Headlines for Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Violent clashes in Sri Lanka following opposition candidate arrest
In Sri Lanka, violent clashes erupted today in the capital Colombo over the arrest of the defeated presidential candidate and former army chief.  FSRN’s Ponniah Manikavasagam reports.

Riot police used tear gas and a powerful water cannon to break up a clash between thousands of opposition supporters and ruling party activists outside the Supreme Court complex.  At least nine people, including two policemen, were injured in the incident.

The opposition has organized many protests across the country demanding the release of defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka.  They say the arrest of their candidate is illegal and that his life is in danger while he’s in Army custody.  The government says he violated military law during his service, and his arrest is not politically related.  He is to be court-martialed.

Ranil Wickremasinghe is the opposition leader.

“No one is prepared to accept the statements of the government.  That is the situation we are all in.  So the government must immediately release Sarath Fonseka.”

Sarath Fonseka’s wife today filed a lawsuit saying his fundamental rights have been violated.  On Tuesday, President Mahinda Rajpakse dissolved parliament, paving the way for a snap poll.  Ponniah Manikavasagam, FSRN, Sri Lanka.

Taliban leader confirmed dead by Pakistani government
Pakistani and Taliban officials have confirmed Taliban leader Hakimullah Mesud has died from injuries sustained in a US drone attack in mid-January.  Other Taiban members still deny their leader’s death.  If the reports are true, this would be the second Taliban leader killed in US drone attacks in the past six months.  The drones are still highly unpopular among residents because of regular civilian causalities.

In other news from Pakistan, a car-bomb north of Peshawar killed 18 people today.  Tribal police and civilians are among the dead.

Israel bombs abandoned Gaza airport
In the West Bank today, an off-duty Palestinian police officer stabbed an Israeli solider at a military checkpoint.  He died from his wounds at a hospital later.  Although protests and low-level clashes have been common recently between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, the conflict rarely flares to this level of violence.

In other news from the region, Israeli warplanes bombarded the abandoned Gaza international airport, causing some damages, but no injuries.  FSRN's Rami Almeghari files this headline.

And Israeli army spokesperson says the bombardment came in response to homemade rocket fire targeting the southern Israeli town of Negev.  The Israeli shelling caused no injuries, but severe damages to the airport’s presidential hall.  The airport has been frequently attacked by the Israeli army since the outbreak of the second Intifada in September 2000.

Earlier this month, the Israeli army attacked the airport and nearby underground tunnels in response to finding two explosive devices on the beach of Ashkelon city, 20 kilometers away from Gaza.

A statement signed by the Popular Resistance committees in Gaza denied responsibility for planting the devices.  The group has close ties with the ruling Hamas party.  Rami Almeghari.  Free Speech Radio News.  Gaza.

Iran cracks down on opposition ahead of anniversary protests
Tomorrow is the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.  And government forces are tightening their grips on the country ahead of planned anti-government protests.  Opposition leaders have made public calls for demonstrations.  Today the government says it arrested several protest organizers.  The internal strife comes as the US and EU threatens to step up sanctions against the country over announced plans to enrich uranium.

Homeless shelters struggle to meet client needs during winter storms
As snow grips the Capital region, many DC area residents are feeling the effects.  Many have lost power to their homes.  Local supermarkets are running low on food, and some have run out of staples like eggs and milk.  The storm has been difficult for all, but for those who rely on public services or are homeless, it’s even tougher.  FSRN’s Matt Pearson reports.

Many residents who rely on drop-in centers or schools for meals have seen those shut down by the storm.  And area homeless shelters are working overtime.

Central Union Mission in Northwest Washington DC has 80 beds that are full most nights during winter.  Dewitt Brookins used to stay at Central Union when he was homeless.  Now he works there.  He says they haven’t had enough beds to meet demand:

“Yeah, we normally have more people here during the day, because we don’t want them out in the cold.  People can come in and eat lunch, they have breakfast in the morning.  And then they are able to go to a chapel service, which is at 7 after dinner.  And then after the 80 beds are issued, we call the emergency hotline – for hypothermia – and try to see if we can get them beds.”

The DC area has gotten almost 40 inches of snow in the past week.  Matt Pearson.  FSRN.  Washington.

Number of undocumented immigrants declines for second year in a row
The number of unauthorized immigrants in the US declined by nearly 800,000 last year, according to statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security today.  DHS says the decline coincides with the downturn in the US economy.  There are currently 10.8 million undocumented immigrants in the US, the lowest the number has been since 2005.