Bangladeshs former army ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad was missing or hiding on Sunday, three days after the High Court confirmed a two-year jail sentence against him, his associates said. He (Ershad) has remained unreachable since Sunday morning, said his brother, GM Quader, a former lawmaker and senior leader of Ershads Jatiya Party.
Another party leader Kazi Zafar Ahmed, a former prime minister, said Ershad was in a hospital in his home town of Rangpur in northern Bangladesh for rest and medical check ups. Hospital officials told reporters that Ershad had not been admitted. Kazi Feroze Rashaid, another leader of the Jatiya Party, said: Our chairman is at his home, taking a rest. Calls made by Reuters to his Dhaka residence were not answered. Police declined to comment. Some people said he might be trying to escape arrest after the confirmation of his sentence. No! Reeeeeally?
Ershad was sentenced by a lower court years ago for squandering state funds in a deal to purchase patrol boats from Japan while he was in power from 1982 to 1990.
The High Court confirmed his sentence suddenly on Thursday, as the retired general was planning to conclude a deal to support a 14-party alliance headed by Sheikh Hasina, chief of Awami League. Ershad will not be able to contest the Jan. 23 election unless the High Court ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court, legal officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2006 00:00 ||
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Background article on the problems B'desh is having in the run-up to elections.
In the week since the Bangladeshi president sent soldiers onto the streets to quell violent political protests, there has been an unexpected turn in public sentiment -- a growing number of people are clamoring for them to stay on and take charge. It is an option that is still largely discussed in private -- over sweet, milky tea in the back rooms of grimy shops or over whiskey and sodas at upscale dinner parties.
The desire to see the return of military rule is a testament to the disaster that is Bangladeshi democracy...
But with the coming election shaping up to be the latest in a string of bloody and chaotic votes, the sentiment is there, even if the military appears unready to make such a move. "I know it sounds absurd, we fought so hard to end military rule. But what else can we do?" said Faruq Hossain, a 46-year-old Dhaka shop owner. "Everyone knows we're headed for a disaster."
Disasters, natural and man made, have plagued Bangladesh since independence from Pakistan in 1971 and many hoped this crowded and poor country had seen the last of its political calamities when rigidly authoritarian military rule ended in 1990. The desire to see its return is a testament to the disaster that is Bangladeshi democracy, a violent, deeply corrupt process that centers on two women whose hatred for one another runs so deep they have not said a word to each other for years.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Haha...that's great...the country is such a basket case that the military doesn't even want it. Even disasters like Congo and Zimbabwe yield enough resources for a few dozen palaces and a fleet of BMWs.
#2
The desire to see its return is a testament to the disaster that is Bangladeshi democracy, a violent, deeply corrupt process that centers on two women whose hatred for one another runs so deep they have not said a word to each other for years.
#5
And both women outdo each other to show who is most anti-Indian.
There have been so many suggested projects that would benefit Bangladesh's economy that were rejected because it was perceived that India would benefit.
In a country that is literally flooded each year, they protest when India constructs dams. If it benefits India, they must claim it harms Bangladesh.
The problem is essentially that of national identity.
What is Bangladesh for? A land of Bengali people?
Well, what about West Bengal, the state in India?
Is it about being anti-Indian?
That's what Pakistan is for..
Then is it about islam?
Then why was it necessary to escape from Pakistani genocide?
You have toxic micro-nationalism mixed with islamism in a totally dysfunctional economy. Nothing will work until they reolve their national identity.
Posted by: john ||
12/18/2006 9:55 Comments ||
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HAVANA: Fidel Castro does not have cancer or a terminal illness and will eventually return to public life, Cuban officials told visiting U.S. lawmakers in the communist government's most comprehensive denial of rumors about the ailing leader's health.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said all the Cuban officials they spoke to during the three-day trip that ended Sunday told them the 80-year-old leader's "illness is not cancer, nor is it terminal, and he will be back."
Acting President Raul Castro did not meet with the 10-member U.S. delegation and lawmakers said his absence was evidence of the political uncertainty created by Cuba's insistence that Fidel Castro will return to power.
"The party line is that Fidel is coming back, which ... creates a sort of vacuum," said Rep. Jane Harmon of California.
U.S. officials have said they believe Fidel Castro suffers from some kind of inoperable cancer and will not live through the end of 2007. Some U.S. doctors have speculated he could have a colon condition called diverticulosis, which is relatively common among older people.
Castro has not been seen since July 26, five days before he temporarily ceded power to his younger brother to recover from surgery from intestinal bleeding. His failure to show up at his own delayed birthday celebrations earlier this month sparked rumors that he was on his deathbed.
Continued on Page 49
I can only assume this means they have been successful in re-animating the corpse of the deceased dictator. Just what the region needs - an undead commie zombie
CARACAS, Venezuela - Cocaine shipments through Venezuela have increased tenfold over five years, the US ambassador to Caracas said as the two countries struggle to renew a counter-narcotics accord.
Venezuela last year ended cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration after President Hugo Chavez accused the agency of spying on him amid increasing confrontation between Washington and Caracas.
And it makes it easier for Hugo's pals to trans-ship the stuff. Remember that's been one of Fidel's weapons in trying to weaken our country, and there's plenty of evidence out there that shows that Cuba has been used as a trans-shipment point over the decades.
Right now our estimate is that between around 200 and 300 tonnes of processed cocaine (every year) pass through Venezuela -- ten times the amount of five years ago, said US Ambassador William Brownfield in a television interview broadcast on Sunday. Part of the reason is that drug traffickers ... see an opening in Venezuela, where there is no collaboration with the United States, he said.
He left the other part unsaid.
The nation is a key transit route to the United States and Europe for drugs coming out of neighboring Colombia, the worlds top cocaine producer. Venezuelan authorities say they have increased the number of drug seizures and drug-related arrests since cutting ties with the DEA, but Brownfield attributed this to a greater amount of drugs flowing through Venezuela.
Washington complains Venezuela, which provides around 12 percent of US oil imports, has not done enough to fight the drug trade, and last year revoked the visas of three high-ranking military officers suspected of drug trafficking.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/18/2006 00:00 ||
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Hey, Daily Cooz posters: wanna see what political oppression really looks like?
Kasparov stuff and background deleted. H/T: Drudge.
Russian authorities pulled hundreds of opposition activists off buses and trains and detained them along with scores of others on Saturday ahead of a rare anti-government rally in Moscow, organizers said. The police action did not prevent more than 2,000 people from gathering in a central square, where leftist and liberal groups demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin stop what they called Russia's retreat from democracy. Note that "leftist" and "liberal" mean opposed to communism, just the opposite of in the US.
"In 15 months political power will be changed," said Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister who is now an opposition leader, referring to the March 2008 presidential election. Care to make a wager on that?
"Next year everyone should make a personal decision about what to do with our country whether we allow these people to continue their illegal undertakings ... or we finally make our main goal to build a democratic and socially oriented state," Kasyanov told demonstrators.
The demonstrators chanted "Freedom" and held banners reading "No to Police State" and "Russia Without Putin."
The demonstration, organized by the Other Russia movement and other opposition groups, had originally planned to march down a main Moscow avenue. City authorities banned the march, allowing only the rally. Organizers had vowed to conduct the march in defiance of the ban. But Natalya Morar, spokesman for Other Russia said police and defense troops had sealed off Triumfalnaya Square the scene of the protest ‐ and lined the avenue.
An AP photographer who cannot be found saw more than 1,000 law enforcement officers in full riot gear, some with police dogs, cordoning off the Triumfalnaya Square. Moscow residents complained the city was flooded with police and troops.
About 80 protesters, including Ivan Starikov, a senior member of the liberal Union of Right Forces, were detained in One Dzerzhinsky Square, Moscow throughout the day, many of them without any explanation, Morar said. About 320 other opposition activists were detained or taken off trains and buses on their way to Moscow, she said. Some were kept in detention cells, she said, while others were released after the rally was over.
George W. Bush, who went longer than any president since Thomas Jefferson before using his veto power, may wield that authority next year to help re-establish Republicans' reputation for fiscal discipline and unify the party's political base.
Republican leaders are encouraging Bush, who is facing a hostile Congress for the first time in his presidency, to oppose Democratic spending plans. They also want him to threaten vetoes over legislation that would order Medicare to negotiate drug discounts with pharmaceutical makers, rescind energy-industry tax incentives and promote stem-cell research. "We're going to end up with bills that we're not going to like," said Candida Wolff, 42, Bush's assistant for legislative affairs. "The strongest tool we have is the veto threat."
In the past, the president "could count on congressional Republicans to stop most measures that he disliked," said John Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. "Now he can count on the Democrats to send him bills that he does not want."
Well, if he set a modern record for not using it in the first 6 years, he might as well go for the record for using it in his last two.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
JIM BOHANNON Show > iff I heard Jim's segment correctly, there is seemingly an effort in Washington to introduce legislation whereby a duly elected POTUS may have to prove his competency iff out sick or incapacitated for 21 days or more. The VPOTUS = Acting POTUS, Chair = Majority Speaker of the HOUSE = Acting VPOTUS and 2/3's of both House and Senate must approve of the original POTUS's capacity to return to duty after 21 days. Some of Jim's call-in audience labeled it a direct assault on the US Constitution + FEDERALISM + Separation of Powers becuz it might result in LT of the establishment of a layer of bureacracy similar TO THE COLD WAR POLITBUROS-PRESIDIUMS OF THE USSR-RED CHINA.
Bush set to sign nuclear cooperation bill with India
WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush is set to sign into law Monday a bill that would allow shipments of civil nuclear fuel and technology to India in return for India's allowing safeguards at nuclear plants.
The administration has said that the landmark U.S.-India nuclear cooperation bill reflects the growing importance of India as a partner and ally.
Congress overwhelmingly approved the nuclear bill on Dec. 9. It would allow shipments of fuel and technology for India's allowing safeguards and inspections at 14 civilian nuclear plants; eight military plants would be off-limits.
Bush's signature would change U.S. law, but several steps remain before civil nuclear shipments could begin.
The two countries must obtain an exception for India in the rules of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an assembly of nations that export nuclear material. Indian officials also must negotiate a safeguard agreement with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Then, once technical negotiations on an overall cooperation agreement are settled between the United States and India, Congress would have to vote for a final time.
Indian Scientists Say: Don't Do It!
Mumbai, Dec 17: A group of scientists on Sunday said India should not hurriedly sign the Indo-US nuclear deal till the concerns of the country's top nuclear scientists are addressed.
Since the public at large does not understand the nuances of the final US Congress Bill, which will be imposed on India once the deal goes through, it is in the interest of the future generations to work towards making the deal favourable to India, said members of the of the Atomic Energy Retirees' Welfare Association (AERWA).
They had a two-hour discussion with former atomic energy commission chairman P K Iyengar today on the occasion of "Pensioners Day".
Studying the final Bill passed by the US Congress on the Indo-US deal on December 8 is important while dealing with its discriminatory nature, they said.
Iyengar said, "Let us not accept the discriminatory process as we succeeded during the past 50 years. If we accept the deal by giving into their (US) conditions, then it is not in India's favour.
"In fact, we will do a disservice to our future generations and to their freedom for research and development," he said.
Iyengar asked members to study the Bill in detail on their own and find out how discriminatory it was, and not to listen to ad hoc statements issued by various people.
#1
Shades of AIRPLANE the MOvies > THEY BOUGHT THEIR TICKETS FAIR AND SQUARE - I SAY LET'EM CRASH; versus THIS HAPPENED BECUZ PENIS-CENTRIC, MEAT-EATING/LOVING MEN WERE IN CHARGE INSTEAD OF PEACE- AND FRUIT/SALAD-LOVING FEMALES.
If you use Skype, you'll want this KishKish thingy, lol. It's Free. The best thing about this thing, though, and the reason I'm posting what is, otherwise, just an ad -- is the Clinton clip they play on the front page of their site. Laugh-Worthy.
It could be the perfect tool for suspicious spouses wanting to check whether their loved ones are playing away from home. A new telephone lie detector system promises to pick up on tell-tale signs of stress in a caller's voice whenever they tell a fib.
Available for free, the Kishkish lie detector can be easily downloaded from the web and used by those who make phone calls over the internet.
Scientists have found that frequencies in the human voice are sensitive to honesty, becoming higher when a person is lying. This is because in moments of stress, such as telling a lie, our muscles tighten as our body prepares to flee or fight causing the pitch of our voice to alter.
Continued on Page 49
#1
As a way to "enhance the Skype communication experience" this is unusually stupid. It will only create suspicion and antagonism among it's customers, and send them elsewhere.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Tsunami aid sent to an Indonesian province has freed government funds for the lashing of women for purported violations of Islamic law, a report said Sunday.
Because nothing's more important to Allan than keeping women in their place.
Militant Islamists in Indonesia's Aceh Province now impose Shariah law and pay moral vigilante forces to harass women and stage frequent public beatings, The Times of London reported.
More "Shariah police" than regular police are on the local government payroll, with many of them aggressive young men, the newspaper says.
All pious members of the Committee for the Protection of Virtue ...
International aid workers say the flow of foreign cash for reconstruction has allowed the government to spend scarce money to enforce such laws as the compulsory wearing of head scarves.
The vast majority of Indonesia's 220 million people opposes Shariah law and practices a more tolerant version of Islam. The country's secular constitution calls for spiritual harmony and voters have consistently rejected calls for an Islamic state.
The Aceh Province, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, is the closest point of land to Saoodi-controlled Arabia the epicenter of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that triggered the deadly tsunami that killed more than 275,000 people worldwide.
#1
See also STRATEGYPAGE for artics on CHINA, RUSSIA, and NORTH KOREA. Norkie workers in SIBERIA are being beaten up by local Russians for taking jobs away from Russians, while Pyongyang basically controls + receives the paychecks of Norkie workers, wid the latter being little more than PC slaves. CAN'T SAVE MONEY = CAN'T SPEND MONEY. Meanwhile, Norkie refugees continue to sneak or enter into China but without seeing any UN FOOD AID meant for them - what is not taken for Kimmie or the DPRK Armed Forces is being sold or given to China by Pyongyang for econ $$$. IOW, KIMMIE STAYS FAT.
#2
No more aid to Muslim majority countries. Period. Has there been an instance yet where disaster relief somehow doesn't end up furthering Islamist agendas? Playing the soft touch now only guarantees having to wield the iron fist later.
#3
As the man who managed the Stingy List, I can say without fear that this story is tripe, balderdash, hooey.
Readers of this blog have known for years that sharia is a growing menace in indonesia. The formerly august Sunday Times of London conflates the growth of sharia with the donations for tsunami relief without producing one iota of evidence.
Indeed, buried in the story is the good news. The peace between the rebels and the national government is holding. The first free election in Aceh history was just held successfully. And... a former rebel has been elected Governor. It doesn't get much better than this.
There is no evidence that any donations have been diverted to the religious police. At worst, tens of dollars have been freed up to pay these thugs. Other than a flat statement that local governments are paying them, however, no evidence is produced to support the claim.
Please also note the anonymous quote from the UN official. They're well know for their honesty, right?
The area that the tsunami devestated is recovering slowly, for similar and for differing reasons.
Indonesia is a struggling democracy. Many of the planning functions we assume are part of a government do not exist or do not operate very well. Indonesian culture also does not operate at a 24/7 Western pace. Indonesia is attempting to comply with Western NGO and UN demands for city planning while dealing with hundreds of thousands of people who just want to move home and go back to work. The fly-in, fly-out NGOs and the UN have their noses out of joint because the Indonesians won't do exactly what these foreigners want.
Sri Lank is an example of what could have happened in Aceh. The national government has refused to allow much of the aid to reach the rebel-held areas stricken by the tsunami. In non-rebel areas they are working quite well with the fly-ins, having insisted that fishing villages move well inland and making the beaches available for tourism.
Thailand has recovered the best, but the Islamic rebellion has grown in proportion to that recovery, harming the tourist business.
Burma has denied all along that they suffered any damage. The Chinese Communists have an extensive network of companies and even a base or two on that coast.
India has endured multiple claims of corruption concedrning its management of the aid on their mainland. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, because of Indian military interests, the natives are being forced to abandon their homes and life styles.
Region-wide, the UN has stopped aid groups from providing fishing boats to the villages who lost their boats in the tsunami. The UN has determined that the region is overfished and so it is refusing to allow fishermen to have fishing boats.
I cannot stress enough that there are some very effective aid organizations. All of them have people on the ground 24/7, and nearly all of them are religion-based. You cannot provide aid from an office in London, Geneva or Jakarta. You have to be on site.
This story is typical of the attacks launched by the fly-ins and the UN. When the locals want a say in their future, or when they have different ideas, these stories pop up. The election in Aceh means that the "cooperative" government has been forced out and a truly local government elected. The UN and the fly-ins "just can't work with these people".
#4
Thanks, Chuck, and I plead guilty on missing the quote from the anonymous UN official -- should have known better!
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/18/2006 10:22 Comments ||
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#5
Well said Chuck. Disaster relief is choc full of corruption, headlining, and back stabbing by what you call "Fly in NGO's". Finding an NGO that will go further than a five star hotel, or stay longer than a day is difficult at best. Let alone finding one that really cares or understands what is needed and how to help. These NGO's are usually found with camera crews in tow and the crap they hand out is expired stuff or flat the wrong stuff, like 110v equipment and power cords. Outside NGO's rarely know how to move in country, let alone in a disaster area, leaving them open to getting ripped off or paying large bribes to get where they can get the "Money" shots to raise more funds. Then comes the chrisianity crap and trying to convert during a disaster. Indonesia is no exception and had all of this happen. Indonesia is far to complex a culture to try and determine what is best for it sitting in a western office or even in Jakarta.
There are some expert, fast moving NGO's out there that are impressive and make the Red Cross, UN, and USAID look like amatures but there are not many.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/18/2006 11:33 Comments ||
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#6
Alright then, gentlemen, which NGOs are the effective ones? We need names, so that we know where to send our year-end charity donation.
#8
TW, Chuck is right. If you don't mind the Religious aspect, they are usually the best when it comes to your funds going to the needy and not the admin costs. Locally you can't beat the Salvation Army. It is the #1 NGO out there and gets my cash. I would not give a wood nickle to the Red Cross or any UN fund, unless you want to help Koffi and his family out. Of the Small NGO's Knightsbridge Int does a great job for small medcap events in hostile areas. REMEDY is a great program and I used it, with Knightbridge, to facilitate a hospital. THe Hospital was in Jolo on the island of Sulu and in dire need of new equipment and supplies. Knightbridge and Remedy brought it all in for free and we provided security. It was a great gig. Lastly, I will give a self serving plug here, you can go to Zambokids.org. That is the site my wife and I set up to help the orphans in Zamboanga Philippines. All of the funds go directly there to the kids.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/18/2006 15:41 Comments ||
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#9
Give Aceh nothing.
As a charity, I am partial to the Barnabas Fund. They know the score, especially in regards to Muslims and haven't been inflicted by the multicultural "all religions are equal" meme. As they point out, it would never occur to a Muslim to help a non-Muslim, so why should Christian apologize for helping only Christians?
#14
Chuck, I realise it's the same story but with more detail, as I said "more here"
But if you read the Barnabas story, you will see that Christians are being denied houses which were built by Christian charities.
We have to go back to basics when we are dealing with Islamism, so as to have a coherent strategy.
Islamism is a fantasy religion with political aspirations, manifested by the introduction of sharia.
Just as South Africa had sanctions imposed on them because of Apartheid, so any country that imposes sharia (another form of Apartheid) on its people should have sanctions imposed on it, without apology.
The big discussion on Apartheid was the fact the sanctions often affected the poor, however in the long run it was agreed that this was unavoidable.
Witness the Palestinians learning curve going through convolutions since sanctions were imposed on them.
That is why I advocate giving Aceh nothing.
Posted as "Non-WoT", but consider how this could be used / abused...
LOS ANGELES If John Smith falls in love with Marie Bakalaka and wishes to become John Bakalaka, should that cost him money? Should his wishes come with so much grief?
Um, whaddabout Mohammed al Jihadi marrying up with a newly-minted dhimmi named Debbie Johnson... That'd be just peachy, too, right? He'd be Mo Johnson. Something the email spammers say all us XY-types want, lol. And it'd be free if the Stalinists succeed... I'm just sayin...
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Health Services in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Friday asking for a change to state laws that dictate the process of changing a name through marriage.
Under current law, a woman who chooses to change her last name when she marries is not obligated to petition the courts for the change. But, the suit said, a man who wants to take the surname of his wife has to pay at least $320 in court fees and advertise the name change in a newspaper.
Currently, only six states Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and North Dakota recognize a man's right to change his name through marriage without a court petition.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Michael Buday, 29, who longs to take the name of his wife, Diana Bijon, 28. "It's not about the money," Buday said in a prepared statement. "It's about the principle of families being able to make their own decisions."
#3
There was a famous story (told by Damon Knight in his book, The Futurians, if I remember correctly) about a man in NYC who wanted to change his name from Lipshitz to Collins. Unfortunately, he came before a certain Judge Schmuck. When he explained his petition, the good judge started ranting. "My name is Schmuck. My father's name is Schmuck. My grandfather's name is Schmuck. My great-grandfather's name was Schmuck. My great-great-grandfather's name was Schmuck. My great-great-great… And you want to change your name from Lipschitz to Collins?" I wonder whether the Judge was related to the Baltimore Sun sportswriter, Peter Schmuck.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/18/2006 11:36 Comments ||
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#4
There was a guy during the sixties in the SF Bay area that wanted to change his name to Jefferson F*ck Poland. The judge would go only as far as Jefferson F. Poland. Lots of court manoevering, publicity in the newspapers (both above and underground). Pretty sick bit. I am so glad to be outta there.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/18/2006 11:37 Comments ||
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#5
In German, Scheiss means shit. When Napoleon conquered Europe, among other things that made him beloved was that he emancipated the Jews, who had until that time been the private property of the local ruler. He then required that they take on proper surnames like the rest of the citizenry. Only the recording clerks were Germans who didn't believe the Jews should be free, so they handed out names like Shithead, Limpdick, etc. Some emigrants changed their names when they arrived here, feeling no attachment to that which was given with malice.
In Belgium at the same time, no one previously had patronyms, and they thought it a great joke; they gave themselves the rudest names they could think of. Which their offspring are saddled with yet.
#6
Stephen den Beste, of Dutch descent, described how his ancestor thought he would pick a good surname when it was made mandatory, so he picked "the best."
Two of the oldest and largest church congregations in the United States have voted to break away from the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the Anglican communion. The Truro Church and Falls Church in northern Virginia will now answer to an Archbishop in Nigeria.
DEARLY BELOVED IN CHRIST,
I AM BISHOP DOUDOU MANGWALA, BISHOP OF LAGOS. I GOT YOUR CONTACT FROM A CHURCH REGISTRY AND I DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU DIRECTLY. I HAVE ABOUT $4.2 MILLION DOLLARS THAT NEEDS INVESTED IN YOUR DIOCESE...
The dispute follows a decision three years ago to consecrate gay man Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. That led to a global battle in the worldwide Anglican communion that has turned bitter and highly political. Several other congregations in the US have already left the national church, but none so high profile as these. This decision further empowers Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who has supported the Government there in criminalising homosexual activity.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2006 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Bangladeshs former army ruler 
U.S. officials have said they believe Fidel Castro suffers from some kind of inoperable cancer and will not live through the end of 2007. Some U.S. doctors have speculated he could have a colon condition called diverticulosis, which is relatively common among older people.
CARACAS, Venezuela - Cocaine shipments through Venezuela have increased tenfold over five years, the US ambassador to Caracas said as the two countries struggle to renew a counter-narcotics accord.
George W. Bush, who went longer than any president since Thomas Jefferson before using his veto power, may wield that authority next year to help re-establish Republicans' reputation for fiscal discipline and unify the party's political base. 
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Tsunami aid sent to an Indonesian province has freed government funds for the lashing of women for purported violations of Islamic law, a report said Sunday. 
Two of the oldest and largest church congregations in the United States have voted to break away from the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the Anglican communion. The Truro Church and Falls Church in northern Virginia will now answer to an Archbishop in Nigeria.
