30 June: Apparent car-bomb attack plot foiled in central London, after not one, but two stolen Mercedes sedans were found rigged to explode near a Haymarket nightclub, filled with an estimated 1,000 revelers...

29 June: US Supreme Court agrees to hear appeals made by inmates detained at Guantánamo Bay military prison camp; hundreds have been held without charges, representation or trials, for several years, ruling counters admin. wishes that camp be treated as extraconstitutional jurisdiction, exclusive to military courts, under direction from White House; move also reverses April ruling against allowing appeals in Federal courts...

Police in central London have dismantled a car-bomb, rigged in a green Mercedes, near a crowded night-club; reports say the device included gas canasters, gasoline and nails, and presumably could have caused massive loss of life; newly sworn-in PM Gordon Brown said it was a reminder of the need to be "vigilant" against the potential terrorist threat... Using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), scientists have achieved the first "molecular surgery", removing one atom, then replacing it successfully...

27 June: CIA has released secret documents from 4 decades ago, laying out assassination plots, coup attempts, spying on American citizens, and other illegal activities; one memo published explains that then CIA director Colby debated how much he should reveal or cover-up in testimony to Congress regarding the Watergate break-in, and was advised by a colleague against "minimal factual response", and told to exhibit "candor", as the agency struggled with its obligation to serve the public legally and openly; current CIA director Hayden reportedly told staff the disclosure shows an internal review and oversight process, post-Watergate, which gave the CIA "a far stronger place in our democratic system"... Foreign Policy analyzes 40-year old CIA memo on projected consequences of persisting in Vietnam and then failing, for region, world, US power, draws direct parallels to Iraq, changing only words related to geography or the enemy fighters... UK PM Tony Blair will hand his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, today, after his final Wednesday session in Parliament; he has served 10 years in office and leaves in the middle of his 3rd elected term, handing power to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown; it is expected he will be named as special envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet, the diplomatic collaboration between the EU, US, UN, and Russia, for peace in Israel and Palestine... Washington Post reports VP Cheney tied to efforts to dismantle environmental protections or manipulate regulatory processes to benefit specific businesses, article also specifies "It was Cheney's insistence on easing air pollution controls, not the personal reasons she cited at the time, that led Christine Todd Whitman to resign as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, she said in an interview that provides the most detailed account so far of her departure", information gleaned from interviews with former staffers for the VP; in at least one case, Cheney's intervention led to the gov't abandoning its responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act, resulting in "the largest fish kill the West had ever seen, with tens of thousands of salmon rotting on the banks of the Klamath River"...

26 June: According to the Washington Post, "Frustrated with Congress's inability to pass an immigration overhaul bill, state legislatures are considering or enacting a record number of strongly worded proposals targeting illegal immigrants", adding that some 1,100 laws had been proposed by the time state legislature had adjourned last year, double the previous year's record, and that "These laws limit illegal immigrants' ability to obtain jobs, find housing, get driver's licenses and receive many government services. They also empower state law enforcement agencies to inquire into an immigrant's legal status and hold for deportation those deemed to be here illegally"... Scientists in Peru have discovered the fossil remains of a giant tropical penguin, said to be human size, described as "over 1.5 metres tall and weighed as much as a person. The 36 million year old tropical bird's intimidating appearance was topped off with powerful forearms, a chunky neck and a potentially vicious 18 centimetre long spear-like beak"...

25 June: European Commission report says EU must begin to act now to halt global climate change, or continent will face severe consequences; IHT reports "The draft analysis by the European Commission paints a disturbing picture of the impact of rising temperatures that will scorch the southern Mediterranean, melt Alpine and Scandinavian snows and flood low-lying coastal zones around the Continent... Such is the scale of the potential problem that the report raises the possibility of "relocating ports, industry and entire cities and villages from low-lying coastal areas and flood plains"... Venezuela pres. Hugo Chávez has asked his military to prepare for guerrilla war with the United States, calling for condemnation of what he says is a psychological and comercial war against his gov't... Spain king Juan Carlos I, upon arriving in China for a state visit, pronounced his grief at the news 6 Spanish soldiers were killed on duty in the UN provisional force for Lebanon...

24 June: Washington Post, Wired report VP Cheney showed no visible reaction as twin towers fell, but witnesses "saw, they said, was extraordinary self-containment and a rapid shift of focus to the machinery of power"... Post series reports Cheney worked behind scenes to fundamentally alter the way in which federal and international law were applied through the executive branch, citing the order to detain accused terrorists without charge as follows: "In less than an hour, the document traversed a West Wing circuit that gave its words the power of command. It changed hands four times, according to witnesses, with emphatic instructions to bypass staff review. When it returned to the Oval Office, in a blue portfolio embossed with the presidential seal, Bush pulled a felt-tip pen from his pocket and signed without sitting down. Almost no one else had seen the text... Cheney's proposal had become a military order from the commander in chief. Foreign terrorism suspects held by the United States were stripped of access to any court -- civilian or military, domestic or foreign. They could be confined indefinitely without charges and would be tried, if at all, in closed 'military commissions.' ... 'What the hell just happened?' Secretary of State Colin L. Powell demanded, a witness said, when CNN announced the order that evening, Nov. 13, 2001"...

23 June: Spain pres. José Luís Rodíguez Zapatero has said the EU back on course due to new agreement reached on constitutional Treaty at the meeting of the heads of state of the 27 EU member states... Vietnamese delegation in US to sue 3 dozen chemical companies who participated in Vietnam dumping of Agent Orange, by manufacture for war effort; some 3 million people estimated to suffer long-term disabilities due to the 18 million gallons of the combustible toxin dumped by US warplanes on civilian and rural areas during the 12-year conflict...

22 June: US special envoy Christopher Hill says North Korean gov't committed to denuclearization and to deactivating its Yongbyon nuclear facility, according to a February accord, reached as part of the 6-party negotiating framework... Senate judiciary committee, under leadership of Patrick Leahy (D-VT), has begun issuing subpoenas for White House documents related to the illegal NSA surveillance program which spied on millions of American citizens' communications without court order or oversight; the vote to authorize the subpoena process was 13-3, with several Republiicans joining the majority Democrats...

20 June: Talk in London, Washintgon of outgoing UK PM Tony Blair being named special envoy to the Middle East; US has praised concept, applauded Blair's "efforts" in the region... After play dealing with Iraq conflict was banned by school in Connecticut, Wilton High School drama program performed play in off-Broadway theatre in NYC... Arctic spring arriving two weeks earlier than 10 years ago, with significant effect on average summer temperatures, ice-melt, ecosystem elasticity; data could show that arctic warming will accelerate process of global climate change...

19 June: UN warns food will run out in 10 days for 1.5 million people isolated in Gaza Strip, after Hamas takeover left territory without access to external aid shipments; Israel, EU, US, UN, Palestinian Authority to contemplate opening humanitarian aid to Strip despite plans to isolate Hamas... Democracy Now reports "Afghanistan's most outspoken female lawmaker has been suspended for the rest of her term after she publicly criticized the Afghan parliament. For years Malalai Joya has been a leading critic of her government and the U.S. role in her country. She's faced constant harassment and attempts on her life for her views"; Joya has said gov't is run by warlords, democracy forestalled by rampant, violent corruption... UK gov't has expressed "deep concern" over comments by Pakistan Parliament minister saying suicide bombings would be legitimate defense of Islam if Queen Elizabeth II gives author Salman Rushdie knighthood...

18 June: CNN found pushing anti-immigrant headline "Amnesty Push: Illegal Immigrant Amnesty Agenda" on various programs, even where reporters had stated that 'Amnesty' was a politically loaded term specifically used by groups opposing any form of normalization for undocumented workers; watchdog group MediaMatters for America cites concern over editorializing tendency taking over at prestigious cable news channel...

17 June: Guardian newspaper reports "Conservative groups and political figures are planning a film, books and a concerted media campaign to demonise Clinton, who is already one of the most polarising figures in American politics", citing concerted effort to "derail" NY Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign; media watchdog has warned "The Swift Boat campaign is going to be a direct model. They have openly come out and said that", citing the smear campaign against 2004 Democratic candidate John F. Kerry, which was later exposed to be based on false reports... Pepsi has been ordered to pay $390,000 to a Chinese beverage company for illegal use of its trademark "Blue Storm"; the small drinks company had been investigated by Chinese authorities and suffered in its public image when a Pepsi PR campaign led people to believe the firm, which predated the Pepsi ads, had taken its name from the US-based multinational...

16 June: 22 Arab league nations have held emergency summit to condemn violence in Gaza Strip, express support for Palestinian parliament, PA pres. Mahmoud Abbas... As controlling owners Bancroft family resists Newscorp plans to take over Wall Street Jounral, fearing ideologically-based editorial interference, erosion of journalistic integrity, independence on which Journal culture prides itself, Financial Times owner contemplates bid to take over NY-based financial paper, parent organization Dow Jones... Guardian newspaper reports number of men choosing to stay home to raise children in UK has doubled in last 14 years; some 200,000 men now live at home as "homedads", raising kids while wives work as breadwinners... CA gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger criticized for telling Hispanic immigrants to US they should stop watching TV in Spanish; politicians, including Republicans, quickly called for Schwarzenegger to recognize that language diversity strengthened California's culture, economy, called for expanded funding for foreign language education for US-born students...

15 June: Palestinian territories split, as Hamas coup ousts Fatah from Gaza Strip; Fatah talks of legal ban on Hamas leadership, interim "emergency" gov't to be set up by Fatah leader, Palestinian pres. Abbas; news reports now begin listing Fatah as political party with "ties to Israel and the West", while Hamas is treated as more radicalized than before... Talks between White House, holdout senators look to yield deal to revive immigration reform bill that would grant legal status to millions of undocumented workers, severely harden security at southern US border; debate could begin next week...

7 June: Guardian newspaper reports "Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and four other groups, are demanding that the US government accounts for the whereabouts of 39 people whom they believe have been held at secret CIA prisons since the attacks of September 11 2001"; groups say such "disappearances" violate international standards of jurisprudence and US constitutional system; the detainees were not among those transferred to the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, after Pres. Bush acknowledged the existence of secret CIA prisons last September, then ordered their closure...

4 June: Violence between police and anti-globalization demonstrators continues in Germany, ahead of G8 summit; demonstrators' main demand is that such negotiations be opened up to democratic process... Wash. Post reports Protestant-Catholic anti-abortion "coalition's leaders accuse Dobson and other national antiabortion leaders of building an 'industry' around relentless fundraising and misleading information"; the coalition attacked the supporters of the Gonzales v. Carhart case, calling the ruling "more wicked than Roe" for being "not a ban, but a partial-birth abortion manual" that essentially provides legality for late-term abortion "as long as you follow its guidelines"...

3 June: Movie version of 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' explores dark period in US gov't treatment of native American peoples; the movie is based on the landmark novel that re-introduced to the American public the story of a massacre of peaceful Lakota Sioux at Wounded Knee, as they sought to flee to safety in Canada...

2 June: US pres. George W. Bush has called on the world's most heavily polluting nations to move toward a comprehensive global accord on carbon emissions and climate change by the end of his term in late 2008; environmental groups have criticized the US president for blocking current negotiations and using the late date as a means to stall the implementation of regulations they say are needed to save millions of species and the global civilization as we know it... While opposing concrete proposals to tackle global climate change, US pres. Bush has said he would like to reach agreement on a long-term strategy for reducing harmful effects from industry, saying "In recent years, science has deepened our understanding of climate change and opened new possibilities for confronting it"...

1 June: Video shows kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston still alive; if footage is recent, it is first indication in months that Johnston has not been killed by his abductors; militant group has ignored demands by Hamas leader PM Haniyah, Pres. Abbas to release hostage; both Hamas, Fatah say the kidnapping is criminal and unjustifiable and have called Johnston a "friend" to the Palestinian people...