Deadly Bomb Blasts rock North East India

firstly: we should always worry about the next problem coming over the horizon. Is India it? Secondly: on the cui bono test, could elements from the ISI be expanding a destabilisation campaign? It would be interesting to know if the technological signature is similar to those around Bangalore not so long ago.

Antiviral Scareware

Story of what appears to be a Russian business that may have many aspects.

Captured in a hail of bullets, drug lord who left trail of severed heads

Eduardo Arellano Felix captured. One of seven brothers who founded the Arellano Felix cartel which is a major force in cross-border smuggling into the Southern US

Cartel reportedly infiltrated Mexican Attorney General's Office

Also the US Embassy. Drug cartel thus had advance notice of operations.

Russian Economic Official Abruptly Freed from Jail

Finance Minister Kudrin obtains the release of an ally, deputy mimister Storchak in the battle between Kremlin liberals and the silovki, according to the Washington Post.
Moscow Times broadly agrees: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/600/42/371832.htm

86 on trial in Turkey Coup Case

Ive been avoiding posting news about this trial until I could find an American link. The issue of Turkey's admission to the EU is too prominent in the EU to get a sensible article. Essentially, the Turkish prosecutors seem to be alleging that there was a group called Ergenekon who were similar to the Gladio network in Italy and other West European countries, using destabilasation tactics against the Islamist parties in the same way these tactics were used against Communist parties. The trial has a long way to go.
BBC story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7679158.stm

UN cites $20 million in fraud

Washington Post article on corruption fraud and mismanagement in UN's own contracts. Report of UN taskforce on procurement fraud. Involves cases in Congo, Kenya Greece and New York.

Garzon frees 10 "jihadists"

More from el Pais. Clearly the Spanis jihadist story is not cut and dried. Ministry of the Interior locking up lots of alleged jihadists, but here's our controversial friend, Baltasar Garzon, the judge who wanted to prosecute Pinochet, letting them out again, if I read the Spanish correctly. Lots of names in this article.
CNN published an English version of this story the following day: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/10/21/spain.terror.arrests/index.html

"Hemos eliminados a 25 infieles"

Judge Ruz investigating and putting on trial a gang of robbers on Costa del Sol funding killings in Mauretania and Algeria. Gang was formed in prison Topas in Salamanca where much recruitment took place between 1999 and 2002. Leaders: Mohammed Achraf and Abdelhakim Fekkar. Lots of information in this piece and in general in el Pais. I will have to stop reading cambio16's successor paper!

Spain Seeks Arrest of Duma deputy

article from Moscow Times. Baltasar Garzon issued proceedings in connection with investigation of Gennady Petrov, alleged Russian crime boss arrested in Mallorca. Vladimir Reznik is head of the Dumas Financial markets Committeeand was allegedly sold a villa in Mallorca by Petrov. Duma Speaker Boris Gryzliv has defended Reznik.