Bolivarian socialism marches forward in Venezuela, and El Universal delves into what plans President Hugo Chavez has for private property:

"At the present time, in the case of the houses that are being built by the government, the recipients receive a deed of adjudication and in the award ceremonies the head of state advises families, 'these houses are for you, they cannot be sold.'

Not only there are restrictions with housing, but also with different assets. For instance, during a broadcast of his TV and radio show 'Aló, Presidente,' Chávez commented that a vehicle 'is a good intended to meet a need: transportation –individual transportation, family transportation, transportation for work.'

Attorney José Vicente Haro explained that in the face of the statements, 'private property becomes a precarious right.' In his view, 'there is some form of ownership with some attributes, but wherever is stated that the individual inherits any property, there is an attempt at preventing trade; therefore, it becomes a sui generis property, void of content, because it cannot be transferred, encumbered or mortgaged.'

In the expert's view, upon delivery of a deed of adjudication, a form of ownership which is not under the Venezuelan legislation applies. 'Nothing prohibits it, or regulates it and somehow collective property begins.'"

Bringing, the Sunday Times says menacingly, "droughts, floods, crop failures and social unrest." Being a Los Angeles native, I just thought that El Nino also meant that L.A. would finally get rain and hopefully not as many wildfires. But here's better insight on the warming in the Pacific Ocean:

"According to scientists at America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a new bout of El Niño is under way as the surface of tropical waters across the eastern Pacific has warmed roughly 1C (1.8F) above normal and is still rising.

Further down, some 150 meters (500ft) below the surface, the waters are heating up — by around 4C (7.2F).

...The implications are severe, not just for climate but for the effects on food, water supplies and other commodities. Australia, still recovering from its worst drought in a century, will be hit again if the rains fail to nourish its wheat belt. Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest producers of palm oil — a basic source of income for many of its poor — and a drought would hit this commodity hard.

Farming in India is already suffering from an abnormal monsoon, which scientists think could be related to the emerging El Niño."

An interesting ranking from U.S. News and World Report based on the International Monetary Fund's economic output projections for the rest of the year and 2010:

"The IMF expects at least 11 major parts of the world to have more severe economic contractions than the United State this year, including most of western Europe, Japan, Russia, and Mexico. Europe will still be stumbling along behind the United States next year, as well.

...If these projections come true, it means the United States, despite its overspent consumers, wrecked banks, and insolvent automakers, will be leading the world economy out of recession. Somehow. The developing world will help, but those high growth projections in China and India can be deceiving. China in particular has government policies that practically mandate high growth, and 8.5 percent in 2010 would be just about the bare minimum to keep employment at tolerable levels. And neither China nor India is a major buyer of American-made goods and services; for the most part, it's the other way around. With much of the developed world trailing the United States, it will take American consumers to ratchet up demand for the world's products. Scary thought."

See the whole chart here.

It was supposed to be the return of the ousted leader, but after circling in a Venezuelan jet deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya gave up Sunday and flew to El Salvador instead, reports Bloomberg. Telesur, however, reports that he is headed toward Nicaragua; Zelaya told the network by phone in a sort of play by play that the armed forces -- which he had implored to let him land -- were threatening to intercept the plane. Zelaya told Telesur that he would work with the governments of Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay "to seek an exit to this situation."

"I have to return to my country," Zelaya told the Caracas-headquartered "Bolivarian" network.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told his network that further U.S. intervention was needed, saying "I believe that Obama is a prisoner of the Empire."

Meanwhile, Honduras has been suspended from the Organization of American States.

This is, of course, more about Saudi Arabia's disdain for Iran and fear of a growth in Shiite power than about any affection for Israel. From The Sunday Times:

"The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.

The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.

'The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,' a diplomatic source said last week.

Although the countries have no formal diplomatic relations, an Israeli defence source confirmed that Mossad maintained 'working relations' with the Saudis.

John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations who recently visited the Gulf, said it was 'entirely logical' for the Israelis to use Saudi airspace.

Bolton, who has talked to several Arab leaders, added: 'None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn’t trumpet it as a big success.'”

I agree with JB -- the Saudis would definitely give such approval on the down-low, but they wouldn't shed any tears if Iran's nuclear capability was seriously nipped in the bud. Saudi Arabia has even bristled at the diplomatic outreach attempted toward Iran by the Obama administration, concerned that their interests would come in second.

News of a fallen soldier still arrives at the front door of grief-stricken family members in the form of a knock at the door, but the stepdad of one soldier killed on the Fourth of July turned to Twitter not only as a way to share the news, but to vent his grief. From the Jerusalem Post:

"It was the Fourth of July, Independence Day, when a terrorist breached the perimeter of an US base in eastern Afghanistan.

The suicide bomber was driving a truck filled with explosives. It detonated just outside the gates of the base, killing Aaron Fairbairn, 21, and another officer, according to David Masters, Fairbairn's stepfather from Olympia, Washington.

'There was a knock at the door,' Masters told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. 'I was on the phone with one of my other sons, when I looked out the door and saw two full-dress officers on the porch.' When the family was told the news of Fairbairn's death, they were in a state of disbelief.

'We thought, oh, God, this couldn't be,' Masters said. 'We just talked to him last night. He said he never leaves the base, is playing video games, watching TV… and working out with free weights.'

He and his wife Shelley began contacting relatives and dialing any person's number they could think of to contact, when they realized they had no way of reaching Fairbairn's friends. They did not know the passwords to his e-mail or MySpace accounts, which were his main means of communicating with them.

So Masters began posting notice of Fairbairn's death on Twitter, the social networking site: 'They killed my son, Aaron!' he wrote."

It became a top topic on Twitter and Masters has followed up on his feed. "Thank you all so much for thanking Aaron, and thank you all for love and support... #thankyouaaron #1... amen," he tweeted.

The post-electoral unrest in Iran takes on a new international angle. From the Times of London:

"Britain reacted angrily yesterday to the arrest of at least eight Iranians working for the British Embassy in Tehran, calling the move unacceptable 'harassment and intimidation'.

The eight, who are thought to work in the embassy’s political section, are accused of playing a 'significant role' in opposition protests. Their detention has dismayed Western governments. EU foreign ministers demanded the release of the eight and said that intimidation of their diplomatic staff in Tehran would provoke a 'strong and collective response'. Sources told The Times that if Britain was forced to close its embassy the 26 other EU states would probably follow suit.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said: 'These are hard-working diplomatic staff and the idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran in recent weeks is wholly without foundation.'

Sources close to Mr Miliband said that the Foreign Secretary’s carefully calibrated message masked a deep anger at what is considered a cynical attempt by Iran’s rulers to distract attention from their domestic problems."

That's the question in Honduras, apparently, after President Manuel Zelaya tried to call what the country's highest court said was an illegal constitutional referendum to allow his reelection (got Hugo Chavez deja vu?), Zelaya fired the head of the military for not supporting the referendum, the military busting into the presidential palace this morning and hauling Zelaya off in his PJs, Zelaya asking for asylum in Costa Rica, the new interim president saying there was no coup, and Zelaya's seemingly sole friend, Chavez, threatening to go to war over the coup.

Now, predictably, there's unrest in the streets and nuevo leader Roberto Micheletti has ordered a 48-hour curfew and the U.N. is set to take up the crisis on Monday.

And Chavez? Still itching for a fight.

Nearly as quickly as TMZ reported the news of Michael Jackson's death, I noticed the story popping up to high prominence on Arab news sites -- and staying there as user comments added up. Especially in the past decade, the bulk of Jackson's popularity seemed to be outside of the United States, and the singer even took refuge in Bahrain after his acquittal on child molestation charges. The rumors that Jackson coverted to Islam recently also fueled interest in the story in the Arab world, as Al-Arabiya reports:

"...Jermaine Jackson explained that it was the experience of touring the Gulf that brought his late brother into contact with Islam and that the singer found Islam’s anti-racist universalism resolved some dilemmas about culture and race that Jackson had combated all his life.

Yet Jackson the Muslim remained shrouded in mystery and at best a rumor. Muslim folk singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, denied press reports that he had attended Jackson’s conversion ceremony.

...Nonetheless, Muslims were keeping an eye out for signs of his faith in death that may not have been visible in life. ..."

Al-Arabiya reports that retaliation is swift from the Islamic Republic for four of the Iranian soccer players who showed support for Mir Hossein Mousavi and the opposition protesters by wearing green armbands:

"Four of Iran's national football players have been forced to 'retire' following their World Cup qualifier against South Korea in which some team members sported green armbands in solidarity with the Iranian opposition against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a known football buff.

The players have been slapped with a life ban, meaning they will not able to play for their country again, and have also had their passports taken away from them, threatening their jobs abroad with European teams.

...The players have also been banned from speaking to the media and are stuck in Iran after returning from Seoul where they failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa folllowing a 1-1 draw against North Korea."