Kennedy to endorse Obama in wake of SC win; IMF warns fiscal crisis could spread, worsen; Kisumu, Kenya, ablaze amid riots...

28 January :: Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) to announce support for candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL); sources tell press Sen. Kennedy will make announcement alongside niece, Caroline Kennedy, youngest daughter of assassinated pres. John F. Kennedy, who wrote in Sunday NY TImes that Obama has the capacity to inspire people the way her father did 5 decades ago... Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the IMF, has warned that the current global fiscal crisis could deepen if more governments to not act to revamp their overall fiscal policy, infuse markets with capital and promote stimulus packages that could bring about fiscal deficits but would loosen the spending potential of consumers and investors; the move is being called an "about-face" for a director and an institution which have promoted fiscal rigor and budget cutting as ways to ensure economic agility; observers now say subprime mortgage crisis could spread to credit cards and other banking services, further tightening available capital, slowing markets across borders, industries... City of Kisumu, Kenya, burns as rioters take to streets in protest against mounting ethnically-driven killings in the region; Kenya has descended into an increasingly indiscernible pattern of tribal and political violence, since the disputed December elections in which opposition leaders allege the sitting government rigged the vote, used violence to suppress opposition, stay in power...

Food prices expected to rise for prolonged period; panic selling hits world markets; US surpasses EU in green tech investment...

22 January :: British agribusiness report suggests steep rise in food prices to continue over prolonged period; environmental degradation, water scarcity and climbing fuel prices will contribute to short supply, higher cost of production... Panic selling and steep Asian drop, for second day running, have caused massive losses in stocks across the world, as fears of US recession take root; FT reports "Tumbling Asian shares – which continued to fall early on Tuesday – led European stock markets into their biggest one-day fall since 9/11 as the prospect of a US recession and further fall-out from credit market turmoil prompted near panic among investors, who rushed to the safety of government bonds", with $490 billion lost on FTSE Eurofirst 300 index... Boom in Silicon Valley venture capital investment in renewables has US poised to overtake Europe as world leader in green technologies; according to FT, "European investment in clean technology companies last year was only a third of the $3.7bn ploughed into the field in the US, according to Cleantech Group, a specialist US research firm"...

Touchscreen machines fail in 100% of one SC precinct in GOP primary; Clinton wins Nevada narrowly over Obama, Romney with clear GOP win...

20 January :: Electronic voting machines in Horry County, South Carolina, have reportedly failed in 100% of its precincts, creating the real possibility that South Carolina's Republican primary vote cannot be confirmed by any official means; with the machines used already known to be vulnerable to hacking and malfunction, "Late in the week poll workers picked up the iVotronic machines that they are using today. They took them home on voting machine "sleepovers" and then set up the poll sites for today's primary", reports Brad Friedman for the investigative blog BRADBLOG... John McCain declared winner of South Carolina Republican party primary, outpacing close challenger Mike Huckabee 33% to 30%, despite reports of serious problems in touchscreen voting machines, unknown numbers of voters "turned away" at polls... Hillary Clinton has been declared winner of the Nevada caucuses, with Barack Obama finishing second (50% and 45% support among caucus-goers, respectively), in the run for the Democratic nomination; Mitt Romney has reportedly taken 40% more than his nearest rivals, finishing with 55% to Paul and McCain's 13% support... The annual Davos Economic Forum has been overshadowed by concerns of growing international economic instability, and fallout from the subprime mortgage lending crisis that hit US banks in the summer of 2007; The Financial Times reports "Even Klaus Schwab, the founder of the Davos meetings, sounds downbeat: 'The discussions in Davos will certainly be very dominated by the economic challenges we have at the moment — the aftermath of the subprime crisis, the transfer of capital from energy-consuming to energy-producing countries, inflationary tendencies'"... A team of economists in Britain has suggested the EU should implement a broad-based carbon tax in order to spur market adaptation to renewable fuels, instead of setting specific targets for the use of biofuels and renewable energy; the report suggests that specific funding for a transition to the widespread use of biofuels would be "a form of state support for an environmentally and economically harmful activity designed to consolidate existing price support mechanisms for vested interest groups, most notably farmers"... MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews has apologized for "callous" remarks about Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), in which he suggested she was elected in New York because her husband, fmr. pres. Bill Clinton, "messed around"; Matthews explained that his intention was to highlight that she performed well under pressure and gained respect in the public eye and among elected officials...

Crude oil hits $100/barrel; Justice launches criminal investigation of CIA destruction of videotapes; Pakistan asks UK to head Bhutto investigation...

2 January :: Crude oil prices hit record $100, before falling to $99, amid claims of high demand, violence in oil producing countries, driving prices higher; the rapidly weakening dollar is also considered to be a factor in the rising prices... US Justice Dept. launches criminal probe of CIA destruction of hundreds of hours of videotape, allegedly showing use of harsh or banned interrogation techniques; tapes had been concealed during previous inquiries, Congress also investigating... Pakistan pres. Pervez Musharraf has requested UK's Scotland Yard head investigation into assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto; gov't has also said it will consider exhuming body to perform autopsy, after it was alleged gov't agents threatened doctors attempting to perform autopsy... Pakistan's parliamentary elections, slated for next week, will be postponed till 2nd half of February, with gov't saying security situation has made it impossible to hold free and fair polls... US intelligence officials have said they are not convinced that Pakistan's official explanation of Benazir Bhutto's killing is definitive, call for broader investigation with international assistance... Gray wolves in western US to lose endangered species protected status, meaning ranchers in Wyoming, or surrounding states may feel emboldened to 'cull' at will to prevent further spread of reintroduced species... On eve of Iowa caucuses, WSJ hosting "predictive" market community where users can "trade" on probability of candidates' winning; WSJ reports "On New Year's Eve, markets ranked each of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards at least a 30% chance of winning", while "they have upgraded Mr. Obama's chances of winning (he's now a better than 50-50 bet), while Ms. Clinton is a clear second-favorite, with a just-under one-in-three chance of winning"; there is no clear track-record for this sort of predictive matrix in electoral politics...

Skin cells may be 'programmed' to work like stem cells; Pakistan suspended from Commonwealth; Iran says it's ready to defend against attack...

23 November :: Discovery of skin-cell property that allows stem-cell behavior hope for researchers, conservative candidates; the discovery means research into curing diseases through stem-cell treatments need not be held back by ban on research that destroys human embryos, conservative candidates in US need not face criticism for opposing life-saving research... Pakistan has been suspended from the Commonwealth for not lifting emergency rule by deadline; organization is comprised of the United Kingdom, former British colonies and Mozambique, total of 53 nations and a population of over 2 billion people... Musharraf has agreed to end Sharif's forced exile to Saudi Arabia after talks with King Abdullah; not clear whether former PM deposed by general in 1999 will arrive in time to file for January election candidacy... Top Revolutionary Guards commander says Iran is "ready" to defend itself in any way necessary, if military strike is employed by "enemies" to halt its nuclear research... US dollar has hit new record lows against major currencies, nearing $1.49 to the Euro, as concerns about spreading slowdown in US economy, possible recession, take hold...

'Real ID' national ID-card scheme may be defunct; House votes to override Bush veto of water bill...

6 November :: Privacy advocates say Real ID —a Homeland Security plan to force all US citizens to carry uniform biometric ID cards— may be finished, as DHS official reportedly indicated to officials from several states their citizens will not be penalized for the states' rejecting Real ID; 17 states have passed legislation opposing the nationalization of ID documents, concerned a centralized database would pose an unprecedented threat to privacy... State Dept. envoy Sung Kim says North Korea dismantling of nuclear facilities is "off to a good start", adding "this phase of disablement" may be complete by New Year... The US House has voted 361-54 to override a veto by Pres. Bush of its water bill, aimed at coastal restoration, transport and flood-control projects, with prominent Republicans saying "The next crisis we're facing in this country is our water...This bill is right. Let's override the president. Let's do something for America" and that the bill was "long overdue"... Resolution to impeach VP Cheney put on hold in House of Representatives; presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) proposed the resolution, and Republicans sought to bring it directly to a vote to serve Kucinich a rapid defeat, while Democratic leaders referred to the resolution to the judiciary committee, where it is expected not to be brought to a vote... Yahoo! executives face House foreign affairs committee hearing, accused of providing false information to Congress, aiding Chinese gov't jailing of reporter; China ranks in bottom 10 nations worldwide for press freedom, according to Reporters without Borders... Software to be produced by Google's Open Handset Alliance, through the Linux-based 'Android' platform, expected to be "everything you need to run a phone", meaning handset manufacturers will be forced to choose between the open platform and proprietary OS that let them limit adaptability... Alibaba.com raises $1.5 billion in IPO, leaving it with $25.7 billion in market value, after one day of trading, according to the IHT; the site is China's biggest eCommerce business, may herald new boom in Asian internet ventures...

CBS reveals key fraud in Iraq WMD intel; Bhutto leaves Pakistan, rumors of martial law; crude reaches $96/barrel record high price...

2 November :: 60 Minutes reveals WMD intel fraud, Iraqi emigré known as 'Curve Ball' by spy agencies said to have lied to officials about involvement in WMD work in Iraq in order to get asylum in Germany; US later used his false claim as support for invasion of Iraq; program to air Sunday in US... Fmr PM Benazir Bhutto, touted to be hope for democracy, stability if she regains PM post, leaves country for Dubai, rumors Musharraf to decree martial law; Pakistan's Supreme Court to rule on validity of Musharraf's latest re-election to presidency, militant Islamist attacks on rise across country, including military facilities, as Musharraf steps up efforts to bring northwestern border region under central control... Crude oil trading in New York yesterday reached $96/barrel for the first time in history; prices fell slightly by the end of trading, continuous climb attributed to continuing scarcity, projected short supplies, OPEC plans not to increase production levels... Water scarcity tensions high in Australia as man watering lawn murdered by passerby who objected to his wasting water; victim was rushed to hospital after being brutally beaten during argument, but later died; he was watering lawn by hand, on officially assigned day, was within law... 29 US senators, including Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (NY) and Chris Dodd (CT), have signed a letter warning Pres. Bush that vote labeling Iran Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group does not authorize attack on Iran; Sen. Obama (D-IL), a campaign rival of Clinton and Dodd, has said he believes the letter is too weak, that the matter requires a binding resolution from the Senate...

ABA recommends freeze on all execution, nationwide; Cristina Fernández de Kirchner wins Argentine presidency; Exxon seeks to reduce Valdez judgment...

29 October :: American Bar Association finds irregularities throughout death-penalty system in US, says moratorium should be imposed by all states until thorough examination, correction of systemic flaws is carried out; "After carefully studying the way states across the spectrum handle executions, it has become crystal clear that the process is deeply flawed" an ABA panel found, after reviews of procedures used in 8 states; DNA evidence has been used in recent years to demonstrate conclusively the innocence of over 200 inmates awaiting execution... First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner elected president of Argentina, will succeed her husband when his first term expires; many have said the popular senator's victory in yesterday's election was essentially a "referendum" on her husband's economic reforms... Democrats in Iowa move primary caucuses to 3 January 2008, matching Republicans, maintaining tradition by which both parties meet on same night across state; NH has indicated it will hold its primary balloting no later than 8 January, but no change to the originally scheduled date of 22 January has yet been made... Thousands of civilians have fled Mingora, in the Swat region of northwestern Pakistan, fearing bloodshed in clashes between gov't forces and Taliban-style fundamentalist militia... US Supreme Court agrees to hear Exxon-Mobil appeal of $2.5 billion punitive damages ruling for 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, in Alaska; the most profitable corporation in US history says the damages, which have already been reduced twice in favor of Exxon-Mobil appeals, is too high; the spill devastated over 1,200 miles of pristine coastline, destroying commercial fisheries and jeopardizing local ecosystems; in July, Exxon announced quarterly profits of $10.36 billion, its record —for all corporations, globally— being $10.71 billion in the 4th quarter of 2005, its next best being Q3 2006, at $10.49 billion; in that quarter, its gross revenues of $99.59 billion exceeded the entire economic output of major oil producers like Kuwait (which it nearly doubled) and the United Arab Emirates...

GAO finds terrorist watch list may target too many people; St. Bernard breed may prove Darwin's evolution; oil over $92/barrel...

26 October :: Report from Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds terrorist watch list may be targetting too many people to be effective, including 755,000 names as of May 2007, 860,000 at present; critics of the list say it threatens civil liberties, contravenes Constitutional protections; Sen. Lieberman has expressed concern about its "500 percent increase in three years", Justice Dept. inspector-general's report questions quality of data used... Scientists say study of St. Bernard skulls over 120 year period show selection in dog breeding demonstrates Darwin's theory of evolution; in case of dog breeds, human selection accelerates the process of natural selection, which would likely take longer to show evidence... US announces stiffest sanctions regime against Iran in nearly 3 decades, targeting three state banks, declaring elite Revolutionary Guard "proliferators of weapons of mass destruction" for efforts to enrich uranium, making it a crime for any US citizen to do business with any of the cited entities; Russia has already denounced the new sanctions, some fear move could be provocation, further escalate tensions; US sec. of State Condoleezza Rice said in announcing the sanctions that the US is still fully committed to a diplomatic solution... Financial firm Merrill Lynch has added $2.9 billion to its already massive write-down of losses, now totalling $7.9 billion for this quarter; the firm's revenues fell 94% against this time last year, and spokesman says firm still faces some exposure from sub-prime related accounts... Oil hits record high $92.22 in trading Friday, as falling dollar, mounting violence in Iraq, tension between Turkey, Kurds, dwindling US supplies, Iran sanctions provoke fears of further scarcity; OPEC says it has no plans to increase production at next meeting...

Mukasey refuses to denounce torture in interrogations, despite Supreme Court ruling; Bhutto says Zia agents seek her death; crude hits $90/barrel...

19 October :: US att. gen. nominee Mukasey has told Senate panel he believes so-called 'unlawful combatants' are not entitled to Geneva Conventions protections, a view contravened by existing law and jurisprudence; US Supreme Court has already ruled the Conventions govern US treatment of prisoners, not which prisoners enjoy protections; HRW reports "In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the US Supreme Court held that the humane treatment obligations of Common Article 3 apply to 'enemy combatants' in United States custody. The Bush administration has since responded by issuing an executive order requiring the CIA to comply with Common Article 3 in its interrogation of detainees"; 'waterboarding' specifically has not only been prosecuted by the US military for over 100 years as illegal, but the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines agreed in August 2006 it violates US law; Mukasey did, however, testify that "It is not constitutional for the United States to engage in torture in any form, be it waterboarding or anything else" and that "It's barred by the Fifth, the Fourteenth, and the Eighth Amendments"... Bhutto says agents of fmr dictator General Zia are behind bombing attempt on her life yesterday, are fomenting "extremism and fanaticism" to destabilize Pakistan; Interior Ministry says it believes Taliban, Al-Qaeda militants were responsible; Bhutto had been warned before her return of a plot involving military agents, one Taliban commander had threatened to send suicide bombers to kill her... Bloomberg reports "Crude oil for November delivery rose to $90.07 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since trading began in 1983"; 4 days of record-high prices have been driven by speculation about Fed rates, fears of Turkish invasion of northern Iraq, falling dollar value... Google mobile phone project aimed at freeing up software, service options across wireless spectrum; 'gPhone' would use open-source software, likely be free added value, financed by Google advertising links... Swiss conservative party draws int'l scrutiny as its campaign painting immigrants as black sheep to be kicked out of the country is considered racist, in run-up to elections... French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy has split from his wife, after 11 years and just a few months in office; press reports suggest Cecilia Sarkozy did not vote in the close election which brought her husband to power... Kenyan elephants can distinguish scents, appearance of Masai warrior/hunters from local farmers, who are usually not a threat; evidence suggests more intimate integration of large mammal into human element in their environment...

Atlanta's main source of drinking water may be dry within 4 months; UK housing market may be heading for crash...

17 October :: Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water source, might be dry within four months, according to one worst-case projection; drought across the US southeast has reached the most severe warning level... Guardian reports "Britain risks the prospect of a US-style crash in its house prices as the credit crunch in the financial markets takes its toll of a heavily over-valued property market, the International Monetary Fund warned today"; the IMF report warned the UK's housing market is severely overpriced, more even than the US market inflated by unsustainable 'sub-prime' mortgage loans... Turkey's Parliament grants Erdogan authority to launch military raids into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq; the PM said no actions is pending, but observers say with no US or Iraqi action against Kurdish rebels, raids will occur... Hamas confounds US, Israeli plans to gain momentum for peace push with Fatah, by expressing support for peace talks with Israel; both Israel, US, view Hamas as terrorist group, moderating statements may pave way to long-term process, but Hamas inclusion may make starting talks next month less attractive to many in Israel... Clinton campaign returns $1.3 million in donations, out of "abundance of caution", including over $800,000 with potential ties to disgraced political fundraiser Norman Hsu, who allegedly coerced investors into making political donations; there is no known connection between Mr. Hsu and the Clinton campaign, but an FEC spokesman said one reason for returning donations would be that the money received is found to be "illegal"...

Euro Bank injects 42.245 billion € to avert crisis; global carbon footprint 22.199 billion tons...

6 September :: European Central Bank has injected another 42.245 billion € into the euro-zone markets, via monetary auction with minimum interest of 4%; at least 46 banks and financial institutions are reported to have participated in the bidding for extra cash; the move is intended to shore up the euro against increasing 'volatility' as European markets respond to the US mortgage-lending and homeowning crisis... Actor Fred Thompson, a former US senator, has announced his official bid for the Republican nomination for US president; his campaign will be launched by webcast and with an official announcement on NBC's The Tonight Show; reaction is mixed, as the popular former senator has made moves to jockey for visibility that other candidates consider unethical, including taking out a campaign ad before officially announcing, that will air at the beginning of a presidential debate he is skipping... The global carbon footprint is listed at 22.199 billion tons by desmogblog.com, as of 12 noon GMT...