FSRN Weekly Edition – August 19, 2016
- Police accountability and private prisons
- DEA: marijuana stays in most restricted drug class despite state legalization trend
- Saudi-led airstrikes target Yemeni hospital, schools
- UN troops accused of standing idle during Juba attack on aid workers
- Day 41: Civil unrest and curfews in Indian-administered Kashmir
- Zimbabwe police violently disperse peaceful protest of president’s economic policies
- Gaza’s garment sector sees a small boost as export blockade eased
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Police accountability and private prisons
The Milwaukee officer who fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith last weekend has been identified as a fellow African-American who lived in the community and attended high school with the man he killed. FSRN’s Jacob Resneck has more.
DEA: marijuana stays in most restricted drug class despite state legalization trend
Another plank in the call to cut incarceration rates is decriminalization of marijuana, But this month the federal government declined to downgrade pot’s classification from a controlled substance with high potential for abuse and no medicinal value. That’s despite half the states in the union legalizing weed in some form with others likely to follow. Drug reform advocates are lamenting the move as a lost opportunity to move towards a coherent national cannabis policy. FSRN’s Carla Green reports.
Saudi-led airstrikes target Yemeni hospital, schools
Doctors Without Borders says it’s evacuating foreign staff from Yemen following Monday’s deadly airstrike on a hospital. FSRN’s Nell Abram has more.
UN troops accused of standing idle during Juba attack on aid workers
The United Nations is marking “World Humanitarian Day” Friday with a blue-carpet event at its headquarters in New York. This year’s commemoration comes as UN peacekeepers in South Sudan face allegations they ignored pleas to intervene while rampaging soldiers attacked foreign aid workers a mile away. Patricia Nunan reports from New York.
Day 41: Civil unrest and curfews in Indian-administered Kashmir
More than 40 days after India imposed a curfew to quell unrest in Kashmir, Indian troops continue to kill civilians across the region. Much of the disputed area claimed by both India and Pakistan is in open revolt following last month’s killing of a young insurgent leader. FSRN’s Shahnawaz Khan reports from Srinigar.
Zimbabwe police violently disperse peaceful protest of president’s economic policies
Police in Zimbabwe’s capital violently dispersed a peaceful rally this week called by social activists critical of President Robert Mugabe’s policies as the economy teeters on collapse. A government plan to circulate a new paper currency to alleviate a cash shortage, is stoking fear of a return to hyperinflation. FSRN’s Garikai Chaunza reports from Harare.
Gaza’s garment sector sees a small boost as export blockade eased
There’s some good news from Gaza: its garment industry is picking up as Israel eases its blockade on commercial exports. Before the 2007 war, Gaza’s garment sector was a major source of revenue that’s been choked by crippling sanctions. FSRN’s Rami Almeghari reports from Gaza City.
