," state media said Wednesday.

Pae, known in the U.S. as Kenneth Bae, has been detained in North Korea since last November. He was tried on April 30, for allegedly committing “hostile acts against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” reportsthe North Korean News Agency.

In a brief dispatch, the state-owned news agency said that the 44-year-old Korean-American tour operator had entered a "special prison" – without elaborating on what the term actually implied.

According to the AP, North Korea has recently released several statements about Pae, and outside analysts have said Pyongyang is likely using him as bait to win diplomatic concessions in a standoff over its nuclear weapons program – although North Korea has denied this.

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Society

Meet The "Patchers," Burkina Faso's Mobile Tailors Cutting Corners On-The-Go

Seven days a week, the "patchers" of Burkina Faso roam the streets of the country's capital, looking out for any clothes that might need mending.

Photo of one of Ouagadougou's "rafistoleurs" carrying his sewing machine on his shoulder

One of Ouagadougou's "rafistoleurs" with his sewing machine

Flora Toelo Karambiri

OUAGADOUGOU — They are easy to spot as they crisscross the capital of Burkina Faso. With sewing machines on their shoulders and scissors in hand, they travel around in search of their daily tasks. Many in urgent need make use of their services to adjust an outfit, mend holes, replace a zipper, sew on buttons or repair a tear.

These are the mobile tailors or rafistoleurs ("patchers") of this West African nation of 22 million. They save people time, trouble and often money, and are a common sight on the streets of Ouagadougou.

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