Tricky times ahead for the new President of Pakistan but he has played his hand well thus far, being the only nation on the planet to recognise the legitimacy of the Taliban regime while also granting overfly rights for any air strikes against his neighbour.

Someone else right at the centre of the action. After a series of devastating explosions in Tashkent in 1999 and ongoing trouble in the Fergana Valley the President of Uzbekistan can now exact some revenge against the Taliban. Military bases leased to the US in return for future protection and, one can imagine, lots of dough.

Looks like your next, kid. Such is the desire of American President Bush to turn this bruhaha into the fourth crusade (700 years late but, hey, who's counting) that his next sights may be set on Iraq. Saddam is understandably silent on the issue.

...and it does not get any better for this guy either. A new 21 page indictment has been handed to the former Yugoslavian leader accusing him of the murder of 650 Croats, illegally forcing 170,000 non Serbs from their homes and other egregious crimes. Safe to say this he ain't going to see his homeland again any time soon.