Biggest candle rekindles Islam's message of peace

The 3,000kg candle being lit during the Ashura procession in Bahrain



By Mohammad Almezel, Bureau Chief

Manama: Bahrain has broken a new record for the world's largest candle during the Ashura procession on Friday night.

The 73-metre candle was made by the Hussaini Painting Society to stress Islam's message of peace, according to society officials.

Thousands of people, including officials from The Guinness Book of Records, witnessed the lighting up of the horizontally-laid 3,000-kilogram candle.

The public took turns to light up the candle's 14,000 wicks.

"The project is aimed to send a message of peace to the whole world, stressing that Islam is not a religion of violence. It is a religion of peace, tolerance and fraternity," society president Abdul Nabi Al Hamer told Gulf News.

"It is the key message of Imam Hussain's campaign against oppression," he said.

"The message of Hussain should be expanded. It is a universal message which says 'No' to oppression and injustice," said Al Hamer as he watched young boys and girls taking part in lighting up the wicks.

The project cost the society less than $1,000 (Dh3,680) as most of the candles have been contributed by the public, he said.

Bahrainis traditionally light candles on the eve of Ashura.

This year's Ashura processions were held under tight security.

Morning Papers - continued...

The Moscow Times

Gorbachev Criticizes Putin on Benefits

By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has added his voice to those criticizing President Vladimir Putin's policies, lambasting the government's bungled benefits reform and warning that efforts to strengthen the president's power base are curbing democratic freedoms.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/011.html

Public Chamber Left Toothless

By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer
The State Duma on Friday gave its approval in a second reading to President Vladimir Putin's proposed Public Chamber but dumped dozens of amendments aimed at making it more transparent, accountable and powerful, leaving the would-be watchdog practically toothless.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/001.html

A Captive Chamber for a Captive Nation

President Vladimir Putin recently gave a touching rationale for the new Public Chamber, stating, "People have the right to make sure their voice is heard." The 10-page document approved by the State Duma in its second reading last Friday specifies the essentials of this new creation, outlining its mission, organization and responsibilities. Yet the question remains whether this body will become an effective vehicle for channeling society's interests and influencing government policy. This will depend on the answers to three very straightforward and pragmatic questions: How will the chamber be formed, operated and financed? Sadly, the bill on the Public Chamber responds by creating yet another arm of the all-mighty state to keep social interests at the mercy of the powerful bureaucracy.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/004.html

Scientist Accused of Selling Secrets

By Mike Eckel
The Associated Press
A Russian researcher said Friday he has been charged with selling state secrets and exporting dual-use technologies, becoming the latest in a series of scientists to fall foul of the Federal Security Service.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/012.html

Senators Tell Bush to Talk Tough in Slovakia

By William C. Mann
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush should be tough with President Vladimir Putin when they meet Thursday to put an end to "Russia's recent and dramatic backsliding with regard to democracy and the rule of law," Senate leaders of Bush's Republican Party said.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/013.html

Finding Russia's True Friends and Foes

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/18/006.html

The Jerusalem Post

ISREAL gets little support from it's allies. Not expected. Was the USA ever a true ally? YES, but, that changed with the re-election of Walker Bush. He has Neocon ideologues to keep happy with designs on a Christian Holy Land. I doubt if there is anything to worry about. The Middle East does not relish the USA occupation of any sovereign nation in the area. Nor do they consider Israel to be a wimp. A taste of Israel's ability is The Six Day War (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/67_War.html) speaks eons to the leadership that has sustained Israel until today.

The missing link

(Also known as betrayal.) - Israel is far better off with neighbors as friends with common interests and a real desire to live in harmony than dealing with a foreign invader that would see Israel as a military asset that needs defending from it's neighbors when that will do nothing but disrupt the area more and increase the danger for Israel's citizens. No more Bush !

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869558172&apage=1

Analysis: Legal implications of new route

As this is being written, the precise route of the separation fence south and east of Jerusalem has not been officially revealed, but the facts and the general contours that have been published provide an adequate general picture of the government's intentions.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869557547

Sharon and Mofaz sign evacuation orders

n yet another milestone on the path toward disengagement, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz signed evacuation orders Sunday night setting the wheels in motion for the actual evacuation of the Jews from the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements to begin in five months.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108783753812

I TOLD YOU SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Freed prisoner killed on terror mission

A former security prisoner released in January 2004 in the deal struck with Hizbullah to secure the return of the bodies of three soldiers and businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum was one of two gunmen shot and killed by soldiers last Tuesday night while attempting an attack at Har Bracha, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869558184

150 prisoners released, 350 to follow

About 150 Palestinian security prisoners were released early Monday morning from the Ketziot dentition facility, Army Radio reported.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869556792

The Daily Mail & Guardian

A study in resilience

George Orwell said the future was a boot stamping on a human face, and for much of the 20th century Eritrea seems to have been that face. Michela Wrong tells the story of Eritrea in her latest book. Justin Hill reviews
I Didn’t Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
By Michela Wrong
(Fourth Estate)

hen historians look for a way of encapsulating the story of the 20th century they could do a lot worse than pick Eritrea, the small country in the Horn of Africa that is the subject of the second book by Michela Wrong, author of an acclaimed book on the Congo, In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz.

http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/2005/2005feb/050218-eritrea.html

Bush: Why I won't admit trying dope

Bill Clinton said he'd tried it but hadn't inhaled. George Bush decided that it was best just to duck the issue altogether. "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions," the president told a friend and adviser during his first presidential campaign. "You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."

The implied admission that the president used marijuana comes in a series of taperecorded conversations between the future president and Doug Wead, an author and aide to the first president Bush, published on the eve of his fence-mending trip to Europe.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=197910

Shias stand firm against the bombers

Prayers were just ending at the al-Baya' mosque in west Baghdad on Friday when the two young men stepped from a minibus taxi and approached the entrance. They wore black, like the hundreds of worshippers gathered inside and outside, but something was wrong.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=197894

Yukos to fight bankruptcy in the US
Unfriendly Russian courts and a European court that offers no protection drove embattled Russian oil company Yukos to seek help to regain solvency in a U.S. bankruptcy court, its lead lawyer said on Thursday.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=197809

Cold shoulder for Europe: Mugabe invites Russia to poll
The Russian Federation is the only European country among 32 nations invited by President Robert Mugabe to observe next month's crunch parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, state radio reported on Saturday, quoting Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=197901

Deaths spiral out of control in Aids crisis
South Africa's mortality rate has jumped by 59% in six years, fuelled by the HIV/Aids epidemic, according to new figures published this weekend by the country's central statistical office.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=197895

Author Dalene Matthee dies aged 67

Johannesburg
21 February 2005 08:21

Acclaimed South African author Dalene Matthee died at the age of 67 on Sunday, news reports said.

Matthee penned more than a dozen novels including Circles in a Forest --an instant bestseller when it was published in 1984 -- and Fiela's Child published in 1986 and later adapted into a film.

Many of her books, written in Afrikaans, and translated -- in some cases into almost a dozen languages, are included as prescribed literature for students in South Africa and abroad.

She was admitted to hospital in Mossel Bay on Friday where she later died, her daughter told journalists.

Matthee was born in the Western Cape Province town of Riversdal in 1938. She studied music but later turned to writing children's studies, short stories and novels that earned her a host of prizes.

Her most recent work was a novel titled Dreamforest. - Sapa-DPA

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=197919&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/

The Cheney Observer

Govt will not cushion oil-price moves
The South African government will not be pursuing a way of cushioning spikes in the oil price for consumers any time soon, according to Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=197828

Bush holds key to success of new intelligence czar
By David Morgan
‘He’s been a top diplomat. He’s had some very difficult assignments and he’ll need those diplomatic skills. But he’s going to have to be verytough to take on struggles with the CIA, the DOD’
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-2-2005_pg4_8

Greenspan Likes Bush's 'Ownership' Agent
The Fed chairman says private Social Security accounts could give a boost to the poor.

http://www.latimes.com/business/investing/la-na-greenspan18feb18,1,2981674.story?coll=la-headlines-business-invest

Keyes follows Cheney’s lead

Two families missing from a new PFLAG campaign about loving your GLBT relatives are those of “family values” politicians Alan Keyes and Dick Cheney: Keyes has cut off his daughter, Maya, while Cheney supports policies that heap shame on his daughter Mary. So much for right-wing Christian love.
By Marc Paige

An Advocate.com exclusive posted February 18, 2005
At 19 years old, Maya Keyes, daughter of former presidential and U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes, finds herself in a difficult position—one that is very familiar to millions of gay youth in our country, especially those who have grown up in right-wing Christian families. She loves her father, does not want to disappoint him, yet knows that her father thinks her sexual orientation is “sinful” and represents “selfish hedonism.” For the young gay daughter of a man who has often cited his religion to denigrate homosexuals, Maya Keyes has had to endure a father who has campaigned for years against her own welfare and equality.

http://advocate.com/html/stories/933/933_paige.asp

Liz Cheney Named to Lead State's Mideast, North Africa Initiatives by Rice

By: US Department of State
Published: Feb 18, 2005
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the selection of Elizabeth Cheney as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.

http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_18200.shtml

Man found guilty of destroying signs supporting Bush

By Larry Carson
Sun Staff
Originally published February 18, 2005
A man caught using a bayonet to cut up two large Bush-Cheney signs in Ellicott City during a spate of political-sign vandalism last fall was convicted of property destruction yesterday by Howard County District Judge Neil Edward Axel. Two other charges were dismissed.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.lizon18feb18,1,4355511.story?coll=bal-local-howard&ctrack=1&cset=true

“I don’t support an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage. I think it’s a matter that should be left to the states. As a conservative, I don’t support constitutional amendments generally unless the cause is clear and evident. The issue here, of course, is that some people think a constitutional amendment is necessary in order to preserve the rights of the states. I happen not to come down on that side of the issue and, indeed, there are many Republicans who do [not]. I think if you looked at our national convention, for example, among the prominent speakers — Gov. Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani — feel the same way. It’s not an issue that sets the Republican Party apart in one great mass. It’s an issue upon which people differ.”
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney and mother of lesbian Mary Cheney, on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Feb. 9. (via AndrewSullivan.com, Feb. 10)

http://www.newyorkblade.com/2005/2-18/viewpoint/ontherecord/otr.cfm

HUH? SAY WHAT? Schwarzeneggar and Giuliani are Repuglican Liberals? Is that what she was trying to imply?

Gov. Bush: Hydrogen powered buses the start of clean fuel in Florida

BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida doesn't have its first hydrogen fueling station yet, but it's got a hydrogen-powered bus ready to fill up.
The 12-seat, $1 million-plus vehicle was brought into a vacant lot Friday where the state's first hydrogen fueling station will be built. Gov. Jeb Bush announced a proposal for $15 million in grants and tax incentives for companies who help Florida develop and use the clean-burning fuel.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/10937136.htm

Jeb Bush heading to Colombia on trade mission

Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush will leave Sunday on a trade mission to Colombia, the sixth-largest trading partner with the state.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/breaking_news/10937373.htm

Devious Plan 5.0 may be class-size amendment ultra-lite

By MARK LANE
FOOTNOTE
Last update: February 18, 2005
We're now up to Devious Plan Version 5.0. Early reviews claim this one really is new and improved, has fewer bugs and might be released to the public.
Gov. Jeb Bush announced the upgrade Monday. He wants to replace the class-size amendment with class-size amendment lite. And he would throw in a minimum teacher salary for good measure.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST03021805.htm

Abercrombie praises Bush on Social Security

President Bush's announcement that he'll consider lifting the cap on income that is subject to the Social Security tax has drawn a positive reaction from Democrats. Rep. Neil Abercrombie called the change of position "a positive development."

http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2005/02/14/daily60.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Report: Oil Revenues May Not Reach Chad's Poorest
By Serena Parker
Washington

Inaugurated amid much fanfare in July 2003, the Chad-Cameroon pipeline delivers oil from the landlocked African country of Chad to ports on Cameroon's Atlantic coast. The World Bank-financed project aims to ensure that oil revenues are distributed across Chadian society instead of benefiting the ruling elite.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-02-18-voa63.cfm

Oil States Says It Overbilled Client

02.18.2005, 06:09 PM
Oil States International Inc. reported Friday that it overbilled a South American customer by $439,000.

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/02/18/ap1838315.html

India and China take seat at global oil table

India joins China in the energy contest as oil production dips at home

KEITH BRADSHER
Posted online: Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 0047 hours IST
MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 18: India, sharing a ravenous thirst for oil, has joined China in an increasingly naked grab at oil and natural gas fields that has the world’s two most populous nations bidding up energy prices and racing against each other and global energy companies.

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=64976

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Judge Rules in Favor of Plaintiffs
Release:

Attached is the Order granting Plaintiffs' Motion for SummaryJudgment and awarding a permanent injunction against the Navy.Federal District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle ruled today:Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgement and request for a permanentinjunction were GRANTED. The Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgementwas DENIED, except for with respect to the CZMA (Coastal Zone ManagementAct) claim, which is GRANTED. The Navy is enjoined from taking anyfurther activity associated with the planning, development, or construction of an OLF in Washington and Beaufort Counties withoutFirst complying with its obligations under NEPA.

Info: Brian A. Roth, Mayor of Plymouth, (252) 7934257

=====================================================

Navy Response to U.S. District Court Raleigh Ruling on OLF Case

"We are disappointed in Judge Boyle's decision today. We presented anhonest and compelling case, and we believe today's decision is the wrongone . both from a legal perspective and from the perspective of nationalsecurity. While this is a disappointment, we believe it is onlytemporary. We will continue to pursue this matter through the court system, and areconfident that we will ultimately reach a favorable resolution."

Judge to Navy: No OLF

By BILL SANDIFER Staff Writer
RALEIGH -- The Navy, on Friday, found itself locked out of Washington County -- for the second time -- in its bid to build an outlying landing field. The action follows a ruling against the Navy by Federal Judge Terrence Boyle.

Boyle, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, granted a motion for summary judgment argued for by a law team representing Beaufort and Washington counties and a coalition of conservation organizations. The ruling short-circuits a civil trial and ends the legal involvement of the Eastern District. The next stop for the case, should the Navy appeal, is the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.

http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2005/02/19/news/news01.prt


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Audit: Monitor system gaffe cost Big Dig $10 million-plus

By Casey Ross
Friday, February 18, 2005
In yet another slap against Big Dig waste, a new state report concludes that taxpayers have been charged more than $10 million in overruns for a bungled highway monitoring system that still isn't finished.

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=69269

Tract near PDX can lure big retailers

The Portland City Council approves rezoning of the Cascade Station project to allow anchor stores
Friday, February 18, 2005
DYLAN RIVERA
The Portland City Council gave final approval Thursday to zoning changes that allow big-box retailers at the long-stalled Cascade Station development by Portland International Airport.

Cascade Station Development Corp., a Bechtel Corp. unit that has development rights on the airport-owned tract, has said it could start construction as early as June. Various retail tenants are under consideration for the project, including Ikea, the Swedish furniture and housewares store; Kohls department stores; and Lowe's home improvement stores.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1108732841202430.xml

KBR, politics merge again

Rice appoints ex-ambassador to policy post; he intervened on contract
By DAVID IVANOVICH
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - The former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait who personally intervened to demand that Halliburton Co. sign a controversial contract with a little-known Kuwaiti firm has been chosen to become a special coordinator for Iraq.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3045351

Will LNG Save America's Oil-Addicted Economy?

Pacific News Service, Commentary,
Franz Schurmann, Feb 18, 2005
Later this year, Americans will likely hear the acronym LNG and see new tankers carrying LNG sailing into some U.S. ports. LNG is intended to save the heart and core of American civilization -- to save our automotive civilization from possible rust and decay, and the Republicans from political decline.
LNG stands for "Liquefied Natural Gas," and the tankers, coming from many parts of the world, will be carrying gas that has been liquefied at around -260F.

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=03526b3a8c2f6135572099822208d0f9

AIDS deaths soaring in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG In an implicit but devastating account of the havoc AIDS is wreaking here, the South African government reported Friday that annual deaths increased 57 percent from 1997 to 2003, with common AIDS-related diseases like tuberculosis and pneumonia fueling much of the rise

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/18/news/africa.html

PetroKazakhstan Inc. - Turgai Petroleum Court Case

Friday February 18, 9:00 am ET
CALGARY, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - PetroKazakhstan Inc. (the "Company") announces that the Collegia for Civil Cases of the South Kazakhstan Oblast Court (the "Collegia") has issued its opinion in the case brought by ZAO Turgai Petroleum ("Turgai"), against the Company's Kazakhstan refining subsidiary, TOO "PetroKazakhstan Oil Products" ("PKOP").

Turgai is a joint venture between the Company and Lukoil and is engaged in the production of crude oil from the Kumkol North field in Kazakhstan. PKOP operates the Shymkent refinery.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050218/to262_1.html

Innovative oil program in Chad insufficient: report

NAIROBI , KENYA
Saturday, Feb 19, 2005,Page 6
A year after Chad joined the ranks of African oil exporters, development groups question whether a government weakened by corruption and instability has the will and the ability to use its new wealth to combat poverty.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/02/19/2003223687

Halliburton, Business As Usual?

Feb 19, 2005, 14:38
Newsweek

Halliburton's CEO says his company is pulling out of Iran. But a corporate subsidiary is still going ahead with a deal to develop Tehran's natural gas fields.

Only weeks before Halliburton made headlines by announcing it was pulling out of Iran?a nation George W. Bush has labeled part of the "axis of evil" ? the Texas-based oil services firm quietly signed a major new business deal to help develop Tehran's natural gas fields.

http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_5803.shtml

Brussels braces for protests during Bush visit

Brussels braced for protests as the city prepared for a three-day visit by US President George W. Bush, who starts a conciliatory swing through Europe for talks with more than two dozen European leaders.
The American president arrives Sunday evening, confident he can heal the rift with Europe that opened during his first term, notably over the Iraq war.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108783754400

Condi to replace Cheney next year?

Report: Vice president likely to step down 'due to his health'
Posted: February 19, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
Vice President Dick Cheney likely will step down next year due to health reasons and be replaced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, according to a report by geopolitical expert Jack Wheeler.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42938

No proposal for equity in Yukos as yet: Petroleum Secy:

[India News]: New Delhi, Feb 19 : India has no proposal as of now to take equity in the confiscated assets of the Russian oil firm Yukos, Petroleum Secretary Sushil C Tripathi said today.
"We are interested in taking equity (in Russian oilfields) but we are not sure when it will be offered, at what price and what percentage of equity they will offer," he told reporters here.

http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=74687

Iran-India pipeline hits rough patch
S. P. S. PANNU

Long way to go
New Delhi, Feb 20: There seems to be a hex on the proposed Iran-India gas pipeline via Pakistan that has been mired in sands of political brinkmanship in the South Asian region for decades.
Just when everything seemed hunky-dory and talks were about to begin with the officials in these countries, questions are being raised about the economics of the entire project now that Pakistan is insisting on an annual transit fee of $600 million.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050221/asp/business/story_4404919.asp

Corruption hottest topic in Susilo, Clinton, Bush talks

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has held brief talks with visiting former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. on Sunday, discussing topics related to the rebuilding and reconstruction of Aceh in the wake of Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20050221.A04&irec=5

BUSH WENT TO BEG FOR MONEY. DOESN'T HE ALWAYS. At home he is begging for SSI reform money, internationally anything that comes his way. I guess a ten gallon Texas hat can hold a lot of 'Buddy can you spare a dime.'

Bush seeks Europe aid on M-E

By Adam Entous in Brussels
February 21, 2005
From: Reuters

US President George W.Bush will appeal to Europeans today to replace disagreements over Iraq a new era of transatlantic unity with a goal of spreading democracy across the Middle East.

In a speech setting the tone for his Europe visit this week, Mr Bush will offer a conciliatory message, according to excerpts of the address released by the White House.

"America supports a strong Europe because we need a strong partner in the hard work of advancing freedom in the world," he is quoted as saying.

After two years of bitter divide over the wisdom of the Iraq war, Mr Bush will tell European leaders that "now is the time for the established democracies to give tangible political, economic, and security assistance" to Iraq.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12322255-23109,00.html

Unfinished hurricane business

Legislature has many storm-related issues to consider
The signs are encouraging that Gov. Jeb Bush and at least some legislators aren't overly anxious to leave the 2004 hurricane season behind.
It might be tempting to consider the Legislature's job done after the December special session, which addressed a handful of hurricane-related topics. It might be difficult for legislators from areas missed or barely brushed by Charley, Frances, Ivan or Jeanne to understand the extent of the damage or the needs that remain unmet.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050220/OPINION/502200637/1030

Bring back the NACA

BY STEVEN T. CORNELIUSSEN/SPECIAL TO THE DAILY PRESS
February 20, 2005
"Nothing," announced NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe in mid-December, "is as important to the future of our economy and our quality of life as transforming the air transportation system."

http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-65315sy0feb20,0,2661568.story

Kill me and oil stops: Chavez

From correspondents in Caracas
February 21, 2005

VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez has threatened to suspend oil exports to the US if someone tries to assassinate him, saying US President George W. Bush would be to blame.
"If they kill me, there will be a really guilty party on this planet whose name is the president of the United States, George Bush," Mr Chavez said on his weekly radio program, Hello, Mr President.
"If these perverse plans succeed, by the devil's hand ... forget about oil, Mr Bush."
Mr Chavez said he was convinced that Washington had been "sketching out the assassination plans".

http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,12321160-14305,00.html

Oil cash no cure for job woes: bank

February 21, 2005
A cash bonanza from higher oil prices will fail to create millions of jobs needed across the Middle East unless governments take tough reform decisions to lessen their dependence on energy, the World Bank said Sunday.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Markets/GB21Ag04.html

Savvy oil deal earns praise for Newfoundland

Canada agrees to give province $2b in revenues
By Barbara Stewart, Globe Correspondent February 20, 2005
ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland -- Canada's poorest and most isolated province badly needed a hero -- and Newfoundlanders think they have finally found one in their premier, Danny Williams.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/02/20/savvy_oil_deal_earns_praise_for_newfoundland/
Agencies eye federal cuts

Some fear local programs may be casualties of budget battle
By John DeSantis
Staff Writer

Morgan Meylor, 8, portraying Rosa Parks in a black history skit, stands ‘backstage’ at the Community Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday. If block grant money dries up, the agency might have to cut services.

Staff photos Logan Wallace
Programs that keep Wilmington children off the streets, provide for the homeless and remove lead paint from houses could lose all or some of their federal funding dollars under current provisions of President Bush’s proposed spending plan.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200550220010&source=email

Poll indicates public backs a higher tax on cigarettes

RALEIGH As lawmakers sit down to read the governor’s proposed state budget this week, they’ll have other data showing widespread support for an increase in the cigarette tax.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200550221003&source=email

COPING WITH THE BUSH MESS

Easley likely to keep higher sales tax

Associated Press
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley’s budget proposal would retain a half-cent of the sales tax set to expire this summer but recommend eliminating the highest individual income tax bracket, according to a published report

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005202210344&source=email

Democratic candidate 'caught' at Cheney event

01:00 AM EST on Monday, February 14, 2005
BY LIZ ANDERSON, SCOTT MacKAY and SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
Journal Staff Writers
Why is Guillaume de Ramel, who filed papers last week to raise money for a run for the 2006 Democratic nomination for secretary of state, listed as having given $1,000 to the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign in August 2003?

http://www.projo.com/news/politicalscene/projo_20050214_polsc14.22e92ed.html

Cheney, the Shiites, etc.

Bob Dreyfuss , Tompaine.com
February 14, 2005
The Post reports this morning that Vice President Cheney’s daughter—no, not the gay one—is back from having a baby and is also back at the State Department. During the run up to the Iraq war, Liz Cheney was a senior official at State’s Near East affairs bureau, where she intimidated diplomats and policymakers at the anti-Cheney bureau, who knew she would tell daddy if they misbehaved—that is, if they criticized daddy’s war plans. Now she is back: this time as principal deputy assistant secretary.

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m9671&l=i&size=1&hd=0

Cheney Daughter Also Rises -- at State Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, will become the second-ranking U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, the State Department said on Monday.
Cheney, who previously worked in the department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and left to work on her father's 2004 re-election campaign, will become the bureau's principal deputy assistant secretary of state.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=peopleNews&storyID=2005-02-14T223534Z_01_N14676223_RTRIDST_0_PEOPLE-PEOPLE-CHENEY-DC.XML

SECRECY, TORTURE, PROPAGANDA MARK NEW AMERICAN POLITBURO PRACTICES

By Bill Gallagher
DETROIT -- Like their Soviet predecessors, the top leaders of the American politburo -- Dick Cheney and George W. Bush -- never admit their mistakes or acknowledge their authoritarian policies and police-state oppression. The very thought of apologizing for failures and injustice -- no matter how disastrous and obvious -- is repugnant to such regimes.
Comrades Cheney and Bush get away with their propaganda with the unflinching support of the American Pravda -- right-wing talk radio, the Fox News Channel, televangelists and the hallelujah chorus of evangelical preachers who use their pulpits to preach the party line. To a somewhat lesser extent, the corporate media -- with a few noble exceptions -- join in the unrelenting campaign to distort, deceive and lie about the administration's past failures and future plans.

The old Stalinists would treat the truth of their horrible deeds with feigned disbelief and denial.
"Oh, that agricultural production problem in the Ukraine. There's no famine. It's just opponents of the people complaining and creating trouble. There is no gulag. We have no political prisoners. Our security police and the peoples' courts of justice will protect us from our enemies within and foreign interventionists."

http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/gallagher202.html

Keyes' Daughter Calls Self 'Liberal Queer'

TOM STUCKEY
Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The daughter of conservative Republican Alan Keyes referred to herself Monday as a "liberal queer" and urged support for gay and lesbian young people who have been deserted by their families.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/10900813.htm

Florida Marks 1945 U.S.-Saudi Meeting

KEN THOMAS
Associated Press
MIAMI - Pledging friendship and goodwill, descendants of President Franklin Roosevelt and the king of Saudi Arabia joined a group of veterans Monday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Roosevelt's groundbreaking meeting with King Abdulaziz that opened U.S.-Saudi relations.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/10899709.htm

Ex-Montana governor may be next envoy

Racicot a Bush favourite for Ottawa posting
Possible contenders also include beer tycoon
TIM HARPER
WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON—A former Montana governor who chaired George W. Bush's re-election campaign is emerging as a frontrunner among a pack of potential ambassadors to Canada.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1108336208497&call_pageid=970599119419

The Guardian

Last word on the revolution

For 14 years, until his death in July, the writer and political campaigner Paul Foot worked on one final book - about the struggle for the vote and the meaning of democracy. As this, the first of two exclusive extracts, shows, he remained a passionate activist until the very end
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
I have been surprised by the number of times I have been urged to "go into politics". When I protested that I was already in politics, I was told that what was meant was "real politics", meaning parliament. Then and since, I took the view that the main job of socialists must be outside parliament, making the case for socialism and for socialist organisation where it matters most, in the rank and file. On the few occasions I have stood for elected office, I did so chiefly for propaganda reasons, and was suitably and comprehensively rebuffed.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/bookshelf/story/0,9061,1418892,00.html

Navy's new message: your country needs you, especially if you are gay

Admirals shed centuries of repression with pink press adverts
Patrick Barkham
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
It is a liaison that would once have turned many military top brass purple with rage. Five years after the ban on homosexuality in the armed forces was lifted, the Royal Navy is entering into a partnership with Stonewall and actively seeking gay recruits by advertising in the pink press.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,11816,1418916,00.html

Crestor dose was double recommendation

Heather Tomlinson
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
The UK's drug regulator recommended that patients start on the controversial cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor at half the dose that ultimately went on the market, the Guardian has learned.

In January 2003, the Committee on Safety of Medicines recommended that patients be started on a 5mg dose of the drug, rather than the 10mg preferred by the manufacturer, AstraZeneca. However the drug was launched in March that year in line with the drug firm's request. This is because the European regulatory process uses the views of several countries, and national regulators have the choice of going with the European decision or not approving the drug at all.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1419060,00.html

Nuclear destruction

Monday February 14, 2005
The Guardian
It comes as no surprise that North Korea has proudly announced its nuclear arsenal to the world (We have the bomb, say North Koreans, February 11). I am reminded of the telegram sent to US president Harry Truman at Potsdam announcing the first successful nuclear test: "Baby safely delivered."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1412132,00.html

US still has 110 nuclear weapons in UK

Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday February 10, 2005
The Guardian
The US has more than 100 nuclear weapons at its Lakenheath base in Suffolk, three times the number previously thought, a respected US research agency said yesterday.
The 110 tactical nuclear bombs kept at the East Anglian base - the home of American F-15 strike jets - are among as many as 480 such weapons the US still deploys in Europe, says the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), a private arms control and environmental group.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1409542,00.html

David Adam, science correspondent

Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
Lost: much loved robot submarine, last seen under 200 metres of Antarctic ice last Wednesday, answers to the name Autosub - reward.
The £1.5m British unmanned research sub was investigating the waters below the Fimbul ice shelf when it became trapped. Scientists don't know what went wrong, but say the submarine is stuck and unlikely to be recovered.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/story/0,12976,1419086,00.html

EU plan clears Spanish hurdle

Voter turnout is muted 42%
Nicholas Watt in Brussels and Ben Sills in Madrid
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
The European constitution cleared its first major hurdle last night when Spanish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the historic document in the first of 10 referendums that will be held across Europe over the next 18 months.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,7369,1419111,00.html

continued...

Etna Lava 18.02.2005

Morning Papers - concluding

The Seattle Post Intelligencer

2 ships' future is on thin ice

By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
ABOARD THE USCGC POLAR SEA -- Although it carries no heavy armament, this U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker is a fighting ship.

During its nearly 30 years of life, the Polar Sea once crushed its way to the southernmost point in Antarctica navigable by sea. Six months later it broke through to the Arctic to become the first American surface ship to reach the North Pole and the first ship to span the most extreme ends of the global ocean.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212945_icebreaker21.html

'Polar rollers' -- the U.S. lifeline to Antarctica

Icebreakers also act as platforms for scientific studies of depths
By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Instead of working pier-side while his ship, Polar Sea, is being repaired, Coast Guard Capt. Bruce Toney would rather be under way in Antarctica, up in the "aloft con."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212922_icesider21.html

Most Americans ready for woman to be president

Clinton leads group of possible female candidates, poll finds
By ERIC DUGGAN
ALBANY (N.Y.) TIMES UNION
ALBANY, N.Y. -- A majority of Americans say the country is ready to elect a woman as president in 2008 -- and even more said they would vote for one.
The candidate's portrait as painted by 1,125 registered voters in a nationwide Hearst Newspapers/Siena College poll shows that she's likely a Democrat and is viewed as being at least as capable as a man on foreign policy. She's stronger on health care and education, but somewhat weaker as commander in chief of the military.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/212931_womanprez21.html

Storms pummel S. Calif., leave two dead

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A house, that collapsed during an earlier rainstorm, is fenced off as cars pass by Saturday, Feb.19, 2005, in the Studio City section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Phil McCarten)
LOS ANGELES -- California's latest series of storms turned deadly when a rockslide killed a teenage girl in Orange County and a city worker died after plunging into an enormous sinkhole caused by the rain, authorities said Monday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=California%20Storm

BTK killer's writing style has changed

By ROXANA HEGEMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WICHITA, Kan. -- The letters and poems began arriving in 1974. Shot through with spelling and grammatical errors, they alternated between tortured rambling and cold-blooded, gleeful detail. Then, the BTK killer - since linked to eight unsolved killings between 1974 and 1986 - vanished. But he resurfaced last March with new letters to police and media and, although still enigmatic, they have taken a new tone.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=BTK%27s%20Messages

Indonesia-Aceh peace talks to resume

By MATTI HUUHTANEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
HELSINKI, Finland -- Separatists from the Aceh region of Indonesia will demand a full withdrawal of the 50,000 Indonesian security forces in the province as part of any negotiated settlement to end their long-running war, a member of the rebel delegation said Monday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Finland%20Indonesia%20Aceh%20Talks

Bangladesh ferry death toll hits 114

By FARID HOSSAIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

Rescuers search for victims of a shipwrecked ferry, foreground, that capsized on the Buriganga River, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2005. A Bangladesh ferry capsized and sank during a tropical storm overnight, leaving at least 37 people dead and 150 missing, rescue officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/Pavel Rahman)
DHAKA, Bangladesh -- A double-decker passenger ferry capsized and sank during a tropical storm in Bangladesh, leaving at least 114 people dead and dozens missing, rescue officials said Monday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Bangladesh%20Ferry%20Capsize

Indonesian dump collapses, kills 13

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Thirteen people were killed and dozens were missing Monday after mountains of garbage collapsed onto a neighborhood near the West Java town of Bandung, officials said.
The 30-foot-tall heap collapsed and covered several houses near the municipal dump following days of torrential rains, killing at least 13 people and injuring six others, police Sgt. Asep Sudrajat said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Indonesia%20Garbage%20Slide

Summary: Volunteers want on Ariz. Border

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE SITUATION: The Mexico-Arizona border is the most porous for illegal immigrants seeking to enter the United States.
THE THREAT: Recent intelligence reports say al-Qaida terrorists are likely to use the Mexican border as a gateway for making attacks in the United States.
A REACTION: A private group called the Minuteman Project, to the dismay of federal authorities, plans to patrol a 40-mile stretch of the border, and some members plan to carry weapons.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Border%20Minutemen%20Summary%20Box

CRISIS IN THE WHITE HOUSE !! Try looking for a chef at 'Chili's' or 'The Texas Steak House'

First lady seeks barbecue, Tex-Mex chef

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- Fancy state dinners aren't all the new White House chef will need to do - the Bushes are looking for someone who knows barbecue and other good old American fare.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1151&slug=Laura%20Bush%20Chef

Poor often fall victim to fee on tax refund loans

Seattle imposed disclosure, but state bills would ease it
By CANDACE HECKMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Seattle lawmakers are worried that the disadvantaged working poor of the city will become targets of misleading tax preparers pushing expensive "refund anticipation loans" as the April filing deadline nears.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212932_taxloans21.html

U.N. refugee chief resigns under pressure

By EDITH M. LEDERER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
UNITED NATIONS -- After months of criticism, Secretary-General Kofi Annan decided that U.N. refugee chief Ruud Lubbers had to go because of the growing controversy over allegations that the former Dutch prime minister had sexually harassed female staffers.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Refugee%20Chief

Plague kills scores in Congo outbreak

By BRYAN MEALER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
KINSHASA, Congo -- A rare form of plague has killed at least 61 people at a diamond mine in the remote wilds of northeast Congo, and authorities fear hundreds more who fled into the forests to escape the contagion are infected and dying, the World Health Organization said Friday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=Congo%20Plague

Talks in Vietnam address endemic bird flu

By TINI TRAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TAM VU, Vietnam -- The challenges in eradicating a virus now entrenched in a region crowded with both people and poultry will be the focus of a regional bird flu conference that opens this Wednesday in Ho Chi Minh City.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1500&slug=Vietnam%20Bird%20Flu%20Fight

Australian airport terminal evacuated

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Passengers were evacuated from an airport terminal in the southern city of Melbourne on Monday after dozens of staff fell ill following a possible chemical or gas leak, officials said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apaa_story.asp?category=1106&slug=Australia%20Airport%20Evacuated

Bush declares American Samoa disaster area

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa -- President Bush on Friday declared American Samoa a major disaster area following Hurricane Olaf, which wiped out nearly all homes in at least one village in the Manua Islands.
Olaf, a Category 5 hurricane, hit Wednesday with sustained winds of 160 mph and gusts up to 190 mph. Waves up to 40 feet high hit some islands.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apaa_story.asp?category=1106&slug=Hurricane%20Olaf

Off the deep end

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Terror, as the Northwest knows all too well, is not only a foreign import; it is a domestic product, too.
Two strains of made-in-America extremism seeped back into view last week. In both instances, authorities appear to have done a commendable job of paying attention to longstanding dangers even in the face of the newer emphasis on al-Qaida and other international terror groups.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/212696_terrored.asp

The Australian

ASIO clears Aussies of Hariri killing

Trudy Harris
February 19, 2005
SIX Australians accused by Lebanese authorities of being suspects in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri have been cleared by ASIO of any involvement.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12299127%255E601,00.html

Three killed in Aceh violence

From correspondents in Banda Aceh
February 21, 2005
AN Indonesian soldier and two civilians have been killed in the latest violence in Aceh, even as government and rebels began a second round of peace talks in Finland, the military said today.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12332029%255E1702,00.html

Penis retrieved from toilet

From correspondents in Anchorage
February 21, 2005
A 44-year-old Alaskan man had his penis surgically reattached after it was cut off by an angry girlfriend and flushed down a toilet, police said today.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12328833%255E1702,00.html

Two dead in Sri Lankan blast

February 21, 2005
TWO people have been killed and 11 seriously injured in a bomb blast at a court house in southern Sri Lanka, as former US presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton tour the region.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12325421%255E1702,00.html

Near miss between RAAF plane, jet

February 21, 2005
AN air force plane and passenger jet had a near miss just south of Darwin last year, a report revealed today.
Investigations by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Air Services Australia found the traffic controller of that sector monitored the situation inadequately, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12325321%255E1702,00.html

The Sydney Morning Herald

Exxon becomes most valuable US firm

February 21, 2005 - 10:15PM

Buoyed by rising profits from lofty oil prices, Exxon Mobil passed General Electric Co. Friday to become the largest US corporation by stock market value.

The two Goliaths traded places after Exxon Mobil shares gained more than 2 per cent - having surged 43 per cent from a year ago - while GE's stock slipped.

That vaulted Exxon Mobil ahead of GE in market capitalisation, topping $US383 billion ($A485 billion) compared with about $US379 billion ($A480 billion) for GE.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Exxon-becomes-most-valuable-US-firms/2005/02/21/1108834731969.html

The New Zealand Herald

Nineteen arrested in child porn crackdown

UPDATE - School teachers and sports coaches were among 48 people interviewed by police in a crackdown on child pornography and abuse over the last two days.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10112014

Autonomy plan the basis for Aceh talks says mediator

21.02.05 1.00pm

HELSINKI - Jakarta's offer of limited autonomy for its restive Aceh province will provide a basis for peace talks this week between Indonesia and Aceh separatists, the talks' mediator Martti Ahtisaari said on Sunday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10112003

Baby improving after doctors remove second head

BENHA, Egypt - Egyptian doctors said a 10-month-old girl suffering from one of the rarest birth defects was in a serious but improving condition after they removed her second head in an operation on Saturday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10112005

WHERE IS 'KITTY KELLY' when you need her?

New tapes say Bush may have smoked marijuana

21.02.05 10.30am

WASHINGTON - President George W Bush indicated in interviews secretly taped by a friend before he became president that he had used marijuana but would not admit it for fear of setting a bad example for children.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10111999

Bush tries charm offensive in Europe

21.02.05
By Catherine Field

PARIS - There will be soothing words. But will there also be substance?
After four years of bluntness and division in relations with Europe, President George W. Bush this week will try a different tack - charm.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10111900

Storm-damaged Sydney drenched by more rain

21.02.05

SYDNEY - An Irish tourist struck by lightning during wild electrical storms in Sydney remains in intensive care.
The 29-year-old man was standing on Bondi Beach about 5pm AEDT (7pm NZT) when he was hit by lightning at the height of Saturday's storm.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10111946

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

Scott Base

Snow

-15.0°

Updated Monday 21 Feb 9:59PM