SPB News for Sunday

Iran's dissident Grand Ayatollah Montazeri dies

U.S. prosecution links drugs to terrorism --The case -- the first of its kind -- portrays northwest Africa as a new danger zone. Three men are accused of being Al Qaeda associates and conspiring to smuggle cocaine. Three men alleged to be Al Qaeda associates were charged Friday with conspiring to smuggle cocaine through Africa -- the first U.S. prosecution linking the terrorist group directly to drug trafficking. The three suspects, who were charged in federal court in New York, are believed to be from Mali and were arrested in Ghana during a Drug Enforcement Administration sting. Although U.S. authorities have alleged that Al Qaeda and the Taliban profit from Afghanistan's heroin trade, the case is the first in which suspects linked to Al Qaeda have been charged under severe narco-terrorism laws, federal officials said.

U.S. spends $23 billion on Afghan contracts so far The United States has spent over $23 billion on reconstruction and development contracts in Afghanistan since 2002, and auditors say about $1 billion of this is waste, a U.S. senator said on Thursday. The contract spending is expected to rise with President Barack Obama's planned [insane] surge of 30,000 U.S. forces into Afghanistan in the coming months, Senator Claire McCaskill said at a subcommittee hearing.
FDIC unable to find institution to take over failed GA bank; will mail checks to depositors for insured funds --Seven U.S. banks closed by regulators --failures at 140 Seven U.S. banks were closed by regulators on Friday, bring the total this year to 140 as the effects of the credit crisis continued to be felt across the country. What's more, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. established temporary institutions to help close two of the failed banks. Atlanta-based RockBridge Commercial Bank became the 25th Georgia-based bank to fail this year. The FDIC was unable to find another institution to take over the failed bank, and so will mail checks to retail depositors for insured funds.

Sea World's Polar Bears Celebrate Christmas Early (Gold Coast, AU) The Polar bears will celebrate in style with their own Christmas tree fully stocked with everything a Polar bear needs for the silly season including lots of gift wrapped presents. The Christmas tree and gifts form part of the bear’s enrichment program by providing them with toys and puzzles to help stimulate their senses. Sea World’s Polar Bears are ambassadors for their species and play a vital role in raising awareness of the effects of global warning. Current research indicates that Polar Bear numbers in the wild are declining, with just 22,000 bears remaining worldwide.

Palin scoffs at climate talks
Slammed Copenhagen on Twitter, calls talks example of man's 'arrogance.'