Musharraf plans to lift state of emergency within 30 days; San Francisco demands answers for fuel spill; Georgia parliament backs martial law...

10 November :: Pakistan gov't announces plans to lift state of emergency within one month, saying it was declared to fight radical fundamentalist militia allegedly spreading from country's northwest border provinces... NY Times reports "The Pakistani police allowed the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to leave her house today, but blocked her from visiting the home of the ousted chief justice, who has been detained"... Officials from San Francisco, Bay area cities, California gov't, demand answers from US Coast Guard on why it waited so long to notify public of 58,000 gallon fuel spill; Coast Guard acknowledges it might have moved more quickly, but says no inappropriate actions were involved; SF may seek legal action... Reuters reporting "Georgia's parliament on Friday endorsed President Mikhail Saakashvili's state of emergency decree in defiance of local opponents and Western allies, and accused an opposition tycoon of plotting a coup"... 7 human rights groups, including Amnesty Int'l have called on Iranian authorities to release a woman sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and flogging for peaceful demonstration in which she called for increased rights for women under Iran's Islamic law... British gov't plans to request new legislation to extend detention without charge in terrorist cases, possibly to as long as 56 days; current anti-terrorist legislation permits detaining suspects for up to 28 days without charge, leading many to accuse gov't of discarding cherished freedoms in exchange for prosecutorial assistance which may only erode the integrity of the judicial process, with no clear benefit for catching actual terrorists... European Central Bank pushing efforts to slow growth in value of Euro against dollar, concerned it may be hampering business opportunities for European businesses...

Bhutto home surrounded by Pakistan security forces; CA sues EPA for emissions inaction; Mukasey approved by Senate as next AG...

9 November :: Musharraf's forces in riot gear have surrounded home of Bhutto's home, alleging suicide bombers are waiting to strike, no one being allowed in or out; move is aimed at preventing her holding massive rally in Rawalpindi; after she attempted to leave, she was prevented by gov't forces, she has been placed under house arrest by 30-day detention order... California leads lawsuit by 15 states against EPA, alleging negligence in responsibility to act to diminish risk of global climate change; CA gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said if the EPA does not move to permit the state's new emissions regulations, "We sue again, and sue again and sue again until we get it"... US Senate has voted 53-40 to approve Judge Mukasey as next attorney general; vote came even as leaders like judiciary committee chair Leahy stiffly opposed the nomination, declaring "I do not vote to allow torture"... Senate votes 79-14 to override Bush water bill veto, confirming first override of Bush presidency; CNN reports "Supporters said the projects authorized under the Water Resources Development Act are necessary to rebuild the Gulf Coast after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, restore the Everglades and Great Lakes fisheries and build flood-control projects nationwide", while Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a major backer of the measure told president "You should respect the Senate, the House, the Congress and American people because we are elected, too"... Georgian pres. Mikheil Saakashvili, facing demands for his resignation and having declared martial law alleging media conspiracy to overthrow him, has set date for early elections, saying he seeks to demonstrate his democratic mandate, also alleging "cunning plots" by hostile foreign powers to steal Georgian land; security forces had targeted press, arresting reporters, opposition politicians, confiscating cellular phones in alleged effort to prevent reporters' informing outside world or asking for US diplomatic pressure... Brazil announces major oil discovery, which could turn it into a major oil exporter; new find estimated to equaal 40% of all petroleum ever found in Brazilian territory... Fmr NY police commissioner, Giuliani ally Bernard Kerik to be indicted for corruption; while Kerik and Guiliani were business partners, the presidential candidate has not been implicated in the investigation, to date... US military in Iraq has released 9 Iranians it had held for up to 3 years, saying they are neither threat nor of intelligence value...

Burmese junta threatens "extreme action", fires on demonstrators, as protests grow; Georgia accuses Russia of interference in Abkhazia...

27 September :: Reports emerge from Rangoon military junta has raided monasteries in effort to end pro-democracy rallies; UN Security Council has urged regime to meet with special envoy, China says it views Burma crisis as "internal affair"; reports suggest 70 monks were abducted from one monastery alone by security forces; junta has warned demonstrators to cease protests or face "extreme action"; today, on 10th day of demonstrations, reports from Rangoon suggest thousands of "very angry" ordinary citizens "spontaneously" began gathering to demand end to violence against monks; security forces have again opened fire on protesters in Rangoon... China, Russia have blocked UN Seceurity Concuil actions to condemn violence against civilians; Russia reportedly suggested it would use the logic of western powers to bring France before the Security Council next time there are riots or police violence there... Georgian pres. accuses Russian military of direct involvement in Abkhazia independence movement, says Russian officer was among militants killed in firefight in Abkhazia; Georgian gov't spokesman broadcast on BBC saying "Is there not enough territory in Russia, are there not enough forests in Russia for Russian officers to die in Russian territory and Russian forests?"... US defense sec. Gates says he is not pleased with regulation of private security firms in Iraq, has ordered a comprehensive investigation of their activities in Iraq... Bush to host 2-day meeting with world's most prolific carbon emitters (China, India, western Europe) to discuss possible terms for future greenhouse-gas controls; opponents warn they believe Bush may be seeking to stall global emissions regime or ensure that major powers support only voluntary limits; China, Russia have called for all future global regimes to be constructed through the UN... According to the NY Times, in an apparent move to stop pro-choice group communicating with its membership, "Last week, Verizon rejected a request from the abortion rights group Naral Pro-Choice America for a five-digit 'short code.' Such codes allow people interested in hearing from businesses, politicians and advocacy groups to sign up to receive text messages"; Verizon has since apologized, calling the refusal "incorrect", and granted the request...