generalspeaking

Russia - At least 30 members of a Russian doomsday cult - 29 adults and 4 children - have barricaded themselves in a remote cave inside a snow-covered hillside in the Penza region of central Russia. They refuse to emerge, and threaten to blow themselves up, if they are pressed. They are intent on remaining there, to await the end of the world.

Saudi Arabia - A 19-year-old Saudi woman is facing punishment of 200 lashes and six months in jail as a just sentence for being the victim of gang rape. She was injudicious enough to be present in a vehicle with an unrelated male, consequently deserving of a vicious rape. Her six well-armed attackers have been sentenced to undisclosed jail terms. Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council, dissatisfied with the original verdict ordered a retrial enabling the court in the eastern town of Al-Qatif where the group rape occurred to substantially increase her punishment.

United States - China has been prevailed upon, through massively unfair pressure on the part of the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, to agree to attend a meeting on Iran's nuclear programme, reversing her original refusal. Beijing had threatened to force cancellation of a vital meeting to debate additional sanctions that the Bush administration aspires to impose on Iran through the United Nations.

France - France and its European Union partners have been energized by Canada's lead in stepping up unequivocal economic sanctions against Burma over its intolerable human rights violations of late. Canada was pleased to welcome France and the rest of the EU into the fold of human-rights champions, in taking positive steps to sanction Burma. Canada has announced a ban on all exports to and from Burma, and on new Canadian investments there.

United Nations - A vote in the United Nations' social, humanitarian and cultural committee, one of the UN's six key policy bodies, spelled failure for Canada's doughty attempt in the world body to stave off flawed and bitterly politicized rule changes for the United Nations Human Rights Council. The 165 - 7 vote spearheaded by Canada saw support from only the United States, Australia, Israel and three Pacific island states; three countries abstained. Under the new rules, unsuccessfully challenged by Canada, there would no longer be special human rights investigators for Cuba and Belarus, those two bastions of human rights support. Criticism of any other member country - with the exception of Israel - out of a total count of 192-member countries would be more difficult to obtain.

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's economic meltdown continues unabated, with inflation spiralling to almost 15,000 percent. The 14,840 percent annual inflation in October was doubled from the month previous. The phenomenon of "Mugabenomics" has resulted in exponentially rising prices, a critical cash shortage and nothing to buy in the shops because price controls have destroyed the retail trade. As the cash squeeze tightens, the $200,000 note has almost disappeared. This week banks were issuing batches of $20 million in wads of $500 bills stuffed into plastic bags.