2010: Year of the angry traveler...

There's generally no shortage of aggravated travelers, but as far as years go, 2010 seems to have gone above and beyond in irritating the moving masses. Last year on Christmas Day, a Nigerian man was accused of attempting to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear aboard a Northwest Airlines flight. That incident got the air travel year off to a rocky start with a rush put on the deployment of the now-infamousfull-body scanners, which critics call "virtual strip searches." Add an onslaught of bag fees hikes in January, and you have a delicious recipe for disgruntlement. In April, Spirit Airlines heaped it on with a fee for carry-ons stowed in overhead bins. Fortunately, the major carriers didn't follow boldly in Spirit's footsteps. 

On a positive note, airline passenger protections designed to reduce long tarmac delays went into effect in April, and the new rules have dramatically cut the number of domestic tarmac strandings lasting more than three hours, without causing a noticeable increase in flight cancellations. Flights on international carriers -- as we've seen during this week's Snowpocalypse -- are not subject to the same rules. 

We all learned that air travel and ash clouds don't mix this spring when a volcanic eruption in Iceland grounded thousands of flights across Europe, stranding travelers on both sides of the pond for days.

From fire and crashing waves to gastrointestinal illness, many cruise passengers have had a tough time of it this year with a handful of unfortunate events rendering some seafaring retreats less than relaxing. 

But, let's be honest, travelers are no picnic. In fact, during a 5,900-mile airport odyssey, one CNN reporter discovered how awful and annoying we are. 

And there's no lack of examples of travelers behaving badly: Adrunk cruise passenger managed to drop anchor on his vacation, and just this week an airline passenger smacked a fellow travelerwho wouldn't turn off his iPhone as their flight was taxiing for takeoff. 

Angry with the ill-behaved masses, flight attendant Steven Slater channeled his outrage into one of the most spectacular take-this-job-and-shove-it moments in recent memory this August. His employer, JetBlue Airways, didn't share the public's admiration. Slater was suspended and eventually resigned. He made a deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time. 

Thanksgiving brought the usual travel rush and a new catchphrase in "don't touch my junk,"  prompted by the Transportation Security Administration's implementation of "enhanced" pat down screening procedures for some travelers. 

The pat downs, conducted by TSA screeners of the same sex as the passenger, involve touching the groin and breast areas. Opponents say they're an invasion of privacy, with some comparing the procedures to sexual molestation. The uproar over the pat downs didn't amount to much during the peak Thanksgiving travel period, and the Christmas holiday has been plagued with a wintry weather snarl on roads and at airports in the U.S. and Europe. Tarmac delays reared up again this week with some travelers on international airlines stranded at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for up to 11 hours.All this on top of the quiet (and not-so-quiet) battles waged daily on planes -- from reclining seat wars to critics of crying babies. Why do we heap all this hassle on ourselves? The magic's in thedestination -- and getting there does make for some of the best travel tales.

WikiLeaks: Panama's leader pressured U.S. to help wiretap opponents...

 n July 2009, the U.S. ambassador in Panama received an unexpected message on her BlackBerry. It came from newly elected President Ricardo Martinelli, and said simply, "I need help with tapping phones."
According to a diplomatic cable written in August 2009, which was obtained and published by the website WikiLeaks, then-Ambassador Barbara J. Stephenson did not reply to the message but subsequently expressed her concern that the Panamanian leader wanted "to conduct wiretaps against ostensible security threats as well as political opponents."
The response from Panamanian officials was that an "anti-corruption campaign is taking on powerful and corrupt individuals... Some of those individuals may attempt to retaliate by threatening Martinelli's personal safety."
The Panamanian leader, who leads a right-of-center government, also feared that he would be "a target of leftist governments in the region who will attempt to infiltrate Panama's trade unions and destabilize the GOP (government of Panama.)"
The leaked cable says U.S. diplomats in Panama drew a sharp distinction between a secret court-sanctioned wiretap program known as "Operation Matador" -- targeting drug traffickers -- and "any effort to expand wiretaps to domestic political targets." The existence of Matador has not been officially confirmed, but several leaked cables regarding Panama and other countries refer to an extensive international wiretap program run by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In a cable marked "secret," the ambassador said "Martinelli's seeming fixation with wiretaps and his comments to Ambassador during an August 12 meeting demonstrate that he may be willing to set aside the rule of law."
"He made reference to various groups and individuals whom he believes should be wiretapped, and he clearly made no distinction between legitimate security targets and political enemies," the cable continued.
Referring to businessmen who had received corrupt concessions from his political opponents, "Martinelli promised to 'throw them to the sharks.' He chided the Ambassador for being 'too legal' in her approach to the issue of wiretaps."
When Martinelli apparently suggested that anti-narcotics cooperation with the United States might be affected should he not get help with wiretapping, Stephenson responded that "she would readily inform Washington and we would all see Panama's reputation as a reliable partner plummet dramatically."
The cable illustrates the dilemma for U.S. diplomats: helping foreign governments combat corruption and organized crime may sometimes lead to less legitimate requests.
It ends with a withering analysis. "Martinelli's near-obsession with wiretaps betrays a simplistic and naive attitude toward the criminal investigative process," it says. "He appears to believe that wiretaps are the solution to all of his crime problems, and seems unable to grasp the concept that wiretaps are only one tool in the investigative process."
Not mincing words, the ambassador adds: "A president only gets his 'first hundred days' once, and Martinelli is spending his obsessing about vengeance against his political foes. Most of his government appointments have favored loyalty over competence."
Referring to his background as a supermarket tycoon, the ambassador adds: "His penchant for bullying and blackmail may have led him to supermarket stardom but is hardly statesmanlike."
Martinelli's behavior also appears to have embarrassed his own foreign minister, who told the ambassador that "he hates Martinelli's bluster but has not yet convinced him that whatever his persona is as 'Ricardito,' such behavior is inappropriate for the President of the Republic."
Relations continued to be difficult. Later in 2009, the United States decided to remove the Matador wiretap program from control of the Panamanian government's Council for Public Security and National Defense, which had led to a threat to expel the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from Panama.
A cable from December 2009 notes: "All of this comes at a time when Panama's judicial institutions are under assault by the executive, with Martinelli's strong political pressure on the attorney general and the controversial appointment of two Martinelli political cronies to the supreme court."
It comes with a recommendation: "If we cannot guarantee with a high level of confidence that the Matador program will not be misused for political purposes, then we prefer to suspend the program."

Stephenson has since moved to a posting in London. Media reports suggest that Matador was suspended earlier this year, but the U.S. State Department refuses to comment on the contents of cables published by WikiLeaks. A Panamanian official told local television that the ambassador's cables had arisen out of a "mistaken interpretation" of President Martinelli's remarks.

Russia defends verdict against oil tycoon...

Russia on Tuesday responded to international criticism over the conviction of a former Russian oil tycoon and his business partner on corruption charges. 

A judge in Moscow found Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of the Yukos oil company, and his partner guilty Monday.
The United States in particular criticized the court proceeding, calling it a case of selective prosecution.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement dismissing Western criticism over the verdict.
"The attempts at pressuring the court are unacceptable," the statement said, adding that the case falls wholly within the Russian legal system.
Money laundering and tax evasion charges would similarly be criminally prosecuted in any other country, the statement said.
"Allegations about some kind of selective prosecution in Russia are groundless. Russian courts deal with thousands of cases where entrepreneurs are prosecuted," the statement said.
It concluded, "We are expecting that everyone will mind their own business, both at home and in the international arena."
Khodorkovsky's son, Pavel, told CNN that his father will appeal the verdict.
"Of course there will be an appeal," Pavel Khodorkovsky said. "What I'm hoping for right now is the shortest sentence possible, because I'm really hoping to see my dad as soon as possible a free man."
The trial on money laundering and embezzlement charges, which began in March 2009, was the second for the two men. Khodorkovsky, who is already imprisoned after being convicted on other charges, could be sentenced to prison until 2017.
"The trial was a charade of justice, the charges were absolutely false, but I fear the sentencing will be very real," lead defense lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant said in a written statement.

 

 

 

 

African leaders meet with Gbagbo to deal with Ivory Coast crisis

African leaders meet with Gbagbo to deal with Ivory Coast crisis
Three African presidents met with their defiant counterpart in Ivory Coast Tuesday in an effort to thwart the country's political crisis.
No details of the meeting in Abidjan, the administrative center of the conflict-torn country, were immediately available. But incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo's ministers had already signaled that the man who believed he had won Ivory Coast's presidential election had no intention of stepping down.
Presidents Yayi Boni of Benin, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde were next meeting with Gbagbo's challenger, Alassane Ouattara, who also claimed victory at the polls and who has the international community's support as Ivory Coast's legitimate leader.
The three heads of state represent the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which held an emergency meeting last Friday in Nigeria and delivered an ultimatum to Gbagbo: step down or face the threat of military force.

Gbagbo's Minister of Interior Emile Guirieoulou said Sunday the three leaders would be "received as brothers, friends."
"We will listen to them, listen to the message they are carrying," he said. "If they abide to our constitution, we're going to talk ... our constitution is not negotiable."
However, Foreign Affairs Minister Alcide Djedje said Gbagbo would not step down.
The ECOWAS delegation met earlier Tuesday with Young-Jin Choi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy; and a representative of the African Union.
It's unclear if ECOWAS intends to make good on its threat or what kind of force would be used. It has intervened before in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Ivory Coast's Independent Electoral Commission, backed by the United Nations, declared opposition leader Ouattara the winner of a November runoff. But its Constitutional Council invalidated those results and declared incumbent Gbagbo the winner.
The international community, including the United States, the United Nations and the African Union, has recognized Ouattara as the winner and urged Gbagbo to cede power.
The political stalemate has thrown Ivory Coast into crisis and scores of people have died in related violence.
A convoy of Bangladeshi peacekeepers came under attack Tuesday in Abidjan, the United Nations said. The U.N. peacekeeping mission said one soldier was slashed in the arm by a machete and a U.N. vehicle was burned.
The African Union has suspended Ivory Coast from the organization "until such a time the democratically elected president effectively assumes state power." And the World Bank has halted lending and disbursing funds to Ivory Coast and has closed its office in the country.

More than 15,000 refugees have fled for neighboring Liberia, according to the U.N. refugee agency, a large number of them women and children.

Bus Crash Kills 8 Americans in Egypt

Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The wreckage of a bus that crashed in Egypt on Sunday, killing eight American tourists.

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CAIRO — Eight Americans were killed Sunday when their tour bus collided with a parked truck full of sand on a dimly lighted desert road, officials and local news reports said.
Twenty-one Americans and two Egyptian tour operators were injured in the accident, which occurred around dawn on a road from the southern Egyptian city of Aswan to the historic Abu Simbel temple.
“It was a lousy Christmas,” said Laura Light, 76, a retired French professor from San Francisco who was taken to the hospital with mild injuries. She was on a Christmas cruise down the Nile with her husband, Leon Light, 87, a retired federal agent who had broken six ribs in the crash.
“My husband was trapped between two chairs and he couldn’t move, but the woman next to me was very crushed,” Ms. Light said, “and her husband was dead.”
The Egyptian military transported a dozen of the injured to a hospital in Cairo for treatment, the American embassy said in a statement.
Passengers said their tour left Aswan at about 5:00 a.m., driving in pitch darkness on a narrow desert road toward Abu Simbel when the bus hit the truck.
About 8,000 people die from traffic accidents each year in Egypt, where two-way desert roads frequently have only one lane, street lamps are rare and traffic laws are often ignored.
The bus operator was the Misr Sinai tour company, a 30-year-old enterprise founded and partly owned by the Egyptian government. Company officials declined to comment.

Female suicide bomber was behind deadly Pakistan blast..

Female suicide bomber was behind deadly Pakistan blast, official says

 

 Islamabad, Pakistan -- A young, female suicide bomber was behind a blast in Pakistan that killed at least 46 people and injured 105 others at a food distribution point, an official said Sunday.
Zakir Hussain Afridi, the top government official in Bajaur Agency, Pakistan, said that the preliminary investigation into the explosion shows that a woman between the ages of 16 and 18 blew herself up. The determination was made from remains of the bomber that were recovered.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday's blast in that Asian nation's tribal region.
Azam Tariq, the central spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, told CNN in a phone call that it targeted people who had formed what he called a pro-government and anti-Taliban group.

The blast took place about 600 meters from a U.N. World Food Programme distribution point at a security checkpoint in Khar, according to Amjad Jamal, a spokesman for the agency. He said that more than 300 people were going through a security screening to get food and other items at the time of the explosion.
Khar is the headquarters of Bajaur Agency, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Jamal said that those who had been internally displaced during military efforts in Bajaur Agency get a month's supply of food and other goods.
Afridi said that the suicide bomber was in a burqa, a traditional full-body covering worn by some Muslim women. He said she was stopped for a security check at a checkpoint, where she detonated herself.
The official said it was the first instance of a female suicide bomber in Pakistan that he could recall.
The Pakistani Taliban denied that the bomber was a woman.
"We have thousands of male suicide bombers ready who are keenly waiting for their turns. Then why would we use a woman, which is against the traditions of Islam?" the Pakistani Taliban's Azam Tariq said.
Jamal said all staff members of the World Food Programme and its partner organizations are safe, but added that all four of the program's food distribution points in Bajaur Agency have been temporarily closed for security reasons. Still, the U.N. agency will continue to provide services elsewhere in the country, Jamal said.
U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement condemning Saturday's "outrageous terrorist attack," which he called "an affront to the people of Pakistan and to all humanity."
"The United States stands with the people of Pakistan in this difficult time, and will strongly support Pakistan's efforts to ensure greater peace, security and justice for its people," Obama said.
The blast took place a day after about 150 militants fired at five security checkpoints in Mohmand Agency -- another of the seven districts in Pakistan's volatile tribal region along the Afghan border -- killing 11 soldiers. Security forces later killed 40 militants who were among the group, authorities said Saturday.

The security forces pounded militant hideouts in Mohmand Agency with helicopter gunships, said Maqsood Amin, a senior government official in the area. Twenty-four militants were killed during retaliation Friday while 16 were targeted Saturday.

 

Violence up in Afghanistan, UN warns

Afghanistan is seeing higher levels of violence this year than last year at this time, with 20% more civilians killed and the number of "security incidents" up by 66%, the United Nations says in a new report.
The number of civilians killed by the United States and its allies was lower, but insurgent attacks are significantly higher, meaning the overall number of civilian deaths is up.
More than 2,400 civilians were killed, and more than 3,800 injured in the first 10 months of this year, the report says.
More than three out of four of the casualties were caused by "anti-government elements," it says.
That's a 25 percent increase on last year, it said. Deaths caused by U.S. troops and their allies were down 18 percent.
"Assassinations" of civilians and police reached "unprecedented numbers" in August, and there were an average of three suicide attacks per week, the U.N. said in its quarterly report.
The United Nations report, which was finalized December 10, also tracked widespread kidnapping of aid workers.
A total of 134 were abducted between June and the end of October, the U.N. said. Most were freed quickly, but one Afghan was killed by his captors, the world body said.
A British aid worker was also killed this year by U.S. special forces trying to rescue her from kidnappers. Linda Norgrove, 36, was killed by an American grenade thrown by a rescuer who did not realize she was there.
U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was the top international military commander in Afghanistan until he was fired in June, urged his troops to avoid civilian casualties in order to avoid making enemies of the population.
"It is better to miss a target than to cause civilian casualties," McChrystal said in December 2009. "We can always target enemy leaders later. We can't make up for the fact that we killed civilians."
But there continued to be high-profile incidents, including one where 23 civilians were killed in a NATO airstrike in February.
McChrystal personally apologized to Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai for those killings and ordered an investigation. It concluded that troops needed more training.
McChrystal's dismissal was not related to the incident. He was fired over disrespectful comments his inner circle made about top White House officials in a profile of the general in Rolling Stone magazine.

The United Nations report was prepared for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

North Korea stopped fire after military training by South:

Relationships between North and South Korea were very strange after  South attempt on Monday because they want to retaliation at North similar drills a month ago. South Korea conducted a military exercise on Yeonpyeong Island, near the disputed North-South maritime border. 

People could watched in television reporter news yesterday, a plan of South Korea military artillery drill on Yeonpyeong Island. But North Korea did not react and one of North’s military solider said that world should know how champion on the peace is and how is real provocateur of war.   

Politicians can not imagine why the North, one of the worlds most closed societies, chose not to repeat last month military response. 

The drills began on Monday afternoon. The time of drill was 94 minutes, and that training include F-15K fighter-bombers and shelling into waters claimed by both Koreas. The United States was South Korea’s protector in the Korean War.

South Korea explains that dills were routine and sovereign right to conduct such exercises. Some spokesman from South Korea said that just eight miles from North Korea cost — began firing Monday at 2:30 p.m. and ended at 4:04.

Last month attack was shocking in the South because it appeared to target the small island small fishing community where live 1,350 civilians. The United Nations security Council held a special session, and decided to disagree on a measure calling for moderation and restraint by two Koreas. 

On Sunday, Gen. Walter L. Sharp, the commander of American forces in South Korea, and Kathleen Stephens, the American ambassador to Seoul, went to the Blue House, and commented Monday.

“The U.S. side said it supports South Korea’s military training plan irrespective of North Korea’s response, and that it will stay with us whatever happens,” said Kim Hee-jung, a spokeswoman for South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

The bad weather canceled more flights in Europe...

London airports are open, but many people who want to celebrate Christmas, might be that won't be impossible.
Donna O’Brein, head of commercial communications for Heathrow Airport operator BAA said that passengers can anticipate delays following days and potentially beyond Christmas days. They expect that will be schedule back on Wednesday.
An one-third flights are probably to operate during this period, and airlines are updating latest information on their web site. Hundred of thousands passengers are stranding on the airport over the weekend who are sleeping in very uncomfortable conditions.
Paris Charles de Gaulle airport was set to cancel 30% of flights Monday. Frankfurt airport cancelled 325 flights of 1400, because weather in Germany, and some of flights are disruptions because others airports.
In Europe’s airports, 450 employees do around o’clock, deicing and removing snow and clean airports..
In Berlin, airport was open, but some flights were cancel and delayed.
Temperatures in Northern Ireland hit a record, 18 degrees under zero Celsius.
The France authorities reported they are preventing cargo trucks and buses from using roads in northern France and the greater Paris are.
Good things is, that temperature will slowly return during the next week…

By the favourite news…

Visiting new Mexico guverner in North Korea...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Saturday he is concerned about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, where he is urging "maximum" restraint ahead of scheduled military exercises.

"This is a tinderbox," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who is traveling with the governor in North Korea. "Right now, my objective is to say -- tamp things down."

Both Koreas have traded tough talk and conducted aggressive military drills in the weeks after North Korea shelled a South Korean island last month.

The tough talk continued Friday as North Korea warned it would launch a military strike against the South if Seoul goes ahead with live-fire drills near Yeonpyeong Island during the next few days, North Korea's state-run KCNA reported.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that the exercises would take place in the seas southwest of the island between December 18 and 21.
Blitzer: Everyone's trying to avoid war
Richardson meets N. Korean officials
RELATED TOPICS

* North Korea

Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, arrived in North Korea Thursday on a four-day trip he hopes will help to ease tensions in the region.

"Let's cool things down. No response. Let the exercises take place," said Richardson, who added: "On all sides, I'm urging restraint."

He met with a vice minister of North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday and is scheduled to meet with North Korea's senior nuclear negotiator Kim Gye Gwan on Saturday. The governor is also expected to meet with a top military leader while in North Korea, though he did not say who.

"Meeting a top military person is significant," said Richardson, who has hosted a North Korean delegation in New Mexico in the past. "Hopefully, we can keep things from firing up."

"My sense from the North Koreans is they are trying to find ways to tamp this down ... Maybe that will continue today. That's my hope," he said.

Richardson is not in North Korea as an official U.S. envoy.

Tensions mounted between the Koreas on November 23, when North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island, which lies in South Korean territory. The attack killed two marines and two civilians and injured 18 people.

The North has accused the South of provoking the attack because shells from a South Korean military drill landed in the North's waters.

Last month's attack was the first direct artillery assault on South Korea since 1953, when an armistice ended fighting.

The U.S. military has said it is concerned that South Korea's scheduled exercises could spark an uncontrollable clash with the North, but the State Department said the exercises are not meant to be threatening or provocative.

Still, the Obama administration and South Korea have established contingency communication plans in the event North Korea retaliates against the South for holding military exercises, a U.S. military official said Friday.

The scheduled South Korea exercise has sparked concern from Washington to Moscow. Russia asked South Korea to cancel the drills after North Korea vowed to strike back if they proceed.

"It's obviously a very, very tense situation," said CNN's Blitzer. "People are very very worried that one miscalculation could cause a disaster."

Chaos in the traffic was caused because big freez in Europe...

- A blast of harsh winter weather socked Europe on Saturday morning, causing travel chaos and sending temperatures into a deep-freeze ahead of a busy holiday travel week.

From Northern Ireland to Bulgaria, blizzard conditions left airports with heavy delays or shut them entirely Saturday.

London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports closed all runways Saturday afternoon because of heavy snow and ice, though Gatwick reopened at 3 p.m. after clearing 4 inches of snow from the tarmac. Despite the reopening, the airport warned of "inevitable" delays and cancellations throughout the day.

British Airways canceled all Saturday domestic and European flights at Heathrow. On Saturday night the airport announced it would be closed indefinitely.

All easyJet and British Airways flights -- with the exception of a flight to Egypt -- were canceled out of Gatwick as well.
European weather woes
RELATED TOPICS

* Winter Weather

Police closed several access roads surrounding the airports due to dangerous driving conditions.

The delays and cancellations extended across Europe -- to Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Geneva, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; Paris, France; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Heavy snowfall also forced the closing of Hungary's Budapest Ferihegy International Airport on Saturday. It had reopened by 4:30 p.m.

The relentless weather caused approximately 250 flights to be cancelled and thousands of passengers stranded at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Friday, according to airport spokeswoman Antoinette Spaans.

"We are expecting more delays due to weather conditions," Spaans said Saturday. "The most delays and cancellations are expected to affect air traffic within Europe," she added.

Katherin Kujit and her husband spent four hours at Schiphol and still didn't make their flight.

"Some people seemed very calm, but many were agitated," Kujit said. "You could not sit, suitcases everywhere. People squashed closely together because they don't want to lose 4 inches in line."

They eventually gave up and booked a Monday flight to the United States.

Ireland braced for an icey Saturday as the Irish Meteorological Service, Met Eireann, forecast widespread frost, ice and freezing fog for the morning, and some sleet and snow showers for later in the day. Temperatures were expected to drop down to between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius below zero (between 18 degrees and 25 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday night.

Northern Ireland was blanketed at the end of this week with its worst snowfall in 25 years, according to CNN affiliate TV3.

The government issued emergency snow warnings Friday night, and more snow was expected Saturday.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland warned motorists to avoid treacherous roads and travel "only if absolutely necessary."

At Frankfurt Airport Saturday morning, snow was still coming down.

"We have a light snow now. According to the weather forecast, the snowfall should stop in three hours," airport spokesman Tino Ross said. Approximately 240 flights were canceled Saturday and there were still some delays, according to airport officials.

Airport personnel were working Saturday morning to de-ice airplanes and resume full operations at the airport, Ross said. He added that while about 3,000 passengers were stranded Friday, after having passed through passport control, the situation has improved Saturday and that stranded passengers were provided food and water for the wait.

Travelers were experiencing similar delays in Berlin.

"Our holiday plans seem to be on the verge of being frozen for now," said Arundhati Banerjee of the United Kingdom, who was stranded at the airport.

Meanwhile in Bulgaria, the eastern part of the country has been under snow for three days, with accumulation at nearly 1 meter (40 inches) in some areas, according to CNN affiliate bTV.

The main highway, airport and port in Varna, Bulgaria, were closed Friday for several hours. Four regions in Bulgaria -- Silistra, Dorbich, Varna and Burgas -- elevated the weather advisory, and the country was still expecting heavy snowfall and strong winds, bTV's website said. Many roads remain closed, and town and villages were without water or electricity.

In Belgium, the weather forced truck drivers to spend a freezing night in their cabs after authorities banned trucks over seven tons from travelling on icy roads.

Italy's ANSA news agency reported that two people had died because of the bad weather -- a truck driver who was killed in a car accident and a man who died of a heart attack while cleaning up snow outside his house. Hundreds of passengers were stranded in Florence, Italy, after snow and ice stopped high-speed trains from entering the city's train station, the agency said.

In northeastern Greece near Macedonia, heavy snowfall mid-week caused massive problems on several highways, where snowchains were declared mandatory, according to national news Athens News Agency.

Meteorologists say the cold weather is caused by a negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, which means that cold Arctic air is flowing into southern latitudes that are normally much warmer.

Forecasters don't expect conditions to change anytime soon. The next wave of snowy weather is expected to bring up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) to some parts of the U.K., with London expected to receive 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) of snow.

The weather system will move across France and Germany on Saturday night and Sunday. Below-normal temperatures are expected to continue in northern Europe into the beginning of next week.- A blast of harsh winter weather socked Europe on Saturday morning, causing travel chaos and sending temperatures into a deep-freeze ahead of a busy holiday travel week.

From Northern Ireland to Bulgaria, blizzard conditions left airports with heavy delays or shut them entirely Saturday.

London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports closed all runways Saturday afternoon because of heavy snow and ice, though Gatwick reopened at 3 p.m. after clearing 4 inches of snow from the tarmac. Despite the reopening, the airport warned of "inevitable" delays and cancellations throughout the day.

British Airways canceled all Saturday domestic and European flights at Heathrow. On Saturday night the airport announced it would be closed indefinitely.

All easyJet and British Airways flights -- with the exception of a flight to Egypt -- were canceled out of Gatwick as well.
European weather woes
RELATED TOPICS

* Winter Weather

Police closed several access roads surrounding the airports due to dangerous driving conditions.

The delays and cancellations extended across Europe -- to Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Geneva, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; Paris, France; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Heavy snowfall also forced the closing of Hungary's Budapest Ferihegy International Airport on Saturday. It had reopened by 4:30 p.m.

The relentless weather caused approximately 250 flights to be cancelled and thousands of passengers stranded at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Friday, according to airport spokeswoman Antoinette Spaans.

"We are expecting more delays due to weather conditions," Spaans said Saturday. "The most delays and cancellations are expected to affect air traffic within Europe," she added.

Katherin Kujit and her husband spent four hours at Schiphol and still didn't make their flight.

"Some people seemed very calm, but many were agitated," Kujit said. "You could not sit, suitcases everywhere. People squashed closely together because they don't want to lose 4 inches in line."

They eventually gave up and booked a Monday flight to the United States.

Ireland braced for an icey Saturday as the Irish Meteorological Service, Met Eireann, forecast widespread frost, ice and freezing fog for the morning, and some sleet and snow showers for later in the day. Temperatures were expected to drop down to between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius below zero (between 18 degrees and 25 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday night.

Northern Ireland was blanketed at the end of this week with its worst snowfall in 25 years, according to CNN affiliate TV3.

The government issued emergency snow warnings Friday night, and more snow was expected Saturday.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland warned motorists to avoid treacherous roads and travel "only if absolutely necessary."

At Frankfurt Airport Saturday morning, snow was still coming down.

"We have a light snow now. According to the weather forecast, the snowfall should stop in three hours," airport spokesman Tino Ross said. Approximately 240 flights were canceled Saturday and there were still some delays, according to airport officials.

Airport personnel were working Saturday morning to de-ice airplanes and resume full operations at the airport, Ross said. He added that while about 3,000 passengers were stranded Friday, after having passed through passport control, the situation has improved Saturday and that stranded passengers were provided food and water for the wait.

Travelers were experiencing similar delays in Berlin.

"Our holiday plans seem to be on the verge of being frozen for now," said Arundhati Banerjee of the United Kingdom, who was stranded at the airport.

Meanwhile in Bulgaria, the eastern part of the country has been under snow for three days, with accumulation at nearly 1 meter (40 inches) in some areas, according to CNN affiliate bTV.

The main highway, airport and port in Varna, Bulgaria, were closed Friday for several hours. Four regions in Bulgaria -- Silistra, Dorbich, Varna and Burgas -- elevated the weather advisory, and the country was still expecting heavy snowfall and strong winds, bTV's website said. Many roads remain closed, and town and villages were without water or electricity.

In Belgium, the weather forced truck drivers to spend a freezing night in their cabs after authorities banned trucks over seven tons from travelling on icy roads.

Italy's ANSA news agency reported that two people had died because of the bad weather -- a truck driver who was killed in a car accident and a man who died of a heart attack while cleaning up snow outside his house. Hundreds of passengers were stranded in Florence, Italy, after snow and ice stopped high-speed trains from entering the city's train station, the agency said.

In northeastern Greece near Macedonia, heavy snowfall mid-week caused massive problems on several highways, where snowchains were declared mandatory, according to national news Athens News Agency.

Meteorologists say the cold weather is caused by a negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, which means that cold Arctic air is flowing into southern latitudes that are normally much warmer.

Forecasters don't expect conditions to change anytime soon. The next wave of snowy weather is expected to bring up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) to some parts of the U.K., with London expected to receive 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) of snow.

The weather system will move across France and Germany on Saturday night and Sunday. Below-normal temperatures are expected to continue in northern Europe into the beginning of next week.

Wikileaks cables show Sri Lankan 'human right abuses'...

US diplomatic cables newly released by Wikileaks are sharply critical of both the Sri Lankan government and the now defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

The cables dating from 2007 suggest that the state colluded in paramilitary activities including killings, child trafficking and organised prostitution.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Tigers used systematic forced conscription during the war, which ended in 2009.

The cables are some of 2,000 released by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.

Both the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lanka's government have long faced accusations by human rights groups of committing abuses during the 26-year conflict.

Other cables from early this year however said the state was improving its human rights record.
'Trafficking'

The cables, purportedly coming from the US embassy here, paint a bleak picture of northern and eastern Sri Lanka after the collapse of a ceasefire.

They quoted what they called "trusted embassy contacts" saying the Tamil Tigers were forcing one person per family to join their ranks.

They were also threatening families who did not bring their children back from jobs abroad in order to take up arms.

The cables also said that the government was supporting extra-judicial behaviour by pro-government Tamil paramilitaries, led by men who are now ministers.

Their sources said, for instance, that one paramilitary was believed to be trafficking boys as workers and girls as prostitutes.

One of the ministers concerned, however, has rejected all the allegations, telling the BBC Tamil Service: "We are not involved in trafficking or extortions."

Pro-government paramilitaries and the Tigers alike are accused in the cables of extorting money or food.

But a more recent cable from last January said Sri Lanka's government had "dramatically" improved its treatment of displaced Tamils and that the number of disappearances blamed on the state had significantly fallen.

The Sri Lankan government declined to comment on earlier Wikileaks cables.

The US embassy in Colombo stressed this month that cables reflected daily analysis and "candid assessments" and should not be seen as representing US policy.

Killed police chief in Mexico...

A female police chief in the Mexican state of Chihuahua has been murdered by drug cartels. Hermila Garcia of the small border town Meoqui was gunned down Nov. 29. Garcia was 36 years old and assumed her post on Oct. 9. Many women have stepped up to take police chief positions when men were too afraid to take the job.

Unfortunately this new murder may signal the drug cartels are willing to kill whomever they feel is in authority, even women. Other women along border towns including a 20 year-old have stepped up to be police chiefs when drug cartels have murdered their predecessors.

Drug violence has been widespread throughout Mexico since 2006. Over 31,000 people have died in drug-related violence in four years, 7,200 in Juarez alone. This new case of drug murders follows other high-profile killings in the war to control Mexico's drug trade.

Tijuana

Across the border from San Diego is Tijuana where two drug smuggling tunnels connecting the two cities were uncovered by U.S. officials. In retaliation, a drug cartel massacred 13 people at a drug rehab center in Tijuana, according to the Guardian.

More recovering addicts were shot in the western town of Tepic and were clients of the same drug rehab center. U.S. officials seized over 130 tons of marijuana in early November in one of the largest drug raids in the war on drugs.

Monterrey

Mexico's wealthiest city, and third largest, is Monterrey. Drug cartels are just now beginning to fight for control of the city when it was discovered a 21 year-old college student was shot Nov. 24 after gunmen chasing a security guard started randomly shooting into a crowd, according to the El Paso Times.

Mexican troops were ordered to the state of Nuevo Leon to help keep violence levels down. Monterrey is home to one of the best universities in Mexico and many wealthy CEOs. Since the largest drug cartel split in two earlier this year they have been fighting for control of the drug trade.

David and Tiffany Hartley

When David and Tiffany Hartley took their personal watercraft onto Falcon Lake they had no idea their vacation would end in tragedy. Tiffany, David's wife, escaped after she says three boats came up to them and shot guns.

David was killed although his body has yet to be found, according to CBS News. The lake borders the United States and Mexico and has been known to be a haven for drug traffickers.

This new round of violence will only serve to escalate Mexico's war on drugs. It has already cost American lives and violence is not likely to dissipate any time soon.

Venezuelan lawmakers grant Chavez power to pass laws by decree

Venezuela's lame-duck National Assembly has granted President Hugo Chavez the power to pass laws by decree for the next 18 months, the website of state-run Venezuelan Television reported Friday.
Critics say the 56-year-old president sought the power in order to push his agenda through the legislative body. Elections in September weakened the ruling party's hold on power, and ruling by decree would provide Chavez with a way to circumvent a less friendly national assembly for a full year, they say.
The new lawmakers are to be seated January 5.
But Chavez has said he was seeking the powers in order to be able to respond to recent flooding that has left thousands of people homeless.
Heavy flooding and mudslides in late November claimed at least 21 lives in the state of Miranda and displaced more than 32,000 in Falcon state, authorities said.
At the time, Chavez reportedly allowed 20 displaced families to temporarily live in structures on the grounds of his Miraflores Palace, VTV said.
Lawmakers are also considering reforms that opponents say will make it easier for Chavez to clamp down on critics. Two of them -- changes in the the Organic Telecommunications Law and the Social Responsibility in Radio and Television Law -- are garnering much attention. A proposed new article in the Organic Telecommunications Law calls for the creation of government-run internet hub.

Critics say such a hub could be used effectively as a censorship tool, and they have brought comparisons to China, Cuba and Iran.