Collapsed eight-story building leaves more than 380 dead in Bangladesh
More than 380 workers were killed at the collapse of an eight-story building Wednesday in Bangladesh, one day after warnings had deemed it unsafe, according to The Huffington Post. Two engineers involved in issuing the building permits were detained and two factory owners were charged with “death due to negligence.” About 30 survivors were found on Saturday; police say as many as 900 people are still trapped under the rubble. Thousands of people gathered at the site on Sunday to watch the rescue operation. According to The New York Times, a 12-hour rescue mission to save a trapped woman—sending her dry food and juice while attempting to cut through— ended when a fire broke out, allegedly killing the woman and leaving many firefighters in tears. Global Voices reported the building consisted mainly of clothing manufacturers. Bangladesh is the second-largest producer of ready-made clothing after China with various international retailers outsourcing from the country, including Wal-Mart, H&M, Sears, Gap and Tommy Hilfiger, according to Global Voices.
North Korea charges American tourist for trying to overthrow regime
An American tourist charged with plotting to overthrow the government in North Korea, faces a possible death sentence. Korean-American Kenneth Bae, 44, has been imprisoned since early November. Bae was arrested at the bordering region Rason. The details of his alleged crime have not been disclosed, but North Korea officials accuse Bae of seeking to overthrow North Korea’s leadership, according to The Guardian. According to BBC News, North Korea has arrested other U.S. citizens in recent years, including journalists and Christians accused of proselytism, the act of attempting to change people’s opinions or religious beliefs. Bae is the sixth American arrested in North Korea since 2009.
LA bakery serves as reintegrating project for former gang members
About 50 workers—all former gang members—at the Los Angeles bakery Homeboy Industries make the reintegration process a day-to-day business, which has surpassed the $1.5 million mark. Herb Fingerhut supervises the bakery, which also happens to be the top-ranked reinsertion program for gang members in the U.S., according to BBC. However, a Jesuit priest named Greg Boyle, referred to as Father-G and G-Dog, founded the organization, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this month. Homeboy Industries assists an average of 15,000 juveniles per year. The project began as a bakery in 1992, but has expanded to include a catering service and its own brand of tortillas and salsa. The bakery sells more than 1,000 cakes per week and more than 2,000 people eat at the cafe weekly. The training program employs about 250 to 300 former gang members.
