Mukasey takes helm as AG; 4,000-year-old temple found in Peru; IPCC expected to push binding emissions cuts...

12 November :: Judge Mukasey was sworn in Friday as US attorney general, after key senators said they were re-assured by his promises not to endorse any interrogation practices beyond the law... "A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said on Saturday" according to Reuters news service... IPCC meeting in Valencia, Spain, gathers representatives and scientists from 140 countries "to draft a report that could increase pressure on countries like the United States and China to make binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions"; meeting comes just weeks before Bali conference expected to begin draft for replacement to Kyoto Protocol... Texas legislature caught violating rules, multiple members franticly voting multiple times for absent colleagues; rules already propose penalties, new law would make such abuse criminal offense... Oil spill spreads across San Francisco Bay as weather condiditons make containment, clean-up hazardous, unpredictable; state officials continue to call for probe into lax response in early stage of spill... At least 7 were killed, 80 injured in Gaza demonstration when gunfire broke out, allegedly between supporters of rival Fatah, Hamas factions; Hamas said to be planning crackdown on Fatah after deaths...

UN Security Council unanimously 'deplores' Burma crackdown; Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize; Afghanistan closes 2 security firms, probing 10 more...

12 October :: UN Security Council passes unanimous non-binding declaration that it "strongly deplores" the violence used by Burma's military gov't against peaceful demonstrators; statement also calls for release of "all political prisoner and remaining detainees", as well as urging direct talks with opposition, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, significant action to move Burma toward a lasting democratic process; statement is first ever Council action on Burma's military junta... Fmr US VP Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to raise global awareness of the climate change crisis; since spring 2007, Gore has won an Academy Award, an Emmy and now the Nobel, he said in response "We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity", two advisers told the press the award does not make it more likely he will run for US presidency... CNN reported yesterday "Afghan authorities this week shut down two private security companies and said more than 10 others —some suspected of murder and robbery— would soon be closed, Afghan and Western officials said Thursday"; move comes amid growing concerns over role of private security firms in Iraq violence, UN urging US to investigate alleged crimes... Crude oil hits record high trading price of $84/barrell, just after noon New York time; cost for alternative fuels expected to drive adoption of new fuel sources, transport costs straining overall economic output... Russian Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan carrying American, Russian, Malaysian to Int'l Space Station; Peggy Whitson to be first woman to command Space Station, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor 9th Muslim in space, 1st Malaysian...