April 09, 2003
Is the War Over?
Haaretz is reporting that the Red Cross has temporarily suspended humanitarian operations in Baghdad due to a `chaotic and unpredictable` situation. This as many reports this afternoon that say US troops have taken Baghdad, which some are calling the end of the War. Nila Razook a correspondent is with AFP.
North Korea Next?
Today the United Nations is holding talks about whether to impose economic sanctions on North Korea, in an effort to deter that nation from pulling out of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. North Korea is due to officially withdraw from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty tomorrow. North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Il, says he needs nuclear weapons to prevent a US pre-emptive strike and that he will view any economic sanctions as an act of war. In response, the US has stealth bombers in the region, and its planning to move 17,000 US troops closer to South Koreas capitol, Seoul. Some Korea experts say there’s still time to avert a war, but only if the United States adopts a team approach, as Shelley Schlender reports.
Republicans Steamrolling on Capitol Hill
Congressional Republicans have been buoyed by what they say has been a successful mission in Iraq. With only minor setbacks, and little opposition from the Democrats, the Republican agenda would appear to be moving ahead full steam on Capitol Hill. Josh Chaffin reports.
Bombed Turkish Village
A day after the Turkish Parliament rejected selling the country’s public forests to satisfy the International Monetary Fund, the ruling AK Parti government proposed selling parts of Turkey’s beautiful Mediterranean Coastline as a means of paying the country’s massive 200 billion dollar debt. The IMF has insisted on strict austerity measures for Turkey since the Parliament forbid a Northern invasion of Iraq March 1st. Under an agreement reached with the IMF over the weekend, 45 thousand government workers will lose their jobs and most of the others will have their wages frozen. This after US war-planes accidentally bombed the Turkish province of Urfa three separate times with Tomahawk Cruise missiles. Aaron Glantz reports from the bombed village of Ozveren.
More Gaza Killings
A bomb ripped through a Palestinian high school in the West Bank village of Jaba’a, outside of Jenin this morning- wounding 15 teenagers. A right wing group identifying itself as “Revenge of the Infants” claimed responsibility for the attack. Israeli Police however have responded saying there is no evidence indicating that “revenge of the infant” group is responsible for the bombing. This as last night, Israeli air force shot 3 missiles into a Gaza City neighborhood in a targeted assassination of a suspected Hamas military operative. Kristen Ess has more from Gaza city, where Palestinians say the Israeli policy of extra judicial killings is against international law and killing too many Palestinians.
