Anti-depressants, sex-hormones, anti-biotics, painkillers found in US drinking water; Spain's PSOE wins 2nd consecutive term...

10 March :: Anti-depressants, sex-hormones, painkillers and anti-biotics in significant quantities (though reporting has used term "trace amounts", which does not necessarily speak to quantity) in 24 of 28 US metropolitan areas tested; contaminated drinking water goes to 41 million Americans; health effects unknown, but potentially concerning as "Experts say medications may pose a unique danger because, unlike most pollutants, they were crafted to act on the human body"... Spain's Socialist party (PSOE) has expanded its representation in Congress and returned Pres. José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero to power for another 4-year term; the opposition Popular party (PP) also gained seats, but remained in the minority; election day speculation counts Catalán nationalist party CiU as a likely coalition partner, as traditional progressive allies ERC and IU-ICV both lost ground and together would not bring enough seats to give Zapatero an absolute majority... NY governor Eliot Spitzer, a popular Democrat, has been reported to be linked to a prostitute as part of a federal investigation; he apologized for violating his obligations to his family, but did not announce his resignation; if Spitzer were to resign, Lieutenant Gov. David Paterson would become New York's first African American governor; it is not yet clear whether Spitzer will face criminal charges...

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...

'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...