[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bush Slaps New Sanctions on N.Korea, Myanmar, Cuba ***WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush imposed sanctions on North Korea, Myanmar and Cuba on Wednesday for failing to do enough to stop the trafficking of people forced into servitude or the sex trade. The war-ravaged countries of Liberia and Sudan also failed to meet U.S. standards and are subject to sanctions. But the White House said providing them with some aid was "in the national interest of the United States." ***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Cuban church challenges Castro***After a decade of virtual silence on Cuba's human-rights record, the island's Roman Catholic bishops Tuesday criticized the government's return to hard-line revolutionary ideology and urged compassion for the 75 dissidents sentenced to lengthy prison terms five months ago.

''Ever since the pope's visit [in 1998], Cuba has increasingly experienced a return to the language and methods typical of the early years of the revolution,'' said an 11-page document issued by the 13-member Cuban Bishops Conference in Havana.

''We again ask the country's authorities for a gesture of clemency toward these people who are in jail, above all considering -- from a humanitarian standpoint -- the conditions of their age, state of health and sex that require special attention,'' the statement added.

The statement, couched in strong but respectful language, was the first time in a decade that the Cuban bishops have criticized the human-rights record of President Fidel Castro's government in such a formal and public manner.***