'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...

Musharraf declares martial law, suspends constitution, arrests opponents; US looks at closing Guantánamo prison; Google opens online social nets...

4 November :: Pakistan pres. Gen. Pervez Musharraf declares martial law, suspends constitution, fires chief justice, raising ire of world leaders; opposition politicians, top lawyers, including Chief Jutice Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry's personal lawyer, were detained in raids across the country... "U.S. officials are considering granting Guantánamo Bay detainees substantially greater rights as part of an effort to close the detention center and possibly move much of its population from Cuba to the United States, according to officials involved in the discussions", according to the IHT... Google OpenSocial to create community of software developers across Internet, freeing up user information, embedded applications for use across array of social networks; project has won backing of MySpace, the largest social networking site in the world; move could be challenge to prevalence of closed networks like Facebook, which Google says threaten openness of online medium... Press reporting "shoo-in" for Mukasey, despite widespread opposition, after Feinstein cites answers that were "crisp and succinct, and demonstrated a strong, informed and independent mind", Schumer says he is not "ideal", but will "clean the stench of politicization" from Justice, is "far better than anyone could expect from this administration"; Pres. Bush meanwhile says no "responsible nominee" could meet the "new standard" of being compelled to qualify cruel treatment as torture and renounce its use, suggests he will use unconfirmed "acting" attorney general through rest of term if Mukasey is opposed by Senate... Man shot by London police in "botched" 2006 raid says he was later cornered in 2nd incident by armed police who threatened his life, used racial slurs; Guardian reports "Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, who was shot in the shoulder during a raid by police on his home in Forest Gate in 2006, says he and his brother Abul Koyair, 20, were stopped by armed police with one officer shouting 'shoot him, shoot him'", as allegations of abusive practices dog Met police chief, calls for resignation increase... Scientists at Harvard, MIT have genetically modified mice to release glowing proteins when neurons fire, proteins help map neural fabric as they spread along fibers; researchers aim to use process to trace brain activity, learn about structure of brain...

Ban calls for global action to slow climate change; Antarctic melt moves inland; Ahmadinejad in NY...

25 September :: UN Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon has called for concerted action to slow global warming, saying "I am convinced that climate change, and what we do about it, will define us, our era, and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations"... Discovery reports "Antarctica's once fringe-thawing is moving well inland, say scientists who have studied water-sensitive microwave satellite data spanning the years 1987 to 2006"; in 2005, considered a major event in terms of hot weather, with melt found more than 500 miles inland and at 5,500 feet elevation in the Transantarctic Mountains... Iran pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses Columbia University, after univ. pres. introduces him as a "cruel and petty dictator" who is "astonishingly uneducated", captures US media attention, makes plea for his nation's right to nuclear power; protesters outside called him the "new Hitler"... UK health secretary has announced plans to "remorselessly" fight to eliminate hospital 'superbugs'; Johnson says he plans to see "zero" incidence of MRSA in UK hospitals... Social networking site helps Kentucky youth bring pres. candidate Edwards to town of 229, Columbus, KY, once considered by Thomas Jefferson for national capital after burning of Washington; Shawn Edwards, 24, is also running a campaign to try to unseat Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell...

US suspends diplomats' travel in Iraq, security firm under scrutiny; 170,000 Iraqi families have fled homes due to conflict; NYT online now free...

19 September :: US suspends all road travel outside Baghdad 'Green Zone' by its diplomats in Iraq, after Iraqi gov't prohibits private military firm Blackwater from providing security or operating in Iraq, amid allegations Blackwater agents fired "indiscriminately" on civilians with no apparent provocation; BBC reports Blackwater operations difficult to trace, company claims to have "come under fire"... Israel cabinet officially declares Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, a "hostile entity", meaning it can now impose harsh economic sanctions on the territory; Hamas accuses Israel of "collective punishment" of civilian population... Iraq population migrating in ways that reshape country's ethnic and sectarian make-up; migration data from survey by Iraqi Red Crescent organization show "in Baghdad alone there are now nearly 170,000 families, accounting for almost a million people, that have fled their homes in search of security, shelter, water, electricity, functioning schools or jobs to support their families"... Burmese ruling military junta (which has renamed country Myanmar) has fired teargas into crowd of 1,000 Buddhist monks demonstrating against totalitarian regime in Sittwe; nationwide call for religious boycott of military junta led to demonstrations in numerous other cities, as lay people, some Muslims, joined protests; regime closed the Shwedagon Pagoda, the nation's holiest shrine, to prevent dissidents from organizing religious groups there; Pagoda was to be visible center of campaign for monks to refuse alms from anyone tied to the regime... IHT reports "The New York Times will stop charging for access to its Web site, except for some of its archives, effective at midnight Tuesday, reflecting a growing view in the industry that subscription fees cannot outweigh the potential advertising revenue from increased traffic on a free site"; move comes as media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, still in talks to finalize purchase of DowJones, said to be suggesting removing all fees for online access to the website of its flagship publication, the Wall Street Journal...