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A busy day in the world, this April 24th in 1998. Fourteen years ago on this day you probably woke up and heard the news that Boris Yeltsin, after a month of political wrangling and arm-twisting, finally succeeded in installing his pick for Prime Minister, Sergei Kiriyenko. Opposed by the Communist minority in the Russian Parliament, Kiriyenko was touted by Yeltsin as part of his plan for economic rejuvenation of the sagging Russian economy.

In other parts of the world. A festive atmosphere greeted the public execution of the first four convicted of perpetrators of the horrific genocide in Rwanda. The Soccer Stadium in Kigali filled to capacity to witness the firing squad take aim at the three men and one woman who were part of wave of mass killings that had gone on for so long in the beleaguered African nation.

With the recent death of James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Martin Luther King, plans were still underway to open an investigation on the murder of the Civil Rights leader. Despite a 1978 Senate Subcommittee hearing that concluded Ray acted alone, there was pressing evidence that Ray had been funded by a group of St. Louis bigots who reportedly offered Ray $50,000.00 for the assassination.

Mergers and Unions in the Airline Industry were big news on this day. With talk of a merger between United and Delta Airlines, promises of a potential windfall, similar to the promises of a windfall from the previous days merger of American Airlines and U.S. Airways had many expressing doubts about how much of a windfall this really was and an investigation of this new merger was called for.

Meanwhile, over at Northwest Airlines - The labor dispute was deepening with Northwest reportedly firing two mechanics, one for wearing a clown costume to work, and suspending four others for a reported work slowdown at its Minneapolis hub. Six other unions were prepping for a confrontation with stockholders and NWO's annuan meeting in New York. A federal mediator called for resumption of talks before the ugliness got started.

Whitewater figure Susan McDougal was sitting it out in a Little Rock jail on this day, as the result of refusing to answer questions for the Grand Jury hearing.

The cost of Health Insurance premiums were going to be going up, with a reported increase of as much as 15% in some cases.

The Senate narrowly approved legislation on Tax-free savings accounts for school expenses. President Clinton threatened a veto.

And daughter of OJ Simpson, Arnell was arrested for Drunk Driving in Beverly Hills.

Some day.

That and lots more via the CBS World News Roundup for a Friday, April 24th, 1998.

So much for Summer being the time of doldrums. While the Western Hemisphere (or at least the northern part of it) was preoccupied with the firing of Gen. McChrystal and the ongoing catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, the rest of the world was quietly going about their own dramas. The days long siege in Jamaica over the capture of drug lord Christopher Coke finally came to an end. Australia elected it's first Female Prime Minister. The G20 Summit got off to it's usual start (even though it's in our hemisphere, the demonstration are international in flavor). The Catholic Church was the recipient of the gift that keeps on giving, this time it's Belgium's turn and arrests in the shooting of a Rwandan exile in South Africa are keeping that region under a nervous gaze.

(Christopher Coke - some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed)

After a siege that went on seemingly forever and leaving some 75 dead in the process, Jamaican drug lord Christopher Coke finally surrendered to authorities to face the next chapter in the drug soaked saga of the Caribbean.

(Julia Gillard - a first for Australia)

For the first time in their history, a woman became Prime Minister of Australia. ABC Radio National's Politics Program took a look at the historic election and the ramifications for the country.

(Now it's Belgium's turn)

Fresh new allegations of sexual abuse and pedophilia by Catholic priests surfaced, this time in Belgium which prompted the Belgian Police to stage a raid on the Archdiocese in Brussels this week. As reported on the BBC World Service's Newshour, records files and mountains of paper were carted away in what is another in a long line of embarrassing situations for the Vatican to pretend never happened.

(It's that time again)

Amidst the flurry of accusations of financial bungling in its hosting, Toronto opened the G20 summit talks this week. The legions of protesters arrived, as did the teargas canisters, nightsticks and horses. While all raged on outside, the financial crisis gripping just about every country the world was raging inside. All in all, a great place to set up a Valium concession. The CBC program The Current did a run down on the first days events.

(Stanley has left the building)

Even our misfortunes didn't escape the scrutiny of the world Press. As reported by the BBC's Lyse Doucet from the From Our Own Correspondent Series, observations and opinions on the aftermath and reactions to the firing of General Stanley McChrystal reverberated all over.

(Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa - no place to hide)

And finally, arrests in the shooting of Faustin Kayumba Naywasa, the exiled General also alleged to have participated in the Rwanda genocide, sparked a wave of concern the tip of the iceberg had been viewed and more was to come.

Perhaps the Dog Days of Summer will finally catch up to the rest of the world. But the rate things are going, it isn't likely. We'll find out soon enough in the next day or so.

(And there are those who are insane enough tell you this is all some hoax)

With the recent events at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, and the insanity of those denying the Holocaust ever happened, I ran across this report from the BBC recorded just after the concentration camp at Belsen was liberated by British troops. It's one of many reports broadcast during those last months of the War, as camp after camp was liberated and the true ghastly horrors came to light.

In a strange way, I can see how some would like to deny this ever happened. I think there are times the mind finds it impossible to conceptualize one human being this capable of such cruelty to another - people just don't do that to each other. And the answer is, yes they do. And, for the most part they are still doing it. Look at Darfur (as many choose not to). Look at Rwanda-Burundi. Look at the recent past of the former Yugoslavia. Horrible events, so impossible to conceive. Yet, it's true - all of it. Yet there are some sick enough to deny any of this has been and is still going on - some passing themselves off as scholars and people with supposed proof and a public forum.

So here, from the program London Calling via the BBC in London on May 23, 1945 is a report from Belsen.