Justice re-opens probe into wiretap wrongdoing; Supreme Court suspends FL execution pending constitutionality ruling...

16 November :: The Dept. of Justice, under new attorney general, Michael Mukasey, has reopened an investigation into whether its lawyers violated the law in connection with Pres. Bush's warrantless wiretapping; the investigation had been suspended when the White Houes refused security clearance to investigators to examine evidence, which refusal has been called into question because no such request has ever been refused before... Supreme Court stops Florida execution, pending judgment on three-drug execution process which produced botched execution last December, a situation which may violate Constitutional protection against "cruel and unusual punishment"... Saudi woman to be whipped 200 times and jailed for becoming rape victim; Truthdig reports "Saudi woman has been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail by an appeals court because she was riding in a car with a man when she was attacked and gang-raped by seven men", sentence based on law segregating unmarried men and women... In effort to mitigate holiday congestion for air traffic and prevent 'chaos' for travelers, Pres. Bush has ordered the Defense Dept. to open some of its restricted airspace for commercial "express lanes"; new FAA rules to promote efficiency may include doubling the fine to airlines to 'bump' paying passengers and officially labeling any flight route that travels 15 minutes late 70% of the time "an unfair and deceptive practice"... Global milk shortage creating pricing pressures for businesses, regions, markets; despite Hershey's raising prices to cover milk costs, its profits fell 96% over the last year; IHT reports "along with zippy cars and flat-panel TVs, milk is the mark of new money, a significant source of protein that factors into much of any affluent person's diet. Milk goes into infant formulas, chocolates, ice cream and cheese. Most baked goods contain butter, and coffee chains like Starbucks sell more milk than coffee", that meeting such demand now requires more milk that New Zealand's entire annual output...

Congress report says Iraq, Afghan wars have cost $1.5 trillion to date; Bhutto barricaded in home, calls for Musharraf ouster...

13 November :: New report by Congressional Joint Economic Committee says wars in Iraq, Afghanistan have already cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion over last 6 years, including long-term cost rises related to oil, veterans' healthcare, borrowing... Bhutto again under house arrest, calls for Musharraf to resign office, form interim "coalition of interests" to govern in run-up to elections; some 4,000 police have barricaded Bhutto's home in Lahore, using concrete, barbed wire and wet-sand barriers; reports say Musharraf forces have jailed over 7,000 opposition activists, British Commonwealth yesterday gave regime 10 days to lift martial law... Two Spanish cartoonists for El Jueves magazine face judgment for "damaging the prestige of the crown"; originally, prosecutors sought 3 years jailtime for cartoon mocking crown prince... Citing evidence Afghan authorities have been torturing detainees, Amnesty Int'l has called for suspension of all prisoner transfers from NATO-controlled ISAF operation to Afghan authorities; Afghan gov't acknowledges police continue to engage in persistent abuse, Pres. Karzai has called on police to cease use of torture as recently as last week... Food prices in China have risen by over 17% in October alone, while pork, the staple Chinese meat, rose by 55% in just one month, with 11-year high inflation across economy, creating concern of political unrest as poor Chinese run out of money to pay for basic food items; many poor Chinese already pay more than 1/3 of their income for food alone, wealth gap growing to historic records, undermining Communist party's claim to economic legitimacy... EU parliament votes to impose emissions caps on airlines, includes int'l flights; IHT reports "The measures, approved by the European Parliament, are fiercely opposed by the United States and the airline industry, which could cost companies billions of dollars and lead to sharp price rises for passengers. On the opposing side, some environmental groups criticized the proposed measure, which still must be approved by individual EU states, as far too timid"...

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...

Costa Rica referendum appears to narrowly approve CAFTA; Serbian police arrest 56 neo-Nazis when they attack anti-fascist march...

8 October :: 65% of electorate reported to have participated in Costa Rica free trade referendum; preliminary data suggested likely rejection of proposed CAFTA trade deal with US; with 89% of precincts reporting, a narrow majority of 52% appeared to have passed the trade agreement with the US, Costa Rica's pres. declaring the deal had passed, while Eugenio Trejas, leader of the opposition to the deal said his group would demand a ballot-by-ballot manual recount of all votes cast... Police detain 56 neo-Nazis in Novi Sad, Serbia, when they attacked a protest against fascism; UPI reports "At least four people were injured, including a Belgrade B92 television cameraman and the head of Novi Sad’s Helsinki Human Rights committee, when about 80 neo-Nazis hurled stones and bottles on several hundred citizens protesting against the rise of fascism in Serbia"... New Mexico authorizes construction of world's first commercial spaceport; structure will house 7 spacecraft, be hub to Virgin Galactic, which hopes to launch its first commercial flight in 2009... Vandals broke into Musée d'Orsay, in Paris, tore hole Claude Monet's 1874 painting “The Argenteuil Bridge"; French minister of culture Christine Albanel said the act was "an attack against our memory and our heritage"; the vandalism is the latest in a series of attacks against and thefts of cultural objects in France this year... CNN reports WWII veterans dying at rate of 1,000 per day; Arlington National Cemetery has plans to expand its terrain in order to keep operating until 2060...