Meanwhile, In The Rest of the World...

Because there's crazy shit happening in the rest of the world too, here's a Monday roundup of significant news from other countries on this crazy old planet of ours...

First, before I get to the rest, I wanted to highlight the aftermath of the massive 140mph cyclone that devastated Bangladesh last week. Officials estimate the death count at around 15,000, with hundreds of thousands more displaced. To put it in perspective for us, that's over five 9/11s and not centralized in 2 or 3 locations. And the recovery process is just beginning. My mind cannot even comprehend a disaster of that scale.

And on that sad note, here's the rest of what's happening (news-wise, anyway) on Earth-

U.K.: Britain's Brown seeks action on climate / Russia: Putin: I have a moral right to continue wielding influence / Switzerland: Swiss Re reports $878M subprime loss / Africa: Darfur rebel markings used in AU attack: U.N. / Middle East: Israel approves release of 441 prisoners / Turkey: Turkish authorities seek to ban main Kurdish party / Iran: Venezuela's Chavez on new Iran visit / Afghanistan: UN: Gunfire 'onslaught' hit Afghan kids / Asia: Cambodian genocide court charges Khmer Rouge leader: spokesman / Japan: Japan under fire for humpback hunt