Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in front of the offices of the Consejo Nacional Electoral (National Electoral Counsel/CNE) in downtown Caracas on Saturday, Aug. 12, to demonstrate their support for Pres. Hugo Chávez Frías. Chávez had come to CNE’s offices to formally register his re-election bid and he came accompanied by members of his Movimiento Quinta República (Fifth Republic Movement/MVR) and members of Bloque del Cambio (Bloc for Change) an alliance of twenty-three left-wing political and social justice groups that support his administration. Supporters applauded the popular incumbent as he announced the opening of his re-election campaign in the Plaza Caracas. [...]
WASHINGTON — In coming weeks, one of the most significant events of the year will occur when it becomes clear who will replace Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary general. Unfortunately, when it happens, although it will no doubt make the front pages of the world’s newspapers, and although it will probably have been preceded by a few days of speculation stories, the public will have a far sketchier view of what is happening than it should. Press coverage of this important story has been meager. The question of who will run an organization whose functions range from offering neutral ground [...]
European intelligence sources were surprised by the news of the alleged plot to blow up five U.S. airliners over the mid-Atlantic. This was not because a major strike by Islamist terrorists was in itself unexpected. But European intelligence organizations, sources said Saturday, had anticipated that the target would be an international institution, or the energy center of a major city, such as a large power station. Instead, the thwarted attack turned out to have echoes of 9/11. Though al Qaeda has not been firmly linked to the plot, the evident Pakistani connection brings it geographically close to Osama bin Laden’s [...]
