Kibaki offers opposition potential power-sharing role in gov't to ease tensions; Scotland Yard team arrives in Pakistan...

5 January :: WSJ reporting "After a week of political stalemate and bloodshed, Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki said Saturday that he was prepared to form a government of national unity with the opposition, easing tensions between the two side and potentially setting the stage for negotiations to end violence that has so far killed at least 300 people and displaced as many as 250,000"... A team of investigators from Britain's Scotland Yard police headquarters arrived yesterday in Pakistan to assist in the probe into the assassination of fmr PM Benazir Bhutto; Pakistan's pres. Pervez Musharraf said the team would assist in forensics but warned against "a wild goose chase" and said their role would not be permitted to interfere with Pakistan's internal politics... According to BBC report, China will see migration of 320 million people —more than the entire current population of the US— from rural areas to its urban centers in coming decades; the mass migration is said to be having environmental impact on "every atom in the Chinese soil", the general diet, the food supply, and potentially agricultural and commodities markets across the world... Le Monde reports indications gathering that US headed for recession in 2008, citing Pres. Bush's caution, pledges to work with Democrats in Congress to shore up economic weak spots, also noting that while only 18,000 jobs were created across the nation in December, unemployment is up to its highest in at least 2 years... French philosopher, writer and feminist Simone de Beauvoir was born 100 years ago, spurring a new round of publications and re-editions of her work, to celebrate her achievement and the significance of her ideas in 20th century society and culture...

IOWA CAUCUSES: Obama, Huckabee win in Iowa, both parties looking at call for change, renewal...

Barack Obama takes 38% of Democratic caucus-goers, John Edwards in 2nd at 30%, Hillary Clinton in 3rd at 29%, while Mike Huckabee won the Republican caucuses with 34%, Mitt Romney in 2nd at 25%; Fred Thompson and John McCain were separated at one point by fewer than 40 votes in contest for GOP 3rd place, and veteran senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden announced they would withdraw from the Democratic primary race after finishing last among candidates contesting Iowa; Rudolph Giuliani —once considered national frontrunner among Republican candidates— finished next to last among 7 Republican candidates, but said he will continue on to New Hampshire, still hoping to win...

Sen. Obama, in his post-caucus speech, declared passionately "We are one nation! One people! And our time for change has come!" to an inspired ovation; Gov. Huckabee, in a speech praised on CNN for its exuding a kind of "inner peace" reminded those listening that Iowa's vote for his candidacy seems to express the idea that "people really are more important than the purse"... Both Clinton and Edwards took up Obama's language about change, praising voters for expressing the desire to see change in Washington, with Edwards telling Larry King he believed Clinton's 3rd place finish, while not putting her out of contention, means those voting for change would be choosing between Obama and himself... Mitt Romney compared his 2nd-place finish to a silver medal at the Olympics and said he planned to win the gold in the "final event"...

Obama leads Dems in Iowa, Huckabee takes GOP prize; Iran supreme leader foresees restoring ties with US; Odinga rejects independent recount of vote...

3 January :: Obama leads Dems in Iowa caucuses 38% to 30%, 29% for Edwards, Clinton respectively; Huckabee overtakes Romney 34% to 25%, with McCain, Thompson around 13% each; long-time frontrunners have been overtaken by candidates with fresh pitch, passionate "ground" organizations... Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei has said he would favor reestablishing ties with the US in the future, when it is in Iran's interests to do so, but said he believes the moment is not right and it would hurt Iran to do so at this time; he also reiterated Tehran's policy of refusing to cease uranium enrichment, which the Bush administration has said is a precondition for relaxing hostilities between the two states... After estimated 300 violent deaths since election, Kenyan pres. Mwai Kibaki has said he would be open to talks with opposition leaders, but placed conditions on those talks; Raila Odinga has refused an offer by Kibaki's attorney general to have an independent arbiter oversee a recount of the disputed vote, demanding Kibaki resign and calling alleged police killing of civilians "genocide"...

Crude oil hits $100/barrel; Justice launches criminal investigation of CIA destruction of videotapes; Pakistan asks UK to head Bhutto investigation...

2 January :: Crude oil prices hit record $100, before falling to $99, amid claims of high demand, violence in oil producing countries, driving prices higher; the rapidly weakening dollar is also considered to be a factor in the rising prices... US Justice Dept. launches criminal probe of CIA destruction of hundreds of hours of videotape, allegedly showing use of harsh or banned interrogation techniques; tapes had been concealed during previous inquiries, Congress also investigating... Pakistan pres. Pervez Musharraf has requested UK's Scotland Yard head investigation into assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto; gov't has also said it will consider exhuming body to perform autopsy, after it was alleged gov't agents threatened doctors attempting to perform autopsy... Pakistan's parliamentary elections, slated for next week, will be postponed till 2nd half of February, with gov't saying security situation has made it impossible to hold free and fair polls... US intelligence officials have said they are not convinced that Pakistan's official explanation of Benazir Bhutto's killing is definitive, call for broader investigation with international assistance... Gray wolves in western US to lose endangered species protected status, meaning ranchers in Wyoming, or surrounding states may feel emboldened to 'cull' at will to prevent further spread of reintroduced species... On eve of Iowa caucuses, WSJ hosting "predictive" market community where users can "trade" on probability of candidates' winning; WSJ reports "On New Year's Eve, markets ranked each of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards at least a 30% chance of winning", while "they have upgraded Mr. Obama's chances of winning (he's now a better than 50-50 bet), while Ms. Clinton is a clear second-favorite, with a just-under one-in-three chance of winning"; there is no clear track-record for this sort of predictive matrix in electoral politics...

Kenyan report shows mysterious 1.3 million vote swing in count; Pakistan officials accused of threatening doctors to stop Bhutto autopsy...

1 January 2008 :: Le Monde has acquired a document that outlines irregularities recorded by observers of the Kenyan presidential poll, appearing to demonstrate fraud amounting to the altering of millions of votes: according to Le Monde, the report shows that opposition leader Raila Odinga led by as much as one million votes, a lead which disappeared in mysterious circumstances in late counting; the document was reportedly presented to the government in advance of the announcement that incumbent president Mwai Kibaki was the official winner... Fighting across the country is reported to be intensifying, with nearly 300 people killed in clashes with police; in one western city, where Odinga's support is particularly strong, reports suggest police fired "indiscriminately" into crowds of civilian demonstrators, killing 40, including women and children; fighting has revealed ethnic rifts in Kenyan society and Maina Kiai, chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has lamented “We are going back to the days of dictatorship”... Reports from Pakistan show gov't has reversed its position on cause of Bhutto death, now offering reward for two suspects seen in video of shooting; CNN is also reporting that a lawyer for Rawalpindi General Hospital, where Bhutto was treated, says gov't officials threatened doctors who intended to perform an autopsy of Bhutto's body to determine cause of death; in his open letter, he wrote "There is a state within the state, and that state within the state does not want itself to be held accountable", an apparent reference to an alleged cadre of corrupt security officials accused of not wanting a return to democratic rule... An American diplomat was shot and killed in the center of Khartoum, Sudan; US officials are not speaking about the details of the killing, saying the shooting is still under investigation; IHT reports "On Monday, President George W. Bush, who has called the conflict in Darfur a genocide, signed a bill that makes it easier for mutual funds and other investment managers to sell stakes in companies that do business in Sudan"...

Opposition to Musharraf swells in wake of Bhutto killing; Kenya vote spurs violence in opposition to alleged vote-rigging...

31 December :: Reports suggest Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party now seeks to mount firm opposition to Musharraf rule, creating concerns of unrest, political instability as troubled nation seeks return to democratic government; WSJ reports new PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari "yesterday repeatedly referred to the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), a party affiliated with Mr. Musharraf that controlled the outgoing government, as the "murderers' league." He also demanded a United Nations commission of inquiry into his wife's death"... Wash. Post reports "The death toll from violent protests rose dramatically Monday in this East African country as police clamped down on ethnically charged riots fueled by allegations of vote-rigging in the presidential election"; leading up to the vote, the incumbent pres. Mwai Kibaki had been heavily criticized for directing an unfair election process, and the results have been in dispute since the votes were cast... GOP worries Dems' voters have more energy for primaries, general election, express concern about ability to organize, raise money effectively throughout 2008...

Uzbek vote declared "undemocratic"; Pope uses Christmas address to call for environmental responsibility...

26 December :: Uzbekistan's elections have been criticized for official manipulation and declared "undemocratic", with international observers citing a number of procedural measures and alleged incidents of intimidation that prevented a free and fair vote; Karimov, Uzbekistan's only post-Soviet president officially won 88.1% of the votes tallied; the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Uzbekistan, reported the election "was held in a strictly controlled political environment, leaving no room for real opposition, and the election generally failed to meet many OSCE commitments for democratic elections"... Pope Benedict XVI has called on the world community to do more to protect the natural environment and promote ecological sustainability; Truthdig reports "During his midnight Christmas mass at the Vatican on Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI paid special attention to what he called the “ill-treated world” and our “selfish and reckless exploitation” of energy. He’s not just all talk: it turns out the Vatican bought carbon credits this holiday season to offset emissions"...

Doctors without Borders reports 10 most underreported humanitarian crises of 2007

The top ten most underreported humanitarian crises worldwide are, according to Doctors without Borders (MSF), "Displaced Fleeing War in Somalia Face Humanitarian Crisis; Political and Economic Turmoil Sparks Health-Care Crisis in Zimbabwe; Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Spreads As New Drugs Go Untested; Expanded Use of Nutrient Dense Ready-to-Use Foods Crucial for Reducing Childhood Malnutrition; Civilians Increasingly Under Fire in Sri Lankan Conflict; Conditions Worsen in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; Living Precariously in Colombia’s Conflict Zones; Humanitarian Aid Restricted in Myanmar; Civilians Caught Between Armed Groups in Central African Republic; As Chechen Conflict Ebbs, Critical Humanitarian Needs Still Remain".

The official press release goes on to explain that "The DRC and Colombia, both wracked by ongoing civil conflict and massive internal displacement of civilians, have dominated the list over the past decade, each appearing a total of nine times. The humanitarian consequence of war in Chechnya has appeared eight times. Somalia has appeared seven times, most recently because renewed fighting centered in Mogadishu in 2007 has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, only to endure disease and extremely precarious living conditions.

According to Andrew Tyndall, publisher of the online media-tracking journal, “The Tyndall Report,” the countries and contexts highlighted by MSF on this year’s list accounted for just 18 minutes of coverage on the three major U.S. television networks’ nightly newscasts from January through November 2007. This figure does not include coverage of Myanmar or tuberculosis; both generated significant media attention, but very little of it focused on the medical humanitarian aspects of either context. Chechnya, Sri Lanka, and CAR—where many villages were burned to the ground in fighting between government forces and rebels and tens of thousands of people fled into inhospitable forests seeking safety—were never mentioned."

9/11 Comm. says CIA tape destruction impeded probe; US army unit refused combat orders fearing their anger could lead to massacre...

22 December :: The two chairmen of the investigatory commission for the 9/11 attacks, Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean, have said their review of classified evidence suggests the CIA made a concerted effort to "impede" the inquiry by hiding evidence of abusive interrogation techniques; according to Reuters, "Among statements that the memo suggested were misleading was a June 2004 assertion by John McLaughlin, deputy director of central intelligence, that the CIA had "taken and completed all reasonable steps necessary to find the documents in its possession, custody or control" in response to the panel's requests and "has produced or made available for review" all such documents"... Democracy Now reports "After an IED attack killed five more members of Charlie 1-26, members of 2nd Platoon gathered for a meeting and determined they could no longer function professionally. Several platoon members were afraid their anger could set loose a massacre"; the action is described as "mutiny", but framed as a responsible attempt to ensure that the revenge instinct not be permitted to filter into their battlefield performance, report based on a 4-part Army Times series, aimed at showing the war from the soldiers' perspective... "Secretive" Russian oil firm Gunvor denies Pres. Putin has any stake in its ownership, saying he is "not a beneficiary", that "None of the shares of this organisation are held by President Putin or anyone allied by him", though media reports suggest he may be hiding a $40 billion fortune; reports based on research by a Russian political analyst have suggested that a "non-transparent scheme of successive ownership of offshore companies and funds", leading to accounts in Switzerland and Lichtenstein, gives 75% ownership to Putin... Havana-based blogger sneaks critical articles onto restricted web through luxury hotel internet cafes, putting herself at risk of persecution, having to spend nearly a week's wages for the 30 minutes of access to post her stories... Guardian reporting that UK "Ministers have been instructed to factor into their calculations a notional 'carbon price' when making all policy and investment decisions covering transport, construction, housing, planning and energy"; move means global warming risk will be considered in long-term economic measures for UK gov't projects, for first time...

Putin may have amassed secret $40 billion fortune while 'fighting corruption'; new ANC leader Zuma may face corruption charges...

21 December :: Guardian reports Russian pres. Vladimir Putin may be hiding secret $40 billion fortune in accounts in Switzerland, Lichtenstein, that struggle for control of state-run assets brewing amid rival Kremlin factions; Putin fortune would be major news, as he has long claimed his attacks on political rivals were part of anti-corruption crusade against billionaire 'oligarchs'; according to the UK-based paper, "Citing sources inside the president's administration, [Russian political expert Stanislav]Belkovsky claims that after eight years in power Putin has secretly accumulated more than $40bn (£20bn). The sum would make him Russia's - and Europe's - richest man"; much of the wealth is related to his stake in state-owned businesses, a serious ethical and international relations concern, considering strong-arm tactics used by Russian energy exporters against EU market in recent years... After struggle in South Africa's ruling African National Congress party, new leader Jacob Zuma has been informed he may face criminal charges for corruption alleged during his tenure as deputy to Pres. Thabo Mbeki... Documents reveal fmr UK PM Tony Blair put intense pressure on his top prosecutor to halt an investigation into alleged bribes paid by arms firm BAE to Saudi princes; reports suggest the Saudi regime threatened to suspend diplomatic relations with Britain if the investigation was not ended, that Blair continued to press Lord Goldsmith even after the attorney general refused to suspend the search for evidence... US Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has withdrawn from the race for his party's nomination to run for president, and endorsed fmr. Mass. gov. Mitt Romney...

Cuban gov't hints Castro may be retiring permanently; Hamas leadership floats peace deal with Israel, no talks as yet...

19 December :: Cuban gov't announces official consideration of Fidel Castro's retirement; ailing leader will likely not return to power, leading to wide-ranging speculation about successor to the world's longest ruling dictator; no timetable has been set for his official withdrawal from public life... Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who served as PM in their short-lived elected gov't of the Palestinian Authority, has said he is open to negotiating a permanent ceasefire with Israel; Israel has reacted with caution and has given no indications of accepting the offer, as various figures cite past refusals by Hamas to recognize Israel or honor negotiated settlements...

GOP lawmaker says intel. comm. probe of CIA tapes' destruction, will continue; UK study says consumer product chemicals may be mixing dangerously...

17 December :: Michigan Republican Peter Hoekstra, ranking GOP member of the House intelligence committee, has said the committee will pursue its investigation of the CIA's destruction of tapes of alleged torture; Hoekstra told the press it was important that there be accountability in the intelligence community, adding "The CIA did not tell us about the existence of these tapes. They did not tell us that they were going to be destroyed"; he also said he expected to issue subpoenas and that only after testimony had begun would the committee explore the possibility of offering immunity... New Scientist reports "A report by the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) says chemicals from consumer products and drugs could be breaking down and recombining into a harmful brew in water supplies"... Russian pres. Vladimir Putin has said he will accept the request to serve as ally/appointee Medvedev's PM, if the now-confirmed United Russia candidate should win presidency in March vote, as observers consider likely; NY Times reports the announcement "raised the prospect that at some point in Mr. Medvedev’s term, Mr. Medvedev could step down, which would propel Mr. Putin, as prime minister, back to the presidency. A special presidential election would then be held, in which Mr. Putin could run", though PM has far less power than president in Russian system, Putin has said he does not intend to seek to change the powers of either... UK Conservative party leader David Cameron has made a bold offer to the Liberal Democratic party and the Green party, calling for a "progressive alliance" to counter Brown's Labour party and push for comprehensive "decentralization" of the British system of government and public services... British troops have officially turned over control of Basra province, in southern Iraq, to Iraqi security forces, amid mounting violence and intense fighting among sectarian militia; ABC News reports "'The British legacy in Basra is criminal gangs, a corrupt and infiltrated police force, and borders open to all,' says a senior Iraqi Army official in the province, who spoke on condition of anonymity"...

Bali conference ends with drama, compromise, possible emissions 'roadmap'; Bush moves to limit JAG's ability to disagree with White House...

16 December :: Bali climate change conference goes into extra day, as EU, US reach agreement on language for roadmap to global emissions rules; CNN reports "The European Union and the United States reached agreement on a compromise for a global warming pact Saturday, setting the stage for intense negotiations in the next two years aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide"... The White House is moving to ensure that military lawyers must follow presidential opinions on legal powers and limits on executive power; IHT reports "The administration has proposed a regulation requiring "coordination" with politically appointed Pentagon lawyers before the promotion of any member of the Judge Advocate General Corps, the military's 4,000-member uniformed legal force", with Bush appointee Haynes to oversee examination of lawyers' degree of 'coordination' with White House policy; "One of Haynes's allies on the Bush administration legal team is John Yoo, who as a Justice Department lawyer wrote a series of legal opinions asserting a presidential power to bypass the Geneva Conventions and ignore laws against torture", Yoo also suggested 'punishing' JAGs who disagree with the legality of administration policy... Truthdig questions whether CIA destruction of interrogation tapes hid vital facts tied to 9/11 plot from 9/11 Commission, reporting "Videos were made of those “sensitive” interrogations, which were accurately described as “torture” by one of the agents involved, John Kiriakou, in an interview with ABC News. Yet when the 9/11 Commission and federal judges specifically asked for such tapes, they were destroyed by the CIA, which then denied their existence"... British agency grants £140,000 to four women who suffered human trafficking, sexual enslavement, says it will recognize 'pain and suffering' related to such crimes, continue payouts; some critics have asked what's being done to prevent the trafficking itself... Rep. Ted Poe, a Texas Republican, says he believes one of his constituents who alleges she was gang-raped by coworkers at KBR in Iraq is not alone; Poe has called for other victims to come forward and says he will push for a federal criminal probe, with the attorney general intervening to speed the process...

NJ Assembly passes death penalty ban; US accused of trying to derail Bali climate talks; US may be engaging Iran via Arab allies...

14 December :: New Jersey Assembly has passed death penalty ban, Gov. Corzine says he may sign within one week; 8 men currently awaiting execution will have sentences commuted to life in prison, observers comment some states may begin to follow suit, after DNA evidence has demonstrated high rate of erroneous convictions... The Bush admin. has been accused of trying to derail action on climate change at Bali conference, by proposing that all Kyoto-related regulations be voluntary, not binding; Guardian reports "The proposed text, tabled late last night and leaked at about midnight local time, would effectively allow any country to opt out of the next round of the Kyoto agreement. Observers said last night it could take climate change negotiations back more than a decade"... EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas has said there's some progress toward a 'Bali roadmap', which could lead to more aggressive action after a US-led climate summit in January, though EU ministers say they will boycott the summit if the Bush admin. does not back hard numerical targets in Bali... US appears to be pushing diplomatic initiative to engage Iran, by way of close Arab allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, in hopes nuclear weapons program remains frozen, relations improve with Islamic Republic... Oil industry, utilities have won major legislative battle as Senate passes trimmed down energy policy reform bill; according to the NY Times, "The legislation still contains a landmark increase in fuel-economy standards for vehicles and a huge boost for alternative fuels. But a $13 billion tax increase on oil companies and a requirement that utilities nationwide produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources were left on the floor to secure Republican votes for the package"... Fmr. Sen. Mitchell's report on steroid use in Major League Baseball names raft of top players, all-time legends, raising serious questions about MLB complicity and future Hall of Fame awards, record books, even recent World Series titles... UK gov't reportedly preparing for 'nationalization' of troubled Northern Rock bank, as feeling takes hold that only state ownership will prevent total collapse of lending institution, potential economic repercussions across Great Britain...

Senate vote one short of passage of energy bill; judiciary committee votes for contempt charges against 2 Bush aides...

13 December :: Pro-industry forces in the US Senate have blocked the sweeping energy-policy reform bill that Democrats have touted as necessary for future economic and ecological wellbeing of the nation; "in order to bring the bill to a vote, Democrats were forced to drop a provision that required utilities to obtain at least 15% of their electricity from renewable resources, such as wind and solar power. These industries have now suffered another blow because the production tax credit for wind and the investment tax credit for solar, which both expire at the end of 2008, still don't have the funding to extend them"... US Senate judiciary committee imposes contempt citations on White House chief of staff Josh Bolton and fmr. Bush aide, Karl Rove, for refusing to cooperate with probe into firing of federal prosecutors, allegedly for political reasons; White House maintains the firings were performance-based and says Bush's aides are protected from being called to testify by the principle of 'executive privilege'; Sen. Arlen Specter, the committee's top Republican, was one of two Republicans to vote for contempt charges, saying the refusal to testify violates the Congressional subpoenas issued... A major prosecution of what the Justice Dept. has called "homegrown terrorism" has ended in mistrial, Washington Post reports "A federal jury deadlocked over charges that six men from a fringe religious group conspired to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and instigate a war against the United States", while another defendant was cleared of all charges; new trial to start 7 January 2008...

CIA director says 'Executive' approved waterboarding, Congress knew of tapes in '03; UK's Brown to sign Lisbon treaty, but alone, away from cameras...

12 December :: CIA director Hayden has said harsh interrogation techniques appearing on destroyed video tapes "reviewed and approved by the Department of Justice and by other elements of the Executive Branch"; he has briefed Senate intelligence committee, but said he was unable to answer all questions, because tapes were made under one predecessor and destroyed under another, that he would make the most knowledgeable witnesses available to Congress for questioning; Hayden also said the tapes were made known to Congress in 2003, as was the intention to destroy them; they had been ordered preserved by a federal judge before their destruction... UK PM Gordon Brown seems to have offended all parties by arriving late to sign Lisbon treaty; foreign minister will attend photo ops, Brown to sign late, by himself, has been criticized for lack of leadership on issue... 6 young people shot at close range after stepping off school bus in Las Vegas; police gang unit has been activated, investigators suspect shooting linked to fight at high school hours before shooting; at least two shooting suspects are at large, while three boys have been arrested for the school fight, allegedly over a girl; one man is in critical condition, one boy in serious condition, the other 4 have minor wounds... In early primary voting state, NH, Sen. Obama has "caught" Sen. Clinton in opinion polls, with 30% to her 31%, after support among women in NH dropped severely for Clinton...

Justice, CIA, at least one Congressional committee to probe CIA destruction of video evidence; Obama camp hosts 30,000 in SC, with Oprah...

9 December :: LA Times reporting "The Justice Department and the CIA's Office of the Inspector General said Saturday that they had launched a joint inquiry into the CIA's controversial destruction of videotaped interrogations of two Al Qaeda suspects"; unnamed staffer for Senate judiciary committee said probes could lead to charges of obstruction of justice, false testimony before Congress, both federal crimes; House intelligence committee has also announced its own probe into the matter... Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), with Oprah Winfrey at his side, hosts crowd of 30,000 in SC, the largest gathering of prospective voters to date in the already long-running 2008 presidential campaign... Bali conference to face task of mobilizing global resources to combat acceleration of climate change; TIME reports that the US gov't sticking point that developing nations should be reined in on emissions also could undermine Bali negotiations: "Beijing and New Delhi both argue that the vast majority of historical carbon emissions came from the developed nations (CO2 stays in the air for up to 200 years), so action should come from the rich first — a contention arguably supported by the UNFCCC itself, which calls for "common but differentiated responsibilities" between nations on climate change"...

Harvard physicist able to 'freeze' light, manipulate, release; White House admits Bush told in August Iran may have suspended nuke program in 2003...

8 December :: Harvard physicist "Lene Vestergaard Hau can stop a pulse of light in midflight, start it up again at 0.13 miles per hour, and then make it appear in a completely different location"; laboratory achievement signals major breakthrough in understanding of physics of electromagnetic radiation, key is manipulation of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where light can be slowed, even transferred via hologram to other BEC, later released; discovery could have major implications for communications, particle physics... After repeated denials, White House admits Pres. Bush was notified in August that intelligence agencies felt Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons research in 2003; since August, top officials, including Bush, have talked of gathering threat, missile strikes, possible war, and even "World War III" and "nuclear holocaust"; press secretary Dana Perino justified the bellicose rhetoric saying "The president didn't say we're going to cause World War III," Perino said. "He was saying he wanted to avoid World War III"...

CIA admits it destroyed videotapes that could have served as evidence; package bomb kills one in Paris; US voters 'angry' at political system...

7 December :: CIA has admitted it destroyed video tapes documenting interrogations critics have labeled torture; Senate judiciary committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said the destruction of the tapes, potential evidence, was "hidden away from accountability", while ACLU National Security Project director told press "The destruction of these tapes suggests an utter disregard for the rule of law"; last month federal prosecutors revealed that the CIA had provided false information about the tapes in the trial of 9/11 suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, who pleaded guilty and will spend life in prison... Package bomb explodes after being delivered to law-firm in central Paris, killing secretary who opened the package, wounding one other seriously; building also houses firm where current Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy was formerly a practicing partner, and where he still holds a 34% stake; police cordoned off the area and traffic was stopped throughout the area... Zogby reporting that "Four of five Democrats and two–thirds of Republicans say they are angry at the U.S. political system", according to a recent political opinion survey...

UN praises US Senate effort to cap greenhouse gas emissions; IMF to calculate climate costs; Ukraine pres. backs Tymoshenko for PM...

6 December :: UN says US Senate plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions is step in right direction for US, for public health worldwide, in effort to reduce climate change impact; after new Australian gov't ratified Kyoto Protocol at Bali talks, US is only developed nation not signed on, while Bush admin. representative at Bali says the Senate proposal will not alter gov't policy at present... IMF to publish data and analysis on costs of climate change in 2008, in connection with talks about ways to "climate-proof" economies against the ill effects of volatile climate conditions... Reuters reports "Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko accepted on Thursday the leader of a pro-Western 'orange' coalition, Yulia Tymoshenko, as prime minister"; Tymoshenko and Pres. Yuschenko were allies in the 2004 'Orange revolution' that brought their pro-Western gov't to power, she was his first PM, but split after intense infighting; Parliament now needs to vote on her candidacy... Italian politician has shocked nation, outraged Jews, by saying gov't should treat immigrants according to a Nazi policy that punished 10 Italians for every one Nazi killed; policy is infamous throughout Italy, because Italians who opposed Nazis were brutally killed by Hitler regime, the 10-to-1 concept obviously asserting that group persecution or targetting of innocents, however light the punishment, violating democratic principles fundamentally; a front-page editorial in Il Giornale, a conservative paper that often sides with Bettio's party wrote "Even if he was drunk or his brain short-circuited [...] he must be condemned without appeal"... Fmr Mass. governor and fmr. GOP frontrunner, Mitt Romney, has used a speech in Texas to assure voters his Mormon faith will not intervene in his decisions as president; some analysts have attributed Romney's slipping poll numbers to skepticism about the Mormon church and the perception that he would take advice from church leaders...