Headlines - October 15, 2007

• Turkish Cabinet Writes Resolution on War Powers
• Two Reporters Killed in Iraq
• UN Envoy Urges UN to Leave Mid-East Quartet
• Chinese National Party Congress Opens
• Bombing Targets Migrant Workers in India

TURKISH PARLIAMENT TO MULL MILITARY ACTION
The Turkish government has written up a measure to authorize the use of full-scale military force in Iraqi Kurdistan. Turkey argues force is necessary to crush Kurdish separatists who stage cross-border attacks from bases in northern Iraq. The Turkish military has been building up its troop presence along the border for months and reportedly shelled some rural areas over the weekend. The US opposes a Turkish invasion of the relatively peaceful region of Iraqi Kurdistan. However, relations between Washington and Ankara are currently on the rocks due to a congressional resolution to recognize the 1915 mass murder of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as an act of genocide.

TWO REPORTERS KILLED IN IRAQ IN AS MANY DAYS
In other news from the region, two Iraqi reporters have died in the past 48 hours. Hiba Dawood has the story.

Washington Post reporter Salih Saif Aldin was shot at close range in the forehead yesterday when he went to interview residents of a southern neighborhood of Baghdad. Iraqi freelance reporter Dhi Abdul-Razak al-Dibo died in an ambush today in the city of Kirkuk. Reporters Without Borders estimates that 205 media workers have been killed in Iraq since the start of the invasion, with at least 54 of those deaths having occurred since the start of this year. More than 80% of the journalists murdered in Iraq are Iraqi. For FSRN, I'm Hiba Dawood reporting.

ENVOY URGES U.N. ACTION WITHIN QUARTET
The United Nations has come under criticism from one of its own top human rights officials for failing to address the ongoing abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories. Haider Rizvi reports from the United Nations.

UN envoy for the Palestinian territories John Dugard says the UN should should quit the Middle East Quartet because it has not done anything to protect the Palestinians from Israeli abuses in the Occupied Territories. In a statement, Dugard justified Israeli concerns about security, but said its response towards the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is very disproportionate. He said he would urge the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to take the UN out of the Quartet if it fails to address the human rights situation. The Quartet consists of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia. It's stated aim is to help Israelis and Palestinians to reach a peace deal. Observers say the Quartet has been ineffective due to U.S. support for the Israeli military and its actions. Dugard is due to present his report on the Palestinian human rights situation to the UN General Assembly later this month. I'm Haider Rizvi at the United Nations.

CHINESE NATIONAL PARTY CONGRESS OPENS
In China, the 17th National Communist Party Congress opened in Beijing today with President Hu Jintao delivering a speech to 2,200 party delegates. The congress takes place once every five years and is a time when the party outlines new directions and promotes the next generation of leaders. Elise Potaka has more from Beijing.

In a speech that ran just under two and a half hours, President Hu Jintao told party delegates that China needs to continue to build what he called a "moderately prosperous society" by addressing the gap between rich and poor, and narrowing the urban-rural divide. The speech also talked of the need to do more to promote environmental conservation, and reiterated the country's unification policy on Taiwan. Touching on another sensitive issue, President Hu Jintao also promised to ensure the quality and safety of Chinese made products. The lead-up to the congress has been tense. Internet censorship has been stepped up, and well known dissidents placed under house arrest for the meeting's duration. Police reportedly arrested several people outside the congress today. They'd come to present the government with petitions about problems in their home towns. The party congress will conclude on Sunday with the announcement of the next group of party leaders, and a possible successor to President Hu Jintao. I'm Elise Potaka in Beijing for FSRN.

BOMBING IN INDIA TARGETS MIGRANT WORKERS
Police in the Indian State of Punjab have detained over a dozen people in connection with a bomb blast that killed seven in a movie theater on Sunday night. Bismillah Geelani has the story.

The blast occurred in a multiplex cinema in Luhiana, one of India's largest industrial cities. The bomb killed seven people and wounded 32 others. All of the dead were migrant workers, as are most of the wounded. Migrant workers from nearby states make up about one third of Ludhiana's population of 3 million. The blast appears to have carefully targeted the movie theater known for showing films in the Bhojpuri language spoken by many of the city's migrants. Punjab Police officials investigating the blast are focusing primarily on a possible link with Kashmiri and Sikh Militant groups and have already detained over a dozen alleged suspects. For FSRN, This is Bismillah Geelani from New Delhi.