this is kind of long and covers three things really

columbian general convicted in paramilitary massacre

On Monday a Columbian General was convicted of failing to prevent a paramilitary massacre. Retired General Jaime Uscategui [i have no idea of how to pronounce this] was sentenced to 40 months in jail in Columbia's first ever conviction of an army general for paramilitary violence.

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The chinese governement, in an attempt to limit free speech has taken Huang Qi to trial over postings on his website about the 1989 pro-democracy protests.

is this too short?

Hong Kong Drivers End Blockade

In Hong Kong truck drivers end a five-day blockade of the island's port after making cargo-handling conglormerates back down from charging new fees.

this is a *rough* script

*The Food and Drug Administration has released a study which indicates that American consumers want mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods and feel "outrage" when they learn how many supermarket products already are produced through biotechnology.

The FDA's internal report, which was commissioned by the agency to gauge sentiment about its proposals for voluntary labeling, said that consumers are concerned about possible long-term environmental and health effects of genetically modifed foods.

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A class-action lawsuit has begun against the U.S. Postal Service

in New York City(?) for giving free mail boxes to home owners

and not to homeless individuals. The suit says that the Postal

Service is not following an administrative ruling allowing

homeless people to use alterntives to providing an address.

proposed for a headline

Tuesday, February 13 4:58 PM SGT

Colombian general convicted in paramilitary massacre
BOGOTA, Feb 13 (AFP) -
Colombia for the first time sent an army general to jail for failing to prevent a paramilitary massacre, as government officials and leftist rebels prepared to return to the negotiating table.

Retired general Jaime Uscategui was sentenced to 40 months behind bars late Monday for failing to prevent the July 14, 1997, massacre of at least 22 people in central Meta department by right-wing paramilitary commandos.

Iraqis blast "criminal" Bush after 15 injured in air raid

Iraqis blast "criminal" Bush after 15 injured in air raid

NAHRAN OMAR, Iraq, Feb 12 (AFP) -

US President George W. "Bush, the son, is more of a criminal than his father," an angry farmer protested Monday, a day after 15 civilians were injured in a US and British air raid on southern Iraq.

The younger Bush is "much more criminal," charged Muslim Enad, who had children in his family among the injured.

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A truck driver's strike ended yesterday, five days after Hong Kong's cargo corporations tried to impose fees on the drivers.

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Violence in the streets of Dhaka (Daaaaka, a deep emphatic "d" and "a"), Bangledesh, over religious freedom of speech have resulted in 4 deaths and dozens of injuries. The ruling party, the Awani League, supported the ruling by the High Court to ban fatwas (the second "a" is not deep, almost "fatwehs"), which are religious rulings for Muslims. The violence was between Awani supporters and opposition supporters.

Battling ELF

Teen Convicted in Eco-Terror Attack

Battling ELF

Teen Convicted in Eco-Terror Attack

By Oliver Yates Libaw

Feb. 12 — Prosecutors have recorded their first conviction in a case linked to the Earth Liberation Front, an eco-terror group that claims credit for more than 100 acts of destruction in the last five years and $37 million worth of damage.

Prosecutors on New York's Long Island confirmed that a 17-year-old Suffolk County high school student pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a series of arson fires.