Speaker Husted, President Harris, Leader Beatty and Leader Miller, Lt. Governor Fisher, statewide elected officials, members of the Cabinet, members of the General Assembly and the Supreme Court, distinguished guests, First Lady Frances Strickland, and my fellow Ohioans.

Last month, Ohio soldiers answered the call of duty in the largest single deployment of the Ohio National Guard since World War II.

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Kosovo Independence Tipped for Feb 17

A US diplomat said independence was likely to come a Sunday, when the UN Security Council does not normally meet. That would fit with the Serbian government's reference to February 17.
Russia has said it will use its right of veto in the Security Council, where it is a permanent member, in support of Serbia, which regards Kosovo was the cradle of Serbian Orthodox history, culture and religion.
The European Union is preparing to send a 2,000-strong civilian mission to oversee Kosovo's birth as an independent state, in spite of opposition from several of its member states including Cyprus and Spain.
While EU officials consider February 17 as the probable date, talks between European capitals would "multiply next week" to find a declaration "acceptable by all" at the EU foreign ministers' meeting, diplomats in Brussels say.

I. Summary

They declare a holiday, block the road to the city, and prohibit us from leaving the village.
—Ede woman from Dak Lak, interviewed in April 2006

For the last five years, the Central Highlands region of Vietnam has periodically erupted with social unrest. In 2001 and 2004, thousands of indigenous minority people, known as Central Highlanders or Montagnards,1 have joined mass demonstrations in the five provinces of the Central Highlands2 protesting religious repression and widespread confiscation of their ancestral lands, with some advocating self-rule or autonomy.3

The Vietnamese government has responded to such protests with force, with as many as ten demonstrators killed during demonstrations in April 2004.4 Authorities have arrested hundreds of activists, religious leaders, and individuals trying to flee to Cambodia, sometimes using torture to punish or extract information.5 In 2005, the Vietnamese government continued to crack down on Central Highlanders’ rights to freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, imprisoning more than 100 during the year.

Twists and turns: North Carolina arrives at same old place

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