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“Not in my backyard!”
That's the cry being heard about proposals to bring detainees at the Guantanamo Naval base to military prisons in Kansas, South Carolina, and Virginia.
One new location for the detainees suggested by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In May, Harkin introduced a bill to close Guantanamo and named Fort Leavenworth as an alternative.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19585886
GUATEMALA CITY - Vladimir Putin pulled off for Russia what Tony Blair did for Britain in the latest Olympic vote.
Backed by the Russian president’s personal lobbying, charisma and government support, the Black Sea resort of Sochi was elected Wednesday as the host city of the 2014 Winter Games.
Sochi defeated the South Korean city of Pyeongchang by four votes in the final round of a secret ballot by the International Olympic Committee, taking the Winter Games to Russia for the first time.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19603019
Torture 'still common in Turkey' Widespread use of torture is continuing in Turkey despite the government's "zero tolerance" policy, says human rights group Amnesty International. A new report acknowledged improvements in the Turkish criminal justice system in recent years.
But Amnesty said a "culture of impunity" allowed the authorities to escape accountability and the courts to disregard medical evidence of torture.
There has been no immediate response from the Turkish government.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6272294.stm
Australia 'has Iraq oil interest' Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has admitted that securing oil supplies is a key factor behind the presence of Australian troops in Iraq. He said maintaining "resource security" in the Middle East was a priority.
But PM John Howard has played down the comments, saying it was "stretching it a bit" to conclude that Australia's Iraq involvement was motivated by oil.
The remarks are causing heated debate as the US-led Iraq coalition has avoided linking the war and oil.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6272168.stm
Gold from the Storm
IT IS an unhappy anniversary: July 2nd 1997, the official start of the catastrophic Asian financial crisis. On that day Thailand ran out of foreign-exchange reserves trying to defend its currency from a huge speculative attack. It was forced to float the Thai baht, which promptly plunged. The meltdown quickly spread as investors pulled their money out of countries with similar economic symptoms—especially Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea.
Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan were also hit by the maelstrom. Never before had the world seen capital flight on such a scale and speed, causing financial markets and economies to collapse. Ten years on, many believe that these economies have fully recovered. But others think East Asia may be heading for another financial shock.
The crisis of 1997 was different from earlier troubles. Unlike in Latin America, where most emerging-market crises had happened, East Asia boasted low inflation, balanced budgets and a remarkable record of almost 8% average growth over three decades. This made the shock all the more unexpected and dramatic.
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9401752
_____________________________
Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone
~~ Stone Temple Pilots
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And now.... the news. - 
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