Headlines Package - May 15, 2008

• Relief Trickles into Burma as Death Toll Soars
• Pipeline Explosion Near Lagos Kills 100
• CA Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Same Sex Marriage
• Airstrikes in Pakistani Tribal Village Near Afghan Border
• British Inquiry into Iraqi Detainee Abuse

Back to Newscast for May 15, 2008

Relief Trickles into Burma as Death Toll Soars
International relief agencies continue to call on Burma's military junta to stop hampering relief efforts to the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis. The junta has denied visas to the overwhelming majority of foreign aid workers requesting access to the Irawaddy Delta. The rice-growing region took a direct hit from the cyclone earlier this month. Meanwhile the death toll continues to climb. The military junta puts the number at 43,000 while the United Nations and the Red Cross both estimate that more than 100,000 have died. Aid groups estimate over 2 million people are still in urgent need of food, water, and adequate shelter.

Pipeline Explosion Near Lagos Kills 100
A pipeline fire on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria has killed 100 people and injured at least 30 others. Construction machinery reportedly punctured the pipeline, although what sparked the fire has yet to be determined. More than 2000 people have died in Nigerian pipeline accidents in the past decade.

CA Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Same Sex Marriage
California's Supreme Court has overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage by voting 4 to 7 that limiting marriage to heterosexual couples is unconstitutional. Kellia Ramares has more.

In a 121-page majority opinion states that "the constitutionally-based right to marry properly must be understood to include most fundamentally, the opportunity of an individual to establish - with the person with whom the individual has chosen to share his or her life - an officially recognized and protected family possessing mutual rights and responsibilities and entitled to the same respect and dignity accorded a union traditionally designated as marriage." The court determined that domestic partnership legislation that gave same-sex couples many of the same rights as heterosexual married couples were inadequate because labeling the same sex partnerships differently could be interpreted as meaning that the relationship was not of equal dignity as the bond called "marriage". Therese Stewart is the Chief Deputy attorney for the City of San Francisco: (audio). The six consolidated marriage cases now go back to the court of appeals for a the issuance of a writ-of-mandate directing the appropriate state officials to take all actions necessary to implement the ruling. For FSRN, I'm Kellia Ramares.

Airstrikes in Pakistani Tribal Village Near Afghan Border
Two US Predator drones launched deadly airstrikes on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border last night in a move that locals say could sabotage the peace efforts of the recently-elected opposition-led government. Mudassar Shah traveled to the scene of the airstrike and files this report.

The US drone attacks on the Dama Dola village in the Bajaur tribal region killed over 20 people and left dozens injured. The strikes occurred after media reports indicated the top Alqaeda leaders were to meet in a local house. The airstrikes killed a local Taliban leader and his brother. Women and children were also among the dead. 30 year old Madrassa Student, Shahid spoke to FSRN from the scene of the airstrikes: (clip) "The strikes destroyed a house, a mosque, and a male guesthouse belonging to a Taliban leader, but not the will of the Taliban. We do not expect good from Americans and their allies as they are our sworn enemies. They want to kill innocent people as you can see here." Local people interviewed in Dama Dola believe the missile strikes aim to sabotage ongoing peace talks launched by the government with pro-Taliban militants to end a wave of attacks in the tribal region. For FSRN, I am Mudassar Shah.

British Inquiry into Iraqi Detainee Abuse
The British Ministry of Defense has decided to hold a public inquiry into the death of an Iraqi civilian in British army custody. From London, Naomi Fowler reports.

A post-mortem exam on Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa found he had 93 injuries on his body. Seven British soldiers were acused of causing Mousa's death, but a military court was only able to convict one on a single charge of inhumane treatment. Mousa's family issued a legal challenge to the government's initial refusal to hold an independent inquiry. After years of legal wrangling, the government’s Ministry of Defense moved quickly to announce an inquiry when it became clear that a High Court judge was about to order one anyway. The inquiry will investigate whether the underlying causes were due to a "systemic" failure in the army and in the way soldiers were trained. The soldiers involved, and other senior figures in the British army were apparently unaware that five interrogation techniques - wall standing, hooding, subjection to noise, sleep deprivation, and deprivation of food and drink - were banned. The lawyer representing the Iraqis said today the inquiry should also investigate other allegations of abuse by British soldiers; however the armed forces minister has said he wantS the inquiry's terms of reference to be as narrow as possible. This is Naomi Fowler in London for Free Speech Radio News.