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...

US southeast in tri-state water-scarcity conflict; coal becoming increasingly popular as petroleum costs escalate...

28 October :: US southeast caught up in political conflict over scarce water resources; PhysOrg reports "Hoping to guarantee no one will go thirsty, Georgia authorities want to drastically reduce the outflow from a reservoir that supplies drinking water to three million people. But neighboring Alabama claims that would have devastating economic effects on its population, while Florida says a reduced flow would threaten fragile ecosystems"... Sky-high oil and natural gas prices driving coal boom, making dirtiest fossil fuel a fashion for future development, major threat to climate stability, with new track being laid in Wyoming and Montana, and mining operations across Africa expanding; "An average of 13 Chinese miners die every day in explosions, floods, fires and cave-ins. Toxic clouds of mercury and other chemicals from mining are poisoning the air and water far beyond China's borders and polluting the food chain"... A study from Sept. 2006, available at PhysOrg.com found babies born via elective Caesarian in women considered "low-risk" for infant mortality 3 times more likely to die within 1st month of life as babies born via vaginal delivery with low-risk mothers... Antarctic krill is being overfished in order to feed growing demand for farmed salmon; krill scarcity could harm penguin populations, endanger fragile ecosystems... Assassination of reggae star Lucky Dube in alleged car-jacking incident has brought issue of crime-reduction to forefront of South African politics and popular debate; Dube killing seen as "emotional tipping-point" in society nursing still young democracy with twin problems of mass street crime, HIV-epidemic; trade union leader has said "This atrocity highlights the grim reality of the daily carnage on our streets, the main victims of which are working people and the poor"... CSM reports al-Qaeda-linked groups from Iraq to Lebanon appear to be showing "signs of weakness", less able to mount guerrilla attacks, even as sectarian violence, civilian deaths spread in Iraq, that al-Qaeda-of-Mesopotamia —group commonly referred to as "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq"— "simply is gone" from Sunni-controlled Anbar province, other hotspots...