Venezuela Continues Slide into Dictatorship

Guillermo Zulaoga, the owner of the independent Venezuelan television network Globovision, was arrested for comments he made at an international press association meeting implying that Hugo Chavez' government was cracking down on the freedom of expression. Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega said that he can face prison terms for making remarks that are offensive to the President. This comes after a former provincial governor accused the Venezuelan government of backing the Basque Separatist group Eta and making the county an epicenter for international drug traffiking while on Globovision.-NYTimes

Chavez has been striking hard against his critics even harsher now that the economic conditions in the country have been deteriorating. The arrests in these cases are blatant violations of the freedom of expression and it shows the world Hugo Chavez' true colors.

Karzai Angry about the Arrest of Taliban Number Two

According to an aide to Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, the President was very upset with the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is believed to be the Taliban's number two official. The aide said that he was planning to attend a peace jirga hosted by President Karzai. Other officials in Karzai's government have accused Pakistan of trying to sabotage peace talks with the Taliban and or gain more influence in the talks. -Yahoo