1. Sorry, dear comrades, but in the coming two(?) days I'll have no access to any computer and internet connection!
So, until Sat./Sun. there will be a short break here...
Please relax and be patient!^^

2. Al-Jazeera, like many other int'l news agencies reported today the following:

A US man has been sentenced to eight years hard labour in North Korea after he was convicted by a court in Pyongyang of entering the country illegally, state media has reported.

Aijalon Mahli Gomes was sentenced on Wednesday, a day after he pleaded guilty in court, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The report said the Central Court – the North's highest – had also sentenced Gomes to pay a fine of $700,000.

Oops... a "Fine of $700,000"?? Sounds for me more like a "legal"(^^) hostage-taking...