Archive - Aug 9, 2010

• Trial for Gitmo detainee captured as minor tests military commissions
• Crackdown on opposition in Rwanda leaves voters with little choice
• Colombia’s new president to meet with Venezuela over rift
• Toll from Pakistan’s floods rises, expands to other regions
• Mexican journalists protest impunity as international investigation opens

• Netanyahu ducks direct questions in public inquiry into Gaza flotilla raid
  
• Death rate doubles in Moscow heat in smog
  
• Mudslides in Kashmir kill 150, leave thousands homeless
  
• Conflict continues in Kashmir valley, sparks ex-pat protests
  
• House ethics panel releases specifics in Waters alleged violations
  
• Nagasaki: 65 years later … more than 80,000 dead

The pretrial of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr took place today and the case represents a number of firsts. It’s the first case to go to a military trial under the Obama Administration and the first since a Supreme Court ruling prompted changes to the way military commissions are run. It’s also the first time a child soldier is being tried as an adult since the Nuremberg trials following World War II. Tanya Snyder reports.

Rwandans went to the polls today to choose who will be the country’s president for the next seven years. The current president, Paul Kagame, is expected to win by broad margins. But, critics say political repression has eliminated any real choice at the polls. FSRN’s Zach Baddorf reports from the capital, Kigali.

Colombia’s new President Juan Manuel Santos was inaugurated over the weekend and tomorrow he’s scheduled to meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Tensions between the two countries have risen sharply over the past few months - Colombia has accused Venezuela of harboring FARC rebels; Venezuela says the increased US military presence in Colombia is a threat to its sovereignty - but some say the face to face meeting between the two leaders could mark a turning point in relations.

For a preview of the meeting we’re joined by Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington DC.

The number of people affected by floods in Pakistan could be higher than 13 million, according to estimates released today by the Pakistani government.

If true, the UN says that would mean that the number would be higher than Haiti’s earthquake and the 2004 Tsunami combined. The death toll currently stands at 1,500, according to the Pakistani news agency, Dawn. Meanwhile, anger has risen within Pakistan over what many see as an inadequate response to the heavy rains.

Efforts stalled in the Northwest Swat valley, where helicopters were grounded due to bad weather. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced in the southern provinces of Punjab and Sindh. The AP reports that many of the worst hit areas show no signs of government assistance or outside aid. Many have been left without access to water or sanitation.

Today UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon described the response.

“The United Nations on the ground is working to supplement the efforts of the government and local and international NGOs to provide immediate relief, food, clean drinking water, shelter, health materials. The local relief fund and the central emergency response fund have already made resources available for agencies and organizations in the frontline. We will soon issue and emergency response plan and an appeal for several hundred million dollars to respond to immediate needs.”

More rain is expected in the region over the next twenty-four hours.

Meanwhile, rains in northwest China have triggered landslides. Today, China’s news service Xinhua raised the death toll to nearly 340 and said at least 1100 were still missing. Rescuers continue to search for survivors.

Journalists held marches across Mexico over the weekend to call attention to a rising tide of violence against the media and to protest the impunity surrounding the cases of dozens of murdered reporters. Shannon Young files this report from Mexico City.