Carter says Hamas may recognize Israel if Palestinians approve peace deal; Lugo ousts Paraguay's Colorado party after 61 years in power...

21 April :: Carter says Hamas leaders may be willing to recognize Israel's right to exist, in exchange for lasting peace, even if negotiated by rival Fatah group, so long as accord is submitted to Palestinian people in referendum; CNN cites Carter saying at the start of his trip: "I'm not a negotiator, I'm just trying to understand different opinions and communicate, provide communications between people that won't communicate with each other"... Paraguay opposition leader, Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, won 40.9% of the vote, against ruling Colorado party candidate Blanca Ovelar's 30.7%; the win means a change in party for the first time in 61 years; some observers predict a volatile power struggle may ensue, though under Paraguay law, the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of margin of victory... Obama goes on the offensive in Pennsylvania, characterizing Clinton as a "compromised Washington insider"; Clinton fires back that Obama's attacks are effort to cover for last week's controversial ABC debate, in which a barrage of personal questions put the frontrunner on the defensive; Obama has been outspending Clinton 2-to-1 in ads in PA, and has narrowed her lead from 16% to between 4% and 6% in just a few weeks; NYT reports "Mr. Obama was using his fund-raising advantage to pay for a multimillion-dollar campaign that included sophisticated demographic targeting to find supporters in smaller cities" but is "also relying on old-fashioned tools, including sending supporters door-to-door, renting sound trucks to drive through urban neighborhoods and having volunteers serve as “town criers” to pass out literature on city buses"; Hillary and Bill Clinton have appeared across the state, trying to ensure Obama doesn't gain in the delegate race... NYT reporting that "In Japan and South Korea, some manufacturers for the first time have begun buying genetically engineered corn for use in soft drinks, snacks and other foods"; mounting international food shortages, coupled with soaring prices are causing what could be a fundamental shift in food production methods, with as yet unforeseeable consequences; some critics believe genetically modified foods could cause negative genetic and health-related impact in the human population...

HRW reports US, EU backing "sham democracies" in some cases; Barack Obama sets campaign fundraising record with $32 million in January...

31 January :: Human Rights Watch, in its annual report, criticizes leading democracies, namely US and EU nations, for backing "sham democracies" for the sake of political or strategic expediency; HRW reports "Such divorcing of democracy from the international standards that give it meaning helps to convince autocrats that mere elections, regardless of the circumstances, are sufficient to warrant the democrat label"... Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) sets all-time record taking in $32 million in contributions in month of January; it is expected Obama may continue to raise large amounts, with donations spread out across a large number of small-quantity donors; rival Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has depended on large donations which put many donors at legal limit already... Republican Sen. John McCain has received the endorsement of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in what may be a key boost ahead of the 24-state "Super Tuesday" primary vote on 5 February... According to Christian Science Monitor, "The snowstorms currently sweeping China have wreaked havoc with millions of people's New Year travel plans and caused $3 billion worth of losses, including thousands of acres of winter crops"...

CIA chief defends detention, 'rendition' practices; APEC sets 'goal' to reduce greenhouse gas emissions...

8 September :: Gen. Michael Hayden, head of US CIA, has publicly defended detention and "extraordinary rendition" practices used by CIA in treatment of those captured in association with terror investigations; EU courts investigating abductions, illegal transport of prisoners, detention without judicial review, with evidence suggesting hundreds of clandestine flights related to such practices; lawsuits have been filed in Europe, US, Canada by former detainees who say they were abducted, flown to third countries, then later tortured... Leaders of APEC nations agreed in Australia yesterday to a "long-term aspirational goal" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but have set no binding targets; major concern is how to bring China into a carbon-emissions regime without undermining its rapid industrial expansion...