Hello. I'm Kristin Volk on this Friday, April 20, 2007 with a UPI top news headline. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has declared today as a day of mourning for the 32 people killed Monday at Virginia Tech University. Mournings gathered this morning at a makeshift memorial on campus to honor the victims. Those around the country are urged to wear the school's colors, marroon and orange today to show spirit and support for the university. Meanwhile, some friends and relatives of victims there are expressing outrage at media outlets for airing the gunman, Seung-Hui Cho's last recorded words and images. A father of one of the victims is calling Cho's videos "a second assault on our children." Friends of the victims in the Columbine High School massacre say they see similiarities between that tragedy and this week's shooting at Virginia Tech Univeristy. Today marks the eigth anniversary of the Columbine slayings where two students gunned down 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves. A friend of one of the Columbine attackers says the Virginia Tech gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, behaved and talked very similar to the high school shooters. In both cases, the shooters left pictures of themselves and letters blaming society for turning them into loners. The White House is saying that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's testimony to Congress yesterday damaged his career. Gonzales answered questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee about why eight U.S. attorneys were fired last year. Several White House insiders told CNN that things didn't go well for Gonzales, with one even saying Gonzales is going down in flames. But according to a spokeswoman there, President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General's testimony. A human rights group is criticizing the Iraqi government for unfair trials and its increase in judicial executions. Amnesty International issued a report saying Iraq executed 65 people last year, which makes it the fourth highest death sentence country after China, India and Pakistan. An Amnesty representative says the death penalty cannot be justified as a deterrant to commit crimes. Rather, the official says rising violence there suggests this kind of punishment may contribute to the brutalization of Iraqi society. That's all for now. For all of us at UPI, have a great weekend.
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Added: May 27, 2007 |
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