UN warns worldwide food crisis imminent, if action not taken fast; Carter meets Hamas exiles in Damascus, talks of peace...

19 April :: "The global food crisis became official yesterday [15 April] when the UN called for urgent intergovernmental action and farming reforms to tackle the soaring prices that are plunging millions of people into potentially deadly poverty", reports UK's Independent; reports of riots from southeast Asia to the Caribbean, along with multiple border crises in the Horn of Africa, are leading to speculation that food scarcity may now be close to provoking regional conflicts... To the dismay of US, Israeli leaders, fmr. US pres. and Nobel peace laureate Jimmy Carter, has met for a 2nd time with two Hamas leaders in exile in Damascus, Syria; he says the group may be willing to talk peace with Israel; according to the AP, "On Saturday, Marzouk said Carter and Mashaal discussed a possible prisoner exchange with Israel, as well as how to lift a siege imposed by the Jewish state on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Carter, who brokered the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace, is trying to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit"... FoxBusiness reports "Today John McCain, the ninth richest member of Congress, again showed the American people that his call for openness and accountability in government applies to everyone but himself. By only releasing two years of returns, he is the first nominee of either party since Ronald Reagan in 1980 to disclose that little information. And by failing to release his wife Cindy McCain's return, serious questions remain unanswered about how John McCain's position as a U.S. Senator may have benefited John and Cindy McCain's business ventures"; DNC Chairman Howard Dean said McCain's limited disclosure "continues a troubling pattern of thinking the rules don't apply to him"; Sen. Obama and his wife have released 8 years of returns, and Sen. Clinton and fmr. Pres. Clinton's returns dating back to 1977 are on public record, according to the same FoxBusiness report... Russian pres. Vladimir Putin denies rumors he secretly divorced his wife of 24 years for a star gymnast, 24-year-old Alina Kabayeva, whom his party named to sit in Parliament; the newspaper that printed the story has had its right to publish "suspended", officially for "financial" reasons...

Top Bush admin. officials approved "enhanched interrogation" techniques; Higgs predicts 'God particle' soon to be revealed...

10 April :: ABC News reported yesterday that "In dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the White House, the most senior Bush administration officials discussed and approved specific details of how high-value al Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, sources tell ABC News"; Rice chaired the meetings, as National Security Adviser; according to the ABC News report: "At the time, the Principals Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft"... Physicist Peter Higgs predicts new CERN collider will discover 'Higgs boson', known as 'the God particle', early next year; Higgs theorized a primordial Higgs field, made up of a higher force that gives the universe mass, makes life possible, 4 decades ago... Palestinian officials say Bush plans to meet PA pres. Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh for peace talks next month; other Arab leaders may also be in attendance... Microsoft, NewsCorp may team up in bid to takeover Yahoo!, which is reportedly in talks with TimeWarner to merge with AOL, seeking to reposition itself strongly against more profitable online rivals; projected mergers would reshape market for online goods, services... Despite protests from China's gov't, the Olympic torch was diverted with little announcement, to avoid clashes between human rights protesters and China supporters; Reuters reports "On a beautiful spring day, San Francisco deployed hundreds of security officers, including FBI agents backed up by police cars, harbor boats, jet skis and helicopters"; Hong Kong authorities also plan to divert the torch from its planned route, to avoid "embarrassing scenes"...

Mentally disabled women used as suicide attackers in Baghdad; Google facing lawsuit for censorship in China...

2 February :: Wash. Post reports "Two mentally disabled women strapped with remote-control explosives — and possibly used as unwitting suicide bombers — brought carnage to the two pet bazaars, in attacks Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said sought to 'turn Baghdad back to the pre-surge period'"; at least 99 people were killed in the two blasts... FT reports "A Chinese scholar who challenged the Communist government by setting up a democratic opposition party has vowed to sue the US internet company Google for excising his name from its local search results"; Google and other internet giants have been criticized by rights activists, Congress, public for aiding Chinese Communist party gov't in censoring internet available to its people; Google, whose company motto is "don't be evil", had promised it would alert users any time information is censored with a message about "local laws", but reportedly did not do so in at least this case... Effort to create wi-fi cooperative at Cambridge Univ., England, could mean new standard for providing inexpensive or even free wireless internet across cities; obstacles persist, but cities, academics, internet users continue to search for viable method for expanding access without reducing security...

SPECIAL NEWS ALERT: AT&T Announces Plans to Inspect & Filter Internet Traffic & Content

AT&T is proposing the implementation of new filtering technologies "at the network level" that would essentially interrupt in a definitive way the public's freedom to access online content. The concept known as 'net neutrality' refers to consumers and netizens' ability to freely gain access to any site, paid or unpaid, without major telecommunications companies programming access as they do with cable television.

The movement against net neutrality has been spearheaded by giant internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T and Verizon, who want to profit from permitting consumers access to specific sites. They already charge for end-user access and for content-providers' access, and they charge more if you want higher speeds (bandwidth). Now they seek to ensure that freedom of access be impeded, in order to allow them to manipulate access and information in order to further line their pockets with a medium they did not develop, did not fund, and have not produced.

Existing law bars such filtering from being implemented by ISPs. The First Amendment to the US Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press". Filtering and restricting access to online content "at the network level" would very directly abridge the freedom of individuals to create and distribute online content, and would limit the ability of the online "press" to freely report the news and generate creative content.

There is no viable legal solution to this issue other than the prohibition of such filtering technologies as a threat to the free market of ideas on which American society, the rule of law as we understand it, and our society of democratic values based on the free expression of ideas, actually do depend.

Bhutto calls on Musharraf to restore constitution, or face mass march from Lahore to Islamabad; Turkey to reform "national insult" law...

7 November :: Benazir Bhutto has called on Pakistan pres. Musharraf to restore constitution, fix date for elections, step down as army chief, or she will lead mass demonstration in Lahore, march with thousands of supporters to Islamabad to repeat demands; police used force to put down pro-Bhutto rally outside parliament building in Islamabad... In address to Parliament, Britain's foreign secretary David Milliband has called on Pakistan's pres. Pervez Musharraf to "release all political prisoners, including members of the judiciary and human rights activists", and to declare a specific date for January elections, step down from the role of military chief and establish negotiations with opposition leaders... Turkey reported to be considering changes to Article 301, which bans "insults" to Turkish identity, used to imprison intellectuals, journalists, and activists; the change is aimed at opening Turkey's laws governing freedom of speech, under pressure from Turkish activists, international human rights observers, and foreign gov'ts... China's Three Gorges Dam has provoked collapse of reservoir lake banks, causing dozens of deaths from massive landslides; now 4 million to be forcibly uprooted, many for 2nd time, as dam-critics' predictions appear to be realized, sustainability of dam in question... Scientists in the US have discoverd a 5th planet orbiting the star Cancri 55, 41 light years from Earth, making that star system the only other one known which approaches our solar system (with 8 planets), in density of orbiting planetary bodies; the new planet is 45 times larger than Earth, researchers say Cancri 55 system is not twin to our solar system, as 4 planets closest to sun are size of Neptune... BBC World Service radio reports torture now commonplace in Iraq, both among factional militia and in facilities run by gov't; 'power drill' is particularly disturbing method used by militia groups across south; gov't facilities alleged to include electro-shock, stress-positions, beating of soles of feet; human rights groups say independent monitoring, 24-hour court hearing, end of arbitrary detention, are simple means that can greatly reduce the likelihood of torture...

'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...

Musharraf arrests 3,500 in national attack on dissidents; Israel, PA say Annapolis summit can achieve peace; Google launches mobile phone software...

5 November :: Foreign envoys aim to force Musharraf to keep promises to US, UK, to hold elections in January, step down as military chief or face drop in Western support... As reports say as many as 3,500 dissidents have been arrested in Musharraf's 2nd military takeover, the Pakistani president has said on state television "I am determined to execute this third stage of transition fully and I'm determined to remove my uniform once we correct these pillars in judiciary and the executive and the parliament", even as the Daily News reports "In the eastern city of Lahore, about 2,000 lawyers gathered a the High Court. As they tried to march out onto a main road, they were overcome by a swarm of police, swinging clubs and firing tear gas"; Musharraf has reportedly said, without naming a date, that he will step down as military chief and become a civilian leader, when conditions are right... Upcoming mideast peace conference touted as start of negotiations for lasting settlement; Israel has raised possibility of ceding part of East Jerusalem to Palistinian state, hoping to sweeten deal for would-be peacemakers in Ramallah... Palestinian pres. Mahmoud Abbas has said he believes negotiations begun in Annapolis this month could achieve Palestinian state by January 2009, when US pres. Bush leaves office... Google has unveiled a new Open Handset Alliance, to implement and expand its open-platform Android mobile phone software platform, which could free up wireless telecommunications devices for interoperability, customization and serious cost-reduction; no device is expected to implement the new system before mid-2008...

US Senate subcommittee approves emissions cap bill; London police found guilty in shooting death of innocent man in 2005...

3 November :: Senate subcommittee approves America's Climate Security Act, legislation aimed at capping greenhouse gas emissions, now to be voted by full Environment and Public Works committee; bill touted as milestone in US climate policy; Sen. Lieberman has said it is the "Manhattan Project" for climate change that activists have long called for, bill also supported by senators from coal-rich states... London police as a group have been found guilty in the shooting death of innocent Brazilian immigrant on London Tube in 2005; no individuals have been singled out, and punishment beyond fine has been imposed... Antiwar activist faces jury trial for raising hands in "peace sign" during Congressional hearing, in which secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified, was confronted by another activist... Mukasey nomination facing stiff opposition, even as two key Democrats express support; Pres. Bush has defended the retired judge, along with his refusal to qualify simulated drowning as a form of torture... CSM reports 13 majority-Sunni Muslim nations have declared their ambition to gain nuclear energy, just this year, likely as response to Shi'a-dominated Iran's high-profile nuclear pursuits, which some fear are weapons program in disguise... Minuteman anti-immigrant group, which includes armed militia in border states, spreading to interior states amid lack of legislation to reform immigration process; critics call group dangerous vigilante operation, while Minutemen say they are only trying to ensure that less people "break the law" by entering without papers... Reuters reporting "A federal judge on Friday approved subpoenas for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley in the case of two former pro-Israel lobbyists accused of disclosing national defense information"... Habitat for Humanity project in Los Angeles aims to build environmentally-friendly homes, as demand for low-emissions, fuel-efficient housing models on rise...

US fears catastrophic dam collapse in Iraq could kill 500,000; UK power Grid officials warn of possible energy crisis this winter...

31 October :: US authorities fear catastrophic dam failure in Iraq: "A catastrophic failure of the largest dam in Iraq would send a wave 65ft high hurtling down the valley of the river Tigris, killing up to 500,000 people, US engineers warned yesterday" reports UK's Independent; Army Corps of Engineers warns failure of the two-mile-across earth-filled dam could flood Mosul —with 1.7 million residents— with 60 feet of water... UK officials warn of possible energy crisis this winter, as natural gas prices are 40% above continental Europe; supplies likely to be undercut by plant outage, shortages could lead to electricity cuts if 300 extra megawatts are not generated for peak home-usage hours; officials moderated warning, saying reports are precautionary requests, aimed at increasing elasticit of overall system to face shortages... HRW reports Burmese military junta enslaving children as young as 10 years old to prop up its unpopular regime, finding that "Military recruiters are literally buying and selling children to fill the ranks of the Burmese armed forces"; the 135-page report 'Sold to be Soldiers' is available free online... On an intensifying crackdown against press by Azerbaijan authorities, HRW reports "On October 30, Azerbaijan’s Grave Crimes Court convicted Fatullayev, the outspoken editor-in-chief of the independent Realni Azerbaijan and Gundelik Azerbaijan newspapers, for terrorism, inciting ethnic hatred, and tax evasion. The conviction is a culmination of a concerted effort by the Azerbaijani authorities to silence Fatuallyev and his newspapers"... NY Times reporting "All State Department security convoys in Iraq will now fall under military control, the latest step taken by government officials to bring Blackwater Worldwide and other armed contractors under tighter supervision"; Pentagon authority asserted could protentially bring contractors under Uniform Code of Military Justice, after State Dept. officials without authorization offered immunity to Blackwater guards accused of murder, Iraq gov't has approved draft law to revoke immunity granted to foreign contractors by Coalition Provisional Authority...

China to spend $14 bn to clean up toxic lake; FEMA apologizes for sham press briefing...

27 October :: China plans to spend $14.4 billion to clean up Lake Tai, 3rd largest fresh-water lake in country, affected by direct toxic dumping, rampant algal bloom that cut off drinking water to Wuxi, a city of 2.3 million; according to IHT "Lake Tai, known as China's ancient "land of rice and fish," is a legendary setting, once famous for its bounty of white shrimp, whitebait and whitefish. But over time, an industrial buildup transformed the region. More than 2,800 chemical factories arose around the lake, and industrial dumping became a severe problem and, eventually, a crisis"... FEMA has apologized for staging a sham press conference; the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave reporters from around the country only 15 minutes' notice to attend, then had its own public affairs personnel pose questions... DR Congo, US leaders meet to discuss the humanitarian, security situation, as well as economic policies, political viability; fighting in far east of sub-Saharan nation of major concern, rebels say they are fighting to protect the population from outsiders who fled Rwanda after their campaign of genocide there was ended... Georgia Supreme Court orders 21-year-old man freed who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex at 17 with 15-year-old, saying the extreme sentence violated Constitutional protection against "cruel and unusual punishment"; court found the sentence "grossly disproportionate", that the activity considered criminal by then state law "did not rise to the level of culpability of adults who prey on children"... CNN reports "An eastern Kentucky school district with one confirmed case of antibiotic-resistant staph infection plans to shut down all 23 of its schools Monday, affecting about 10,300 students, to disinfect the facilities"; drug resistant bacterium suspected of infecting 90,000 Americans per year...

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...

UN reports US maternal death rate 4x European avg; US life expectancy rises to record 77.9 years for 2005...

14 October :: UN report shows rate of women dying during or just after childbirth in US on par with Belarus, Serbia, ten times worse than world's safest, Ireland; a UN statement on the joint UN-World Bank report said "Among the ten top-ranked European and other industrialized countries, where women are guaranteed good-quality health and family planning services that minimize their lifetime risk, fewer than one in 16,400 will die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth", childbirth in US being 4 times more dangerous for women than European avg, US 41st among 171 nations studied... US Centers for Disease Control has released data showing "that a child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live 77.9 years, up from 77.8 in 2004 and continuing a rise dating back decades. U.S. life expectancy was 75.8 years in 1995 and 69.6 years in 1955", according to ENN; infant mortality reportedly increased in 2005, and US ranks 42nd in world for life expectancy... Reuters reports "Iran jailed a prominent pro-reform journalist and rights activist, Emadeddin Baghi, on Sunday for acting against national security, a close friend said"; Baghi is accused of publishing classified information, has previously been jailed for "insulting Islamic sanctity" and criticizing the Islamic state; his book on the chain killings of intellectuals by gov't agents have been banned in Iran... Interfax has reported Russian special services have been warned of a plot to assassinate Russian pres. Putin during an upcoming visit to Teheran; Iran says no such plot exists and rumor is attempt to sour Iran-Russian relations; report suggests "a number of groups of suicide bombers" involved; Putin 1st Russian head of state to visit Iran since Soviet dictator Stalin in 1943... In effort to steer regional business culture away from dangerous practices involving conflicts of interest and bribery, banned under its corporate charter, Merck has instituted an ethics center in Dubai; after 7 years and $3 million of Merck backing, it was given independence and is now the Dubai Ethics Research Center, part of Dubai's effort to become a "regional medical center"; Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship found it "had clearly impressed a cross-section of government, military and business thought leaders on the importance of codifying and enforcing 'workplace ethics'"...

'Brain-eating' amoeba found in Tucson water, chlorination should help; Musharraf regime wins 5 more years, Court may invalidate vote...

7 August :: Brain-eating amoeba found throughout Tucson, AZ, water supply, authorities say no need to worry, as chlorination kills parasite; at least 6 young men and boys have been killed by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba this year in warm lakes, according to NIH researcher for recreational water-born diseases; scientists say rising temperatures may mean more cases in coming years... Musharraf wins Pakistan vote in 'landslide' denounced by opposition as "sham" election; more than 150 ministers quit seats in protest before vote, Supreme Court to decide whether Musharraf military leadership invalidates presidential vote... LA Times reports "The State Department, which is facing growing criticism of its policy on private security contractors, overlooked repeated warnings from U.S. diplomats in the field that guards were endangering Iraqi civilians and undermining U.S. efforts to win support from the population, according to current and former U.S. officials"... Iraqi officials have revised to 17 the number of deaths from the September shooting involving Blackwater; originally, it was suspected 11 were killed; the Iraqi gov't also says those alleged to be involved were not fired upon... Reports suggest US troops in Iraq have been persecuted, threatened for resisting participating in Christian religious prayer, or for forming atheist and agnostic support group; Military Religious Freedom Foundation, along with one soldier, filed suit on 17 September against Defense Dept., alleging violation of soldier's civil rights, including being forced to submit to a "religious test" to qualify to serve... Individual internet user Jammie Thomas ordered to pay $220,000 in fines for allegedly making 24 songs available for sharing online; lawyer says record companies never proved who uploaded music into folder assigned to Thomas on Kazaa music service; Thomas earns only $36,000 per year, may have 1/4 of her wages taken for the rest of her life to pay record companies...

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...