CIA operative says US, Pakistan agree on Bhutto killer, PPP skeptical, accused denies; UK property fund halts withdrawals amid panic...

18 January :: LA Times quotes unnamed CIA operative as saying US concurs with Pakistan on Bhutto killer; the official is quoted as saying "There are strong indications that Baitullah Mahsud was behind the Bhutto assassination", adding "There is certainly no reason to doubt that Mahsud was behind this", though Mahsud has publicly denied involvement, and political goals of Pakistani Islamists are not clear with regard to opposition groups seeking to depose Musharraf, as was Bhutto's case; Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party has expressed skepticism about the allegation, citing lack of investigation to date, according to LA Times "Party officials say that most, if not all, of the evidence in the case was destroyed by police and firefighters who hosed down the site within hours of the shooting and suicide attack, making it virtually impossible to gather evidence to help determine who else might have been involved"... One of the UK's wealthiest property investment funds was forced to shut its doors yesterday, as panic selloffs and withdrawals threatened its solvency; the Guardian reports "Scottish Equitable said yesterday that 129,000 small investors in its £2bn property fund will not be able to access their money for up to a year, although payments relating to regular income already being paid, retirements and death claims will not be affected"... Allegations emerge in Nevada of voter-intimidation efforts by Culinary Workers Union; no investigation as yet into allegations, which came from Clinton campaign, just hours after a judge ruled the Nevada Democratic party can host caucuses inside casinos and other such venues, where many workers are members of the CWU...

Key Chávez ally criticizes planned end to term limits; coordinated sabotage attack hits French high-speed rails...

22 November :: Recently retired army chief, long-time Chávez ally, Gen. Baduel under attack for break with Venezuelan president, as Chávez supporters label him 'traitor'; Baduel, who helped restore Chávez to power after failed 2002 coup, has said he disagrees with plans to change constitution to allow indefinite presidential term; IHT reports such critique "considered especially dangerous not only because he was a close ally, but also because he is said to command respect within the powerful armed forces", Baduel could mount viable opposition to Chávez, though general denies this, says he's just expressing his opinion... Withering French strike situation aggravated as new negotiations meet with coordinate sabotage attack on high-speed trains; authorities suspect saboteurs wish to weaken gov't position in negotiations; Laurence Parisot, head of a French business lobby, told press "The cost of the strike is quite simply incalculable. That's to say it is probably gigantic. It is a real catastrophe for our economy"... UN-backed tribuunal has opened interrogations into Khmer Rouge reign of terror across Cambodia in 1970s, calling head of regime's worst torture center to face charges for crimes against humanity; Washington Post reports "A presiding judge then read aloud from Duch's case file: 'Under his authority, countless abuses were committed, including mass murder, arbitrary detention and torture'"... Univ. of New Hampshire poll finds Hillary Clinton's lead over rivals in Democratic primary has shrunk from 23 points to 14 points, as Obama, Edwards make gains on integrity, war, leadership qualities... Naples, Italy, has banned smoking near children or pregnant women, after studies showed rates of tobacco-related illness were higher there than elsewhere across country; critics say new law is folly as Neapolitans are notorious for flouting civic order laws...

Iran nuclear negotiator steps down; Turkey reports raid by Kurdish rebels kills at least 9 soldiers; far-right party leads Swiss poll...

21 October :: Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, has stepped down, allegedly over differences with Pres. Ahmadinejad; Iran gov't says there is no rift among leadership, diplomats, Larijani will attend meeting with UN representatives to ease transition to new negotiator's team... At least 9 casualties reported in PKK raid on Turkish forces near Iraqi border; BBC reports deaths have spurred popular support for military incursions into Iraq to hunt Kurdish rebels; Iraq gov't says Turkish incursions would violate int'l law; observers fear Turkish cross-border raids would further destabilize Iraq... Reuters reporting US military raid on Sadr City district of Baghdad has killed 13, wounded 69, showing two toddlers among the dead; US says clashes with Mehdi militia group led to airstrikes on residential neighborhood... Chinese Communist party removes VP, two other top officials from party leadership, preparing to elevate new generation of leadership, as party conference comes to end... Far-right People's Party (SVP) appears to have won Swiss election, is predicted to take 61 of 200 seats in parliament, Green party makes strong gains; with 50% of electorate estimated to have cast ballots, SVP 'victory' may represent as little as 15% of total voting-age population, the party's 'black-sheep' campaign stoked fears of official racism... Houston Chronicle reports $90 oil is not record when adjusting for inflation, "The federal government says prices still haven't exceeded the January 1981 inflation-adjusted record of $93.09. The Paris-based International Energy Agency says the actual record was in the previous spring and is $101.70 in today's dollars"... Ségolène Royal has criticized Sarkozy's new French gov't for its "total improvisation" with regard to social policy; Sarkozy's opponent in the presidential elections, Royal also said "Driving a modern country to strike is the mark of poor government", referring to the ongoing transport strike...

House panel rejects immunity for telecoms in domestic spying; China's richest person is 26-year-old heiress, worth $16 billion...

10 October :: US House panel rejects White-House-proposed corporate immunity amendment to eavesdropping legislation; amendment would have retroactively shielded telecoms from penalties for illegally cooperating in the secret NSA domestic spying operation from 2001 through this summer; Pres. Bush warned blocking the retroactive amendment would "take us backward", while Democratic leaders said they were driven to protect "our precious rights and liberties" against impunity in violating Constitutional protections... 9 Republican contenders of US presidency answered questions in debate, giving positions on possible war with Iran, economic relations, ideological differences with "Communist China"; 8 of the 9 candidates said they believed a Dubai company should be allowed to buy a 20% stake in NASDAQ; each of the polling 'frontrunners' said they would consult Congress before any military action against Iran... Richest person in China is 26-year-old heiress to developer's fortune, her fortune now worth $16 billion, after company's Hong Kong IPO; in 2005, "rags-to-riches" father gave her his stake in the company he founded; Yang Huiyan is one of 40 dollar-billionaires in China, compared with just 15 one year ago; rapidly widening gap between super-rich and abject poor said to be of concern to authorities in Beijing, who consider it a threat to "social stability"... Federal judge blocks administration crackdown on undocumented workers; ACLU, AFL-CIO brought suit alleging the "no-match" program that cross-referenced documents with a gov't database was rife with errors, violated civil liberties of legal workers; Judge Charles Breyer wrote in his opinion "The balance of hardships tips sharply in plaintiffs' favor and plaintiffs have raised serious questions", while a spokeswoman for the AFL-CIO said the program was "targeting workers rights generally"... Global carbon footprint passes 25 billion tons, as news of record ice-melt in Arctic, "autumnless autumn" in parts of US, suggest climate irregularities accelerating...