30 June: Israeli aircraft hit 30 targets in Gaza, including the Palestinian interior ministry; the military action also targeted roads, bridges and power stations, though Israel had said its aim was to target only "terrorist infrastructure"; the power station outage has been reported to have affected people across the Gaza Strip, the world's most densely populated piece of land; Hamas and Fatah deny having engineered the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, and no release has yet been announced; AP reports Israel has called off, at least temporarily, the ground invasion of northern Gaza it had planned... As the bombardment intensified, Palestinian PM, Ismael Haniyeh, said his gov't would not be toppled by Israel's "total war" offensive; Egyptian officials trying to negotiate the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, the kidnappned soldier, said the militants had agreed a "conditional release", but that Israel had refused their terms; Israeli officials deny taking part in the deal; US State Dept. has urged both sides to avoid escalating violence...

29 June: Supreme Court rules Authorization for Military Action in Afghanistan did not give president blanket discretion to formulate new legal areas or prosecute war on terror without abiding by law or treaty; Court also ruled Bush must consult Congress for permission to try detainees at Guantánamo Bay prison camp in military tribunals, further that in case of tribunals, prosecution must follow established laws for military trial process; Court also questioned Congress' authority to pre-empt judicial authority by statute; ruling reverses Chief Justice Roberts' lower court ruling in favor of Bush tribunals at discretion... Israeli military operations have led to the arrest of many top Hamas officials, including several cabinet ministers in the new Palestinian gov't; arrests are intended to pressure those who took an Israeli soldier hostage to release him...

28 June: Israel massing military forces on Gaza border in preparation for possible full-scale invasion, while Hamas leaders prepare to sign document "implicitly recognizing" state of Israel, in effort to form "national unity government" for Palestine; Israelis demand release of captured soldier, taken by Palestinian militants who demand in exchange the release of all Palestinian women and children held by Israel... US pro-gun lobby speaks out against UN conference on illegal international small arms trade; UN retorts that only blackmarketeers and those who promote conflict for profit will be negatively impacted by treaty negotiations... Top US climate scientists give "five stars" for accuracy to 'An Inconvenient Truth', the film about ecology produced by Al Gore...

27 June: Hamas, Fatah, reportedly reach agreement to jointly recognize state of Israel, in document calling for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, coalition between rival factions to govern new state; negotiator Salah Zeidan says formal signing is being planned, "All political groups are prepared for a mutual cease-fire with Israel"... East Timor PM resigns, says he must take responsibility for crisis threatening to unravel progress toward democratic stability... Officials in Germany draw outcry for killing celebrity stray bear at close range; conservationists had sought to use human means of trapping, urged gov't to sedate rather than kill; Bavarian officials now seek to withold identity of hunter who killed the popular fugitive... HRW, Amnesty, two other human rights groups, call for Europe to take concrete steps to end the program of extralegal renditions, secret detentions allegedly run by CIA in cooperation with EU gov'ts... Italian voters reject sweeping constitutional reform by wide margin; Berlusconi gov't had proposed referenda to overhaul constitution, give more power to PM, devolve some authority to regional gov'ts, but new gov't had campaigned for no vote... US Supreme Court has agreed to hear petition to establish that existing air quality laws require that the EPA regulate carbon dioxide emissions as a harmful pollutant, due to their role in escalating climate change... Hubble shuts down main instrument; NASA hopes to revive telescope's camera on visit from upcoming shuttle launch... US says it will not negotiate with newly chosen head of Somalia's Islamic Courts Union, who is listed as an al-Qaeda collaborator, but it will not discount possibility of negotiating with group as a whole...

26 June: New Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito breaks tie, leading to 5-4 majority upholding Kansas' death penalty statute, which the state's supreme court had struck down, because it mandates death penalty, even where jurors are convinced that defense evidence is equal to prosecution evidence in weight; noting that previous rulings found the Kansas law "provides that in doubtful cases the jury must return a sentence of death", and another that found "the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments cannot tolerate the infliction of a sentence of death under legal systems that permit this unique penalty to be ... wantonly and ... freakishly imposed", Justice Souter argued, calling the Kansas law a "moral irrationality", finding "In Kansas, when a jury applies the State’s own standards of relative culpability and cannot decide that a defendant is among the most culpable, the state law says that equivocal evidence is good enough and the defendant must die" (full ruling [PDF])... Israel PM Ehud Olmert has said Israel won't negotiate for release of kidnapped soldier, says Hamas, PA pres. Abbas directly responsible for soldier's fate; Olmert has also threatened a large-scale raid in Gaza... UN holding 2-week conference to examine means of curbing illicit small-arms trade; current estimates show 1,000 people due every day from small arms fire... Pres. Bush has fuelled calls by far right for crackdown on press freedom by saying NYT story on covert financial monitoring program "makes it harder to win this war on terror"; one Republican senator has called for prosecution of editors for "treason", though revelation is protected by First Amendment... New report by Consumers International says "irresponsible marketing practices", backed by $33bn marketing budget of major pharmaceutical firms, prevent sound information from reaching patients, endanger public health...

25 June: Greenland Ice Sheet found to be melting at twice the rate of 5 years ago; massive glaciers melting, retreating and/or slipping into sea at dangerous rate, full melt would raise global sea level 21 feet... World's 2nd wealthiest man, Warren Buffet, founder of Berkshire-Hathaway, plans to give 85% of his fortune to 5 major charities, including a $30 bn donation, the largest in history, to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, doubling its endowment...

24 June: Japan sponsoring "arms for development" project in Sierra Leone; project integrates efforts in collaboration with gov't, traditional leaders...

23 June: 3 physicians write letter to British Medical Journal reporting that mobile phones and portable music players could increase risk of severe internal injury from lightning strikes, if used in thunderstorms... Soldiers now starting "stop and search" measure in Onitsha, Nigeria, Delta-region city beset with recent violence, now occupied by Nigerian military, reported calmer, with increased commercial activity...

22 June: Telecom giant AT&T has removed language from its privacy policy that had guaranteed it "does not access, read, upload or store data contained in or derived from private files without the members' authorization"; instead, it now says it has an obligation to law enforcement in "the most stringent" conditions, but denies any wrongdoing in connection with extralegal NSA wiretapping; the ACLU says the policy shift is a violation of national privacy standards... Swedish startup Rebtel to introduce roaming-free international cellphone calling for flat fee of $1 per week, calling it "Skype for mobiles"...

21 June: Japanese news agency Kyodo reported yesterday that the US activated its missile defense system in anticipation of a possible ballistic missile test by North Korea; the report suggests the US might try to intercept the missile if it is fired... On 17 June, the US ambassador to Japan was quoted as saying "all options are on the table" if N. Korea fires the missile, calling such a test a "provocative action"... US House of Representatives has taken preliminary action to revoke federal funding from all public broadcasting within two years; critics say move is assault on free press, attempt to punish CPB for independent reporting critical of gov't policies, wrongdoing...

20 June: New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin asks Louisiana governor to send in National Guard to keep peace in streets, after weekend where 5 young people were shot and killed and one man was fatally stabbed; original request had been made 6 weeks ago after violence began to rise; observers say rebuilding infrastructure is key to providing for sustainable stability... Fmr Liberian president Charles Dakhpana Ghankay Taylor has departed Sierra Leone for the Hague, where he will stand trial before the International Criminal Court, on war crimes charges; the transfer was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council... Worrying rise in reference to "state secrets", actually a British law, not an American one, appears to be suppressing key cases demonstrating widespread gov't violation of basic democratic principles; case of Khaled el-Masri, an innocent German citizen kidnapped and tortured may "disappear" as a result of a judge's "state secrets" ruling; observers note consolidation of a "state secrets" doctrine in judicial precedent could confer broad immunity against prosecution for grievous offenses on members of the executive branch... PBS will air a new Frontline documentary tonight, called "The Dark Side", investigating historical and legal irregularities and secrecy in the prosecution of the war on terror... Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that 1996 California law permitting police to routinely search parolees as condition of release is legitimate constraint on civil liberties of felony parolees, means of combatting repeat offenses... Boston Globe reports "The Army said yesterday it has charged three soldiers with premeditated murder and other criminal offenses for shooting to death three unarmed Iraqis last month and then later threatening to kill a fellow soldier if he revealed details to investigators"... US has begun major 'war games' operation in Pacific, involving "30 ships, 280 aircraft and 22,000 troops" over five days of exercises... N. Korean ballistic missile reportedly installed on launch pad for test firing, though reports about whether fueling has been completed are conflicting... Japan has announced it will withdraw all ground troops from Iraq; peacekeeping and reconstruction operation had been highly controversial in Japan, which has post-WWII pacifist constitution... Fmr Bush aide found guilty of 4 charges of lying and obstructing justice, first conviction in Abramoff corruption probe...

19 June: HRW cites Jordan for new round of arrests impeding free expression, noting "Rather than implement the reforms it promised, the government of Prime Minister Ma’ruf al-Bakhit is giving the intelligence agencies, the police and prosecutors free rein to clamp down on legitimate speech"; four members of parliament were arrested after they made statements of condolence to family of Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi; MPs were arrested under law banning speech "intended to, or results in, stirring up sectarian or racial tension or strife among different elements of the nation"... Catalán autonomy vote seen as possible peaceful alternative to Spain's Basque country's conflict over independence; Euskadi, Galicia, Andalusia, Valencia expected to propose or enact similar autonomy statutes later this year; conservatives warn of "Balkanization", though regional autonomy has been standard of Spain's democratic constitution since 1970s... Bush admin. official says N. Korea has completed fuelling of long-range ballistic missile, possibly for test launch... Italian prosecutors have announced their intention to charge and try a US marine responsible for killing Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari, shot at US roadblock while escorting rescued journalist Giuliana Sgrena... 20 years after Len Bias death, US academic standards for top college athletes improving, new constraints being imposed to ensure performance rises with rules; pro draft still major disruption in individual academic performance...

18 June: Sri Lankan gov't forces attacked Tamil rebel positions in effort to crack down; locals accuse soldiers of firing on villagers, killing 5... House of Representatives may consider legislation designed to forbid US gov't from interfering with or politically shaping scientific findings by gov't scientists; bill is effort to prevent gagging of scientists... 73.9% of voters in Catalunya's referendum for a new autonomy Estatut voted to approve; participation was low, reaching only 49.4%, but pro-Estatut parties celebrate, say vote is victory for Spanish democracy, constitutional-autonomous system... New Scientist asks if schizophrenia could be tied to child abuse, cites study saying "abuse might trigger permanent changes in brain structure or chemistry leading to hallucinatory flashback-like symptoms not unlike those seen in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder", but notes psychiatry does not yet see adequate proof, says strongest link is to family history of schizophrenia... Wash. Post profiles Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), still in first term, as possible Democratic favorite among candidates for 2008 presidential race... US Episcopal Church elects 1st woman leader; Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada, has earned highest position in US Episcopal Church, highest position ever held by woman priest...

17 June: N. Korea thought to be ready to test new intercontinental-range missile; US has warned such test would be "provocative act"; Brookings expert says Pyongyang has "probably increased their nuclear arsenal by six to eight weapons while President Bush has been in office"... Int'l Whaling Commission votes against Japan motion to limit regulation; vote seems to indicate Japan does not have votes needed to repeal ban on whaling; whale species depletion has been serious concern in int'l whaling, leading to strict controls, moratorium... Democrats propose plan to use biofuels from midwest to achieve national energy independence within 10 years, promise to raise minimum wage, stuck at $5.15 for nine years, to $7.25/hr., on "first day" in office if they win majority in November, would cut student loan interest to 3.4%... NASA sets launch date for Discovery shuttle, 1 July, despite warnings from top safety officials vehicle not yet safe to fly...

16 June: Kyrgyzstan to consider returning four political refugees to Uzbekistan, which they fled after the government's massacre of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators at Andizhan; HRW warns they face the systematic deprivation of their human rights, possible torture, disappearance and/or killing; Uzbek officials have brutally cracked down on dissenters and accuse those killed in the Andizhan protest of "insurrection"... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) tells American Constitution Society that Constitutional checks and balances are means of protecting essential democratic value of individual right to privacy, saying "Having lost so much of my own privacy in recent years, I have a deep appreciation of the value of it"; she referred to a 2001 decision written by Justice Antonin Scalia, which prohibited police from using thermal imaging technology to scan a home without a warrant or an owner's knowledge, and reminded that privacy is "synonymous with liberty, in that every person enjoys a zone of freedom which the government cannot violate"; she went on to propose new legislation centered on the premise that "you own your information about yourself, and you should have control over when, how or if it is shared"; the senator also noted that American firms are sending private information overseas to countries where no such privacy protections apply to the disclosure of secure personal information... Gates to leave Microsoft to pursue extensive charitable network... More anger in probe into killing of Brazilian immigrant Jean Charles de Menezes last July, as UK Met police chief Sir Ian Blair's office reportedly has said he will not be "available" to give testimony until late summer; final report on the shooting and the subsequent cover-up cannot be completed until Chief Blair testifies... Slate explores why Garrison Keillor's new film, with his usual subtle, wry humor confuses some, upsets others, and wows a top-ten nationwide audience, all without being at all offensive...

15 June: Harvard study says Bush's hallmark No Child Left Behind education law is failing to improve reading, math standards, failing to close racial gaps in education opportunity, performance, will not meet targets by 2014... Namibia to begin vaccinating for polio; vaccines, their transport, distribution costing UNICEF $300,000; move ordered on day after emergence of new cases to deal with recent outbreak... Mozambique national assembly votes to refer parliamentary accounts to national tribunal to review legality of possible irregularities in gov't expenditure... Heart disease found to be responsible for killing 20% of people in England and Wales, single largest killer of adults... BBC reported in March that intensive statin treatment might actually be able to reverse the deterioration of arteries in people with heart and coronary artery disease... University students in Cameroon helped boost safe blood supplies by giving blood, as part of the 3rd World Blood Donor Day... Times of Zambia reports electronic media have become instrumental in combatting escalating threats of physical and sexual abuse suffered by female children in Zambia...

14 June: Somalia's parliament has voted to approve stationing of foreign peacekeepers to bring order to ungoverned nation; move opposed by Islamist militia that have taken control of Mogadishu... Israel military says its own investigation clears its personnel of wrongdoing in Gaza beach killings; report suggests Hamas land-mine exploded after an Israeli shell was seen falling onto beach; Hamas says report is cover-up, that injuries to victims show aerial bombardment, not land-mine, killed victims... Hamas gunmen reportedly ambushed the car of the chief official at the Palestinian Authority's preventive security services, shooting him 7 times; PA officials say he was not killed; in what may have been retaliatory killing, Palestinian security services attacked a Hamas militant in his home... Hundreds of Iraqi shi'a protested in front of Iran embassy in Basra, demanding apology for public comments assailing prominent cleric...

13 June: Judge on Spain's national tribunal has ruled court has jurisdiction to investigate alleged clandestine CIA flights involved in extraordinary renditions, extrajudicial detentions, stopping in Spain; ruling says alleged crimes fall under 'universal jurisdiction' of violations of international human rights law... Independent Cuban journalist Guillermo Fariñas, was hospitalized in critical condition after 4 months of hunger strike, protesting the gov't barring Internet access for free press; Fariñas has said "if I must be a martyr to the cause of Internet access, so be it", pledging his determination to resist to the last... Attack on Hamas gov't facilities in Gaza by al-Aqsa militants, loyal to Fatah leader Abbas takes violence to new level of confrontation amid disagreement over Abbas referendum on two-state solution; both bands say they are willing to negotiate peace between factions to avoid disintegration of Palestinian gov't; PA tourism minister has resigned in protest against escalating factional violence among parties... US seeks negotiation, diplomacy in policy toward Somalia, now under control of Islamist militia... Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor investigating the leaking of an undercover CIA agent's identity by top officials has informed Bush aide Karl Rove he will likely not face charges in connection with the criminal leak; fmr aide to VP Cheney, Lewis Libby, still faces trial next year... Pres. of National Wildlife Federation tells environmental campaign conference it's time to take action to serve children's future... Pres. Bush makes surprise trip to Baghdad for summit with Iraq gov't, even as press, staff believe he is at Camp David planning troop withdrawal; observers note move could be attempt to "capitalize on momentum" from Zarqawi strike... Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) to plead guilty to driving under the influence, but says he will continue to serve; Kennedy admitted to a prescription-drug addiction and sought treatment, after driving car into security barrier near Capitol...

12 June: New calls for the closure of Guantánamo camp after 3 prisoners committed suicide; Bush admin. takes hard-line, dismissing deaths as 'good PR move' by detainees, 'not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us'; more than 460 individuals remain in Guantánamo legal limbo, without access to courts or due process, defense attorneys say US admits 41 attempted suicides so far... Iraq gov't reportedly considering peace talks with insurgent groups that fit its definition of "resistance", in effort to achieve "national reconciliation", avoid deepending sectarian conflict... David Rivkin, former Justice Dept. lawyer, under Reagan and 1st Bush admin., tells NPR he is "confident" that the Supreme Court will issue a ruling this month in the Hamdan case, which will acknowledge president's claim to extraconstitutional powers...

11 June: Scotland Yard says it warned MI5 intel for terror raid was doubtful, but that gov't ordered police to conduct the raid anyway; the Observer quotes a Whitehall official saying "On the Thursday night [hours before the raid] there were contradictions about how strong the intelligence was"... One of the Guantánamo detainees who committed suicide yesterday was due to be released, but had not yet been informed...

10 June: Chilean Student Coordinating Assembly (ACES) took vote to end strike, accept a proposal to negotiate systemic education reforms with Pres. Michelle Bachelet; move would end 10-day national high school strike; students will begin turning over occupied schools right away, return to class Monday... US Pentagon reports 3 detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp were found dead, apparently from coordinated suicides by hanging; Rear Admiral Harry Harris reportedly said he believes suicides were an "warfare waged against us"; though hunger strikes are ongoing, and suicide attempts have been made in the past, these are the first recorded deaths at the Guantánamo facility since it was opened in 2001... Daniel Ortega, leader of Nicaragua's sandinista movement and former president, has said US ambassador Trivelli is conspiring with right wing parties to "disqualify" him, his party from running in upcoming elections, due to polls showing support for sandinistas... UK Met Police have released without charge two brothers arrested last week in terror raid, one of whom was shot, after agents failed to find any evidence of a link to an alleged terror plot; police had originally claimed they had undeniable intelligence of the brothers' involvement... US to call international strategy talks on Somalia policy, after Islamic Courts Union militia seizes control of Mogadishu, defeating fractious alliance of secular 'warlords'... Federal Appeals Court orders internet communications providers to use only technology which is compatible with law-enforcement programs to tap into customer communications... Cyprus seeks to prevent forward movement in talks with Turkey on EU membership; press reports move as "veto" of upcoming talks... Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has called a referendum vote on the proposed two-state solution; political settlement has support of imprisoned Hamas and Fatah members, though Hamas gov't has said it opposes referendum at present... Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels have threatened to step up attacks, as gov't struggles to rein in violence, return to peace process... Thousands have marched in support of conservative terror victims group (AVT) in Madrid, to protest gov't plans to negotiate peace process with ETA; gov't plan also has support of some victims families, which have specified they see distinction between talks conditioned on full disarmament and negotiation with active terror group...

9 June: US Gen. Caldwell tells press Zarqawi was found alive when Iraqi soldiers arrived on scene of airstrike; he reportedly attempted to roll off gurney to escape capture, but was badly wounded and died before he could be interrogated... Israel attack on beach in Gaza kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 civilians haivng a picnic; 2nd day of airstrikes prompts Hamas faction to declare end to year-long ceasefire it had observed; group which comprises governing party has said it will now resume attacks on Israel... US Senate rejects proposal to permanently repeal the estate tax... Blair, Chirac agree to share nuclear expertise for energy generation in France-UK pact; Blair says move stems from mutual concern over effects of carbon emissions on climate change... NAA, immigrant groups see CA primaries as "litmus test" for anti-immigrant policies as political weapon in fall elections... Spain's national police force has "dismantled" a criminal gang reponsible for a growing number of buglaries of vacation homes in the Valencian countryside... New "emergency funding" bill passed by Congress, including $94 billion above total budget assigned to Defense, will not include provision declaring official gov't opposition to permanent US bases in Iraq... US Appeals Court rules healthcare groups can partner with federal gov't in fighting CA challenge to constitutionality of Weldon Amendment, which allows doctors, healthcare professionals to refuse to provide services related to abortion procedures...