Bhutto home surrounded by Pakistan security forces; CA sues EPA for emissions inaction; Mukasey approved by Senate as next AG...

9 November :: Musharraf's forces in riot gear have surrounded home of Bhutto's home, alleging suicide bombers are waiting to strike, no one being allowed in or out; move is aimed at preventing her holding massive rally in Rawalpindi; after she attempted to leave, she was prevented by gov't forces, she has been placed under house arrest by 30-day detention order... California leads lawsuit by 15 states against EPA, alleging negligence in responsibility to act to diminish risk of global climate change; CA gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said if the EPA does not move to permit the state's new emissions regulations, "We sue again, and sue again and sue again until we get it"... US Senate has voted 53-40 to approve Judge Mukasey as next attorney general; vote came even as leaders like judiciary committee chair Leahy stiffly opposed the nomination, declaring "I do not vote to allow torture"... Senate votes 79-14 to override Bush water bill veto, confirming first override of Bush presidency; CNN reports "Supporters said the projects authorized under the Water Resources Development Act are necessary to rebuild the Gulf Coast after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, restore the Everglades and Great Lakes fisheries and build flood-control projects nationwide", while Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a major backer of the measure told president "You should respect the Senate, the House, the Congress and American people because we are elected, too"... Georgian pres. Mikheil Saakashvili, facing demands for his resignation and having declared martial law alleging media conspiracy to overthrow him, has set date for early elections, saying he seeks to demonstrate his democratic mandate, also alleging "cunning plots" by hostile foreign powers to steal Georgian land; security forces had targeted press, arresting reporters, opposition politicians, confiscating cellular phones in alleged effort to prevent reporters' informing outside world or asking for US diplomatic pressure... Brazil announces major oil discovery, which could turn it into a major oil exporter; new find estimated to equaal 40% of all petroleum ever found in Brazilian territory... Fmr NY police commissioner, Giuliani ally Bernard Kerik to be indicted for corruption; while Kerik and Guiliani were business partners, the presidential candidate has not been implicated in the investigation, to date... US military in Iraq has released 9 Iranians it had held for up to 3 years, saying they are neither threat nor of intelligence value...

Musharraf forces beat, gas attorneys calling for rule of law; US energy bill could produce massive shift in national fuel consumption, wean off oil...

8 November :: Musharraf forces beat and tear-gassed demosntrating lawyers before taking them into custody; reports suggest intimidation has been widespread, with int'l press reporting security forces "charged" a group of more than 1,000 lawyers chanting anti-Musharraf slogans in Lahore; deposed supreme court chief Chaudry calls on lawyers to step up demonstrations nationwide, as demands grow for restoration of law-based democratic gov't, Scotsman reporting "A strongly-worded White House statement demanded that those detained under emergency regulations be released immediately, saying it was 'deeply disturbed'"; int'l press reportedly under strict censorship guidelines in new martial regime... CS Monitor reports "Energy-conservation measures in House and Senate bills approved earlier this year could by 2030 save the US twice as much oil as it now imports from the Persian Gulf, slash greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 percent, and reduce electricity use by at least 10 percent"; bill would push major nationwide shift in modes of energy consumption, fuel sources... 1.2 billion sms or text messages being sent per week across Britain in 2007, figure equates to 4,000 sms per second, making it the fastest growing means of wide-market communications; original developers admit they believed the technology would be used for limited business-to-business usage... Voters in NJ on Tuesday rejected a state-borrowing ballot measure to fund stem-cell research at state level, Utah voters similarly rejected school voucher program; worries about gov't debt, personal savings, income stagnation and economic slowdown, reported to be primary concerns driving opposition to spending-based ballot measures; Texas voters supported ballot initiative to spend $3 billion raised from bonds, over 10 years, to expand cancer research... Democrats gain Kentucky governorship, control of Virginia legislature, as corruption, support for Bush policies hamper GOP electoral efforts nationwide; Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, a Republican, won re-election easily, Reuters reporting "Barbour was one of the few politicians to win praise after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 for working to reopen casinos quickly in coastal cities such as Gulfport that were devastated by the storm as a way of kick-starting the local economy"...

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...

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...

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...

CBS reveals key fraud in Iraq WMD intel; Bhutto leaves Pakistan, rumors of martial law; crude reaches $96/barrel record high price...

2 November :: 60 Minutes reveals WMD intel fraud, Iraqi emigré known as 'Curve Ball' by spy agencies said to have lied to officials about involvement in WMD work in Iraq in order to get asylum in Germany; US later used his false claim as support for invasion of Iraq; program to air Sunday in US... Fmr PM Benazir Bhutto, touted to be hope for democracy, stability if she regains PM post, leaves country for Dubai, rumors Musharraf to decree martial law; Pakistan's Supreme Court to rule on validity of Musharraf's latest re-election to presidency, militant Islamist attacks on rise across country, including military facilities, as Musharraf steps up efforts to bring northwestern border region under central control... Crude oil trading in New York yesterday reached $96/barrel for the first time in history; prices fell slightly by the end of trading, continuous climb attributed to continuing scarcity, projected short supplies, OPEC plans not to increase production levels... Water scarcity tensions high in Australia as man watering lawn murdered by passerby who objected to his wasting water; victim was rushed to hospital after being brutally beaten during argument, but later died; he was watering lawn by hand, on officially assigned day, was within law... 29 US senators, including Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (NY) and Chris Dodd (CT), have signed a letter warning Pres. Bush that vote labeling Iran Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group does not authorize attack on Iran; Sen. Obama (D-IL), a campaign rival of Clinton and Dodd, has said he believes the letter is too weak, that the matter requires a binding resolution from the Senate...

Spain sentences Madrid bombing masterminds to 42,900 years for mass murder; Sen. McCain will vote against Mukasey for AG if he doesn't bar torture...

1 November :: Spain's top criminal court has sentenced masterminds of 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings to more than 42,900 years each for mass murder; the Audiencia Nacional also ruled out definitively any involvement by Basque separatist group ETA, citing Islamist extremist conspiracy as proven by evidence... Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential candidate, says he would vote against Mukasey's nomination to be AG if he does not take stand against torture; Mukasey refused in Congressional hearing to declare abusive interrogation techniques 'torture'; McCain rival for Republican candidacy, Giuliani, a friend of Mukasey, has said he is not sure mock drowning is torture, saying "it depends on who does it"; Sen. McCain was routinely tortured during 5 1/2 years as PoW in North Vietnam... Senate judiciary committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has called for committee vote on Mukasey for next Tuesday, as Judge Mukasey has attempted to clarify his positions by written response; committee vote decides if full Senate will debate or vote on nomination... Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has issued campaign video claiming her opponents in party primary have engaged in "politics of pile-on" by attacking her positions, responses, Senate votes, on a number of issues, in Monday night's debate... Foreign service officers at State Dept. react angrily at plan to force them to serve in Iraq, under threat of disciplinary action, including dismissal if they refuse the assignment; one officer quoted by the AP said an Iraq assignment amounted to "a potential death sentence", with many feeling work in war zone should be discretionary based on diplomats' willingness, support for the mission... Church ordered to pay $10.9 million for staging anti-gay hate rally at fallen soldier's funeral, after soldier's father sues for defamation; signs expressed hatred for homosexuals, praised the death of troops, suggest God "hates" and attacked American tolerance...

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...

DHS detains UK cabinet minister, Muslim, 2nd time in 2 yrs; US hands Karbala to Iraqi forces; UN says Gaza fuel cuts unacceptable...

30 October :: US Dept. of Homeland Security has for 2nd time in 2 years detained, searched and interrogated Shahid Malik, the UK's international development minister and its first Muslim cabinet minister; on both occasions, he had been in the US to meet with members of the Dept. of Homeland Security itself... Bloomberg reporting "Karbala province, scene of some of the worst sectarian attacks since the fall of Saddam Hussein, was handed over to Iraqi forces after the U.S. judged them ready to take responsibility for security in the Shiite Muslim area"... UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has said Israel's fuel, electricity cuts to Gaza Strip are unacceptable collective punishment of entire population for actions of radical group; Israel gov't says cuts —limited to 15% or less— are a nonviolent means of pressuring Hamas leadership... Two competing philosophies on patent law go head to head in pushing for changes to federal law governing damages for infringement, strength of patent protections; each side says their way would protect intellectual property, innovation, while the other would hurt it... Adriana Cortes, of Bajio Community Foundation seeking to create job opportunities in small rural towns in Mexico, as incentive to promote economic development, prevent emigration to the north; Cortes says motivation is to prevent long-term social and economic hardships that result from damaging, sometimes hellish process of migration... Violence erupts as Spanish authorities attempt to clear Canada Real shanty outside Madrid, Europe's largest shanty-town, home to 30,000 people; residents are mostly immigrants, who say they have nowhere else to go, Spanish authorities have initiated an audacious plan to raze all shanty-towns across country, relocate families affected... Budget tussle between Bush, Democrats intensifies as president says Congress has "worst record" in years for pushing appropriations bills —which specify funding priorities—, Congress pushes "$9 billion more than [Bush] wants for various domestic social programs, from cancer research and early childhood education to helping the poor heat their homes this winter", as reported by Reuters news service... The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that funding for the war in Iraq could reach $2.4 trillion by 2017, accounting for interest, because administration has funded war with borrowed money; CBO calculates interest alone will cost over $700 for the period from 2001 through 2017; $604 billion has been spent so far, with $11 billion in Iraq, per month, and costs on the rise; Pres. Bush is currently seeking an additional $196 billion for the two wars, funding to take the military campaign only through 30 September 2008...

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...

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...

GAO finds terrorist watch list may target too many people; St. Bernard breed may prove Darwin's evolution; oil over $92/barrel...

26 October :: Report from Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds terrorist watch list may be targetting too many people to be effective, including 755,000 names as of May 2007, 860,000 at present; critics of the list say it threatens civil liberties, contravenes Constitutional protections; Sen. Lieberman has expressed concern about its "500 percent increase in three years", Justice Dept. inspector-general's report questions quality of data used... Scientists say study of St. Bernard skulls over 120 year period show selection in dog breeding demonstrates Darwin's theory of evolution; in case of dog breeds, human selection accelerates the process of natural selection, which would likely take longer to show evidence... US announces stiffest sanctions regime against Iran in nearly 3 decades, targeting three state banks, declaring elite Revolutionary Guard "proliferators of weapons of mass destruction" for efforts to enrich uranium, making it a crime for any US citizen to do business with any of the cited entities; Russia has already denounced the new sanctions, some fear move could be provocation, further escalate tensions; US sec. of State Condoleezza Rice said in announcing the sanctions that the US is still fully committed to a diplomatic solution... Financial firm Merrill Lynch has added $2.9 billion to its already massive write-down of losses, now totalling $7.9 billion for this quarter; the firm's revenues fell 94% against this time last year, and spokesman says firm still faces some exposure from sub-prime related accounts... Oil hits record high $92.22 in trading Friday, as falling dollar, mounting violence in Iraq, tension between Turkey, Kurds, dwindling US supplies, Iran sanctions provoke fears of further scarcity; OPEC says it has no plans to increase production at next meeting...

Rice admits US mishandled Arar case; US may have more contractors in Iraq than soldiers; UN says xenon in Canada proves 2006 DPRK nuke test...

25 October :: Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice admits to House human rights subcommittee that the US handling of the case of Maher Arar, was "by no means perfect, in fact it was quite imperfect", adding "we do absolutely not want to transfer anyone to a place where they might be tortured"; Arar is a Canadian citizen sent to Syria for interrogation where he was allegedly tortured for a year; in 2004, the Canadian government set up a commission of inquiry into the Arar case, its proceedings and fact-finding reports are available online... Reuters reports "For the first time in its history, the U.S. is fighting a war with more private contractors than military personnel. The ratio in Iraq is estimated at around 180,000 to 160,000"; escalating dependence on 'contractors' is worrying as it shows military limitations, and use of mercenaries is banned under int'l law... Iraq gov't drafting legislation to strip foreign security contractors of immunity from prosecution under Iraqi system; move would reverse decree by outgoing Coalition Provisional Authority, rule which many Iraqis blame for contractors' alleged abuses... Jim Rogers, who co-founded Quantum Fund, tells Telegraph US is "undoubtedly in recession"; consumer spending, housing market, transport costs, falling dollar undermining overall economy... UN researchers detect unusually high levels of radioactive noble gas Xenon, in northern Canada, say gas is trace evidence confirming 2006 nuclear test by DPRK; scientists said amount found suggests explosion was relatively small, and underground... Rumored deal to get Republican support for spending measures brings enough Democrat support to approve controversial judicial nominee to Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; party leader, along with majority of Democrats, had opposed Leslie Southwick's nomination to a court that covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, because he's seen as weak on racial equality... Google to work with Nielson to pinpoint television viewing habits, help advertisers gather information on commercial viewing, better target ad dollars...

Half million Californians forced to flee wildfires; fossil record shows high temps correspond to mass extinction; China launches lunar probe...

24 October :: More than 500,000 Californians have been evacuated as wildfires blaze out of control, more than 1,000 structures destroyed; firefighters admit they cannot control the fires, can only hope at present to protect people; Gov. Schwarzenegger has warned the White House the fires are too vast to be dealth with by state agencies... UK researchers have found link between elevated global temperatures and mass extinction throughout fossil record; findings suggest escalating global temperatures could lead to a new mass extinction; Le Monde Diplomatique has reported UN figures showing high concentrations of CO2 correspond to highest temperature spikes... Sentence for Pinochet security forces chief extended 15 years; he has been found guilty of masterminding, ordering abduction of dissident last seen at Villa Grimaldi detention center in 1974... China launches unmanned orbiter, its first lunar probe; Japan has just put its first satellite into lunar orbit, with India planning to follow; some worry 'nationalism' in region fueling new 'space race', though for now there does not appear to be a plan to militarize... Turkey has admitted it launched airstrikes against PKK positions inside Iraqi Kurdistan, crossing as far as 20km into Iraqi airspace; pres. of Kurdish regional assembly, Iraqi pres. Talabani, also a Kurd, have called on PKK to renounce the use of violence; Turkish ground forces have allegedly made isolated incursions as well, through for now no large-scale ground invasion has occurred... NYT reports "In a report made public on Tuesday, a review panel found that there were too few American officials in Iraq to enforce the rules that apply to Blackwater and other security contractors. It also found that the conduct of the contractors had undermined the broader mission of ending the insurgency and establishing a democratic government in Iraq"... China, world's #2 oil consumer, tells OPEC oil prices are too high; contacts were part of OPEC-China 'roundtable' to help steer OPEC policy with regard to China's explosive growth in petroleum demand...

CA plans to sue EPA over emissions; Kurdish rebels offer truce with Turkey; Microsoft cedes to EU regulators...

23 October :: California attorney general Jerry Brown has said he plans to file suit against the EPA, for stalling permission for CA, 11 other states to force automakers to produce cleaner vehicles; suit aims to push emissions regulations designed to reduce threat/pace of human-induced global warming... Kurdish rebel group offers Ankara truce, saying "Our movement and people have the strength to defend itself under any condition; however, we prefer to solve the problems by democratic and peaceful ways rather than armed struggle"; Turkish gov't has explored launching cross-border raids against PKK rebels inside Iraq, US reported to be contemplating airstrikes against rebel positions inside Iraqi Kurdistan... Microsoft has surrendered to antitrust regulators in Brussels, after years of litigation and fines, agrees to free up dozens of patents for license-free consultation by developers; regulatory office says interoperability issues still remain, Microsoft is on warning that other cases are being looked at, dealing with DRM in Vista, 'integrated security' solution, browser functionality... NYT reports "More than a quarter of a million people were urged to flee their homes on Monday as wildfires ravaged Southern California for a second day, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and charring swaths of scrub and forestland"; the 'paper of record' also reported homes burning "with no firefighters in sight", as shifting winds, spreading fires made it difficult to strategically contain blazes... Scientists rush to get first glimpse of gravity waves, phenomena predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity, but which have yet to be observed in any astronomical event...

Jindal, son of Indian immigrants, wins Louisiana governorship; fraud alleged in Kyrgyz constitutional referendum; Obama camp closes money gap...

22 October :: 36-year-old Republican Bobby Jindal wins Louisiana governorship, becomes first Indian-American governor in US history, youngest currently serving; observers say Jindal, a "staunch conservative" who converted to Catholicism as a teenager, is a rising star in the party, to watch on the national stage; TIME reports "An Ivy League-educated Rhodes Scholar, he was appointed head of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, the state's largest agency, at the tender age of 24. At 28, he was tapped to head one of Louisiana's university systems"... Kyrgyzstan has voted in a constitutional referendum designed to strengthen Pres. Bakiyev's hold on power; observers say the officially reported 80% turnout is inflated and cite numerous reports of ballot-stuffing... Barack Obama's campaign for president tapped its grass-roots network last week and raised the $2.1 million needed to catch Hillary Clinton, just 5 days after her campaign pulled ahead in money raised for the first time; the drive will not alter 3rd quarter fundraising figures, but shows the race is far from over; the appeal to Obama supporters warned "Washington lobbyists have chosen their candidate" and urged giving money to help beat the Clinton "machine"... Benazir Bhutto has vowed to purge Pakistan's intelligence services of 'rogue agents' who allegedly support terrorist elements, if she is elected prime minister; Bhutto has said she blames rogue agents for assassination attempt, has long viewed crackdown on extremist groups as key to long-term stability... Observers worry bomb attack on Bhutto convoy in Karachi to be used as excuse to postpone upcoming elections; SMH reports "The Karachi bombing will also have the indirect result of preventing right-wing politicians from deserting the PML and joining her party, as some had planned to do"...

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...