In Bangladesh, a search operation for scores of people believed to have died when a ferry capsized, is in its second day. But the recovery effort has been slowed by bad weather. Up to 100 people have survived the accident, 10 bodies have been recovered, but a final death toll is not yet available. 

Military and civilian divers resumed search operations at first light. But a sudden rainstorm and strong currents in the Meghna River forced them to suspend the recovery efforts for several hours. 

The ferry capsized late Friday in similar stormy weather, which is common at this time of the year. The boat had been travelling from the capital, Dhaka, to the town of Patuakhali. 

It is not known exactly how many people were on board when disaster struck. River transport officials say there were only 150 passengers, but survivors estimate the ferry was packed with up to 400 people. 

Chandpur District Administrator Manzur Elahi says a majority of the passengers are missing and feared drowned. 

Hundreds of relatives of people on board crowded the riverbank for a second day, anxiously watching the recovery operations. Search teams have spread over a wide area in the river because rescue workers feel many of the bodies may have been swept away by strong currents. 

The final death toll will only be known when the ferry is pulled out of the water. Two state-owned salvage vessels are involved in the operation. 

Some survivors have said the ferry went down after tilting to one side in the tropical storm. Officials of the Dhaka weather office say the department had issued a storm warning, but it had apparently been ignored by the ferry crew. 

Prime Minister Khalida Zia has appointed a three-member committee to investigate the cause of the accident. Laws penalizing those responsible for ferry disasters have seldom been enforced. 

Ferry accidents occur often in Bangladesh. According to official statistics, about 250 ferry accidents in the past 25 years have resulted in more than 2,000 deaths. Most sinkings are blamed on overloading or on locally manufactured boats that do not meet international standards. 

Ferry travel is a primary mode of transport for millions of people in the delta nation. 

AP
Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette wave to crowds after achieving victory

Even the first projections made it clear that Mr. Chirac had won an overwhelming victory. More people cast their ballots than in the first round two weeks ago. The voter turnout was close to 80 percent this time, up from 72 percent. And the new voters apparently overwhelmingly voted against Jean Marie LePen, if not actively for Mr. Chirac. 

AP
Jean-Marie Le Pen

 President Chirac framed the race less as one of candidates and more as democracy versus fascism. And as Mr. Chirac's supporters hoped, the left converted their protests into votes against the extreme right.

 In the end Mr. LePen received more votes than he did in the first round, but the total was less than he and another extreme right candidate tallied two weeks ago. That could indicate that some of his initial support was a protest vote against the ruling Gaullist president and Socialist dominated parliament. Or it might reflect the extent to which the French were ashamed that an extreme right candidate could do so well in their country.

 Mr. LePen quickly conceded defeat but promised his party would be back in force for next month's parliamentary elections. President Chirac promised that in his second term he would be President of all segments of France and would work to improve law and order and other issues exploited by Mr. LePen to such surprising effect.

At least four suspected pipe bombs were found Saturday in mailboxes in the midwest state of Nebraska, one day after a series of small mailbox bombs injured six people in the nearby states of Illinois and Iowa. Officials say they have some leads in their effort to find those people behind Friday's incidents. 

The devices found Saturday in Nebraska were found in the southern part of the state, a few hundred kilometers from the communities where pipe bombs injured six people on Friday. A spokesman for Nebraska's governor said officials were checking out several reports of possible explosive devices. 

Meanwhile in eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois, mail delivery was suspended Saturday in communities within roughly 250 kilometers of Davenport, Iowa. That's the region where eight pipe bombs were found in rural, residential mailboxes on Friday. Seven of them went off, injuring six people. None of the injuries were serious. 

Federal officials say the devices were not sent through the mail, but had been placed in the mailboxes. Many rural mailboxes are located by the roadside, where someone could easily put something in them unnoticed late at night. FBI special agent Jim Bogner is urging whoever is responsible to come forward. "He has, apparently, some grievances," he said. "We are trying to understand that. We are trying to ask him to reach out. We think that is a far better option to exercise than planting exploding devices and injuring innocent people who have nothing to do with this grievance." 

Each of the devices found Friday was accompanied by a note described as "anti-government" in nature. The note complained about government's intrusion into people's lives, and promised that more "attention getters" would be coming in the future. 

Postal authorities say they will inspect all 11,000 mailboxes in the area of Friday's incidents, to make sure there are no more unexploded pipe bombs that could hurt someone. The sheriff of one Illinois county spent Saturday morning checking the mailboxes of worried residents. 

During Russia's long cold winters, people all over the country spend many hours ice fishing. It is a sport just about anybody can do. All you need is a large body of water and really, really cold weather and a bottle of vodka also helps. VOA's Rebecca Santana tried the sport while visiting Russia's Solovki Islands, just south of the Arctic Circle.

Actually getting to the fish is the first step in ice-fishing. You need a large drill that is capable of cutting through ice that is a meter thick. 

After that, it is pretty much like any other kind of fishing. Bait the hook, drop it in the water, sit down and wait for the fish to bite. Of course, the pole is only about 15 centimeters long. Ice-fishermen sit huddled around the hole in the ice, which is only about 10 centimeters wide so a long pole isn't necessary. 

At this lake the men are going after fish that are as petite as the poles. They're called perch and are only a few centimeters long, in most cases. 

One of my fishing companions, Ivan Vlasinko, holds his hands about a meter apart and swears that not too long ago he caught a perch that big. "I caught a fish that long, 40 centimeters, that's the longest this season. My whole life I've caught some even bigger," he said. 

But the bragging rights in Russia aren't necessarily over the size of the day's catch. Anyone can reel in a few fish. But not everyone can stay outside in minus 10, minus 20 or even minus 30 degree weather. And stay outside all day. A real fisherman doesn't even wear gloves because it's harder to feel the pull on the line when fish bites. 

Of course, Russia is not the only country where ice fishing is popular. But in other countries, such as the United Sates, ice fishermen often drag a wooden shack onto the lake and then fish from inside the shack; they may even build a small fire. But in Russia, the fishermen fish outdoors, sitting on small metal boxes. At the end of the day, the catch goes in the box and gets carried home. 

But they have a few methods of keeping warm. A good fire on the shore helps. Most fishermen drill a hole, fish for a while, and then sit by the fire drinking tea. 

But there is another liquid vital to keeping warm. Oleg Volkov started ice-fishing five years ago. He divulges the secret to being able to fish for hours. "We have some measures [to protect us] from the cold, such as vodka for example," he said. 

This is one sport where drinking is definitely allowed. And since it's Russia, the drink of choice is vodka. But only in moderation. Ice fishing can be a dangerous. Mr. Vlasinko says he's fallen into the water at least ten times during the 15 years he has been fishing. 

And there are other dangers. People on the Solovki Islands only ice fish on lakes. But many people in Russia just walk from the shore out onto the ocean when it freezes over. That's fine, as long as the seashore and the ice stay attached. But since there is so much movement in the ocean, the ice frequently breaks off, carrying fishermen out to sea. Some are rescued; some are never seen again. 

While many Russians ice fish just for fun, others do it to make money or to feed their families. 

Sergei Maximishin is from St. Petersburg, and he's trying ice fishing for the first time while on Solovki. He is sitting on a metal box with his small fishing rod gripped in his freezing hand. On the ice next to him are two small perch he has managed to catch. Despite his success, he does not seem that enthusiastic about his new sport. "To be honest, I don't like it that much. It's really cold!," he said. 

Mr. Maximishin believes many men have an ulterior motive for ice fishing. "I think that people who fish in the wintertime, they are running away from their wives. They sit here with their friends, drink vodka and get away from their wives and their children," he observed 

Ice fishing on Solovki is almost exclusively a male sport, but the men swear they don't do it to avoid their wives. Mr. Vlasinko says he fishes for relaxation. And Mr. Volkov says he likes being outdoors and he also gets to feed his cat for free. 

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