Hot off the Press: Australian for flood edition

Villagers in the French town of Bugarach are afraid they will be overrun by "esoteric visitors" who believe aliens living in a nearby cavern will help them escape Armageddon in 2012: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12058674.

Officials in the UK have confirmed a Wikileaks report that said they are training a government "death squad" in Bangladesh on "interviewing techniques" and "rules of engagement": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12057400.

The town of Hamtramck, Michigan has whittled its municipal budget to the bare minimum, and it still needs to cut more. Officials there say the only solution is bankruptcy, something many cities across the country may face in the near future: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/us/28city.html?ref=us.

The Lebanese paper Al Akhbar is shaking up journalistic convention in the Arab world: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/world/middleeast/29beirut.html?_r=1.

Parking is at a premium in South Boston, and saving spots with cones, shopping carts, and even baskets full of folded clothes is the norm during the snowy season. But beware if you park in a spot someone else cleared: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/us/29boston.html.

Here's the link to an AP article that appeared in the P-C. The lead: "Where are the jobs? Overseas.": http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20101229/NEWS01/12290312/1079.

Canada's federal Goods and Services Tax (GST), which destroyed the Progressive Conservative party while putting "Canada on a sustainable fiscal course that's paying dividends today," turned 20 on January 1: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/912874--gst-at-20-mulroney-has-no-regrets-on-canada-s-most-hated-tax?bn=1.

The last Kodachrome processing machine was shut down last Thursday, marking the retirement of what many believe to be the best quality film ever made: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/us/30film.html?_r=1&hp.