Today's News..

1. Heavy rain pounded parts of the nation during the weekend, flooding streets and houses, also isolating summer visitors at resort areas..

2. Afghan doctors yesterday dropped medicines for 21 Korean hostages in Afghanistan in an area instructed by the Taliban..

3. The Taliban reportedly made a new threat to start killing 21 Korean hostages saying negotiations with the Korean government have not produced enough progress..

4. A new party combining an array of liberal forces was launched yesterday, becoming the second largest negotiating group in the National Assembly..

5. Samsung Electronics got its production lines back on track Saturday after a blackout at the main plant a day earlier. The possible loss is estimated at about 40 billion won..


Beijing stepping up surveillance for summer games..

Official newspapers in China reported Saturday that Beijing is setting up thousands of surveillance cameras in and around 2008 Olympic Summer Games venues.. The installations coincided with the launch of the crackdown on bad fan behavior, and another 2,000 cameras will be added by March.. There are also already a multitude of cameras in the capital for monitoring traffic and sites like Tiananmen Square. Beijing police have said they will use the cameras in a dry run during an exhibition soccer match with a visiting Spanish team.. Other security measures for the games are also being discussed, including dispatching 70,000 volunteers to patrol venues and keep an eye out for trouble..

In addition to the typical worries that go hand-in-hand with any international event, China is particulary concerned over protests and dissent during the games..



Russia plants its flag 4 km below the North Pole..

Russia has claimed its stake to an enormous territory in the Arctic by planting its flag on the seabed 4261 meters below the North Pole.. Russian explorers and scientists became the first men to land on the site after reaching it in mini-submarines.. They placed a capsule with a message for future generations at the spot, as well as a titanium Russian flag that can withstand corrosion for 200 years. The area is potentially rich in oil and minerals and is also claimed by Canada and Denmark to be linked to their territories. The Russians spent an hour collecting samples at the site to help verify whether it is an extension of Russia's continental shelf. The mastermind of the expedition said that the goal of the mission was "to difine outer limit of Russia's territory.."



From Morning Special..