Mukasey refuses to denounce torture in interrogations, despite Supreme Court ruling; Bhutto says Zia agents seek her death; crude hits $90/barrel...

19 October :: US att. gen. nominee Mukasey has told Senate panel he believes so-called 'unlawful combatants' are not entitled to Geneva Conventions protections, a view contravened by existing law and jurisprudence; US Supreme Court has already ruled the Conventions govern US treatment of prisoners, not which prisoners enjoy protections; HRW reports "In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the US Supreme Court held that the humane treatment obligations of Common Article 3 apply to 'enemy combatants' in United States custody. The Bush administration has since responded by issuing an executive order requiring the CIA to comply with Common Article 3 in its interrogation of detainees"; 'waterboarding' specifically has not only been prosecuted by the US military for over 100 years as illegal, but the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines agreed in August 2006 it violates US law; Mukasey did, however, testify that "It is not constitutional for the United States to engage in torture in any form, be it waterboarding or anything else" and that "It's barred by the Fifth, the Fourteenth, and the Eighth Amendments"... Bhutto says agents of fmr dictator General Zia are behind bombing attempt on her life yesterday, are fomenting "extremism and fanaticism" to destabilize Pakistan; Interior Ministry says it believes Taliban, Al-Qaeda militants were responsible; Bhutto had been warned before her return of a plot involving military agents, one Taliban commander had threatened to send suicide bombers to kill her... Bloomberg reports "Crude oil for November delivery rose to $90.07 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since trading began in 1983"; 4 days of record-high prices have been driven by speculation about Fed rates, fears of Turkish invasion of northern Iraq, falling dollar value... Google mobile phone project aimed at freeing up software, service options across wireless spectrum; 'gPhone' would use open-source software, likely be free added value, financed by Google advertising links... Swiss conservative party draws int'l scrutiny as its campaign painting immigrants as black sheep to be kicked out of the country is considered racist, in run-up to elections... French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy has split from his wife, after 11 years and just a few months in office; press reports suggest Cecilia Sarkozy did not vote in the close election which brought her husband to power... Kenyan elephants can distinguish scents, appearance of Masai warrior/hunters from local farmers, who are usually not a threat; evidence suggests more intimate integration of large mammal into human element in their environment...