[mugwump]

Now for a short break for some good news:

Colombia's economy grew 5.75 percent in the third quarter from the year-earlier period after expanding 5.62 percent in the second quarter. Total investment rose to 22 percent of gross domestic product in 2005 from 15 percent in 2002, according to the government.

``The country's better growth prospects are largely a result of significant and sustained improvement in domestic security that has, in turn, led to renewed domestic confidence and double-digit growth in private investment,'' S&P analyst Richard Francis said in a statement.