Archive - Aug 19, 2010

• Gulf residents raise questions over food safety
• New Jersey settles with SEC over fraud, in sign of cases to come
• Last US combat troops leave Iraq as political crisis continues
• In Gaza, factional fighting threatens media workers
• Immigrant advocates call on DHS to halt deportation of Russian youth

• Report: Hate crimes against homeless people on the rise
• UN honors humanitarian aid workers who have died in the field
• US announces boost to Pakistan humanitarian aid
• All-female aid ship prepares for Gaza voyage
• South Africa shut down as state workers strike
• France deports first group of Roma

Is seafood from the Gulf of Mexico safe to eat? Federal government agencies are trying to reassure the public that it is. But during the first week of shrimping season in the Gulf, the fisherfolk in the region say they aren’t so sure. They see for themselves the continuing damage in the Gulf – and they’re worried about being held responsible if contaminated seafood ends up causing illness. Tanya Snyder has more.

The state of New Jersey settled a fraud case with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New Jersey was accused of lying about how it was funding its pension program. This marks the first time the SEC has brought a fraud suit against a state, but experts say similar cases could be coming soon. Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

The last of US combat forces left Iraq today. The 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division crossed into Kuwait early this morning as part of a drawdown of US forces in the country. But some 56 thousand US service members will remain in Iraq through at least 2011, according to the Department of Defense. They'll be joined by an increase of private contractors as well.

US combat forces leave the country as the Iraqi government is mired in political crisis. Yesterday, a suicide bomber in Iraq killed 60, mostly Iraqi army recruits in Baghdad. But President Obama is reassuring the public about the drawdown. This is President Obama speaking on Wednesday.

"We are increasing access to healthcare and benefits and education for our veterans and their families. We’re keeping the promise I made when I began campaigning for the presidency. By the end of this month we'll have removed 100,000 troops from Iraq and our combat mission in Iraq will be over."

For more, we turn to Raed Jarrar, he's an Iraqi-born political blogger, and a consultant on Iraq with the American Friends Service Committee, a nationwide social justice organization. He's been a regular guest on FSRN.

A UN report released today finds that Israel restricts access to 85 percent of Gaza's beachfront zone and often enforces the restrictions by using live fire. Since January 2009, 22 people have been killed and 146 wounded throughout the territory. Haaretz reports that The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says in the study that Israel Defense Forces are blocking access to 17 percent of Gaza lands which directly affects some 180,000 people, vastly reducing income, diminishing the quality of food, and even cutting back on school attendance and marriages.

Meanwhile, another threat to daily life in Gaza comes from within the territories. Journalists are often caught in the rivalry between Fatah and Hamas. That's been especially true since the violent split between Hamas and Fatah in June 2007.  In addition to limiting access to information, some say it's leading to repression of media workers. FSRN'S Rami Almeghari has more.

In Michigan, immigrant rights advocates are urging Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to immediately halt the deportation of a Russian-born youth. Ivan Nikolov came to the US with his mother in 2000, when he was 11 years old. The government gave them working papers and social security numbers, but advocates say a missed court date led to the family being put on the US deportation list. Nikolov’s American fiancee, Alanna Woolley spoke to reporters Wednesday, during a conference call.

"Ivan hopes to pursue a degree in film at a university. Probably Wayne State because that's where I'm going right now. He's also been teaching himself to play the piano so he's very into music and he's very motivated."

Nikolov has been in detention since May, after ICE raided his home. His mother was deported earlier this month. His adoptive father is a US citizen.

Advocates say this case is another example of why Congress should pass the DREAM Act, which gives immigrant youth who meet certain requirements, a pathway to citizenship - either through attending college or by joining the military.