News of the Day (December 27)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Between Heaven and Earth comments on the latest news on Vancouver.

Communist China subsidizes Sinopec as it looks to build resource reserve: A BBC story on Communist China exploring the possibility of using its foreign reserves to buy up more natural resources included this bit of news, "Chinese state-run oil refiner Sinopec revealed that it had been handed a 5bn yuan government rebate to compensate it for refining losses . . . in effect, a subsidy for Beijing's refusal to allow Chinese domestic petrol and diesel prices to rise as fast as international markets."

On the Communists' destruction of Chinese culture: Peng Xiaoming speaks on the Communist regime's assault on traditional Chinese language (reprinted by the Epoch Times).

Chen Shui-bian's son-in-law convicted of insider trading: The decision is the first against a (sort of) relative of Taiwan's elected President. The son-in-law, Chao Chien-min, "is expected to appeal" (BBC).

U.S. offered to take Stalinist North Korea off the terrorist list: The U.S. was so desperate for a deal during the recent round of talks with the Stalinist regime that it was willing "to remove North Korea from Washington's list of states sponsoring terrorism if the communist regime dismantles its atomic-weapons program" (Washington Times). Even worse, the Stalinists were "not prepared to review the U.S. offer at the talks but promised to study it and bring a response to the next round of negotiations." In other words, there will be at least one round of Stalinist demands (Daily NK).

News on Communist China's Korean colony: Is Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il feeling the pinch? Indeed he is, according to James Hackett (Washington Times) and the majority of refugees from SNK (United Press Int'l via Washington Times). Meanwhile, South Korea's legislature cuts the budget for "inter-Korean cooperation" by more than 20% (UPI via Washington Times).

On the Middle Eastern Proxies: The Communist-backed mullahcracy of Iran is angry at the UK and buying some friends in Afghanistan (UPI via Washington Times). Meanwhile, Syria's Ba'athist regime is playing its usual games with Westerners who should no better (Washington Times) while revealing its true face with a slew of arrests at home (National Review Online: The Corner).