• Nobel Peace Laureate Reestablishes Contact with Burmese Military Government
• Massive Demonstrations and Violence Continue in Kenya
• The Iraqi Government's Official Outreach to Baathists May Seem Luke-Warm, but the Bush Administration Sees it as a Victory
• Democratic Presidential Hopefuls and Political Organizers Look ahead to Nevada
• Study Pins Human Activity as Main Cause of Coral Reef Decline

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• California Lab Creates Human Embryo Clone
• Mystery Illness Affects Slaughterhouse Workers in Two States
• Bird Flu Outbreak in West Bengal
• Australia Picks Up Sea Shepard Hostages
• French Court Orders Total to Pay Millions in Damages

A groundbreaking study of coral reefs was released this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. The Canadian-led study singles out a combination of human activities, such as agriculture and development, as the primary cause of degradation in Caribbean reefs.  KPFA environmental correspondent Jude Fletcher has the story:

The government of Burma says a bus conductor was killed in a small bomb blast yesterday.  It's the fourth such bombing attack since the New Year.  The military government blames ethnic rebels, likely from the state of Karen.  There the Karen National Union has been fighting for decades for greater autonomy for ethnic Karen people.  

Today was the second day of mass community action in Kenya, protesting recent elections many claim were rigged. The government's ban on demonstrations has not hampered opposition leaders, led by Raila Odinga, from continuing with the mass action.

Kenyan authorities say 600 have been killed since the elections, but others claim the number is as high as 1000.   Odinga has said, "The government and the police have turned [the] country into killing fields of the innocent."

In the midst of this national tension, the country seems unsure about the best way forward.  John Bwakali reports from Nairobi

The Iraqi Parliament has passed a law granting a modest "welcome back" to members of Sadam Hussein's Baathist party.   They were expelled from government posts en masse when Hussein's government fell.  Critics say the original sweep was too broad and unfairly penalized many party members who were only trying to save their own lives.  

The new law will allow former Baathists to hold low-level positions in the new government.    Reintegrating Baathists into public life is one of 18 benchmarks the U-S has laid out to measure governmental progress in Iraq.  The law is being hailed as a milestone and a sign if success by war supporters.  FSRN correspondent Matt Laslo reports from Washington