A little bit of local news I spotted at the weekend. This is clearly going on all over the country. There have been entries on the blog from Belfast and Scotland. Presumably other local papers are reporting their own local stories. Vietnamese and Chinese gangs have been blamed elsewhere, but no-one was found at the … POLICE RAIDS UNCOVER CANNABIS FACTORIES IN RENTED HOUSES IN EXETER

If youve got a boat and you cant make money out of fishing, then you will find other ways to make money out of your boat. People and weapons smuggling make a start. Eyl is the modern Tortuga, Henry Morgan’s pirate capital, says the author of this article. I used to tell students that a … ON THE EAST AFRICAN COAST, PIRACY IS THE ONLY BUINESS THAT PAYS

All very odd. Trial in the US over events that took place in Argentina and involve Venezuela and Argentinian Presidents. The female security officer became a Playboy nude model…

This will not make the Chinese authorities terribly happy! Slowly, Guantanamo Bay refugees are being released, the political need for them gone. What a sorry episode in the history of democracy.

Fascinating story. But why is it breaking now? Apparently it has been around quite a long time. What other weird and wonderful allegations will emerge as the Bush regime sinks slowly into the sunset?

Misleading headline. Article about setting up websites to counter jihadist propaganda sites.

Ah! Schadenfreude [if that’s the right spelling!] The story of the unlikely find of Thomas Jefferson’s wine cellar in Paris and the people who bought the bottles. Article by the author of “the Billionaire’s Vinegar”. Lots of allegations and court cases are ongoing.

Attorney General’s Office in the US finally launching suits against spyware and scareware pop-ups. Policing the Internet is increasingly irresistible. End of a Brave New World.

Long term investigation with a Brazilian angle. 18,000 further IP addresses in the network, which ill be pursued via Interpol.

Yulia Latynina speculates as to who shot Ruslan Yamadaev. A murky tale of Chechens and silovki…or not.