Over the long weekend, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucuses, while John McCain outlasted the dirty politics of South Carolina. Last night the Dems had a firey debate in Myrtle Beach (C&L has video. )

In Other News...

>>The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rebel general Laurent Nkunda have reached a peace agreement possibly ending a conflict in eastern DRC that has driven 400,000 people from their homes and threatened the fragile, newly elected government. United Nations peacekeeping forces will maintain a buffer zone between the two forces.

>>The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany are meeting in Berlin to discuss a possible third Security Council sanctions resolution to further pressure Iran to dismantle what some believe is a nascent nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have hardened their position against sanctions in light of the National Intelligence Estimate released earlier this year that stated that Iran discontinued its program in 2003.

>> Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi called for votes of confidence in both the Chamber of Deputies, where he has a decisive majority, and the Senate, where victory is not so certain. Prodi's coalition took a hit yesterday when a small Catholic party led by the Justice Minister, Clemente Mastella, quit. Mastella is under investigation for corruption.

>>Stock markets around the world declined yesterday amid fears that the U.S. economy is in recession. Analysts see this as a blow to the theory of "decoupling," which suggests that markets in Europe and Asia are now less dependent on the U.S. economy.

Climate Change News of the Weird

• Prince Charles reduced his carbon footprint by appearing as a hologram at an alternative energy summit in Abu Dhabi.
• Lower-altitude ski resorts, endangered by climate change, are selling for $1.
• The Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala has received a grant to measure the greenhouse gases emitted when cows belch.

The Rest of the Story

• Mexico Hits Drug Gangs With Full Fury of War - NY Times
• Darfur militia leader joins Sudan government - Guardian
• UN agency urges Israel to end Gaza blockade - FT
• Multiple shootings raise Kenya death toll - Times
• Prince Charles becomes first Royal Hologram - Times
• US claims negotiator snubbed in Brussels - FT
• Top Chinese economist set for Bank job - FT
• Stricter System to Trim Carbon Emissions Considered in Europe - NY Times
• As Alps Warm, a Snow-Deprived Ski Resort Sells for $1 - NY Times
• Beijing to Raise Fines on Elites Who Violate the One-Child Rule - NY Times
• More Room to Fall - WaPo
• Electricity Efforts Skip the Poorest - WSJ
• Wanted: windy cows for diet trials - Times
• France braces for detail of Sarkozy's revolution - Times
• Thailand: Democracy Returns, and Politics Comes Full Circle - NY Times
• Zambia: Nationwide Blackouts - NY Times
• Serbia: East-or-West Presidential Runoff Set - NY Times
• Woman nominated for Paraguay presidency - FT
• Long period of rising food prices forecast - FT