Harvard physicist able to 'freeze' light, manipulate, release; White House admits Bush told in August Iran may have suspended nuke program in 2003...

8 December :: Harvard physicist "Lene Vestergaard Hau can stop a pulse of light in midflight, start it up again at 0.13 miles per hour, and then make it appear in a completely different location"; laboratory achievement signals major breakthrough in understanding of physics of electromagnetic radiation, key is manipulation of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where light can be slowed, even transferred via hologram to other BEC, later released; discovery could have major implications for communications, particle physics... After repeated denials, White House admits Pres. Bush was notified in August that intelligence agencies felt Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons research in 2003; since August, top officials, including Bush, have talked of gathering threat, missile strikes, possible war, and even "World War III" and "nuclear holocaust"; press secretary Dana Perino justified the bellicose rhetoric saying "The president didn't say we're going to cause World War III," Perino said. "He was saying he wanted to avoid World War III"...

CIA admits it destroyed videotapes that could have served as evidence; package bomb kills one in Paris; US voters 'angry' at political system...

7 December :: CIA has admitted it destroyed video tapes documenting interrogations critics have labeled torture; Senate judiciary committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said the destruction of the tapes, potential evidence, was "hidden away from accountability", while ACLU National Security Project director told press "The destruction of these tapes suggests an utter disregard for the rule of law"; last month federal prosecutors revealed that the CIA had provided false information about the tapes in the trial of 9/11 suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, who pleaded guilty and will spend life in prison... Package bomb explodes after being delivered to law-firm in central Paris, killing secretary who opened the package, wounding one other seriously; building also houses firm where current Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy was formerly a practicing partner, and where he still holds a 34% stake; police cordoned off the area and traffic was stopped throughout the area... Zogby reporting that "Four of five Democrats and two–thirds of Republicans say they are angry at the U.S. political system", according to a recent political opinion survey...

UN praises US Senate effort to cap greenhouse gas emissions; IMF to calculate climate costs; Ukraine pres. backs Tymoshenko for PM...

6 December :: UN says US Senate plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions is step in right direction for US, for public health worldwide, in effort to reduce climate change impact; after new Australian gov't ratified Kyoto Protocol at Bali talks, US is only developed nation not signed on, while Bush admin. representative at Bali says the Senate proposal will not alter gov't policy at present... IMF to publish data and analysis on costs of climate change in 2008, in connection with talks about ways to "climate-proof" economies against the ill effects of volatile climate conditions... Reuters reports "Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko accepted on Thursday the leader of a pro-Western 'orange' coalition, Yulia Tymoshenko, as prime minister"; Tymoshenko and Pres. Yuschenko were allies in the 2004 'Orange revolution' that brought their pro-Western gov't to power, she was his first PM, but split after intense infighting; Parliament now needs to vote on her candidacy... Italian politician has shocked nation, outraged Jews, by saying gov't should treat immigrants according to a Nazi policy that punished 10 Italians for every one Nazi killed; policy is infamous throughout Italy, because Italians who opposed Nazis were brutally killed by Hitler regime, the 10-to-1 concept obviously asserting that group persecution or targetting of innocents, however light the punishment, violating democratic principles fundamentally; a front-page editorial in Il Giornale, a conservative paper that often sides with Bettio's party wrote "Even if he was drunk or his brain short-circuited [...] he must be condemned without appeal"... Fmr Mass. governor and fmr. GOP frontrunner, Mitt Romney, has used a speech in Texas to assure voters his Mormon faith will not intervene in his decisions as president; some analysts have attributed Romney's slipping poll numbers to skepticism about the Mormon church and the perception that he would take advice from church leaders...

Supreme Court hears Guantanamo habeas complaint against military tribunals; NIE position on Iran meshes with military intelligence...

5 December :: US Supreme Court hearing case of prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay naval base, without charge or due process, who now argue 2006 military tribunals legislation violates the US Constitution because it strips defendants of habeas corpus rights; LA Times reports "the detainees do not have lawyers and have no right to challenge the evidence against them" and that "Some of the men were picked up by bounty hunters in Afghanistan, who were paid $5,000 for turning over Arab men to U.S. soldiers"... Speculation emerges Pentagon used NIE to voice its opposition to White House Iran policy, as 9 of 16 US spy agencies that form NIE report are military; top Pentagon officials say no policy intervention in NIE, but that military intelligence looks at intent or threat level, not scientific knowhow, that Iran could eventually restart program, but war is not presently advisable... TIME reports unnecessary use of Social Security numbers rampant, puts consumers at serious risk of identity theft; private companies, utilities, and ISPs do not need a Social Security number, nor can they, by law, demand it; Verizon is listed as repeatedly insisting it is necessary to open an account, while their own website warns that giving out such information puts consumers at risk of identity theft; in November, the FTC released data showing that "in 2005, the last year for which there's data, 8.3 million Americans were victims — almost 4% of all adults in this country"... Bush to announce plan to freeze mortgage rates for 5 years, for homeowners at risk of losing homes as adjustable rates suddenly rise...

NIE says no Iran nuclear weapons program, for now; calls for climate refugee assistance at Bali summit, as sea-levels rising...

4 December :: Revised US National Intelligence Estimate says Iran halted nuclear weapons program in 2003, no current work being done to pursue bomb; NIE is consensus report from 16 US intelligence agencies, current analysis contradicts White House policy, as well as 2005 NIE citing Iran's determination to build bomb; according to current NIE, Iran would require up to 8 years to finalize building of weapon, if program were restarted; report does say uranium enrichment is ongoing, apparently for civilian use; Democrats have called for White House to launch "diplomatic surge", using Reagan negotiation with USSR as example... Pressure expected to increase on White House to moderate Iran policy, amid unpopular Iraq war, wariness from powerful allies about counter-productive military intervention; TIME magazine in August published analysis warning US might be "isolated" on the issue, with close allies favoring diplomacy and IAEA process... Islanders already affected by rising sea levels call for international assistance for climate refugees; testimony from affected populations, scientists and the Europe-based Global Governance Project, at Bali conference, will push for fund to resettle climate refugees...

Putin leads exit polling in Russian parliamentary vote; Venezuelans reject Chávez constitutional reforms; Annapolis may warm US-Syria relations...

3 December :: With 54.5% of vote counted, Putin's 'United Russia' party has reportedly gathered 62.9% of the vote, the Communist party a distant 2nd with 11.6%; NY Times reporting "Across Russia in recent weeks, members of opposition parties said they had been subjected to intense harassment from the authorities, and people who worked for government agencies and companies that received state financing reported that they had been ordered to vote for United Russia"... Observers around world say Putin gov't manipulated parliamentary elections, European observers say there is "no doubt" the elections were "[not] free, fair nor democratic", US calls on Kremlin to investigate allegations of media bias, widespread voter intimidation; opponents say Putin plan to become 'national leader' with no clear constitutional role, no clear limit to power, dangerous for Russia's fledgling democracy... Official results show Venezuelan pres. Hugo Chávez has suffered a major political defeat, as population votes 51% to 49% against his proposed constitutional reforms; Venezuelan gov't ministers, speaking anonymously, had claimed Chávez won referendum, by as much as 6% margin; "If approved, the referendum vote on a raft of reforms would allow Chavez —in office since 1999— to run for reelection indefinitely, control foreign currency reserves, appoint loyalists over regional elected officials and censor the media if he declares an emergency", according to Reuters; VP says election results are too close to call, are already in dispute, opposition has called for calm, but says its numbers show Chávez victory not assured... Speculation spreads US may be considering talks with Syrian gov't in new post-Annapolis worldview; CSM reports US may be tacitly backing Syrian favorite for Lebanese presidency, despite opposition from US allies in Lebanon, who now appear to also approve Gen. Michel Suleiman's rise as president... UN climate change policy conference opens on Indonesian island of Bali, to draft successor protocols to Kyoto treaty; with 180 nations in attendance, hopes are US will support accord, push global emissions regulations... Facing mounting international pressure, and after meetings with muslim members of the British parliament, Sudan pres. Omar al-Bashir pardons British schoolteacher jailed for allowing pupils to name teddy bear 'Muhammad', she will be sent home in coming days...