August 31, 2006
Headlines (5:16)
BUSH PROMOTES IRAQ WAR
President Bush launched a new, nationwide publicity today campaign promoting the war in Iraq. His first stop was Salt Lake City.
AWOL SOLDIER TURNS HIMSELF IN
22-year old Army Specialist Mark Wilkerson. Wilkerson, who had been AWOL for more than 18 months, turned himself in to authorities at Fort Hood. The Colorado Springs native served in the 720th Military Police Battalion in Iraq from March 2003-March 2004. He made the decision to refuse redeployment on moral grounds, and went AWOL when his request for Conscientious Objector status was denied by the Army late in 2004.
CANADA CONSIDERS SENDING TROOPS TO LEBANON
Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said today his country only pull its troops out of Southern Lebanon when 5,000 United Nations troops are stationed there. The UN has been having trouble assembling such a force. In Canada, Stefan Christoff reports, opposition parties are calling for the deployment of more than 1,000 Canadian troops.
ISRAEL DEMOLISHES, BUILDS NEW SETTLEMENTS
Israel tore down part of the Matityahu settlement in the West Bank today. Elsewhere, Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land are due to expand, with an Israeli court order ruling that Israeli authorities should allow settlement growth. Saed Bannoura reports from the West Bank.
GMO GRASS SPREADS THROUGHOUT OREGON
And finally, a new study indicates genetically modified grass has spread beyond the confines of an Oregon golf course where was been planted. The study, by the University of California at Riverside, centered on a species called Creeping Bentgrass, engineered to be resistant to the toxic herbicide Roundup. The researchers reported that the GMO grass could affect the pesticide resistance of as many as a dozen local grass species, causing unknown ramifications in the wild. Activists like Mark Des Marets with the Portland-based group Northwest Resistance to Genetic Engineering says this has already been proven – and the real issue is what the government plans to do about it.
Features
Iran continues with Nuclear Program Despite UN Deadline (4:09)
Iran continues its nuclear enrichment program beyond a United Nations Imposed deadline the International Atomic Energy Agency Confirms. The United States’ response is stern, urging quick action. They urge sanctions. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
California Taking Lead to Fight Greenhouse Gases (3:10)
The state of California in coalition with 11 other states as well as environmental groups have filed their opening briefs in supreme court today that would begin a legal battle against the U. S. Environment Protection Agency to urge the Agency to take action to curb greenhouse gases. Also in California, legislative leaders have announced a breakthrough deal with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over a global warming bill. The compromise language will make California the first state in the nation to impose a cap on all greenhouse gas emissions. It also puts Schwarzenegger at odds with Republicans in the state legislature and the Bush administration, a move that may bolster his chances of reelection. Brian Edwards-Tiekert has more.
Chilean Mining Workers on 25th Day of Strike (3:16)
In Chile, more than 2,000 mining workers are on their 25th day of strike at world’s largest private copper mine, La Escondida, owned by the Anglo-Australian mining conglomerate BHP Billiton. From Santiago Jorge Garretón has more.
Kashmir Demands Information of the Disappeared (2:46)
The conflict in Indian administered Kashmir has left a legacy of enforced disappearances OF people who were allegedly picked by the Indian security forces and never accounted for. The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons Kashmir or the APDP says more than 10000 have been subjected to enforced disappearances since 1989 when the . This week commemorating the International day of disappeared the APDP renewed its demand of information about the whereabouts of Kashmir’s disappeared. Shahnawaz Khan reports.
Tragic Landslide in Nepal (3:03)
In Nepal, thousands of people have turned homeless and threatened with hunger and diseases as several villages been swept away by on the worst landslides ever in Nepal’s western mountainous districts. The landslide is a result of deforestation throughout the country. Despite the government’s promise of aid, none has reached the survivors, but UNICEF, Catholic Relief Service, and Caritas Nepal International have begun relieve work. PC Dubey has more.
Hizbollah Still Holding Strong (3:56)
UN Secretary Kofi Annan is in Syria today urging the country to not support Hizbollah. With support for Hizbollah stronger than ever, what comes next? David Enders filed this report before leaving Beirut.
