31 August: Guardian reports "Bush ends holiday as hundreds feared dead", noting pres. cut short 5-week vacation to attend to Gulf coast catastrophe... Flooding reportedly reached height of 3-storey buildings in New Orleans, city 70% below sea level, as levees gave way... With 80% of city underwater, city councillor reports "The looting is out of control"... Reports of severe damage to Gulf of Mexico oil rigs (at least 2 adrift) sends world oil futures soaring...

30 August: More than 50 people confirmed killed in Mississippi, Louisiana, as hurricane Katrina hits Gulf Coast; storm considered one of worst to have hit US, causing estimated $26B in damage... Movement growing against Ontario law permitting sharia law tribunals to resolve "family disputes", protests planned for Europe ...

28 August: Leak from British gov't shows top officials were worried 1 year ago that Iraq war was fueling recruitment of young UK muslims to extremist organizations, contradicting previous denials war did not put UK at greater risk of attack... Scottish press reports fmr. Scottish police chief has revealed key Lockerbie bombing evidence was fabricated...

27 August: BBC reports Cindy Sheehan protest is mobilizing antiwar opinion across US, has forced Bush officials to defend or alter war policy...

26 August: Cost from flood devastation in Switzerland alone could reach $1 billion Swiss francs, or approximately 640 million euros...

24 August: While calling comments "inappropriate", the Bush admin. has not condemned televangelist Pat Robertson's call for the assassination of Venezuelan Pres. Chávez...

23 August: Televangelist Pat Robertson outraged a global public by calling for the assassination of Hugo Chávez on his professedly "Christian" broadcast...

20 August: Qadhafi son calls for inquiry into human rights abuses in Libya... Merck found guilty for Texas man's death attributed to use of Vioxx painkiller; jury awards $253.4 million in damages to widow; more than 7,500 Vioxx cases are still pending... Cyclist Lance Armstrong in high-profile outing with Pres. Bush asks for major increases in funding for cancer research... Hamas reportedly says Gaza pullout will not slow its armed campaign against settlements in West Bank...

18 August: 18 of 21 Gaza settlements reportedly fully evacuated; protesters barricade synagogue in Kfar Darom, surrounding roof with barbed wire; some 2,000 protesters barricaded in synagogue in Neve Dekalim, forcibly removed one by one by unarmed Israeli soldiers... Tokyo Electric reports radioactive water leaked into ventilation systems in nuclear plant, after quake, but none escaped to plant exterior... Senators McCain (R-AZ), Clinton (D-NY), Graham (R-SC), Collins (R-Maine), say trip to Alaska demonstrates doubt about climate change unreasonable; "climate change is taking place and human activities play a very large role," said McCain... CNN to air documentary "Dead Wrong" reporting "intelligence meltdown" surrounding inaccurate information that justified Iraq war... National Archives to release 38,000 new documents from Judge Roberts' tenure with Reagan admin...

17 August: Israel PM Sharon calls images from pullout "heartbreaking"; most settlers evacuate Gaza peacefully, while a handful set fire to their own homes in demonstration of defiance... In one incident, Gaza militants fired on Israeli settlement, causing no casualties; 7,500 Palestinian police deployed to prevent clashes between Palestinian militants, Israelis... HRW describes Sri Lanka FM assassination as part of "spiraling crisis of political killings"... Underwater quake struck offshore of Miyagi, Japan, on Tuesday, measured 7.2 on Richter scale; estimated 60 people injured...

16 August: Matriptase, a cellular enzyme, may be trigger for cancer, new study suggests; discovery could lead to new treatments... Deadline for voluntary settler withdrawal from Gaza passes, Israeli troops move in to clear settlements; army chief says force will not be used till Wed. morning at soonest... Plane crash in Venezuela kills 160... Cholera outbreak in Iran has reportedly spread to 17 provinces... 17 Spanish peacekeeping soldiers are killed in Afghanistan when helicopter crashes; Spanish military not discounting ground to air fire as cause... CNN reports US soldiers in Iraq still await new body armor, 29 months after war began...

15 August: Aceh rebels sign peace accord with Indonesian government... Experimental modified hybrid cars reportedly get up to 250 mpg... Sierra Club says of Roberts' environmental record "He defers to economic interests over the public health, to executive agencies over the Congress, and to secrecy over the public's right-to-know"... Documentary telling "Untold Story of Emmett Till" pre-screened at UN today... Biden warns administration is seeking to lower expectations as Iraq gov't works to complete democratic constitution, McCain calls withdrawal talk premature, urges continued effort to shore up democratic institutions; McCain also called for increase in troop numbers... Israel military delivers notices settlers must leave within 48 hours or face "forcible eviction"; hardline settlers move to keep soldiers out...

14 August: Israel seals Gaza strip to prevent settlers, sympathizers and protesters from returning or moving in... Word from Helsinki Free Aceh movement close to peace deal with Indonesian government, rebels will be granted political party role... Arch-conservative Santorum trails likely Dem opponent Casey in coming PA Senate contest... South African workers end national strike without agreeing to gov't offer of wage increases, will negotiate again next year... Cypriot airliner bound for Prague crashes near Athens, killing 121...

13 August: US trade deficit moving toward 7%, could see record highs; economists divided on whether deficit means dollar will depreciate further, economy destabilize... German Chancellor Schroeder warns US Pres. Bush to withdraw threat of military action against Iran, saying of the military option "We have seen it doesn't work"... Striking workers in South Africa cross racial barriers to unite in struggle for rights, wage increases...

12 August: British Airways, Heathrow Airport choked by "unofficial strike by ground workers", some 70,000 people stranded at terminal... Crude oil prices reach record $67/barrel (5th record in 5 days), gasoline prices continue steady increase in US; steep increase in fuel costs contribute to 6% rise in US trade deficit for June... Bush motorcade breezes past mother of fallen soldier, supporters, en route to $2 million fundraiser, while 50 Texas troopers stood guard at the roadside... Bush warns Iran use of force possible as last resort to prevent development of nuclear program, saying "All options are on the table"... Cindy Sheehan, bereaved mother of fallen Iraq war soldier, gains support in Crawford protest; by Wed., some 50 people had joined her, reports indicate hundreds of supporters had gathered by Thursday afternoon...

11 August: Author Salman Rushdie calls for "nothing less than a reform movement to bring the core concepts of Islam into the modern age"... Iranian press claims nation has "inalienable right" to nuclear technology, urges gov't not to give in to Western diplomatic pressure to halt program... Republican party pays legal bills for party official charged with preventing Democrats from voting in New Hampshire... British medical journal The Lancet announces "proof of concept" study of 4 patients shows hope AIDS virus can be eliminated from white blood cells, though treatment is not yet proven or forthcoming... Somali MPs urge international community to intervene to prevent Somalian president from launching war against factions in central provinces... Abramoff, linked to investigations into DeLay dealings, charged with fraud in 2000 casino deal... Right-wing shock-jock O'Reilly says Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen soldier, "borders on treasonous" for requesting meeting with Pres. Bush...

10 August: Anti-Defamation League urges Falwell to stop mixing religion with politics, saying it contravenes basic American ideal of religious inclusiveness... Iran, EU at odds over Tehran nuclear programs; yet La Vanguardia reports Iran, IAEA appear to move toward dialogue... Fortified peanut butter reportedly helping to reverse effects of malnutrition in Niger, at Doctors Without Borders field operation... Investor seeks to push Time Warner to sell off part of its cable, publishing operations...

9 August: Iran resumes processing uranium, says it intends to use nuclear technology for power generation, not weapons; Russia joins Europe, US in urging Iran to halt program... Mother of fallen soldier holds ongoing protest vigil outside Bush ranch in Crawford, TX, says she will stay until she can personally ask Pres. about war policy... Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, announces she suffers from lung cancer; she is 44 and has never smoked...