The creation of a South American Security Council, which would include oil-rich Venezuela, Chile and Argentina, was proposed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a meeting of 11 Latin American countries held in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, in May.
The security council would be part of an even larger effort led by Brazil to [...]

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They called him “Angel.” He was the highest-ranking outside contact for the Colombian guerilla organization FARC. More and more details are now emerging that demonstrate the close relationship between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the jungle terrorists. By Jens Glüsing more…

The FARC Computer: German Left Wing May Have Ties to Colombian Extremists
No Ideology, Just Money [...]

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First they came for the iPods. Then the Europeans snatched up condos in Manhattan. Now they’re coming for the companies.
Why is this happening now? The plummeting U.S. dollar has made the move across the Atlantic affordable for many European companies. And this may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to relocate: American companies have rarely [...]

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Editor’s Note: This week’s Terrorism Weekly is the second chapter of Fred Burton’s new book, GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent. Burton is vice president for counterterrorism and corporate security at Stratfor. He is the former deputy chief of the counterterrorism division of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Chapter Two: Down the Rabbit Hole
“CT03.” [...]

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An in depth look at the troubled US intervention in Somalia. We reconstruct the most devastating battles between marines and Somalis using US army broadcasts.It began as a mission of mercy, to feed the starving in Somalia. But within a year American military forces would be killing - and killed by - those they came [...]

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Current troubles in Zimbabwe have caused large numbers to seek a better life in South Africa. However, the journey is perilous and the reality migrants face when they arrive often comes with bitter disillusions.
YouTube video
NY Times Video: Zimbabweans Flee to South Africa

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So many people have defected from North Korea that the government is now building a wall along the Chinese border. This exclusive report follows one family’s dangerous exodus.
At a safe house in China, a brother and sister collapse into each other arms. For months, ‘Uncle Jung’ has been trying to smuggle his sister and her [...]

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Jianggezhuang is a Chinese naval base approximately 15 miles (24 km) east of Qingdao on the Yellow Sea. The base spans a bay 1.2 miles (1.9 km) across, with the main facilities located in the eastern portion of the bay. There are six piers, a dry dock, various service facilities and an underground submarine tunnel.
The [...]

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Both Israel and Syria have long been involved in creating weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. The attached two reports look beyond the narrow issue of nuclear weapons, and summarize developments in each country’s full range of weapons of mass destruction — including chemical and biological weapons — and delivery systems. [...]

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World leaders, alarmed over the spiraling number of hungry in their countries and at their borders, Tuesday urged each other to contribute money, ideas and compassion to feed an estimated 950 million people.
The presidents of Brazil, Iran and Zimbabwe, among others, joined scientists, humanitarian relief experts and diplomats to forge immediate responses and long-term ideas [...]

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The rest of the report speculates on various other assorted scenarios for Mid-East Armageddon. Syria, generally assumed to be many years away from possessing a nuclear capacity, might, for some reason, decide to launch a CBW (chemical, biological weapon) missile strike on Israeli population centers.
Israeli dead under this scenario would once again be between 200,000 [...]

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Syria is not seeking nuclear weapons but wants to have access to atomic energy for peaceful purposes through a collective Arab project, President Bashar al-Assad said in remarks published on Tuesday.
U.S. intelligence officials in April said they believed Syria had built the suspected reactor with the assistance of North Korea, which later also helped [...]

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Coastal Nations Grab for Ocean Floor Riches
Vast quantities of resources may be hiding beneath the ocean floor. But who owns it? Countries on the coasts are laying claim to ever larger chunks of seawater. But many of the claims are disputed. By SPIEGEL Staff more…

Photo Gallery: The World’s Last Gold Mines
Black Gold under the Ice: [...]

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