Philippine President Joseph Estrada may have only made things worse for his pal Dante Tan when he quashed talk of a cover-up at BW Resources, of which Tan is a major shareholder.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek | Newsmakers

BW, which is planning to build a money-spinning marina there.

ECONOMIST: Canals

The former Soviet Union has long been suspected by intelligence analysts of having retained a covert -- and illegal -- BW capability.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

In an interview on CNN yesterday, moreover, Ambassador-at-large for Russian affairs Strobe Talbott stated that Russia was a country "armed with biological weapons" (BW).

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | ��Stop Payment��: The Case For Supporting Yeltsin By Not Disbursing Another $2.5 Billion Blank Check

BW's property portfolio in this way could allow the government to privatise it without the need for a cash injection.

ECONOMIST: Canals