This Week in Politics

Let us take a look at world political happenings this week.

Britain - Prime Minister Tony Blair said that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) may never be found in Iraq. Mr. Blair made these remarks during his questioning by the senior MP's of the House of Commons in their recent inquiry for going to war in Iraq. Mr. Blair cited that Saddam Hussein was a dangerous person and that the war was justified even though no weapons have been found to date.

United Nations -  UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warns that the Darfar conflict in the Sudan could lead to the world's worst humanitarian disaster. Thousands have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in this troubled region and many more may die of starvation.

South Africa -  Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela, has had her 5 year jail term overturned by a South African judge. She was convicted of theft and fraud and sentenced to 5 years. The judge said that the theft was not for personal gain and overturned the theft charge. The fraud charge was up held and she was given time served.

Venezuela - Both parties are gearing up for a August referendum to have President Chavez removed from office. His opponents accuse him of radical socialism and incompetence. His current term ends in 2007. Last April, he was removed by a coup and was out of power for 1 day.

Pakistan - Shaukat Aziz filed papers to be elected to a seat in Parliament. This is regarded as the first step in order for Mr. Aziz to become Pakistan's next Prime Minister. The election is scheduled for August 18th of this year. Mr. Aziz will file papers for another seat in the southern province of Singh later this week in case of complications in the first seat.

United States - Presidential hopeful John Kerry announced his choice for Vice President. He chose Senator John Edwards from North Carolina. Mr. Edwards was Mr. Kerry's closest rival during the primary elections held earlier this year. President Bush's campaign has come out against Mr. Edwards saying that he lacks experience. Mr. Edwards has been a Senator for only 5 years and was not in politics before that. With 4 months to go before the election, the campaigns are about to hit full stride for this very contested office.

So ends another week. See ya' next time for another look at the political world.