Archive - Aug 21, 2009

• US Drone attack kills a dozen people in Pakistan
• Afghanistan front runners claim victory in presidential election
• World Cup 2014 plans generate environmental controversy in Porto Alegre, Brazil
• PETA says US military violates its own rules against animal cruelty
• High mercury levels found in US streams and fish
• Department of Homeland Security neglected deaths of immigrants at detention centers

• In first trials of Zelaya supporters in Honduras, six convicted
  
• Another suicide attack rattles Chechnya
• Mexico decriminalizes limited drug possession, but instates mandatory minimums
• “Cash for Clunkers” program to end Monday for lack of funds
  
• Home sales at highest levels since 2007
  
• Miami immigration judge throws out deportation case of former USF student Yousef Megahed
  
• Hawai’i marks 50 years of US statehood with mixed emotions

New allegations have emerged that the US government hired military contractor Blackwater to arm unmanned drones used in Afghanistan and Pakistan with missiles and bombs.

According to the New York Times, which quoted unnamed government officials and current and former employees, Blackwater, now called Xe,  ran these services out of a secret division in North Carolina. The job of attaching missiles and 500-pound bombs on unmanned Predator drones used to belong to the CIA. It's not clear if the controversial company is currently under contract.

Meanwhile in Pakistan, a US Drone attacked a site in the North Waziristan region today, reportedly killing a dozen people, including women and children. FSRN's Nathan Moore reads for our reporter in Pakistan Gabe Matthews.

As electoral authorities in Afghanistan count the votes for yesterday´s presidential election, the two front runners are already claiming victory.

Earlier today, Hamid Karzai´s campaign manager said the incumbent president has obtained more than 50 percent of the votes and that a second round will not be needed. Karzai´s main rival is former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, who fought for the Northern Alliance in the days of the Taliban regime.  He told Al-Jazeera English that he was leading in the polls.

“Of course we will let the elections commissions tell us the results when they have all the results. From the south we don´t have a lot of information and unfortunately the turnout there has been very low. But in the area where the results are announced I am in the lead, no doubt.”

Citing information from his observers at polling stations, Abdullah´s campaign manager said his candidate had obtained more than 60 percent of the votes with Karzai obtaining a mere 31 percent. Afghanistan´s Independent Electoral Commission urged candidates to be patient and to refrain from making victory statements.  The commission estimates voter turnout at around 50 percent.  And preliminary results from several districts are expected tomorrow with final results coming in next week.

The election was hailed as a success by the international community, although opposition candidates like Abdullah complained of irregularities in southern provinces.  Ramazan Bashardost, who was running in third place in opinion polls, complained about the indelible ink that was placed on voters fingers to ensure they couldn´t vote twice.  After voting himself, Bashardost wiped the ink off his index finger in front of TV cameras.

“This is vote is not transparent it is not honest it is not free. Because look at the ink, there is nothing.”

The Electoral Complaints Commission says it is processing some 100 complaints from different polling booths across the country. Its director, Canadian Grant Kippen, told the BBC that while he was impressed with turnout levels, it was too early to tell if the elections have been a success.

Porto Alegre is one of 12 Brazilian cities that will host matches during the 2014 soccer World Cup.   The decision was made in early June and it has thrust this city of 1.5 million people into a heated debate around citywide development plans for the international soccer tournament.  World Cup plans have pitted environmentalists and community members against developers and soccer fans.  FSRN reporter Mike Fox has more from Porto Alegre.

Animal rights groups are accusing the military of violating its own laws regarding animal cruelty. They say the military’s use of live animals to train medics to fix severed limbs and other battlefield injuries is barbaric and unnecessary. FSRN´s Tanya Snyder reports.

Scientists from the US Geological Survey have found widespread mercury contamination of fish in streams across the country. The researchers published the “Report on Mercury in Stream Ecosystems” this week, which says that mercury was found in every fish tested in nearly 300 streams.

According to the study, more than 25 percent of the fish had levels of mercury higher than EPA safety levels establish for fish consumption. The scientists also looked for mercury levels in water and bed sediments.

FSRN spoke with Lia Chasar, a researcher at the US Geological Survey and one of the scientists who worked on this report.

Note:  The EPA publishes regular fish advisories which can be found here.