Pakistan militants in Karzai ambush

Afghanistan's intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh blamed militants from Pakistan for Sunday's incident, saying it was unclear if Pakistan's special agencies gave the "go ahead" for attack, which killed three people but left Karzai unscathed.

"The evidence once again shows that the soil of Pakistan has been used against us," Saleh told CNN. "Clearly there (is) very, very strong evidence suggesting that Pakistan soil once again has been used to inflict pain upon our nation."

Afghan security forces searching for militants tied to the attack raided several homes early Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of seven people -- including a woman and child with ties to militants -- according to Saleh.

Something must change on Musharraf’s lads if we want peace in the area. Do you remember Musharraf? George W. Bush’s best friend and ally in the war against terror!!!

Zimbabwe goes for a run-off

A senior official with Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party said opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and incumbent President Robert Mugabe must compete in a presidential run-off, based on its election results.

Tsvangirai received 47 percent of the vote in last month's election while Mugabe received 43 percent, the senior official said. A candidate must receive 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a presidential run-off in Zimbabwe.

Asked if the results came from Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission, the official would not specify. "We have ways of knowing these things," he said. A spokesman for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change rejected the ZANU-PF figures as rigged and said the party would refuse to participate in any run-off vote.

Mugabe count the days, your cell is ready waiting!

Candelit in Austria for the cellar family

Hundreds of people have held an emotional candlelit vigil in the Austrian town where Josef Fritzl kept his daughter in a cellar for 24 years.

The residents of Amstetten were showing solidarity for the woman, Elisabeth, and the children she bore him. "We want to show that Amstetten is not a town for criminals", said the mayor.

Police say DNA evidence confirms Mr. Fritzl's confession that he is the father of his daughter Elisabeth's six surviving children. Several hundred people gathered for an emotional tribute on Tuesday evening to Mr. Fritzl's family. The event was organized by a local convent school. Children, their parents, teachers and nuns lit candles and stood in the rain to express their solidarity and outrage.

What else can you say about this monster?

A cartoon from the Ovi magazine

For More Lift Spirits HERE!

For more Ovi magazine Cartoons HERE!

The Ovi magazine today

Diametrically Different: Dragons East & West by Valerie Sartor To begin to grasp the extreme differences in culture and thought between China and the western world one of the most startling distinctions can be found by examining the universal dragon motif.

By example by Thanos Kalamidas
It sounds ironic that Syria is building a nuclear reactor, especially after finding out that North Korea is helping them.

Piper in the Wood -- Song by Christopher Wilkinson
I thought of the urges for creativity pivoted against needs to conform. From out of these thoughts the story of the Piper of Hamlin filled my memory. Then I wrote Piper in the Wood.

Lift Spirits #02 by Thanos K & Asa B
Lift doors slide open, you enter, press the button and then face that awkward proximity to a stranger... perhaps this will lift your spirit.

Obama offended with pastor ...teachings

Democratic US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has expressed "outrage" at comments made by Rev Jeremiah Wright.

He said that any relationship he had with his former pastor "has now changed" as a result of the comments. Clips of Rev Wright's fiery sermons triggered a storm of criticism when they were aired last month.

Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's rival Hillary Clinton was endorsed by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley, and Republican John McCain unveiled a healthcare plan.

Turkey becomes …very slowly democracy

Turkey's parliament has approved the softening of a law criticized by the EU for limiting free speech.

Article 301 of the penal code has been used to prosecute Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and other intellectuals. Since 2003, hundreds of people have been tried under the controversial law for "insulting Turkishness".

However, critics argue the amendments do not go far enough. Insulting the Turkish nation will still be a crime, punishable by two years in jail. Parliament voted 250-65 in favor of a government-backed proposal to make changes to the law late on Tuesday night.

Under the reformed law:

It will be a crime to insult the Turkish nation, rather than Turkishness.

The justice minister will be required to open each case.

The maximum sentence will be two years in jail, rather than three.

The EU has long called for changes to Article 301, arguing that the law places severe restrictions on free speech in Turkey. The issue has threatened to scupper Turkey's EU accession talks.

Amazing and inexcusable that any country in the civil world would ever have this kind of laws! I hope you noticed that the Turks ...soften the law!!! these are very ...slow steps towards democracy!

Russian tensions with Georgia

Russia has warned it will retaliate if Georgia uses force against its breakaway regions.

Moscow has accused Georgia of preparing to invade Abkhazia, and says it is boosting Russian forces there and in the South Ossetia region. Georgia has reacted angrily to the Russian move, which its prime minister called "irresponsible".

The EU also urged caution; saying to increase troop numbers would be unwise given current tensions. Russia's foreign minister said his country was not preparing for war but would "retaliate" to any attack. Russia says Georgia is massing 1,500 soldiers and police in the upper Kodori Gorge, the only part of Abkhazia which remains under government control.

Is never quiet in the eastern front!

Zimbabwe, the activists are free

Police in Zimbabwe have freed more than 180 opposition activists without charge four days after they were detained.

This comes as a Zimbabwean human rights group accuses the government of using violence in rural areas to rig a possible presidential run-off. A BBC contributor in the southern town of Masvingo reports that the bodies of two opposition activists have been found after they were abducted.

Allies of President Robert Mugabe say the violence is being exaggerated. Another BBC contributor, in the eastern town of Mutare, reports that opposition activists are starting to take revenge on ruling party militants. He says they burnt down a militant base in Odzi, just north of Mutare on Monday, while the state-owned Herald newspaper says an army training camp was attacked.

He has to back somehow, now Mugabe has the whole international community against him, even his last allies leaving him!

DNA proved that he is the father

DNA evidence supports an Austrian man's confession that he fathered six children by his daughter while keeping her prisoner for 24 years, police say.

Lower Austria police chief Franz Polzer said Josef Fritzl, 73, had completely deceived his wife, his family and the authorities in the town of Amstetten. Hospital officials meanwhile said Mr. Fritzl's daughter and her children had experienced an "astonishing" reunion.

They met at a clinic where they are receiving psychiatric treatment. Earlier, Mr. Fritzl was detained for a further 14 days by a regional court in the provincial capital of St Poelton. He said nothing to the examining magistrate on the advice of his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, who met him earlier in the day, prosecutors said.

The father, the grandfather, the torturer the rapist, the monster with the many faces and DNA is not necessary top prove the last one!

Food crisis task force

The United Nations is to set up a task force to tackle the global food crisis. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said the rise in food prices around the world had turned into a challenge of global proportions.

The task force, chaired by Mr. Ban, will be made up of the heads of UN agencies and the World Bank. It will explore both emergency and long-term measures to tackle the crisis caused by the recent sharp rise in the price of staple foods such as wheat.

Typical, it had to go to raids in many places around the world before they realize that they have to do something. I bet in the next G8 meeting they will announce programs for the …hungry. In the meantime who knows how many will die from starvation!

The Ovi magazine today

Some thoughts on the Greek fires (In Greek) by Dimitra Karantzeni

An interview with the representative of Greenpeace in Greece about the wildfires and some personal thoughts. (In Greek).

98% of Nokia is ownership of American funds by Luis Alves
Nokia is a multinational with an overwhelming majority of non-Finnish shareholders, distributed by various nationalities. The most representative are the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Switzerland.

Dance! by Steve Cartwright
It's well known that an artist becomes more popular by dying, so I'm pummelling my head with a frozen mackerel. Take a gander at my online gallery... and please hurry with your response - this mackerel's killin' me!

iBite by Thanos Kalamidas
iBite is a snappy selection of news from around the world accompanied by a cynical, albeit humourous, comment from Mr T. Kalamidas.

Texas sect girls mostly mothers

More than half of the teenage girls removed from a polygamist sect in Eldorado, Texas, are either mothers or currently pregnant, US officials say.

All 463 children on the Yearning For Zion Ranch were taken into care after allegations of sexual abuse prompted police to raid the ranch this month. Officials from the sect deny that any children were abused at the ranch.

Authorities believe that of the 53 girls aged between 14 and 17, 29 are already mothers and two are pregnant. "It shows you a pretty distinct pattern, that it was pretty pervasive," said Darrell Azar, a spokesman for the Texas Child Protective Services.

And then we act like we cannot understand what happened in Austria. What about these women?

Kill at will, Mozambique

Police in Mozambique have been accused of killing and torturing people with near total impunity.

The human rights group Amnesty International has published a report saying the Mozambique police appear to think they have a license to kill. The group says officials have responded to rising crime rates with often lethal force but, but that they almost never face criminal proceedings.

Police in the southern African nation refused to comment on the report. Amnesty's report was published just a day after Mozambique's League for Human Rights said the country's human rights situation had deteriorated in 2008.

After Mugabe, Mozambique. It seems that the suffering of the humanity is never ending!

Austrian sex captor

Austrian police are continuing to question an elderly man who admitted holding his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathering her seven children.

Police said Josef Fritzl also admitted burning the body of a baby who died at the house in Amstetten, Lower Austria. Mr. Fritzl, 73, remains in custody. His daughter, now 42, and her six surviving children have been taken into care.

A lawyer for the victims said the case showed no sign of institutional failure on behalf of the Austrian authorities. "Up until now there is no sign that there was any mistake by officials," the lawyer, Christoph Herbst, was quoted as saying by the Austrian Press Agency (APA).

"If there had been such a mistake we would obviously have to talk about it." However, Austrian media are questioning how such grave crimes went undetected for so long.

Definitely there is something wrong with the Austrian society but I have the sense that there is something wrong with all the societies as well. Would any of us understand if there was something like that in our neighborhood? Most of us have no idea who lives next door!

Tariq Aziz next for trial in Iraq

Do you remember him? The man minister-clown of Saddam? Iraq's former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz is due on trial over the deaths of a group of merchants in 1992.

Mr. Aziz, along with seven other former members of Saddam Hussein's regime, are accused of involvement in the execution of about 40 merchants in Baghdad.

The merchants were accused of hiking food prices at a time when Iraq was under international sanctions. They were executed after a speedy trial. Mr. Aziz's son, Ziad, has said that his father is innocent.

He’s innocent? Man since when cruelty is an excuse for being innocent? I think the question now is how guilty is Iraqi justice and they will execute another one, otherwise the man is not innocent is guilty to everything and should spend life in prison.

Hundreds Flee fires near Los Angeles

Firefighters gained ground Sunday against an early season wildfire that slowly chewed its way through dense brush near Los Angeles, forcing more than 1,000 people from homes in the foothills.

About 500 firefighters attacked the 400-acre fire, aided by two helicopters and water-dropping air tankers, said Elisa Weaver, spokeswoman for the city of Sierra Madre. Residents evacuated at least 550 homes Saturday night and Sunday, but none had burned. "This is pretty serious," Weaver said. "Some of these areas have not burned in over 40 years."

Crews had the fire 30 percent contained by Sunday evening, Sierra Madre spokesman James Carlson said. Light winds and rising humidity were aiding firefighters, who hoped to have the blaze fully contained within 4-7 days, Carlson said.

They started early this year. Let’s see what will be left the next few months.

Travolta’s mustache

With a new cropped haircut, it appears as if Travolta has decided to do the decent thing now that his hairline is waving goodbye to his forehead.

And the moustache and bold new sideburns certainly draw the eye away from his shiny pate, as does the tough-guy tattoo he is sporting on his neck.

It's a far cry from the days of Grease and Saturday Night Fever in the 1970s, when Travolta famously slick hairstyles almost stole the show.

Oh man after Saturday night fever the rebel without cause? The easy rider? What’s the matter with the guy? Does scientology makes all that to human?

A cartoon from Ovi magazine

For More Life Undercover HERE!

For more Cartoons HERE!

Food crisis

Key United Nations development agencies are meeting in Switzerland to try to develop solutions to ease the escalating global food crisis.

Led by secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, officials want to mitigate the impact of the steep rise in staple food prices and prevent food shortages worsening. The World Food Programme (WFP) has said an extra 100 million people need food aid because of higher prices. Food has become increasingly expensive, triggering unrest in several countries.

Ki-moon is waking up and somebody told him that people are hungry and it is UN obligation to do something!!!

Erdogan in Syria

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, as part of efforts to secure a peace deal between Syria and Israel.

Mr. Erdogan said both nations had sought Turkey's help on the issue. Mediation would begin at a low level and, if successful, progress to higher-level officials, he said.

On Thursday Syria said Israel had indicated it would be prepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for peace. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declined to comment on the reports, but Mr. Olmert has said that he is interested in peace in Syria.

Israel and Syria remain technically at war, although both sides have recently spoken of their desire for peace.

It looks like a holiday advert; dictators from all around the world come to Syria … What’s the matter with Erdogan? He heard that the North Koreans help Syria to build a nuclear reactor and they run to take their share?

He admits daughter abuse

A 73-year-old Austrian man has confessed to imprisoning his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathering her seven children, police have said.

The head of the criminal affairs bureau in the province of Lower Austria, Franz Polzer, said that Josef F had confessed during questioning on Monday. Authorities are caring for the daughter and her six surviving children.

Earlier, police released photos of the man's basement which showed concealed a network of tiny windowless chambers. The rooms were equipped for sleeping and cooking, and with sanitary facilities, they added.

Admitting doesn’t automatically bring forgiveness if ever this girl and her kids will be able to forget and forgive!

Ovi magazine today

	The Man and the hat, a.k.a. Terry Pratchett by Jarkko Vaheristo Terry Pratchett, the man behind the incredible Discworld series, celebrates his 60th birthday today. It's time to visit Discworld... (Add a comment)
	A psycho killer called Mugabe by Thanos Kalamidas Reading the news I was wondering how many graves the people of Zimbabwe will find after Mugabe's regime ends. I was wondering how many mothers cry this very minute for their missing sons and daughters and how many kids grieve for their parents.
	Claude Levi-Strauss and the Timelessness of Myth by Emanuel L. Paparella Claude Levi-Strauss did not consider himself a professional philosopher but he too, via anthropology, arrived at the fundamental insight that myths across different cultures, though distinct in content, share a universal structure.
	"there's a fire beyond the sky" by Bohdan Yuri "He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realise." - Oscar Wilde Life Undercover #75 by Thanos K & Asa B It is time to change the sheets... our inquisitive duvet-loving hero has some female company now asking the great questions of life, religion and the universe.

UN armed DR Congo rebels?

The UN has covered up claims that its troops in Democratic Republic of Congo gave arms to militias and smuggled gold and ivory.

The allegations, based on confidential UN sources, involve Pakistani and Indian troops working as peacekeepers. The UN investigated some of the claims in 2007, but said it could not substantiate claims of arms dealing.

Making business instead of stopping ones?

Austrian detectives study cellar

Police in Amstetten, Austria, have described the cellar where a woman was allegedly held captive and sexually abused for 24 years by her father.

A series of underground rooms equipped for sleeping and cooking, and with sanitary facilities, lay behind a concealed door, police said. The father, 73, allegedly had seven children with his daughter, now aged 42, and is under arrest. Authorities are caring for the daughter and six surviving children.

The small town of Amstetten, about 130km west of Vienna, with its well-kept gardens is in shock, the BBC's Bethany Bell reports. The case, she notes, is reminiscent of that of Natasha Kampusch, the Austrian teenager held captive in a cellar in a house in a Vienna suburb for eight years, who ran to freedom in 2006.

What comment you can make to this one?

Playboy cushion robbery

A goods train in southern France has been attacked by robbers who made off with cushions bearing the Playboy logo.

The attack happened in the northern suburbs of Marseille, the regional newspaper La Provence reports. It says the thieves blocked the track with sleepers, causing the 700m (760-yard) train to screech to a halt, and forced open a number of containers.

Apart from the Playboy cushions, police said it was not clear what else was taken. The train driver was not harmed. The car used in the robbery was later found burnt.

No girl of the month? They were probably hoping the girls to be part of …

Mexico drug gang clashes kill 15

Gun battles between rival factions of a Mexican drugs cartel have left at least 15 people dead in the city of Tijuana, near the border with the US.

Police said all the dead were from the Arellano Felix cartel, which has come under pressure from a rival gang. Two were wearing police uniforms or equipment, but are thought to have been gang members, police say.

Drug-related violence is a serious issue across Mexico. Nearly 200 people have been killed in Tijuana this year. Investigators believe two of the dead were senior hit men for the Arellano Felix cartel and were identified by large gold rings on their fingers.

It becomes urgency for the mecxican government to do something and control all this drug trafficking and killing.

The Olympic ...torture in South korea

The latest leg of the Olympic torch relay is well under way in South Korea with protesters vowing to disrupt its run through the capital Seoul.

The 24-km (15-mile) route from Olympic Park to City Hall is heavily guarded by 8,000 police officers. Human rights groups have said thousands are preparing to protest over China's forced repatriation of North Korean refugees and its crackdown in Tibet.

But flag-waving Chinese supporters have so far vastly outnumbered protesters. Police have warned anyone trying to disrupt the relay would be severely punished.

This Olympic torture …sorry Olympic torch will be in familiar …democratic ground soon …North Korea!!!

Archbishop leads Zimbabwe protest

The Archbishop of York is leading a day of fasting and prayer in support of the people of Zimbabwe.

Dr John Sentamu, one of the highest members of the Anglican Church, is calling on people to join him in the action in York Minster. There has been a month of deadlock in Zimbabwe following disputed elections.

In December Dr Sentamu cut up his clerical collar on television and said he would not replace it until President Robert Mugabe was out of office. Dr Sentamu said: "I want as many people as possible to join me at the Minster to pray for the situation in Zimbabwe and light a candle as a public demonstration of support for the people there.

"As a Christian community we must all stand together with our brothers and sisters living under the tyranny of Mugabe and pray that they will find deliverance."

Once more the Church proved to do a lot of work in Africa against all these caricature dictators, remember South Africa!

Karzai unhurt after parade attack

At least one person has been killed and 11 were hurt in an attack on a military parade in Kabul attended by President Hamid Karzai and other dignitaries.

Security forces whisked Mr. Karzai away from the scene and hundreds fled as shots rang out. Two MPs were reported to be among the wounded.

The parade was a celebration to mark 16 years since the overthrow of the country's Soviet-backed rule. A spokesman for the Taleban said the movement had carried out the attack.

It seems that it will never stop!

Ovi magazine today

Nunobark #2 by Nunobark
Nunobark is a Lisbon-based illustrator, artist, graphic designer... and proud father. He was the founder of several fanzines, maintains the Public Secret Blog. Here is a second selection of his work.

24-hour Ovi Bookshop by The Ovi Team
Without those hard- and paper-backed offerings, bookshops just wouldn't exist... or would they? Thanks to the ingenuity of the Ovi team, you can download e-books from our online bookshop.

"The Castaway" by Jan Sand
"Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn." - Thomas Gray

Murder, Mania & Misogyny by The Finn-Brit Players
The Finn-Brit Players' Drama Incubator is hatching its first three chicks this spring...

Are there "many paths" to God? by Jack Wellman
In recently watching Oprah claim that there are many ways to God and not just one, she is in effect saying that there are many paths that lead to God, and that there is more than one way to salvation.

Mugabe loss confirmed

The party of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has failed to regain its parliamentary majority after a partial recount of votes from polls last month.

Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission said results were unchanged in 18 of 23 seats where recounts had taken place. Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF needed to win nine seats to regain its majority, lost for the first time since 1980.

The opposition MDC says it also won presidential polls, although those results remain unreleased. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said the presidential results could be announced after the completion of the recounts, expected by Monday.

But ZEC Chairman George Chiweshe said a "verification and collation" process would take place with agents of the presidential candidates before the long-awaited results were released.

MDC spokesman Nqobizitha Mlilo told the BBC the recount results "only serve to confirm what we've always said in the past, that... we won this election hands down". Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga told AFP news agency that the recount results showed the electoral system was "transparent".

Get out of Zimbabwe, more …transparent message than this cannot be!!!

Zimbabwe opposition retains gains

Zimbabwe's electoral commission has released seven more results from a partial recount of last month's parliamentary elections.

None of the original results were overturned, making it difficult for the ruling Zanu-PF party to overturn an opposition majority in the lower house. Ten remain to be declared - all in opposition-held seats - and Zanu-PF now needs to win nine to regain control.

Results have still not been released from the parallel presidential poll. The failure to do so, four weeks on from the vote, is causing mounting concern internationally.

Mugabe the end is coming, the cell is ready waiting for you!

UN condemns Turkey border deaths

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has accused Turkish police of causing the deaths of four men by forcing them into a river on the Turkey-Iraq border.

The strong current swept the men away, the UNHCR said, quoting witnesses. The incident happened on Wednesday at an unpatrolled stretch of the border near the Habur crossing point, in Sirnak province, the UNHCR said.

At least one of the four was an Iranian. They were among 18 Iranians and Syrians refused entry into Iraq. There has been no comment from the Turkish authorities.

And does anybody thinks that Turkey cares if UN condemns, they are killing daily innocent Kurds, they occupy European land and they will care for a few more dead?

Oil firms in Nigeria cut output

Industrial action and attacks from militants have forced the two biggest oil companies in Nigeria to cut their production.

Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell are both reducing output, which is helping to keep oil prices near record highs. Militant groups in the Niger Delta have blown up a section of a Shell pipeline, in the fourth such attack in the last seven days. And workers at an Exxon Mobil plant began a strike over pay and conditions.

Just imagine that this very moment there are thousands of thousands of people in Nigeria who die helpless and starving!

Angola allows arms ship to dock

Angola's government has authorized a Chinese ship carrying arms destined for Zimbabwe to dock, although it says it will not be allowed to unload weapons.

In a statement, the government said the vessel would only be allowed to deliver goods intended for Angola. On Thursday, the Chinese authorities said they would recall the ship to China after port workers in South Africa refused to unload the weapons.

Other southern African countries had also refused to allow the ship to dock. Leaders in the region had expressed concern that the weapons could heighten tensions in Zimbabwe.

Friends of the caricature dictator Mugabe, but when Mugabe is over their turn will come!!!

Protest in Japan at torch relay

The Olympic torch has met with more protests and scuffles on the latest leg of its troubled relay in the Japanese city of Nagano.

With security tight along the route, two demonstrators tried to seize the torch and a third threw eggs at the flame. All were arrested. But correspondents say the relay passed off without serious disruption.

The streets were lined with thousands of Chinese supporters, as well as dozens of protesters. A sea of well-wishers greeted the torch as the final runner completed the relay at a city park. Officials said four people were slightly injured in separate incidents, and a smoke-emitting tube was thrown at the relay without effect, according to reports.

Is getting closer to China, let’s see if anybody will dare to demonstrate inside China now!

The Ovi magazine today

What does it mean to be an American? by Leah SellersI am an American - a teacher - an artist. So, why am I living in a tent in the woods?

Hooligans & Youth (Greek) by Dimitra Karantzeni
Βάνδαλα άτομα που βιαιοπραγούν στο όνομα της από

URCE Appreciates Rohingyas Demonstrations in Malaysia by Rohingya Human Rights
Hamdan Mg Kyaw Naing, the Secretary General of The Union of Rohingya Communities in Europe (URCE) has highly appreciated the efforts of the Rohingya human rights activists in Malaysia.

ShowBizz #37 by Thanos K & Asa B
An arrogant rooster, a sycophant pig, a wiseass dog and an intelligent tortoise are just some of the stars of Thanos and Asa's Show Bizz.

Zimbabwe police storm MDC office

Armed riot police have raided the headquarters of Zimbabwe's main opposition party in Harare and arrested scores of activists.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman Nelson Chamisa said those arrested had fled political violence. But the police said the raid was to look for those responsible for arson attacks east of Harare.

The MDC says it won last month's presidential election, the results of which have not yet been published. The ruling Zanu-PF party, however, says that there is likely to be a run-off, as no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote.

Is it enough wait and watch Mr. Ki-moon, Mr. Mbeki, Mr. Brown, Mr. Solana? Hasn’t come the time to do actively something for the people of Zimbabwe?

Beijing 'to talk to Dalai aides'

Chinese officials will hold talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives, state media says, in the first meeting since rioting broke out in Tibet last month.

Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying a meeting would take place "in coming days". Beijing has consistently blamed what it termed a "Dalai clique" for fomenting unrest in Tibetan areas of China.

But the Tibetan spiritual leader insists he has no political role and played no part in the protest. Xinhua quoted an unnamed official as saying the government had taken into account "requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks".

They are definitely trying to stop him from his earthly activities …permanently!

Cubans snapping up mobile phones

Cubans are reported to have taken out 7,400 new mobile phone contracts in the 10 days since restrictions were eased.

The figures, reported by the AFP news agency, were issued by the country's state telecoms company Etecsa. Etecsa expects to sell 1.4 million new mobile phone contracts in Cuba in the next five years.

Until President Raul Castro lifted restrictions, mobile phones could only be bought by government officials and people working for foreign firms. Since taking over from his brother, Raul Castro has lifted a number of restrictions on Cubans, including those on renting cars and buying DVDs.

The number of new mobile phone contracts is impressive given that it costs about £60 just to set up a new contract while the average monthly salary in Cuba is less than £10. In the past, many Cubans used illegal phones or asked permitted users to sign up on their behalf.

Now you can call Castro any time you like!!!

Sarkozy admits he made mistakes

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that he probably made mistakes in his first year in office by failing to explain his policies sufficiently.

But in a live TV interview he also defended his presidency, saying he was still committed to significant reform. Correspondents say publicity over his private life and the limited impact of his reforms on the struggling economy has damaged Mr. Sarkozy's popularity.

The prime time broadcast has been seen as an attempt to reverse that slump. Appearing on France's two main television channels in a live 10-minute interview, Mr. Sarkozy said: "Without doubt, we didn't explain enough. Without doubt, I myself made some mistakes… I can see very well that there is discontent, but I also know where I am going and I am convinced there is no other strategy."

Oh man, was Carla a mistake or he means other kind of mistakes?

Snipes in jail for three years

Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes has received a three-year prison sentence for tax offenses.

A federal judge handed down the maximum term requested by prosecutors - a year for each of Snipes's convictions of willfully failing to file a tax return. Snipes's lawyers had called for leniency, arguing that the offenses were misdemeanors and that the star was of good character.

But prosecutors said an example should be set because of Snipes's fame. In February, Snipes was found guilty of deliberately failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001, but was cleared of more serious fraud and conspiracy charges.

The first vampire in prison!!! Sentenced for drinking tax!!!

Syria’s covert nuclear

The United States has accused North Korea of helping Syria build a nuclear reactor that "was not intended for peaceful purposes".

The site, said to be like one in North Korea, was bombed by Israel in 2007. Syria must "come clean" about its secret nuclear programme, the White House said in a statement after CIA officials briefed members of Congress.

Syria has repeated denials that it has any nuclear weapons programme, or any such agreement with North Korea.But the White House said the "cover-up" operation that Syria carried out after the Israeli air strike reinforced the belief that the reactor "was not intended for peaceful activities".

"Until 6 September, 2007, the Syrian regime was building a covert nuclear reactor in its eastern desert capable of producing plutonium," the statement said. "The Syrian regime must come clean before the world regarding its illicit nuclear activities."

Why every time I read something like that I feel that is going to rain …bombs?

Ovi magazine today

Fall of "Ambedkar" father of Indian constitution by Tahir Khan

Article on the policy of reservation which was designed by the father of the Indian constitution.

OurVision Grande Finale 2008 by Caisa
Kuka heista on OURVISION 2008 voittaja?!

Dans un an, il y aura des elections europeennes et tous les partis politiques nationaux s'en foutent by Newropeans-Magazine
En Juin 2009, dans un peu plus d'un an donc, vont se tenir de nouvelles elections europeennes qui permettent d'elire les representants de 500 millions de citoyens europeens au Parlement de l'Union europeenne.

Dino & Anty #17 by Thanos K & Asa B
Dino is a vegetarian virgin dinosaur and his best friend is Anty, a carnivorous nymphomaniac ant.

Pakistan militant calls truce

A top Taleban commander in Pakistan has ordered his followers to stop all attacks in the country.

Baitullah Mehsud is the man the Pakistani authorities say ordered the killing of Benazir Bhutto. Pamphlets containing his order appeared in tribal areas along the Afghan border. Mehsud said anyone found violating the order would be punished.

Pakistan's new government has said it will deal with Islamic militancy through dialogue and development. On Monday night the authorities set free Maulana Sufi Mohammad, the founder of an outlawed Islamist group that has fought in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He was released under an agreement to renounce violence and help restore peace in the north-west valley of Swat. The release has been welcomed by Pakistani Taleban.

What’s next? Bin Laden apologizing for the 9-11!

Tsvangirai was the clear victor in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was the "clear" victor of last month's poll, a top US envoy says.

Jendayi Frazer was speaking in South Africa, at the start of a tour to lobby Zimbabwe's neighbors to put pressure on President Robert Mugabe. The results of the presidential election have not been released. Mr. Tsvangirai says he won outright but the ruling party has said no candidate gained 50% of the vote, so a run-off will be needed.

The opposition says its supporters are being attacked ahead of the run-off - claims denied by the government. Earlier, the leaders of the Anglican Church called for international action to prevent violence in Zimbabwe reaching "horrific levels". Meanwhile, a Chinese foreign ministry official said a ship carrying weapons to Zimbabwe might return to China.

It looks like Mugabe is in deep s%%t and everybody sees that he lost for good, he and his murderers gang are the only ones who cannot see reality but …is getting closer!

US reassure Georgia over Russia

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has assured Georgia that the US is firmly committed to supporting the country's sovereignty.

Georgia says Russian moves to forge closer ties with two of its breakaway regions threaten its sovereignty. The row between the two neighbors will be discussed at a closed-door session of the UN Security Council.

After meeting Georgia's foreign minister, Ms Rice said the US was "very concerned" by Russia's actions. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision last week to order closer links between Russia and Georgia's two breakaway regions - Abkhazia and South Ossetia - prompted outrage in Tbilisi.

This US administration never learns, support another dictatorship for just one reason, to be against Russia which apparently is not the enemy anymore!!! Amazing but with Saddam they did exactly the same!!!

Today's Ovi magazine

2008 Terrorism World Championship: Winter by Akli Hadid

Spring has just started, and though this winter was cold on most of the northern hemisphere, terrorists were on fire.

Hollywood's Big Top by Asa Butcher
1950's US politics and my own personal disappointment aside, let's take a look at 'The Greatest Show on Earth', the film that did win the coveted Best Picture award.

The left is scared to hell by the left by Europe & Us
This week-end, on of the smallest German Bundesländer, Hamburg, voted and the results are stunning.

Life Undercover #74 by Thanos K & Asa B
It is time to change the sheets... our inquisitive duvet-loving hero has some female company now asking the great questions of life, religion and the universe.

Gaza fuel embargo blocks UN aid

The United Nations says that it is being forced to suspend its humanitarian work in Gaza because of the Israeli fuel blockade.

A UN official says food aid to 650,000 refugees and the collection of sewage will have to stop on Thursday if Israel does not allow in more vehicle fuel. The UN Security Council met to discuss the crisis, but Western representatives walked out over comments from Libya.

They objected to the Libyan delegate likening Gaza to a Nazi death camp. Among the diplomats to the leave the UN chamber in New York were representatives of the United States, Britain, France and Belgium. The remarks comparing the situation in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust of World War II were made by the Libyan ambassador to the UN, Giadalla Ettalhi.

What comment can you do to something like that when the only ones to pay are the innocent and the families!