MIAMI . Castro becomes life-or-death bet on Internet. When will Fidel Castro die? If you want to, you can place your bets. Since the Cuban president, one of the world?s longest-serving leaders, announced on Monday he was handing power to his brother Raul, online wagering operations have offered action on the communist leader?s fate. BetUS.com posed the question bluntly, giving bettors a chance to pick the month, or the day of the week, that Castro will die.

?We don?t want to profit on someone?s death. But Castro is unique,? said Christopher Bennett, media relations director for BetUS.com.

AUSTRALIA. Floating prison planned. Australia plans to use an armed detention ship to house illegal Asian fishermen, sparking criticism that keeping people in a floating prison would breach human rights obligations. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who has enforced a tough border protection policy, said the detention ship was appropriate as Australia faced a stream of illegal fishermen. Australian Customs have advertised for tenders to lease an offshore detention ship capable of holding 30 detainees and be fitted with deck-mounted machine guns. The ship would be used to secure illegal arrivals at sea for two to three days, allowing navy vessels to keep patrolling instead of immediately returning to port with detainees.

NEW YORK. Rising gas prices cripple taxi drivers. For most Americans the rising price of gas has been a major headache, but for the 42,000 men and women who drive New York City?s famed yellow taxis, sustained high fuel prices have endangered their livelihood. And slowing economic growth could make the matter worse. New York cabbies now dish out an extra $15 or $20 to fill their gas-guzzling 8-cylinder Ford Crown Victorias every day. A full tank of gas now costs about $50. ?Gas prices are killing us,? said Ali Ahmed, a 25-year-old driver from New Jersey who works seven days a week. ?We used to make $1,000 a week, and now, after gas we barely bring home $800 or so.? Taxi tariffs have been unchanged in New York, America?s most expensive city to live in, since 2004. Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington have added a fuel surcharge to cab fares to help defray higher gas cost.

U.S. Republicans face working vacation to survive. Republican lawmakers will spend their month-long vacation trying to dispel criticism of a ?do-nothing? U.S. Congress, ease concerns about the Iraq war and persuade unhappy voters to re-elect them in November. ?For this summer vacation, re-election is job one,? said Larry Sabato, a university of Virginia political science professor who tracks congressional races. ?Many Republicans are scared, and they should be.? The Senate took off early on Friday, a week after the House of Representatives left town, uncertain whether either chamber would still be in Republican hands next year. Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers are forgoing sun and fun for town-hall meetings and campaign speeches as they jockey for position before the November 7 election. Dogged by the increasingly violent Iraq war, high-profile legislative setbacks and the unpopularity of President George W. Bush, Republicans are scrambling to hold onto Congress. Opinion polls show most Americans believe the nation is headed in ?the wrong direction?.