 Opium production in Afghanistan could surge again this year and the demand for cocaine in Europe is higher than ever, a UN watchdog has concluded. It says that efforts to stamp out opium growing in Afghanistan are being hampered by persistent lawlessness. The UN Office of Drugs and Crime report says that Taleban insurgent attacks are helping drug gangs exploit insecurity. But the report said opium production went down last year for the first time since the Taleban were toppled in 2001. The report says there are now "state efforts" in place to destroy poppy cultivation, in addition to incentives for farmers to grow alternative crops. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 09:53:00 06-26-06
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 Lab tuned to gravity's 'ripples' |
One of the great scientific experiments of our age is now fully underway. A German/UK team has put the giant GEO 600 gravitational wave detector in a continuous observational mode. The Hanover lab is trying to detect the ripples created in the fabric of space-time that sweep out from merging black holes or exploding stars. Success would confirm fundamental physical theories and open a new window on the Universe, enabling scientists to probe the moment of creation itself. GEO 600 is working alongside a US project known as Ligo (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory). It may also be joined in the hunt by an Italian lab within a year. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5111642.stm
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Editor - 09:38:00 06-26-06
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| Fire Flares Back Up at Denver Warehouse Where Gunman Killed 1, Wounded 5 Others |
A small fire rekindled early Monday at the Safeway Inc. warehouse where a few hours earlier a gunman began shooting at colleagues and set several fires before he was shot to death by police. Workers were able to put out the smoldering fire in a paper-goods storage area, Fire Department spokesman Phil Champagne said. But it added to employees' unease following the deadly attack Sunday afternoon. More than 150 people had fled the sprawling warehouse as the gunman, described as a co-worker, began shooting. The shooter and one other person died in the attack, and five other people were wounded, two of them critically, authorities said. Police did not immediately release the gunman's identity or discuss possible motives for the attack. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2119617
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Editor - 09:28:00 06-26-06
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| Deaths amid more Brazilian unrest |
Brazilian police have killed 13 people on the outskirts of Sao Paulo after a fresh wave of attacks against police stations close to the city. Sao Paulo state Governor Claudio Lembo told Jovem Pan radio station that the killings occurred in the districts of Diadema and Maua. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5118526.stm
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Editor - 09:25:00 06-26-06
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| The perils of underestimating Ahmadinejad |
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the latest in a long line of American bogeymen: Libya's Colonel Gadafy, Panama's Manuel Noriega, Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden, to name a few. But by casting Iran's president in the prime target role of maverick evildoer, the Bush administration ignores the complex forces that brought him to power last year and his previously unsuspected political skills, both supporters and critics say. As domestic opponents have already discovered, underestimating Mr Ahmadinejad is tempting - and foolish. The president's rising popularity owes as much to his common touch as US enmity. Many ordinary Iranians, while complaining about wages, inflation and restricted personal freedoms, approve of the Blair-like "national conversation" that Mr Ahmadinejad has launched through fortnightly provincial tours and rallies. ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1806451,00.html?gusrc=rss
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Editor - 09:22:00 06-26-06
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| Florida Retiree Erroneously Fined for Squirrel Feeding; County Apologizes for Automation Problem |
Retired Kennedy Space Center mechanic Jack Garrison doesn't own a dog. He doesn't own a squirrel, either, though he admits he likes to feed the squirrels in his backyard. Recently the Florida man was issued notices of fines totaling nearly $1,400. The infractions, which Garrison calls just plain nuts, included a barking dog violation along with four squirrel-related charges — from squirrel disturbing the peace to squirrel at large. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2119615
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Editor - 09:18:00 06-26-06
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