November 11, 2004
Headlines
Some Vets Forgotten
With more than 1-thousand U.S. soldiers killed in the most recent invasion of Iraq and more than 4-thousand injured, Veteran’s Day commemorations around the nation still omit the plight of some veterans. Sarah Turner with the Worker’s Independent News Service reports.
Brits and French Leave Ivory Coast
British government officials say they will be evacuating about 400 of their nationals from the Ivory Coast citing escalating violence. After days of anti-French violence in the former colony, more than 800 French nationals left. Ivorian officials said that French troops fired on some of the protestors, killing four people. International aid workers put the number of injured in the first three days of violence between 600 and 700; but said it was difficult to confirm the figures. The Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer, has been under a tenuous cease-fire between a government controlled south and a rebel held north for the past 18-months. Government forces launched an offensive in the north last week.
UK Report: US One of World’s Worst Human Rights Abuser
The United States is named as one of the world’s worst human rights abusers, along with buyers of British weapons and close British allies, in a just released report. Naomi Fowler has more from London.
Israeli Nuke Whistle-blower Arrested
This morning Israeli police arrested a nuclear whistle-blower claiming he has given unauthorized interviews to foreign journalists. Modechai Vanunu was jailed in 1986 for discussing his work at an Israeli atomic reactor with a British journalist. His interview led many to believe that the Middle Eastern state has from 100 to 200 nuclear weapons. The Israeli Defense Ministry has Vanunu under tight surveillance and claims Vanunu would disclose more state secrets given the opportunity. Courts have regularly rejected his appeals to leave the country.
Seas Rising Too Fast
Rising sea levels will have a dramatic impact on the Gulf Coast in as little as 10 years, according to research presented this week. From KPFT in Houston, Erika McDonald reports.
Features
Yasser Arafat Dies ~ Reports from Ramallah, Gaza and International Reactions
Palestinian leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat passed away early this morning in a French hospital. Tears and fierce praise were the dominant reactions from Palestinians to their leaders death. Arafat spent his entire life fighting and struggling for the restoration of Palestinian land, for a sovereign Palestinian state and for his people’s freedom. Deepa Fernandes talks with FSRN correspondents Awad Duaibes in Ramallah, Mohammed Ghalayini in Gaza and takes a look at international react.
US Reaction to Death of Yasser Arafat
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be in Washington DC tonight, where he’ll meet with George Bush. Top on the agenda is the Middle East peace process in which Blair has been urging Bush to be more involved. The Bush administration has refused to work with Arafat. Now that the Palestinian leader is dead, the world is watching whether Bush will re-engage. Mitch Jeserich has more from DC.
US assault on Fallujah continues: Latest from Baghdad
The US military assault on Fallujah continues. With the latest, FSRN correspondents Salam Talib and Dahr Jamail report from Baghdad.
Sunni Reaction to Fallujah Attack
The US military has decided to take on Iraq’s most important organization of Sunni clergy. As bombs rained down on Fallujah, American troops in Baghdad raided the homes of the Secretary General and the spokesperson of the Association of Muslim Scholars. Earlier this week, the clerics had called for a boycott of upcoming elections and urged members of the Iraqi Army to refuse to fight their countrymen in Fallujah. In response, the Pentagon admitted, hundreds of Iraqi soldiers deserted. FSRN’s Aaron Glantz continues our coverage of America’s assault.
Veteran’s Day: Remembering Vets Once They Return
On this Veteran’s Day, President Bush spoke at Arlington Cemetery honoring those who fought in American wars. He also defended the war in Iraq by calling Saddam Hussein a tyrant who now sits in a prison cell. As ceremonies took place around the country, speakers at the Veterans Parade in New York City called for funding for veteran’s benefits. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.
