Senate wiretap bill to grant retroactive telecom immunity; Blackwater accused to taking Iraqi military aircraft...

20 October :: US Senate crafts 'compromise' wiretapping bill that grants telecoms immunity from prosecution for illegally handing customer information to NSA; deal was made after intel. committee chair Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV), obtained the secret documents debating, justifying and authorizing the warrantless wiretapping program which spied on American citizens; White House has said it will not allow House intel. committee or House or Senate judiciary committees to see the documents —which may technically illustrate a conspiracy to violate US law— unless immunity is granted retroactively to telecoms... Unnamed Iraqi official reportedly told Congress Blackwater tried to take two Iraqi military aircraft out of Iraq, then refused to return them, US Congressman Henry Waxman is demanding answers, has ordered the company to turn over "a sweeping amount of information about Blackwater's business, including its contracts with the federal government, profits made since the company was founded a decade ago, Prince's personal earnings since 2001, and details about the payments to the families of Iraqis killed by Blackwater personnel", according to IHT... 8 reported killed in bombing of Makati shopping mall, in Manila, Philippines; Pres. Arroyo said police and military were on "highest alert", she was putting 2,000 more security personnel on duty to raise preparedness, warned "those who seek to destabilize our government not to exploit this incident for their selfish political motives"... French pres. Sarkozy and UK PM Brown say they would back Tony Blair as first to fill the new office of EU president, if the new treaty is ratified by all 27 member states; the office would come into being in 2009 and would have a base term of 30 months, with a possible extension to 5 years; EU presidency currently rotates among member states every 6 months, held by top elected official... US House fails to override presidential veto of children's healthcare funding...