ALAMEDA, California (Reuters) -- The U.S. Coast Guard unloaded nearly 20 tons of cocaine with a retail street value of $600 million at a California port Monday following what they called the largest drug bust at sea. The armed Coast Guard Cutter Sherman made the bust March 17 when it stopped the Panamanian cargo ship Gatun about 20 miles off a Panamanian island.
On Monday, dozens of Coast Guard officials under heavy armed protection hauled bales of tightly wrapped packs of cocaine onto a pier at the service's West Coast command center near Oakland, California.
"It was the largest bust in U.S. history. It's the largest interdiction on the ocean," Lt. Brock Eckel, one of the officers from the Sherman who discovered the illegal drugs, said in an interview. "It was very exciting, of course. Fifteen guys moved 20 tons of contraband in five hours, so it was very exhausting." Coast Guard Petty Officer Keith Alholm estimated the U.S. street value of the record bust at $300 million wholesale, $600 million retail.
The find aboard the Gatun, which was heading from Panama to Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, came late at night following a tip from an intelligence source, officials said. The cargo ship's 14 crew members were Panamanians and Mexicans, who acted nervously but were not armed and offered no resistance when stopped, according to Coast Guard officials who were present during the inspection. The cargo ship also carried tiles and sand.
"If you try to fight with the U.S. Coast Guard, you come out on the losing end. It would be futile," said Charles DeMore, head of the San Francisco office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Panamanians were handed over to Panama while the Mexicans were taken into U.S. custody, Eckel said. The drugs would be transferred to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for eventual incineration.
The Coast Guard ship had experienced mechanical difficulties during its mission and was running so low on water that the crew had stopped showering by the time of the March 17 raid, officials said. "At the end of the day there is nothing like a good drug bust to lift everyone's spirit," said the ship's captain, Charlie Diaz. "We were, of course, elated." "OK, Jose, now that they are all preoccupied with bragging about the sacrificial 20-ton pittance we put out there, let's get the big load delivered."
The Alameda, California-based crew also made two smaller drug interdictions during their 101-day patrol at sea, officials said.
Nigeria's election was a failure and must be rerun, local observers said on Sunday, but the government said coup plotters were trying to discredit the poll. The vote on Saturday in Africa's most populous nation was marred by violence, fraud and intimidation. First results on Sunday indicated continued dominance by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), as was expected.
The election was a far cry from the hoped-for display of democracy to mark the first handover from one civilian president to another in a country scarred by decades of military rule. "We are going to call for a rerun of elections. You cannot use the result from half of the country to announce a new president," Innocent Chukwuma, chairperson of biggest local observer group, told Reuters.
But the government said coup plotters were trying to annul the election to wreck democracy after failing to blow up electoral headquarters on Saturday with a petrol tanker. The tanker stopped short and failed to explode. The plotters "failed to get the international community to label Nigeria as a failed state and also incite the rank and file of the Nigerian armed forces with the sole aim of scuttling the presidential elections", Information Minister Frank Nweke said in a statement.
Government spokesperson Uba Sani accused Senate president Ken Nnamani of wanting to impose an interim government and incite chaos. Nnamani dismissed what he called "trumped-up" charges and said he would never support a coup. Chukwuma, of the Transition Monitoring Group, said the official electoral commission had not been prepared for Saturday's vote. "In many parts of the country elections did not start on time or did not start at all," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
That's OK. I got an eMail from one of the losing candidates asking to help him move money out of the couuntry.
A second extortion case was filed yesterday against detained former Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam with Shyamnagar Police Station. Two other local Jamaat leaders -- Gazi Nazrul's private assistant (PA) Gausul Azam from Khanpur village and a Jamaat Rokon Mahfuzur Rahman from Nurnagar village in Shyamnagar upazila -- have also been accused in the case.
Earlier on April 16, the other extortion case was filed against two local Jamaat leaders including the former Jamaat lawmaker with the same police station for their alleged involvement in extorting Tk 50,000 from SM Abdur Rashid of Chakbara village in Shyamnagar upazila. Gazi Nazrul Islam has already been detained by joint forces. His name was included in the second list of graft suspects published by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on March 9.
Khaja Nazim Uddin, a shrimp cultivator from Gumantali village of the same upazila, lodged the extortion case accusing the three of demanding Tk 3 lakh from him in return for the possession of his shrimp enclosure that had been forcefully occupied by Mahfuzur Rahman and his Jamaat loyalist thugs. In his case statement, Khaja alleged that on April 22, 2006, a gang of criminals led by Mahfuzur Rahman raided and assaulted the staff members of his shrimp farm at Nidaya village in Shyamnagar upazila. The assailants drove everyone out and took over the farm. The next day, on April 23, then Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam through his PA Gausul Azam demanded Tk 3 lakh from him if he wanted the shrimp farm back.
On April 24, 2006, being desperate to recover his farm, Khaja Nazim went to the former lawmaker's house at Islampur in Shyamnagar upazila and paid him Tk 2 lakh, Khaja said in the statement. Officer in Charge Nawsher Ali of Shyamnagar Police Station confirmed the incident. Gazi Nazrul Islam, central Majlish-e-Shura member of Jamaat-e-Islami, was elected member of parliament from Satkhira 5 (Shyamnagar) in 2001 with BNP-led 4-party alliance ticket.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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The drama surrounding Tammy Faye Khaleda Zia's going into exile continued yesterday as she could not leave for Saudi Arabia due to unavailability of an 'appropriate' flight, delay in issuance of visas, and uncertainty about how the government is going to fund her stay abroad.
Family sources said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been ready to leave Bangladesh since Friday, stayed up all night on Saturday waiting to avail a flight, and went to sleep early morning yesterday, after the expected departure had been delayed. Till early Saturday, when she met her elder son Tarique Rahman either at Kashimpur Jail or in the cantonment situated in Dhaka or Savar, she had been trying to convince the government to let her elder son accompany her. The government however declined to entertain her request. "At this point, there is no chance of changing her mind about leaving Bangladesh because she is concerned about her family," said a family source.
Khaleda's brother Major (retd) Saeed Iskandar, who has been unofficially negotiating the terms of her exile, was present at her residence in Dhaka cantonment all through Saturday night. Although Iskandar officially denies being a part of the negotiation, sources said he played the key role in convincing her to leave Bangladesh. Khaleda's residence was also visited by a number of her relatives on Saturday night, who came to bid her farewell, the sources said.
Immediate past prime minister Khaleda Zia could not fly to an exile on Saturday due to some glitches in logistics including an uncertainty about which aircraft would carry her and her entourage, a delay in issuing visas for them, and a number of other issues regarding their accommodations in Saudi Arabia. Due to a lack of clear information from the authorities Khaleda and her family could not foresee the problems. The authorities wanted Khaleda to leave on a special chartered plane, while she wanted to fly on board a standard passenger aircraft. Amid the disagreement, Saeed Iskandar reportedly opined that a chartered aircraft was good enough. The authorities accordingly arranged such a plane from Dubai on Saturday, which however was yet to reach Dhaka till last night.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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The British Airways (BA) last night refused to fly former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from London to Bangladesh as a Dhaka court ordered her arrest in October 28 Paltan killing case. A tearful Hasina left the airport at Bangladesh time 8:10pm after intense negotiations with the BA authorities, who told the Awami League (AL) chief that the government would not let the flight land in Dhaka if they carried her, Syed Nahas Pasha, editor of the largest circulated UK-based Bengali newsweekly Janamat, told The Daily Star over the phone.
Hasina, who had two British MPs with her during the negotiations, was also asked by BA authorities to consider the 'safety and security' of the passengers on the flight, who would be facing an uncertain fate with Hasina on board. As an emotional Hasina was leaving the airport, she told reporters, "I am the daughter of the father of the nation. I will return to the country, for sure."
"Today an arrest warrant has been issued against me. Before that they imposed a ban on my return. I am ready to accept any consequences in the country. I want to be back with my people on my own soil. Whatever be my fate, I will return to Bangladesh," she said.
Asked whether she would stay in London or return to her son and daughter in the United States, Hasina said she will remain in London for now but decide her future soon. The AL chief entered London's Heathrow airport at 7:15pm and was accompanied by British Labour Party MP Emily Thornberry, who later said that there must be some miscommunication that resulted in Hasina being barred from returning home.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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A Dhaka court on Sunday issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is wanted on a murder charge, ahead of any possible attempt by her to return to Bangladesh.
The court termed Hasina, who also faces charges of extortion, an absconder and ordered police to confiscate her property if she did not surrender by May 28, court officials said. The Awami League chief is in London and has vowed to try to board a flight to Bangladesh on Sunday in defiance of an order by the army-backed government to stay away.
Authorities say her homecoming could trigger more violence. A representative of Hasina in London said she had every intention of going ahead and boarding the flight, returning to Bangladesh to face the charges against her. Her intention has always been to return and fight these charges and clear her name, Radwan Siddiq, Hasinas nephew, told Reuters. She has always said that she doesnt believe that these cases will stand up in a court of law because they are politically motivated. Asked what she was likely to do if she were turned away from the flight, Siddiq said Hasina and her supporters would have to sit down and take stock of the situation. Hasina was refused permission to board a British Airways flight to Dhaka last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he will enact a law to regulate prices at private hospitals and warned that his government would seize any hospital caught flouting the new controls.
Chavez said he will approve the law by presidential decree, using special powers granted to him by the National Assembly nearly three months ago, as he aims to steer the South American country toward socialism. "We're going to have strict regulation. Any clinic that doesn't comply, let it be closed down," Chavez said. "We could take it for Inside the Barrio (a state health program), convert it into a popular clinic. No problem."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
I still can't believe the 'Red Fist Of Communism' is pounding it's intent , with such speed throughout "W"'s administration; in Venezuela. The buck definitely can't be said, to have been stopped in the Oval Office, and should the ultimate irony play itself out, when Castro dies and Cuba mellows, the hammer and sickle will be tossed to 'Chevy' as our 60's 'Missiles of October' will repeat itself...again!!
#3
AFRICAN CRISIS.net > WORLD WAR III, COLD WAR II: What does PUTIN really stand for? WEEKLY STANDARD > REUBEN JOHNSTON > PUTIN = PLANES, BOMBS, URANIUM, INFRASTRUCTURE, [etc.] FOR SALE. Russia knows war is often based on economics, i.e. the ability to $$$ fund and support ventures. Russia is raking in the dough, while Amer spends and possibly bankrupts itself for the WOT. Articles above includes reminder from PRAVDA/WORLDTRIBUNE > RUSSIAN GENERAL - WAR AGZ AMERICA IN 2015? Arming of PC/PDeniable PROXIES highly useful for Russia [as for USA during Cold War] until 2015 or whenever Russia is finally ready.
Posted by: ed ||
04/23/2007 7:04 Comments ||
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#6
If they want to be communist A-holes, let them.
Look at every other practicing communist in the world and wonder why anybody would want that for themselves. Of course there is an attraction to the weak minded to sit back and have the state meet their every need, but I hardly think it's worth it. What they don't seem to understand is that none of that shit is free, it all has to be paid for somehow.
#8
Won't convince our liberals, but maybe the fence sitters will see what a crock the MSM and the democrats are trying to serve the US.
You're assuming an honest assessment of why Venezuela's headed for failure will ever reach the US population. Me, I'm betting the blame falls on the US.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/23/2007 11:22 Comments ||
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How long before the Venezuelan military steps in?
MOSCOW (AP) - Former President Boris Yeltsin has died, a Kremlin official said Monday. He was 76. Kremlin spokesman Alexander Smirnov told The Associated Press that Yeltsin died, but gave no cause of death or further information.
So long, Boris. We had high hopes for you at one time.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/23/2007 09:53 ||
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#1
No cause of death, ya say?
Wonder if it was that "cold" he always seemed to have?
#3
My guess would be cirrhosis of the liver. And maybe of the pancreas, spleen, and other internal parts.
Boris was 76 when he died. He started embalming himself somewhere around 50.
He grasped greatness, then let it go.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 10:13 Comments ||
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#4
I blame him for Russia falling apart quickly. He had the chance to really change things and get the ball rolling towards capitalism and democracy. Unfortunately, he let go of the ball and it carrened downhill and crushed hope at the bottom.
I also blame Clinton for diddling with Monica while Russia was falling apart. He may not of been able to prevent it, but we could have helped slow or stop the plunge.
Now we get to go through the cold war all over again.
#5
Say what you will, but can you name the last Russian leader who 1 - died peacefully 2 - years after leaving office voluntarily, and 3 - whose death didn't result in an immediate transfer of power?
It's a step in the right direction.
Posted by: Titus Ebbolurt2887 ||
04/23/2007 10:52 Comments ||
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#6
I think the only reason he was alive after he left office is he had no power anymore, and was a broken old drunk that was no real threat to anyone.
#1
How dare those yellow proles they want to have the same things Westerners have?
/leftist liberal greenie moonbat
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/23/2007 0:26 Comments ||
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Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources reported that more than 10 per cent of country's farm land was contaminated. Excessive fertiliser use, dirty water and solid waste were among the main pollutants, with heavy metals alone poisoning around 12 million tonnes of grain a year.
So what if melamine contaminated wheat gluten kills off our pets here in America? So what if lax enforcement and corrupt Chinese bureaucrats turn a blind eye to non-nutritional infant formula that kills babies, poisonous industrial dyes in foodstuffs or marginal civil engineering standards? So what if flagrant violations of common medical practices in Henan Province have led to the largest medically caused AIDS epidemic in history? An epidemic that, through governmental malfeasance, continues to expand on an annual basis.
So what if China may well overtake the United States as a producer of "greenhouse gases" within this year? So what if huge portions of China are undergoing desertification or blight due to some of the worst acid rain in the entire world? So what if priceless archaeological and heritage sites are routinely destroyed in the name of industrial progress? So what if China's massive hydroelectric projects on the Mekong River's headwaters may cause profound ecological damage or food chain collapse for other downstream Southeast Asian nations? So what if China props up a North Korean regime that starves its people into cannibalism and destabilizes the entire Northeast Asian quadrant with nuclear and conventional weapons proliferation?
The Politburo's fixation on "progress" comes at too high of a price for the nations surrounding China. The global community must take measures to begin attenuating China's growth before irreversible damage is done. A massive boycott of Chinese goods and strict enforcement of intellectual property, copyright and trademark violations must be initiated. Without such intervention, China will become the elephant in the henhouse with potentially fatal results for the surrounding chickens.
#3
China, you gotta let us help you with this. The soil effects alone should make you cringe when we talk about Airable land. You need all the land and soil you can muster. Development Does also mean self imposed environmental rules that any engineer could spend days talking about.
#4
Articles all over the Net today and even weekend.
WAFF.com Poster > CHINA WILL BE THE DE FACTO NEXT SUPERPOWER > THE CHINESE DRAGON IS NO LONGER BUYING OUR BONDS. China may use her reported $1.07 Trilyuuhn hard currency reserves in US-based T-Bills agz America. Financial Times + WSJ all recognize the $$$ threat to USA in view of Poster. WORLDNEWS > CHINA TO CREATE NEW GOVT. CENTRAL AGENCY FOR GLOBAL INVESTMENTS, REDUCE DEFICITS [acquire Chinese-centric strategic assets espec in Central-South Americas + Africa].
GLOBALRESEARCH > CHINA DAILY > CHINA EMBRACES INNOVATION, BECOMES NEW GLOBAL RESEARCH AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY CENTER. SCOTSMAN > CHINA RISING TO BECOME WORLD NUMBER ONE.
OTOH, WORLDNEWS/SPACEWAR > NUCLEAR POWER NOT FOR CHINA [domestic energy], China wants the black stuff; + TEN PERCENT of arable = usable Chinese farmland is CONTAMINATED/HEAVILY POLLUTED. Unusability + available Nation-wide acreage expected expected to steadily WORSEN.
The GOOD NEWS? is that, ala the above WAFF POster article, "THE COMMUNISTS ARE TAKING CONTROL ....THEY LOVE MONEY ...LOVE WEALTH ... BUT DON'T WANT THE [PRIVATE] RICH TO WIELD THE POWERS THAT THEY HAVE HERE AMERICA". Fear the Rich taking everything away [from the Commies?]and betraying People and Society & Nation.
#8
If it's as bad as all that, surely within a generation or two the Chinese Problem will be moot. Let's see... there'll be a massive die-off amongst the adult population as HIV becomes full-blown AIDS, not to mention all those poor little HIV-infected babies who never even make it to childhood; there will be the decreased productivity, slow deaths, decreased birth rates and increased birth defects, amongst the majority ingesting dangerously contaminated foodstuffs and water... Oh, and international sales of all sorts of things should drop off as it becomes increasingly clear that products from China are dangerously contaminated. No doubt the price of Ho-hos will go up in the short term, and of course animal feed -- which will leave more for the local Chinese to eat, poor things. Medium term they may end up importing massive amounts of basic foodstuffs that are safe to eat, sucking up a nice chunk of their dollar reserves, and eventually they'll have to hire large numbers of environmental engineers to teach them how to clean up the mess they've created.
On the other hand, significant amounts of lead in the body tissues significantly degrades one's ability to think clearly. In other words, the Chinese leaders may by that time be unable to form the thoughts that would lead them to a realistic answer.
#9
Zen, The Party let the geni out of the bottle when they started down the "(semi)capitalist road". Now they are just trying to keep it under control, but it's hard to control 1 billion poor folks who want the better life they've seen.
#11
In other words, the Chinese leaders may by that time be unable to form the thoughts that would lead them to a realistic answer.
They're Communists; they already have this problem.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/23/2007 11:20 Comments ||
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#12
Can't say enough bad things about the creeps who are running China. The problem with pollution is that it doesn't stay put. It travels and has no respect for international borders. I remember hearing all the greenies wailing about mercury poisoning the fish as if it was all George Bush's fault but the fact is most of the mercury comes from the smokestacks of Chinese coal buring power plants. The only way this is Bush's fault is that he condones trade with China. We should NOT trade with China. We should NOT have let them into WTO. Bush Senior said we need to engage them, not isolate them, but I think he was speaking for the business interests in this country that profit from Chinese imports (Never mind national security and all those profits going to the PLA. Never mind their demand for oil driving up the price for us.). IMHO the Chinese should be isolated until they learn to behave themselves in a more civilized manner.
#15
Bunch of morons. Not only is China becoming more technologically advanced then us, but Gore has been to China. He can't get you bunch of stupid rednecks to listen, what chance does he have with the Chinese? So, what's the problem, anyway? That the Chinese will suck up what's left of the great "Planet Earth Buffet" before you do? Go out and enjoy a sunset. There ain't that many left mostly due to the fact that the comments here faithfully represent the best of human discourse. And because they do, the message being inferred can be reduced to a single statement of fact: We are fucked real bad. Oh, and I know you are all too stupid to understand the meaning of this, but, there is one decent, humanitarian thing all you fucking racist assholes can do as a first and final act of selflessness: don't have kids.
There, Pappy, fixed it for ya. Don't soft-soap it, man, tell it like it is! Algore is a congenital liar and a con man. He needs a hemp necktie, a tall tree, and a short horse.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/23/2007 21:25 Comments ||
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#20
Nah, I think Al's an opportunist. I'd rather seem him hang around another 20 years, when the theory gets blown out of the water, like Mathus' Theory, the ozone layer, 'nuclear winter'...
Maybe YOU are "fucked real bad," Lem-baby, but the normal people around here are doing just fine.
Go shove your nose back up AlBore's ass and leave us normal people alone.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/23/2007 22:31 Comments ||
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#22
I'm into stealing all the Arabs Peek Oil and drinking it today with my eleventeen kidz back to the trailer park. Maybe I'll saw down a couple of old growth trees if I'm feeling good. Tree Jinns and just plain fairies are known to hide in them.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says that he believes that Finland and Sweden are moving at the same pace toward a closer relationship with NATO. "We have not discussed the matter, but it is my forecast that we will move at the same pace", Bildt told reporters when he met with Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ilkka Kanerva, who visited Stockholm on Friday.
Kanerva, who arrived in Sweden on his first working day as Finland's new Foreign Minister, said that it would be useful for the countries to be in step as they move forward in the matter. "I think that it would be noted more seriously among our partners if we could appear together with Sweden", Kanerva said. However, the two foreign ministers jokingly disagreed over whether or not the two countries were moving toward NATO "hand-in-hand".
"Wherever we go in life, we will walk hand in hand", said Bildt, striking a poetic note. "No, no, my hands are in my pockets", Kanerva laughed nervously . And I thought the Belgians were weird ...
An immediate concern for Finland and Sweden is to establish how the countries will participate in the NATO Response Force. "It is quite clear that if we want to take part in crisis management operations, as is Finland's idea, then compatibility with NATO in practical situations is important", Kanerva said. In his view, there is no reason not to deepen relations with NATO according to the offer extended to Finland and Sweden at the alliance's summit in Riga. "The programme of the new government also leaves this possibility open." The Norwegians have recently re-classified the Russkies as a threat to national security, and now Sweden and Finland are jumping on the collective security bandwagon. And they're opting for a NATO, not EU, solution, too.
#1
Does this mean they are going to develop their military to be used in offensive situations, even out of area (eg Iraq, Afghanistan), and of a size for their contribution to be meaningful? As compared to Germany , f'r instance, whose troops apparently are trained to shoot "die Schwarzen" in New York City who insult their mothers.
#3
Note the Swedes did send a medical unit to the Coalition of the First Gulf War. First deployment outside of Sweden since the Napoleonic Wars. My guess is that they want some sort of covering, no matter how thin, to balance against the Russians once the US pulls out of Europe. Consider it far sighted or fatalistic.
The four detained members of the Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front (DHKP-C) have been released from prisons in Bruges and Nivelles.
"Go forth, and revolt no more."
This came after a ruling by the Supreme Court on Thursday which overturned a conviction for membership in a criminal organisation and other charges. The US and the EU consider the DHKP-C to be a terrorist organisation. At about 6 pm 33-year-old Belgian national Bahar Kimyongür was first to leave the Nivelles prison. Dutch national Musa Asoglu (45) and Turkish nationals Kaya Saz (31) and Sükriye Akar (35) were released from Bruges prison at about 7 pm.
None of those names sounds terribly Belgian to my untrained ear.
Seven DHKP-C members had appealed the conviction by the court in Ghent. The seven had been convicted of membership in a criminal organisation and prohibited bearing of arms, and two of them were also convicted of involvement in terrorism.Four were then locked up, but the remaining three - Fehriye Erdal (30), prominent DHKP-C member Dursun Karatas and Zerrin Sari - could not be found.
#1
MARIANAS VARIETY [MVARIETY] > Here in Guam, an AFrican-Amer man proclaiming to be OSAMA BIN LADEN just got arrested by Guam police for failing to pay for a meal.
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's rightwing former interior minister, last night stormed to one of the most impressive first-round victories in French presidential history, making him favourite to beat the socialist Ségolène Royal to the Elysée in a fortnight's time. The head of France's ruling UMP party emerged as the most popular rightwing politician in 30 years after promising to shake France out of its decline with a mixture of free-market reforms, and to restore "authority" with tough law and order measures, clamp down on immigration and instil a sense of "national pride". According to early official counts, he scored 30.5% of the vote.
Addressing a rally of around 2,000 supporters in Paris, Mr Sarkozy said: "I wish only to rally people around a new French dream of a fraternal republic." He said his vision of France valued work, instilled authority and was a France where people did not fear others. He said he would rally the workers, farmers and all those who had suffered and were "exasperated".
Ms Royal, the first woman with a chance of becoming president, comfortably qualified for the second round run-off on May 6, with an estimated 25.7% of the vote, the highest for a Socialist since Francois Mitterrand in 1988. She has styled herself the defender of social justice who "listens to the people", challenging Mr Sarkozy indirectly for his "brutal" style, divisiveness and "dangerous" authoritarianism.
And who better than a socialist to recognize those things?
The centrist Francois Bayrou, the dark horse "third man" who had posed a surprise challenge to the frontrunners, took 18.5% of the vote. Mr Le Pen came fourth with 11.5%, his worst result in a presidential election since he first ran in 1974.
Francois Fillon, of the UMP, widely tipped as Mr Sarkozy's possible future prime minister, said the result was not about "crying victory" but would allow the nation "to choose between two concepts of national identity and two ways of doing politics". Mr Sarkozy, whose inspirations are Charles de Gaulle and Pope John Paul II, has said France needs "a new Renaissance" and has promised to restore pride in "what it means to be French".
Ms Royal has broken away from the traditional left, styling herself as a mother figure who sings the Marseillaise and calling for everyone to place a French flag in their window.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Wel-l-l, DRUDGEREPORT > Brit's JTAC terror analysis centre [located within MI5 on London] warns that AL-QAEDA may possibly be planning large-scale terro attacks inside Britain/UK, wid potens support from Iran, ON PAR WID HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI, AND WILL "SHAKE THE ROMAN THRONE". FRANCE OR USA OR BRIT, WHICH SUPER-PC POL WANTS TO BE LEADER IFF AND WHEN SUCH "MASS/HIGH-CASUALTY" [article]OCCURS. and then SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH says the Nation CAN NOT = MUST NOT "RETALIATE".
#4
A serious and sober France would much more helpful... or at least less harmful, than the current Chiraq-led one. Even a France turned inward as she addresses her own problems would be better for the world than the dangerous games she now plays. My prayer for France is that Sarkozy is as good as his brave words.
#6
Quite BP - watch the remnants of the French economy and society implode.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/23/2007 8:24 Comments ||
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#7
I have a bad feeling that Sarko is Chirac fils.
Posted by: E. Brown ||
04/23/2007 11:42 Comments ||
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#8
About 25% voted for the extreme right and left.
20% for the center.
My bet would be Sarkozy but he'll have to convince enough of the far right, and left and center to win. It's going to be a tough job.
In the EU I don't know if the "patriotic" card still works.
#9
You are wrong. Chirac flirted with the Communist Party when he was young. while Sarkozy has never forgotten his family had to flee communism in order to survive.
Chirac is a pathological anti-american (1) and veiled anti-semitic, Sarkozy is both America and Israel friendly.
Chira
Chirac has ever been an obssessive womanizer (and a brothel patron before success in politics brought success with women). After meeting Cecilia, his wife, Sarkozy seems to have been a one-woman man and that despite her having an affair (Seems Chirac/Villepin managed for her getting a report from police/secret services telling that Sarkozy was cheating her. It was untrue)
Finally Chirac hates Sarkozy for siding with Balladur in 1995 (and for an a affair with his daughter) and has tried to kill him politically. Sarkozy loathes and despises Chirac.
(1) I suspect that during his stay in America when he was twenty he tried to seduce/have sex with an American girl and was laughed upon. I suspect his male vanity is one of the rteasons of his hate for America.
#10
Forgot to say that Chirac is a pure product of France's civil service and ever been a statist (except for a short time during the Reagan revolution) while Srakozy
#12
I despise France, so I hope Royal wins. If anyone can run that country into the ground, she can.
I don't despise France, but I DO despise the French Government/Civil Service, and 2/3 of the residents of Paris and its environs. A volcano popping up in the center of Paris would destroy a lot of nice buildings, art, etc., but would cause me no distress at all. All French socialists should die from a horribly painful disease. Chirac should have to swan-dive into a glass of water from the top of the Eifel Tower, wrapped in 200lb of lead. Hanging's too good for him. All French politicians should have to spend two weeks at Fort Erwin during a "field problem" - in the summertime. Book 'em into the local Motel 6, and have the air conditioning break down. The survivors get to go home.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/23/2007 21:36 Comments ||
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#13
Old Patriot - I bow to your superior Francophobia.
David Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who chronicled the Washington press corps, the Vietnam War generation and baseball, was killed in a car crash early Monday, a coroner said. He was 73.
Halberstam, a New Yorker, was a passenger in a car that was broadsided by another vehicle near in Menlo Park, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said.
"Looking at the accident and examining him at the scene indicated it's most likely internal injuries," Foucrault said.
...In the mid 1960s, Halberstam covered the Vietnam War for The New York Times. While there, he gathered material for his book The Making of a Quagmire: America and Vietnam during the Kennedy Era. In 1963, he received a George Polk Award for his reporting at the New York Times. At the age of 30, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the war. He is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film on the Vietnam War entitled In the Year of the Pig.
Halberstam put an enormous effort into his book about Kennedy's foreign policy decisions about the Vietnam War, The Best and the Brightest. Synthesizing material from dozens of books and many dozens of interviews, Halberstam focused on the odd paradox that those who crafted the U.S. war effort in Vietnam were some of the most intelligent, well-connected and self-confident men in America -- "the best and the brightest" -- and yet those same men were unable to imagine and promote any but a bloody and disastrous course in the Vietnam War.
Thousands of readers began The Best and the Brightest feeling that the U.S. must pursue the war in Vietnam until "victory" was achieved, but became convinced by Halberstam's book that the U.S. lacked the backbone to stand up for itself and should withdraw from Vietnam...
#2
It's like that Demo Congresswoman; if you can't say something nice about the dead...
Posted by: Mac ||
04/23/2007 19:19 Comments ||
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The Powers That Be was excellent.
So was The Fifties.
The Best and the Brightest was pretty good, and I thought it well worth reading.
The baseball book was ok.
I've read a couple of others but disremember them at the moment. (I did not read his book on Bobby Kennedy, but will now.)
He was, in my opinion, the best of his kind; he chronicled his time, with extensive research and an easy-to-read style. I never once had to restrain myself from throwing the book through the window because of flagrant spin or outright lies. You knew who he admired and why, and it was not entirely without justification. The same applied to those he despised. I respect that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/23/2007 20:09 Comments ||
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#6
If I remember correctly, Bill James' view of his baseball book was not as charitable. I trust Bill better as a baseball historian.
There is an irony in this: David Halberstam dies in a car crash; his brother, Dr. Michael Halberstam, died while crashing his car. Michael had been shot by a jewel thief, you see, and in his last moments on Earth he ran over the thief with his car.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/23/2007 20:21 Comments ||
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#7
Thousands of readers began The Best and the Brightest feeling that the U.S. must pursue the war in Vietnam until "victory" was achieved, but became convinced by Halberstam's book that the U.S. lacked the backbone to stand up for itself and should withdraw from Vietnam...
Democratic congresswoman, Juanita Millender-McDonald, has died of cancer. Millender-McDonald, who was 68, died late Saturday at her home in Carson, California, said her chief of staff, Bandele McQueen. McQueen on Sunday could provide no details on what form of cancer Millender-McDonald had. He said she had been receiving hospice care.
Condolences to the family.
Under California election procedures, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has 14 days to set a date for a special election to fill the seat. Her death will not affect the balance of power in the House, where Democrats have a solid majority.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Koa, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, will do anything for a fresh fish - including alerting her US navy handlers to potential terrorists. Koa is one of about 100 marine mammals housed at Naval Base Point Loma, located on a scenic peninsula jutting into San Diego Harbour.
Officials at the base briefly opened their doors to the media recently for the first time since the start of the war in Iraq. The demonstration came a few weeks after the navy announced plans to ship up to 30 dolphins and sea lions to patrol the waters of Washington state's Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, which is home to nuclear submarines, ships and laboratories.
Even in today's high-tech world of underwater robotics and unmanned vehicles, the navy says animals like Koa are its best line of defence against attacks from the sea. "Biologically, they are better than anything we have ever made," said Mike Rothe, head of science for the navy's marine mammal program.
About 75 dolphins and 25 sea lions are in the program. Both species can find mines and swimmers in murky waters. Working in unison, the dolphins are trained to drop a flashing light by the target, while sea lions can attach a tether to it.
The dolphins live in a series of interconnected pens by several jetties in the harbour. Most enclosures are about nine metres wide by about nine metres long, with net floors about three metres down. By opening gates between the pens, handlers let the dolphins interact for much of the day, Rothe said.
About 200 technicians, trainers and other staff care for the animals. Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Dallaglio said all the dolphins had different personalities and seemed to enjoy their work. He helps look after Ten, a 24-year-old Atlantic bottlenose. "When she was born, she was perfect, and she's perfect still," he said. "She's a real sweetheart."
The navy's sea mammal program started in the late 1950s and grew to comprise 140 animals during the Cold War. Dolphins helped protect a pier in the Vietnam War. A veteran from that conflict, a dolphin nearing 50 years of age, still lives in San Diego at the naval base.
The last time the marine mammals were deployed overseas was in the Iraqi harbour of Umm Qasr in 2003, where they located underwater mines and cleared a path for marines to land. They also were used in San Diego in 1996 when they patrolled the bay during the Republican Party's national convention.
Rogue swimmers planting bombs pose a real threat, said Commander Jon Wood, who deployed to Iraq with the mammals. He said there were several cases of insurgent forces laying charges on floating objects in Vietnam.
By the late 1990s, US navy officials began phasing out the program, expecting technology to take over. But that still has not happened and the dolphins and sea lions will be used until at least 2012.
In response to questions about whether the animals have been trained to attack, officials said no. "We have never trained any navy marine mammals to do any harming, attacking or stabbing," navy spokesman Tom LaPuzza said. "We have never done anything like that, and we never will."
Animal rights activists are resisting navy plans to ship the dolphins and sea lions to Washington state. They worry that waters in the region, which are about six degrees Celsius cooler than in San Diego Harbour, could put stress on the animals. They also are concerned diseases could be transmitted to the area's native orca population. "There are no bottlenose dolphins in these waters for a reason and I would say it's because it's too darn cold," said Seattle-area marine biologist Toni Frohoff.
Protesters showed up at public meetings held by the navy in the Seattle area to discuss the navy's plan. Several of them knitted woolly hats and sailor uniforms for the animals as a way of drawing attention to the issue - costumes that could never actually be worn. "People contributed some handsome hats, and there's talk of mittens," said Knitting for Dolphins member Janet Bailey.
Perhaps we could get the 'Ranger Up' folks to contribute some dolphin T's?
Dr Stephanie Wong, a military veterinarian, said the dolphins are closely monitored for any signs of disease.
The navy's plan to ship marine mammals to Washington state is still in its early stages. Officials aim to complete an environmental impact report later this year.
BHUBANESWAR - India on Sunday successfully tested a surface-to-surface version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile developed jointly with Russia, official sources said. The missile was fired from a mobile launcher from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of eastern Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar, official sources said. Sundays test was just routine. A user trial, a defence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The missile was last successfully tested on February 4.
First tested in June 2001, the missile named after Indias Brahmaputra River and Russias Moskva River has a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles) and can carry a 300-kilogram (660 pound) conventional warhead. The eight-metre (26-foot) missile weighs about three metric tonnes and can be launched from land, ships, submarines or aircraft, traveling at a speed of up to Mach 2.8.
The Indian army is set to start deploying the missile this year, the CEO of its manufacturer BrahMos Aerospace A. Sivathanu Pillai said last month. A version of the BrahMos is already used by the Indian navy.
Defence sources said India and Russia are now working towards developing a hypersonic missile, a more advanced version of the BrahMos.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Looks like they tested another cruise missile a few weeks ago...
The Secret New Missile
Revelations indicate that India is quietly building an SLCM to complete its nuclear triad
Indias strategists have for long regarded nuclear-tipped Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles (SLCMs)essentially, it requires arming a submarine prowling undetected under the oceanas the survivable platform most suited to the nations second-strike doctrine. Recent revelations about a secret cruise missile programme, aptly titled Sagarika (Oceanic), give the first indications of the elusive third sea-based leg becoming a reality.
Hours after the Agni 3 splashed into the Indian Ocean on April 12, an elated M. Natarajan had obliquely hinted at the possibility. We have had three successful tests in the last few daysthe Dhanush (a ship-launched version of the Prithvi ballistic missile test fired on March 30), the Agni 3 and, in between, a strategic system I cannot talk about, the DRDO chief had said. That, say insiders, was the confirmation of a test of the Sagarika from a submersible pontoon launcher. Indigenously-built, with a range of nearly 1,000 km and a 500-kg warhead, the cruise missile has two variants capable of being launched from aircraft and submarines. Still under development, the vertically-launched missile is at least five years away from induction. One of the key challenges in fielding a nuclear-tipped variant of the Sagarika would be to miniaturise a nuclear warhead to fit the around 6-metre-long missile.
Cruise missiles are low-flying, intelligent, pilotless aircraft. Powered by turbo-jet engines, and guided by onboard computer and pre-fed terrain maps, like the US Tomahawk, they can hit targets with pinpoint accuracy. Such missiles can be fitted with a tactical nuclear warhead or a conventional payload. Fitted on nuclear submarines capable of traversing the globe, they become lethal force multipliers. While Sagarika is the primary armament for the long-delayed indigenous nuclear submarine, the Advanced Technology Vessel, the IAF is believed to be considering equipping a medium transport aircraft with the stand-off missile in the interim.
Cruise missiles are more difficult to detect and, hence, less vulnerable to anti-missile defences which can track and destroy ballistic missiles. Pakistans Babur cruise missile, that can carry a 500-kg warhead across 500 km, is seen as a response to Indias proposed missile shield. Strategic cruise missiles with their high survivability will add to the flexibility of Indias minimum credible deterrent, says K. Santhanam, coordinator for the Pokhran-II tests.
Yet, what is it about the Sagarika that inspires the cloak of secrecy? Senior DRDO scientists wax eloquent about the Agni 3 but maintain a studied silence about the Sagarika.
Two years ago, then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee had confirmed the programme: This is a DRDO project but we would not like to make a premature advertisement. Later, in Parliament, he denied the project even existed. One reason for the secrecy is the possible adverse impact on the Indo-US nuclear deal. The secrecy is understandable. It would be unwise to talk of fielding a new strategic capability when we are developing partnerships with the US, says Air Marshal (retired) Kapil Kak of the Centre for Strategic Studies.
Started in the early 1990s as a 350-km, short-ranged submarine-launched ballistic missile, Sagarika was initially designed as a solid-fuelled version of the Prithvi. But the idea was shelved after the navy indicated its preference for a cruise missile. Sagarika will not be the only strategic cruise missile. The Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace plans to field Brahmos 2 by 2010: a hypersonic cruise missile that can cover more than 1,000 km at Mach 8, or nearly eight times the speed of sound
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/23/2007 6:24 Comments ||
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#2
India commercial rocket takes off
India's first commercial rocket has been launched into space.
The rocket, a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), took off from the Sriharikota base in southern India at 1530 Indian time (1000 GMT).
It is carrying a 352kg Italian satellite which will gather information about the origins of the universe, the AFP news agency reports.
India's space programme includes an unmanned mission to the moon which is due to take place next year.
"The payload will be separated from the vehicle in its orbit 23 minutes after the takeoff," a spokesman for the Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation said before the launch.
The PSLV model rocket was first launched in 1994. It puts satellites into orbits where they cross above the earth's poles.
Reports say that India is being paid $11m to launch the Italian satellite.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/23/2007 6:30 Comments ||
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#3
A highlight was a manoeuvre by the missile in its terminal stage. The manoeuvring was important from the operational point of view because the missile would deviate from its path and strike the enemy tangentially, informed defence sources said.
BrahMos is a two-stage missile. It is nine metres tall and weighs 3.9 tonnes with the canister. It can reach a speed of 3 Mach and has a range of 290 km. It can be launched from ships, silos and road and rail mobile launchers.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/23/2007 16:35 Comments ||
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#4
Impressive orbital injection.
Should give the Chinese some concern regarding the accuracy of the Indian warheads on the Agni-3
While the international rates for launching a satellite ranged between $10,000 and $15,000, Antrix charged $ 29,000 a kg because Agile had to be put in a specific orbit of about 550 km at a low inclination of 2.5 degrees to the equator, said Mr. Sridhara Murthi. This was a difficult orbit and inclination to achieve, and hence the premium rates.
G. Madhavan Nair, ISRO Chairman, said the accuracy of the PSLV-C8 mission could be gauged from the fact while the vehicle was to put Agile into a circular orbit 550 km above the earth at an inclination of 2.5 degrees, what was achieved was an orbit between 549 km and 551 km at an inclination of 2.46 degrees. "For any launch vehicle, it is a remarkable achievement," he said. It proved the performance of the PSLV-C8's navigation, guidance and control systems.
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/23/2007 18:25 Comments ||
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Opposition parties are trying to convince the Pakistan Peoples Party to join the grand opposition alliance against the Musharraf-led military regime, said Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) General Secretary and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday.
He said if the PPP could not be convinced to join the opposition then the grand alliance would proceed without its participation. He said the PPP should examine the issue seriously. Rehman expressed these views while talking to journalists at the Wagah border crossing before he left for India. Referring to the Musharraf regime, he said it was exaggerating the threat of extremism to gain support from the US for the coming general elections. He said that the only reason PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto was issuing statements against extremism was that she wanted to prove herself more moderate than President Gen Pervez Musharraf to the Western nations.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is not striking a deal with the government, Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim told former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif on Sunday. A four-member PPP delegation led by Fahim called on Sharif in London and delivered PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhuttos message to him that reports of the PPP striking a deal with the government were baseless, a TV channel reported. Fahim said the PPP and the PML-N were united on the ARD platform. We want restoration of democracy and supremacy of the constitution, he added. We also support lawyers struggling for the independence of the judiciary. We will continue our struggle from the ARD platform to achieve our target, the ARD chief said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in collaboration with Interpol and the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis has recovered 43 children smuggled to Middle East countries as camel jockeys, during the first three-and-a-half months of this year.
The agency has also arrested 26 human traffickers and their agents from different parts of the country and investigations against them are underway, Daily Times has learnt. Most recovered children belong to remote areas of Sindh and the Punjab. Sources said the human traffickers had tricked poor parents by telling them that philanthropists had taken the responsibility to provide education to their children in big cities. The human-traffickers also fixed a monthly stipend of between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for the parents.
The sources said officials from the FIAs passport cell in Multan, Bahawalpur and Hyderabad had completed the investigation against the arrested and sent challans of the cases to the courts.
The sources said four jockeys had been killed during camel races in ME countries in last six years but their ill-fated parents were unaware of it. Mirza Mohammad Yaseen, the FIA additional director general, told Daily Times that the agency was in touch with Interpol to apprehend the members of these gangs involved in smuggling children to Dubai and other ME countries. FIA Director General Tariq Pervez, who is in France to attend an Interpol meeting, would urge the authorities concerned to expedite the arrest of human traffickers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Stockholm schools that banned sweets, buns and soft drinks saw the number of overweight children drop by six percentage points in four years, a Karolinska Institute study published on Monday showed.
The number of overweight or obese six-to-10-year-olds dropped from 22 to 16 percent in the 10 Stockholm schools that participated in the study by banning sweets and introducing healthier lunches, the Swedish research institute said in a statement.
A control group of schools that did not introduce specific food regulations saw the number of overweight or obese children rise from 18 to 21 percent.
The results of the project were to be presented on Monday in Budapest at an international conference on obesity.
"Our results show that programmes to reduce the increasing rate of obesity can be carried out within the schools' existing budgets," the head of the project, Professor Claude Marcus, said in the statement.
"We also interpret the results to mean that clear regulations in schools can help parents to set standards for their children and improve dietary habits at home," it said.
Here's how this works: Lots of carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels. Higher blood sugar levels call for insulin. High enough insulin levels tell the body that there is plenty of food and it is time to put on fat for the winter. Of course, simple carbs like sugars spike the insulin level even harder and the body reacts by putting on even more fat. On the other hand, low insulin levels tip the body to a fat-burning metabolism no matter how much sugar is in the blood. Low-carb diets work by taking advantage of these principles.
Carbonated drinks are evil. They stretch the stomach. You need to eat more food for that stretched out stomach to decide that it is stretched enough to be full and then tell the brain about it. That signal takes the brain about 20 minutes to process.
#1
Stockholm schools that banned sweets, buns and soft drinks saw the number of overweight children drop by six percentage points in four years, a Karolinska Institute study published on Monday showed.
Back in ancient history, in our basic intro to stats, we were told that statistical error was usually around 5%. So a 6% could be 6% or 1%. Particularly when multiple outside factors may come into play that are usually inconvenient to identify.
A pill that can correct a wide range of faulty genes which cause crippling illnesses should be available within three years, promising a revolution in the treatment of thousands of conditions.
The drug, known as PTC124, has already had encouraging results in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. The final phase of clinical trials is to begin this year, and it could be licensed as early as 2009.
As well as offering hope of a first effective treatment for two conditions that are at present incurable, the drug has excited scientists because research suggests it should also work against more than 1,800 other genetic illnesses.
PTC124 targets a particular type of mutation that can cause very different symptoms according to the gene that is disrupted. This makes it potentially useful against a range of inherited disorders.
The same drug could be given to patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most serious form of the muscle-wasting condition, cystic fibrosis, which mainly affects the lungs, and haemophilia, in which the blood does not clot. It can be taken orally, and safety trials have not revealed any major side effects.
There are literally thousands of genetic diseases that could benefit from this approach, Lee Sweeney, of the University of Pennsylvania, who is leading the research, said. Whats unique about this drug is it doesnt just target one mutation that causes disease, but a whole class of mutations.
In most genetic conditions, between 5-15 per cent of cases are caused by a defect called a nonsense mutation. Genes are instruction manuals for cells to make proteins, but nonsense mutations in effect introduce a command halfway through that stops production. The kind of protein disrupted determines the nature of the disease.
In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, for example, the protein necessary for normal muscle development is not made, and the fatal wasting disease is the result. In haemophilia, it is the gene for the clotting agents factor VIII or factor IX that is disrupted.
PTC124 works by binding to a part of the cell called the ribosome, which translates genetic code into protein, and allows it to ignore nonsense mutations. The gene can be read straight through and a normal protein is produced.
The beauty of the drug is that it should be useful with any disease caused by a nonsense mutation, no matter what its outward effects. The error is not corrected, but ignored. Patients would have to take the pill throughout their lives.
PTC124, which is made by PTC Therapeutics, has been staggeringly successful in animal models. A study published today in Nature shows that in mice with a nonsense mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the drug starts dystrophin production and restores their muscles to health.
The drug has passed safety trials in humans, and the results of phase-two trials on cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy will be published shortly.
About 13 per cent of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have a nonsense mutation and should respond to the drug. It would not be suitable for treating different mutations in the dystrophin gene, or diseases not caused by nonsense mutations.
Other diseases that can be caused by nonsense mutations include beta thalassaemia, a blood disorder, and Hurler syndrome, in which childrens mental and physical development stops and most patients die by the age of 10.
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.
ALAMEDA, California (Reuters) -- The U.S. Coast Guard unloaded nearly 20 tons of cocaine with a retail street value of $600 million at a California port Monday following what they called the largest drug bust at sea. The armed Coast Guard Cutter Sherman made the bust March 17 when it stopped the Panamanian cargo ship Gatun about 20 miles off a Panamanian island. 
A second extortion case was filed yesterday against detained former Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam with Shyamnagar Police Station. Two other local Jamaat leaders -- Gazi Nazrul's private assistant (PA) Gausul Azam from Khanpur village and a Jamaat Rokon Mahfuzur Rahman from Nurnagar village in Shyamnagar upazila -- have also been accused in the case.
The drama surrounding 
The four detained members of the Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front (DHKP-C) have been released from prisons in Bruges and Nivelles. 
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's rightwing former interior minister, last night stormed to one of the most impressive first-round victories in French presidential history, making him favourite to beat the socialist Ségolène Royal to the Elysée in a fortnight's time. The head of France's ruling UMP party emerged as the most popular rightwing politician in 30 years after promising to shake France out of its decline with a mixture of free-market reforms, and to restore "authority" with tough law and order measures, clamp down on immigration and instil a sense of "national pride". According to early official counts, he scored 30.5% of the vote.
Ms Royal, the first woman with a chance of becoming president, comfortably qualified for the second round run-off on May 6, with an estimated 25.7% of the vote, the highest for a Socialist since Francois Mitterrand in 1988. She has styled herself the defender of social justice who "listens to the people", challenging Mr Sarkozy indirectly for his "brutal" style, divisiveness and "dangerous" authoritarianism.
A pill that can correct a wide range of faulty genes which cause crippling illnesses should be available within three years, promising a revolution in the treatment of thousands of conditions. 
