30 October: Fmr Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest, charged in connection with 30 disappearances, in cases of kidnap, torture, murder tied to Villa Grimaldi internment camp... 28 October: Mexican federal police sent in to bring order to Oaxaca, after violence kills American journalist, two Mexican nationals; city has been frozen by general strike, mounting civil revolt against regional governor since police were ordered to use violence against demonstrators this past spring... 16 October: Colorado father arrested by Secret Service for "assaulting" VP Cheney, by saying simply "Your policies in Iraq are reprehensible"; he was arrested, threatened with having his son handed over to social services (the boy reportedly ran to his mother, elsewhere in the mall, in fear), hurried away with Secret Service agents refusing to inform his wife of where he would be taken; charged wtih "harassment"; Eagle County DA dropped charges after considering evidence... Defense attorney for convicted terror-mastermind sentenced to 28 months in prison for assisting client in communications with outsiders or 'followers'; gov't says her efforts on client's behalf assisted in communications with terrorists at large...

31 October: Hubble Telescope to be given complex instrument upgrades to extend its life at least through 2013... Mexico's Congress has asked the governor of Oaxaca state to resign, as the conflict in the state's capital intensifies, with clashes between federal police and demonstrators, and allegations that one American journalist and two Mexican men who were killed had been shot by plainclothes police officers in an attack on protesters; while both houses approved the resolution calling for Ruiz' resignation, the senate vote was unanimous...

30 October: Fmr Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest, charged in connection with 30 disappearances, in cases of kidnap, torture, murder tied to Villa Grimaldi internment camp... Brazilian pres. Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, his nation's first working class president, has won a landslide re-election victory; analysts say his programs to help the poor far outweighed in voter consciousness the corruption scandals that have preyed on his party in the public eye; UK's Guardian newspaper reports "During a highly charged television debate on Friday, Lula likened Mr Alckmin to the Portuguese colonists who came from Europe to exploit Brazilian assets. 'They have run this country for 500 years,' Lula said"... Fmr Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been officially charged with corruption, along with British lawyer who is accused of lying to cover up illegal activities... Virgin abandons "guerrilla marketing" campaign after website charged with hosting competing ads shows images of owner/director Branson in provocative positions described by firm as "a little bit illegal"...

28 October: California wildland fires burn out of control; at least four firefighting personnel have been killed, 38 square miles burned so far, winds reported at 40 mph, meaning fire is creating own immediate weather conditions... Mexican federal police sent in to bring order to Oaxaca, after violence kills American journalist, two Mexican nationals; city has been frozen by general strike, mounting civil revolt against regional governor since police were ordered to use violence against demonstrators this past spring... Swaziland seeking to curb spread of HIV/AIDS institutes "shock" PR campaign, including phrases like "Your secret lover can kill you"...

27 October: In interview, VP Cheney says torture by mock drowning is "no brainer", claims procedure has been "very important tool", but process is specifically illegal under American law: "As early as 1901, a U.S. court martial sentenced Major Edwin Glenn to 10 years of hard labor for subjecting a suspected insurgent in the Philippines to the 'water cure'"; in January 2006, more than 100 law professors from around the US wrote an open letter to AG Gonzales, stating that waterboarding is clearly torture under US law and specifically "mock execution by suffocation with water" and that "Under the laws of the land, U.S. personnel who order or take part in waterboading are committing criminal acts—torture, assault, and war crimes—which are punishable as felony offenses"...

26 October: Violence appears to spread in Paris suburbs as bus is firebombed; nearly one year ago, the arson, rioting that consumed all of France throughout November, began in Paris suburbs...

25 October: US federal judge orders fmr Haitian commander to pay $19.5 million to three women whom he ordered be raped systematically by soldiers in his command... Venezuela places conditions on its withdrawal from UN Security Council seat race, saying US must stop its "shameless pressure and blackmail" regarding member nations' votes for the candidacy; ambassador to UN says Bolivia claim to be official replacement is just one possibility for breaking impasse...

24 October: Actor Michael J. Fox, suffering effects of Parkinson's disease, appears in ads supporting a number of candidates who want to open stem cell research funding to include embryonic stem cells; though experts agree tremors are normal symptom of medications taken to overcome severe deteriorating effects of disease, conservative pundit Limbaugh attacks Fox, claiming his symptoms were "purely an act", mocking his inability to "control himself"... Venezuela has given up its fight for a seat on the UN Security Council, but has proposed Bolivia instead, according to announcement made by Chávez ally, Bolivian pres. Evo Morales... Brother of football star turned war hero, Pat Tillman, who died in Afghanistan after volunteering, has broken silence, says Iraq invasion was "illegal", wrote "Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world"... Fmr CIA director George Tenet named to board of controversial privatized UK weapons-research agency, Qinetiq, partly owned by US-based defense-investment firm Carlyle... Founding of Google NetPAC seen as "first step towards making corporate donations to support candidates seeking elected office", possible maneuvering to gain influence over political process in Washington...

23 October: Gov't of Sudan expels UN envoy after diplomat reports to press that rebels in Darfur had won strategic victories in two battles; Jan Pronk is described by Wash. Post as an "outspoken, tireless campaigner for peace in Darfur", it is feared his departure could imperil the civilian population of the region... Fmr Enron exec Skilling sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for fraud; sentence given after testimony by victims of Skilling's fraud that cost over $60 billion in market value, loss of thousands of jobs, over $2 billion in pensions losses...

22 October: Barack Obama (D-IL) announced on Meet the Press, Sunday, he is exploring a candidacy for the 2008 presidential elections, but will not make a choice until after 2006 legislative poll; press begin speculating if centrist Obama would take votes from possible Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) run... US pres. George W. Bush has acknowledged he sees similarities between current insurgent offensive in Iraq, 1968 Tet Offensive by VietCong in VietNam war...

19 October: US pres. George W. Bush has issued an order defining a new US doctrine for control of space; policy asserts right of US to prevent any nation with hostile intentions toward it from entering exploration of space or role in space industry... Scientists seek to create amino acid "grammar" for further medical science, using specific chemical patterns and sequencing to allow for formulation of new series of amino acids with capabilities for fighting disease... The Age reports "Four US soldiers will be court-martialled, with two facing the possibility of death if found guilty of the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the killing of her family in their home in Mahmudiya"... Researchers have found that a medicine derived from cannabis shows positive results mice suffering symptoms like Alzheimer's disease; treatment appears to reverse immune response that coats cerebral neurons in fatty compound, impairing transmission... Intense fighting across Iraq over the last few days has brought the total of US soldiers killed in October to at least 70; the trend means it may be the deadliest period of the conflict for American personnel since November 2004 and the seige of Fallujah... US congressman Weldon (R-PA) facing intense FBI scrutinty in corruption probe into steering of defense contracts to daughter's firm; FBI raided homes of Weldon's daughter, her business parter, who is also congressman's top financial backer; Wash. Post reports Weldon was honored in Belgrade at party "hosted by Bogoljub Karic, a wealthy Serbian businessman who had been barred from visiting or trading with the United States because of his close ties to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic", trip was reportedly solely to attend event hosted by Karic... Tamil 'Tiger' guerrillas have carried out a 2nd suicide attack in 3 days, escalating the violence in what now seems to have devolved from peace process into full-fledged armed conflict...

18 October: Ex-Chilean dictator Pinochet interrogated for role in disappearances, torture, at infamous Villa Grimaldi prison, where current president was tortured, along with her mother, in 1975... NAACP to monitor polling stations in Maryland, along with 9 other states, on Election Day, in effort to document, prevent harassment, intimidation or underperformance by officials to the detriment of voters; during the September primary, "some polls in Maryland opened late because election judges or technicians did not show up. Also, an electronic registration system regularly crashed, and many poll workers had trouble submitting results electronically at the end of the day"... Scientists in US monitoring biology of fish species especially sensitive to alterations in water composition, in order to use similar chemistry or systems in detecting traces of dangerous substances that could be used by terrorists... California, US northeastern states to team up in creating market for CO2, as strategy to reduce overall emissions linked to climate change, while central gov't in Washington continues not to take action to achieve reductions... New NGO report says Malawi gov't, civil society have failed to ensure food security for large numbers of poor facing hunger... 23,542,614 people reportedly participated in "Stand Up Against Hunger" over the 15th and 16th of October, during a 24-hour period, worldwide; the Guinness book of world records rates it as the largest mass gathering to call for action against hunger... Failed effort in Ecuador to reach a full electronic count of votes in national elections results in dismissing Brazilian firm e-Vote from contract, concern about how full count will be tallied...

17 October: US pres. George W. Bush today signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which grants him unprecedented authority to detain people without charge or "speedy trial", as required by law, and to subject detainees to closed military tribunals, using secret evidence, including hearsay gained via torture; human rights groups say it undermines basic constitutional liberties, White House says it is a useful "tool" in its war on terror... At 7:46am today, the population of the United States officially reached 300 million, according to the Census Bureau; steady increase in population is credited to dynamic assimilation of new immigrants; US is world's third most populous nation, with India at 1.1 billion and China at 1.3 billion... North Korea has classified as a "declaration of war" the UN Security Council resolution passed on Saturday, saying wants peace but is "not afraid of war", blaming the US for inflaming tensions; US Sec. of State says Pyongyang "cannot destabilize the international system and then expect to exploit elaborate financial networks built for peaceful commerce"... Japan, South Korea have reportedly issued warnings they have information North may be planning a second nuclear detonation... Guatemala, Venezuela frustrated in efforts to win rotating "Latin America seat" on UN Security Council, as 16 rounds of General Assembly voting over two days failed to produce approval for either candidate; Chile is pushing for a new candidate to resolve the impasse...

16 October: Colorado father arrested by Secret Service for "assaulting" VP Cheney, by saying simply "Your policies in Iraq are reprehensible"; he was arrested, threatened with having his son handed over to social services (the boy reportedly ran to his mother, elsewhere in the mall, in fear), hurried away with Secret Service agents refusing to inform his wife of where he would be taken; charged wtih "harassment"; Eagle County DA dropped charges after considering evidence... In July, police banned American flags from a demonstration in an area where the VP was expected to appear, citing the flagsticks as a serious risk to Cheney's safety... A major earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck the big island of Hawaii yesterday, with tremeors throughout the state and the governor declaring a disaster area; the US Geological Survey and the Pacific Tsunami Center said there was no risk of a resulting Pacific-wide tsunami... New figures show breast cancer cases in Australia have more than doubled in the last 20 years; National Breast Cancer Center also says more women survive than before, rise attributable "in part to lifestyle factors such as increased alcohol consumption, obesity, delaying childbirth and a reduction in breastfeeding"... IAEA predicts 20 to 30 states around the world probably have the ability to implement nuclear science, build weapons; UN watchdog urges efforts to halt proliferation of technology... Israel PM Ehud Olmert has said Israel should enter direct peace talks with Lebanon, but rejects Syria's call for bilateral negotiations... Defense attorney for convicted terror-mastermind sentenced to 28 months in prison for assisting client in communications with outsiders or 'followers'; gov't says her efforts on client's behalf assisted in communications with terrorists at large...

15 October: UN Security Council imposes stiff sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear test; sanctions include complete embargo on trade in goods related to WMD, permit nations to stop all vessels nearing N. Korea to check for possible shipments related to WMD import or export... Pyongyang says continued pressure by US will be treated as "declaration of war", that DPRK will take "physical countermeasures" to defend itself, or even act preemptively; Kim regime says it rejects the UN sanctions regime as illegitimate... Neighbors of North Korea have said they cannot detect radiatioon to confirm Pyongyang test claim or US claim of evidence... Debrecen airport in Hungary to launch "proof of concept" test on system for "tagging" all ticketed air passengers, tracing movements while behind security; security officials would monitor individuals' activities, looking for behavior that could indicate terrorist intent; though initial device will not store data, chief engineer Dr. Brennan, of University College London, says it could be used to store biometric data, were that to become official policy... In Sept., World Bank reported need to deal with huge global economic risks from climate change, African scientists grouping together to form research, adaptation team for continental ecological and economic strategies...

14 October: UN General Assembly votes to confirm South Korean FM Ban Ki-Moon as new Secretary General; Ban will replace outgoing Kofi Annan, who leaves top diplomatic post after 10 years at the end of December... US pushes for vote at UN Security Council on harsh sanctions, ban on military trade with North Korea, Russia, China urge caution, consider sanctions possible risk to security in the region, want "firm", "appropriate" measures taken; US report suggests air samples from North Korea show evidence of radiation consistent with having detonated nuclear device... Russian court orders closing of Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (ORCD), move criticized by human rights groups, foreign observers as part of mounting effort to silence critics of Putin gov't; HRW calls it "a blatant attempt to silence a strong critic of human rights abuses in Chechnya", adding "The Russian government has moved to systematically eviscerate all checks on its power and civil society is its latest target"; gov't has aggressively pursued NGO in past, sentencing its director to one year suspended sentence for "inciting racial hatred", after ORCD published revelations about systematic human rights abuses in Chechnya... Grameen Bank in spotlight after winning Nobel, micro-credit system has inspired numerous successful programs to combat poverty, techological and educational divide across globe...

13 October: Muslim pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj will now be required to receive polio immunizations, if they come from Nigeria, India, Afghanistan or Pakistan, where the disease is endemic; WHO has warned failure to eradicate virus in these countries could lead to resurgence; in late September, India announced it was planning an aggressive campaign to halt spread of polio, after learning of 5 times as many cases in first 9 months of 2006 as in all of 2005, about 90% of the 297 new cases in Uttar Pradesh state alone... Alán García, pres. of Perú, declares state of emergency in Chiclaya province, in effort to quell "state of anarchy"; national police, armed forces will have authority to impose will of central gov't, García requests "collaboration" from local authorities... Latest version of draft resolution to punish North Korea for nuclear test permits some weapons trade, but upholds total ban on nuclear technology, materials, transfer of any WMD-related items; 3rd draft may be nearer to meeting China, Russia views, could come to vote at UNSC... Top UK general says presence of UK troops inflames violence in parts of Iraq, pullout necessary next step; later qualifies comments saying he was "stating the obvious", that UK will "see this through", but that withdrawal can't wait years...

12 October: Lancet report citing estimated 655,000 war-related deaths in Iraq since 2003 invastion far outstrips previous estimates; Iraq Body Count, an indepedent group that tallies, cross-references media reports of civilian deaths, estimates... Turkish author Orhan Pamuk has won the Noble Prize for literature, for having "discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures" in his "quest for the melancholic soul of his native city"; Pamuk, who was imprisoned for calling on Turkey to recognize its reponsibility in the mass killing of Armenians during collapse of Ottoman Empire, wins on same day French national assembly passes law making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Turks; law angers Turkish gov't, some say it is sign France is actively trying to preent Turkey acceeding to EU... Small aircraft crash that killed NY Yankees pitcher, flight instructor when plane hit Manhattan highrise, raises question of whether low-altitude flight corridors should be more restricted... European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia is officially responsible for the summary execution of 5 members of a Chechen family in 2000, ordering payment of $250,000 to the victims' familly; HRW reports "The ECHR held Russia accountable for the deaths of five members of the Estamirov family, who included a baby and a pregnant woman, failing to carry out an effective and adequate investigation"...

11 October: Scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in conjunction with the Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, have published new report saying 655,000 Iraqis have been killed by violence or war-related causes since the US invasion of March 2003; figure is estimate, based on house-to-house survey made necessary by chaotic situation, lack of adequate records; of the total at least 601,000 are believed to have died violently, with gunshots most common cause of death...

10 October: Vladimir Putin breaks several days of silence and says Politkovskaya murder "must not go unpunished", apparently at urging of German chancellor Angela Merkel... Leading UK mental health specialists say term "schizoprhenia" is scientifically meaningless, should be abandoned, causing stigma, possible social trauma for patients...

9 October: North Korea has conducted an underground test of its first nuclear device, just one day after reports suggested suspension of plans to test; controlled detonation took conducted at Hwaderi near Kilju in NE N. Korea, registered as magnitude 4.2 "seismic event" by US Geological Survey; South Korean pres. Roh Moo-hyun, called an emergency meeting of his National Security Council, saying, "North Korea’s self-proclaimed nuclear test is an intolerable provocation, and the government will respond sternly"... Top NATO commander in Afghanistan has said nation as at "tipping point", population may shift allegiance to Taliban if conditions, security do not improve... Journalist purported to have proof of kidnap, torture atrocities in Chechnya, Anna Politkovskaya, was shot dead in apparent contract killing, on Vladimir Putin's birthday; opposition politician tells press "This is a political killing, and the authorities are mixed up in this"; Times reports that on Chechen PM Ramzan Kadyrov's birthday, "Ms Politkovskaya told the US-run Radio Liberty that she intended to appear as a witness in a torture and kidnap case that would implicate him"... Killing sparked condemnation around the world, French FM said "This crime cannot go unpunished"; fmr colleagues have announced a press investigation, while Russia's top prosecutor has responded with new investigation; much scrutiny has been directed at Putin gov't, with Finnish FM, speaking for rotating EU presidency, saying killing "challenges the credibility of the country's government"... LA Times reveals Rep. Foley (R-FL) had sex with former Congressional page, young man was 21 at time of encounter, furnished paper with IM transcripts as proof Foley had sought him out, solicited sex, though not while he worked at Capitol; scandal has drained support from GOP: 54% of Americans polled by Time magazine saying they now want Democrats to take control of Congress, Newsweek showed 53% would vote for a Democrat while only 35% said they would vote Republican; Newsweek's poll also shows a new low of only 33% approval of Bush's job as president, while fully 60% expressed dissatisfaction; 48% want Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld to resign, and 58% believe the admin. misled the public about the Iraq war...

8 October: North Korea gov't tells China it will suspend testing its first nuclear weapon if US agrees to bilateral negotiations, says test is not imminent; communication also warns test will be brought forward if US seeks sanctions or moves for military action... AP reports North Korea appears to accept postponing test of nuclear device after joint statement by China, Japan that test "cannot be tolerated"; US has not accepted condition of engaging in bilateral talks, a refusal criticized by foreign policy experits, including James Baker, Sec. of State under Bush's father, said "I don't think you restrict your conversations to your friends", while acknowledging the need to be firm... At least 60 warning shots have been fired by South Korean troops against 5 North Korean soldiers who reportedly crossed momentarily the border of the demilitarized zone... Russia's best known investigative reporter, Anna Politkovskaya murdered in apparent contract killing in Chechnya was about to publish story about abducted people, system of torture in Chechnya; she had worked to bring to light serious abuses in the Russian region, supporters are calling for full investigation of all security, gov't officials potentially implicated in her reporting... US pres. Bush signs $37 billion Homeland Security funding measure only after "signing statement" —a controversial departure from traditional constitutional law— in which he rejects the law's stated requirement that the director of FEMA have at least some experience in handling disasters or emergency situations; the Wash. Post reports "the White House also claimed the right to edit or withhold reports to Congress by a watchdog agency within the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for protecting Americans' personal privacy"... Lifelong British passport holder, citizen may be denied UK gov't PoW compensation for her internment in a Japanese prison camp during WWII because she is not racially "British"; her lawyer is quoted as saying "At the heart of this case is an ongoing injustice of the most grotesque kind", referring to a tiered system whereby imperial considerations distinguish bewteen distinct categories of "Britishness"...

7 October: US, EU agree to system permitting US Dept. of Homeland Security to gather passenger information, share it with FBI, US spy agencies; NYT reports "The information includes credit card data, telephone numbers and details of passengers’ travel plans. The accord also allows American authorities to request the data more than 72 hours prior to the flight in certain circumstances"... House Ethics Committee to investigate inappropriate handling of Foley messages to underage boys; skeptics point to near total inaction on major scandals of recent years, fact that only when DeLay was criminally charged was he admonished, with committee chair then replaced in apparent retaliation for acting against leadership... Congressional staffer tells press Hastert's office was directly involved in warning Rep. Foley (R-FL) —much earlier than Hastert admits there was invovlement— to cease sending inappropriate e-mails to underage male pages... 5 more Republican seats in House now said to be in serious risk of changing hands to Democratic challengers, amid growing political dissatisfaction over revelations in Foley case, adverse strategic effects of Iraq war... Top Rove assistant, fmr aide to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, resigns after revelations Abramoff testified she was his "implant", helping arrange over 400 reported meetings between his clients, White House staff... Google said to be seeking takeover of online video rival YouTube for as much as $1.6 billion, in effort to consolidate audience for online video, build paid video segment of business...

6 October: At least four dozen subpoenas have been issued by the House ethics committee in an effort to find out who knew how much about Foley's interest in minors, and whether there was a cover-up; panel expected to give report in 10 days; House speaker Hastert says he will not resign, despite mounting calls from his own party for his resignation... UN Security Council votes unanimously to order North Korea to refrain from testing a nuclear device, declaring "The Security Council urges the DPRK not to undertake such a test and to refrain from any action that might aggravate tension"... Major powers to meet to discuss arranging possible UN-based sanctions regime against Tehran if Iran does not halt uranium enrichment; Iran pres. Ahmadinejad reiterates "right" of Iran to develop nuclear power-generation in order to spur economic growth... 60 Minutes investigation shows US terrorist "watch list" inexplicably includes Bolivian pres. Evo Morales and Lebanese parliament spokesman Nabih Berri, both obviously not risks, but also the incarcerated Saddam Hussein (never mind that he was never likely to appear at any US airports spontaneously anyway), and the hijackers who died carrying out the attacks of 11 September 2001...

5 October: UK study shows failure to respond to climate change will cost world economy trillions of dollars; costs of taking action to prevent severe climate change are far lower; UK foreign min. says it's "economic nonsense" not to act to build clean energy economy, reduce carbon emissions; report suggests 1/3 of all land mass could be under severe drought by century's end... New quantum computing studies show "teleportation" effect using quantum entanglement properties of particles in quantum computation networks could resolve information breakdown in experimental networks; cesium, photons successfully "entangled" to allow instantaneous transfer of information over half-meter distance... EU rejects bilateral trade agreement with Turkmenistan, due to severe rights abuses... Independent monitors confirm IRA has definitively left armed struggle, has put aside all terrorist activity, forbidden members from participating in any criminal activity to support operations... European Commission report suggests possible sanctions, refusing visas to US diplomats if US does add 10 EU states currently excluded to visa-waiver program... US House of Representatives ethics committee to investigate scandal involving fmr. Republican congressman, sexual messages sent to underage boys... Scientists have discovered fossil remains of giant prehistoric sea "monster" in seabed off Svalbard archipelago in Norway's arctic region; the large pliosaur is believed to be 150 million years old, appears to be 1st fully intact skeleton found...

4 October: North Korea says it will test a nuclear device in "self-defense" against possible nuclear war with the United States; US, Japan immediately said the test would be unacceptable and have referred the matter to the UN Security Council, Japan saying it would respond "sternly"; China has urged Kim regime to show "calm and restraint", presumably a suggestion it not test any nuclear devices, but did not flatly condemn plans for nuclear test or threaten any sanctions against Pyongyan... Man detained, questioned, misses flight at Seattle-Tacoma airport for speaking Tamil; language spoken widely in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore appeared "suspicious" to off-duty airport worker... US, UK transport secretaries to meet, to discuss sharing of passenger data; move could result in passengers' personal information being passed to intelligence agencies, without judicial oversight, civil liberties groups in Europe, US oppose such system... More than 30 defense ministers from nations of the Americas meet in Nicaragua, including US' Rumsfeld, Venezuela's Baduel, Venezuela says its military build-up is strictly defensive; central American nations ask for more aid in combatting narcotics trafficking between Colombia, Mexico... Even as Georgia frees 4 Russian soldiers detained on spying charges, Russia imposes economic sanctions: transport ministry cuts air, land, rail and sea links, communications ministry to cut all postal links to fmr Soviet republic... Mexico plans to lift telecommunications barriers, allow integration of telephone, TV, internet service through one account...

3 October: Depletion of ozone layer over Antarctica has reached record levels this year, despite a period of improvement during 1990s; Reuters cites findings by the European Space Agency that "In the past decade, the level of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere has fallen by about 0.3 percent, increasing the risk of skin cancer, cataracts and harm to marine life"... Local milk-truck driver in Nickel Mines, PA, storms one-room school house, kills 3 girls, then self; gunman ordered all boys, adults to leave, then opened fire on 12 girls... Republicans take to fighting amongst themselves over who is responsible for the delay in dealing with Rep. Foley's inappropriate advances toward minors; Chris Shays (R-CT), in a tight race for reelection has called for the resignation of any party leaders who may have kept the information from the public or not acted against Foley sooner; polls show approval of current Congress at less than 30%... US population expected to reach 300 million in mid-October, according to Census Bureau, 39 years after reaching 200 million, 91 years after passing 100 million; US is only major industrial nation with significant population growth... Informal vote among UN Security Council delegates shows South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon with substantial lead over other candidates to replace Kofi Annan, when he steps down from post as Secretary General at end of year...

2 October: Russian pres. Vladimir Putin accuses Georgia of "state terrorism", after Georgia detains 4 Russian soldiers on charges of spying for Moscow; Kremlin orders troops stationed at Russian bases in fmr Soviet republic to move to "high alert", combat readiness... Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) has had to defend his position that he was not aware of the sexual nature of messages sent by Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) to teenaged pages, messages he continues to describe as "overly friendly"; Hastert has requested both the FBI and the state of Florida investigate possible criminal wrongdoing, and, reports the NYT, "include any members of Congress who may have known about Foley’s behavior and not acted upon it"... Brazil pres. Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has been forced into runoff, winning only 48.8% over challenger Alckman's 41.4%; Bloomberg reports "After inheriting an economy on the verge of collapse in 2003, Lula has helped lower inflation to 4 percent from as high as 17 percent during his first year. The benchmark lending rate is now 14.25 percent, down from as much as 26.5 percent in 2003. The Bovespa stock market index more than tripled under Lula, bonds surged and the currency rallied"; 1st recount at 98,06% of votes counted gives "Lula" 48.79%, Alckmin 41.43%... Despite calls for calm from PA pres. Mahmoud Abbas and PA PM Ismail Haniyeh, top officials in Fatah, Hamas parties, supporters of the two factions exchanged fire in Gaza strip, intensifying clashes that could lead to collapse of talks to form "national unity" gov't... General Surayud Chulanont begins work as interim Thai prime minister, promising to work on reconciliation and "people's happiness", after military coup deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra, accused of corruption and vote-rigging in annulled spring election... US Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice claims not to recall being warned by CIA director Tenet two months before 11 September 2001 that US was likely to be attacked, saying "I don't know that this meeting took place"...

1 October: US may cut aid to Iraq Interior Ministry police forces, due to American law that prohibits funding any foreign security services engaged in "gross violations of human rights" which are covered-up or not prosecuted... US Senate has unanimously approved $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts as part of a record $446 billion Pentagon budget for next year; Congressional Research Office says Congress has so far allocated $507 billion to Iraq, Afghanistan wars, "heightened security" since 11 September 2001, spending $379 billion in Iraq alone... Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act, designating 279,000 acres of new protected wilderness in northern California, passes Senate, passed House in July; Pres. Bush expected to sign... Segolene Royal has said she will run to gain the French socialist party's nomination to run for president in 2007; she leads polls of party members, though she will face major challenges from former top ministers... Brazil exit polls show Lula likely won 50% of vote, but is close enough he may need runoff to win... UN International Trade Center seeks to bring developing economies into export markets, thus expanding national wealth and reducing poverty through opportunity, stemming from proposed "land reform, the role of women entrepreneurs, access to technology, NGO-business-government partnerships, fair trade and corporate social responsibility"... Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts, whose militia took control of Mogadishu and much of the south, have reportedly closed a radio station and detained some journalists, alleging the station was "inciting violence", claiming to have recordings of calls to violence; UIC says the journalists were not to have been detained and they were released when leadership learned of their detention, station management is in negotiations to go back on air... FBI opens preliminary investigation into possible sexual advances of disgraced Florida Republican toward underage boys, possible cover-up arranged by House leadership, after Speaker Hastert requests probe...